We are clearly in a golden age of modern technology and innovation in the sports of trail running and ultrarunning. It seems like every other week, some new cool device, invention, or formula emerges to seemingly push the sport even further into the future.
As an experienced ultrarunner, I have had to learn to adapt to these changes and challenges while also sticking to my guns on the things I believe are at the core of the sport. As a result, I would like to share three modern changes I like and have embraced, and three I do not like and could do without.
AJW with carbon-plated shoes, carbon poles, and advanced sports nutrition during the 2025 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Positive Changes
Shoes
The evolution in shoe technology has quite literally saved my running career. Due to four hip surgeries over the past decade, I have had to adapt my training and my body to a new reality. Advancements in foam technology, as well as carbon-plated shoes, have enabled me to continue to enjoy running even as my body has, from time to time, rebelled.
Advances in shoe technology can keep runners on the trails for longer. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Nutrition
It was not too long ago that many of us struggled to figure out the eternal mystery of ultrarunning and nutrition. A decade or so ago, it seemed like everyone had an opinion of what worked and what didn’t, and there were no clear answers anywhere. Advances in science, as well as truly revolutionary research, have allowed the sports nutrition industry to dial in some current best practices for runners, even mid-to-back-of-the-packers like me, and eliminate much of the guesswork that once dominated the sport. While much research remains to be done in this area, progress has been great.
GPS Watches
Those of us who’ve been around for a while remember the days when the distance of most of our trail runs was simply a guesstimate. We often had to count on outdated U.S. Forest Service maps to give us just an inkling of how far we had to go to the next aid station. Not anymore! The advent of the GPS watch with pace-per-mile splits, maps, and other cool features — many of which I don’t understand — has given us a much truer sense of our training and racing and the tools we need to make it longer in the sport.
GPS watches can give us all the information we need, and some that we don’t. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Negative Changes
Phones
If there is one thing about running that I have always cherished, it’s that it provides me a daily opportunity to get away from the distractions of life and focus solely on the task at hand. Unfortunately, these days, the ubiquitous cell phone provides nearly constant distraction, and as a result, I choose to never bring my phone with me when I run — unless it is required by the event I am participating in, or my wife makes me, and even then, I keep it turned off until I need it. When I tell people this, most folks look at me dumbfounded as they can’t imagine spending two to three hours on a Saturday morning untethered from their phones. As for me, I’ll take untethered any day!
Headphones
I understand that many people like to spend time on their runs listening to music or catching up on their favorite podcasts. Not me! I gave up using headphones while running long ago. Running gives me the opportunity to connect with my surroundings through all five senses. The sights, smells, and sounds I encounter while running on my favorite trail are what make the experience whole for me. Depriving myself of hearing birds chirping or the rushing river beside me lessens the experience and makes it incomplete.
Many runners don’t leave home without their headphones. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Influencers
There is no doubt that social media has opened up the world of trail running and ultrarunning to a whole new population that may never have found it otherwise. Websites, podcasts, and videos provide would-be runners with an up-close-and-personal look at the sport that was, for years, mysterious and unreachable. Along the way, running influencers emerged and now have a disproportionate impact on the sport’s social media. While I understand the commercial value these folks bring to the sport, I can’t help but long for the simpler days when the influencing took place in person, out on the trails, or around the campfire afterward.
Trust Me
And there you have it, my take on the pros and cons of modern technology and innovation in trail running and ultrarunning. Here’s hoping some of you can leave your phones behind, shed the headphones, and be influenced by what’s on the inside rather than all the noise on the outside. Trust me, it’s worked for decades!
AJW during the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile: no phone, no headphones, and only some influencing. Photo: CTS Ultrarunning
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Watertown Brewing Company in Watertown, South Dakota. Codington Cream Ale is a deliciously crisp take on a classic style, brewed with regional malt and a touch of corn. It is a surprisingly smooth, sweet cream ale perfect for any occasion.
Call for Comments
- What technological innovations from recent years do you love? What are some that you could do without?
- Do you agree with AJW’s pros and cons?
