‘ello runner! Another Friday, another edition of RunLetters, with this week an ultra in Patagonia, an inspiring ASICS Frontrunner, the Cape Town Marathon ballot, trail running poles, Puma’s project for sub-elite runners, and…

If you want to run your best half marathon later this year, you need to check out the last section, “The Finish Line”. (Or… you can go directly here).

Let’s get started ⤵️

The Patagonia 100 is not an easy race, not one for the faint-hearted. But the views and landscapes are… pretty damn impressive.

I’ve featured Kara and Nate here before. One of the reasons I like featuring their videos is that they are not your typical “running influencers”. They are travel vloggers.

Nate is the runner; Kara crews him. Together, they’re able to show us both sides of running a race like this. And while Nate is slowly becoming an experienced ultra runner, this race still challenges him in new ways.

It’s a great watch, and perfect for the weekend! Enjoy.

Danielle Lubbe is an ASICS frontrunner on a mission. Or rather, various missions.

One of them is finding run clubs that are truly inclusive, welcoming runners of every pace. No wonder, given that she once started a group for exactly this (her Couch Potato Run Club). In other posts, she talks about the various ASICS shoes she owns or breaks down new ones (and does so very elegantly, not making them better or prettier than they are). She also ran across South Africa in a relay.

She seems like a great person. Someone worth following.

You can see her full story in the post below.

Are you trying to run all the World Majors?

Do you want to run a big city marathon?

Then the Cape Town Marathon might be the one for you. And good news: you’re still in time to enter the ballot. It’s open now (10–24 June 2026). Results will be emailed on 26 June, and race day is 23 May 2027.

This is the first edition of this marathon as the 8th Abbott World Marathon Major and Africa's first. Their entry model is a little unusual compared to others (but I love this): two-thirds of places are reserved for African runners.

If you’re keen, then don’t wait too long. June 24th is right around the corner. The entry fee for international runners from outside Africa is $265.

If you’ve ever looked at getting trail running poles, you’ve probably come across brands like Leki and Black Diamond. Or maybe Decathlon’s Kiprun.

All good options. But they’re not the only options out there.

Zenone is a very strong contender. You may never have heard of the brand, but in China, they’ve got a big footprint. There’s a reason for that. They specialise in one thing only: POLES. And you can tell, because their quality proves it. This high-level standard is probably achieved because they manufacture everything in their own factory.

The poles down below, their “Ultra Light Trekking Poles 2.0”, are foldable aluminium poles that weigh only ~108-128 grams (depending on the size you choose). That’s LIGHTER than Leki’s carbon poles.

If you’ve ever looked at running poles, you probably know that weight matters. Especially on ultras, you want as little weight as possible. Zenone is an absolute champion here. Combine that with their own fast deploy mechanism and the good quality, and you’ve got a very solid pair of poles.

And… they’re more affordable, too.

For the fast runners among us who have a race bib secured for Chicago or Berlin, you may want to check out Project3. This is Puma’s amateur sub-elite program, a very fun and cool incentive.

The program pays runners $3,000 for a 3-minute (or bigger) PB and includes 12 weeks of coaching, sports-psych and nutrition support, kit, and the Fast-R3 shoe.

Right now, it’s focusing on the Berlin & Chicago Marathons. Applications open June 22 and are open until June 26 at puma-project3.com.

That’s it for this edition! Thank you so much for reading another RunLetters.

I’m currently in Norway and will be running the Midnight Sun Marathon tomorrow (though I’ve opted to run the half, not the full). So stay tuned for a little race report in next week’s edition.

HALF MARATHON PROGRAM

Also… my half marathon program is now live. If you have a half marathon on the calendar later this year, I’d love for you to join. You can learn more here. Coaching starts June 29.

The reason for this program is simple: I had so many people reach out to me about coaching over the last months, but for many, the price of full 1-on-1 coaching was a bit too much. I completely get that. You likely have other hobbies, a gym membership, and maybe another sport that you do. All cost $$. This program is a bit of a hybrid form of coaching. It’s not full 1-on-1 coaching, but it does include a lot of the same benefits. Have a look, and if you’re curious, give it a try.

There’s a completely free 7-day trial, so you can try it out and see if it’s for you!

Here’s to a great weekend ahead ☀️

Caroline