Ultramarathon Daily News | Fri, Nov 6

Treeline Journal: Rachel Drake deserves more applauds for her podium at the Golden Trail Series. Are she and husband Tyler Green the fastest US based ultra couple right now? I can’t wait to see what Rachel does when domestic racing returns!

Ultrarunning History: Fascinating story about “Ghost runner” John Tarrant who bandited races after officials tried to keep him out of competition. And dang, dude was fast! Imagine a sub 6 fifty miler in 1968 with no fancy shoes, nutrition, etc.

iRunFar: Blake Wood has some interesting thoughts on age grouping in ultramarathons. I’ve never thought of that as a reason many older folks stick to roads, but I get it now. (Here’s our interview with Blake.)

Oregon sportswriter Ken Goe’s final column is today.

Kevin Beck comes out swinging regarding the hypocritical dustup with Oiselle CEO Sally Bergesen, and he saves some vitriol for the Fast Women newsletter. Hold on tight.

There is now a XC video game. I haven’t played it (I don’t even know how to load it), but here ya go.

TrailSisters: Strong, determined, and relentless Aneta Zeppettela. Good interview with someone who really seems to get it. Maybe I missed it in the text, but what races does she RD? We’ve got good friends in Ohio and we hope to visit them next year.

ultrarunninng mag: These NURVV smart footbeds look pretty interesting. I’d imagine the battery size will be remedied soon.

Canadian Running: Why does it feel like you run so much faster in the dark? (MUT folks scoff while thinking back at shuffling for 5 hours to get to the next aid station.)

Forgot this earlier this week: Molly Huddle took down three American records in one race. Awesome.

Science: Running makes you smarter. Now, if I could just find a way to remember all the profound ideas I had on my runs…

More science shows that ultramarathon runners are gritty and have tough mindsets, but also that our physical capabilities are what separates winners from mid packers. Now, I’m not a stats guy or academic, but aren’t HURT runners a bit of an outlier, even for ultrarunners?

Run Spirited: Nine questions with Buzz Burrell.

Very disappointed and disheartened to see David Roche (and many others, unfortunately) carry on with the “If you voted for x, then unfollow me because I don’t respect you” nonsense on social media. So much for positivity and inclusivity, I guess.

25 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Fri, Nov 6"

Mark W says:

November 6, 2020 at 7:11 am

Thank you for speaking out on this Eric. It is childish at best to be so judgmental to think that other human beings don’t have a right and plenty of good reasons to vote for whatever candidate their own conscience deems best. If we want to end division and increase inclusivity and tolerance in our society this judgmental nature exhibited by David and others is part of the problem.

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loriforinger says:

November 6, 2020 at 7:14 am

Nettie is the co-owner of Empower Ultras (https://www.facebook.com/empowerultras/). She also has been very involved in the Ohio River Road Runners ultras, having been the RD of Dawg Gone Long Run as well as co-director with me at Broken Toe.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 6, 2020 at 7:59 am
  
  Ah, perfect! Thanks. Now I need to somehow play a trip around a race without letting my wife know.
  
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Will says:

November 6, 2020 at 9:24 am

Where did David tell anyone who voted for Trump to unfollow him because he does not respect them? I follow him on Instagram and Twitter, and while he is clearly pro Biden, I have not seen him say that.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 6, 2020 at 10:26 am
  
  Here on Strava.
  Again, very disappointing. I’ve been 3rd party member since 92 so I’m disappointed with every election! …but I choose to engage and respect people from both sides. I wish there were more of that right now.
  
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Nicolas says:

November 6, 2020 at 10:19 am

I’ve also looked for that on FB and Twitter and could not find anything re Roche and Trump. Care to elaborate, Eric?

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Joel says:

November 6, 2020 at 10:36 am

Unfortunately I felt the need to unfollow a number of people from our community this week, not because of who they did or didn’t vote for, but because of their general comments and attitude toward anyone who didn’t share their opinions.

I’m very much aware of the trap that exists to surround ourselves with only like-minded individuals and the “echo chamber” it creates, so unfollowing these individuals was done with some real apprehension about the role I was playing in my own alienation from those with different thoughts…but as much as we all NEED exposure to a diversity of ideas and opinions even when it’s uncomfortable for us, the LAST thing any of us needs is more exposure to people sowing divisiveness.

Last night I took it a step further and just went and ahead and removed all major social media platforms from my phone. I will surely miss certain aspects of them very much, and maybe they’ll find their way back into my life again, but for now I’m curious to experience what life can be like without them. In the meantime I’ll continue to love and enjoy our community with face-to-face interactions.

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Will says:

November 6, 2020 at 10:55 am

Ugh, thanks for the link Eric, but I hate seeing that. As someone who voted Biden, our Country isn’t going to get any less divided if we refuse to respect anyone who voted Trump.

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Jon says:

November 6, 2020 at 11:43 am

I so agree with the disappointment over the Roche comment. I’ve always been a fan of his positivity and inclusivity, but even as someone who didn’t vote for Trump I find this off-putting. It’s easy to love and include those you agree with. It’s much more impressive when you love and include those you don’t agree with.

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Kyle says:

November 6, 2020 at 1:10 pm

I guess I’m confused, and not because I’m aligned with Roche’s views. If his post had its typical silly title but included a BLM hashtag (which both he and Megan used after Auberry and Floyd were murdered) and a post-run picture where he donned a Biden button, would the reaction be different? I guess I wonder if there’s a difference between what is said and what is tacitly implied.

I see his title as a proclamation of his political affiliation and policy perspective. I don’t see him telling people to stop following if they don’t agree, or saying he can’t respect people who have different views. It doesn’t take party affiliation for followers to recognize the ways the current administration has amplified the issues opposed to the ones in his post, and if any of these issues have any bearing on your life (read: running is part of your life),then I don’t know how we can keep arguing that people should excise politics from the way we live our lives. We should be able to say these things and then talk about them. Yes. Even here.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 6, 2020 at 4:10 pm
  
  Did you read the thread? He explicitly says that they should not follow them and that he has—and will never have—any respect for them.
  
  Reply
Adam says:

November 6, 2020 at 7:11 pm

Of course, everyone is free to speak their mind and are free to associate or not associate with anyone else for any reason. My ‘running’ list was starting to get more political than my ‘general’ list and not an oasis. I have kept many vocal people I still find interesting, informative, inspiring and/or entertaining. David takes it to a gross level occupied by a few others I’ve also culled. Any outlet featuring them is going to be tainted and I’ll be much less likely to consume it (TRN currently comes to mind). “The Happy Runner” positivity message just rings hollow.

I’m likely to just assume he was stressed about the election, hungry, under the influence, or under exposed to large swaths of humanity, and not let a couple of negative posts one social media thread affect me, but I’m human and that was offensive so we’ll see if the stink wears off.

As an aside, I understand most of the MUT community has similar views, even if most aren’t quite so outwardly exclusionary. That particular thread was more supportive than contrary. I do wonder if that tact is helpful, neutral, or harmful to their careers and other aims. Either way I wish them all the best, even if I’m not tuned in to see their success.

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Stephanie says:

November 6, 2020 at 7:37 pm

Let me get this straight, if someone doesn’t think and vote just like Roche, then he has no respect for them? Geesh. It’s be nice if he got to know them before casting judgement.

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Kyle says:

November 6, 2020 at 8:55 pm

Sorry—I had to go to my own feed to see the full thread. Your link and my work computer showed 10 comments.

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Mark S. says:

November 9, 2020 at 8:30 am

To Jon,
Do you “love and include” racists? Maybe Mr. Roche is tired of the “human scum” and racist arguments coming from the current administration.
But, I guess racists > SJWs?

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Luke says:

November 9, 2020 at 8:46 am

Someone should organize a couples race between Drake/Green, Collins/Stanley, and the Bitters…

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 10, 2020 at 3:57 am
  
  That’d be a rad race. My money’s on Avery and Sabrina.
  
  Reply
Jay says:

November 9, 2020 at 8:54 am

If you support Donald Trump, you are directly supporting racism, homophobia, transphobia, and authoritarianism. So, yeah. Get out of my life.

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Rich says:

November 9, 2020 at 9:46 am

it is very sad. There is no reward in only treating our friends well. That’s the easy part. I thought that love trumps hate….

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Jay says:

November 9, 2020 at 11:13 am

Don’t get all self-righteous that I won’t love those who have done nothing but spew hate.

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Mark W says:

November 9, 2020 at 12:07 pm

If Jay really believes that then he is more a part of the problem than the solution. There is nothing but ignorance and intolerance in what he’s written. I didn’t even vote for Trump in 2016. I don’t care for the guy. But I’m also open-minded enough to realize that neither candidate and no party is perfect. There are flaws no matter what way you vote and to demonize people who vote for one candidate only makes things worse. Be better than this, be part of the solution not part of more filth and division.

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Jay says:

November 9, 2020 at 1:19 pm

No apologies. If you do not actively denounce the hatred that has come out of the Trump administration, then you are part of the problem. I will love you but only if you *actively* reject the hate of the past four years.

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Steve says:

November 9, 2020 at 1:44 pm

Amazing how the haters of hate can’t see their own hate. No wonder we’re so divided.

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edcrawfordlv says:

November 9, 2020 at 7:40 pm

Be careful — both sides of the argument see tons of hate on the other side. 70 million+ americans voted for each of the candidates. You reflect yourself when you think all of those 70+ million people are hate filled.

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Steve says:

November 10, 2020 at 1:49 pm

@edcrawfordlv

Couldn’t agree with you more. I was speaking on an individual level and it could pertain to anyone in any group.

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