Team Clif Bar: Dakota Jones | Running Mountains

I'm Dakota Jones, and I'm an ultra runner. I don't know if I'm the most gifted athlete physically, but I can suffer. And that's like my strength. I love racing, but at the end of the day it's all about just running the mountains. And that's what keeps me inspired. My legs are the tool that I use to explore big, wide-open terrain. In the last few years I've been more and more interested in climbing. I think what draws me to climbing is the pure commitment and adventure of it. Combining running and climbing has always been a dream of mine. Where does running end and climbing begin? You can take that to the bigger mountains too. The idea of going bigger and farther. I think we're definitely starting to see a trend in ultra running. Pushing the sport into a much wilder, steeper environment. Places that most people have never considered runnable in the past. And Dakota Jones is definitely at the forefront of that movement. On a mountain like Rainier, I have to really understand the route and know where to go. Navigating is crucial. Crevasses are opening up differently all the time. People are going to be normally wearing crampons, boots, ice axes, ropes, and helmets, all this stuff. I just have running shoes, a light jacket, and some cliff shots to get me to the top and back quickly. Mount Rainier was really just the beginning. Ultimately, in the future, I want to go to the greater ranges of the world. Places like Alaska, the Karakoram, the Alps, the biggest mountains in the world. Everybody who's in mountain running is always looking for that bigger and better thing. And I want to be a part of that progression.