Ultramarathons in January
January ultras are a choice: cold mud and short days up north, or a trip south to warm singletrack in Texas, Arizona or Hawaiʻi, where HURT and Bandera set the tone. Either way, you'll do your biggest weeks while everyone else is doing holiday parties.
Count back from race day
- Mid-July: start the 10-week primer
- Late September: start the 16-week 50K plan
- Late December: peak week
- Mid-January: race day
Your training season. Fall is the best running weather of the year, and you get all of it. The catch is weeks 9 through 15, which land on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Plan your long runs around the family, not the other way round.
Masters Athlete Insights
Cold muscles tear easier at 50 than at 30. Add ten minutes of warm-up indoors before winter long runs, and treat headlamp miles as easy miles.
Start the 16-week 50K plan · Not 26 weeks out yet? Begin with the 10-week primer.
