Next month a new television network will launch called Esquire TV. It will feature all kinds of programming aimed at a predominantly male audience but with a little something that will be of interest to just about everyone. One of their first original shows will be Boundless, an eight-part documentary series that will follow friends and endurance athletes Simon Donato and Paul "Turbo" Trebilcock on a series of adventures around the globe. For instance, they'll take part in an seven-day stage ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert and and a 46-mile foot race across the Serengeti in Kenya.

The show begins airing on Sept. 25 and for a taste of what to expect, check out the video below.

Mountaineer turned ultrarunner Ben Clark has set an impressive goal for himself this summer. The man who has climbed multiple Himalayan peaks, including Everest, will be facing an entirely different kind of challenge when he sets out to complete Nolan's 14 – a 100-mile long route in Colorado that features 90,000 feet of vertical gain, linking 14 different mountains of 14,000 feet (4267 meters) in height or more. If he can complete the route in less than 60 hours, he'll add his name to a short, but distinguished, list of other runners who have managed to finish the grueling run as well. 

The state of Colorado has 54 mountains that rise above 14,000 feet. Locally they are known as the "14'ers" and many climbers take great pride in adding some or all of those peaks to their resume. One of those climbers was a man named Jim Nolan who discovered that the highest number of those 14'ers that a person could bag in a 100-mile stretch was 14. Thus the idea of Nolan's 14 was born with the challenge of completing a 100-mile long run up and over all 14 peaks in a quick of a time as possible. 

The concept of Nolan's 14 was strong enough to attract a field of ultrarunners for an unofficial race that ran between 1999 and 2001. Since that time, only seven runners have managed to complete the full course, navigating between Mt. Massive and Mt. Shavano along a path of their own choosing. This freedom of route finding allows the runner look for the most efficient way to cover the 100 miles while still topping out on as many of the 14'ers along the way as they possibly can. Ben hopes to get all 14 and still finish in under 60 hours.

Training for such an event is no small feat and last week in a post to the Osprey Packs Blog, Ben shared some thoughts on what he has been doing for the past two months to prepare for this epic run. He has spent a great deal of time in recent weeks scouting the route and picking the lines that will work best for him so that he can cover the distance in as fast of a time as possible. The best part? He isn't doing this to raise funds for a charity or to draw attention to one of his sponsors. He's taking on the Nolan's 14 strictly for the challenge of it. He wants to see if he can do it in under 60 hours with no other motivations other than just pushing himself to test the limits of his own endurance. 

Ben will begin his Nolan's 14 run next Sunday, August 25 and with any luck, he'll wrap it up two-and-a-half day later. I'll keep you posted on his results. Good luck Ben! 

The Swiss Irontrail ultramarathon, now in its second year, is the longest and highest single-stage running event in Europe. The race, which takes place this weekend, covers 201.4 km (125.2 miles) through the Alps in the Graubünden region of Switzerland. It promises to be a tough and demanding event that will test both the mental and physical endurance of the athletes.

One of those athletes is ultrarunner Rebecca Byerly who has been prepping for the Irontrail and creating a series of training videos for Mammut in the process. In the video below, you'll see Rebecca and friends running a 222 km (137 mile) race known as La Ultra - The High, which takes place in the foothills of the Himalaya. The race climbs through the Khardung-La pass, which falls at an altitude of 5395 meters (17,700 ft), making this a truly difficult high altitude challenge. Just another day in the life of an ultra-runner who is preparing for even more challenging races to come.

While we're on the subject of ultrarunning today I thought I'd mention that the Badwater Ultra, one of the toughest running races on the planet, has been taking place over the past couple of days. The race begins in Badwater, California, which is located deep in the heart of Death Valley and runs for 135 miles (217 km) through that harsh environment before ending at the Mt. Whitney Portals. Considering Badwater falls at 280 feet (85 meters) below sea level and ends at 8300 feet (2530 meters) you get the idea of how much vertical gain is involved over the course of the run.

While a few racers will continue to cross the finish line today, the leaders have already wrapped up their runs and have done so in impressive times. This year's winner is Carlos Alberto Gomes DeSá of Portugal who completed the run in just 24 hours, 38 minutes and 16 seconds. Second place went to Grant Maughan of Australia with a time of 24:53:57 and third place was claimed by Oswaldo Lopez who crossed the line at 25:27:03. The fastest woman was Catherine Todd, who finished in 29:55:29, with ultrarunning legend Pam Reed not far behind at 30:39:58.

It still amazes me that anyone is capable of running 135 miles through conditions like those found in Death Valley in as little as 24 hours. These runners are supreme athletes in fantastic condition and I admire their dedication and determination. It was also nice to see Charlie Engle back in the game and coming in 5th place over all at 26 hours, 15 minutes and 35 seconds. If you know anything about Charlie's story over the past few years, you'll probably understand what an accomplishment that is.

Congrats to all the runners. Amazing efforts all around. I'll be thinking of each of them tonight when I do a mere 8 miles.

A month ago the New York Times ran a great article on Kilian Jornet that was surely an amazing introduction to ultrarunning for the uninitiated. It seems the "paper of record" isn't done introducing the mainstream readers to amazing endurance athletes, as earlier this week they also ran an excellent profile of Lizzy Hawker, perhaps the best female endurance athlete in the world today.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Lizzy, her resume is certainly an impressive one. She has won the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc on five separate occasions, and finished first in over 35 other ultra-length trail races. She recently ran from Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu in just 71 hours and 25 minutes, a new personal best for a run that she has done in the past. She'll run on trail, pavement and track and sometimes logs as much as 150 miles (240 km) in a single week. She was also named a 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and perhaps most impressively of all, she holds a doctorate in polar oceanography from Cambridge. In short, she's smart, athletically gifted and very driven.

In the New York Times article, Hawker talks about her first major trail race, the very tough UTMB that she entered on a whim and ended up winning. It was then that she discovered that she had a real talent for running long distances and the rest is history. After that race she accepted an offer of sponsorship from the North Face, but to this day she trains on her own, doesn't have a coach and doesn't run with a club. Her own work ethic, instilled in her at a young age, continues to drive her forward and she seems to thrive on the solitude of running in remote places.

For many of you who read this blog, Lizzy is a well known athlete. But for the average person she is a complete unknown. Most have never been exposed to the world of ultrarunning which makes these profiles from the Times extra special. These athletes deserve the recognition that they are getting and I'm glad that mainstream press is sharing their stories, if only to expose them and their sports to a wider audience.

Attention ultrarunners! Are you looking for a new challenge to add to your race schedule in 2014? If so, the the newly announced Desert Challenge may be just what you're looking for. The event will feature two races, in two very different deserts next year, both of which will lead up to a third event which has yet to be named.

The first race is called the TransOmania and as the name implies, it will be taking place in the country of Oman. The full course will run coast-to-coast across that country, covering a distance of 300 km (186 miles). Two shorter routes, one 200 km (124 miles) in length, the other 130 km (80 miles), will also be available, each running through the very heart of the Wahiba Sands, a beautiful desert with diverse landscapes and wildlife. The TransOmania ultramarathon is scheduled to take place in January.

The second race in the Desert Challenge will be the TransArabia, which will run from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea in Jordan. This race will feature three courses that include lengths of 300 km , 200 km and 100 km (62 miles). Competitors will of course run non-stop, passing through the spectacular Wadi Rum desert and the incomparable Petra along the way. The TransArabia is scheduled to take place in November of 2014. 

The two races are being managed by Raid Sahara and my friends at Lost World Racing, both of which have years of experience organizing long distance running events in extreme environments. They've come up with an interesting new concept in desert races, beginning and ending on coastlines, while still featuring plenty of wide-open desert along the length of the rest of the course. Both races will be tough and demanding, yet incredibly rewarding at the same time. These two new ultra marathons are set to make a very big splash on endurance scene next year. 

The Desert Challenge was just announced yesterday, so there isn't a lot more information available just yet. the website domain for the TransArabia race has been claimed, but as of this writing, the site hasn't launched just yet. Keep an eye on the page for future updates. 

On a side note, I visited Jordan last year and had an absolutely wonderful time. The country is beautiful, with a rich and ancient culture. The people there couldn't have been more friendly and visiting both Wadi Rum and Petra were amongst the highlights of my travels. The fact this race will put you right into the heart of those environments is amazing. 

Stay tuned for more information soon. 

Way back in February I told you about a new trail running event that is scheduled to take place in the Patagonian region of Chile this September. The 2nd annual Patagonian International Marathon is set to take place on September 28 inside Torres del Paine National Park and will offer competitions ranging in length from a mere 10k, all the way up to a full-blown 63k ultramarathon. Now, organizers of the event have announced that a well-known endurance athlete has joined the race and will be competing alongside other top endurance athletes.

Ultra-runner Billy Barnette, who is featured in the best selling book Born to Run, has come onboard the Patagonian International Marathon to serve as an international ambassador who will not only promote the event, but also its efforts to support conservation in Chile's breathtaking wilderness. While there, he'll be competing in the all-new 63k ultramarathon (39.1 mile).

If you'd like to take part in the Patagonian Internatonal Marathon, registration for the event is now open. Prices are very reasonable for an event like this one and you simply can't beat the scenery you'll be running through. But the competition isn't just about a race in one of the world's most beautiful places, as it is also meant to bring awareness of the challenges in the arena of conservation that Patagonia faces as well.

For more information about the race visit PatagonianInternationalMarathon.com.

Want a little inspiration for a weekend run? Look no further than this interview with Dean Karnazes, probably the most well known ultra-runner in the world. Dean talks about how he got started in running, what his daily running routine consists of and his passion for running really long distance. This is a guy, after all, who has run more than 250 mile (400 km) non-stop. And yet, he still says he's just an average guy.

Ultrarunning has gone mainstream today as the New York Times has published an excellent interview/profile of Kilian Jornet, perhaps the greatest endurance athlete on the planet. The article does an excellent job of showing Kilian not only as a focused and determined runner driven to accomplish his amazing goals but also as a regular guy who just happens to love being in the outdoors, just like you and me.

Of course, as we all know, he isn't just a regular guy. This is the man who managed to run up and back down Kilimanjaro in just 7 hours, 14 minutes. He's the guy that came out of nowhere to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc at the age of 20, setting a new course record in the process. He has since won the Western States and just about any other ultra-marathon he has entered. Part of the reason he is so good is that his VO2 max has been recorded at 89.5, which is amongst the highest ever. But Kilian is also a relentless in his training, in part because he simply loves what he does so much.

As he continues to push himself to new heights, both literally and figuratively, Kilian is pursuing his Summits of My Life project, which will see him make speed attempts on a number of mountains, including Mont Blanc, Elbrus, Denali, Aconcagua and even Everest. The NYT article even suggests he may be headed to the Himalaya this spring to test his lungs and skills in that environment. They even compare him to guys like Ueli Steck and Chad Kellogg, who are more experienced pure mountaineers although probably not as gifted athletically.

Reading this profile I came away even more amazed at Kilian's accomplishment. The man truly is a running and climbing machine. But I write about him, and other outdoor athletes like him on a regular basis, so hearing these stories doesn't really surprise me all that much. I couldn't help but wonder what the average New York Times reader must think when reading about his exploits however. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of them weren't even aware that it is humanly possible to do some of the things that Jornet or other endurance athletes do. He is a special athlete to be sure.

Thanks to my friend Bill Snyder for sharing this. Much appreciated. Great story and good to see something like this in the mainstream press.

Outdoor athletes looking for a new challenge this year may want to consider the Patagonian International Marathon, which takes place in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park on September 28. The race, which returns for its second year, promises runners a unique challenge in one of the most beautiful places on Earth while striving to also protect that amazing wilderness.

The 2012 edition of the marathon drew more than 400 racers from 17 different countries and this year's edition looks to do the same. Organizers of the event, who also put together the outstanding Patagonian Expedition Race, offer four different lengths for runners to run. Those lengths include 63k (39.1 miles), 42k (26.2 miles), 21k (13.1 miles) and 10k (6.2 miles).

And oh what a course this is sure to be. Torres del Paine features spectacular mountain vistas, pristine rivers and streams, crystal clear lakes and beautiful glaciers. Each of the routes shares parts of the same trail, which runs through the heart of the national park, giving runners an opportunity to experience this unique place in the best way possible – on foot!

The race isn't just about running through one of the most breathtaking places on the planet however as it also is used to raise awareness of the importance of protecting this magical place. The marathon is run in conjunction with NIGSA, an organization dedicated ensuring the sustainable development of Patagonia, while spearheading conservation efforts to keep the region as pure and untouched as possible.

Registration for the event is now open with early-bird discounts running through the end of the  month. This is an opportunity to run a marathon (or longer!) in a place that many consider to be the last great wilderness on Earth. And while you're there, race organizers are also offering some great add-ons to help you enjoy the place even more. For example, you can go kayaking on the Strait of Magellan, tracking Vicuna in a conservation park or trekking in the Karukinka and Darwin Mountain Ranges. These options allow you to add even more adventure to your trip.

Sound like fun? Better get training now!

Earlier this week I posted a story on the Last Desert ultramarathon, a tough six-stage, seven-day race that just wrapped up in Antarctica. The event capped the 2012 edition of the 4 Deserts series of races and was a grueling event that tested athletes both physically and mentally.

One of the competitors in the event is a 60-year old adventurer by the name of Len Stanmore and by completing the race he has managed to add yet another accomplishment to his already impressive resume. Len is now officially the first person to ski to both the North and South Pole, climb all of the Seven Summits and run each of the 4 Deserts ultras. That's quite a bit of adventure for one lifetime.

Len's adventurous life actually began back in 1998, when he sold off his successful telecommunications company and suddenly found himself financially secure and with plenty of time on his hands. A bit out of shape and looking for ways to motivate himself, he decided to set a goal for climbing Kilimanjaro and in 2001 he did just that. After that he was hooked, and soon found himself pursuing a host of other active endeavors including running in the Transrockies Run and numerous marathons, in addition to the expeditions mentioned above.

Perhap's Len's greatest achievement falls in the realm of fund raising for his favorite charity. At the end of the Last Desert, he'll have raised more than $100,000 for Trekking for Kids, an organization dedicated to improving orphanages around the globe through the use of purpose-driven, socially-conscious treks. The non-profit actually organizes some of the world's most iconic treks and sends hikers off on adventures as a way to raise funds for the cause. Some of those treks include hikes to Everest Base Camp, up Kilimanjaro and through the Andes of Peru.

According to the official results of the Last Desert, Stanmore has finished 31st of 49 competitors, putting him right in the thick of the pack. But considering he adventurous outlook on life and approach to raising funds for a good cause, I'd say he more than finished out front. You definitely have to respect a person who has found a way to enjoy their life and pursue all of these great adventures, while still finding a way to give back in the process. We should all be so fortunate.

One of the more unique ultra-marathon events in the world got underway this past weekend with the start of the Last Desert marathon in Antarctica. The event annually draws a group of very dedicated runners who travel to the bottom of the world to compete in an endurance event in one of the more extreme environments on the planet.

The seven-day, six-stage race if the fourth and final event in the 4 Deserts ultra-marathon series. In order to compete in the Last Desert, the 49 competitors, from 27 countries, first had to finish at least two of the other three events. Those races are held in the Sahara, Atacama and Gobi Deserts and are equally as grueling as this one.

 The Last Desert course covers 250 km (155 miles) that are spread out over six days of racing. During that time, the athletes will visit such locations as the South Shetland Islands, Jougla Point, Petermann Island and Deception Island. Those locations will serve as the challenging and dramatic backdrops for one promises to be one of the most difficult endurance challenges that these competitors will ever encounter.

Simply getting to the starting line of this race is quite an endeavor. The competitors first had to fly to Ushuaia, Argentina where they then boarded a ship to sail across the infamous Drake Passage, a place that is well known for its rough seas and unpredictable weather. With that crossing complete, they were then free to begin their week-long test of endurance, during which they are running more than a marathon each day in conditions that include plenty of ice and snow that can be as much as a meter deep.

The Last Marathon will run through Sunday of this week and at its completion, the entire group will once again have to sail across the Southern Ocean to return to Ushuaia.

Pretty amazing event. I have a great deal of respect for these men and women and their obvious love for  running long distances in somewhat less than ideal conditions.