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7 hours, 20 minutes: a realistic goal for 50 miles based on training runs?

By Andrew Skurka / November 3, 2014 /
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Before every high school cross-country and track meet, my coach Frank Mooney gave each runner an index card with a goal time and suggested splits written on it. A goal time was meant to be challenging but within reach on a good day, and the suggested splits helped us stay on track through the start,…

How I’m training for a 50-mile ultra marathon trail race

By Andrew Skurka / October 22, 2014 /
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Six weeks from this Saturday, I’m racing The North Face Endurance Challenge GORE-TEX 50-Mile in California’s stunning Marin Headlands. I ran this same race in 2010, a few months after the Alaska-Yukon Expedition, and it will be my first ultra marathon since. With $30,000 in prize money for the top 3 male and female finishers, this…

Why the Leadville Trail 100 felt like Lollapalooza — is Lifetime Fitness a friend or foe?

By Andrew Skurka / August 27, 2013 /
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I had been seriously contemplating running the Leadville 100 next year –- I mean, I’d have one of the best coaches by way of my (new) husband—and heck, it’s practically in our backyard. I no longer plan to run the Leadville 100 next year. We had headed up to Leadville this year because I’d been…

Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim

By Andrew Skurka / March 25, 2009 /
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In February and March 2009 I hiked from Arches National Park to the Grand Canyon, which I traversed from east to west. The trip was 800 miles long and took about 4.5 weeks. I finished a day earlier than I anticipated, on Tuesday March 17th, and could think of few better things to do with…

Leadville 100 in photos

By Andrew Skurka / August 20, 2008 /
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Special thanks to Rob O’Dea Photography for letting me include a few of his images on this page. Pulling into Twin Lakes on the inbound leg (mile 60). It’s uncommon to see ultra-runners carrying trekking poles, which, frankly, bewilders me — trekking poles are invaluable during the climbs, especially steep ones: they allowed me to…

Race Report: Leadville 100 || 2nd place, 18:17

By Andrew Skurka / August 20, 2008 /
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Approaching the Twin Lakes aid station for the second time (at mile 60.5) I spotted my housemate, Kristen. “I feel like crap,” I told her. Pointing to my bloated stomach, which made it look as if I’d done more training for the race at the local bar than on the local trails, I explained, “Nothing…