Daily News, Wed, Feb 11

Read this: What trail runners need to know about tics and Lyme disease.

Is there anyone with a more diverse 2015 racing schedule than Max King?

Kelsie does a good job of explaining why she runs. Seems we all share many of those sentiments.

Three HRM mistakes everyone makes. Nope. If you don’t have one, you’re not making any of them.

Another reason I think Mammoth Lakes will be the next MUT hub. The place seems perfect for elite training: Altitude, trails, elite-level facilities, great breweries, accommodations for athletes…all within a few hours of the big west coast races.

I chat with Victor from ultrasportslive.tv after Sean O’Brien right here.

Esquire is not a fan of the shorts.

I thought it was silly when it started a few years ago, but the Skydive Ultra seems to be working.

Need a little inspiration for the day? Read this.

If you’re on the wait list for Angeles Crest 100 or Lake Sonoma, a spot just opened up in each. I’ll explain more in today’s podcast.

While you weren’t looking, The North Face added Seth Swanson to their team. Wow. Seth, Dylan, Hal, Tim, Mike, Rob, Jez, Mike…That’s depth.

Last chance for a Western States entry is this weekend at Black Canyon 100k. Here are some predictions, and here’s Ryan Ghelfi’s take on the race.

Every time I think an MUT governing body might be a good idea, something like this comes up and I realize we don’t need the bulls#*t.

Pop quizzes sucked, but pop contests don’t! If you’ve visited the donation aid station in the past month AND live in a place that’s freezing, you’ll be eligible to win a sweet NorthFace jacket (mens large, but do with it whatycha want.) I’ll pull a name this evening at 5pm PST. Thanks again to everyone who’ve helped keep the site going. I truly appreciate it.

22 Responses to "Daily News, Wed, Feb 11"

Mike D says:

February 11, 2015 at 6:09 am

All the issues being highlighted regarding USATF does impact us as MUT runners because right now, it is our governing body on some level. National and International championships go through them. We are just not given as much attention within their scope since we are not track and field athletes.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 6:33 am
  
  on some level is the key phrase. The USATF doesn’t have much sway over what we do, and it’s my hope that it stays that way.
  
  Reply
2. Guy Love says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 2:24 pm
  
  Beyond how we fit in their scope, MUT athletes generally don’t care about USATF so their “power” over us is moot. Our “championship”-level events generally spring up organically ala WS100, etc. Honestly, the Skyrunning Federation has a lot more authority within the community than the USATF.
  
  Reply
Guy C. says:

February 11, 2015 at 6:55 am

A wait-list for AC 100??? There should be one (considering the number of no-shows), but I’m nearly certain there isn’t…. What am I missing?

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 7:19 am
  
  I figured there was one. No?
  
  Reply
  1. Guy C. says:
    
    February 11, 2015 at 7:41 am
    
    No. Last year something like 140 started, but around 200+ were signed up.
    
    Reply
Scotty Kummer says:

February 11, 2015 at 7:30 am

No wait list for AC Eric. And if this means what I think it means I am really disappointed. I was really looking forward.

Reply
Chris Mottola says:

February 11, 2015 at 8:07 am

You’re bailing on AC? Shame shame..

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 12:53 pm
  
  When you hear my reasoning, I hope you’ll understand.
  
  Reply
aaron s. says:

February 11, 2015 at 8:12 am

Re: Ticks & Lyme: Anyone running in the east coast or upper mid-west should be hyper-vigilant about Lyme. Anyone running anywhere else should be aware that actual prevalence of Lyme could be as much as 10x higher than the CDC estimates. I pulled some ticks off of me at MMT100 in 2010, then spent the next three years in such gradual decline that I never realized that anything was wrong. In spring of 2010, I was a consistent sub-2:40 marathoner. By summer of 2013, I could barely get off the couch for a jog around the neighborhood. I’m still trying to rebuild fitness. Don’t let this happen to you, kids!

I wrote about the difficulty of getting the diagnosis at http://blog.vestigial.org/a-recovery/, and my girlfriend adds info that everyone should know about ticks and Lyme at http://wussies.net/blog/2014/04/20/know-your-borrelia-burgdoferi/.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 12:54 pm
  
  My brother got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tic and it almost killed him. He contracted it while hunting in Montana, but the symptoms didn’t show up until he was back in CA and the west coast docs had no idea what it was. Freaky and scary few weeks.
  
  Reply
Michael Chamoun says:

February 11, 2015 at 8:58 am

Guy C. is correct. Unless Ken had a total change of heart, AC has never and will never have a waiting list. It’s a point of contention among some members of the AC community in the recent past.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 12:52 pm
  
  Gotcha, yeah, I hadn’t even realized that.
  
  Reply
essie says:

February 11, 2015 at 9:31 am

Aren’t there still a few Montrail Ultra Cup races after Black Canyon with spots for Western States? Like Gorge 100K and lake sonoma?

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 12:54 pm
  
  yeah, oops. It’s been a wild few days and my brain broke.
  
  Reply
timsbike says:

February 11, 2015 at 10:11 am

Eric, thanks for sharing the Bret Dunlap story. Cool guy and yes, inspirational. Thanks.

Reply
Paul B says:

February 11, 2015 at 10:21 am

The politics and money going on with USATF is a bit nuts. It’s going to take the runners actually boycotting and not running races before anything happens and changes. There needs to be some sit down races to occur. But with all the nike runners in there will they actually participate? All the other big sports have players unions that band together and act as one. Track and field does not. I encourage the runners to take back control by not running races. Stand together sit at the starting line of these big events. You want to get people to notice? Do it on the big stages where people will see it. MLS is in negotiations and has a good chance of not starting the season this coming March. NBA, MLB NHL have all been through several lock outs. I know many runners have a difficult time figuring out how to be a team since it’s an individual sport, but they need to figure it out. All the other sponsors (brooks, Asics etc) have a stake in this as well. They would most likly get behind their athletes just so nike will look bad. This all comes down to money and business. I could keep going but I’ll stop

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  February 11, 2015 at 12:52 pm
  
  I agree completely. There are a few prominent athletes who are speaking up (Symonds and Fleshman), but most others are afraid of losing whatever financial support is out there if they make a stink. The Nike relationship scares the heck out of me, and I’ll do whatever I can to prevent them from gaining any power over the MUT world. Make great shoes, have a rad team, but please, please stay away from organizing bodies.
  
  Reply
Konrad says:

February 11, 2015 at 4:11 pm

Need A LITTLE inspiration? Are you kidding? A LITTLE? Bret Dunlop’s story is another testament to what a great group of people runners are and how all of us, to some extent have to just put our heads down and grind through life. It’s just that Bret grinds a whole lot harder and a whole better than the rest of us.

Reply
Meghan says:

February 11, 2015 at 5:08 pm

Eric, I hope your not injured… I hate that you can’t do those races… haven’t listened to the podcast but I’m getting worried myself for my May race and the feeling is AWFUL

Reply
Kelsie says:

February 12, 2015 at 9:52 pm

Thanks for the blog love, Eric! Little unknown fact: I had Lyme disease (and mono but that’s a different story) right after CCC and felt the full swing of symptoms in sept-beg November. It was super hard to train, attend class regularly (much less do well), go to work and have any semblance of a social life. It was terrible. I caught it early on and blasted with antibiotics, though I had no tell tale bullseye, a blood test confirmed it. (Something was seriously wrong and I had no idea). I still hope to do my follow up blood test, but given my energy levels, I’m confident it’s gone. Though the fear it will come back always haunts. Another side note, in my Immunology class at Cal Poly I am writing a paper on the evasive strategies of the borrelia burgdorferi spirochete from the Immune system/response. What a tricky little bastard! But really quite amazing and totally fascinating….

Reply
Grant Nicolaus says:

February 16, 2015 at 3:54 am

Is Mike Foote not longer a TNF athlete? Guess they just switched one guy from Missoula for another…

Reply

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