The Wicked Trail is a place in your mind…
I’ve read too many boring ultra running blogs. The ultra marathon is a crucible that demands reverence and contemplation. These events are where I go to unlock something new of myself, to learn something. I explore my mind and body and I return to society a more thoughtful person.
Sometimes the thoughts are good, sometimes they’re stormy.
I want to give you a glimpse inside those sometimes good, sometimes stormy thoughts.
With this ultra running blog, I want to take you with me into the heart of my ultra marathon journey: the blood, sweat, tears, and laughs that make up this strange adventure sport.
You won’t read much about race stats or course details, and I may not stuff my race photos throughout these posts (okay, maybe a few), but I hope my ideas and musings are enough to make you think. Perhaps they’re enough to make you act. Putting these words down in the following posts has changed my life, and I look forward to impacting yours.
Welcome to the Wicked Trail.
PS. If you like our ultra running blog, check out our favorite books for ultra marathon runners and shop our inspirational prints.
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Ultra Marathon Blog
Unsympathetic Discomfort
I think I'm pretty tough. You probably think you're pretty tough. I train intentionally, eat for performance, and structure my...
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51 Ultra Running Quotes Every Runner Must Read
These are our favorite ultra running quotes. Authors, explorers, and--of course--ultra runners themselves have offered their wisdom and perspective to...
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Stranded on a Desert Island
It's a silly, simple question. No, it's more than that. It's a question that has tugged at my mind, manipulated...
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White Knuckles
The blue sky turned grey, the concrete turned to ice, and our wandering eyes, exploring the Virginia mountainsides, turned to...
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The Timing of Chaos
Humans instinctually amass resources. It’s hammered into our ancient DNA to acquire and protect. It’s hunger and thirst, wealth and...
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Torture Your Faults
Mornings are hard. Cold weather is hard. Late nights are hard. Saying no to fun is hard. Nobody asked you...
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Ask Yourself One Question
Most people, even many hardened by the pursuit of the experience and sensation that is ultra marathon running, lack fulfillment....
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Don’t Uber Through Life: An Ultrarunner’s Reflection
At mile 70, I said I'm done. I didn't want to go on. The race hadn't gone the way I...
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Instinct For Meaning: My Journey to 100 Miles
Meaning is heavy. You’ve felt it. Haven’t you? It’s the highest good of your existence, that place where your passions...
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3 Lessons of a 100 Mile DNF
I was 8 minutes shy of the 30-hour cut off. It was not how I imagined finishing my first 100...
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Afraid to Run That Ultra Marathon?
Fear is a jester. He dances around the hall of greatness and mocks passersby, planting doubts and insecurities in the...
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My Dirty Hat
“I thought about buying a new hat, a fresh and clean one, but it wouldn’t be the same. It’s my...
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So Long, And Thanks For The Suffering
Written By Michael Moran I chose to do this. Nobody forced me to run 50 miles. Pouring sweat into a...
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Shawn Livingston: Be Somebody’s Pacer
Woke The Monster “He’s a lazy, lying, lost, hopeless drug addict,” Shawn Livingston says, reflecting on the colors with...
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Victims Die Slow
Casting Call The Victim strolls through life, uninhibited by his own tragic state, unaware of the folly of his existence....
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Bleed For It
It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and watch it all go by. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. People...
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Cape Cod 50K: A High Five and a Seashell
Written By Michael MoranCape Cod 50K: A High Five and a Seashell By the time I reached mile 28 of...
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Synthetic Trance
Written By Erik Hamilton Back in my day --because all good stories begin this way-- I was a child of...
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Ultra Runner Candice Burt: Read the Fine Print
Mile 92 When I reached mile 92 of my first 100 mile race, the Burning River 100, I was told...
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Creation Trail
I smell the trees and taste the sun. Have you ever tasted the sun? The hairs on my arms stand...
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Barbed Wire
Written By Scott Waldrop Scott has completed numerous ultra marathon distance races (including a Badwater 135 finish and an Arrowhead...
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Grounded By Home Trails
Written By Michael MoranI’m not lost. I’m grinding to the top of a pine-lined logging road, only 2 miles from...
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![My Top 3 Ultra Marathon Tips [Mental Hacks]](https://i0.wp.com/wickedtrailrunning.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ultra-Marathon-Tips-and-Tricks-Hack-Your-Mind.png?fit=795%2C500&ssl=1)
My Top 3 Ultra Marathon Tips [Mental Hacks]
My Three Tips and Tricks for ultra marathoners The top three Tips and Tricks I used in the beginning of...
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My First DNF: Umstead 100
Umstead 100, My First DNF: Excuses I'm not one for dramatizing a DNF, let alone my first DNF, so I'll...
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Let’s Cut Back On Tolerance
There are moments in a person’s life when he or she says, “Why am I tolerating this?” He knows he...
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You DNF Months Before Your Race
When you toe the line for your first ultra marathon, or any race after, there will be someone running with...
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Run 100 Miles With No Pain
If a person hasn't experienced physical pain in union with mental and emotional pain, an ultra marathon could be a...
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Bel Monte 50 Mile Race Report
We didn't expect snow, and we didn't expect my sister's SUV to be anything less than AWD, but (just like...
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5 Things Your First Ultra Will Teach You
You've signed up. You've decided the Wicked Trail is meant for you; you want to experience your first ultra marathon...
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Light 2 Light 50 Race Report
Ultra marathon running isn't about winning, unless it is. Ultra marathon running is subjective; a person's journey through the darkness,...
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Training and Expectations
Most people running their first, or second, or third ultra marathon carry expectations into the race. They had training expectations;...
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Light 2 Light 50: One Week Out
My third ultra marathon, in my home state of North Carolina, has nearly arrived. The Light 2 Light 50 Miler...
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3 Reasons To Practice Fasted Running
Fasted Running: Welcome to the Wicked Trail For thirteen miles, I felt invincible. During the final three miles, I wasn't...
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The Best Ultra Marathons Aren’t What You Think
"What's the best ultra marathon?" Is it the most remote or adventurous like Marathon des Sables, the most challenging like Badwater...
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![Ultra Marathon DNF: Yes, You Failed [But It’s Ok]](https://i0.wp.com/wickedtrailrunning.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ultra-Marathon-DNF.png?fit=795%2C500&ssl=1)
Ultra Marathon DNF: Yes, You Failed [But It’s Ok]
MediocrityI was perusing some online ultra marathon running groups last weekend and came across a post about DNFs in ultra...
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Blame Yourself Blindly: Ultra Runner’s Mentality
There are people in this life that are walled in. They're stuck in the parking lot, but they don't realize...
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5 Ways to Be Your Own Culture
A Quick "Be Your Own Culture" Testimony"I decided to truly embrace this mantra, this mantra of the Wicked Trail, after...
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One Breath Of Air
People fear what is inside them. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. You probably fear what is inside you....
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The Pain Cave: You’re On Stage
The pain cave is a place in your mind, but it's also where people watching you in the ultra marathon draw their greatest strength.
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How Ultra Marathon Runners Find Time to Train
"I'd love to sign up for an ultra marathon! I just can't find the time to train or be away...
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Zero-Drop Shoe Transition
I ran my first marathon in Brooks Glycerin 15s. I ran my first ultra marathon in Brooks Glycerin 15s. I...
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Patience: Why Ultra Marathon Runners Need It
Ultra Marathon Patience, or lack thereof... You seek excellence and pursue challenge; your goals and passions breathe life into your...
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Become An Ultra Runner: The First Step
Imitiation I have a quick story to share that will frame the main point I'll make about becoming an ultra...
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Why Run An Ultra Marathon? The Taller Peak…
I know what it's like to fall asleep while running. I've rested my hands on my knees as I trudged...
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How to Run 100 Miles: Action
How to Run 100 Miles.Hint: It's Easier Than You Think "People don't do that," I thought. "Nobody can run 100...
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Dismantle Your Wall
The Wall. You've Hit It. Fatigue is the ultimate mental battleground. Your body is pulling one way and your tapering...
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“UltraRunners Are Crazy.” Or Maybe You Are…
"UltraRunners are crazy." He peers through the trees. "I don't see them." "They're out there, I saw them!" "Wait. Yes!...
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Are Ultra Marathons Bad For You?
"Ultra Marathons Must be Bad for You..." I remember the first time someone asked if I ever wanted to run...
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5 Ultra Marathon Workouts You’re Not Doing
5 Ultra Marathon Workouts to challenge your mindThe following 5 ultra marathon workouts are not for the faint of heart....
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How NOT To Train: My First 100 Mile Run
I can do this, I thought. Four months is plenty of time to train adequately for my first 100 mile...
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Go Farther So You Can Go Further
Opinion and Visual The mantra of the ultra marathon runner: Go Farther So You Can Go Further. This idea holds...
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You’ll Regret Not Running An Ultra Marathon
Regret is a festering negativity, a self-blame for mistakes that have come and gone. Leave regret behind: run the ultra...
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The Mind of an Ultra Runner
The Mind of an Ultra Runner Ultra marathons, these mythical beasts of endurance, are spoken of in hushed tones between...
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Ultra Marathon Training Groups Are Overrated
"I'm looking for an ultra marathon training group!" I can’t train alone; I don’t want to! I want someone there...
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Burning River 100 Race Report: My Wicked Trail
Burning River 100 Race Report: My Wicked Trail This 2018 Burning River 100 Race Report may not look like some...
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Tapering Before My First 100 Mile Ultra Marathon
I’m tapering for my first 100-mile ultra marathon. Not only in the traditional sense… Tapering for an endurance race is...
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Your First 100 Mile Race: Are You Ready?
Running your First 100 Mile Race always comes with a lot of questions... “What’s your weekly mileage?” “Are you ready?...
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Motivation Is Not Real: Run Without It
To an outsider, the ultra marathon community appears to lean on motivation. To the outside world, motivation drives an ultra...
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Comfort Is A Lie
The man looks around at his life. Not much to worry about. Not a lot of sweat. No real adversity....
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Cowards Are Realistic
The Common ManBe realistic. Think of the consequences. Proceed with caution. Be like us. The common man wants you to...
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Be Your Own Culture
When a person embraces mediocrity and settles into a complacent existence, he or she admits an unpreparedness for life and...
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