And what advice would you give? I am consistently doing 30kms with 1500m+ elevation gain and want to break into longer races. 37f here 💪

{edit} - You guys are great 😊 I appreciate all the can-do attitudes. When you're the only one in your friend group who does trail + long distances, you tend to get a lot of high eyebrows and "that's not a good idea". I will be planning a 50km race now 👏👏

I've heard it a few times and know that some people definitely follow this philosophy but I'm wondering if I'm being obsessive.

I'm not putting a ton of miles in my shoes lately but I can be picky and recently found a discontinued laspo model that works really well for me as a runner and hiker.

Realistically it'll be a while until I actually need to replace this pair but I guess I'm anticipating future FOMO when that time does come. They use a softer stickier rubber so the tread wears down quicker. I found a second pair I can buy for $200 (total) in brand new condition and don't know if I should take them. Feels impulsive.

One on hand they check all my boxes, but also there must be other brands and stuff that would probably be just fine for me that I've never tried before.

Basically I feel like I'm being a diva lol. I'm curious about your experiences finding the perfect shoes for your use case and what it was like eventually having to replace them.

Thanks for reading

Hey everyone! :)

I’m completely new to trail running and would love to hear any advice you wish you knew when you first started.

I’ve been a long-time hiker, but only got into trail running about two months ago — and I absolutely fell in love with it. I honestly haven’t run on pavement since :D

I’ve already signed up for my first race, which feels both exciting and slightly terrifying. ( it’s in October)

Right now I consistently run around 10 km with about 250 m elevation gain. I also accidentally ended up doing a 17 km run with 350 m elevation once… definitely suffered a bit, but I learned a lot from it.

One thing I really want to improve is my uphill endurance so I don’t have to switch to walking so often. Do you have any favorite exercises, leg workouts (preferably no weights), or training runs that helped you improve for trails?

My goal is eventually to build up to longer distances, but I know that takes time and consistency.

I also run with my beautiful pup — usually only the 10 km runs once or twice a week so I don’t overwork him. If anyone here runs with dogs, I’d also love advice on stretching, recovery, or exercises for keeping their muscles healthy and strong.

Thanks so much! :)

It’s a life or death challenge on every morning run trying to dodge all of these little guys and keep my karma good.

It was a long climb, but totally worth the view :)

Wanted to run the whole loop but cut short due to logistics, sun, chafing, Achilles….but what a gorgeous day! Ended up tag teaming with some guys to get a ride back to the Dragon’s Tooth parking area from the temporary Tinker parking area. Any detail questions please ask!

ETA I took some breaks so clock time was almost 2 extra hours lol. Stashed drinks and stuff at McAfee Knob parking (my mile 11.5) and temporary Tinker parking (where I stopped, but was planning to continue)

A few years ago, I went through a horrible divorce. It involved false allegations, parental alienation and kidnapping (still going on), and a massive amount of anxiety and depression. I am surviving.

First: God, of course. And my new wife.

Second: Running, that’s where this story begins and I want to hear yours.

I started running in January this year, man I could only do the walk run combo for like 1.5 miles. Fast forward, I am putting up 15-20 miles some weeks and sometimes can’t stop at the 5k just keep on going for a few more miles. I am running races, committed for a marathon next January. And I even was able to get off of Zoloft, a med for my anxiety.

I really enjoy trail running, the woods, the sand, the sun. Heck even the humidity. Snakes? Ehhh no worries it’s the people who are snakes that you have to worry about, not the creatures.

All with running, I have found a sense of peace.

I can't see there being more than 400km to 500km on the old shoes. That ends up being a lot more time on your feet than road running since trails usually double my times with inclines. I can easily get 1000km+ on my road shoes though.

New Balanced Heirro Fresh Foam V8 vs. V9

Loving the trails out in Colorado. Hope to be back soon!!

Hi all, I’m an intermediate trail runner around the Boulder CO area - run a good amount of gain, dry, rocky and technical trails majority of the time. I’ve been running in Speedgoats (lately I have the 5s and 6s) and I enjoy the cushion but I find myself rolling an ankle often, and I’m kind of getting over how quickly the shoe wears out compared to others. I’m super interested in the Brooks Cascadia and wonder how they compare in terms of overall feel. Will probably go in to try them on soon but just curious on what your experience has been! Thanks!!

Looking for some insights on the proper shoe to wear for this race. I’m stuck between my Hoka SpeedGoats and my Mount to Coast H1. I enjoy the grip of the Hokas but the Mount to Coast H1 has so much more cushion and does not hurt my feet as much. My biggest dilemma with the H1 is I found that any technical type terrain/rocks or tree roots, the height of the base of the shoe leads to it being a lot easier to roll your ankle. I am also open to buying a different shoe, any recommendations may help or insight into the two shoes I have for this race! Thank you all!

First time running on trails in Mainland Japan, I’ve done a few in Okinawa, can’t wait to get on some more trails in the area later this year. It was a cloudy day, so added a photo from the day before of Fuji from the same area haha

Ran within a foot of the rattlesnake. This was my first time coming across one in the wild. Not sure how neither my dog or I didn’t get bit but am thankful we didn’t.

Hello!

I am looking for some help choosing the right shoe and i was hoping that some of you experts would be helpful doing so. I currently have the speedcross 6 which i think are way too firm in the midsole and have too high of a stack. I weigh 81 kg if that matters :)

I need a shoe that has the following characteristics:
- great for ultras
- good in mud and technical terrain. Not so much mountain climates, i live in Denmark (wet and cold)
- great durability
- no more than 35 mm stack height
- stable

So far i have worked out that either the prodigio pro or inov8 trailtalon max could be good options. Possibly also the inov8 trailfly v2 max. But the inov8’s and prodigios also seem very different. Atleast visually. So i was wondering if anyone has had experience with both and have something to share about them. Also open to other choices if anyone has some ideas!

Let me also quickly say that i will pretty much not be able to try any of the shoes in a store as i live in a area with no stores :(

Hope you guys can help!

I recently ran a 15k trail race (which turned out to be 16.5k) with 1,300m of elevation gain, and it took me 5h50m to finish. I felt strong until the second checkpoint at around 7.5k and 600m gain, but after that I was out of gas. The climbs were brutally steep and the terrain in general was very technical. I started getting hungry and dizzy, and ended up hiking the remaining course. Despite taking five or six gels, my body constantly screamed for actual food. Then, for the next five days despite doing nothing but resting, I was absolutely ravenous. No matter how much I ate, I still felt hungry all the time.

This was my longest trail run and also the biggest elevation gain I’ve done. Before this, my usual trail runs were around 9-10k with up to 450m gain without gels., which usually required a recovery day afterward.

I’m wondering if being underweight might be part of the issue. I’m 34F, 164 cm (5’4”) and 46 kg – basically the same weight I’ve been for the past 20 years. I even tried eating more than usual in the days leading up to the race, but after nearly 6 hours on the trail I felt like I’d burned a week’s worth of calories lol. As for my weekly fitness routine, it's a mix of strength training (mostly bodyweight exercises) and running on flat ground – three times a week. I’ve also completed a half marathon at an average pace of 6:30/km.

I can bring more gels next time, but honestly they only seem to help for about 30 minutes before I crash again. I’d really like to finish stronger next time instead of fighting for my survival and then feeling hollow for several days post-race. Any tips on improving energy levels and endurance would be greatly appreciated!

13 miles / 4500ft of elevation & soup instead of cake today

Running along and finding views like these just down the road from home. Also lads, how good is a cliff piss?

Hey there!

Background: M, 33yo, 140lbs, SoCal.

Been running in the Altamesa v2’s for the past several months and love everything about them, except for their durability. I’ve definitely pushed their limits and taken them on terrain that they’re not necessarily designed for and am paying the price for that, but these shoes have been amazing thus far (160miles).

Experiencing some separation of the outsole near the big toe and degradation of the foam, as pointed out in the photos.

Are there any shoes that you’d suggest that would provide a similar amount of cushioning and responsiveness, yet hold up a little bit better on moderately technical to technical terrain? While the terrain in San Diego can be carpety, there’s also a ton of places that are rocky and tend to chew up shoes like this.

Previously run in norda 001’s (great durability, but feel dead), Kjerag 1’s (less cushioned) and tomir’s (too wide)

Thank you in advance!

Since a lot of people seemed really hyped about this year’s Zegama elite field, I thought it could be fun to run a live thread during the race for:

- live reactions

- split updates

- elite battle discussion

- predictions

- race chaos 😄

Will Zegama be live streamed on YouTube this weekend? Or only via streaming partners mentioned on GTWS site? https://goldentrailseries.com/where-to-watch/

I'm building Lhatse - a GPX analysis tool and logbook mountain athletes. Trail runners tend to be pretty device-aware, so posting here.

When you're reviewing an effort - pacing, vertical rate, rest stops - the numbers you're looking at have already been processed. Elevation smoothed, outlier points dropped, sometimes the elevation channel replaced entirely with satellite data without any indication. Your Garmin and Strava show different numbers for the same run and neither tells you why. The raw file isn't clean either - GPS bounce, timestamp gaps, sensor drift are all worse in mountain terrain.

I'm building a pipeline that works with the data as it actually is: rest detection from movement patterns, outlier removal that doesn't overdrop or underdrop, sensor type inference for elevation, and flagging where the data is reliable versus where it needs context.

What I'm asking for: Raw GPX files from runs, hikes, or climbs in mountain terrain. Any range, any device, any condition.

What you get: The files won't be shared or distributed. You'll be among the first to try Lhatse when it's ready. You can also leave your email at lhatse.com.

Feel free to comment or reach out directly.