Like many of you, I didn’t get my name pulled in a couple of race lotteries this past weekend. And I’m fine with that!
The past two months have represented my running offseason, and I’ve spent plenty of time dreaming of all the races and adventures that could become part of my 2025 running plans. In this article, I’ll share some of them. But mostly, I want to hear what running plans you’re dreaming about for 2025!
Dreaming of more alpine sunrises like this one witnessed while pacing at the 2024 San Juan Softie 100 Mile. All photos iRunFar/Bryon Powell unless noted.
More Lottery Races
I may be zero for two so far, but that won’t dissuade me from possibly putting my name in the lottery for another race or two.
I tried to run the High Lonesome 100 Mile in 2022 but tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the race. I had a great time training and fishing on and around the course in 2021 and could easily see myself doing that again.
Then, just a bit further north in Colorado’s Sawatch Mountains, there’s my old friend, the Leadville 100 Mile. I ran the race in 2006 and 2009 and enjoyed it both times. I could easily see going back. It’s been a while since I’ve been a part of a more runnable 100 miler.
Enjoying the views during my 2022 High Lonesome 100 Mile training camp.
Adventures Ahead
I’ve always loved a good running adventure, but the scope of these adventures has grown in the past half-decade. That’s opened up a lot of space for dreaming over a map! A 100-mile unsupported outing in one go? Sure, why not! A week-long adventure that covers 250 miles? Sounds like fun! So, it should be little surprise that I have a reservoir of big adventures and have no problem coming up with additional ideas.
Not getting into the Western States 100 or Hardrock 100 opened up the mid-June timeframe for a 100-mile outing that’s been floating around for a few years but crystalized on a location this past year. That is a 100-mile, 10-species fish run (with at least 10,000 feet of elevation gain within 48 hours) that my friends and I call FINSANITY. I expect this will make it onto my schedule since it quite suspiciously fits in with all my other hypothesized outings.
Bonham Reservoir up on Grand Mesa in Colorado early on a July morning.
I’ve additionally considered signing up for a 100 miler that I’d incorporate into an even longer running project to connect a bunch of cutthroat trout subspecies. This version of the plan would be contingent upon the race director giving me the nod for fishing their race, although I could also complete the full route at a time that didn’t overlap with the event. However, a mid-summer running would be compatible with numerous options earlier and later in the season.
Closer to home, I could see myself logging another 200- to 250-mile week-long adventure through the San Juan Mountains as I did on my 2024 summer vacation. I’ve thought of heading east this time, as I’ve never visited the small town of Creede nor hit the La Garita Mountains to its north. Seems like it could be some fun exploring from my front door.
Vermilion Peak over Hope Lake during my 2024 summer vacation in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
More of the Same?
As much as I told myself I wouldn’t run another 250 miler and, especially not the Ultra Gobi 250 Mile again, as I had such a good and memorable experience this year, I can’t help but thinking about walking back my 2024 season. That would mean a fun mid-summer Western States 100 qualifier at the Never Summer 100k and, then, another go at Ultra Gobi.
Cruising an early ridge in the 2024 Never Summer 100k.
Future Dreams
While it’s too late to make it happen this year, I dream of the slow-travel tour of early season European races. Covering the Trail World Championships in Austria in 2023 whet my appetite for the Stubai Valley south of Innsbruck, and I’d love to kick start a season with one of the Innsbruck Alpine Festival races in early May. Just over the mountains two months later, the 115k Lavaredo Ultra Trail is a race I’ve wanted to attend for years, but work obligations have always precluded me. There’s always a “someday!” out there. Then, there’d be the European 100 miler that calls to me more than any other, the Ehunmilak Ultra Trail, if only to spend a few weeks in the Basque countryside.
Me running high in the Austrian Alps near Stubai. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Off to Middle Earth
And I write all this just before boarding a plane to spend a season in New Zealand. Meghan and I had a great time of it last “winter” and couldn’t help ourselves from doing it again. I have lots of single-day and even overnight outings in my head for this return trip, but I see my time in New Zealand as more of a kickstart to my season full of brain-melting beauty and the bribes represented by catching some monster trout!
The promise of catching fish like “Shoulders the Brown Trout” makes early season long runs easier endeavors.
Call for Comments
Alright, it’s time for you to inspire some others. What runs are you dreaming about for next year?!
