Ultramarathon and Trail Running Daily News for Fri Mar 24

Big news yesterday when World Athletics ruled that starting March 31, athletes who have gone through male puberty must compete in the male category at Track and Field events. Trans athletes are still allowed and encouraged to compete, but WA’s decision mandates they must do so according to their sex.  The decision also tightens up the testosterone levels for DSD athletes like Caster Semenya in both saturation and length of T levels and will apply to all distances and events.
This decision only applies to elite runners/races, but I suspect and hope other races/federations/sports will adopt these common-sense rulings.

Speaking of rules, AJW presents three new rules to consider for MUT races. Number one is fine, big yes on #2 and three’s a waste of time.

An ode to falling on your ass in the winter.

I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of reading and watching stories on the Norwegian triathlon scene, triggered by a friend telling me that they wore thermometers up their asses during training to check core temperature. Huh? That led to reading that experts reckon they’re about seven years ahead of the rest of the world in terms of tech and training and their results are proof. It all started as a group of 11 year olds–led by Olympic Gold Medalist Kristian Blummenfelt–decided to dedicate themselves to the sport and make a goal of going to the Olympics. Check and…check.

And…I just noticed that TrailRunner Mag has a write up on the Norwegian Method this week. Check it out here.

Study: Trail running events (may) contribute microplastic pollution to conservation and wilderness areas. (edited)

I’m liking this focus on the sub-ultra trail distance. Easier to relate to, compete in, and much more marketable as a sport.

What’s going on in the ultramarathon world this weekend? Jeff Stern’s got all the big races lined up right here.

Short news day, gotta run.