The Changing Landscape of Ultrarunning (In-Person & Live-Streamed LAM Talk)
Tue, May 28, 20247:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Los Alamos Nature Center or Virtual
2600 Canyon Rd. , Los Alamos , NM 87544
Admission: Free (please select an in-person or virtual ticket).
Join PEEC and the Los Alamos Mountaineers for the May Mountaineers meeting and presentation. There will be a mountaineers meeting at the beginning of the event (about 15 minutes), then we'll hear from David Coblentz about his 25 years of experience ultrarunning. You can view the presentation in-person at Los Alamos Nature Center or from home via Zoom (slides and audio only). Please register in advance.
In the past 25 years, ultrarunning (running competitions longer than marathon distance) has transitioned from a fringe sport with about 10,000 total finishes in 1998 to more than 130,000 total finishes in 2023. Consequently, there are many more runners training and competing on remote trails. In contrast to ultrarunners from 25 years ago, many of these runners lack backcountry experience and the number of search and rescue responses involving trail runners has increased markedly in recent years. Coincidently, climate change over the past 25 years has had a significant impact on the hazards present in the backcountry (e.g., affecting wildfire hazard, storm and lightning severity, and the character of avalanches). In this presentation, David will discuss the issues surrounding the convergence of changes in the sport of ultrarunning with a changing climate, with a particular focus on safety in the mountains.
Admission: Free (please select an in-person or virtual ticket).
