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 Running Blog: Recent Posts
George
/ January 24, 2023
Ultra Running Matters If you like the deep concepts and thoughts of my ultra running blog posts, you might like...
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George
/ January 19, 2023
Discomfort Grants Wishes If you like the deep concepts and thoughts of my ultra running blog posts, you might like...
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George
/ November 3, 2022
Dukkha: Sorrow, Suffering Written by Julie Tertin. Julie is an ultra marathon runner who has raced (and won) ultra marathon...
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George
/ July 20, 2022
I write this on day 2 of a 3 day juice fast. Just raw, cold-pressed juice for 3 days. It’s...
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George
/ May 7, 2022
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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George
/ April 25, 2022
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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George
/ March 14, 2022
Color isn't accidental. There's a Wicked Trail original quote I've shared a few times on Instagram. It goes like this:...
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George
/ September 18, 2020
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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George
/ April 27, 2020
The blue sky turned grey, the concrete turned to ice, and our wandering eyes, exploring the Virginia mountainsides, turned to...
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George
/ April 21, 2020
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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George
/ February 14, 2020
Mornings are hard. Cold weather is hard. Late nights are hard. Saying no to fun is hard. Nobody asked you...
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George
/ January 20, 2020
Most people, even many hardened by the pursuit of the experience and sensation that is ultra marathon running, lack fulfillment....
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George
/ December 19, 2019
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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George
/ December 10, 2019
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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George
/ December 3, 2019
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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George
/ November 24, 2019
Fear is a jester. He dances around the hall of greatness and mocks passersby, planting doubts and insecurities in the...
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George
/ September 22, 2019
“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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George
/ August 27, 2019
Written By Michael Moran I chose to do this. Nobody forced me to run 50 miles. Pouring sweat into a...
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George
/ August 19, 2019
100 Miles to Redemption | Trailer from Pipeline Films on Vimeo. Woke The Monster “He’s a lazy, lying, lost, hopeless...
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George
/ August 12, 2019
Rugged shoes stand before a yellow gate; it reads: Those who know the song. “What song?” I wonder. I step...
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George
/ August 6, 2019
Casting Call The Victim strolls through life, uninhibited by his own tragic state, unaware of the folly of his existence....
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George
/ July 31, 2019
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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George
/ June 4, 2019
Written By Michael MoranCape Cod 50K: A High Five and a Seashell By the time I reached mile 28 of...
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George
/ May 21, 2019
Written By Erik Hamilton Back in my day --because all good stories begin this way-- I was a child of...
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George
/ May 17, 2019
Mile 92 When I reached mile 92 of my first 100 mile race, the Burning River 100, I was told...
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George
/ May 16, 2019
I smell the trees and taste the sun. Have you ever tasted the sun? The hairs on my arms stand...
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George
/ April 25, 2019
Written By Scott Waldrop Scott has completed numerous ultra marathon distance races (including a Badwater 135 finish and an Arrowhead...
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George
/ April 13, 2019
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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George
/ April 10, 2019
My Three Tips and Tricks for ultra marathoners The top three Tips and Tricks I used in the beginning of...
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George
/ April 10, 2019
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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George
/ March 29, 2019
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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George
/ March 26, 2019
When you toe the line for your first ultra marathon, or any race after, there will be someone running with...
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George
/ March 23, 2019
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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George
/ March 17, 2019
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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George
/ March 4, 2019
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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George
/ February 16, 2019
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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George
/ January 28, 2019
Most people running their first, or second, or third ultra marathon carry expectations into the race. They had training expectations;...
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George
/ January 27, 2019
My third ultra marathon, in my home state of North Carolina, has nearly arrived. The Light 2 Light 50 Miler...
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George
/ January 26, 2019
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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George
/ January 9, 2019
"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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George
/ January 2, 2019
MediocrityI was perusing some online ultra marathon running groups last weekend and came across a post about DNFs in ultra...
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George
/ December 24, 2018
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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George
/ December 12, 2018
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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George
/ November 23, 2018
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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George
/ November 20, 2018
The pain cave is a place in your mind, but it's also where people watching you in the ultra marathon...
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George
/ November 16, 2018
"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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George
/ November 15, 2018
I ran my first marathon in Brooks Glycerin 15s. I ran my first ultra marathon in Brooks Glycerin 15s. I...
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George
/ November 12, 2018
Ultra Marathon Patience, or lack thereof... You seek excellence and pursue challenge; your goals and passions breathe life into your...
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George
/ November 8, 2018
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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George
/ November 6, 2018
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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George
/ October 29, 2018
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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George
/ October 18, 2018
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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George
/ October 3, 2018
"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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George
/ September 27, 2018
"Ultra Marathons Must be Bad for You..." I remember the first time someone asked if I ever wanted to run...
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George
/ September 19, 2018
5 Ultra Marathon Workouts to challenge your mind. Are you ready?The following 5 ultra marathon workouts are not for the...
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George
/ September 3, 2018
I can do this, I thought. Four months is plenty of time to train adequately for my first 100 mile...
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George
/ August 27, 2018
Opinion and Visual The mantra of the ultra marathon runner: Go Farther So You Can Go Further. This idea holds...
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George
/ August 20, 2018
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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George
/ August 12, 2018
The Mind of an Ultra Runner Ultra marathons, these mythical beasts of endurance, are spoken of in hushed tones between...
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George
/ August 6, 2018
"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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George
/ August 2, 2018
Burning River 100 Race Report: My Wicked Trail This 2018 Burning River 100 Race Report may not look like some...
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George
/ July 19, 2018
I’m tapering for my first 100-mile ultra marathon. It's a practice to show up for a big race rested, refreshed,...
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George
/ July 13, 2018
Running your First 100 Mile Race will come with a lot of questions... “What’s your weekly mileage?” “Are you ready?...
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George
/ May 28, 2018
To an outsider, the ultra marathon community appears to lean on motivation. To the outside world, motivation drives an ultra...
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George
/ April 16, 2018
The man looks around at his life. Not much to worry about. Not a lot of sweat. No real adversity....
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George
/ April 9, 2018
The Common ManBe realistic. Think of the consequences. Proceed with caution. Be like us. The common man wants you to...
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George
/ February 21, 2018
When a person embraces mediocrity and settles into a complacent existence, he or she admits an unpreparedness for life and...
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