Trail Running and Ultramarathon Daily News | Tue, June 15

Guardian UK: Why ultramarathon events are soaring in popularity.

iRunFar: Western States Endurance Run Women’s Field Preview. I’ve got Pascall for the win. You?

Mid-distance record holder and Olympian Shelby Houlihan busted for doping. She blames a tainted burrito and an f’ed up doping system, so who knows. What I do know is that if the same excuse came from a Russian or Kenyan athlete, most of those currently circling the wagon would be rolling their eyes and cackling at that excuse. Mario Fraioli offers a good perspective here. Kevin Beck has his take here. Coach Schumacher and BTC official statement here.

Report: Ice most effective for injury treatment when combined with whisky.

Taggart VanEtten will attempt to break the 100 mile record this weekend with an additional goal of cracking 11 hours. A 10:59:59 would mean 6:36 mpm pace FOR 100 MILES. Can he do it?

The Hill: Sen Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona) breaks her foot running through a tunnel during a marathon in Washington.

Ultrarunning Magazine: Run Rabbit Run reserving spots for the elite “hare” division. Race is in September in Colorado.

Really short news day! Working on the final production of a discussion I recorded last week with ultramarathon runner, endurance paddler, race director and mapping geek Torsten Heycke. Stay tuned. It’s the last week of school and my house is nuts right now.

11 Responses to "Trail Running and Ultramarathon Daily News | Tue, June 15"

Andrew says:

June 15, 2021 at 9:27 am

Would be really interesting to hear an interview with John and Matt about their experiences running for 81 loops at the UK Backyard and their thoughts going into Bigs later in the year. In contact with both if interested…

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scott says:

June 15, 2021 at 10:10 am

I think Beth is maybe the top overall runner but WS is so specific, particularly for Euros.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  June 15, 2021 at 11:04 am
  
  Her experience in the race, the time she’s been there recently, and her incredible win at Canyons (on much of the WS course) makes her my top pick.
  
  Reply
Nelson says:

June 16, 2021 at 3:20 am

Thanks for pointing out the hypocrisy (and something else) surrounding the reactions to Houlihan’s doping ban. I’d really like to hear what Kara Goucher and Emma Coburn have to say about it, but so far… crickets.

If it were Siffan Hassan or Letesenbet Gidey…

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Andrew says:

June 16, 2021 at 6:41 am

My issue is with the severity of the ban for a first offense. Its absurd to end someone’s career (that’s what the did here) for this. It’s like getting a year in prison for exceeding the parking spot time limit. Or you took an hour and five minutes for your lunch break that was an hour and were fired for it with no warning (except there you can get another she job whereas she can’t). Regardless of whether she doped on purpose or not she’s responsible for it but the ban is beyond ridiculous.

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Nelson says:

June 16, 2021 at 6:54 am

Dopers severely damage, and sometimes end, the careers of their competitors. They should be banned for life from professional sports. Doping goes against the very essence of competition and sport values.

That said, so does the Vaporfly and its offspring, so there’s that too.

Being a first time offender is no reason for a shorter ban.

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Andrew says:

June 16, 2021 at 9:26 am

But you don’t apply this to any other field. Why?

If you get fired from work for cheating you get another job. You don’t hey a lifetime ban from whatever field you practice. You could lose a medical ir legal license for doing things far worse but its almost always for multiple and gross offenses.

Sentencing guidelines for states and the federal government factors in previous record in sentencing. Do you honestly believe you would get the same time in prison for your first money laundering conviction as your third? No chance.

It’s insane to think a first time offense should result in a lifetime ban. Make a single mistake and lifetime ban. In no world that exists is that reasonable.

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Nelson says:

June 16, 2021 at 9:51 am

It’s not a mistake if it’s deliberate cheating.

No need to compare it to any other profession. The core value in all sport is fairness in competition. Dopers damage the credibility of the sport and of clean athletes, and take away opportunities and recognition from those that deserve it more. Dopers ruin whole careers.

Don’t want a lifetime ban? Don’t cheat.

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Will M. says:

June 17, 2021 at 8:45 am

I think Taggart gets the WR but doesn’t get sub 11 hours. What do you think?

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Jack says:

June 17, 2021 at 1:22 pm

The length of the suspension is not arbitrary. It is dependent upon the PED that was used. A 4-year ban is standard for a positive NA-19 test. The next level is a lifetime ban for multiple offenses, so in that sense, Houlihan’s suspension does account for this being her first violation. USADA and CAS have reduced the suspension period for certain appeals, but I’m assuming here that they just weren’t buying the pork burrito theory, which would have required consumption of uncastrated boar offals, at almost an exact duration (10 hours) before the collection of the sample that would have caused NA-19 levels to spike.

I suggest listening to Koop’s recent interview with USADA’s Chief Science Officer, which addresses many questions that have been raised as a result of Houlihan’s case.

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Paul says:

June 17, 2021 at 4:21 pm

USATF letting her run in the trials (at least for now) while her appeal is still open.

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