Ultra Running: Learn How to Run Ultra Marathons & Extreme Long Distance (50KM+)

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Ultra running is a sport reserved for the gutsiest of athletes. You might not be the strongest, the fastest, or the most technically proficient runner. But if you can push your mind and body to the limit, you might just have what it takes to run extreme long distance. Learn more about the rapidly growing ultra running scene with our training guides and race profiles:

I’m not the strongest. I’m not the fastest. But I’m really good at suffering.

Amelia Boone

ULTRA RUNNING

Ultra Marathon Training 101: How to Become A Successful Ultra Runner

As the famous quote goes: If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon. If you want to talk to God, run an ultra.

Training for an ultra-marathon (any race longer than 50K) is a huge undertaking that requires strength, endurance, guts and determination. Are you up for the challenge?

Famous Ultra Marathon Race Profiles

One of the great appeals of ultra distance running is the opportunity to explore routes that you simply wouldn’t encounter in an ordinary race. From the toughest mountains to the most historic trails, every race is a journey. You might start your ultra adventures with an extended road race, but once the bug bites, it’s hard not to become infatuated with the extreme races that dominate the Ultra calendar. Here we profile some of the world’s most infamous Ultra marathons:

Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc

Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc: Inside the Grueling UTMB Race

At the end of August each year, thousands of runners descend on Chamonix, France, to participate in one of the most grueling ultramarathons known to mankind – The Ultra-Trail Du … Read more
Marathon des Sables guide

Marathon Des Sables (MdS): The Toughest Race On Earth?

There’s a section of Fable III that sees you quite literally leading a blind man through a desert. The section itself isn’t very long (it probably only lasts twenty minutes … Read more
Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra Race Guide

Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra: The World’s Coldest Ultramarathon?

Treacherous, icy, isolated, extreme. Along with the “world’s coldest and toughest ultra,” these words have been used to describe the Montane Yukon Ultra Race over the years. Despite its challenges … Read more
The Spartathlon Ultra Marathon

Spartathlon Race Guide: The Historic Ultra from Athens to Sparta

Are you interested in running the historical Spartathlon ultra marathon? If there’s one thing we know about the ancient Greeks, it’s that they had zero chill. Take the historic Battle … Read more
Tunnel Ultra race

Tunnel Ultra: Is This The World’s Cruellest Ultra Marathon?

How do you like the idea of racing 200 miles in pitch black darkness? For most people, the idea of a good time typically involves relaxing with loved ones. We’re … Read more
What makes the Badwater 135 so hard?

What Makes The Badwater 135 So Hard?

Distance running has always been a matter of testing the human mind, body, and spirit. Nothing accomplishes this better than an ultramarathon. Ultramarathons are by definition ultra, ultra-long, and ultra-tough. … Read more
Why is the Barkley Marathons so hard to finish?

Why Is The Barkley Marathons So Hard?

Running ultramarathons is challenging and not for everyone. For those that run ultramarathons, the Barkley Marathons does not seem so hard when considered on paper. It covers 100 miles in … Read more
The World's Hardest Ultra Marathons

15 Hardest Ultra Marathons in the World

Ultra marathons are the ultimate test of athletes’ physical and mental grit. Achieving the seemingly impossible is the ultimate high. No matter how grueling or exhausting these races are, athletes … Read more

Travis Macy on Ultra running

“Endurance races are a microcosm of life; you’re high, you’re low, in the race, out of the race, crushing it, getting crushed, managing fears, rewriting stories.”

Travis Macy, author of The Ultra Mindset
#1 Book For Aspiring Ultra Runners
The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion's 8 Core Principles for Success
$15.99

Travis Macy summited glacial peaks in the French Alps, rappelled into vast limestone caves in China, and ran through parched deserts in Utah. Most famously, he won one of the country's marquee ultra-distance events: Leadman. This book passes on his 8 core principles for success.

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12/01/2023 01:46 am GMT

Tips and Inspiration for Ultra Distance Runners

One of the things you have to possess (in abundance!) to become an ultra runner is motivation. It’s not possible to run these extreme long distances without a burning desire to prove something… or feel something. Here we bring you a collection of tips, inspirational stories and unique insights in to what it takes to become an ultra distance runner.

Ultra marathon mistakes

15 Ultra Marathon Mistakes To Avoid

Have you signed up for your first ultra? Looking forward to crossing that finish line before you’ve even started?  Ultra marathons are considered any race that stretches beyond that golden … Read more
Ultramarathon training guide

Ultramarathon Training 101: How to Become A Successful Ultra Distance Runner

Most of us have heard of a half marathon and a marathon, but the ultramarathon is less known by the average person. So what is an ultramarathon? It’s defined as … Read more
Secrets of the Tarahumara runners

Tarahumara Runners: 5 Key Traits of The Ultra-Running Tribe

If you’ve read the book “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” by Christopher McDougall, you will know a bit about … Read more
Best ultra running books

5 Best Ultra Running Books: Our Top Picks

Ultrarunning is one of the fastest growing running interests in the world. And every year we’re seeing more great books on the subject. Are you looking to get motivated or … Read more

Get Started On Your Ultra Journey

It goes without saying… the journey from novice runner to ultra runner is long and arduous. If you are captivated by the idea of completing a monster 100KM trail race, but you haven’t yet run a Half Marathon, there are milestones you will need to check off before you are ready.

Every journey starts with a single step. Browse through our introductory guides to cover your bases and prep for the journey ahead!

GET IN SHAPE TO RUN LONGER

Your body has to be primed before it can handle extreme long distances. Don’t try and Forrest Gump it!

Nutrition for runners

Learn how to fuel your body for those draining long runs. Here’s what runners need to know about nutrition.

injury AND Recovery

Every ultra runner has to confront injury. It’s a rites of passage. Here’s how you can minimise your risk and recover faster.