Ultramarathon Daily News | Tuesday, Feb 20

Ultramarathon attendance is not in rapid growth. Ultramarathons are not a mainstream sport, and fewer people finished ultras in 2017 than finished the top three road marathons combined. More takeaways on the state of the sport with Jason Koop right this way.

Why yoga pants are bad for women. My opinion: Wear what you want, what makes you feel good and don’t worry about other people.

Justin/IRF covers this past weekend’s ultramarathon and trail racing results from this past weekend. Quick shots:

• Ailsa MacDonald. Wow! What a performance at Black Canyon! I’m having her on the show on Thursday to learn more about this incredible woman. And with Tim Freriks’ win, Western looks like it’ll be a Coconino Cowboy Showdown.
• Anthony Costales wins Moab Red Hot. Here’s our interview with him from a few months ago.
• Stephanie Violett’s big win at FOURmidable in Auburn. Steph is in shape and looking towards a strong 2018. Awesome.

One of the joys of trail running is that we don’t have to deal with heckling from drivers very often. Here’s a hilarious post about some of this guy’s most memorable encounters.

Well there’s an Olympic story I hadn’t heard. This Swiss skiers dad rode 10k miles to see his son compete.

From the dude, there are other ways to get a Strava segment file: How and why this guy skated and ran 100 miles across a frozen lake in Northern Mongolia while avoiding bears and wolves, all while tolerating -47 degrees. 

Great read for anyone looking to improve their ultramarathon and trail running game: Use a multi-dimensional, synergistic approach to your training.

…many of those points are also shared in this article about the seven performance-enhancing habits of Olympians.

Combine that advice with these tips on improving your adventure mindset, and you’re set to have a good season.

…but be sure to not allow your kid to land a pogo stick on your foot, or you’ll be limping around with a crushed pinky toe like your humble correspondent.

More Olympics: How this half pipe skier schemed her way into the Games. Agree with what she did?

Read this: Tips on downhill trail running from top coaches.

New podcast dropping today from Natalie Ghelfi. Stay tuned.

Finding positivity through adventure. 

Jean worked a full week, flew to the race, ran 100 miles (in 15:37!), somehow slept, wrote this entire race report, then got back home safely. What did YOU do this weekend?

Mario opines on USATF drama, toys with the idea of a summer trail running retreat, and shares his favorite non-running podcasts.

You’ve heard Chris Bruno’s band (The Lloyd Dobbler Effect) at the end of some recent URP interviews. Here’s his latest video of his run at Rocky Raccoon 100. If you’re planning on running RR next year, bookmark this sucker.

And here’s a great video from the South Mountain Marathon in Western North Carolina, which is from what I hear, the Mecca of the East Coast craft beer scene. Looks like a fun time on beautiful trails with cool people.

A few new reviews coming this week. Brooks Caldera trail shoe and a sports bra from our new female reviewer Sarah Bradham. Stay tuned.