Trail Running Daily News | Mon, Oct 4
iRunFar/Mock: Lots and lots and lots of ultramarathon and trail running events from this past weekend, from Broken Arrow Skyrace to Tiger Claw to Ultra Pirineu in Spain.
Quick takes from Broken Arrow this weekend. (I spent three nights volunteering and announcing the race while my kids ran and played.)
- While longer ultras (200 miles+) are seeing an increase, the sub-ultra scene is equally exciting. The VK and 26k were incredibly stout fields, with many names not immediately familiar to those who exclusively follow the ultra world.
- Kids, kids everywhere! It’s great to see so many kids playing outside and running around! Maybe they’re not all running in the races, but their exposure to the trail and outdoor lifestyle is just as important.
- Allie MacLaughlin is a beast. I have no idea how such massive lungs and guts are crammed into that tiny frame, but they are and she delivers. Absolutely dominant in the VK and 52, then a top 10 in the 26k yesterday.
- Watching Joe Gray’s pace on the 26k was staggering. I haven’t checked his Strava (does Joe use Strava?), but dude must have been running 5:30 pace on portions of that trail.
- DBo and Corrine did a bang up job on the livestream for Friday and Sunday. With a big production team on site, drone pilots, photographers, and videographers, they made the race easy and exciting to follow. (And big thanks to that awesome shoutout to Sunny!) I’ll predict that livestreams like this are the norm for big races by the end of next year.
- My favorite part of the 52k was seeing my good friend John Onate finish his race with just three minute to spare. John struggled throughout the day, a drop was attempted, but he pushed through and got it done.
- Brendan Madigan (RD) had a vision to put on a European-style event and has delivered a truly world-class event. He’s put together a top team of pros to manage different aspect of the race and Co-RD Ethan Veneklasen’s absence this year was missed. We’ll see ya next year!
Ian Corless is on site covering Stage One of the Marathon des Sables.
Billy Yang’s new film about Anton Krupicka’s return Leadville is available right here on YouTube.
The long-awaited report argues there is no magic solution which balances the inclusion of trans women in female sport while guaranteeing competitive fairness and safety. And, for the first time, it tells sports across Britain that they will have to choose which to prioritise.
—Prominent UK Sports Council releases extensive report that details how trans women retain a material advantage over natural women in sports. Hope it’s not too late for races that allow biological men in the women’s category to change their policies.
SCMP/Agnew: What are aerobic and anaerobic zones and how should they affect your ultramarathon training?
Smart? Stanford students on bikes are more likely to wear masks than helmets.
Update on the Quad City Marathon debacle from last week. Turned out well.