Category: Patagonia

• The After Effects

  Back in NYC after the Patagonia ultra, 2017. Shin splints, a 10-pound weight loss, cankles, and silly happiness. The after-effects of 155 miles, plus a hot shower that belongs in…

• My desert island GEAR!

  The gear that made the difference in Patagonia 2017. Iris Derke’s complete breakdown of what to bring to a 155-mile self-supported desert ultra, from toe socks to trekking poles to…

• Done!!

  Buenos Aires airport, Patagonia 2017 done. Brain muted into stunned silence, body rewired, and a smile she can’t seem to turn off. On what a 155-mile ultra does to the…

• HERE I AM!!!

  The Long March of Patagonia 2017: 25 hours on the course. Iris Derke finally back online, barely able to process what just happened. The hardest and most rewarding 25 hours…

• Highs and Lows

  Stage 3 of Patagonia 2017: 23 miles, nine hours, and a back-of-the-packer who is still here. On horses, mountains, music in the trees, and the moment you almost leave your…

• Day Two

  Day 2 of Patagonia 2017: 20 miles of endless roads, a river crossing on train tracks, a family with empanadas, and a porta-potty truck with terrible timing. Grit is the…

• Pre Race

  Settling into base camp in Patagonia the night before the race. A white water raft to reach it, a tent of seven Brits, freeze-dried food warming over a fire, and…

• Stage 1

  Stage 1 of Patagonia 2017: 35 pounds on her back, lunar landscapes, climbing mountains in the style of Tim Conway, and a race that immediately proved it had nothing to…

• Spirit Animal

  Stray dogs in Bariloche, wolf dreams, and a spirit animal question that keeps showing up. Iris Derke on the night before the Patagonia ultra begins and the particular way adventure…

• Adoption and Adult Beginners

  Desert Runners adopt their own. On day one in Bariloche, Iris Derke finally admitted out loud she was a first-time ultra runner and needed help. What followed changed the course…