Alexi Pappas is many things: Olympian, actress, author, filmmaker… and now—ultrarunner. Last summer, she experienced Western States for the first time and wrote a story for us about pacing a new friend and her ultrarunning journey.

“Ultimately, what I learned is that, yes, ultrarunning is about pushing yourself beyond your preconceived limits,” writes Alexi, “but it’s also about taking care of each other and celebrating what it is to simply be in the wilderness and experience the outdoors in a wholly unique way.”

We think Brendan Leonard is a national treasure. He’s been writing books and creating info-graphs and drawings that help us make sense of our lives for years. Well, we’ve cajoled him into creating original work for UltraSignup.

* Also, check out his Strava poetry and productivity tips for dads.

The limit doesn’t exist.

With Janji’s latest Spring/Summer 2023 Collection comes the arrival of their latest and greatest Multi Short. Designed to go further — the Janji Multi Short is a lightweight, 4-way stretch trail short with an extra-breathable, micro-perforated shell and integrated moisture-wicking compression short liner with a multi-pocketed waistband can easily secure nutrition, headlamp, gloves, phone, keys and more.

Incorporated securely into the waistband, the 5+ pockets are so sneakily tucked away, you might have to poke around to find them.

Plus, the Ultrasignup community gets 15% off their first Janji purchase with code ULTRASIGNUP15.

⛽ Decision Fatigue: With all the fueling options available to us at our local run store, it’s hard to know where to even start. Trail Runner’s nutrition expert, Kylee Van Horn, walks us through the myriad fueling options for differing tastes.

?️ Run Talk: Brian Metzler joins Finn Melanson on the Singletrack Podcast to discuss trail running fandom, marketing, doping, prize money, and the value of sports journalism in ultrarunning. Listen on Apple, YouTube, or Spotify.

⬆️ A Message from the Late Cretaceous: It took six days and 637 miles to create this velociraptor (the largest GPS art project to date.) “Dinosaurs are proof that such strong species can quickly become extinct. We are the main culprits of this environmental crisis, but also its main victims. As such, the future is in our hands and cycling [and running] is one of the best ways to contribute to change.” ?

? Imposter Syndrome Be Gone: Jessa Marie posted this heart-felt thank you to the ultra community. “My hope is that someone else who doesn’t think they can- maybe they struggle with mental health or their weight- will read my story and try too.”

? Tweet of the Week: “If you DNF or DNS a running race would you still keep the T-shirt and wear it?” ~ @miken_running

➡️ Lastly, here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week.