Profiles, News, and How-to's

How to Keep Crushing Trail Runs for Decades

Twenty years ago, someone in the audience at a talk about trail running asked Buzz Burrell, past record holder of the FKT on Colorado Trail and John Muir Trail and co-founder of FastestKnownTime.com: “What’s the key to longevity?” Then 51 years old, Burrell answered: “Like what you do.”

Now 71 and still charging trails—he was the overall winner of the Runner’s Division of the 7.4-mile Dipsea race in June of 2023, and plans to race the 23K Tromsø Skyrace in Norway, the Matterhorn Ultrax Exterme

Cat Runner, Winner of ‘The Climb,’ Is Reaching New Heights

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app .

Twenty-four-year-old Cat Runner of Louisville, Kentucky, waved warmly to a full house—and a standing ovation—at Colorado’s Boulder Theater on the night of Thursday, January 26 following the airing of the finale of HBO’s rock climbing reality show The Climb. The eight-episode series featured ten climbers vying for a $100,000 grand prize plus a one-year sponsorship from PrA

Scientists Find Brain Mechanism Behind Age-Related Memory Loss

July 1, 2022 – Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have identified a mechanism in the brain behind age-related memory loss, expanding our knowledge of the inner workings of the aging brain and possibly opening the door to new Alzheimer’s treatments.

The researchers looked at the hippocampus, a part of the brain thought to store long-term memories.

Neurons there are responsible for a pair of memory functions – called pattern separation and pattern completion – that work together in young, he

Trail Sisters Founder Gina Lucrezi

To celebrate and honor Women’s History Month, Public Lands is showcasing women who are making history now. We spoke with Gina Lucrezi, a trail runner and ultrarunner, and founder of Trail Sisters. She launched Trail Sisters in 2016 as a modest blog and it has grown to a booming community of 150 regional chapters, a website that offers free resources like online education, a race (with a generous cutoff to minimize the intimidation factor of not finishing), and so much more. Since the launch of T

Heading to the Beach This Summer? Take Your Runs to the Sand for Extra Benefits

When Kyra Oliver heads out for her morning run, she usually opts for a paved route. But once or twice a week, the San Diegan heads toward the beach instead, where she watches the sun rise and listens to the waves crash as the miles tick by. Running on the sand helps Oliver clear her mind, but it also supplements her training for marathons and 50-mile trail races.

“It works different muscles and requires a different focus for me,” Oliver tells Runner’s World. “If I’m on the packed sand by the wa

Black Men Need Running Groups Now More Than Ever

My dad was always a runner, but he almost never had anyone else to run with. So when I was about ten years old, I started to go running with him—I was his running buddy. Over the years, I kept running mostly as a way to stay healthy. One day, I started doing some research, and I learned about the problem of heart disease in the Black community. Heart disease is the number-one cause of death among Black men, and 60 percent of Black men have some form of cardiovascular disease.

I can speak from e

Run Faster With Fun Tips From a Trail Running Superstar

A year after graduating from the Air Force Academy, where he was a standout track and cross-country runner, Jim Walmsley picked up a hiking book. It was 2013, and he was living in Great Falls, Montana, within striking distance of Glacier National Park and Helena National Forest. “I’d figure out routes that ended at a lake, a mountaintop, or a waterfall and would run the routes like a scavenger hunt,” he says. “I didn’t know trail running was a sport at that time, but I liked the sense of adventu

If You Didn’t Already Know, These Are 25 of the Best Running Trails in the U.S.

Whether you’re aiming to cover some serious distance or just looking to get a few quick miles with spectacular views, trail running is always an adventure—and chances are, there’s a great running path near you that’s just waiting to be explored.

To inspire you to get out there—especially with races canceled during the coronavirus pandemic—we compiled the following list featuring some of the best trails across the country. These running routes come in a wide range of lengths and difficulty, so t

How to (Truly) Learn to Love Running

Most people start running programs guided by time or by mileage, which are both well and good. But if you’re new to running, know that there are other ways in that might suit your personality—or even just your mood—in a way that’ll get you really, truly hooked on running once and for all.

Adapted from Running That Doesn’t Suck: How to Love Running (Even If You Think You Hate It), these plans are tailored to beginning runners but can work for runners burnt out on their current routines.

For the

How to Find Your Ideal Running Partner—And Troubleshoot When You Have Problems

The following was adapted with permission from Running That Doesn’t Suck by Lisa Jhung (Running Press)

Finding the ideal running partner has some similarities to finding a life partner. Maybe you get a good partner vibe from someone in your running club; another participant at a race; or someone you see often or have seen on a running route you like.

Or maybe you don’t find your partner while you’re actually running, but you discover that someone in your exercise class, office, school, or dorm

Why It’s So Hard to Run a Sub-4 Mile at Altitude

For elite track athletes to run a mile in less than four minutes, conditions need to be just right. And on Thursday evening, August 15, at the University of Colorado’s Potts Field in Boulder, Colorado, they pretty much were.

The sun dipped behind the mountains, and the wind had died down to nothing. Bright lights illuminated a decent-sized crowd who had their eyes on the elite men and women who had shown up to run the Boulder Road Runner’s All Comer’s meet, which was ending with what organizer

How to Pick the Perfect Hike for Kids of All Ages: Elementary School-Aged Kids

Our guide provides tips on how to pick age-appropriate challenges for your little hikers. Check out the full series here.

I have an 8-year-old who’s going into third grade and an 11-year-old who’s going into sixth grade, both boys. They are very active—and somehow more active when they’re together—but that doesn’t always mean they’re always willing to hike five or six miles, which I’m sure they’re capable of.

When choosing hikes to do with them, I look for natural elements that will keep them