The post This Week In Running: April 22, 2024 appeared first on iRunFar. It was an all-star weekend. The Golden Trail World Series kicked off, the Marathon des Sables stage race finished up, and the USATF 100k Road National Championships went round and round. That’s enough for even the worst case of the Mondays. Kobe Trail – Kobe, Japan Best known for beef, the trails are really good in Kobe too. It was the year’s first Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) contest and the first-ever GTWS race in Japan. The race was held over a series of loops on an especially technical 21-kilometer course with 1,8 ..read more

The post 2024 Marathon des Sables Legendary Results: Rachid El Morabity and Aziza El Amrany Victorious appeared first on iRunFar. After a week of racing, the 2024 Marathon des Sables Legendary stage race has concluded in Morocco’s Sahara Desert. Rachid El Morabity and Aziza El Amrany took home victory for the host country in the men’s and women’s races. For El Morabity, it was his 10th win of the event, and for El Amrany, her first. The seven-day, self-sufficiency stage race is often identified as one of the hardest footraces in the world. Throughout the race, runners navigate dunes, climb jeb ..read more

The post Untold Stories appeared first on iRunFar. A few years back, I listened to a woman speak about the importance of sharing stories. Her presentation was targeted at a group of athletes, and in it, she shared a story involving her son, a trampoline accident, and a mohawk. As I type this, I’m trying to remember the point of that story. I think it may have had something to do with self-confidence. Whatever the point, her reason for telling it was to show us, athletes, the importance of sharing stories. I remember leaving the presentation feeling a bit conflicted. On one hand, I could see wh ..read more

The post Ruth Croft: An Evolving Relationship with Running appeared first on iRunFar. Initially, one might be surprised that a runner of Ruth Croft’s caliber doesn’t have a Wikipedia page detailing her accomplishments. After all, the New Zealander has career highlights including wins at the Western States 100, Tarawera 100k, Les Templiers, CCC, OCC, Marathon du Mont-Blanc, and countless others. But Croft is a Kiwi who grew up in a tiny town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and her understated nature is quintessential of the culture of the rugged and iso ..read more

The post Merrell MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx Review appeared first on iRunFar. The Merrell MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx. All photos: iRunFar/Bryon Powell With the introduction of the Merrell MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx ($160), it seems as if the brand’s expansion of its trail shoe collection has gone from zero to 60 miles per hour in no time. I’ve always known Merrell for its expertise in hiking footwear, prioritizing trail stability and ankle support over considerations like shoe weight and responsiveness. Their trail running shoes were geared more toward everyday, casual running and minimalist options like the ..read more

The post The Owl Run 100s: Pete Ripmaster, Owls, and 100-Mile Runs appeared first on iRunFar. Running for a cause is nothing new in the sport, but Pete Ripmaster of North Carolina has dedicated much of his life to using running as a fundraising tool to help others, and his new venture is definitely out of the ordinary. After a life-changing encounter with a snowy owl during a low point while racing the 2014 Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 Mile (ITI 350) in Alaska, Ripmaster decided to start his Owl Run 100s project. He aims to run a 100-mile distance in each state while fundraising for the Owl ..read more

The post Hero Stories appeared first on iRunFar. One of my worst races was the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile in 2017. That day, I paced myself imprudently. My headlamp died, so the darkness I experienced was both literal and metaphorical. I tumbled off a couple of footbridges in the dark, and, due to an untimely muscle imbalance, my torso folded in half like a comma from mile 80 onward, which gave people pause (1). I chased aggressive splits early in that race and fell behind in fueling. Upon realizing my error, I tried to make up for the deficit — too quickly and in soda form. I learned an important ..read more

The post Saucony Peregrine 14 Review appeared first on iRunFar. The Saucony Peregrine 14. All photos: iRunFar/Tom Caughlan The Saucony Peregrine 14 ($140) is an update on a classic shoe that has been a great all-arounder for a long time. With relatively deep 5-millimeter lugs, this shoe excels in dry conditions and holds its own when things get a little bit muddy and slick. The 28-millimeter and 24-millimeter heel and toe stack heights create a 4-millimeter drop, which is reasonable for a low-to-the-ground shoe. The Saucony Peregrine 14 has an actual weight of 9.8 ounces (278 grams) for a U.S ..read more

The post Under the Radar Races: Crazy Mountain 100 Mile appeared first on iRunFar. [Author’s Note: This article is the fourth in an 11-part series in AJW’s Taproom celebrating under-the-radar races.] The Crazy Mountain 100 Mile will be staged for the third time starting July 26, 2024, in the Crazy Mountains of north central Montana. This rough and rugged mountain race, with a 36-hour cutoff and over 23,000 feet of climbing, has quickly emerged as a bucket-list race for anyone seeking an off-the-grid mountain run that is truly an old-school throwback to the bygone days of hardcore mountain runn ..read more

The post Salomon Genesis Review appeared first on iRunFar. The Salomon Genesis. All photos: iRunFar/Annie Behrend My relationship with Salomon has had some high highs and forefoot-pinchy lows, so I approached the Salomon Genesis ($150) with a mix of hope and trepidation, wanting that sticky and stealthy outsole to be attached to my next Cinderella slipper. Like many of Salomon’s trail shoes, this one is designed for rocky and mountainous terrain. It uses Salomon’s dynamic support chassis and provides plenty of cushioning. The Salomon Genesis has stack heights of 34 millimeters at the heel and ..read more