Athletes

UD ambassadors Sandi Nypaver and Taylor Nowlin, and Jade de la Rosa and myself (Sarah Burke) ascended the first major climb of the course as the sun was rising. It was just that kind of lighting where you could finally make out the trail below you without the aid of your headlamp. Joyful hoots of “WOOO WOOO” and “EYYYYYE EYYYE EYYYE” were heard as we…

UD Ambassador Jason Schlarb lives near the San Juan mountains in Durango, Colorado. The San Juans are notoriously fickle with bouts of heavy snowfall and super cold temps. Even though Schlarb loves skiing in winter his primary focus is on summer trail and ultra races. So how do you manage to have a productive offseason in challenging conditions? Here are some tips from Schlarb with…

Justin Simoni calls fastpacking “the space between ultra running and backpacking.” If you're curious about fastpacking and want to know how to get started, read this excellent overview by UD ambassador Jen Segger. Jen has been planning and leading fastpacking trips for years, even running a dedicated company for it (Run BC Adventures). Here's how to pick the right gear and plan your first fastpacking trip.  Fastpacking is…

Ultimate Direction ambassador John Kelly is known most for his multiple Barkley Marathons appearances and completion in 2017. A rarity in the ultra-running community, John also competed in Ironman triathlons. This year he is leaving the bike and swim cap behind for a more focused season of running. In typical John Kelly fashion this meant attempting something new and difficult: his first 200 mile race.…

Ultimate Direction ambassador Jessie Young recently won her 4th Ski Mountaineering National Championship in five years. She and husband Max Taam had their first baby in 2018. We asked Jessie about how she maintains a high level of performance while raising their son Ryder. How does being a mom-athlete work logistically? What are her strategies? Read on. Ultimate Direction: As a now 4x Ski Mountaineering…

Welcome to Part 2 in our series designed to motivate and inspire you in 2019. Next up: How to Prepare for an FKT.  –– It's the start of a new year. As runners we're busy conceiving new goals and challenges to motivate us in training and racing. Targeting and preparing for specific events will certainly occupy a percentage of your training but what about designing…

Among our ambassadors, Anna Frost is joining people like Jenny Jurek, Emma Roca, Tara Warren, Jessie Young and Michelle Yates in becoming a professional athlete with kids. A hallmark of Anna's career has been her willingness to race and travel almost constantly. So how does a person used to the flexibility of taking off on a whim and being concerned firstly with their own health…

Running is boring. Dreadfully. At least that’s what a young Gina Lucrezi thought when she imagined plugging away mile after mile, measuring time in worn layers of rubber and sweat. This was before becoming a collegiate All-American (10 times). Before becoming a collegiate national champion in the 1500 meter. Before the 10k’s and the half marathons. Before discovering trail running. Before the 50k’s, 50 milers,…

An important step in managing anxiety involves facing feared situations, places or objects. It is normal to want to avoid the things we fear. However, avoidance prevents you from learning that the things you fear may not be as dangerous as you think. The process of facing fears is called exposure. Exposure involves gradually and repeatedly going into feared situations until you feel less anxious.…

The Rut 50K is one of the most technical mountain races in the U.S. and in order to set myself up for success I made sure my training reflected both the steep, rocky sections of the course and the fast, runnable sections (as a mountain runner I realize I have a skewed view of what "runnable" means!). Here's how I did it. Road workouts These…