Happy Friday runner! Here’s another dose of running fun, inspiration, and motivation for you. We travel to Utah for pancakes, to Sweden for a huge marathon, and to northern Spain for an FKT attempt.

Before we get started:

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Alrighty, let’s get started ⤵️

You may or may not have heard about it: the Marathon des Sables. A seven-day ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert.

You may have seen videos about this race before, but unless you follow Kara and Nate, you likely missed out on this one. Kara and Nate are a traveling YouTube couple. They’re great at capturing their journeys and events like this. Over the last few years, Nate has really gotten into ultra running. The Marathon des Sables was one of his first longer races.

At an hour and a half, I think this is the perfect watch for after your Sunday long run (lounging on the sofa with some good snacks), or to finish off the weekend!

Imagine… You’ve just hiked to the top of a mountain, and someone hands you a pancake.

Who would be so crazy to give away pancakes there? Ha! That would be Zach Frisch, aka @trailswithzach. Last summer he and twelve friends cooked 500 pancakes on the summit for everyone who made it up. Carrying all the supplies meant Zach went up the mountain twice in 24 hours.

It’s a good example of Zach’s account (and why you should follow him): fun challenges, big mountain days, guides and race reports.

Zach is also fast. Last year he set the FKT (fastest known time) on the Timpanokee Trail to the summit in 2:14:38, almost two minutes quicker than a record that had stood since 2016.

What I like most about Zach is that he comes across as the friendly guy who’d talk you into your first trail run. Reason to follow? Entertainmen and good running vibes.

60,000 runners, and around 200,000 people cheering. Roughly 50 bands playing along the course. That’s the Göteborgsvarvet, the world’s biggest half marathon (or so they say).

The course loops through Gothenburg’s best bits. You cross two big bridges, with views over the harbour and the archipelago. You also run down the city’s main boulevard and finish on the track inside a stadium. It’s not a pancake flat race, so expect a few rolling climbs.

Also worth mentioning: this is an afternoon race. Waves start between 13:00 and 16:15, so no 5 am alarm or missing out on the hotel’s breakfast buffet.

The 2027 edition is on Saturday 22 May, and… it’s already sold out. Registration opened the day after this year’s race, and every bib was gone in about three days.

Still keen? Join the free official waiting list. When someone gives up their bib, it’s offered to the next person in line, and you get three days to claim it. With the race still being so far out, I think quite a few bibs will be given up.

Thinking 2028 instead? Based on this year, entries will open right after the 2027 race. Set a reminder, because they’ll definitely sell out again.

Merino wool has been getting more and more attention in the running space, and after a week in this Janji hoodie, I’m starting to see why.

I’m writing this from northern Spain, where the past few days I was helping my friend Lydia with her FKT attempt on the Camino de Santiago (which came to an unfortunate ending). The Rover Merino Hoodie has been one of the items I’ve worn the most so far.

Day one, me and Lydia went into the night. We jogged and hiked through what felt like a warm, foggy cloud, then climbed 1,000 metres (about 3,300 ft) up the mountain, after which we hit extremely heavy gusts of wind. I had a rain jacket stuffed in my hydration vest the whole time, but I never needed to take it out. Just this base layer was enough. It’s got thumb slits so the sleeves come down over your hands, so my hands stayed pretty warm too.

That climb is also where I got pretty sweaty. The next day? No smell. I mean, none. That’s the big perk of merino and why it’s so popular: it’s naturally antimicrobial, so it doesn’t hang on to odour as most synthetic tops do. When you’re on the move for days, and a washing machine isn’t a given, that’s gold.

This specific hoodie is not 100% merino wool. It’s a blend (37% merino, 55% nylon, 8% spandex), so it’s stretchy and dries quickly.

$136 (roughly €125 / £105). Definitely not cheap, but this one long sleeve would probably have been good for all colder runs on this trip. That’s worth a lot.

This week, I was helping Lydia on her FKT attempt on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain.

Lydia already holds one FKT of the Camino de Santiago (the Lisbon to Santiago route). This would have been her second FKT of the Camino. Unfortunately, we had to stop due to medical reasons (rhabdomyolysis). Part of the sport, one could say. You can never fully control what happens.

Anyway, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a section here. Because even though we had to shorten the trip, it’s been gorgeous. If you’ve ever considered doing the Camino, I would highly recommend it. Some parts are more interesting than others, but overall it’s been such a beautiful route.

This is the first time I got to crew something like this. It was quite something. Very intense, challenging, and fun. From pacing, to driving the campervan to the next stop, doing groceries, refueling/restocking our supplies, or catching up on work. The evenings? A quick meal, then bed. Time flew by.

I’m sure this isn’t the end of the adventure. Lydia is unstoppable. The only question is what’s next on the timeline. But for now, I wish her all the rest she needs 🍀

That’s it for another edition of RunLetters ✅ This one wasn’t the easiest to write, being on the road and not having great internet or a plug for my laptop, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Here’s to a great weekend ahead ☀️

Caroline