Midlife is the perfect time to start trail running — how to get into it

Earlier this year, 62-year-old Karla Wagner placed second in the 100-mile division of the Grandmaster Ultras, an Arizona event for 50-and-over runners known as the “grandmaster” category. Wagner avoided running for most of her adult life because it triggered her asthma, but when medication improved she added trail running to her fitness mix in her early fifties and became hooked.

She built up to 100-mile races and, at 60, finished the Moab 240-mile ultra. “It’s just amazing to me how far you can travel on foot,” she says. “And it’s fun!” Trail running happens on dirt trails rather than paved roads; races longer than marathon distance are called ultramarathons, or “ultras.” Trails often lead through less-developed terrain — mountains, deserts and rocky singletrack — and walking difficult stretches is an accepted part of the sport.

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