The Outdoor Foundation recently published a new report on the state of the Trail Running industry where they found that 4.8 million Americans Trail Ran last year.  We wrote about the growth of trail running a couple of weeks ago, those numbers were based off of Richard Burgunder article which was taken from a 2006 survey.  Well, it’s 2010 so here are the 2009 numbers.

4.8 million Americans considered themselves Trail Runners last year.  In addition, 4.8 million Americans considered themselves pretty awesome.  Weird.  They went on 153.7 million Trail Running outings.  That’s 31.8 days of Trail Running per person.  I know it isn’t always easy to get to the trails, but come on Trail Runners, only one month a year of Trail Running?

13.1% of the respondents said they went Trail Running for the first time in 2009.  That’s a great growth rate!  They said that friends were the most influential reason they started Trail Running.  Take a friend Trail Running on National Trail Running Day August 21st, 2010 to increase those numbers!

Donna Williams, Montrail Sales Manager says, “We are seeing a new breed of runner on the trail as well. One that is youthful and driven towards achieving success in their outdoor pursuits. That is exciting for our industry.”  Thanks Donna, we couldn’t agree with you more.  We think that one of the most beneficial aspects of the growth of Trail Running is the industry is now developing gear and events that cater to our growing population of enthusiasts!  Hooray for Trail Running!

Running on National Trails can be some serious trail running.  National Trails often offer running trails that are less traveled, which lends them to be more technical and secluded.  The Appalachian Trail is a great example of a fun run where you can find some great remote running trails.  With 2,175 miles of trail running along the Appalachian mountains you could spend a good part of a year trying to run this whole trail, even in segments.  If you are a little more extreme, you could try Fast Packing to cover more ground over a longer period, being able to sustain yourself with a small pack of supplies, but distance limits are usually around 600 miles for fast packing.  So do it in two fast packing trips.  Too late, it looks like it’s going to take more than two trips to cover the entire Appalachian Trail because of a new expansion effort to Europe underway.

In 1994 the Appalachian Trail, whose Southern point starts in Northern Georgia, was expanded from it’s Northern end in Maine to the edge of Canada’s Maritime Province to form the International Appalachian Trail.  Well, the IAT is going to grow even farther now, across the Atlantic to Western Europe where the Appalachian mountain chain’s other half goes into Morocco.  A few hundred million years ago the continental plates of Europe and North America collided, then broke up and drifted to their current locations.  The new IAT will brush the East Coast of Greenland before picking up in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.  It will resume on mainland of Norway and proceed South through France, Portugal, nip Western Spain, and end in Morocco.  Now that’s an extreme Trail Run!  Travelers will have to take a ferry or train to pick up the route across coasts, or you can just try running on water.  Although I’m sure someone will run the entire length of the trail someday, this length of running trail is way too much Trail Runners to swallow; however, the new segments in Europe look to be very exciting!  Trail Running trip across Europe anyone?

Legend has it that people who complete Dances with Dirt gain superpowers.  I’m still trying to figure out exactly what my super power is, but I’ve narrowed it down to the following possibilities:

1.  Able to scale sequoia sized tree trunks in a single bound

2.  Able to slide straight down a hill (while trying to run up it) without losing all my fingernails

3.  Able to smile at the end of a 4-mile leg that turned into a 6-mile leg when my actual legs felt like they weighed about 20 pounds  apiece

This is a mere sampling of the challenges I experienced while running a Dances with Dirt trail race.  Dances with Dirt (DWD) is many things to many runners.  It is a 50 mile trail relay event (5 runners), a 50K or 50 mile ultra event (for the truly masochistic runner), and a half-marathon and full marathon event (though not at all a typical race at these distances).

I was asked to be the fifth runner on an all-female team planning to dress for the occasion in a Princess Barbie theme.  Yep, there is a team theme and costume contest thrown into the relay, which should be your first clue that this is no ordinary event.  The winners of the “Creative Team and Vehicle Award” earn a free entry into the next year’s event.

I’m not a “girlie” girl by any means, nor were any of the women I was racing with, so it was an interesting choice, but I rolled with it and happily ran in my sparkly tiara and pink Barbie sunglasses while carrying a blonde “runner” Barbie (our team baton) over the challenging race course.

The inaugural DWD, in 1997, hosted 22 teams in Hell, Michigan.  Each year for the past five years, 400 teams have hit the trails.  The event sells out within minutes, which is one of the reasons DWD expanded into venues including Indiana, Wisconsin, and Florida over the past couple of years.  Another reason is that event organizer and promoter Randy Step believes that the race calendar can use a few more relay events and he has so much fun creating the DWD course that he’s more than happy to take his show on the road.  The next event is at Devil’s Lake in Bambaroo, Wisconsin on July 10th.  Hurry and register now before prices go up in 6 days!  Devil’s Head Resort will again play host to the Devil’s Lake trail race.  This is going to be another epic Dances with Dirt trail race for sure!  Check out the race course if you dare.  Click on the link on that page for a full description of each of the legs on the relay.

Although every distance is equally challenging and fun, the relay aspect of the race is truly a blast.  Once runners begin the race, the rest of the teams take their maps and pile into their official DWD vehicle (1 per team please) to head for the first transition point.  Each team transitions at the same spot, but obviously at different times, so each transition area is kind of like a floating tailgate party with people constantly coming and going.  Some folks are very serious about running DWD (why shouldn’t they be, this is SeriousRunning.com) and take off at high speed in hopes of competing for first place overall or a top place in their category.  Others pack coolers of beer and treat it like an afternoon jogging in the woods with friends.  The rest of us are somewhere in between those extremes, hoping to run a decent time overall, but interested in having fun along the way.

I recommend packing two extra pairs of shoes, a change of clothes and a cooler full of food and drink to last about 8 hours.  Experienced teams scout the course beforehand and figure out which legs of the race are best suited for each team member.  Legs average 4.5 miles and each runner is required to run 3.

DWD was definitely one of the most memorable running experiences I’ve ever had.  The organizers clearly love what they do, the participants love to do it, the course is out of the world beautiful, sometimes ridiculously hard, but always lots of fun.  All of this makes for a great combination of competition, community, craziness, and classic moments.  As a result, my DWD “Survivor” medal will remain a tremendous source of pride for years to come.

I first became injured on May 19th of last year with Jumper’s Knee.  Over the past year I have been nursing this injury, never fully recovering.  I have undergone countless physical therapy sessions, MRIs, multiple X-rays, a plethora of doctors’ touching my knees, different types of knee braces, and everything else you can think of to subside this injury to no avail.  What was left for me to try?  Minimalist Running shoes.

I received a pair of New Balances’ MT100s Trail Running Shoes and thought this must be a sign to take the first step…running.  The New Balance MT 100s (WT 100s for women) are New Balances’ new version of the New Balance 790s.  Since I had never tried minimalist running before I decided to try the New Balance 100s as my minimalist shoe because they offer more support than something like Vibram Five Fingers and are tough enough for the trail, which is where I run mostly.  I started with a little street running in these trail running shoes, only to get to the trail.  My philosophy is you can’t drive to the trailhead if you are within running distance.

When I first started I ran down a hill in front of my house and could really feel the pounding on my feet.  This probably had a lot to do with the fact that I had never run in minimalist shoes, and these were made for trails, not asphalt; and not to mention I was running down a steep hill.  However, if you are looking for cushioning and comfort then these are not the shoes for you.  If you want a fast ride and to feel the trail but still have some protection, the MT100s could be your new trail running shoes!

The heel of the shoe is made up of cut outs for rear traction.  This really helped when I was running over some sandy and rocky terrain as I was able to push off better.  The midsole tread looks like someone took an ice cream scooper and scooped out pieces of the sole.  My guess is that this is to reduce the weight of the shoe, as well as increase flexibility and breathability.  You won’t be getting any dirt, mud, or rocks caught in these cylinder shaped holes.  The front tread is made up of some smaller ice cream scoops but mostly squares around triangles which lend for good traction while still giving you ample feeling of the trail.

The Rockstop embedded into the forefoot provides decent protection from sharp rocks and roots.  The puncture-resistant toe material in the toe wrap also helps provide some lightweight protection from trail debris, but I would be careful out there, it isn’t built like your normal trail running shoes.

The midsole resists compression sets which allows it to bend, feeling more like running barefoot.  However, there is some cushioning in this sole.  I didn’t have any aches or pains in my feet after taking these bad boys on a 6 mile trail run.  There is a little arch support from the rubber that wraps around the sole which helps if you are not used to running in minimalist trail running shoes.

The upper is a synthetic mesh which is really lightweight.  The mesh works great for water drain.  I ran through a couple of creeks and felt like the shoes were completely dry after only 4 or 5 steps!  The mesh also gives a tight fit to your feet.  Helping is the Sure Lace technology that New Balance is using on a lot of their shoes now.  It definitely keeps your shoe laces from loosening or coming undone on the trail.  The tongue is really small too which adds to the lightweight and snug fit that the New Balance MT100 trail running shoes give you.

Overall, great trail running shoe if you are looking for a minimalist trail running shoe or maybe even a trail running shoe with a lot of performance on a trail race.  Now if they would just release with some more rad colors so I don’t have to buy 3 pairs in the same color.

Richard Burgunder recently published a great article about the rise in popularity of Trail Running named, “Trail Running:  Racing Towards the top in Popularity.”  In it he states that Trail Running is, “…considered the sixth most popular extreme sport s in the USA, only behind skating, skateboarding, paintball, climbing, and snowboarding.”  I’m not sure what type of skating this refers to, I assume roller skating, which I don’t consider very extreme.  Skateboarding and snowboarding are both board sports enjoyed by a different type of extreme athlete than the Trail Runner and Mountain Biker types and paintball is more of a game so I don’t consider it a sport.  Which leaves Trail Running as the 2nd most popular extreme sport behind rock climbing!  He goes on to say that in 2006 there were 6.7 million regular Trail Runners in the United States and at the current pace Trail Running will soon become the most popular extreme sport in the United States.

That is why we started National Trail Running Day last year with over 5,000 trail runners participating in events across the United States.  Plan an event, register it on the website and mark your calender for August 21st to do some serious Trail Running this year.  When we started National Trail Running Day some avid Trail Runners didn’t like the idea, citing the purity of the sport, being alone running on the trails and exploring paths on their own.  While we understand, we at SeriousRunning.com don’t agree; we think everyone should trail run, the more the merrier.  There are enough trails out there for all of us!  Share and review your favorite trails on our Trail Running listings and help your fellow Trail Runners get the most out of this awesome extreme sport.  We hope that the rise in popularity will lead to better Trail Running information, new gear to help make Trail Running more enjoyable, and an overall better social experience.

So why has Trail Running become so popular?  Well, first off, recently there has been a Running Boom Across America which we determined was due to the poor economy and translates well into the boom of Trail Running.  Many runners get tired of running the same routes and surfaces of road running and have ventured out to the trails for a new experience.  The transition from road running to trail running is simple, using many of the same techniques as running on roads.  Another reason is that Trail Running is easy to access; all you need is a trail.  While many trails have restrictions on mountain biking or horseback riding, virtually no trails exclude runners from running on them.  Even if trails do have restrictions on running then just walk fast if come across another hiker.

So what are you waiting for?  Get off the road and go Trail Running!

Weak, wimpy, treadmill running pansies who don’t want mud on their shorts can stop reading now.  Trail Running lovers who enjoy being scratched, muddied, and bruised, stay here because we have the Trail Race for you, Dances with Dirt Gnaw Bone Trail Race on May 15th!  Expect to get to the edge where life is in full color.  Expect a day that makes you realize you are fully alive, awake and crackin’ on all cylinders.  Expect insanity, stupidity, and nirvana (or those things at higher than your normal levels)! 

Dances with Dirt is a series of four ultra/marathons/relay trail running events that will test your mettle no matter what age or fitness level you are.

The second race of the Dances with Dirt series, Gnaw Bone takes place in Nashville, Indiana on May 15th.  No matter what distance pushes you to the limit, they have it for you with a 50 mile, 50K, marathon, half-marathon, and 50 mile relay.  You can start the 50 mile ultra at 5:30 AM but you better bring a headlamp because you will be running in the dark.  Is there a better sunrise than one you see at mile 4 of a 50 mile run?  If you don’t own a headlamp there will be another start at 6:15 AM for the 50 mile race.  The 50K and marathon start at 7:00 AM with the half-marathon bringing up the rear starting at 9:00 AM.

From comments and suggestions, Dances with Dirt races have polished this gem of a race course to make it more exciting, fun, and challenging.  The race surface consists of mud, rocks, and river crossings.  The trail is not maintained in certain areas but is well marked with signs that say “Wrong Way Moron.”  Is it the right way if you are not a moron?  I don’t know, but I wouldn’t recommend trying it.  You won’t get swept down any river rapids.  There are some hills but supplemental oxygen isn’t needed.  Overall it is a great run in a beautiful environment…with some stupid spots.  Perfect for runners of all abilities looking for a fun challenge!  Check out the course map if you don’t value the element of surprise.  After the race, celebrate your accomplishment and stick around to pig out with your fellow extreme runners eating a couple of roasted pigs, pizza, and beer (cash bar)!

You don’t have to take my word for it though.  See what the Head Goat Randy Step has to say about this spectacularly good time event.  Yes, he knows he looks like Maury Povich.

To give us Trail Runners a little tax day relief XTERRA is offering $15 race registrations tomorrow, April 15th!  Finally someone is recognizing the positive benefits of Trail Running and giving us tax breaks.  When is the federal government going to get on board with XTERRA and Trail Running?  Hopefully someday we’ll get enough Justices on the Supreme Court to pass tax breaks for Trail Runners.  Until that happens, register for one of these trail races, tomorrow, April 15th for only $15!  What a break!

Register for one or more of these upcoming XTERRA Trail Race events for just $15 each:

XTERRA Lake Las Vegas 5/10/21km Runs – Henderson, NV – April 24, 2010

XTERRA Waco 5/10/21km Trail Runs – Waco, TX – May 22, 2010

XTERRA Oak Mountain 5/10/21km Mud Runs – Pelham, AL – June 12, 2010

XTERRA Richmond 21km Xduro and Fugitive 10km Trail Run – Richmond, VA – June 19, 2010

XTERRA Bend 5/10km Trail Runs – Bend, OR – September 18, 2010

XTERRA Wheeler Canyon 21km Xduro Trail Run – Ogden, UT – September 18, 2010

XTERRA Makena Beach 5/10km Trail Runs – Makena, Maui, HI – October 23, 2010

XTERRA Kualoa 5/10km Trail Runs – Oahu, HI – December 5, 2010

Thanks XTERRA, you are truly great Americans.  Wait, isn’t XTERRA made by Nissan…

These past two weekends I ran two trail races and during both of them at one point I found myself without any other runners around me.  Once this happened I began to second guess if I was on the right trail.  We all want reassurance from our peers that we are traveling down the right path.  Of course, there were arrows on the ground and tape cutting the trail splits on these trail runs, but when you are running, pushing yourself, and in the zone, you tend to just keep running on the path right in front of you.  The path of least resistance.  However, sometimes it’s best to run down the trail less traveled…

So let’s say you go for a trail run, by yourself, to get out of the city, to be in the forest, and maybe get some clarity.  While attaining your runner’s high, you zone out of your immediate surroundings and suddenly find yourself lost.  You are running by yourself, you don’t have a GPS, or a map but have a general idea of which Cardinal direction you need to travel to find your way back.

What should you do?  Try to survive and wait to be rescued?  Possibly, but if you are trail running, you probably aren’t that far off your intended location.

1.  Walk downhill until you reach water. There are two reasons why you want to find water.  First off, you want to make sure as you aren’t running around in circles which can very easily happen.  Following a water way ensures you go one direction and make progress.  Secondly, population centers are usually on or near waterways, so if you follow one long enough you will reach civilization.  If not, you’ll eventually reach the beach.  Once there, reward yourself with an umbrella drink and a rub down.  You deserve it.

2.  Look at the Moss on the sides of trees. Moss often grows on the North side of the trees.  Based off this you can determine which cardinal direction you want to travel.  Left of North is West.  Right of North is East.  South of North is…well, South.

3.  Find the North Star. If it is night time and you are in the Northern Hemisphere you can find the North Star as the brightest star on the handle of the Little Dipper.  Just think about the big tent in Elementary school with the stars displayed on the ceiling.  The North Star and Little Dipper are probably the easiest stars to recognize.  Unlike B-list celebrities, which are often difficult to recognize.

4.  Look up to the clouds. You can look to the sky to pray; while you are looking up there, notice which way the clouds are traveling.  Clouds usually travel East to West.  They don’t follow the exact Cardinal directions but it can point you in the right direction.

5.  Watch the sunset and sunrise. While you’re lost, take time to appreciate the simple things in life like the sunrise and sunset.  The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.  Only “ride off into the sunset” if you want to travel West.

Overall, make sure you don’t panic and think rationally.  If you have no idea which direction you should travel then your best option is to just stay put and make yourself visible for possible rescue teams.  Things like bright clothing, fires, and being on a high point are great ways to get yourself noticed.  Being obnoxious and loud is a horrible way to get noticed.  If you have confidence and a calm demeanor you’ll get noticed every time, on and off the trail.

Since our transition at SeriousRunning.com to provide information on everything trail running, we decided it was time to revisit one of our inspirations, Dean Karnazas, by watching the movie, Ultramarathon Man.  After watching the movie I began to think about what makes Dean Karnazas tick.  I noticed that the movie speaks a lot to Dean’s personality and not just his running prowess.  In case you didn’t already know, Dean Karnazas started his amazing long distance running career by running an impromptu run on his 30th birthday, for 30 miles.  He hasn’t always been the ultramarthon man, but he may have had the right personality for those long runs.  So what makes Dean Karnazas want to be a trail runner?

In the movie Dean Karnazas mentions that after taking the Miles Briggs personality test he realized how much of an introvert he really is.  You would never be able to tell with all of the appearances, movies, and blogs that he does.  Dean admits that he does all of these appearances and meet and greets not because he enjoys them, but because it allows him to do his passion for a job; long distance running.

So what makes trail runners like Dean Karnazas really tick?  Well, running in general is an individual sport and trail running seems to be an even more individual sport than road running.  Rarely do you ever see a group of more than two trail runners on the trail; however, there are thousands of road running clubs and group runs across the nation.  Although roads are more abundant and are wider than singletrack trails, I believe that the reason trail runners don’t often run in groups is because trail runners are typically more of introverts than most road runners and enjoy the individualism of the trail.

Trail Runners often point to the commune with nature as a reason for trail running.  In order to obtain the Runner’s High from surrounding nature you must be aware of your environment, which is difficult to do when you are running with others.  Trail runners are more about the experience of the run, not necessarily their distance, time, or calories burned.  They are often pursuing the intrinsic feeling they get from being one with the environment and their run, not setting a new PR.

Although all types of runners have similar personalities, trail runners seem to be a bread of their own, much like Dean Karnazas is.  Dean says, “When you stop moving forward you stagnate and die.”  We’ll keep running trails and improving SeriousRunning.com.  Domi Arigato Dean.

If you are new to trail running and want to try a trail run by yourself, please take the necessary precautions to avoid any dangerous situations.  Here are some tips on avoiding dehydration, avoiding injuries, or finding your way back if you become lost while trail running.  Happy Trails!

GTX Corporation has recently been awarded a broad US patent for innovative GPS shoe technology covering 105 claims, including 21 independent claims.  Until now we thought it was only possible to use GPS technology in cars, watches, or pet collars.  GPS in shoes?!  Genius!  About as genius as putting wheels on suitcases, which was patented in 1972, and still continues to reap millions of dollars in licensing fees.  We hope this new patent won’t result in higher priced GPS embedded trail running shoes!

GTX originally developed their product, “Ambulator,” to assist healthcare professionals in keeping track of Alzheimer’s patients who often wander away from caregivers; however, GTX’s patent will pose a significant challenge for any competitors to operate anywhere in the GPS enabled footwear space.  Chris Walsh, COO of GTX, and ex VP at Nike and Reebok said, “…broad patents effectively creates more barriers to entry and blocks competition.”  But since GTX uses the technology primarily for Alzheimer’s patients, how long will it be before trail running shoe companies license this technology and put it in our trail running shoes?

Hopefully soon.  The possibilities are endless for uses of GPS in trail running shoes.  A GPS in trail running shoes could be used for safety measures against trail runners becoming lost, dehydrated, or worse during remote trail runs.  With the GPS device authorities would be able to find trail runners in danger quicker.  In addition, GPS devices in trail running shoes could be used to determine distance, map trails, and set paces.  Just be sure to knock the trail dirt off before plugging your shoe into your laptop computer.  A GPS device in a trail running shoe could be used for all of the current trail running uses, but in the runners’ shoes, allowing them to wear less cumbersome gear.

GPS technology in trail running shoes is not far away, we just hope it won’t cost an arm and leg.  Legs are important for trail running.