Despite almost breaking a foot on a dozen separate occasions during Ironstone, the race successfully reignited my desire to run sub-100 mile races again. My focus will always be on the longer ultras because that’s what I truly enjoy, however there is a place in my schedule for races that can be completed inside a day or even during daylight hours (rumor has it this is still a thing). I’m thinking 3-4 of these races per year sound about right.
First up next year will be the PA Triple Crown, which includes Hyner 50K and Worlds End 100K in addition to my beloved Eastern States 100M. This has been on my bucket list forever and 2027 is when it’s finally going to happen. I will most likely end up adding Black Forest 100K to complete the Blacklist, however that’s still TBD. I like to have my race calendar pretty locked in for the next 12 months, yet that’s far enough as I never know what race will tickle my fancy. I got into Hyner earlier this week so now I just need to get into Worlds End which I hear sells out in about 5 minutes.
By focusing on 100 milers, my bucket list of shorter ultras has grown quite large over the years. Here’s where it currently stands:
- HAT 50K
- Hyner 50K
- On The Rocks 50K
- Bull Run Run 50M
- JFK 50M
- Manitou’s Revenge 53M
- Black Forest 100K
- Hellgate 100K
- Worlds End 100K
- Shawangunk Ridge Trail 70M
- Pemberton 24
And there’s probably another dozen races that should be on this list, however I’m either not aware of them or I just never got around to adding them to my list (i.e. Red Barn Challenge, Rachel Carson, Baker Trail). I’m regionally focused on Mid-Atlantic races. I have limited interest in traveling more than 5-6 hours for a hundred and definitely wouldn’t want to travel 12 hours for a 50K.
There are also a number of races that I’ve done that I would like to get back to including Laurel Highlands 70M, Mason Dixon Longest Day, Stone Mill 50M, Labor Pains 12H, Blues Cruise 50K, and Catoctin 50K. Some of these I’ve only done once. Some of them I’ve run a number of times. All of them deserve another go.
The challenge is obviously trying to fit everything in, which just isn’t possible. I feel one ultra per month regardless of distance is sustainable for myself. Physically I’m to the point where I can handle more than this. I could likely do a race every other weekend especially if one of them was in the 50K to 50M range. I don’t want to travel and/or be away from my family this much though and it’s not fair to drag my wife to these races as she’s not participating in them herself. God bless those that can toe a starting line every week, but that’s just not me.
The silver lining to having too many races that I want to do is that I’ll end up prioritizing the ones I’m most excited about. This keeps me fully engaged and reduces the risk of mental burnout. It’s not like I’m signing up for races because that’s the only option. Doing a bunch of different races is very important for my sustainability within the ultra community. By adding back more distance options, I’ll have an even greater variety of race experiences.
It’s the spice of life after all.