With races cancelled, many trail runners have been attempting Fastest Known Times or FKTs. Remarkably, FKTs have increased fourfold during the pandemic. To set a FKT, trail runners head to fastestknowntime.com, choose a route, and decide which style FKT to attempt: supported, self-supported or unsupported. Athletes are further divided into gender category: male, female or... Continue Reading →
This is the story of my friend Gretchen Karsten's first 100 mile trail race: the Superior 100 mile in Northern Minnesota. Gretchen is a pediatrician, a mom of two girls, and, despite what she says in this interview, very much a runner. Prior to the Superior 100, she had run several road marathons, several 50k's... Continue Reading →
Brittany Peterson and Cody Lind had been hoping to race Western States this coming weekend. Brittany earned herself a Western States spot with an impressive second place finish at last year’s race. Brittany’s boyfriend Cody — fresh off a win at The Coastal Challenge — was planning to run a Golden Ticket Race to see... Continue Reading →
Tammi Braund is a trail runner, a cross country coach and a mother of six. Last year, Tammi ran the Voyageur 50 mile a mere five days after her oldest daughter Jordan was in a serious car accident. Jordan's accident caused her to ultimately lose both her legs. After last year's Voyageur 50 mile, I... Continue Reading →
April Anselmo has been one of the top trail runners in the Midwest since she started trail running in 2007. In 2013 in particular, April was the woman to beat. She won all the Midwest trail running races that year, including the Superior 100 mile, Zumbro 100 mile, Wild Duluth 100k, Voyageur 50 mile, Surf... Continue Reading →
On October 21st, 2019, Alex Elizabeth set out with the goal of running all 310 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail in a single push. While most thru-hikers complete the trail in two to four weeks, Alex’s goal was to complete the trail in less than 6 days and 8 hours. If she did so,... Continue Reading →
Sarah is a long-time trail and ultrarunner -- she ran her first 50 mile trail race in 2012. She is also a wife and a mom of two young boys. Sarah caught my attention at this past year’s Voyageur 50 mile trail race. The Voyageur 50 mile starts early in the morning. Racers started lining... Continue Reading →
Kelly Teeselink is an enthusiastic and accomplished trail and ultrarunner and the Executive Director of Girls on the Run Eastern Iowa -- an organization that introduces girls to distance running. Kelly has run numerous trail and ultra races, including five 100 mile races and culminating with a win at this past year's Superior 100 mile.... Continue Reading →
I spoke with trail runner and mother Nichole Diver shortly after she ran her first fifty mile trail race: the Voyageur 50 mile. Nichole first started running just after her second child was born, at a time when she was struggling with postpartum depression. While most of us run less when we have kids, Nichole’s... Continue Reading →
Onward 