Trailhead: The race to sustainability

TOGETHER WITH

Happy Tuesday, trail friends. The week between Christmas and the new year is perfect for some year-end reflection on priorities. First, in our last newsletter of the year we want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU from the team here at UltraSignup. We launched some ambitious projects in 2022, and we're so thankful to have you, the community, along for the ride.

In our featured piece this week Jessica Bernhard takes stock of the progress we've made as a community towards environmental sustainability. In the Cool Down we look back to appreciate ultra-pioneer, Ted Corbitt, and in the DFL, we bloviate about our knee health.

- Matt Hart

THE WEEKEND COOL DOWN

Imagine a race that makes you rely on your survival skills instead of aid stations. That's what's coming this summer — an 80K race across Tanzania's bushlands with no water or food on course (📸: 1). With the northern hemisphere being tilted away from the sun this time of year, it's not uncommon for people to ask Max Romey how he deals with all the darkness up in Alaska. Well, he makes good art (📸:2). Ultrarunning pioneer and the first black American to compete in the Olympic marathon, Ted Corbitt, was known as "the father of long-distance running." NYRR honors him with this retrospective (📸:3).

Lastly, UTMB adds two new race festivals to their roster with the addition of Desert RATS and Grindstone. Their World Series calendar is now 34 events deep, with the finale around Mont Blanc in August.

Want more racing? Check out these upcoming events still open for registration.

No Hands Trail Run, Jan 7 (CA)
Ouachita Switchbacks, Jan 14 (OK)
Pier 2 Pier 200K, Feb 21 (FL)

COMMUNITY

The Race to Sustainability

Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation. Such a daunting issue can seem like too much for any one of us to take on. But as Jessica Bernhard writes in this week's story, "As is typical of the trail community, runners are banding together to make change at the grassroots level. The work is hard and messy and exciting." She looks at the progress race directors like Krissy Moehl, Tia Bodington, and Luke Nelson are making towards sustainability.

IS THIS SUSTAINABLE?

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THE DROP BAG

⛪ Long Run Transcendence: Worship at the church of the long run. "There is something magical about running after a certain distance. It transcends the body. And then you go a little bit further than you thought you could, and it transcends the mind."

🌨️ Too Cold?: Recent weather might have you wondering, is there a temperature at which it's unsafe to run outside or am I just a wimp? Corrine Malcolm looks at the science.

🏃 Year End Favorites: Coach to the stars, David Roche, concludes 2022 with his nine favorite workouts for trail runners... from his almanac.

DFL (DEAD FREAKIN' LAST)

🧎 Ultra Knees: "But running will ruin your knees," they said. 👆

🏃 100 Marathons: Erchana Murray-Bartlett has already run a marathon a day for 128 days. And if everything goes to plan, she will complete 150 marathons, arriving in Port Melbourne, Victoria, on Jan 16 with the world-record.

✅ Editor's Picks: Zoë Rom and Nicholas Triolo finish the year strong over at Trail Runner magazine and leave us contemplating the best moments of the year 2022. We think "Katie Schide finishes PhD thesis, wins UTMB" might be the coolest one, but let us know what you think.

🗳️ Get Out and Vote!: Voting has opened for UltraSignup's Keep Trail Running Weird Awards! We're also raffling off a free Run the Alps trip to one lucky nominator or voter. Get. On. It.

🎥 Video of the Week: Tim Tollefson and Taylor Swift tease some updates to the Mammoth Trail Fest.

➡️ Lastly, here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week.

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