Ian Kamm's Staging Area

I’m not going to sugar coat this, it’s hilly and a net uphill. Luckily the last few miles are easier and mainly downhill. Because it’s point to point it requires an early start and shuttle buses out to the start line in the countryside. That’s not a problem for me, but you need to be comfortable with an earlier start than otherwise if the race started in Keystone. But it’s a good thing, trust me, because it means you’re running towards the view of Mount Rushmore, not running away and having to look over your shoulder! Prepare for hills and be content with a slower than usual time perhaps. The tourist town setting makes it easy to find accommodation.

V of F is a hidden gem an hour north of Las Vegas and we’ll worth a visit regardless of running. Add in a series of three half marathons over the MLK weekend and you’ve got a bucket-list kind of event. Joyce from Calico Racing puts on great little races in southern Nevada. I did the Friday run which starts in the White Domes part of the valley. A mile of road before a mile or so off-road in the Fire Wash and a slot canyon. Back to paved road for some hill climbing before leaving the asphalt for good just before the half way mark. This is also where the real challenge of sand and rocky climbing in Fire Valley begins (the “technical” section) and some of the most beautiful scenery. The last third of the race is flat trail running back to the base camp at the Beehives.
Do not underestimate the challenge of following the course markers. There are any plenty of them but you do need to keep your eyes peeled. This is NOT a race for people who train on treadmills.
But this is easily one of the most scenic off-road races an hour from a major airport and I thoroughly recommend it.
Oh and don’t worry about your time. The rock climbing sections tend to slow you down!

This is definitely an event for locals in Iceland with only limited information available in English (on their Facebook page only) but worth the effort if you like running off-road in nature. And it’s really off-road after the first few kms. Thankfully it didn’t rain or it would have been quite treacherous. Chose from 4 distances based on how many hills you want to run up and down (I did 19km and 3 peaks). Only some parts of the course follow a path, and in the second half of the run you need to keep a constant eye out for the little red flags marking the course because you are running across wilderness, seemingly randomly. I’d still recommend it even though I had to back track twice to find the official route. 16 out of 65 runners missed one station completely this year making the results something of an estimate. Swag? What swag? But really this race is all about running rough in Iceland so it might be a little incongruous for too much corporate sponsorship. Mind you, there was a Jeep parked halfway up the first hill in the middle of nowhere which was a pretty effective advertisement for the sponsor. Everyone was super friendly towards the four foreigners, and it felt nice to participate in a local event away from the usual tourist treadmill. Definitely the toughest race I’ve ever done and I was completely fine with a slow time so as not to break an ankle or my neck. The overall winner for this distance was 60 years old, so I suspect some home court advantage.

This race really met all of the things I look for in a destination run. A small field, easy to get to (an hour’s drive from an airport) and beautiful scenery. Let’s be clear, it’s not a city run. There is an additional hour of travel in an old school bus on a bumpy road to get to the start line. But the mountain views make all of that worthwhile. It’s a bit of a tough start for those of us who don’t live at elevation but the race just flew by because of the scenery. I worried I might be hallucinating when a cowboy rode up on a horse to check his cattle, but others saw it too. Perhaps an extra portapotty at the start line? Perhaps more staff at each water station to minimize the cars leap frogging past runners on the narrow dirt road. But these are minor issues. The race director Sam really knows what he is doing and is a really decent guy with his promotion of public land in Montana. High elevation start of 8500ft with approx a third of that lost in miles 7 to 11. Well worth the effort and travel if you’re sick of the usual scenery back home.

This race is very popular with Canadians (and Americans from northern states) looking for somewhere warm and sunny to run in January. Some years it might almost be too warm (especially for the marathoners) because the temp doesn’t really drop overnight in Bermuda so you’re starting out around 20degC even early in the morning. I strongly recommend you carry water even though there are many water stations. You’ll dehydrate quickly if the sun is out.
Beautiful ocean views through much of the second half. A few rolling hills give a bit of a challenge, but not too much. Very friendly local crowds who come out to cheer you along and will often greet you by name because the bibs have your first name printed quite large!
As a half marathoner I really appreciate races like this where we get to run the whole course rather than some consolation prize version. It’s the marathoners who get the booby prize here because they have to run two laps, and it gets really hot by the second time around.
One request to the Race Director: to make the distance official there’s a last minute 100 metre deke up a side street. I understand the need for it, but it happens just as the finish line comes into view. Talk about soul-destroying. Please put it at the start of the race, not minutes before the end!
Great t-shirts, especially if you do all three races in the Bermuda Triangle weekend challenge (1 mile on Fri, 10km on Sat, Half or Full on Sunday).

How often do you get to run in the desert with views of a lake and mountains in the background? Oh, and you run through re-purposed railway tunnels. All on recreation trail, about half paved and half well groomed gravel. Starting at Boulder Beach on Lake Mead, running up and down a few hills (to make sure you’re awake) to Hoover Dam, and then back again. All with wonderful views of the lake and the Muddy Mountains less than an hour from Vegas. Between the hills and the gravel it’s not the fastest race you’ll do, but it is some of the best scenery so close to a major airport and far from traffic fumes.
December is a great time to run in southern Nevada.

Three miles of sand followed by 10 miles of rocky off-road trail. That’s sand, like dunes that you sink into. This is not typically somewhere to go running, but what the heck.
Located around the town of Page, Arizona with really lovely views of Glen Canyon and the Colorado River. I’d give it higher marks for scenery but the area is non-stop amazing scenery so you need to put time aside to sightsee afterwards. For example you’re going to want to make time to see Antelope Canyon itself (not included in the Half, and the Ultra runners go through it too fast to do it justice) and Horseshoe Bend.
Did I mention the first three miles of sand dunes? Wear gaiters over your shoes or be prepared to throw them away at the finish line.