Looking for a different type of ultra? Let me introduce you to the journey run.
Journey runs are ultras on unmarked, open roads. You are provided the route (typically GPX files) ahead of time and are given a fixed amount of time to get from the start to the finish. Like most ultras you can do these crewed or “screwed”. Right now there are a limited number of options to choose from and are mostly located on the east coast:
- Buckeye 100/200 – Ohio
- Swammie Shuffle 200 – North Carolina
- Coast to Coaster 232 – Ohio
- Last Annual Vol State 314 – Tennessee
- Last Annual Heart of the South 350+ – Varies
- Fools 420 – New York
Small, Close Knit Community
Journey runs are probably the nichiest of niche corners of the ultra community right now. There are currently 2,700+ events in North America and less than 10 of them can be classified as a journey run. As such, you’ll run (pun intended) into the same runners consistently at these races. The length of these races also allows you to spend significantly more time moving with others than a normal ultra, which provides an opportunity for true bonding. It’s one thing to spend 6-8 hours with someone and a completely different animal when you spend 6-8 days traveling with someone else.
All Abilities Welcome
The best thing about these races is that they have very generous cutoffs. Walkers aren’t just welcomed, but are encouraged (looking at you, Nike). Most races will require a minimum of 32-35 miles per day. Now a 50K a day is nothing to sniff at, however the pacing is much more manageable that shorter ultras that demand something faster than 3mph. This allows people to stop frequently for breaks (especially during hottest parts of the day) and even part of the nights in hotels/motels. These are called journey runs because they’re less a race format and more a semi-structured adventure.
Hit The Road, Jack
Let’s face facts. If you enjoy running on pavement, then there’s not a ton of race options available. Road ultras are definitely the uncool kids at the party. But that’s OK. If we were the cool kids, we probably wouldn’t be interested in ultras in the first place (‘sup, Crossfit). IMO there’s nothing like a bunch of white line miles.
Pick Your Own Adventure
Most of these races allow you to choose between crewed and uncrewed. Crewed runners have someone following them along the course providing them with food, hydration, and support. They’ll typically meet up with their runner every 5-10 miles and the vehicle provides a convenient place to rest and sleep along the course. Uncrewed runners are completely on their own, which is obviously a much different and more challenging endeavor. The crewed option allows less experienced runners to dip their toe into the journey run waters while still having a safety net available. Be forewarned though that having a crew car available makes quitting a thousand times easier. Uncrewed gets the full experience, however both are amazing adventures.
Doing Hard Things Is “Fun”
I won’t sugarcoat it. While all abilities are 100% welcome, this is straight up hard for everyone. These distances are no joke and you will be exposed to many (not a couple, many) challenges along your journey. If you’re looking for something to push and stretch you as a person and an athlete, this is a great way to do that. There are many different ways to attack these events so jump into the community and ask questions. What gear is needed, how to navigate a course, blister/chaffing solutions, sleep strategies: everyone has their own take on these topics and experienced runners are very open about helping out newbies. Your first journey run will always be a huge jump from whatever you’ve done before. It will seem like an insurmountable chasm so my advice is to just close your eyes and take a leap of faith. Trust that you will be able to figure it out. That’s what the rest of us do.