Not just an award. A story carried home.
I was tapped in by my tribe to design this year’s @miwok100k ultramarathon awards to honor the deeper journey behind the miles: resilience, transformation, community, and connection to Coast Miwok (Huuku’i’ko) land.
The coyote at the center represents intelligence, adaptability, and the unpredictable nature of endurance itself. Every detail, from the circular composition to the landscape and geometric border, was intentionally created to reflect movement, tradition, and personal evolution.
Seeing these pieces carried across the finish line and held by runners at the end of such an extraordinary race was incredibly meaningful.
Thank you to the Miwok 100K team for the trust, and congratulations to every runner who showed up for the challenge.
Presented by @thenorthface Race Director @runboulet Photos by @tonywithasony@banta.visuals
Award Design by Amber Witzke Creative @missamberw
#coastmiwok #miwok100k #marin #runners #ultramarathon
What an honor to serve this beautiful community. Feeling so much gratitude & love. This community has stolen my ❤️
Wishing all the @miwok100k runners a safe journey today as they run & connect with this beautiful land 💚
📍Coast Miwok
Thank you @guenergylabs@thenorthface_trail@hydrapak@squirrels_nut_butter for being a big part of our journey
📸 @jenfromct 🙏🏼💜
We’re getting close, and we could use a few more great people on the volunteer team for the Miwok 100k presented by The North Face, coming up on May 2nd.
We’re currently looking for volunteers at Muir Beach and the Finish Line, two of the very fun spots on the course.
At Muir Beach Aid Station, you’re helping runners reset, refuel, and get ready for the next stretch.
At the Finish Line, you’re the energy they’ve been chasing all day.
No experience needed, just a good attitude and a willingness to be part of something special.
If you’ve ever thought about getting involved and give back to the local running community, this is a great way to do it.
👉 Sign up here: https://forms.gle/o6HLuCPPr6tdHGsQ6
#trailrunning #volunteer #communitysupport
“The fine silt of the Sahara is as inevitable as novocaine at the dentist office, gradually finding its way into every corner of your soul.”
Was I skeptical that @marathondessables was a bad idea? Absolutely. Did @des_linden prove me wrong? Well, you’ll have to read the MDS story on @outside_run to find out.
2026 @marathondessables@mdslegendary was a beast. 270k over 6 stages, endless sand, dunes and no shortage of daily inspiration.
Thank you @des_linden for coming up with the idea to show up as a team. All three members of Team Eat Sand made it to the finish line. I’m so incredibly proud of us.
We often seek these life changing experiences for the camaraderie, self-sufficiency, the sheer difficulty and to gain a different perspective on life.
I’m grateful I got to experience this one with @des_linden & @dhash 💛
And I will definitely miss saying hi to every 🐪 I ran by.
Thank you Sahara Desert for kicking my butt and reminding me to be patient.
Endless gratitude to @guenergylabs for the support, the encouragement, the nutrition. Des & I mostly fueled on Roctane Energy Drink during the stages, recovered with Roctane Recovery Drink and ate lots of performance potatoes for dinners.
💛🐪💛🐫💛🐪
Big shout out to @andrewfitts for capturing all the 📸 🙏🏼
Today GU athletes Magda Boulet and Des Linden begin Marathon des Sables, a 250km run over 6 stages through the Moroccan Sahara. @marathondessables requires that participants be self-sufficient, carrying all food and gear, while facing wind, 120°F temps, and sandy terrain. Only water and a communal tent are provided by the organizers at the end of each day. 🌡️
@runboulet won Marathon des Sables in 2018 and now returns alongside teammate @des_linden . Together, they’ve been working with Dr. Roxanne Vogel, GU’s Director of Research and Education, to dial in every detail—training on sand to mimic race conditions while fine-tuning metabolic demands, sweat rates, sodium needs, and stage-by-stage fueling strategies. Magda and Des will also be putting a prototype “cooling gel” to the test in the desert heat. 💧
Reflecting on the full circle moment of returning to MdS with Des, Magda shared, “In 2018 while on my way back from MdS, I watched Des win Boston with pure iron will, and now I get the privilege of watching her adapt that strength to the sand. For in the end, life is about making meaningful experiences."
Same iconic race with a new story waiting to unfold! Stay tuned for updates from this week’s race. 👀
📸 : @andrewfitts
Back at MdS after competing here in 2018.
2018 was a minute ago and it was a good year. Des won the Boston marathon, I won MdS. And together we are here to compete as a team along with our good friend Dave. Our team’s name is Eat Sand.
270 miles of sand ahead of us. It is the 40th edition of marathon des sables this year with the longest route yet.
With miles under our legs, sauna sessions, sweat & substrate utilization analyzed, nutrition & hydration dialed in, we now get to dance in the sand together!
Time to listen to the Sahara Desert 🙏🏼💚
All the great photos by @andrewfitts
Ok photos by me 😜
GU was born to keep athletes moving, and few races test that mission like the Marathon des Sables. In 2018, GU president Magda Boulet won the legendary 6 stage, 250 km race across the Sahara Desert. 🏆 Now, she returns with marathon icon and GU teammate Des Linden, both working closely with the GU Roctane Performance Lab to prepare for the extreme demands of desert racing.
Alongside GU Director of Research and Education Dr. Roxanne Vogel, @mboulet and @des_linden have completed heat training, lab testing, and personalized fueling plans to dial in hydration and calories under brutal conditions. 🧪
Magda on returning to the desert: "Winning @marathondessables in 2018 was one of the most transformative moments of my life, and being able to return this year to run with Des as a teammate and support her through her transition to the trails and ultras feels like a full-circle moment.”
Read more about their training & the race at the new blog linked in our bio! Join us in wishing Des & Magda luck as they start their Marathon des Sables journey this Sunday 👏
📸 : @andrewfitts
We’re proud to share our partnership with @miwok100k as part of the Tierra Libre Run BIPOC Athlete Fund.
This season, our athletes are training for Miwok 100K in two ways:
✨ Relay team: Amber, Cynthia, Carolina, and Kimberly
✨ Individual 100K runners: Mauricio, Rebeca, Narinda, and Rachel
For us, this is about more than getting to a start line. It’s about creating real access to the 100K distance for BIPOC runners through support, belonging, and shared knowledge.
We’re grateful to @miwok100k and @runboulet for helping make space for our community at this special race. We can’t wait to show up together in May. 💛
first and last images @hey_miya
