For those of you who have yet to experience Born To Run, I offer a suggestion: sign up for next year. Start training now. Because I guarantee it will be the most enjoyable (and fun!) race you have ever ran. It will be like no race you have ever experienced before. Born To Run is the evolution of long-distance racing-- I've heard a few people mention that it's more like Woodstock than a race. Music, bonfires, hula-hooping, men in skirts, tattooing, and whiskey. It's basically a music festival, but with a race going on the whole time. This is not your quick n' dirty weekend 5K where you get a massive goodie bag and fancy medal. This isn't a trendy Color Run where you can get a bunch of your girlfriends to jog a couple miles with you. This is trail and ultrarunning, in it's purest form. You'll push yourself to your very limits, and then keep going. You'll find out what you're truly made of. And, one of the best parts, is you'll actually meet other runners here, make friends, and stay for long after your race ends.



Born To Run takes place on a beautiful ranch with rolling hills, 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara. The best part of the race is that you get to camp out all weekend. More of a close-knit group of friends than competitors, Born To Run lends itself to first-timers-- it's guaranteed to be one of the best environments to attempt your first ultramarathon. Or 100K. Or 100 Miler. Your choice.

So here's the bad news: It's sold out for this year.

The good news: You have an entire year to prepare for next year. Born To Run 2014, can you imagine? Bookmark the website, now. 


Also, watch this:


 There is even a 10-Mile option, like I did last year. The nice thing about that is it gives the shorter distance runners an opportunity to witness (and run with, partially!) other long-distance runners at their finest. Last year, I fell in love with trail and ultrarunning. This year, I'm coming back to give everything I have to the trails. All my heart, all my energy, all my focus. On Saturday, May 18th, I have a date with the trails and I plan on giving it my best shot.