In these strange days when even running on a trail in the woods with a group of people feels fraught with immunological danger, it can be difficult to feel connected to other trail runners, to feel part of the community. Virtual races have all the distance and effort of the real thing, but none of the shared experience.

I find myself watching YouTube videos of races, FKT attempts, documentaries on races I’ll probably never run, etc. I’m not sure whether this is some sort of vicarious community experience, or just simply me trying to marinate my isolated brain in the culture.

Whatever the case, these videos motivate me to keep running.

I’ve enjoyed this one, this one, and this one, but the list is endless. I recently binged the entire Golden Trail World Series from 2020. I also discovered this one, a funny little video about a “new” fell running round in Wales, less than an hour from my family’s home village. It got me VERY excited to run on my next visit.

Do you watch, or is it nothing like the real thing for you? What great videos am I missing?