Wow, it’s hard to believe that this is the 479th iRunFar article of 2012… or that the year has come so quickly to a close. Over the preceding annum, we’ve traveled to Texas, Washington, Arkansas, Morocco, Italy, California (three times), Spain, Pennsylvania, Colorado (three times), France, and Virginia to report on the best trail running action (as well as covering races in our home state of Utah). Our reporting team has helped us cover even more races from around the globe. Don’t even ask us how many pieces of running gear the iRunFar crew has investigated… we lost track when our notepad got stuck on the other side of the Grand Shoebox Divide. Still, with so much content, some pieces rise to the top, whether through ideation, creation, discussion, or subject matter. It’s a few of these articles that we want to take the time to point out as iRunFar’s busiest and best year comes to a close.
General Editorial Content
- 100 Mile Intrigue: Embracing the Unknown – Geoff Roes looks at the draw of the 100-mile distance
- Ultrarunning is Dead – Geoff Roes explains why the term ultrarunning might be antiquated
- To Be Chicked – Ellie Greenwood talks chicking and being chicked.
- Proud to be Chicked – Mike Wolfe’s reply after being bested by Ellie at Western States 2012
- Voices of Hardrock – Evan Honeyfield’s six-piece video profile of the Hardrock 100
- Progression – Dakota Jones writes of the necessity of gradual progression in mountain sports
- Matt Carpenter – Will His Records Stand Forever – AJW looks at Carpenter’s impressive Pikes Peak and Leadville 100 records
- Coming to a Consensus on Cheating – Geoff Roes opens a discussion of what constitutes cheating in trail running
- The Politics of Prize Money– Ellie Greenwood looks at the effects of prize money
- New Concepts: Dakota Jones’ Road to the Cavalls Del Vent – Dakota uses charts and graphs to documents his (mis)adventures in Europe
- Unitasking – The Simple Beauty of the Solo Long Run – AJW writes about the long run, plain and simple
- Twenty-Seven Percent: Why Aren’t More Women Running Ultras – Asks Ellie Greenwood
- Hardrock Lotto Results – While not always comfortable, the breadth of the community’s values came out in this article
- A Weighty Issue – Ellie Greenwood tackles ultrarunners weight
Resources
- Waterlogged – A Dogma-Shattering Book (and Part 2)- Joe Uhan takes a look at Tim Noakes book on hydration
- Female Athlete Triad – Anna Frost’s open account of her struggles with BAT
- Your Ultra-Training Bag of Tricks – Ian Torrence’s ultra training series… but more on that tomorrow
- Fell Running: A Quick Guide Part 1 and Part 2 – The Fell Running Association General Secretary walks us through his sport
- On the Trail Triage and Long Term Trauma Treatment – Adam Barnhart and Joe Uhan explain the short- and long-term solutions for trail running trauma
The Personal: Interviews, Profiles, and Race Reports
- Ueli Steck, Trail-Running Speed Alpinist Interviewed
- What a Drag: Joe Grant’s Susitna 100 Experience – Joe’s race report
- Geoff Roes’ 2012 Iditarod Trail Invitational (350-mile) Race Report – Geoff’s race report
- My Path to Contentment: From Addict to Awakened Ultrarunner – Timothy Olson’s tale on growing from drug addict to competitive ultrarunner
- 100-Meter World Record Attempts on La Palma – Retro video of trail running’s elites going for the 100-meter world record … but running down the side of a volcano
- First Time Grand Slammer: Tom Green – Neal Gorman shares the story of the first grand slammer
- Mike Aish Pre-Leadville 100 Video Interview – Two-time Olympian from New Zealand about his first attempt at 100 miles
- Karl Meltzer Post-Run Rabbit Run 100 Video Interview – A legend earns an unexpected win
- Aliza Lapierre Interviews iRunFar’s Bryon Powell – I become the unexpected interviewee!
- Meghan Arbogast Keeps on the Sunny Side of Life – Meghan Hicks writes of how Arbogast stays positive in the darkest of times
- Dominic Grossman and His Mustache – Meghan Hicks humorously profiles Dom Grossman… and interviews his mustache
Gear
- The Making of the New Balance MT110 – An in-depth piece looking at Anton Krupicka’s and Erik Skaggs’ roles in the development of the MT110
- Drop: It’s Hot! – Dom Grossman discusses heel-to-toe drop and what it all means
- Best Trail Running Shoes of Summer OR – An annual classic with a slew of top trail running shoes, most of which will debut in early 2013.
- Suunto Ambit Review
- Inov-8 X-Talon 190 Review
- Hoka One One Bondi B Review
- New Balance MT1010 Review
- Saucony Xodus 3.0 Review
- Inov-8 Trailroc 255 Review
Contests
- Salomon Sense Mantra Holiday Giveaway – Okay, so we’re just throwing this out there as you still have until the end of January 1 (MST) to enter to win one of five pairs of Sense Mantra!
- iRunFar Holiday Run Challenge of Strava – Who’d have thought 1,000 people would participate in our simple 50 mile holiday run challenge … and collectively run around the globe. Help us get as close to 50,000 miles as we can over the next two days!
Call for Comments
What were your favorite iRunFar articles of 2012?
