Going the Distance

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Going the Distance

On your mark... For decades, elite runners have pretty much all followed the same career path: chase faster times, run major courses, repeat. Now, some of the biggest women’s names in the sport have gone off-road. After years inside the marathon machine, Olympic medalist Molly Seidel explained how trail running helped her fall back in love with competition. At her first ultra, Seidel beat the entire field (men and women) and obliterated the 50K women’s course record. And long-distance mainstay Des Linden, who won Boston in 2018, says her 2026 vision board is full of major trail and ultrarunning races. This month alone, Rachel Entrekin smashed the men’s 250-mile course record, fueled by our favorite comfort food and only 19 minutes of sleep. Legend.

Our take: Ultrarunning offers more than a change of scenery for road racers, and women are crushing it. The sport suddenly occupies a very different place in run culture, complete with elite athletes, sponsor money, cult-favorite gear, and its own cool-kid identity. While road races ask runners to optimize every second, trail runs require them to explore, respond, and endure. “I love competing, adapting, and figuring it out when things get messy,” Seidel told Runner’s World. And even if most pro trail and ultrarunners operate in a much smaller financial ecosystem, as the sport grows in visibility, it may start to feel less like a retirement plan and more like an entirely new lane for elite competition. 

Related: How a Top Female Ultra-Runner Trains, Fuels & Recovers for 100-Mile Races (mindbodygreen)

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