Daily News, Mon, Jan 12

Wondering about why some people get sponsored and others don’t? (like I did?) Pam explains it all here.

The guys at ultra168 ponder the disparity between talent and training. I’d love to see them go deeper into this discussion.

NUC: Great insight into the Yosemite climbers’ progress. These guys are awesome.

Today’s offerings from RootsRated: Beginner snowshoeing spots in Chicago, running an off the couch 50 miler in Alabama, and five awesome SF adventures, including a big wheel race I MUST compete in.

The ten best wild running routes in England. What did they miss?

100 miles in below freezing temps? How about 430 miles? Read more about the Yukon Arctic Ultra over here. Wow!

A Northern California runner hits the New England trails for the first time. Her verdict? Cold and technical.

Quick interview with Sage.

The city of Austin pissed off a whole bunch of Cyclocross fans this weekend. Tough call.

The East Coast Trail travels 265km up the rough and wild coast of Newfoundland, with an additional 275km still undeveloped. Do people run this?

David Laney and Aliza Lapierre punched their tickets to Western States by winning Bandera this weekend. Keep in mind Laney ran an OQ 2:17 marathon just five weeks ago. Here’s his report.

Speaking of marathons, if you’re training to run fast, you better be running at FMP.

Do you ever do depletion runs? Find out more here.

This sports writer doesn’t agree with USOC’s decision to nominate Boston for the ’24 Olympic Games, and I think that this post from The Onion is freakin hilarious.

Adam Wilcox says:

January 12, 2015 at 5:38 am

Yes, people do run the East Coast Trail. Gary Robbins has the FKT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcC6TS2nRbM

Ryan says:

January 12, 2015 at 6:46 am

Some great insight by Pam. One of the sponsored runners I occasionally run with is a great runner, but also an AMAZING ambassador to the sport. At every race. Crewing. Volunteering. One of the most extroverted personalities I have ever met. Everyone knows him and loves him. And also knows that he only wears Brand X clothing/shoes.

Meghan says:

January 12, 2015 at 7:10 am

I love the FMP article…. but not sure I necessarily agree with it….. and Onion-Boston=CLASSIC

Mike D says:

January 12, 2015 at 7:29 am

While Austin’s decision to postpone the cyclocross event created logistical problems, I applaud their statement that it is about taking care of the environment. We as trail users must never forget our impact on the environment when we step off the pavement and onto the dirt. Heavy use on trails in poor conditions can compound problems not initially seen. For instance, packing down wet mud can magnify erosion in future storms.

eric schranz says:

January 12, 2015 at 8:06 am

That’s why it’s a tough decision…but I still don’t understand why postponing it one day it going to to help matters.

Tim says:

January 12, 2015 at 8:20 am

Blue Hills is my home training ground and its really “tame” compared to what is really out there. I always thought East Coast runners have an advantage to runners out West when compared to handling terrain.

Paul B says:

January 12, 2015 at 8:31 am

Postponing 1 day does nothing for conditions. If that is the reason then it should have been a week or more. They have also cost many racers the loss of money due to many paying their own way there and havering to leave to get back to work. Making it a complete waste and loss of money.

Pam hits it on the head. Sponsored runners are sales people for whichever company they work for. They sell product, and right now companies have their pick of the litter. If you don’t believe this then go take some marketing classes. Companies sponsor athletes because they see profit in it and if they don’t get it then they drop the sponsorship. It all has to do with $. Just because you are good at something does not automatically mean you deserve or get anything. Life doesn’t work that way and sports marketing definitely doesn’t work that way.

Dan - Ultra168 says:

January 12, 2015 at 2:52 pm

Thanks for the link Eric. You’re right, we can go much deeper into this one. The original article was going on for 3,000 odd words, but that was too long for this initial burst. I’ll be looking to do a follow-up on it… so stay tuned. Thanks again for your ongoing support.

Dan – Ultra168

SDA says:

January 12, 2015 at 5:40 pm

I’m a Bostonian. They are just jealous of our fabulous, historic city. LA- you already had your Olympics. Go Pats!

beriba says:

January 13, 2015 at 1:37 pm

The wild running routes are not all in England. There’s one in Scotland and one in Wales on the list. Don’t get us mixed up-its like calling someone from Canada an American!

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