What’s up Crew,

This week’s got a little bit of everything:
some sad news,
some WTM hype upcoming,
and,
a reminder that endurance people are simply wired different.

Let’s get into it.

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Let’s start with the tough one.

VJ Shoes USA has officially closed. The global VJ brand is still active, but for OCR in North America, this one stings.

For a long time, VJ was the answer when the course got greasy, steep, sketchy, and downright disrespectful.

They weren’t just another trail shoe. They were part of OCR culture.

A lot of us trusted VJs when the terrain got ugly. So yeah, this feels like the end of an era. If you raced in them, you already know exactly why this hits.

Get Hyped guys.

World’s Toughest Mudder is coming fast. This year’s race is set for June 27–28, 2026 at Belvoir Castle in the UK, and it’s the full 24-hour monster built around relentless 5-mile loops.

That means the window for “I’ll figure my gear out later” is closing real fast.

So instead of tossing out another generic checklist, I’m building something better.

Over the next couple weeks, I’m talking with people who’ve actually been there and paid the price. That includes Nicole Coccia, Corey Edwards, John Castle, and more professionals in the sport who know exactly what works when the race gets Cold, Dark, Wet, and Weird.

I want the real answers: what they wore, what held up, what failed, what they changed at 2 a.m., what they’d never bring again, and what they wish they had tested sooner.

WTM is not a race where you wing it!
Backup shoes matter.
Extra kit matters.
Testing your setup before race day matters.
And so much more.

If you’ve got a WTM gear question you want me to ask the regulars, hit reply and send it over.

BPN’s Go One More Ultra was a blast to follow this weekend. They’ve got a few days of YouTube coverage here, but not the final day and winner just yet as of the writing of this.
And they have plenty of solid Instagram Content here, that’s fun to watch.

It’s a backyard ultra at Bare Ranch in Texas, where runners take on a 4.2-mile loop every hour until only one person is left standing.

I’ve seen some of ya’ll OCR people taking part in these backyard ultras in the past, so most of you know what’s up.

The Rain that came down like 24 hours in and made the course an ABSOLUTE MESS. Mud caked onto shoes, wearing everyone down BAD out there.

I won’t push out the full story; we should expect a longer YouTube doc on the whole thing one of these days soon.

But would any of you guess someone would go over 300 miles?!?!

Well.
Spoiler Alert.

This year, Mark Dowdle outlasted everyone with 73 laps. That’s 306.6 miles.

It’s honestly not that much different than OCR events we do. The only difference is the lack of obstacles.
But it’s got the same beautiful sickness we face in a big Tough Mudder, WTM or a Spartan Ultra:
pacing,
fueling,
sleep deprivation,
problem-solving, and
seeing who can keep showing up when everyone else is cooked.
Even if you’ve never done a Backyard Ultra, some of you guys know what that’s like.

I’ve been loving the coverage, and it’s well worth checking out if you enjoy watching people go way past the point where normal people would quit.

Saving CASH means you can sign-up & travel to more races 🤘
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“As ultra legend Kilian Jornet says about fueling:
‘Normal food is not a problem… but gels give that quick boost when you need it most.’

More coming in 2026 😎
Check it out HERE.