By Mathias Eichler
The Skyrunner World Series is back in the USA!
Join us at Beast of Big Creek and race Mount Ellinor with us.
Like the Wind announces in-person gathering in London:
We are hoping that Run Culture: Live (aka RCL) will be the first in a series of annual gatherings around storytelling, art and community. So if you are in or near London or you can swing a trip to the city (it’s really worth visiting, I promise!) then we’d love to see you there.
Run Culture:Live is happening right the week after UTMB hoping to keep international folks a bit longer in the (wider) Europe.
The Steep Stuff Podcast is covering the Beast Skyrace all week long (I removed the emojis from the quote):
My chat with James is out already – give it a listen while you travel to town. I cannot wait to welcome you to the Olympic Peninsula.
In lieu of actual doping controls we get folks writing long Substack posts. Not sure this is the answer, but certainly adds to the overall conversation. The key piece that sticks out to me in Kilian’s post is this one:
During Cocodona of this year, I took prednisone before heading up Mt. Mingus to help prophylactically ward off the allergy-related breathing problems I had faced in years past and sucked down some puffs from my inhaler with regularity. Before the race I contacted Aravaipa to inquire about the potential need for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for these medications and was told that I didn’t need one. Did I do something wrong during the race? I don’t think so, and I did my due diligence. But it was the same category of drug for which Chepngeno lost her career. Even seemingly clear cut cases can involve shades of gray.
Woof. Joe McConaughy mentioned Kilian’s inhaler usage on the latest episode of Singletrack. Now we know the details around it.
If you’re a race director what do you do with this information?
Announced on Instagram:
Need a Red Light For Your Ultra? Petzl’s Got You Covered!
New 2026 rules? No problem. We’ve developed a 5g red filter clip for your headlamp. We’re giving it to you for free.
What an incredible service Petzl’s providing here. Kudos to their generosity and ingenuity.
Incredible promo reel for the UTMB Finals in less than a month.
What? Nothing, just me over here trying to get something out of my eyes.
Episode 350 with Joe McConaughy and Scott Sowle:
This week’s chat with PNW’s North Bend Trail Fest race director’s Joe McConaughy and Scott Sowle provides me with the perfect distraction from my own race prep for Beast to discuss the news of the moment: doping among influential trail runners. Joe shares his elite athlete perspective and we discuss the challenges for race directors trying to navigate the seemingly insurmountable financial challenges to provide doping controls at our events.
Also: come race in the PNW. Our trails are awesome, Mount Ellinor and Mount Si are calling you!
The Skyrunner World Series formerly invites you:
Next week, all eyes turn to Mount Ellinor in Washington State’s Olympic Mountains for Beast of Big Creek — North America’s only 2026 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series race. With 22 km of racing and over 1,600 m of climbing, expect raw uphill effort, technical descending, and rugged PNW atmosphere in full force. But it’s not just about the race — there’s a full weekend of activities and activations to get stuck into, from shoe testing and a pre-race run to the athlete presentation. Here’s everything you need to know.
If you’re racing with us, or just want to know what you’ll be missing you, this round up is for you.
This literally just in – and courtesy of Trail Talk: German Katharina Hartmuth posts a new record on England’s Lake District’s famous Bob Graham Round in 14:11:58* – unofficial time, still needs to be ratified – Katharina literally JUST finished as I am typing this.
Wow! Spending a few days in the San Juans for Hardrock must’ve been some good prep for this.
Mile & Stone has the quote from Isabelle Viseux Poletti:
“Fundamentally, there is nothing new. These are issues we have been working on for many years and they are the subject of a number of meetings with the town hall. In terms of form, I would say that it is not in our values to resolve our issues through the press; the method surprised us somewhat.”
She continues responding to the mayor’s various various points:
Reducing the brand expo? “We have been discussing this since April. There is indeed a small area that we will not occupy this year, but it is not a radical change.” The lack of interest from Chamonix residents in the event? “There are people who reject it and criticize it, that was already the case ten years ago, but there are also many people who are very happy. After the article, we received a lot of messages from Chamonix residents who do not identify with these comments, including from some local business owners.” Measures to bring fewer people, including a rotation or limitation system?”We are on public roads, so we do not have the power to ban people. On the other hand, we try to raise awareness and explain that it is possible to follow the races without necessarily coming in person, particularly through our live broadcasts, and we will continue doing so.”
Reducing the number of races, particularly at night? “There has been no new race in the Chamonix valley since 2016 and the creation of the MCC. As for night races, we are talking about ultra formats, which by definition are also run at night. But the question is not whether races take place at night or not, it is knowing where there is an objective and real disturbance; depending on that, we will make the necessary adjustments. But once again, none of this can be reduced to absolute truths.” Have the two parties spoken since the mayor’s interview? “It will happen soon, but not yet,” replies the UTMB director.
This is all pretty much in line with what I expected. UTMB is framing this in two ways: a saber rattling by a new boss in town eager to make an impression as well as them internally already working on addressing anything that is worth addressing.
Again, the biggest area of recent growth, which it’s also something somewhat outside their power is the explosion of various activation efforts by brands. And if you think back at when UTMB first made the announcement against ambush marketing you realize how long they’ve been aware of this issue.
Though as a fan I cannot wait to see what ACG has planned for this August.
Yesterday in 90+ degree weather, mid-week through typical awful rush hour traffic I headed to Seven Hills Running in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington for UltraSignup’s annual Dirt Circus. I was joined by handful of other race directors, a selection of techs and sales reps from various shoe brands. Over 300 other runners who came – despite the heat – for an evening to mingle, win a few giveaways, and run with their community. It was hot, and it was wonderful.
Back in 2023 UltraSignup announced their new idea with the following words:
Dirt Circus is an UltraSignup event series featuring our local race directors, running stores, and celebrating our running community. This is where runners and race directors meet, kinda like UltraSignup.com, but live and in person. Come along and join the spectacle.
I was skeptical at first – “shouldn’t USU focus on upgrading their platform rather than put on roadshows” was my thinking – and I wasn’t alone. But now after having been at the event these past two years I gotta admit: I am a believer.
Dirt Circus is a simple concept that truly celebrates and showcases the best our sport has to offer: participation.
It’s a welcome reminder of what this thing we’re doing is all about. What folks love most about our sport is the simplicity. You put on a pair of shoes and go on a run. Yes, we love all that elite spectating at big races, brand’s releasing new and exciting products, the media spectacles with the podcasts and livestreams – all these things are fun and fuel our passion. But at the heart of our trail running, is the simple action of heading out the door in search for some dirt.
My days as a trail runner might be filled with high stakes conference calls, countless email negotiations, and an endless digestion of media reports, but for most folks running is a hobby that means being excited about the newest shoe drop – in their futile hope that it finally makes them faster – and the simple joy of just getting some miles in.
This is what Dirt Circus reminded me of. After coming off a few massively important days at TrailCon and Western States, and amidst the high stakes preparation of the Skyrunner World Series returning to the US, this evening at Seven Hills was a nice reprieve – despite the oppressive heat. More of this, please.
Find the next Dirt Circus event near you.
DCRainmaker with the first takes:
Garmin announced today that it has acquired TrainingPeaks & TrainHeroic (TrainHeroic was part of TrainingPeaks). Garmin hasn’t announced how much it spent, or really much else except that it did. As you can see below, the press release is pretty thin on details. Still, I’ve got some thoughts about what this means for consumers and the industry alike.
The press release (posted in Jay’s article) is thin with details.
It’s also not very clear as to why Garmin might’ve wanted to buy Training Peaks.
…it seems logical that Garmin is looking to see if it can increase its subscription revenue, possibly via putting coaching aspects (plans or otherwise) into some sort of Connect+ bucket, or perhaps just keeping it standalone.
So we’re left waiting and wondering. And folks who’ve been using Training Peaks can now look forward to the uncertainty on what will happen to their tool and platform. This is very much becoming the norm in the tech software space.
US Skyrunning covers Beast of Big Creek in their newsletter this week. Executive Director Ryan Kerrigan:
“Elevated, the race will be” said Ryan Kerrigan, Coach with US Skyrunning. “Previously US athletes generally had to cross the pond to find world level skyrunning competition. Now US athletes will have the opportunity to host their greatest rivals and strongest athletes in the sport on home soil.
“I’m tired of hearing- ‘skyrunning is a European sport, maybe it should stay there.’ We’ve got the mountains, we’ve got the athletes and now we’ve got the race courses to match. Skyrunning is a global sport and next week the world spotlight will be right here with The Beast!”
Let’s get this show started, shall we?
Sage Canaday has been on a heater lately calling folks out and trying to work through these grey area doping issues as our sport professionalizes:
…However the issue with banned performance enhancing drugs in endurance sports isn’t just about winning prize money or making an Olympic team. It’s about honesty and integrity and mutual respect for all runners in a race.
Here we have a sport that’s growing in popularity and still – hopefully forever – let the amateurs toe the same line as the elites. The calls are now getting louder to bring doping controls to the top races where prize money is on the line and much prestige to be gained. Most races are still without any doping controls. There are many runners who aren’t elites in the strictest sense but are influential their own right, and sometimes place high on podiums. They, like in the instance Sage refers to, might event coach other runners and recommend certain treatment plans. On top of all this we have WADA rules which are strict, but not perfect.
Sage continues his post:
I don’t have all the answers to this. I realize taking certain drugs (not all are created equal at all!) can be a very personal and a very nuanced thing for individuals. I believe in enforcing existing rules and WADA/USADA code for competitive races…but I also realize testing is very limited and expensive…
So I’d like to open this up to a constructive discussion of possible solutions and hear other’s thoughts and feelings around this. It can help shape the future and culture of our sport as individuals in the community may see it from very different perspectives.
Doping controls are already a costly and thorny issue. We are far away from even having a handle on the actual elite end of our sport, but this issue needs to be addressed nonetheless. And it will need some of the top players in our sport to not to put their heads in the sand but take a stand and speak out.
Why this topic is blowing up right now is not because some hobby jogger from the back of the pack got caught cheating, but that “self declared non-elites” are actually reaching podiums, receiving sponsorships, and are influential in the sport with their behavior and opinions. This puts them on the same playing field as elites, therefore they need to be adhere to the same rules as elite runners.
Some weeks you don’t have time to record your own podcasts, so you rely on a little bit of help from your friends. Aaron Shimmons invited me and Robin Vieira Brower to discuss the return of skyrunning to the US. We chat about how it all happened and what it means for the athletes to have skyraces back on home soil.
We are so back! As they say.
Announced today:
Runners for Public Lands (RPL) is thrilled to announce that it has joined Outdoor Alliance, the national coalition of organizations advocating for human-powered outdoor recreation. As the 10th member of the Outdoor Alliance, Runners for Public Lands will strengthen the voice of runners alongside nine of the country’s most powerful outdoor recreation organizations working together to protect public lands and waters.
It’s great to see RPL grabbing a seat at this table giving us trail runners a bigger voice for political advocacy.
I mean, surprise?!
Why not, let’s throw out a last minute prize purse, shall we?
€4,000 are up for grabs at [the Skyrunner World Series] only North American stop on their 2026 Series.
*M/W*
1: €800
2: €500
3: €350
4: €200
5: €150Plus earn your change for a ticket to the Finals at [Marató dels Dements, Host of the 2026 MSWS Skymasters] in Spain in November [of this year].
I mean… let’s go?
Announced today via Instagram:
[Bad Beard Events] is officially joining Aravaipa Running!
This series has been the heart of Chattanooga trail running since Stump Jump and River Gorge were founded in 2001. Ginny Smith, who has directed these races for almost a decade, is staying on as Series Director to keep leading the way alongside the same local crew and volunteers.
The races, the trails, and the traditions aren’t changing. Our goal is to keep the unique character of these seven events while elevating the runner experience, all while continuing Bad Beard’s commitment to the local non-profits that protect Chattanooga’s backyard.
The Aravapia expansion continues. All jokes about monopolies and comparisons to UTMB have already been made. What I wonder: what’s the draw here? For years US race directors have been operating proudly as independent entities, building their statewide race series and happily operating on their own. Now this nationwide consolidation is happening. And there’s only one player being able to take advantage of it all: Aravaipa. I wonder what this says about the financial viability of the events space of our trail running ecosystem.
José Gómez writing on the blog of Marató dels Dements, the Skyrunner World Series Skymasters event for 2026:
After several years away from the United States, the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series returns to North America with the Beast of Big Creek, the continent’s only race included in the 2026 world calendar.
I’m just over here being blown away by the by all the press we’re getting. Two week until ‘go time’!
Alexis Danjon for L’Equipe (auto-translated):
Elected mayor of Chamonix in the spring, François-Xavier Laffin reveals the changes he will make from the next edition of the UTMB, organized from August 24 to 30, but also the developments he wishes to implement for the next editions in order to renew the relationship between the Chamoniards and this event.
The UTMB Finals have grown too big for the valley and many people living there feel and changes need to happen for the event to continue. Some of the proposed changes: no nighttime arrivals of runners for example seem ridiculous, but others like ensuring access of locals to their own garages seem ridiculous that this has gone even so far to become an issue.
UTMB has been a huge economic boon for the valley and this will be a challenging conversation – several of them, over many months I presume – to ensure that all parties can live with these new rules proposed by the new political leader. And UTMB is not blindsided by this. Many of the changes that have been announced for this year (stricter media access, tighter control on unaffiliated brand activations, course changes for OCC, and the red light headlamps) can be explained by UTMB trying to appease the locals and prepare for further headwinds.
François-Xavier Laffin does not mince words:
We cannot continue to see our mountain disintegrate, melt, change, the seracs and glaciers collapse, and remain with our arms crossed. You have to be responsible. Especially since our valley is constrained, it does not have the capacity to accommodate a hundred thousand people.
I am very curious how this UTMB week compares with, for example, a skiing World Cup coming to the Mont-Blanc valley, for example. The organizational machines are essentially the same. I wonder how this affects the locals in the winter, compared to a summer event like UTMB.
It also will be interesting to see how these changes will be seen by the larger trail running community, and media. (For example the red light headlamps were just seen as a money grab by UTMB). And what effect this might have on how trail running continues its growth trajectory going forward. I am sure many of the valleys in the Alps which are seeing these massive events arrive are looking to Chamonix on how to manage them.
The Hardrock 100 Endurance Run happened this past weekend. Ludo won for a third straight time. Courtney kissed the rock in first place for a fourth time. Both set new course records. Incredible achievements by the both of them. Their main competitors either DNF’ed or were no real threat for their entire run. This happens in trail races with small entry fields. And maybe this year felt like when a team becomes a dynasty or driver, or rider, or player wins too many times in a row. Things start to feel a bit stale. Some folks have expressed this feeling. Hardrock felt a bit boring this year. This questions is something that Dale and his team will have to wrestle with. Are they gonna tell Ludo he can’t come back next year? Make it far for other runners? But this is not what I want to comment on. What I wanted to comment on is the – some fairly dramatic – DNFs, and the runners who finished but we heard later that maybe they pushed themselves over the edge. Again, I’m not here to tell anyone what they should do with their bodies.
The point I wanted to make is one that Hardrock has been trying to make since its inception and that it’s a RUN and not a RACE.
Especially, since Hardrock is so shortly after Western States, which while also billing itself as a ‘run’ increasingly has become a very serious race. Folks are coming of a high that is Western States weekend. There the top of the field really raced and competed. The atmosphere felt professional and elevated in many ways Hardrock feels like the very antidote to all this hubbub. But rather than billing Hardrock as “less than”, the way I thought about this event is that it’s really a mountaineering challenge, more so than a race run. Yes, there are no crampons or ropes but when looking at the folks who failed, or put themselves into serious danger I get the comparison to what it feels like following Mount Everest climbers. Yes, Hardrock might feel like a far cry from that, but when I put this event into the category of a mountaineering challenge the whole endeavor shines in a different light. I wonder if the media should cover the event differently. Get away from the comparisons to Western States, from the matchups and potential storylines that still make it very much sound like a competitive race, but rather embrace the unique mountain challenge that Hardrock offers instead. Hardrock 100 – a mountaineering challenge in the San Juans. Now I’m interested.
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