Ultramarathon Daily News | Fri, Sep 30

Ultrarunning/Stern: What’s on the ultramarathon calendar for this weekend?

Travel along with Billy Yang as he shows the ins and outs of UTMB week and the OCC 55k.

This opinion piece in iRunFar looks at datasets to conclude that extending cutoff times would make for a better and more diverse experience. That may be true, but the author fails to consider the myriad volunteers, permits, and time requirements needed to organize an event. While I love seeing the back of the pack come in, I’d argue that times should be tightened up.

We’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with Allie “Mac” Maclaughlin over the years and she’s made a huge impact on my daughter Sunny. Here’s a great piece on how she got to where she is that highlights, of course, her dog Harley.

Late entry: Devon Yanko writes a powerful piece about risk taking and being brave. Read it.

Looks like HOKA has re-released the Mafate with some very minor updates (including, ahem, price.) This news will make some people very very happy.

I’m curious if the “Autumn Birthday Theory” holds true in MUT running.

We are important to the sport. You and I are important to the sport. We are important to a lot of women. They’re all going to have to go through this, so how we show up in our new form is going to be important. And it’s not going to be like we want to show up differently, but we are different and I think it is super cool for people to continue to stay in the sport past their prime because we don’t see a lot of that, either.

—Cool (but too short!) interview with Meghan Canfield and Pam Smith where they talk about aging, competing, and how the sport is changing. For those not familiar with these two amazing women, please head back to class and read your ultrarunning history.

The Grays are headed to Thailand to represent the US in the first World Mountain Running Championships in three years.

The LetsRun MENSA Team debates Sage’s vlog on Kipchoge’s ultramarathon potential.

–>Trail runner survives mountain lion attack in Utah. Yikes, that could have been so much worse! Great job to her running partner for quick thinking.

I’m sure you’ve heard the tragic news that climber/runner/mom Hilaree Nelson died in an avalanche in the Himalaya earlier this week. Tragic loss for the adventure community and her family. Sarah Lavender Smith reflects on the loss in her latest piece on Substack.

Strange case of an experienced hiker simply vanishing in California.

More Kenyans busted for doping. I guess the good news is that this means testing is taking place.

Meanwhile, WADA decides to keep cannabis/THC on the banned list.

There needs to be a new category on race registrations. Male, Female, and “running with a pineapple on my head.”

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Bill S says:

September 30, 2022 at 6:31 am

Curious to hear your reasons why you think cut-off times should be tightened up rather than relaxed?
Thanks,
Bill in CO

eric schranz says:

September 30, 2022 at 7:23 am

Hi Bill-
I always like to see people work a little bit harder, that’s all. Of course there are plenty of races where the cutoffs are just right and plenty challenging, but many are simply too generous.
Same goes for qualifying times for WS, Boston, etc. Tighten them up and make races more competitive. Ideally, there’d be different cutoffs for diff sexes and age groups, but that sounds like a logistical nightmare.

September 30, 2022 at 7:52 am

Eric,
Thanks for replying. Cut-offs never used to be an issue for me, but I turned 50 recently and have found myself in a battle against cut-offs at some recent ultras. It’s actually the first thing I research when looking at events now. I’m worried I’ll get phased out simply because my body can’t go “fast” anymore.
Certainly there’s a place for challenging events and times, but I think there’s also a place for “easier” cut-offs. I liked that the iRunFar author looked at some numbers (limited as they are) because it might encourage certain RDs at certain events to consider the added responsibility of relaxed cut-off times.
There’s probably a sweet spot (“knee in the curve”) when cut-off time vs participation rate reaches a point of diminishing returns. More data needed. I’d rather see RDs try to find that point rather than tightening cut-off times, which moves away from greater participation rate.
I respect the ultra community because it’s generally inclusionary – I bristle when I see hints of exclusivity.
Thanks for the dialogue,
Bill

Steve M says:

September 30, 2022 at 1:22 pm

The author fully admits at the start of the article that there are plenty of reasons related to volunteers and safety that limit the ability of making long cutoffs a reality as well as the allure of some races to have difficult cutoffs.
It’s clear from the comments that there are plenty of people that appreciate races with longer cutoffs.
Again, I think we shouldn’t preach that one way or the other is better, but respect that each race director/organization get’s to run their race in the way that suits them and in accordance what the land manager allows.

Ultramarathon Daily News | Fri, Sep 30

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