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Category: 50K

Change is law – Breakneck Point Trail Run – 2026

Change is law – Breakneck Point Trail Run – 2026

Published by Patrick Durante on May 8, 2026

It’s year 2 of the Breakneck Trail Marathon, and it was amazing. This was the exact feeling I had after I had completed my 2nd Broad Street I’m sure. For the 2nd year in a row I decided on Breakneck over Broad street. Broad street was a Philly race that is the fastest 10 miler in the nation run down the center of the city by some 40,000 people. Why would I head back to New York? I will answer that in this post.

Broad Street was a family tradition I enjoyed for several years, but the more I hit the trail, the more I enjoyed being out in nature, the more I developed a love for the sense of awe that comes from trail racing. Trail running strikes a nerve that road running never did. While if you told me my son or daughter wanted to go run Broad Street I would have to go, but these 2 races are worlds apart, just like I am not the same person that ran Broad Street 20 years ago. Change is law, and it came from this quote.:

“If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.” – Socrates

So yes, I could have kept doing exactly what I have done every year, and got exactly what I had always got. A fast run down a loaded road with thousands of people. I know exactly what that run tastes like. Breakneck is the new kid in town. Will I be saying the same thing after 20 years of Breakneck? Maybe, or maybe not? I don’t know, but what I do know is that my breathe is taken away at the top of some of those views. My limits are pushed on those descents, and as Bud Wilson will tell you, there’s no point in broad street where you feel like doing this:

via GIPHY

If you ran Broad Street, congrats to you. One thing I also broke in my habits is caring about the clock. The goal of this race was DO NOT CRAMP, not PR, seriously, it was to not cramp from going out too hard on hills too steep. How awesome of a race goal is that? I took my time, I took it all in, I enjoyed every damn moment of that race again for a 2nd time. I even took a friend with me. I convinced Bud Wilson, and many others from my video last year that this race is a race that you need to experience. It was a blast seeing a person experience it for the first time, seeing the look in his eyes once he was finished, and also hearing how the race kicked the crap out of him.

Each year I plan my adventures in December for the following year, and I put this one again because its worth the trip and effort. I met so many awesome people in the race and so many of you thanked me for showing them the race through filming it. I was glad that it was inspiring, but thank the people who put this on, the race directors, the volunteer at the aid stations, and most of all the catering at the end. Good lord that BBQ at the finish was great and its almost worth the trip up there for that meal. I hope they keep putting on this event, because it was the highlight of my week, my month, and to many even their year.

For my race report, here are my what went right, what went wrong, and what I did differently this year. I used my own custom high carb gels, and forced myself with a zone 2-3 HR for the first 6 miles until I got to the rock scramble. Those are the 2 things that I did that lead to not over extending myself in the beginning that would have lead to an inability to run later in the race. Hyner 50K with its 6,800 ft of climbing taught me that if a race starts with a massive climb, it has the ability to wreck you, that you struggle to recover from the entire race. Run the first few miles as you would like to be running your last. Why do I still struggle to remember that?

You can find my Gel formula here: https://ultraruncoach.com/gel

Click here to enjoy my 2nd, and final filming of Breakneck. I’ll be back next year, but without the camera.

Keep Coming Back – Blues Cruise 50K Race Report

Keep Coming Back – Blues Cruise 50K Race Report

Published by Patrick Durante on October 8, 2025

If your race didn’t go as expected, that’s OK; it doesn’t matter much. Whether you DNF’d, PR’d, finished DFL, or just got it done, in the end, they’re all just outcomes—they’re not who you are. 12 years of Blues Cruise, and I can tell you with certainty, that while each race plays out slightly different, they all had one underlying theme.  That’s what I plan to cover in this post.

I charted my performances over time… My best performances were shared with others.

This photo shows data points of each year.  That’s what all races are. They are just data points toward the person you want to become. Snapshots of a single day in your life.  Neither good, nor bad, it’s what life allowed for you on that day. Training, weather, mental preparedness, etc, course conditions, are never the same. If I showed you a picture of yourself year after year, it wouldn’t tell the full story of your life, let alone your training. Well, I am slowing down, that’s obvious.  What isn’t shown is everything going on in a person’s life, or how they coped with the stress on race day. Each runner’s experience—and their finish time—is shaped by countless factors: genetics, training, heat acclimation, nutrition, and so many more.

The biggest change I’ve seen in myself over the years is that today, I’ve stopped comparing myself to others—and especially to my past self. Yes, I know I graphed my times, but it was to prove a point. The numbers never tell a full story, like one of my favorite quotes:

“No person ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and they’re not the same person.”

Every year I come back things are so different from the previous year, I can never compare with a past performance. I may think I have control over how the race plays out, but more often than not it feels as though I am at a slot machine each year. Pulling the handle to see what the day brings. I care less about the clock, and more about how the training felt. Was I eager to get out of bed? Did I enjoy the process? Because if that starts to become an issue I will never even make it to the starting line the following year. The race is always the dessert, when it comes to running.  It’s that bonus you GET if you built your fitness AND remained injury free to toe the line. From experience, trying to have a perfect execution on “that” day is a tough, if not near impossible for most unless you have no other commitments. As I age, I care more about just getting to the start vs if I “win”. Winning in ultras is being able to do them, as long as you can, as often as your life allows.

Enjoying the process. Weekly vert over 5K for multiple weeks with Alex and Nick

In the graph above, my best races were always shared with others. I wrote about race day where I ran with 3 very fast females. I wrote about “Damn the Torpedoes” where I met my first athlete Zach I coached. When you get lost in conversation and focus on something other than yourself, you can transcend time, and surprisingly do your best. I had breakout performances where I shared more miles with people vs alone, I was focused on others vs self rumination.

Damn the Torpedoes with Zach (BC 2022)

The weather wasn’t on my side for a perfect execution this year, and that was OK.  What I was thrilled about was putting everything on the line. I went out hard, and enjoyed every moment. The old me cared about time, the new me cares about process and giving each race everything you can.   The races are a point in time on a given day, and truly anything can and DOES happen. You need to take risk, and be OK with failure to see what you are capable of. Like a magical wizard trying to cast a spell, where the incantation has to be perfect to summon the beast. If one word, or ingredient is off, you summon an abomination of a race filled with pain, cramping, blisters, and suffering. Even with all the training, nutrition, and gear, you can still have things fall apart. That’s what coming back each year has taught me, that things go sideways, reality doesn’t always meet expectation, and you need to adjust.

Race day friends – 3 Fast Ladies Race (BC 2019)

So take your data point and move on, evaluate what happened BUT come back next year! That’s what is critical, its not a representation of you, but a snapshot in time where maybe some years the stars aligned. Some runners get it 100% right 100% of the time.  Good for them! I keep signing up because its the process that keeps me motivated, happy, and a better person.  A patient father, and better husband.  Excellence is the ability to endure hardships. Ultras teach you that life isn’t fair, this is hard, and that nobody is coming to save you—except YOU! Well maybe that bean burrito at AS4 was your savior?? 😆

I carried 2 bottles and a bladder?!? WTF? (BC 2015)

While Blues Cruise was my race I came back to each year, it could have been any event. Fall in love with some activity, some race, and just keep doing it. Try to master something silly, as that’s what most people think of ultras. That’s what I love. I’ll NEVER master this race, or anything in the short time I’m here.  I’ll never master ultras, but it doesn’t stop me from trying. I have no choice!

“My dear, Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness. Let it kill you and let it devour your remains. For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover”

“Beating the clock” – AI Generated of 2025 BC finish

Thanks for reading! This isn’t your typical race report; it’s more of a reflection on why I came back the twelve times. I hope you enjoyed it.