The course has won the 2025 Barkley Marathons.

Or really, we should say the winner is race founder . For the first time since 2022, there are no finishers at the Barkley Marathons. Three-time finisher John Kelly completed loop three in 39 hours, 50 minutes, and 27 seconds in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Barkley Marathons Chief Resident Tweeter (or should we now say, Xer?) .

In doing so, Kelly dipped under the cut-off by 10 minutes to earn a 鈥渇un run鈥� before tapping himself out. The course, which some believe included a new nasty 45-minute section to this year, was just too hard. Only two other runners made it onto loop three, Tomokazu Ihara (Japan) and S茅bastien Raichon (France.) Raichon returned to camp five minutes later without completing the loop. Two hours later Ihara returned, well beyond the cut-off.

The 2025 Barkley Marathons is over. There are no finishers.

鈥� Keith (@keithdunn)

While we鈥檙e disappointed that we鈥檙e robbed from 20 more hours of entertainment, really, we can all breathe a sigh of relief:

The Barkley Marathons can rightfully maintain it鈥檚 moniker as 鈥渢he world鈥檚 hardest race.鈥�

It鈥檚 the 25th time in 40 years that the Barkley Marathons has no finishers. Only 20 people total have ever done it. The 40th edition is the least 鈥渟uccessful鈥� (or should we say most successful?) since 2018, when similarly just one runner, Gary Robbins, completed a 鈥渇un run.鈥�

Kelly, who鈥檚 on a quest to tie Jared Campbell鈥檚 record of four finishes, will just have to come back again next year, armed with even more experience and grit.

Wondering what the Barkley Marathons is all about? Head over to our to learn about everything the rules, the course, the history and lore, and why an event that sounds an awful lot like orienteering actually isn鈥檛 orienteering at all.

Welcome to the 2025 Barkley Marathons

For those in the nichest of niche ultrarunning circles, Christmas came early. At 11:37 A.M. Eastern on Tuesday, March 18, the 2025 Barkley Marathons began.

The start date and time of this race that鈥檚 as fabled as it is mysterious change every year. But the third week of March is historically early. Perhaps race founder and his successor, Carl Laniak, were hopeful that pushing the event into the middle of March would bring colder, wetter, windier, and all-around grosser weather. After all, . And, ostensibly, they simply can鈥檛 let that happen again.

But if they were looking for miserable weather, the weather gods had their own tricks up their sleeves. A cold but clear Monday night gave way to a sunny Tuesday morning with temperatures projected to reach into the high 60s or even the low 70s, according to . That鈥檚 pretty damn perfect, for the runners anyway.

Of course, Laz and Laniak have other curve balls they can throw in the runners鈥� way. The biggest one, of course, is simply to make the course even harder. While the race is always five 20- to 26-mile loops and runners always have 13 hours and 20 minutes to complete each loop and 60 hours to complete the whole event, the course itself changes every year. But you can always expect a lot of nasty hills, prickly briars, and off-trail shwacking for a total of 120-130 miles and 60,000 feet of gain. No course markings, and no GPS devices allowed. Runners claimed last year鈥檚 edition was bramblier than ever, and yet more runners than ever rose to the challenge.

Here are our live updates from the 2025 Barkley Marathons, in reverse chronological order:

40 Hours Elapsed: The Course Wins

Kelly tapped himself out after earning a 鈥渇un run.鈥� Raichon returned to camp five minutes later in 39:55, but did not complete loop three, . Ihara made it back to camp two hours later.

Why did Kelly quit? With just 20 hours and 10 minutes left to run the final two loops after finishing loop three, time鈥�and any modicum of sanity鈥�was not on his side. When Kelly successfully finished the Barkley Marathons last year his splits on the final two loops were 14:10 and 13:30, respectively. We have 40 years of data showing the compounding effects of sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and delirium magnify exponentially over the final two loops at this race.

While in past years finishers have had some time to recoup in camp between loops, if they so chose, this year鈥檚 particularly brutal course forced runners fast enough to complete a loop in time to essentially head straight back out. Kelly spent less than 10 minutes in camp between loops two and three.

For the first time since 2022 and for the 25th time in 40 years, the Barkley Marathons has no finishers. The course (and let鈥檚 be honest, Laz) has won.

39:50 Elapsed: John Kelly Completes a 鈥淔un Run鈥�

Kelly was the first to return to camp. He arrived through the swirling wind and darkness at 3:28 A.M. on Thursday, . That鈥檚 just 10 minutes under the cut-off for earning a 鈥渇un run鈥� (completing three loops in under 40 hours).

Who鈥檚 Left in the 2025 Barkley Marathons:

• Tomokazu Ihara (Japan)鈥�on loop three. This is his sixth attempt. Ihara, 47, has run numerous ultras and is a coach and race director. In 2023 he won the 鈥淕rand Slam of Ultrarunning,鈥� meaning he had the fastest cumulative time at five 100-milers in one summer: the Old Dominion 100, Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville 100, and Wasatch 100.
• John Kelly (U.S.)鈥�on loop three. This is his eighth attempt. Kelly, 40, is a three-time Barkley Marathons finisher, making him the second-most finisher behind four-time finisher Jared Campbell. He also has a Ph.D. in electrical learning and machine learning and is the Chief Technology Officer at Envelop Risk and has set several high-profile fastest known times, including on the Pennine Way and the Long Trail.
• S茅bastien Raichon (France)鈥�on loop three. This is his second attempt. Raichon, 52, 听has finished Tor des Geants (2019) and set the GR20 FKT last year.

27 Hours Elapsed: Maxime Gauduin Quits

The Frenchman called it quits on loop three with no pages in tow, at 2:56 P.M. Eastern. And then there were three.

25:29 Elapsed: 4 Runners Total Have Finished Loop 2

Frenchmen S茅bastien Raichon and Maxime Gauduin finished loop two together in 25:29, with an hour and 11 minutes to spare, .

Meanwhile, after just 10-ish minutes in camp John Kelly (U.S) began loop three about 90 minutes before the cutoff. Raichon and Gauduin followed suit about 30 minutes later. There are now four runners on loop three, with Tomokazu Ihara (Japan) in the lead.

Beginning Loop 3.

鈥� Keith (@keithdunn)

25 Hours Elapsed: We Have 2 Loop 2 Finishers (Phew)

Tomokazu Ihara (Japan) finished loop 2 in 24:32, and the collective Barkley community took a sigh of relief. He began loop three just 15 or so minutes later, . Three-time Barkley finisher John Kelly (U.S.) finished loop two on 25 hours on the dot (and 40 seconds, but who鈥檚 counting). That鈥檚 five and a half hours slower than Kelly鈥檚 overall split through loop two last year, when he went all the way.

Both Ihara and Kelly split over two hours slower for loop two than loop one, which is pretty in line with the discrepancy between loops one and two in previous years. However, their loop two splits of roughly 12:35 and 13 hours, respectively, are about two hours slower than Kelly鈥檚 loop two split last year.

They have until 40 hours elapsed to make it back to the gate in time for a 鈥渇un run鈥� (three loops). That means they need to run faster than 14 hours for the third lap. Last year Kelly completed loop three in 12 hours, with the company of Ihor Verys and Damian Hall.

24 Hours In and No One Has Completed Loop 2

With the latest drop (Julien Chable from France), only six runners remain, . They have until 26:40 elapsed to return to the yellow gate and head back out on their merry (or should we say weary) way if they want to have any chance of completing a 鈥渇un run鈥� (three loops), much less the whole thing (five loops).

For context, 12 runners completed loop two in under 24 hours last year. The one runner to complete loop two in longer than that (Guillaume Calmettes, France, 26:25) made it to a fun run before tapping out. All five of last year鈥檚 finishers finished loop two in under 20 hours. And that includes Jasmin Paris, who finished the whole race with less than two minutes to spare.

Will the runners be able to pick up the pace now that they (theoretically) know the new course? Or will the alternating of loop directions, shifting from daylight to darkness, and compounding effects of sleep deprivation, fatigue, and frustration get the best of them?

We鈥檙e hoping for the former, but expecting the latter.

(And side note: the last time no one completed a 鈥渇un run鈥� was in 2006!)

21:00 Elapsed: 7 Runners Remain on Loop 2

Chris Fisher (U.S.) and Thomas Calmettes (France) both dropped from loop two at Bald Knob this morning, , noting, 鈥淭hough seemingly about a hundred yards apart, they did not see each other.鈥� This means at most 7 runners will successfully finish loop two within the time limit and move onto loop 3. That鈥檚 down from 13 who finished and 12 who moved onto loop three last year.

13:20 Elapsed: 10 Runners Complete Loop 1 Within Limit

That includes a final runner who finished the loop with under two minutes to spare, . They were able to do one of Barkley鈥檚 fastest-ever camp stops and turned it around in time to start loop two before the 13-hour-and-2o-minute cut-off.

Of those 10 runners, nine went on to loop 2, . Fourteen runners returned to camp, and a 16 remain out on the course. When they returned they will also receive a DNF and be ceremoniously dismissed from the race with the playing of 鈥淭aps鈥� on the bugle.

This means that there was just a 25 percent loop-one finish rate within the cutoff this year. That鈥檚 exactly half of what it was last year, when 20 of the 40 entrants finished loop one in time. What鈥檚 going on this year?

Some runners may have adopted the old 鈥渇ollow a veteran runner鈥� strategy, , maintaining that Laz was 鈥渘ot impressed鈥� by this game plan. We鈥檙e also hearing grumblings that Laz added a 鈥渧ery tough section鈥� that could add a whopping 45 minutes to each loop this year.

We鈥檙e also receiving reports that there are 16 books that runners must reach on every loop this year. If true, that鈥檚 at least one more than the typical 10 to 15.

11:00 Elapsed: Will It Be a Short Barkley This Year?

A third runner finished loop one in 10:20 elapsed, according to Dunn. Laz that 鈥渆very loop is easier than the loop before鈥� as he set out for loop two, which per tradition will be run in the opposite direction and also in the pitch black, about 20 minutes later. Ah, Laz, we鈥檝e missed your sense of humor!

snuck in under the 11-hour mark in 10:57:32 and 10:57:50, which means only five runners have finished loop one with one hour remaining before all runners left in the race must start loop two. The odds (and what seems to be an especially tough course, given the bluebird conditions today) do not appear to be in the runners鈥� favor this year.

Dunn that 鈥淭omo,鈥� otherwise known as Tomokazu Ihara (Japan), is one of the successful handful onto loop two.

9:45 Elapsed: Two Runners Complete Loop 1

They finished the loop in 9:44:55 and 9:44:57, . For reference, nine athletes completed loop one in well under nine hours last year. Given that we know of at least one (and we think more) Barkley finisher who was in that group of nine last year, signs are pointing to a very, very hard course this year.

Buckle up.

6:00 Elapsed: The DNFs Start Rolling In

Less than six hours into the 60-hour race and the 2025 Barkley Marathons already has its first drop. The first runner to quit the race returned back to camp on 鈥渜uitter鈥檚 road鈥� in the early evening, at 5:21 P.M. Eastern on Tuesday. They faced a rendition of 鈥淭aps鈥� played on the bugle horn, and with that their race ended. They made it about five miles in those six hours, Dunn said.

The second DNF followed just over an hour later. They made it about seven miles in seven hours, . An hour later and the DNF rate had doubled.

鈥淭he thing is, they are coming back to camp from all directions and in some cases cannot describe where they were,鈥� . 鈥淭his is old school Barkley.鈥�

鈥淔or as bad as you guys make it sound, it is worse.鈥� 鈥� a runner

鈥� Keith (@keithdunn)

For the first time, runners must return their race-issued analog watch when their race ends, .

11:37 A.M.: The 2025 Barkley Marathons Have Begun

After the classic 鈥渂rief memorial鈥� in which he cautioned runners to 鈥渕ake your peace with God,鈥� Laz lit the cigarette marking the start of the 2025 Barkley Marathons. Runners have 13 hours and 20 minutes to complete the loop and make it back to the yellow gate marking the entrance to Frozen Head State Park. That means we better see them all back there by 11:37 P.M. so they can begin their first night loop.

Who鈥檚 racing? We鈥檒l have to wait to find out until runners finish a loop鈥r two鈥r three, otherwise known as a 鈥渇un run.鈥� But Dunn outed three-time finisher John Kelly when the conch (eventually) was blown:

鈥淔inally,鈥� Kelly . 鈥淲e could have done a loop by now.鈥�

If Kelly, who was one of the five to finish last year, prevails again he will join the exceedingly rarified air of becoming just the second person ever along with Jared Campbell to finish the Barkley Marathons four times.

10:38: A.M.: The Conch Has Been Blown (Finally)

Technology鈥�namely online campsite reservation systems鈥�is making it increasingly challenging for Barkley custodians to keep the start date of this mystical event a secret. And sure enough, online grumblings came to fruition on Tuesday morning. At 10:38 A.M. Eastern after 鈥渕any failed attempts,鈥� Carl Laniak blew the conch marking one hour until the start of the 2025 Barkley Marathons.

After multiple failed attempts, the conch was blown at 10:37. The 2025 Barkley Marathons begins in one hour. .

鈥� Keith (@keithdunn)

Why didn鈥檛 race founder Gary 鈥淟azarus Lake鈥� Cantrell blow the conch?

鈥淏ecause he鈥檚 even worse than Carl at blowing it,鈥� Dunn (鈥渪鈥�-别诲?).

There鈥檚 probably at least some truth to that statement. For those who haven鈥檛 had the pleasure of trying, cajoling sound out of a big shell isn鈥檛 easy. But fans of this cult classic event are also wondering if it鈥檚 a sign of changing times. Laz, 69, has slated 听Laniak as his successor to overseeing the Barkley Marathons.

We鈥檒l have the next 60 hours to find out. One hour until the race begins.

The post There Are No Finishers at the 2025 Barkley Marathons appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Kilian Jornet is many things: greatest ultra-trail runner of all-time. Greatest sub-ultra trail runner of all time. Father. Husband. Founder of an environmental nonprofit. Founder of an outdoor footwear and apparel company.

He鈥檚 also an enigma.

Jornet eschews the commercialization of a sport that he鈥檚 helped to grow. He loves the freedom of exploration but also the rigor of science. He鈥檚 intensely introverted yet is the most popular and public trail runner ever.

These incongruences are perhaps no better exemplified than through his current quest. While most of the top ultra-trail runners from around the world have descended upon Chamonix, France, for the this week, Jornet, too, is in the area. On August 24, he essentially ran a handful of miles along the backside of the UTMB course in Switzerland. He came even closer鈥攎uch closer鈥攕hortly thereafter.

But, and I鈥檓 sorry to disappoint you, Jornet is not here to race UTMB. He鈥檚 two weeks into an even bigger vision quest: link all 82 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps. He鈥檚 calling it the Alpine Connections project.

Of course, he hasn鈥檛 officially stated he鈥檚 trying to link all 82. He鈥檚 simply trying to 鈥渆xplore his physical, technical, and mental limits while connecting 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps.鈥� But if you know Jornet, one of the most anti-spray runners in this spray era, you know he wants to tag them all鈥攊n record time.

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Ueli Steck, the legendary 鈥淪wiss Machine,鈥� currently holds that record of 62 days. While most who have attempted this mind-blowing feat drove from one mountain to the next, Steck linked them via bike.

That鈥檚 the style Jornet chose, too. For environmental reasons. For the aesthetic of self-powered adventure. But like so many of the defining moments of his career, he has a camera crew following, in cars. (Since some of his outings on foot are point-to-point, it鈥檚 also not clear if his crew is transporting his bike from the start to the finish for him.) And he鈥檚 posting his progress on and , along with updates on the NNormal .

With just 30 peaks to go, the most imposing mountain left on his list is none other than Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in Western Europe at 15,766 feet. It happens to be the massif around which UTMB circumvents.

What inspired Jornet鈥攚ho lives on a farm in 脜ndalsnes, Norway, with his Swedish wife and elite runner Emelie Tina Forsberg and their two young daughters鈥攖o test himself so close yet so far from UTMB? We spoke with him earlier this summer to find out.

But First, What the Heck Is the Alpine Connections Project?

On August 10, Jornet outsprinted Kenya鈥檚 Philemon Kiriago down the finishing chute to win Sierre-Zinal by one and a half seconds. His time of two hours, 25 minutes, and 34.8 seconds bested his own course record by just one second. It was Jornet鈥檚 10th win at what many consider the most prestigious and competitive mountain running race in the world.

At just 19.3 miles with more than 7,200 feet of climbing, most of which is packed into the first 6 miles, it鈥檚 a test of VO2max more than anything. Jornet averaged 7:21 minute per mile pace鈥攏o, not grade adjusted pace鈥攐n the net-uphill alpine trail route with pitches up to 33 percent grade.

Apparently, it was just the tune-up he needed for weeks of 15 to 20 hour days climbing technical alpine routes and stringing them all together by foot and two wheels. He departed from Pontresina, Switzerland, to commence the Alpine Connections project just three days later on August 13. It鈥檚 the logical continuation of his (Re)discovering the Pyrenees project from last October, when Jornet linked all 177 peaks over 3,000-meters in the Pyrenees in eight days.

Alpine Connections is the Pyrenees project with the dial turned all the way up and then some. Over the first week of technical alpine climbing, running, and biking, he logged more than 91 hours with 330 miles and nearly 108,000 feet of gain.

How is he fitting in such big days, you may be wondering? Why, by hardly sleeping. Over the first three days he slept an average of 3 hours and 35 minutes a night. He bumped it up slightly to an average of 4 hours and 49 minutes on days four through seven.

In case that doesn鈥檛 sound challenging enough, the weather hasn鈥檛 made it any easier.

鈥淎s it had been raining (and snowing on the summits) the entire afternoon and night before, I left solo at 6:15 in the morning and had another relatively 鈥榮hort鈥� (8:40) day of climbing to make the most out of the conditions,鈥� Jornet wrote on on August 18, five days into the project. 鈥淪till, I am used to this 鈥楴orwegian鈥� weather that feels just like home, so I managed to summit D眉rrenhorn (4034m), Hohberghorn (4218m), Stecknadelhorn (4239m) and Nadelhorn (4327m).鈥�

Jornet was greeted by snow, rain, and copious amounts of fog while traversing glaciated peaks for much of that first week. Nonetheless, over the first week he had already submitted 51 of the 4,000-meter peaks over 825K (512 miles) of running, climbing, and biking and more than 52,000 meters (170,600 feet) of gain.

In his most recent update, Jornet shared that he took a full day off due to the weather. He used the time to try and refuel, rehydrate, and to heal the skin on his hands and feet.

Exclusive Kilian Jornet Interview听

Jornet, 36, has long been able to subvert the processes and platforms on which he鈥檚 made his name. After building up his cachet by traveling to鈥攁nd usually winning鈥攖he most prestigious trail races and mountain projects around the world, he announced several years ago that he would minimize airplane travel to a couple of times a year. A Salomon athlete for over a decade, he left the brand to take what he鈥檇 learned and start his own. And after winning UTMB four times, he along with 2023 runner-up Zach Miller proposed a boycott of the race last year until the organization cleans up some of its , including rampant global growth and its partnership with the car company Dacia.

We sat down with Jornet in person to unpack his relationship with the sport and himself.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

RUN: You say you鈥檙e in the best shape of your life. How did you get here?

Kilian Jornet: Training has been good and especially it鈥檚 been consistent. We had amazing weather this winter on the west coast of Norway with super good ice climbing and mountain climbing conditions. Blue sky, super cold for like two months, so we could climb a lot. This spring it was warmer here, which is surprising. We had some good dry trails.

I鈥檓 also doing less. When I go to races, there鈥檚 a lot of stuff you need to do. I鈥檓 an introvert, so being with people takes a lot of energy. After a race, I need to recover physically but also mentally because it takes a lot of energy. So I鈥檓 embracing less, which means I can train better.

And I鈥檓 doing things I like, like spending my time on NNormal or science projects and that鈥檚 giving me positive vibes and making me feel energized.

I think having stability in life, having a routine, makes training easier than racing. I can train better for a longer time. And then I can be more focused when I come to races.

Do you think 鈥渄ad strength鈥� is real?

No, it takes a lot of energy. But you also feel like you can get into a routine. I can train while the kids are at kindergarten, and then take the weekends easy. So maybe it helps to organize things. Normally I was training when I wanted to and now I can鈥檛. But you get into a routine and that might help. I鈥檓 more efficient and I train better.

 

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Before it was like, 鈥極h I have all the days, so I just go out for many, many hours. And I do what I want to. I go to that summit, or that other.鈥� Now it鈥檚 like, 鈥極h no, I have these hours, I have this goal, I want to train this way.鈥� I still have days where I say, 鈥極K, today is a mountain day, and so I go do whatever I want to do.鈥� But there are some other days where I know, 鈥極K, I have this time to train, so I do this session.鈥�

You love the science behind training, and you love just playing in the mountains. How do you strike that balance?

I studied sports science in school, so I probably was already nerdy when I was young. When I was like 16 or 17 years old, I was already doing tests. So it鈥檚 always been there in an observatory way. Like 鈥業 want to try this, and see what it implies. How can I analyze that from a science point of view?鈥� Not taking science and then applying it to me. It鈥檚 always been there in more of an exploratory way than a prescriptive way.

So you view science similarly to how you view the mountains: as an avenue for exploration?

Yeah, it鈥檚 a bit the same. When you go to a race, like I have gone to Zegama 12 times. That鈥檚 not a lot of exploration. But going to the mountains and doing projects there, it鈥檚 much more about exploring things and then seeing what鈥檚 happening.

Now that you鈥檙e launched NNormal, do you feel additional pressure to go and perform at key races to boost brand visibility?听

I would say the opposite. Because now, with NNormal I鈥檓 part of it. I decide what I want to do. Now it鈥檚 really like, 鈥榊eah, I want to do the race because I鈥檓 training well and I鈥檓 in shape and I want to do a nice race that I feel connected to somehow.鈥� Or I want to do this project in the mountains because it鈥檚 what I feel I want to do, and I don鈥檛 feel any kind of pressure. I know that it helps NNormal, of course, if I鈥檓 showing up. But not even racing, like we saw it last year with the project in the Pyrenees.

It was a last-minute thing, like I decided literally two weeks before that. Now that they analyze the press and social media and all that, that project had more exposure than when I did UTMB. So, it鈥檚 not only about racing and showing up and things. It鈥檚 more like, if you want to do something deeply, you will probably do it better. And if you do something in a good state of mind, probably you will get more inspired and do things that push me further than to set up a calendar and say, 鈥極K, I鈥檒l do that, that, that, that.鈥�

Because I know that it鈥檚 somehow comfortable. But to break this routine into things like even if it鈥檚 races that I want to push the effort or to do big projects that require a lot of energy, I think that needs to be in this space where I have the tranquility of knowing that I don鈥檛 have any pressure to do one thing or another.

Your versatility is mindblowing. Do you consciously sacrifice optimal performance at any particular race or objective to prioritize being able to do it all?

Yeah. Last year, for example, I was injured but the plan was to do a project at Everest, a link up there, and then to try and do some short and long races, and then to do a project in the mountains and a ski project.

Long term, I want this versatility. And then I know that if I want to perform on this project, well, I need to have specificity. So the specificity is in the short term. Like I say I know that to get in very good shape for a specific race or project,听 specific adaptations don鈥檛 take more than six to eight weeks. So the last six to eight weeks before a race or a project, if my training is specific I know that I can perform the best.

But yeah, I can do specificity multiple times in a year and do different kinds of projects. And at the end, I think that鈥檚 what keeps me so motivated. Because if I was only racing, I wouldn鈥檛 like it. And if听 I was doing just things in the mountains, probably then I would get slower and my capacities in the mountains will decrease, too.

Have your athletic goals shifted over time?

I used to be much more competition-centered at the beginning because then I was doing ski mountaineering season in the winter and dry running season in the summer. That was very structured for many years. And I think that also gave me all the base and fundamentals and the knowledge and all that to be able to do other things. It was many years just focused on training.

Then I started to put some projects on steeper skiing or mountaineering,听 but around this calendar. Like two racing seasons. And then at some point, they became more like separate things.

Where do you see your career going?

I don鈥檛 know actually, because I feel that I鈥檓 still in good shape. I鈥檓 still performing and I鈥檓 still improving things. So yeah, I still really like racing and like pushing myself in听 training. So I don鈥檛 know how long that will last, but as far as I see that I am happy pushing and racing, I will keep doing it.

And then I will stop doing international races, but I will still do local races because that鈥檚 fun. And then projects in the mountains, I will do that hopefully all the time I can. But of course professionally, there will be a moment that it will not be able to sustain my life. Then I think I will still do running and mountaineering for all my life as a pleasure.

You famously were a disciple of a fat adaptation nutrition strategy. Has that evolved at all?

I have shifted my nutrition in the day-to-day a lot over the years. When I was young, I couldn鈥檛 afford much, so I was just buying pasta or a big package of rice and tomato sauce. My nutrition was not very varied. As the years have gone on, I鈥檝e taken more care of that. We have a big garden so we get a lot of veggies from there. We try to eat a lot more foods that are fermented and this kind of thing. And I feel like performance-wise that has helped a lot.

In competitions, I鈥檓 eating much, much more now. But in training I鈥檓 not eating anything during training. Only if I do a very specific session, where I鈥檒l take gels or something like that. But will only happen about one time every month. If it鈥檚 a four hour session, I can take a gel every 30 minutes. If I鈥檓 doing two uphill thresholds and then maybe some flat, I鈥檒l take a gel between the uphill and the flat on the recovery. That鈥檚 very targeted for specific sessions.

In winter, I have a half a liter bottle and it doesn鈥檛 matter how long, if it鈥檚 eight hours, I take that. In summer, I don鈥檛 take anything. And I think that鈥檚 helping me in a way because I am developing听 some metabolic adaptations. If you have a better metabolism, it鈥檚 much more open, so then you don鈥檛 really need to train your gut for having much more intake because your metabolism is more flexible on switching from fat to carbs. So you don鈥檛 need to train the gut.

Someone who has a worse metabolism and let鈥檚 say wants to take 120 grams of carbs an hour in a race, they probably need a long gut training to be able to do that, even if he鈥檚 eating and I鈥檓 not eating during training. And then it鈥檚 just because the logistics are hard. If you鈥檙e in the mountains, you don鈥檛 want to have to carry a bunch of stuff.

The point is supplements and gels are great for racing, but for daily consumption the chemicals are not good.

Given the state of affairs with UTMB, do you think you鈥檒l ever go back?

Yeah, it鈥檚 a race I like. I like the volunteers, I have lived in Chamonix for many years. I love many things about the race. I don鈥檛 like many things, but I鈥檝e talked with the race organizers and I have a good relationship with them. Many times we agree that we just disagree. I鈥檓 not doing it this year because I have another project. But I think it鈥檚 good to disagree on things to build together, and I hope in the future there is change on some things that I don鈥檛 agree, like some things on the corporation side, like in the race acquisition or some vision with the impact of their entity when it comes to sponsorships, or their impact on the land.

So it鈥檚 things like that that we鈥檙e not on the same page. But we can discuss, and it鈥檚 good. But it鈥檚 a race I might go back to in the future, and I would love to do in the future.

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Courtney Dauwalter is no match for even Courtney Dauwalter. For the third straight year, the 39-year-old trail running superstar won the Hardrock 100 in course-record time. Striding into downtown Silverton, Colorado early Saturday morning, to rousing applause at 8:12 A.M. local time, she kissed the large painted rock marking the finish to stop the clock in 26:11:49鈥攖wo and a half minutes under her own overall women鈥檚 course record from last year, and over 30 minutes ahead of her clockwise record from 2022.

鈥淢an, I didn鈥檛 plan on sprinting into the finish today,鈥� Dauwalter said with a laugh. 鈥淚 only knew about what pace we needed to run for the record because [my husband] Kevin was pacing me in the last section. I wouldn鈥檛 have remembered the time for that. We got to the top of Little Giant, which is like seven-ish miles away, and I said, 鈥楧o you think the clock could read 25 as the first number?鈥� And then we looked at our watches and we were like, 鈥楶robably not.鈥� It was still pretty far and not much time. But then it was like, 鈥榃ell, what鈥檚 the overall record?鈥� because it was just a good carrot to dangle to get to the finish as efficiently as we could.鈥�

After running in discomfort early on with France鈥檚 Camille Bruyas in close proximity, Dauwalter took off running out of Telluride at mile 27 and never looked back. She progressively chipped away at not only her pain cave, but also her own 2022 splits, flirting with the elusive 26-hour mark and finishing fourth overall. Bruyas finished second among women (and sixth overall) more than three hours and 15 minutes after Dauwalter in 29:28:14.

With the win, Dauwalter has now won the Hardrock 100 three times in four tries, setting course records in each of her wins. She started the race in 2021 but dropped out midway through due to stomach issues on the grueling high-altitude course which averages 11,000 feet above sea level. She鈥檚 been virtually unbeatable since, but has been a dominant force in ultra-distance trail running since 2017.

Dauwalter has also won UTMB three times, and the Western States 100 , Transgrancanaria 128K, and the Mount Fuji 100 (formerly known as Ultra Trail Mount Fuji) twice. In fact, she hasn鈥檛 lost a race she intended to be competitive in since 2019, when she placed 12th in the IAU 24 Hour World Championship in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.

Dauwalter said she enjoyed going up and over 14,058-foot Handies Peak before sunset and was happy the temperatures cooled off. But she said she was so tired in the wee hours of the morning she had a hallucination of a big flower wearing sunglasses and smiling at her.

鈥淚 think the heat of the day worked me pretty hard, and so it felt nice to be in cooler weather for sure,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut there are quite a few rocky sections, and when you鈥檙e running those in the dark, it鈥檚 just harder. I think this race is just particularly hard in general. I was hoping this year to come back with the experience of doing it a couple years and not coming off of a race in June like I did last year and feel more fresh and be able to attack the course a little more. But it just was really hard.鈥�

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Beyond Dauwalter鈥檚 dominance, the women鈥檚 race saw somewhat of a ceremonial changing of the guard with two new faces on the podium. After an incredibly strong and vivacious first half, Bruyas battled through the second half of the gnarly course to take second. She walked into Silverton with her pacers and crew to kiss the rock in 29:28:11. Katharina Hartmuth of Germany hung tough to finish third in 30:29:12.

Pommeret Takes Down Kilian Jornet鈥檚 Record

Maybe you forgot that Ludovic Pommeret was the 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc champion. Or maybe you thought the Frenchman, who turns 49 in nine days, was past his prime. Either way, he reminded us all he鈥檚 at the top of not only his game, but the game at the 2024 Hardrock 100.

The Hoka-sponsored runner from Prevessin, France, took the lead less than a third of the way into the rugged 100.5-mile clockwise-edition of the course after separating from countryman Fran莽ois D鈥橦aene, the 2021 Hardrock champion and 2022 runner-up, and never looked back. Pommeret progressively chipped away at the course record splits鈥攁 course record, mind you, set by none other than Kilian Jornet in 2022鈥攖o win this year鈥檚 event in 21:33:12, the fastest time by three minutes in the race鈥檚 33-year history. Jornet set the previous overall course record of 21:36:24, also in this clockwise direction in 2022.

(Pommeret kissed the ceremonial rock at the finish in to complete the course in 21:33:07 at 3:33 A.M. local time, but race officials credited him with the slightly slower official time.)

鈥淚t was my dream (to win it),鈥� Pommert told a small collection of fans and media after winning the race at 3:33 A.M. local time. 鈥淚 was just asking 鈥榳hen will there be a nightmare?鈥� But finally, there was no nightmare. Thanks to my crew. They were amazing. And thanks to all of you. This race is, uh, no word, just so cool and wild and tough.鈥�

A Historic Day

On Friday, July 12, 146 lucky runners embarked on the 2024 Hardrock 100. Run in the clockwise direction this year, it was the 鈥渆asy鈥� way for the course with a staggering 33,000 feet of climbing thanks to the steep climbs and more tempered, runnable descents.

Combined with relatively cooperative weather (hot during the day on Friday, but no storms) and a star-studded front of the pack , the tight-knit Hardrock 100 community was on course record watch.

And the event delivered鈥攁long with a whole lot more.

On the men鈥檚 side, the front of the race took a blow before the gun even went off when Zach Miller, last year鈥檚 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc runner-up, was denied entry after undergoing an emergency appendectomy the weekend before.

Despite the heartbreak of being forced to wait another year to participate in this hallowed event, Miller was very much a presence in the race, most notably for slinging fastnachts (Amish donuts) from his van in Ouray for race supporters and fans.

Such is the spirit of this event, deemed equally as much a run as a race.

The men鈥檚 race was further upended when D鈥橦aene, in tears surrounded by his wife, three children, and friends, dropped from the race at the remote Animas Forks aid station (mile 58). An illness from two weeks before proved insurmountable for the challenge still to come. That blew the door wide open for the hard-charging leaders ahead.

Pommeret had built a 45-minute lead over Jason Schlarb, an American runner who lives locally in Durango, and Swiss runner Diego Pazos, by the time he had left the 43.9-mile Ouray aid station amid 85-degree temperatures. His split climbing up and over 12,800-foot Engineer Pass (mile 51.8) extended his lead to more than an hour over Schlarb and nearly 90-minutes at the Animas Forks aid station.

鈥淚 thought it was great. To run off the front like he did, and then just hold that all day and get the overall course record is pretty awesome,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲hen Killian did it, two years ago, it was a track race between him, Dakota [Jones], and Fran莽ois, after they got some separation from Dakota, it was Kilian and and Fran莽ois, all the way to Cunningham Gulch (the mile 91 aid station) and then Kilian just torched it on the way in. So yeah, it was super, super impressive for Ludo to do that. That鈥檚 a very impressive effort.鈥�

A Blazing Start听

The sleepy historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado was unusually hectic at 6 A.M. on Friday. In the blue hour before the sun poked over the San Juan Mountains looming above, 146 runners toed the start line of the Hardrock 100, marked by flags from the countries represented by competitors on either side of the dirt road.

With the sound of the gun, runners jogged off the start line鈥攖heir caution a tacit sign of respect for the monumental challenge of what was to come. As the runners passed through town to the singletrack wending its way up to Miner鈥檚 Shrine, group of men headlined by听 D鈥橦aene, Pommeret, Pazos, and Schlarb quickly took command of the front, the bright yellow t-shirt of Dauwalter was easy to spot just behind, along with Hartmuth and Bruyas.

If they weren鈥檛 awake already, runners certainly were after crossing the ice-cold Mineral Creek two miles into their journey before starting the grunt up to Putnam Basin. At the top of a sunny, grassy Putnam Ridge (mile 7) 1:34 into the race, the lead pack of men remained, while Dauwalter had made a statement solo just three minutes back from the men and four minutes up on Hartmuth.

Dauwalter was smiling and chatty when she reached the KT aid station at mile 11.5, in 2:24 elapsed. By Chapman (mile 18.4), four hours in and 10 minutes under her own course record pace, she was pouring water on her head under the blazing sun. Things were heating up鈥攊n more ways than one.

It鈥檚 a Race!

When Pommeret galloped into Telluride (mile 27.7) after 5:37 of elapsed time in the lead, he was right on Jornet鈥檚 course record pace. One minute, some fluids and restocking later, and he was gone.

But wait, it was still a close race! D鈥橦aene charged into Telluride just听 two minutes later and hardly stopped before continuing on through downtown before busting out the poles and starting the steep, steep 5,000-foot climb up Virginius Pass to the iconic Kroger鈥檚 Canteen aid station nestled into a notch of rock at the top at 13,000 feet.

Not to be outdone, the women鈥檚 race proved equally thrilling coming into Telluride. Bruyas bridged the gap up to Dauwalter, and the two ran into town together in 6:25 elapsed. Both took three minutes in the aid station, although that must have been enough social time for Dauwalter, as she pulled ahead marching up the climb, poles out and head down. A bouncy Bruyas alternated between hiking and jogging just behind.

But time again, Dauwalter鈥檚 long, powerful stride simply proved unparalleled. By Kroger鈥檚 (mile 32.7) Dauwalter had reestablished her lead by five minutes over Bruyas and 17 ahead of Hartmuth in third. She鈥檇 built that gap to 10 minutes in Ouray at mile 43.9, but she left that aid station in less than two minutes with a stern, serious look on her face. But as she crested Engineer Pass at the golden hour, wildflowers blanketing the vibrant green hillsides basking in the setting sun, she enjoyed a 30-minute lead in the women鈥檚 race and was knocking at the door of the men鈥檚 podium.

While Dauwalter forged ahead with her unforgiving campaign for a third straight win, the men鈥檚 race started to rumble. Like Dauwalter, Pommeret continued to blaze the lead looking strong as he trotted down Engineer to the Animas Forks aid station at mile 57.9 in 11:39 elapsed. He hardly stopped before continuing on to Handies Peak, which at 14,058 feet marks the high point of the race. He had blown the race wide open.

An hour and 15 minutes later, Schlarb, looking a bit more beleaguered, ran into Animas Forks with his pacer, where he sat down and changed his shirt while receiving a pep talk from his partner and son. But he made quick work of the time off feet nonetheless, and three minutes later he was back at it, seven minutes before Pazos appeared.

While D鈥橦aene arrived just 10 minutes later, he did so in tears, holding the hand of his youngest son. After a considerable amount of time sitting in the aid station, surrounded by his family and crew, he called it quits. The lingering effects of an illness from just 10 days before proved too much to overcome as the hardest miles of the race loomed ahead.

While D鈥橦aene pondered his fate, Dauwalter blitzed into Animas Forks in 13:26 with that same look of determination, 16 minutes ahead of course-record pace. She briefly stopped to prepare for the impending night, picking up her good friend and pacer Mike Ambrose to leave the aid station in fourth overall. Bruyas maintained her second place position 30 minutes back, with Hartmuth in third about 20 minutes behind her.

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Pommeret Extends His Lead

Pommeret continued charging ahead solo, increasing his lead over Schlarb and Pazos by more than two hours late in the race. When Pommeret passed through the 80.8-mile Pole Creek aid station at 10:44 P.M., it shocked the small group of race officials, media, and fans watching the online tracker from the race headquarters in Silverton. Based on that split, it was originally calculated that Pommeret听could arrive as early as 2:34 A.M.鈥攚hich would have been a finishing time of 20:34鈥攂ut he didn鈥檛 run the final 20 miles quite as fast as Jornet did in 2022.

Behind him, Pazos caught Schlarb to take over second place before Pole Creek and increased the gap to four minutes by the Cunningham aid station (mile 91.2). Pazos would outlast Schlarb and finish second in 24:39:33, while Schlarb took third in 24:48:16. Schlarb, who tied for the win with Jornet in the 2016 Hardrock 100, pulled out a mini American flag out of his trail running vest after kissing the rock.

Pommeret, who develops training software for air traffic controls in Geneva, Switzerland, didn鈥檛 break into ultra-trail running until 2009 when he was 34 years old. He was third in UTMB that year鈥攂ehind a 20-year-old Jornet, who won for the second straight year鈥攖he first of seven top-five finishes in the marquee race in Chamonix. (He was third in 2017 and 2019, fourth in 2021, and fifth in 2023.) He also won the 90-mile TDS race during UTMB week in 2022, and the 170-kilometer Diagonale des Fous race (Grand Raid La Reunion) on R茅union Island in the Indian Ocean in 2021 and placed sixth in his first attempt at the Western States 100 in California in 2022.

Last year, Pommeret placed 13th overall in the Western States 100 and nine weeks later finished fifth at UTMB behind Jim Walmsley, Miller, Germain Grangier, and Mathieu Blanchard.

鈥淲e know Ludo is a beast, but to be a beast for so long is so impressive,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 49, which by all means is a capable age in this endurance world. But I think anytime someone 49 does something like that, it鈥檚 gonna turn some heads because that would鈥檝e been a really good performance for anyone. To have the track record he鈥檚 had鈥攚inning Diagonale des Fous, UTMB and Hardrock, that鈥檚 pretty impressive.鈥�

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Dauwalter鈥檚 Final Race Against the Clock

By the time Dauwalter was pushing her way up the lower approach to 14,058-foot Handies Peak, she had a smile on her face and engaged in playful conversation with media and spectators on the course. She had good reason to smile: she was feeling good and she had increased her 10-minute lead at Ouray to more than 60 minutes. After cresting Handies before sunset, Dauwalter went through the Burrows aid station (mile 67.9) in less than a minute, while Bruyas, who reached the summit in near darkness, came in an hour later and spent four minutes refueling before heading out again.

Three hours after Pommeret had passed through the Pole Creek aid station (mile 80.8), Dauwalter arrived at 1:54 A.M., still in fourth place overall about 50 minutes behind Pazos and Schlarb. She took a little more time there, but was back on her feet in four minutes and running strong again and still on record pace. Bruyas walked in to Pole Creek at 3:08 A.M. in sixth overall, but the gap behind Dauwalter continued to widen. Hartmuth arrived about 25 minutes later, over three hours ahead of Yitka Winn in fourth.

Dauwalter was in and out of the Maggie aid station (mile 85.1) in two minutes and blazed through the Cunningham aid station (mile 91.2) even faster. The race seemed to be in hand at that point with Bruyas more than 90 minutes behind (in fact, someone updated the Hardrock 100 Wikipedia page and declared her the winner not long after Pommeret finished), it was just a matter of how fast she could close the loop.

鈥淚 left Ouray quickly because I finally was feeling like my body was running OK,鈥� Dauwalter said. 鈥淭he whole morning getting to Ouray, none of my systems felt like they were working together. It was a real effort to run. And so when I got to Ouray, things had started clicking and so I just wanted to turn and get out of there and keep the momentum going. So I guess later I was probably smiling more because it鈥檚 more fun to run when everything鈥檚 working better. But it was really hard. The whole day was really, really hard.鈥�

Women鈥檚 Results

1. Courtney Dauwalter, 26:11:49 (course record, 4th overall)
2. Camille Bruyas, 29:28:11 (6th overall)
3. Katharina Hartmuth, 30:29:12 (9th overall)
4. Tara Dower, 33:10:55
5. Yitka Winn, 33:17:00

Men鈥檚 Results

1. Ludovic Pommeret, 21:33:06 (course record)
2. Diego Pazos, 24:39:33
3. Jason Schlarb, 24:48:13
4. Jeff Rome, 26:30:52
5. Brian Peterson, 29:36:04

Full results:

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Friends, we have a crisis looming on our hands and something must be done.

If you鈥檝e been living under the surface level of the pool, Strava sashayed into the zeitgeist last week when 贰濒濒别听published an article titled 听According to the story, a pay-to-play, digital dating environment has ravaged younger American generations with swipe fatigue, and Strava, author Kelsey Borovinsky argues, provides a platform for people who enjoy endurance sports to find each other.

So far, so great. Endurance sports have infiltrated pop culture enough to get written up in the likes of听Elle, without even Taylor Swift signing on? Rejoice! We can use Strava to find connection and community? Hallelujah!

But, Borovinsky, are we talking about the same ? The one with segments and leaderboards that breed ? The app that doesn鈥檛 even support direct messaging, much less discovery?

Sure, Strava has a 鈥渇lyby鈥� feature to see who you encountered on your outing. But if you manage to track down strangers you glimpsed for a quarter of a second on your run two days ago with this beta feature, what are you going to do? Ask them out in a public comment on their activity?

No, if you are a sane person with manners, you are going to find them on Instagram or something and send them a DM. Nicely. Politely.

I hear DMing is coming to Strava. We will deal with those ramifications later. One crisis at a time. Beyond practicalities, there lies the greater existential question that we must ask ourselves: Do we really want Strava to serve as a way to impress people in that dating-kind-of-way? It鈥檚 already a haven for those looking for validation and ways to look down on each other, but it could get worse, much worse.

滨苍诲别别诲,听Elle鈥檚 Borovinsky describes a Strava filled with young, single people like Ellie Gerson. She鈥檚 a runner and influencer from San Francisco who, after completing her scenic seven-mile run, 鈥渋mmediately opens Strava to upload her workout, along with a cute selfie and a relatable caption about the highs and lows of training for the Chicago Marathon.鈥�

Marathon training, we love to see it. But Gerson isn鈥檛 here just to chronicle the highs and lows of her journey to 26.2. When asked if she hopes potential suitors will see her Strava uploads Gerson said, 鈥淥ne thousand percent. Whether it was a long run or I鈥檓 in a cute outfit, there have definitely been times where I鈥檝e thought, he will see this.鈥�

Look, it鈥檚 a free country. Gerson, Borovinsky, and all one hundred million Strava-ers (Strava-ites?) can use Strava however they want. But do we really need yet another platform for people to impress each other? Can鈥檛 someone just spend a long run thinking about pancakes, not thirst traps?

Strava鈥檚 where I connect with friends and family. I see my 72-year-old dad鈥檚 five-hour Zwift ride, and I know he鈥檚 just as deranged as he was 50 years ago. Thank god. It鈥檚 where I get beta on trail and road conditions from those more intrepid than I. It鈥檚 where we -yes the royal we of all endurance peoples 鈥� bond over our mutual hatred of wind. And it鈥檚 what I turn to when I need a little bit of extra motivation from my psycho friends who run at 4 AM.

In short, I rely on Strava to learn about听what鈥檚 really going on. It鈥檚 like getting an honest answer to, 鈥淗ow are you?鈥� without even needing to ask. Even for those people who call their hammer sessions 鈥渆asy runs,鈥� the heart rate data keeps them honest.

Strava feels like a safe haven for simplicity, silliness, and sincerity鈥攕egment hunting and threats of stalking put aside.

Maybe (probably) I鈥檓 being an overly cautious curmudgeon. I鈥檝e been off the market for like six years, I鈥檓 old and out of touch. But in our overly digitized and curated world of filtered photos and painstakingly edited reels, Strava is the last place on the internet that hasn鈥檛 wholly succumbed to the dramaturgical trap of masking your true self in service to an impossible ideal. It鈥檚 a place to be yourself, and to celebrate others for being the same. And in a world saturated with insincerity, I need Strava to feel like I still have a semblance of a grasp on the truth.

So, Strava-ites, here is my plea to you: Keep posting those snot-encrused selfies and silly Strava titles. In the spirit of love, celebrate your friends for doing the same. And then, if Strava happens to serve as the most wholesome accidental meet-cute on the internet, we all win.

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Lucy Charles-Barclay waited approximately zero seconds before making her move at the 2023 Hawaii Ironman World Championship on October 14, 2023. Powering through the choppy waters of Kailua Bay with her characteristic snappy glide, the 30-year-old British triathlete gapped the field by nearly 350 meters鈥攁lmost four football field lengths

Charles-Barclay lead off the front for the next 140.2 miles of swimming, biking, and running, breaking the tape in a record-setting 8:26:18 for her first world title.

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A four-time runner-up in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022鈥攖he victory was a long time coming.

鈥淚f there was any way I wanted to win this race, it would have been like that,鈥� Charles-Barclay . 鈥淭here were many times when I thought I would always be the bridesmaid in Kona. It鈥檚 nice to finally be the bride.鈥�

Her win is just the start of jaw-dropping moments from the inaugural women鈥檚-only Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (The inaugural men鈥檚-only Ironman World Championship was held on September 9 in Nice, France.) From a run course record set by only fueling with protein to a series of historic firsts, here are our top 10 takeaways from one of the most important races in endurance sport.

1. Charles-Barclay Vanquishes Bridesmaid Curse

By earning the crown on Saturday afternoon, Charles-Barclay solidified her name on the list of Kona legends and broke a series of records鈥攊ncluding the women鈥檚 course record previously held by Switzerland鈥檚 Daniella Ryf when she clocked 8:26:18 for the win in 2018.

No woman has led the wire-to-wire since Lyn Lemaire, the first woman to ever win the race in 1979. Charles-Barclay broke that 44-year streak after coming out of the water with a four-minute advantage. She also etched her name in history as only the second person ever to win the Hawaii Ironman World Championship after winning an amateur age group title here, which she claimed in the 18-to-24-year-old division in 2015.

Decked in a mermaid race kit that extended from the blue and grey scales painted on her Red Bull helmet to her , Charles-Barclay raced like someone who not only wanted to win, but even more so did not want to lose. She blitzed the 112-mile bike in 4:32:29, averaging over 24.7 miles per hour to further extend her lead over the competition.

In past years, Charles-Barclay鈥檚 blistering early pace has come back to haunt her on the run. Not on Saturday. She held on for respectable 2:57:38 marathon and a hefty three-minute lead. But it wasn鈥檛 until the finish chute loomed into sight on Ali鈥檌 Drive that Charles-Barclay allowed herself to comprehend what was happening.

鈥淚 really tried not to put not wanting to be second again in the back of my mind,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was still looking over my shoulder when I turned onto Ali鈥檌. I didn鈥檛 believe I would get the win until I broke the tape.鈥�

As always, there鈥檚 more to the story than meets the eye. Charles-Barclay鈥檚 seemingly assured success obscures the obstacles she had to overcome this year just to get to the start line.

2. Charles-Barclay Breaks Foot and Breaks Records

In May, Charles-Barclay felt something in her foot while running into the water at the start of Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau in Germany. She thought little of it. She powered a slew of bike issues and mounting pain on the run to take second in that half-distance Ironman race. An X-ray the next day confirmed she鈥檇 snapped the third metatarsal in her foot, a zig-zag fracture all the way through the bone.

For better and for worse, she was no stranger to that type of news.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a really tough couple of years,鈥� Charles-Barclay said. 鈥淲hen I turned 28, I felt like my body didn鈥檛 want to do this anymore.鈥�

Charles-Barclay retreated to her 鈥減ain cave鈥� gym at her home in Chingford, Essex, where she cranked up the music, visualized the helicopters circling overhead in Kona, and nearly hit the 2024 Great Britain Olympic qualification mark on the indoor rower while wearing a 鈥渕oon boot鈥� cast.

Out on the Queen K Highway on Saturday, Charles-Barclay channeled those endless hours of monotony in the pain-cave. She credits that mental toughness training as well as the efficiency of riding the bike trainer indoors (no coasting on the downhills!) to her success, as well as her satisfaction.

鈥淎ll I ever wanted was to win this race,鈥� Charles-Barclay said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like I need anything else anymore. That is the biggest prize, and a credit to the work we鈥檝e all put in as a team. And they鈥檝e all put up with me these last few months as I鈥檝e been very tired and very grumpy, and all my friends and family putting up with that, and that means so much to me during this crazy endeavor to win this race.鈥�

3. Anne Haug鈥檚 No-Carb Fueling Leads to Fastest Run Split Ever

With one of the deepest pro fields ever鈥攑articularly on the running front鈥攚e knew that if the conditions aligned, we could witness a run for the ages. Sure enough, as soon as she hopped off the bike and slipped into her Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% super shoes, Germany鈥檚 Anne Haug was on a mission. The runner-assassin started the marathon in seventh place overall, 12 minutes back from the lead. But Haug remained composed and got to doing what she does best: passing people on the Queen K.

Haug clicked into her characteristically high cadence, butter-smooth stride, ticking sub-6:20 miles early in the marathon to reel in the field. At mile 18, deep in the heart of the lifeless Energy Lab, Haug decisively passed American dark-horse rookie Taylor Knibb to move into second.

The lead Charles-Barley carved on the swim and the run proved too large to surmount, with Haug ultimately running out of real estate to claim another world title. But in that attempt, she smashed Miranda Carfrae鈥檚 run course record of 2:50:38 set 2013 when the Australian won the race. Haug clocked in at 2:48:33, averaging 6:25 per mile through the oppressively thick, still air and road temperatures soaring above 100 degrees.

鈥淭he run always means a lot to me, and I always aim for a fast run,鈥� said Haug, who owns a 2:36:13 open marathon personal best. 鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely happy. I couldn鈥檛 have done any better. Lucy was unbeatable today.鈥�

The 40-year-old鈥檚 performance is even more remarkable this year in the face of the health and nutrition obstacles she鈥檚overcome. Over the past several years, her body has grown intolerant to absorbing carbohydrates while racing. Rigorous testing and experimentation with her team in Germany led to the realization that she could only fuel adequately with the right types of proteins and amino acids.

Haug overhauled her entire nutrition strategy, saying she was careful to consume enough on the bike and fueled almost exclusively on protein during the run鈥攁 feat nearly unheard of in elite marathoning.

4. Rookie Taylor Knibb Shows America鈥檚 Future is Bright

Leading up to Saturday, all eyes were on U.S. Olympian Taylor Knibb. The 25-year-old based in Boulder, Colorado, has been on fire this year, winning the hotly contested PTO U.S. Open to the tune of $100,000 in prize money, defending her Ironman 70.3 world title in Lahti, Finland, and earning bragging rights as one of the world鈥檚 best short course, draft-legal and long-course triathletes. That range puts Michael Phelps to shame.

But Kona hits different, and despite watching her mom race here five times previously, Knibb had never toed the line herself. In fact, she鈥檇 never run above 19 miles. Ever. Would she be able to hang in the heat and humidity over the 140.3 distance?

鈥淲hat challenges arise and how I overcome them will be the measure of success for me,鈥� Knibb said in the days before the race.

That attitude proved prescient.

Knibb swam strong with the front chase pack, but she lost three nutrition bottles on the bike鈥攖he third caught by race officials and resulting in a one-minute penalty. Yet Knibb remained composed, chatting and laughing with the motorcycle film crew, thanking volunteers at aid stations, and taking her time at the turn-around aid to dismount from her bike, riffle through her special needs bag, and grab more fuel for the road. Even with the penalty, Knibb had the second-fastest bike split of the day in 4:34:00.

Ultimately, Knibb cracked under the run distance, slowing to a walk intermittently over the final seven kilometers. Her 3:05:13 marathon wound up as the 10th fastest among the pro women in the race. But her final time of 8:35:56 was good enough for an astonishing fourth place鈥攋ust one minute off the podium and a time that would have been fast enough for the win in all but three other years.

Knibb will return her attention to short-course racing for a bit (the Paris Olympics loom just 10 months away), but watch out the next time the women race here in 2025. She鈥檒l be armed with experience and a kind, quippy vengeance鈥擳aylor鈥檚 version.

5. Americans Shine with Five in Top 10

Germany crowded the podium, with Haug taking second and her compatriot Laura Philip racing tenaciously for third. After those three first steps, the show belonged to the United States.

Along Knibb in fourth, the U.S. took five of the top 10 spots. Last year鈥檚 champion Chelsea Sodaro recovered from a disappointing first two-thirds of the race, in which 19 women out-biked her, to run a solid 2:53:02 marathon that moved her up to sixth. Compatriot Skye Moench finished just a minute later in 8:43:34.

Full-time graduate student Sarah True spent much of the week leading up to the race working on a research paper. She ended up asking for an extension on Friday鈥攁 choice which seemed to pay off with her best-ever eighth-place finish in 8:47:06 as she 鈥減layed triathlete鈥� for the day. An exceptionally strong bike from Jocelyn McCauley was enough for her to hang on during the run for 10th in 8:50:39鈥攖he fifth American and third American mom in the race, along with Sodaro and True.

6. Sixteen Women Break Elusive Nine-Hour Mark

It wasn鈥檛 until 2009 that four鈥搕ime Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain broke the nine-hour mark on this notoriously hot, humid, and all-around hellish course. Until 2018, you didn鈥檛 always have to crack nine hours to earn a podium spot. We have officially said goodbye to those days.

Forget the podium, or even the top 10, with a nine-hour time. An unprecedented 16 women dipped under that elusive nine-hour mark this year. Women at the top of the race attribute the fast times to a combination of technology improvements鈥攁erodynamic helmets, bikes, and race kits; wind-tunnel testing; supershoes鈥攁nd steel sharpening steel.

鈥淲e push each other, and we always try to get better,鈥� said four-time Ironman World Champion Ryf, who took fifth on Saturday. 鈥淭he technology has also helped. We鈥檝e gotten more aero, and materials play a role. But so does pushing each other. I鈥檝e learned so much from my competitors like Miranda Carfrae.鈥�

7. Forget Bikes. It鈥檚 All About Shoes.

Don鈥檛 get us wrong, at 112 miles long and taking up about 50 percent of the race, the bike leg remains indisputably paramount. But the impact of rapid fast shoe technology advancement over the past several years cannot be discounted here鈥攂oth for racing and recovery at the Ironman distance.

All of the top 10 women elected to wear carbon-plated supershoes, including two prototypes on the feet of Ryf (sponsored by Hoka) and Sodaro (who runs for On).

Charles-Barclay held on for her best Kona run ever in the ASICS Metaspeed Sky+. She attributes the advent of supershoes to helping her whittle down her race times, as well as bounce back from injury.

鈥淚 guess obviously when I first started racing in Kona, we weren鈥檛 running in carbon-plated shoes,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut over the years that technology has developed, and I’m super happy in the shoe that I run in. They’ve helped me through the injuries that I’ve had, and yeah, I guess hopefully, like Anne has shown, we are just gonna keep running faster and the technology will help us to do that.鈥�

8. All-Women鈥檚 Field Yields Historic Finisher Rate

Despite Ironman moving to an all-women鈥檚 field and giving out more entry spots this year, we already knew that the caliber of the field was as competitive as ever. On Saturday, the women proved they are also grittier than ever. Every single athlete who entered the swim completed the 2.4 miles straight out and back into the Kailua Bay chop. It鈥檚 potentially a first in the history of the event.

Of the 2,097 starters, 2,039 crossed the finish line in under the 17-hour cutoff. That鈥檚 an astonishing 97.23 percent finishing rate at one of the most physically and psychologically grueling race courses on Earth鈥攗p from the typical 93 to 97 percent finish rate here.

9. Autistic Athletes Make History

By each completing the race in twelve hours and change, Lisa Cloutier, Marylne Stutzman, and Adrienne Bunn, of the U.S., became the first three openly autistic athletes to cross the finish line at the Hawaii Ironman World Championship.

At 18 years old, the minimum age for entering the race, Bunn also earned the title of youngest finisher this year. Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age four, Bunn started running in school to occupy her thoughts and calm her mind. She started racing triathlons two years ago through a Special Olympics pilot program and earlier this year finished her first Ironman 70.3 race to earn her spot in Kona.

鈥淩unning totally transformed her,鈥� Bunn鈥檚 mother, June, said. 鈥淚t just calmed her鈥攊t took away her anxiousness.鈥�

On the road to the finish line, Bunn balanced up to 20 hours of training a week with her studies as a high school senior.

鈥淎drienne got a lot of no鈥檚鈥攏o way, it鈥檚 not going to happen,鈥� June said. 鈥淲e never put a ceiling on her. You say it鈥檚 not going to happen, she鈥檚 going to prove you wrong.鈥�

10. 鈥榃e Never Give Up鈥�

Athletes represented 73 countries at the Ironman World Championships this year, including twelve finishers from wartorn Israel and four from Ukraine.

In addition to the psychological stress these athletes faced, many surmounted logistical nightmares to just make it to the Kailua Pier. Ukraine athlete Yuliya Azzopardi drove 1,000 miles from her home in Kyiv to the border of Poland while abiding by country鈥檚 midnight-to-5 P.M. curfew, passed through two border controls, and took two flights to make it to the Big Island. As athletes checked into their return flights after the race on Sunday, several major airlines informed passengers that flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, were suspended in the face of the ongoing conflict with Palestine so alternative flight paths had to be arranged.

Somehow, athletes from these countries channeled their stress into strength.

鈥淚 raced especially for Israel,鈥� Sharon Zupnik, who crossed the line in 11:17:46, said. 鈥淚 wanted to show that we are so strong and we can be here.鈥�

鈥淚t means we can keep fighting,鈥� Ukraine’s Kateryna Fedorova said moments after she finished in 11:44:57. 鈥淚t means we are brave. That we stand for all the rights for freedom. And I want to show the example to everyone that we never give up.鈥�

(Bonus) 11. More People Tuned into the Women鈥檚 Race

Not everyone was happy when Ironman decided to split the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 world championships into separate venues this year. (The men鈥檚 Ironman World Championship was held September 9 in Nice, France.) And while the aloha magic, unrivaled history, and unique brutality of the Kailua-Kona course cannot be replicated, one thing is for certain鈥攁 women鈥檚-only race leads to an unparalleled level of inspired racing.

In Ironman races with both men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 fields, elite and amateur women contend with men interfering with their race, whether that鈥檚 getting kicked on the swim, or inadvertently earning a penalty for drafting on the bike.听 (And of course, these same nuisances apply to men when women are in their races.) A two-gender race also means that each gender receives less TV coverage, with the women historically receiving less than half of airtime as they battle for contention behind the men.

Giving the women a day of unfettered, fully-celebrated racing allowed the day to play out on its own terms.

鈥淚t was very nice to not have men interfering with the race,鈥� Knibb said. 鈥淎nd it was nice to know they weren鈥檛. It was one less worry, one less thing to think about. There鈥檚 a lot of things to think about out there.鈥�

And guess what? People tuned in鈥攁 lot of people. Over 769,000 fans tuned into the 2023 women鈥檚 race, up from the 599,000 who watched the men鈥檚 race in Nice last month, enjoying an interrupted view as the race unfolded.

鈥淐ameras were everywhere this year,鈥� Haug said. 鈥淯sually they鈥檙e just on the first women. We put on a show today and we showed it鈥檚 worth covering the whole race.鈥�

A field of 2,000-plus women also imbibed the day with a special type of comradery and grit.

鈥淎ll of the pro women were cheering me on,鈥� Charles-Barclay said. 鈥淎nd to have their support even when we鈥檙e all out there suffering just shows how amazing this sport is.鈥�

The post 10 Fascinating Moments from the 2023 Hawaii Ironman World Championship听 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

On Saturday, over 2,000 world-class women will shoulder the monumental 140.6-mile challenge of the 2023 Hawaii Ironman World Championship. That鈥檚 right, women. Just women.

For the first time ever, only women will compete in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as Ironman split the fields and moved the men鈥檚 race to Nice, France, held four weeks ago on September 12.

We鈥檝e come a long way since 1978, when 15 men (yes, just men) paid $3 for a spot on the start line of the first-ever Hawaii Ironman based on a bet over who was the better athlete鈥攕wimmers or runners. This year, the women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 races will dole out equal prize purses of $375,000 each, rolling down 15 places with $125,000 going to the winner.

Why is a women鈥檚-only Ironman World Championship significant? We鈥檒l tell you, below. Then sit back and watch some serious suffering on when the gun goes off at 6:25 A.M. Hawaii-Aleutian Time (12:25 P.M. ET) on Saturday, October 14. For a closer look at the course, athletes, and in-depth storytelling around the race, .

What is the Ironman World Championship?

, and a ridiculous challenge combining three endurance events into one, has grown into one of the most prestigious鈥攁nd rigorous鈥攁thletic events in the world. Fifty-five pros and 2,000-plus amateur age-group athletes from 73 countries will race a 2.4-mile (3.8K) swim, 112-mile (180.2K) bike ride, and a 26.2-mile (42.2K) marathon run past the dramatic lava fields on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Why It鈥檚 an Iconic Challenge

Racing the 140.6-mile Ironman presents a daunting challenge, requiring extreme versatility, discipline, and stamina just to get to the start鈥攎uch less the finish. But to put it bluntly, .

In fact, the nearly impossible mystique of this race not only catapulted the popularity of Ironman, but also the sport of triathlon as a whole. The Ironman World Championship grew into a globally televised event on ABC, and the International Olympic Committee eventually added triathlon as a mainstay to the Summer Olympic Games in 2000.

An Endless 2.4-Mile Swim

The challenge starts with the swim, an out-and-back from the shallows of 鈥淒ig Me Beach鈥� straight into the abyss beyond: Facing down 1.2 miles into the open ocean looks overwhelming, but then add in rolling seas, choppy, salty waves, and the churn of your competition. Top female pros complete the swim in just over 50 minutes, with the back of the age-group pack getting two hours and 20 minutes to climb out of the water before getting cut off. The swim is arguably the easiest part of the day, taking up less than 15 percent of the race time-wise.

An Unforgiving 112-Mile Ride

After surviving the swim, competitors jump onto specialized triathlon bikes and pedal up and away from the ocean to the rolling climbs and straightaways of the Queen Ka鈥檃humanu Highway, renowned and reviled for its fierce crosswinds threatening to topple bikes over sideways and exposed lava fields that leave competitors with nowhere to hide from the sun. Imagine pedaling on Mars. Top riders complete the 112 miles in just over four-and-a-half hours for an average pace of 24-plus miles per hour. And if you don鈥檛 finish the bike in 10 hours, you鈥檒l be pulled from the course.

A Soul-Sucking Marathon

Back in the transition zone, riders throw their bikes to handlers (one small luxury of long-course triathlon) and cinch up their running shoes before heading out onto the run course at the peak of the day鈥檚 heat, where temperatures typically climb to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), with road temps escalating up to a shoe-melting 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). Much of the run sends runners back out onto the Queen K, where they slog through the majority of the marathon on the shoulder of the highway, heat rising from the pavement and the unshaded sun glaring down from on high.

Top female pros will run under three hours, perhaps a full ten minutes faster than that, to average around 6:30 minutes per mile. For the women at the back of the race, they have 17 hours to cross the finish line, as the announcer blares into the PA system, 鈥淵ou are an Ironman.鈥�

The Race Is Steeped in Lore

Kona doesn鈥檛 just exude viscous crosswinds, endless straightaways, and suffocating humidity. Ghosts of its history haunt the course. It鈥檚 where just 15 feet before the finish line in 1982, race leader and Kona rookie Julie Moss infamously collapsed from dehydration as ABC鈥檚 cameras looked on. The 23-year-old exercise physiology student used her hands to crawl her way towards the finish鈥攐nly to get passed by Kathleen McCartney with feet to go in one of the most monumental moments in televised sports history, forever altering the trajectory of Ironman as an internationally acclaimed event.

It鈥檚 also where the 鈥淨ueen of Kona鈥� Paula Newby-Fraser of South Africa won an unprecedented eight world championships from 1989 to 1996, earning her a spot on Sports Illustrated’s top 60 athletes of the 20th century.

The Significance of a Historic Women鈥檚-Only Event

While no women competed during that inaugural race in 1978, women have played an instrumental role from the start. The notion of stringing a swim, bike, and run together was itself conceived by Judy Collins and her husband Jim, who cofounded the humble race that has escalated into one of the biggest endurance spectacles in the world.

Only one woman, Lyn Lemaire, completed the race the following year in 12:55:38, placing fifth overall against the men. Two women crossed the line in 1980, and this year more than 2,000 women from 73 countries will embark on their Kona journey. Splitting up the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 races gave breathing room for Ironman to allow more athletes on the starting line. In fact, the median finishing time of qualifiers this year is 11:53鈥�15 minutes faster than last year鈥檚 12:08.

鈥淚t鈥檚 as strong a field as perhaps has ever been assembled,鈥� Ironman CEO Andrew Messick says.

The Pro Field Is Wide Open

One of the deepest, most well-rounded fields ever will vie for the title at this historic women鈥檚-only event. It鈥檚 anyone鈥檚 race, and it could be one for the ages. Three previous champions will contend for another lei crown, including Marin County, California鈥檚 Chelsea Sodaro who returns to defend her title. The 34-year-old mother broke onto the scene last year after switching athletic careers from running to triathlon in 2017.

A Kona rookie, Sodaro raced the 2022 championship as her second-ever Ironman. She returns with experience, but also the weight of success. Her 2022 win skyrocketed Sodaro into international fame, but sent her spirits plummeting. , and she scratched from her first race of the season before dropping out of her first two races of 2023. Will she be able to harness her previous success, or will it hold her back?

Sodaro will also face an esteemed list of previous winners, including six-time champion Daniela Ryf and 2019 winner Anne Haug, of Switzerland and Germany respectively. Four-time Kona bridesmaid Brit Lucy Charles-Barclay will be out for blood to finally land on that top wrung, although a metatarsal stress fracture this summer may dampen her plans.

Veterans will have to look out for , who toes the line as the youngest pro in the field at age 25. Already on Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Knibb remains committed to short-course draft-legal triathlon racing. But she鈥檚 quickly established herself as a top contender at longer distances, winning the 2022 and 2023 Ironman 70.3 world championships and the PTO U.S. Open in Milwaukee this summer, where she took home $100,000 and established herself as a dominant force at every leg of the race. Knibb may have never raced Kona, but she comes armed with the experience of her mother, who has raced here five times. Both Knibbs will compete on Saturday.

鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly special to race with my mom. She鈥檚 very nervous for me,鈥� Knibb says. 鈥淪he claims it鈥檚 her last Ironman, and this is my first Ironman. So it鈥檚 like a passing of the torch.鈥�

We May Witness the Fastest Hawaii Ironman Run Split Ever

In 2014, Mirinda Carfrae set the run course record of 2:50:26, en route to her second world championship title鈥攁 time that has stood for nine years through eons of shoe technology advancement. That time may pale in comparison to the women鈥檚 marathon world record just set in September by Ethiopia鈥檚 Tigist Assefa to 2:11:53. But holding 6:30 per minute miles while running through a convection oven after covering 114.4 miles by sea and two wheels鈥攎ost of it crouched over on a time trial bike鈥攊s far more impressive than it may sound.

RELATED: The Science Says a Sub-Seven-Hour Ironman Is (Sort of) Possible

Thanks to the likes of running superstars Kat Matthews, Laura Phillip, Haug, and Sodaro, if the stars align that elusive 2:50 mark may finally be broken.

鈥淚 know a lot of runners here have the potential to run sub 2:50,鈥� Haug says. 鈥淏ut it all depends on how the race evolves. If you jump off the bike a little bit fresher than normal, it鈥檚 possible.鈥�

Everyone Here Has a Story

The professional race is just the tip of the sweltering iceberg here. The beauty of many endurance sports is that both pros and participants race alongside each other on the same course. Those include Sara Whittingham, a 2002 Ironman World Championship finisher from the U.S., a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force who served in Afghanistan and Korea. Three years ago at age 47, she was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 Disease. Motion is lotion as they say, and Whittingham channeled her energy into her joy for triathlons to maximize life and slow the progression of the disease.

鈥淚 have been racing since I was six years old. The Ironman World Championship will likely be the most meaningful finish line I will ever cross,鈥� Whittingham says. 鈥淲hen I was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, I didn鈥檛 see any more running in my future. I have always been one to dream big, and the finish line at Kona for me is as big as it gets.鈥�

Hailing from Kyiv, Ukraine, it took 35-year-old Juliya Azzopardi four days to drive 1,000 miles across the border, abide by a countryside curfew, go through two border controls, and catch two flights to the Big Island. That鈥檚 an accomplishment in and of itself鈥攎uch less the training required to qualify while in a war-torn country.

鈥淥utdoor training could be the most challenging,鈥� Azzopardi says of getting here. 鈥淵ou might be riding your bike and then the air raid sirens go on. So then you have to get into the shelter, wherever you are. Find a way to hide, wait for it to finish. But it鈥檚 not the physical part that鈥檚 difficult. It鈥檚 the mental part. If you鈥檙e away from your family during an attack, you worry about them. The obstacles here are nothing compared to the training.鈥�

Even still, Azzopardi says the challenge of racing Kona is nothing compared to what those at home face on a daily basis. The bravery and strength of soldiers and civilians at home gives her strength and motivation.

鈥淢y goal is to show that life goes on,鈥� Azzopardi says. 鈥淔or me, life is day-by-day. Living in a war zone, you never know when it鈥檚 your last day. I want to represent resistance and the will to live, the will to fight. The right to live free and for peace. I think that鈥檚 important now, not just in Ukraine unfortunately. In the race, I think about the soldiers who are suffering. And I understand that in an Ironman I am not suffering. I have no right to give up.鈥�

The post The Hawaii Ironman World Championship Is on Saturday. For the First Time, Only Women Will Compete. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Spring is a few weeks away, and the trails will be melting out before you know it. But conditions at the parking lot do not necessarily tell you what the trail looks like up ahead. Even well into summer, snow can cling to high mountain passes. Lingering cornices and deep snowdrifts can be onerous and present obstacles.

Plus, mountain weather can turn on a dime. A warm, sunny day can quickly escalate into a freezing cold whiteout blizzard.

Thankfully, you can use Gaia GPS to help eliminate this guesswork of whether the trails will be sunny and snow-free. In this guide, you will learn how to use recent satellite imagery (贵谤别蝉丑厂补迟鈥搁别肠别苍迟 and Cloud Free layers), snow depth total estimates (Snow Depth layer), actual snowfall data (Snow Stations Daily layer), and Precipitation and Snow Forecasts to get a sense of how much snow may be on your hike or overlanding trip. You鈥檒l also learn how to use these maps in conjunction with the best community resources to make informed decisions about where to go and what to bring.

All of the maps in this article are available with a .

Get a Bird鈥檚-Eye View with FreshSat鈥揜ecent & Cloud Free

If you鈥檙e wondering whether you need crampons and an ice ax to climb your next fourteener, start by examining the FreshSat layers. These maps provide a near-in-time aerial view of conditions on the ground.

By nature of their source, these images are lower resolution than our other satellite maps. But they provide the most updated views of the terrain and conditions, which proves helpful if you want to see where snow lingers on remote mountain and forested areas. For a more crystal-clear areal view, check out the high-resolution .

FreshSat鈥揜ecent and FreshSat鈥揅loud Free both give you a snapshot of relatively up-to-date ground conditions. FreshSat鈥揅loud Free shows a mostly unobstructed view of the earth鈥檚 surface. FreshSat鈥揜ecent provides an even more up-to-date picture of ground conditions, but clouds may obstruct some of the view.

Both maps are updated at least every 14 days using data from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 government satellites. Date stamps on both FreshSat maps make it easy to identify how recently a location has been updated. Simply look at the corner of a map tile to see the date when that image was taken.

Layer these maps with your favorite base map, such as Gaia Topo, to examine the route for your trip. Start by scoping out 贵谤别蝉丑厂补迟鈥搁别肠别苍迟. If the area is obstructed by clouds, head over to FreshSat鈥擟loud Free. Zoom into the high points of your route, north-facing slopes, and forested areas to look for signs of snow.

Get and .

Check Estimated Snow Depth Totals with the Snow Depth Layer

Inspired by a thru-hiker looking to track snow depths along the Pacific Crest Trail with Gaia GPS, the Snow Depth overlay gives you an estimate of snow levels covering your next route. Outdoor adventurers can examine how many centimeters of snow most likely exist in specific areas by referencing color-coded indicators of coverage.

In fact, thru-hiker Joe 鈥淪tringbean鈥� McConaughy used this map religiously on his recent Stringbean referenced this layer to get a sense of when he might encounter snow on the high-elevation sections of the trail. To do this for your next trip, just place this overlay on top of your base map. Tweak the opacity to get a picture of how much snow may be on the trail.

When referencing snow depths, remember that estimates are not based on actual observations, but . However, snow depth totals are updated every 24 hours by both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Gaia GPS. Data for snow depth values come from the Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS).

If you鈥檙e looking to find snow totals for a storm in the western United States or Canada, reference the Snow Stations (Daily) map (see below). You can also get actual snow data by checking your local climate center or weather source. SNODAS recommends the , , and .

Get the overlay.

See If It Snowed Overnight with Snow Stations (Daily)

Snow chains on or off? If you鈥檙e heading out on an overlanding or backpacking trip through the mountain West, pair the Snow Depth overlay (above) with real-time snow data found in the Snow Stations (Daily) layer to get an even more accurate sense of conditions.

The Snow Stations map taps into hundreds of remote SNOTEL and Canadian weather sensors to show just how much snow fell鈥攐r melted鈥攐ver the past 24 hours in mountain zones around the West. The map also provides water density readings to give you a sense of how heavy and wet this new snow may be. Readings are updated once every hour.

To use this layer, look for color-coded snowflake icons on the map. Each snowflake represents a remote weather station, and the color of the snowflake indicates how much snow has fallen or melted in the past 24-hour reporting period. Click the icon for more info.

Get the .

Check for Incoming Storms with Precipitation and Snow Forecasts

Don鈥檛 underestimate what weather may be coming your way. Check the forecast so you鈥檙e prepared and so you know when to reroute or stay home. Get a quick weather reading right in Gaia GPS with Precipitation and Snow Forecast overlays.

Three Precipitation Forecast overlays give you the 24-, 48-, and 72-hour forecasts. Each taps directly into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting data. The (WPC) researches and releases short-term forecasts twice a day, based on predictive models and satellite imagery. Its reports can forecast heavy rain, snow, and flash flooding up to seven days in advance.

Find out if that rain will turn to snow by looking at the Snow Forecast layers. Gaining a sense of whether you simply need a raincoat or would benefit from warmer layers and heftier footwear could make or break the safety and comfort of your trip. Like the Precipitation Forecast, the Snow Forecast comes in 24-, 48-, and 72-hour options.

Choose the best day to head out on the trail by referencing the right weather overlay. Heading out for a weekend backpacking trip? Check out the 72- or 48-hour forecasts to get a view of overall precipitation. Use the 24-hour forecast to get a quick and accurate prediction for the weather today and tomorrow. You must be connected to the internet to view the Precipitation and Snow Forecast maps.

Get the , , and precipitation forecasts. And get the , , and snow forecasts.

Watch: Discover If the Trails Are Melted Out

Talk to People

Maps provide invaluable tools鈥攂ut they don鈥檛 replace firsthand beta. Talk to people who have recently visited the area to get the most up-to-date trip reports possible. In addition to your friends and local community, check out Facebook groups, subreddits for the area, local trail organizations and park websites, and . And, of course, there鈥檚 the good old-fashioned telephone鈥攜ou can use it to call the ranger鈥檚 station to get the latest trail conditions report.

For example, mountain athlete Kyle Richardson has summited Longs Peak (狈别苍铆颈蝉贸迟辞测贸煤鈥檜) in Rocky Mountain National Park 52 times, during all seasons. He even last summer. Despite his intimate familiarity with the fourteener, he never presumes to know what the mountain may have in store that day. When deciding whether to attempt Longs (and what gear to bring), Richardson checks the , , and for recent trip reports.

Look at the photos other visitors have posted. In addition to forums, you can find recent photos by checking relevant hashtags on Instagram and Twitter. Don鈥檛 be afraid to ask questions. And once you鈥檝e gone on your trip, do the community a favor and drop a line on the conditions you encountered.

A Note on Safety

You can use these resources and maps as a planning tool to help you pack, plan your route, and be ready for the weather and trail conditions ahead. Know the terrain and alternate routes ahead of time. Plan for inclement weather, even if none appears in the forecast. Gaia GPS provides map layers to help prepare, but making wise decisions remains with you.

The post How to Check for Snow on the Trail appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

From Aspen to Zermatt, get conditions for ski resorts around the globe in Gaia GPS. Ski areas with fresh snow light up on our brand-new Ski Resort Reports map. See snow totals and weather readings. Find out how many trails are open. Even read the resort鈥檚 daily report, all right within the app and on .

See the Latest and Most Accurate Ski Resort Conditions

The Ski Resort Reports map layer sources its information from听, a leading database for ski resort reports and conditions worldwide. OnTheSnow taps information directly from the ski resorts, ensuring you get the latest and most accurate information available.

View Snow Depth and Terrain Status

Ski resorts from around the world can be found in this map overlay. Simply click on a blue skier icon to see the entire ski resort report. You鈥檒l find the ski area鈥檚 name and whether it鈥檚 open. Discover if it鈥檚 a powder day with new snow readings from the previous 24 and 72 hours.

Wondering if you need your rock skis? See the snow depth for the base, mid-mountain, and the summit. You鈥檒l also see snow depth totals. Plus, get a sense of how big the resort is and how much terrain is open. See the total number of runs and how many of them are currently good to go.

Track Resort Weather, Including Wind Speed

Dress appropriately thanks to temperature readings at the base and the summit, and see that all too critical factor in determining your comfort: wind speed. If you鈥檙e not into downhill skiing, no problem. Find out if the resort offers nordic skiing right in this map. You鈥檒l also see how many kilometers of trails are groomed for both classic and skate skiing.

Maybe the weather looks iffy and you just want to double-check that the resort is open. Or perhaps you鈥檙e hemming and hawing over which resort to visit this weekend. Either way, just glance at the Ski Resort Reports map to get the info you need.

Find the Freshies with the Ski Resort Reports Map

No matter where in the world you鈥檙e trying to ski, find the closest resorts and the freshest snow with Ski Resort Reports. See ski areas at even the most zoomed-out levels on the map to quickly access conditions. Most importantly, find the best snow in one glance: ski areas that have received snow in the past 24 hours glow neon blue on the map.

How to Use the Ski Resort Reports Map

Ski Resort Reports is a map overlay. This means it is designed to work in conjunction with one of our base maps. We recommend pairing Ski Resort Reports with or Gaia Topo. Both of these base maps were designed in-house specifically for your adventures. Gaia Winter shows all the ski resort maps in the United States and Canada. Add this map to your arsenal and never get lost on the mountain again.

To use Ski Resort Reports, start by adding Gaia Winter or Gaia Topo as your base map. Add the Ski Resorts Map on top. Now you can see where ski resorts exist all over the world, as signified by the light-blue skier icon. Zoom in or click on a skier icon to see the name of the resort.

Tips for Getting Condition Updates in a Snap

To see the snow conditions and daily resort report, click on the skier icon. The info will appear in the sidebar if you鈥檙e on . There鈥檚 one extra step in the app. First, click on the skier icon in the app. The Ski Resort Reports tile will appear as an option in the tap drawer. If you don鈥檛 see it, keep scrolling down through the options in the tap drawer. Next, click on the Ski Resort Reports tile to see the snow conditions and resort report.

Pro tip:听听to make the ski resorts pop out from the map even more.

Still need more info? You鈥檒l find links to the resort鈥檚 website, as well as the original report from OnTheSnow.

Ski Resort Reports Are Available with a Premium Membership

The Ski Resort Reports map is available in the Gaia GPS app and on听 with a Gaia GPS Premium membership. To access this map, visit the layers menu and search for 鈥淪ki Resort Reports.鈥� Or, from the layers menu, select 鈥淔eature/Weather Overlays.鈥� Scroll down and tap 鈥淪ki Resort Reports.鈥� Tap the 鈥淎dd Layer鈥� button. Learn how to add and manage overlays听.

A Premium Membership also gives you access to Gaia GPS鈥檚 entire map catalog, including Gaia Winter and a suite of avalanche safety maps, such as Slope Angle, Avalanche Forecast, hi-res satellite imagery, recent satellite imagery, Snow Stations (Daily), Snow Depth, and snow forecast maps. Plus, with Premium you can for use without cell service and 听so you always have a backup.

The post Get Snow Reports from Ski Areas Worldwide with Gaia GPS appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In 2015, Victor Temprano protested a pipeline project in British Columbia. Standing alongside Indigenous peoples who steward that land, Temprano asked himself whose lands the project would impact. He started mapping the pipeline paths, oil spills, and protests across Canada.

Temprano鈥檚 quest to close the loop on that question opened the floodgates. His work of mapping Indigenous relations to land expanded, leading him to create in 2018. While Temprano is a settler from Okanagan territory with no previous experience in mapmaking, Native Land Digital has blossomed into an Indigenous-led not-for-profit organization with a digital map depicting Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages, all presented on a global scale. In fact, its map now serves as the de facto resource for understanding Indigenous relationships to land.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an educational tool for people to know that there鈥檚 a history in a place that is thousands and thousands of years older than European history,鈥� says Christine McRae, Native Land Digital鈥檚 executive director who belongs to the Crane clan of the Madawaska River Algonquin people.

The interactive map contains a trove of crowdsourced information about Indigenous peoples all over the world, including Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties across every continent. Native Land Digital receives over 700,000 visits on holidays like Thanksgiving, National Indigenous Peoples鈥� Day, and Canada Day, and it inspires complicated, needed discussions.

By prioritizing Indigenous knowledge and connections to land on its digital map, Native Land Digital invites us to ask: What does it mean to attach a name to a landscape? While that answer remains relatively straightforward from a Western-colonizer perspective, that鈥檚 not the case from an Indigenous one, as Temprano has learned.

Starting from Scratch

When you open the Native Land map on Native Land Digital鈥檚听, , it鈥檚 immediately obvious that it looks very little like ubiquitous Western maps. The same landmasses appear, yet they鈥檙e covered in overlapping shapes rather than rigid country and state lines.

You can choose from three maps: Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties. While you can turn Western boundary markers on, that鈥檚 not the default setting. Instead of a jigsaw puzzle, you see a watercolor painting.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 include those [Western] boundaries on the map on purpose, so that we can understand that the colonial way of understanding the world is not the only way,鈥� McRae says. 鈥淭here is a much older understanding of land, territories, waterways, and so on.鈥�

Maps are such ingrained fixtures of Western culture that it鈥檚 easy to think of them as immutable objects of truth. But in truth, maps come closer to paintings than photographs. Field measurements contain errors in accuracy and precision. And no map can depict all physical, biological, and cultural features for even the smallest area.

Beyond inaccuracies, maps represent one viewpoint鈥攖hat of the mapmaker or their patron. A map can display merely a few selected features, usually portrayed in highly symbolic styles and according to some kind of classification scheme. All maps are estimations, generalizations, and interpretations of true geographic conditions. What a cartographer chooses to include or leave out, even boundary lines themselves, reflect deeply rooted norms and a subjective valuation of both what is important and what is reality.

Maps show power, and they confer power. They reflect the way those in power understand the world around them. This truth becomes evident when we consider a map of the United States, with its familiar rectilinear boundaries to the north and south and patchwork of state borders spanning the landmass. This map represents one viewpoint: that of the colonizer. And its current depictions suppress the viewpoints and realities of the thousands of tribes who first inhabited this continent and continue to call this land home.

The Native Land map subverts the colonist map, taking those same geographic images of landmasses with which we are so familiar and painting them with entirely different colors鈥攓uite literally.

鈥淲e understand that we can鈥檛 own land,鈥� McRae says of Indigenous peoples. 鈥淲e are in relation with the land. I鈥檓 not just seeing my yard as a yard, but rather the trees that are in this shared space are relations. The soil under my feet, the plants that grow here, they are also my relations.鈥�

Yet McRae acknowledges that she also lives in the Western world. 鈥淲e either have to rent or own if we are so privileged to do so,鈥� McRae says. 鈥淲e must balance these two juxtaposed understandings.鈥�

This contestation is manifested in the Native Land map. Western cartography blends with nebulous regions where tribes both lived and live, where languages were spoken and are spoken, and where Indigenous peoples and colonizers formed treaties. While most Western maps represent a certain point in time, Native Land maps represent many pre-colonized points in time. While Western maps provide strict boundaries of ownership, Native Land maps show fluid, overlapping regions for places tribes have called and currently call home.

How Native Land Digitally Created a Community-Based Map

As a settler born in traditional Katzie territory and raised in Okanagan lands, Temprano wanted to create an invitation to other settlers to learn about whose land they occupy and to start a deeper intellectual and emotional connection in the process. The purpose of the project has since evolved to providing an empowering place for Indigenous peoples to affirm and share their home territories, history.听

While Temprano continues to spearhead the technological work, Native Land Digital is Indigenous-led. Native people from around the world comprise the board of directors. An advisory board of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous cartographers also supports the project, along with volunteers who constantly refine the map as they gain more information.

Most work takes place on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Tsleil-waututh, and Squamish Nations. The Coast Salish people, to whom these nations belong, have lived along the northwest coast of North America for over 10,000 years. You can learn more about their history by finding them on the map.

Initially, Temprano relied heavily on colonial knowledge to fill in the map. But as the purpose of the project metamorphosed, the sources of information have, too. Now Native Land Digital leans heavily on knowledge gathered from Indigenous communities themselves, via both direct communication and archival sources.

Building community and being in community with Indigenous peoples are at the heart of making this map. McRae says it involves conversations with Native communities, guided by elders, who help to work through each individual situation.

鈥淭his map is a platform for Indigenous people to tell stories,鈥� McRae says. 鈥淚t goes back to being community based. If a community has a story it wants to share that will help us represent them on their own terms in the map, we鈥檙e happy to follow the lead of the community.鈥�

Filling in each inch of the map requires gaining local knowledge from each place, in addition to contending with a stream of other considerations, such as Indigenous data sovereignty.

鈥淪ome knowledge is sacred鈥攊t doesn鈥檛 go out into the general world,鈥� McRae says. 鈥淭here are stories that remain within the community only. It all depends on community, and permissions to share, and so on. We just provide the platform for those who want to share their stories with the world.鈥�

Native Land Digital deals with each situation uniquely and with as much care and empathy as required.

鈥淭he deeper history and understandings of Turtle Island (the native term for North America)听and other parts of the world differ greatly, depending on which region of the world you鈥檙e from,鈥� McRae explains. 鈥淎nd so we look to regional expertise and we promote that knowledge rather than our own projected understandings of what that colonial history or that Indigenous history might be in other places, particularly those places where we鈥檙e not from.鈥�

Why These Maps Remain Eternally Incomplete

Just as one map cannot represent one point in history, Native Land Digital鈥檚 maps are constantly refined over time. The site doesn鈥檛 currently offer a print version of a map, to ensure maps can continue to be updated as needed.

In fact, evolution is one of the tenets this project, as reflected in the disclaimer that pops up when you open the map:

鈥淭his map does not represent or intend to represent official or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations. To learn about definitive boundaries, contact the nations in question. Also, this map is not perfect鈥攊t is a work in progress with tons of contributions from the community. Please send us fixes if you find errors.鈥�

Embracing imperfection drives this form of storytelling. Gathering information for the map is a volunteer-led, crowdsourced process. It鈥檚 not bound by rigorous academic requirements. Think of it as an Indigenous Wikipedia of sorts, whereby information is communicated visually through the map. This allows Native Land Digital to be updated efficiently, yet McRae says that the site is extremely hesitant to ever declare a map to be entirely accurate.

Its principle map remains eternally incomplete. Currently, Native Land Digital does not contain information for some areas of the world. This is not because Indigenous peoples, territories, languages, and treaties do not exist on these lands. Rather, there is still work to be done. The 鈥渨ork in progress鈥� moniker also signifies that Native Land Digital will update information as needed. It sometimes uses colonial naming practices. The board makes hard decisions regarding who belongs on the map and where, which inherently involves rejecting inaccurate or insufficient sources. Ultimately, this is a human process and mistakes get made, which have real-life consequences of hurting others.

The question of who gets to say who belongs on the map remains an open question.

鈥淲e make a very conscious effort to not dictate someone鈥檚 existence,鈥� McRae says. 鈥淢aps have been used as a colonial tool to erase people off of land. We want to do the exact opposite. That ties back into why this project is community based. If anything鈥檚 missing, or if anything needs to be changed, we listen to a community and what their needs are so that they can represent themselves on the map.鈥�

Reciprocity is important to Native Land Digital. Collecting information for mapping is reliant on community, and as an open-source platform, anyone can use the map鈥檚 information as long as they do so responsibly and ethically. In fact, McRae hopes that in the future her nonprofit can support Indigenous communities in their own mapping projects.

Moving Beyond Land Acknowledgements

The Native Land maps invite Indigenous peoples to share their stories and settlers to learn them. For adventurers, looking up and acknowledging whose land you鈥檙e on can be a logical first step to pay respect and discover more about a new place. McRae emphasizes that this is only the first of a lifelong journey to gain a deeper understanding and connection to the land. The next step, she says, is for map users to build a relationship with the nations on whose land they stand.

鈥淥ur hope is that the map is a starting point for conversation and to build relationships,鈥� McRae says.

This intention is embedded into the map itself. Examine the three maps to see how they relate to each other and how they seemingly don鈥檛. Focus on a particular area to get a clearer view of the tribes represented there. By clicking on a place, you can find links to the Indigenous nations who call that land home. From there you can learn a little of the local language, dive into history, and nurture the seeds of consciousness that the map plants in your mind.

In addition to learning about Indigenous peoples and their land, the Native Land map invites users to learn from the land itself. The Native Land Digital asks users to consider the land as pedagogy, a form of learning:

鈥淟ooking at the land from an Indigenous perspective means understanding that the land is a living being. This understanding both gives us insight into and increases our awareness of how we treat and interact with the land. Indigenous people hold the land up as both a living being and as a teacher. 鈥楲iving lightly鈥� on the land has always been emphasized as a means of minimizing environmental impact and ensuring a continued quality of life for future generations to come,鈥� the guide puts forth.

For McRae, viewing the land as a relation is a kind of North Star as we adventure through places both new and familiar. She asks, 鈥淗ow must you behave to be in good relation to the land and also to the people whose land that you are on?鈥�

This article was written and edited on the lands of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples.

The post Who Decides What Goes on a Map? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

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Find the best waterways in the country with the new Wild and Scenic Rivers map. Used atop your favorite base map in , you can view all of the waterways in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system and enjoy听some of the best fishing, boating, hiking, and scenery anywhere in the U.S.

Did you know that dams block about 600,000 miles of American rivers? Use this map to locate free-flowing sections to plan your next kayaking, pack-rafting, or fishing trip.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Layer

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers system, created by Congress in 1968, now protects 208 waterways鈥攁nd this map shows all of them. Scientists who requested this map. And you, too, can use this layer to:

• See whether your favorite river is protected.
• Scout out some of the most breathtaking places to explore on your next trip, such as the Allagash River in Maine.
• Find free-flowing sections of river to float on or fish.
• Discover the sites of the country鈥檚 most prolific salmon runs, including California鈥檚 Klamath River.

Once you add this layer, you鈥檒l see each river鈥攐r section of river鈥攖hat鈥檚 been officially designated as Wild and Scenic. Tap on the river icon to learn more about that waterway, including its name, classification, and the state in which it is located. The layer also provides information on the river鈥檚 water quality for drinking, swimming, and fishing.

What Is a Wild and Scenic River?

Rivers remain critical resources not only for recreation but also for clean drinking water, biodiversity, and even flood protection. Just over 50 years ago, Congress recognized that the vitality of American rivers was at stake and created the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system to preserve those that are free-flowing and lauded for their听.

Wild and Scenic Rivers have one or more special features. These may include:

• pristine water
• beauty and scenery
• river recreation
• flora and fauna fecundity
• importance to the country鈥檚 history and culture

Of the 2.9 million miles of rivers in the U.S., only 12,709 of those miles carry the Wild and Scenic designation鈥攋ust 1 percent of the rivers wending their way throughout the country. Some of these, like听Idaho鈥檚 Salmon and Selway Rivers, are remote and ideal for a multiday float trip, while others, like New York鈥檚 Upper Delaware, are developed with roads and bridges and close to major population centers, making them easily accessible for a day trip to escape the city and enjoy the soothing tranquility of the rushing water.

Often only sections of a river are designated as Wild and Scenic, as other parts of that river may have dams or other development. Such is the case with the White Salmon River in Washington State. Its Condit Dam was intentionally breached in 2011, allowing the river to flow unimpeded for the first time in nearly a century. Now 27.7 miles of the White Salmon are home to exhilarating Class III鈥揑V rapids.

How to Get the Wild and Scenic Rivers Map

Access the Wild and Scenic Rivers map with a premium membership to Gaia GPS. To add this map, click the Layers icon, select Add Map Layer, tap Nautical/Aviation Overlays, scroll down, and then add the Wild and Scenic Rivers layer.

Layer the Wild and Scenic Rivers map on top of , or use it with your favorite base map. Boaters and fishers may also want to use the Wild and Scenic Rivers map in conjunction with the , which offers information on current streamflow in cubic feet per second and status rankings against historical daily means. For tips on adding the Wild and Scenic Rivers layer, or any other layer on Gaia GPS, visit this .

The post Here鈥檚 How to Find Beautiful Boating Destinations Using Gaia GPS appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.