Ultrarunning destinations with the potential for extreme weather
Ultra runs are most commonly defined by the distance and elevation change of the run. However, the unpredictability of weather can prove to be the most challenging aspect, or the one aspect that requires the most planning.
My ultrarunning destinations that required the most consideration for possible extreme weather:
Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim, Arizona: There is a brief window where the snow has melted, the water is available in the canyon, and it’s not too hot. The day I started, at the South Rim, the temperature was 35 Fahrenheit (2 Celsius) at 3am, and then well over 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) later in the afternoon at the bottom of the canyon.
Wicklow Way, Ireland: At the mountain peaks along the way we’d go from 32 Fahrenheit (0 Celsius), snow, and 50 mph (80kph) gusts. But when back in the valley, it’d be 50s Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), and we’d be dressed too hot. Our hands and feet would get so numb we had a hard time managing the buckles on our packs.
Mount Elbert and Mount Massive, Colorado: When running in the mountains, especially in very exposed areas above the tree line, it is critical to be off the mountain before a thunderstorm comes. During the summer months, it is very common to have storms pop up in the mountains, and you need to ensure you are not up there when they come.
Black Canyon, Arizona: The weather was so extreme the first time I ran this course I DNF’ed a 100k ultramarathon. The weather went from high winds and snow at the start to relatively mild temperatures at the middle of the day. However, the course was an out and back that year, so we had to climb back up in elevation. As we did, the rain started, and in our assessment, it wasn’t worth the risk of keeping going. Desert weather has very wide extremes of hot and cold, and in this case, an unusual amount of rain for that time of year.
New Orleans, Louisiana: When the dew point is above 71%, the weather is described as being miserable or extreme. On the day I ran the Tammany Trace, the Dew Point was 77% or above, and the temperature in the 80s Fahrenheit (27 Celsius). This is definitely a trail better explored in cooler months.
