7 videos and articles on wet shoes, toilet paper, quinoa, blind runners and the Himalayas

Last updated: 19-Jul-18

By Elsa Trujillo

In our latest selection of videos and articles from the web, we’ve put together a very eclectic compilation of information. We have videos from three different continents: an endurance race where you swim with your shoes, a hike up the Himalayas to meet Mira Rai and incredible views of an ultra down under. For reading, we bring you some very, very personal insights into long distance running, a story about quinoa and the Tarahumara runners and a powerful story about runners with sight impairments. Our own piece is a recent interview on Salomon TV filmmaker Dean Leslie.

Wet shoe running
Tucked away in the Shawangunks mountain range in New York state is the Survival of the Shawagunks (SOS), an endurance event with a very special requirement, you must must swim across three lakes with your running shoes with you.

Salomon’s Dream Trip
Salomon’s #runningdreamtrip competition brought together RSA Salomon filmmaker Dean Leslie, USA runner Tyler Courville and Nepalese runner and 2016 National Geographic Runner of the Year, Mira Rai. Leslie and Courville travel to Nepal to meet her and understand her origins.

Ultra-trail Australia
Taking place in the month of May and tucked away in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, north west of Sydney, is the Ultra-trail Australia, a double ultra (100K and 50K) UTMB qualifying race. Watch the 2017 race highlights and winner.

MDS up close and personal
If you’re up for MDS next year, or thinking about joining the waiting list or running any long distance marathon whatsoever, Jenny Hill has put together some interesting insight from runners on what to take, what to lose (including toenails) and what to expect after such very long distances and extreme temperatures. Read her blog post.

Chia and the ultra runner
The book Born to Run introduced the world to the running Tarahumaras of Copper Canyon (Chihuahua, Mexico) and their secret food, chia. A recent agricultural project, the Health Warrior Project, aims to create stability in the region for its native inhabitants by creating an economically viable way of life. Read the article.

Running blind?
Running with vision impairments is not an impossibility, as many visually-impaired runners have successfully participated in MDS, Badwater or Leadville. Read this article on blind runners, their volunteer guides, their tricks and codes to get to the finish line.

Dean Leslie, Salomon TV filmmaker
RunUltra caught up with him during the 2016 Kendal Mountain Festival for a chat about what it’s like to meet and film such incredible runners in such amazing places. Dean is the man responsible for many of Salomon TV’s greatest videos, including the Mira Rai Running Dream Trip you’ve just watched. Watch the interview.

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Increase of up to 2000 metres with some challenging climatic conditions (e.g. ice, snow, humidity or heat)

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