ultrarunner looking down

How Long Does It Take To Train For An Ultra Marathon?

Most of us are limited by time, somehow shoehorning ultrarunning training into busy lives. Taking an hour at lunch or waking up an hour earlier is often the way people with lives, jobs, and a family fit in their training. It is easy, particularly if you are an aspiring ultrarunner, to conclude you don’t have …

cyclist watercolor

The Intoxicating Origins Of Motivation

By Mara Abbott Olympian, CTS Contributing Editor Want to get somewhere? Devote yourself to the process. Destinations are highly unreliable. As the PyeongChang Olympics end and the Paralympics come into full swing, many spectators wonder about the origins of the motivation that keeps these athletes working so hard for so long. This dedication is particularly striking for …

andy jones wilkins road

Is It Time For Age-Graded Time Cutoffs In Ultrarunning?

As the popularity of ultramarathoning has soared in recent years and hundreds of new athletes have flocked to the sport, the issue of cutoffs has become a more and more common topic of discussion.  Particularly with older runners, many of whom have come to the sport for camaraderie and community, the seemingly arbitrary and occasionally …

ud athleteheaderimage

Ultimate Direction and Carmichael Training Systems Form Exclusive Partnership

Ultimate Direction’s new Signature Series 4.0 trail running vests and Adventure Collection Fastpacks will be used exclusively by Carmichael Training Systems’ (CTS) coaches during the organization’s ultrarunning training camps and “Bucket List” events this year. CTS is one of the premier endurance sports coaching companies in the world and this partnership deepens the connection between both brands, as several UD-sponsored …

bannister mile

Farewell, Sir Roger Bannister

By Jason Koop CTS Coaching Director, author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” Not all speed records age well. Technology and science move forward and make some accomplishments seem pedestrian years later. The 4-minute mile is not as elusive as it once was, but for a period in the early 1950s its pursuit captured the sporting …