The following article features the Cirque Series and was written by Boulder-based trail runner and gardener Janelle Lincks who is sponsored by Satisfy Running. This is Lincks’ second article celebrating ATRA’s Better Together theme for 2024. The wind breathes through the prayer flags staked at the top of Lenawee Mountain blessing the surrounding countryside in a wild dance of color and air. Smiling faces and clapping hands celebrate the summit along with the sky, the sun and those flowing colors. Peaks rise in every direction like a symphony realized in rock and air. My fatigued body and oxyge ..read more

The eight athletes who will represent the US at the International U18 Mountain Running Cup in Montana Palencina, Spain have been selected (photo of venue in featured photo). According to co-team manager Paul Kirsch, this year’s applicant pool was the largest ever in the history of the U18 program with young runners from across the country vying for the chance to represent their country in Spain in June. The US team will travel to Madrid, Spain, where the local organizing committee will take team members to Palencia. The US Team Members will arrive Wednesday, June 19, with the race taking place ..read more

Queer Runners Society triumphing cheers over tragedy The Queer Runners Society (QRS), like many creative ideas, was born out of a social happy hour. Following connections established at the 2022 US Trail Running Conference, four LGBTQ+ advocates, Mikah Meyer, Jake Federoski, Patti Flynn, and Michael Clemens, brainstormed actionable for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the running community, which led to the hosting of an impromptu happy hour at the 2023 Running USA Industry Conference. Prior to the Running USA conference, the four advocates had reached out to the organizers to offer their expertise on LGBT ..read more

The following article featuring Run The Ritter trail race was written by its founder and race director Paulette Odenthal. The event will celebrate its 6th running in 2024 and is held in Lakeville, MN, a south metro suburb of the Twin Cities. Featured photo is Odenthal at home with her canine companions. Run The Ritter was first held in 2019 and features 3 mile, 5 mile, 10 mile and 15 mile trail race distances. In 2023, a 3 mile Canicross division was held. The race namesake comes from the park which is named after the Ritter family that owned the 340-acre farm land prior to the city of Lakevil ..read more

The following review was written by trail runner Sarah Barber and features the Air Relax Plus AR-3.0 leg recovery system. Product was provided for the test and review at no charge. Many athletes — even casual trail runners — are constantly striving towards improvement. Motivated by finish lines at races, or Strava segments in their hometown, they’re all trying to eke out faster speeds, more miles, or more vert. But, there comes a point when one cannot simply train more or train harder. Either life gets in the way (family, career, yard work, friendships) or physiology is a limiter (age, injury ..read more

Announcement from American Trail Running Association partner US Trail Running Conference (USTRC). Above: Panelists discuss how new technologies save time for race directors and improve experience and communication for participants. Photo by: Terry Chiplin. Mastering Alternatives to Race Guides was the subject of the fourth webinar in the nine-webinar RD Master Class series produced by the US Trail Running Conference presented by Marathon Printing, which was live on Tuesday, April 23. The webinar series is free for all race directors and event organizers to access and is held in partn ..read more

The following release is published with permission from ATRA corporate member KINeSYS and features an exciting announcement. KINeSYS announced that its award-winning SPF 50 Fragrance Free Spray Sunscreen is the first-ever sunscreen to be certified with the Informed Sport program. Informed Sport certification provides the highest level of quality assurance by testing every batch of supplements, including sunscreens, for substances banned in sports. KINeSYS SPF 50 Fragrance Free is the brand’s highest SPF formula. Like all KINeSYS sunscreens, it is formulated for sport to provide SPF protection ..read more

The following article was written by USATF Mountain/Ultra/Trail liaison Lin Gentling and features the 2024 USATF 100km Road Championships. Featured photo is race director Nora Bird. There are two things in our lives that are guarantees; taxes and death. I would propose to add another to that short list and that would be inconsistent spring weather in southern Wisconsin. Only one week before the 2024 100K USATF Championship the temperatures soared to the low 70s with brilliant blue skies. Quite a contrast with the weather that met entrants in the championship race at Mad City Ultras on Saturday ..read more

Are you considering running your first ultramarathon in 2024? Or are you already registered and having buyer’s remorse, thinking…what now? Ultramarathons, or any distance longer than the standard marathon distance (26.2 miles), are some of the greatest physical undertakings by athletes of any sport. Classic “ultra” distances such as 50 kilometer, 50 Mile, 100 mile, or even the increasingly popular 200 mile races all require months or even years of consistent training, proper fueling, and strong mental attitudes to make the most of your race day performances and improve your odds of arriving at ..read more

House of Sport The Middaugh household might be the most competitive in off-road endurance sports history. Josiah Middaugh, 45-year-old off-road triathlete, snowshoer, trail runner, and father, is one of the most accomplished multidisciplinary outdoor athletes in the world. His career accomplishments (which are still accumulating year after year) include fifteen- time XTERRA USA National Champion, six-time USSSA National Snowshoe Champion, five-time Fat Bike World Champion, ten-time GoPro Mountain Games Ultimately Mountain Challenge Champion, two-time USAT Winter Triathlon National Champion, an ..read more