We're diving deep on the races, training tips, and gear you need to know to get outside off paved roads to run a whole new way. Click here for more stories about the trail explosion. I SIGNED UP for a desert trail race in Arizona last year, my first ever.
Right as my training cycle started, I moved from Salt Lake City to Brooklyn, trading easy access to Utah's parks and mountains for the paved city streets of New York. My new home was about as far from the cactus-lined single-track of the Javelina 31K I was preparing to run at as I could imagine. I'm not the kind of person with a wall full of medals from road races (I've never run one), but I do love the outdoors.
Spending time outside was a big part of my life throughout a decade of living in the American West, and I’ve been a casual trail runner for years, mostly because it lets me move through nature faster than hiking. Once I was on the East Coast, trading dirt for pavement was my only option. I trained however I could: over city bridges, through Brooklyn's Prospect Park, and even on a treadmill.
A few months after my first trail race, I leveled up to run another, a 55K in Moab—and I trained in the city for that, too. More people than ever are dipping their toes into trail races and ultramarathons. In 2024 alone, over 40,000 people completed an ultra for the first time, according to UltraRunning Magazine.
But while road marathons are (relatively) predictable—the consistent asphalt surface, unobstructed routes, and regular aid stations—trail races demand a different kind of training. You’ll need to prepare for long climbs, technical terrain, and hours on your feet. Some athletes get caught up in making sure their training environment is as close to race day as possible, so urban-dwelling trail runners might be worried that they could never properly prepare for their long, off-road runs close to home.
Here’s how to get ready for a trail race when getting out into nature isn't so easy. ULTRAMARATHONS COME IN a range of distances—from 50K and 50 miles to 100K, 100 miles, and even races over 200 miles (maybe don’t start there.) The first step is to pick your distance and your race. But trail races can vary dramatically, and your race’s location will dictate your approach.
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