For no reason at all, it is kind of cool to run on an island. Some islands, like Kauai, Hawaii have features that are hard to believe are possible on an island, such as an immense gorge. One of the unique things about islands is that some have incredibly high peaks allowing you to run from sea level to 10,000 feet (3300m) in a relatively short distance, such as in Maui, Hawaii. While Britannica defines an island as needing to be smaller than a continent, I’ve included Australia in my list.

Island Ultra Running

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Must do trail runs on six islands of Hawaii - Hawaii, USA
Scouting out a trail run on Molokai - Molokai, Hawaii

Hawaii - Island of Molokai - Experience beaches, tall sea cliffs, great food, and one ultrarunning opportunity.

A trail runners guide to Lanai - Lanai, Hawaii

Hawaii - Island of Lanai - Explore Lanai on one, or all, of these 4 challenging trails that offer seclusion, beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding islands, as well as wide sand beaches and rocky shores.

Volcanic activity, running on cinder cones and lava fields - Big Island, Hawaii

Hawaii - Big Island - Run up a cinder cone or through a lava field, and if the weather is just right, the tallest mountain on earth, Mauna Kea

Solo running the Lidingöloppet Course - Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden - The course for the Lidingöloppet 30k trail race is open year round, and just a 15 minute taxi from the center of Stockholm

Training runs to the Tantalus Peak and Diamond Hill Crater - Oahu, Hawaii

Hawaii - Oahu - Two half-marathon distance runs on the island of Oahu. One to Tantalus Peak and the other to the Diamond Hill Crater.

An ultrarunning day on the Fimmvörðuháls Trail - Skógar to Thórsmörk, Iceland

Icleand - 50k run on the Fimmvörðuháls Trail from Skógar to Thórsmörk (out-and-back)

Ultrarunning the Avakas Gorge and E4 Long Distance Trail - Kakopetria, Cyprus

Cyprus - 60k run in the Troodos Mountains from the Kykkos Monastery to Kakopetria along the E4 Long Distance Trail.

Running in a volcano at the Haleakalā National Park - Maui, Hawaii

Hawaii - Maui - Epic run through an old Volcano in the Haleakalā National Park

Ultrarunning around an island - Gozo, Malta

Malta - 50k run around an island!

Ultrarunning the Dry Stone Route GR221 (Pollença - Sóller - Valldemossa) - Mallorca, Spain

Spain - Over 70k of running into and out of seaside towns nestled within the mountains of Mallorca

An ultramarathon experience in the Australian Grand Canyon - Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Australia

Australia - 70k of trails in and out of the Blue Mountains, just a 2 hour drive west of Sydney

Running the Grand Canyon of the Pacific - Kauai, Hawaii

Hawaii - Kauai - One of the most accessible runs on Kauai, Hawaii. 8.5 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain in an amazing canyon