NC Runner

I first met Dan and Amanda Paige, the race directors of the Uwharrie 100 mile trail race back in 2017 at the inaugural URE marathon. This is their sister event held every March that covers the the same terrain as the iconic Uwharrie 100 mile and 100K event which is held during the third weekend of October. Dan, myself, and other runners of the inaugural URE Marathon back in March of 2017. Upon meeting Dan and Amanda, I could immediately tell how passionate they were about trail running and putting on a quality event. My wife Jennifer and I are also race directors of a local trail run and I’ve learned a lot about race directing just by observing Dan put on remarkable events over the years. Fast forward almost three years to the 2019 Uwharrie 100 and Dan and Amanda haven’t missed a beat when it comes to putting on a wonderful race weekend. The race. Although I made my plans to run the Uwharrie 100 mile event back earlier in the year, I didn’t actually sign up un

After completing the Badwater 135 ultra-marathon, I wanted to attempt the Arrowhead 135 winter ultra-marathon. Both races are very similar to one another, yet very different as well. The Arrowhead 135 was founded by Pierre Ostor, a Badwater 135 veteran. Arrowhead is a one hundred and thirty five mile long, a point to point race that is held in the coldest part of the country during the coldest time of the year on the US-Canadian border in International Falls Minnesota, which follows the Arrowhead trail deep into the Minnesota woods crossing several frozen swamps and lakes, eventually finishing at a remote casino in the town of Tower. You have three methods of propulsion as a racer to enter the race, bike, ski, or foot. I chose the foot division. The weather. I knew the obvious, this race is notoriously known for being a brutally cold race with an average finish rate of only 30%, in the week leading up to the race I was finding myself studying the weather forecast more and

  The Tuscobia Winter Ultra is a self-sufficient winter ultra race held on the Tuscobia State Trail in northern Wisconsin. Participants can choose three different methods of propulsion; run, bike, or ski. There are also two distance options as well; 80 miles or 160 miles.   Growing up in New England, I’ve always been attracted to winter adventures, and recently, the winter ultra scene. Ultra races in general are a different breed of their own, however, winter ultra events are on an entirely different animal. Not only are you required to cover a one-hundred plus mile distance through the snow, (as if this isn’t a challenge in itself), you are to do so by pulling all of your necessary equipment in order to eat, sleep, and survive on a sled, or which racers refer to as a "pulk" for the entire duration of the race. My setup. Harness, pulk, and my old high school hockey bag filled with all necessary survival equipment.   Around a year or so ago Ten Junk Mile