Ultramarathon Daily News | Friday, May 7

Nope, the UTMB Ironman announcement was not one of AJW’s April Fool’s joke. I don’t have a lot to write about this because there’s not a ton of information out yet. (Though here’s a good piece from SCMP and here’s an excellent post by Adam Chase about the “starbucksization of the sport”.) My initial two cents: I really like watching UTMB and I’m fascinated by those who can excel at three disciplines in Ironman distance triathlons. But…I dislike the organizations (the Polettis and M-Dot, respectively) that run each of those events. Yes, there will definitely be some benefits (including the reminder of this video from long ago), but my initial take is that this will not be good for the overall sport of ultramarathon and trail running. (To be clear, I’ve never been to UTMB as an athlete and have never asked to attend as media. Be weary of opinions from people with professional ties to the race.) I’ll let elite runner and former pro triathlete John Kelly cite a few reasons he’s not thrilled with the partnership:

Monopolization of events through exclusive qualifiers to the “premier” race leading to sky-high entry fees & closure of independent races, complete disregard for host sites, athlete experience & safety, or anything in the way of $, different cultures / goals, and I’m out of space
— John Kelly (@RndmForestRunnr) May 6, 2021

Courtney Dauwalter and Jim Walmsley make Sports Illustrated’s “Most Fit Athletes in Sport” list for 2021. In other news, Sports Illustrated is still around.

Dad runs a marathon pushing quints.

Semi-Rad: Are you capable of running 5.97 miles, or do you “parking lot laps” to make it an even 6.0? I’m part of the former group but take a fascination with those in the latter. What other personality traits are shared by people who do this? Is it a slight OCD issue? What’s the deal?

2:09 marathoner from Ireland makes the decision to quit drinking. Interesting article that looks into the mindset of an elite with a severe (but denied) alcohol problem.

Beer: Is there a real difference between stouts and porters?

More on the 100k that the Western States Endurance Run is planning for next fall: Sounds like a rough and tumble course deep in the American Canyon outside of Cool. Anxious and interested to see how it goes.

I know there are a lot of back country skiers and climbers who share the trails with us…please please be careful out there.

ultrarunning Magazine: She lost her dad to Covid and used the grief to fuel a new FKT on the Ouachita Trail that started in Oklahoma and ended in Arkansas.

Koop: Why spring training volume is important for ultramarathon runners.

Michael Versteeg and Maggie Guterl win Cocodona 250 in Arizona. Here is Chase’s wrap up from the event. And here are my takeaways: The coverage was outstanding. Hoping Jamil’s team sees enough of an ROI to use it at more events. Also…the rise of the multiday is here and it’s strong. Hoping it stays reasonable (whatever that means in this sport) and not longer just for the sake of being the longest.

Speaking of multidays, we need more names for ultramarathons. But no, I will never use “mega ultra” or “ultra mega.”

14 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Friday, May 7"

Alex says:

May 7, 2021 at 6:24 am

I… guess I don’t see the need for an all-encompassing name for ultras that is also specific. The 800 and the 1500 are both middle distance, but they are very different events, and people who talk about one just call it by the associated number. Similarly, a 100 miler is a 100 miler, a 50 a 50, a 250 a 250, etc.

UTMB/Ironman will probably benefit the elite and business side of the sport, while making it harder for regular folks. But maybe that’s ok. I would think one of the lessons of this whole COVID ordeal is that it’s ok for your dream races to be local races. (Though the freakout over Boston’s time being moderately faster means I’m probably being naïve.)

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KS Petty says:

May 7, 2021 at 8:11 am

Re: parking lot laps, some people are just inclined to follow directions. If a coach or a workout plan is mileage-based, some people find confidence and a sense of completion by rounding out the number and hitting the prescribed goal(s).

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  May 7, 2021 at 12:38 pm
  
  I can see that mindset. (I’m in the column of people who’s less inclined to follow directions. Drives my wife nuts.)
  
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Colin Chapell says:

May 7, 2021 at 8:26 am

I told my daughter (who was biking next to me), “We’re going to go to Paul and Melissa’s driveway and back” yesterday. “Why?” she asked. “So that daddy can get 4.0 instead of 3.93 miles with you.”

I guess I’m in the latter group! 🙂

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scott says:

May 7, 2021 at 10:23 am

The most poignant sentence from the SCMP article for me was this:

“American trail runners do not understand trail running the same way we (Europeans) do,”

It feels like a “culture vs corporation” thing. The Yanks and their cowboy attitudes. It’s too bad. There are tons of races around the world that still fit the “American” way of doing things, but I’m concerned with which ones in NA become “Euro.” Leadville has to be the #1 contender for this, right? After that, there’s only a couple companies big enough and with runner fields big enough to be in the talks.
Run Rabbit, Vacation Races..maybe UTMB tries to go outright offensive against Spartan and takes Kodiak….Aravaipa and Destination Trail?
Nothing else really makes the list for what they’d probably want.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  May 7, 2021 at 12:40 pm
  
  Catherine certainly has a way with words, doesn’t she? Yuck.
  
  And I think you’re right. Leadville is target numéro un. A Spartan v UTMB would be pretty entertaining. I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that, even though I’m not a fan of Spartan, I know what I’m getting with Joe Desena. He’s up front and honest with his approach. The Polettis are a lot…less.
  
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Devon Y says:

May 7, 2021 at 12:09 pm

I was at the modesto marathon when Chad set that record with the quints. What is more amazing is that he had run Oakland marathon the week before and missed the record, so it was double impressive that he was able to turn it around so quick. Also, I helped him get gloves on all the babies at the start line and marveled at how much stuff he had to carry in addition in the babies to make it happen (it was the most amazing mobile aid station you’ve ever seen).

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  May 7, 2021 at 12:42 pm
  
  Whoa I didn’t know that! Can’t imagine the amount of work he must’ve done during the race to keep everyone happy and fed.
  
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David V says:

May 7, 2021 at 3:30 pm

Fortunately, Candace has come out strongly against UTMB, so we know Destination is not selling out. I hope other RDs follow suit. Would be cool to sink this UTMB power grab through popular outcry just like the soccer fandom nixed the Super League. I loved the Aravaipa coverage of Cocodona this week, but if they sold out to UTMB all that good will would be gone overnight. Would be great if the WSER board came out with a statement on this too.

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Nelson says:

May 8, 2021 at 8:37 am

WS100 – $410
UTMB – $340
Leadville 100 – $335
Hardrock – $325
Hurt 100 – $300

Badwater – $1,495

I don’t know about “sky-high” entry fees, UTMB seems to be reasonably priced, compared to other 100s. No reason to think qualifiers are going to be any different.

The American trail ultra scene seems very insular, and a lot of people seem to want things to stay local, low key, grassroots, etc. they way they currently are. Which is fine.

Then there are others, abroad, who are in favor of a more professional sport, both in race organization, coverage, and reach. For those people, the UTMB is the golden standard, and with good reason. Like it or not, is the most prestigious trail ultra in the world, and most athletes who go there have nothing but compliments for the race.

I’m still to see what’s so shady about the Polettis, they’re answering every question about how things will be moving forward, they’re doing interviews, podcasts (they were in TRN recently) and, generally, have done more good for the recognition and professionalization of the sport than any other race organizers out there.

They already said qualifiers won’t be charged any fee. If you think your race won’t gain anything from becoming a qualifier, then don’t. I don’t see what’s the big deal with all this.

Some people are happy to start and finish their race in a parking lot among a few friends, and make no big deal of poor course markings or issues at aid stations. It’s all part of the game, we didn’t have aid stations back in the day, etc.

Some people expect a bigger return for their training and cash investment, in terms of a professional setup, lining up with the best ultrarunners in the world, etc.

Free market and all that good stuff, right? Ultimately, runners will choose which races they support. If a race offers good value to its community and entrants, UTMB partnering with Ironman isn’t going to change that.

Personally, I like better the American approach to trail races than the European one, but I think there’s room for both.

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scott says:

May 10, 2021 at 6:46 pm

Nelson,
UTMB’s price is >$100 above the average NA price. The ones you picked out are, too. Badwater is an exception and should not be considered with discussing normal 100s.

The cost for a race isn’t in being a qualifier for UTMB, it’s paying ITRA to give their race points, which you have to have to be a qualifier. If the new UTMB performance index doesn’t cost anything to have your race graded, then they can truthfully say that being a qualifier is free. Currently, it seems disingenuous as they’e given no indication as of yet that they plan to make that free.

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Nelson says:

May 11, 2021 at 1:20 am

Hi, Scott. Thanks for your reply.

I picked WS, HR and LV because they are the most prestigious and recognizable US 100s, so I think that’s a fair comparison, even if UTMB’s prestige and organization far supasses theirs. Let’s face it, the results at any American 100 hardly make a splash internationally beyond ultrarunning media. UTMB gets widely reported in main stream sports news across the world. Even if the price is about the same, WS and UTMB are in totally different leagues in popularity, depth of field, organization, safety, media reach, and overall experience (although this last point is very subjective, not everyone wants a massive race in the mountains). I brought up Badwater because it costs 4 times more than UTMB and I’ve never heard anyone complain about it.

As for the qualifiers, the Poletti’s explicity said the UTMB World Series Qualifiers won’t be charged a fee. It’s not necessary to run one of these races to enter one of the UTMB World Series events, but it gives priviledged access to them. So there you have it, a way for thousands of small, local races, to draw participation, free of charge. Nobody is aknowledging this.

Then the UTMB World Series events and the UTMB World Series Majors, which are the races that provide the necessary stones to get to UTMB. I assume those races will have to pay some sort of fee, as well as meet some course profile and race distance requirements.

It’s only fair. Tens of thousands of runners, all around the world, want a chance to get to UTMB. Being a World Series event will draw a lot of participation and attention to those races. Association with the UTMB brand adds prestige and value to these races. A fee is only fair. Standards are only fair.

The races that don’t want or need to be part of this series aren’t forced to. The runners will decide where to invest their time and money. Personally, I applaud everything UTMB has done for the professionalization and growth of the sport. It’s this kind of racing and exposure that drives trail running shoe and gear brands investment in new and better products, not a couple hundred people low key in the woods, somewhere, with little coverage beyond the IRF weekly column.

There must be a reason why, every year, the top talent in the ultrarunning world lines there. That doesn’t happen anywhere else, sadly. Sure, the Polettis make money from it all. Well, I think they’ve earned that right.

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scott says:

May 12, 2021 at 10:41 pm

“So there you have it, a way for thousands of small, local races, to draw participation, free of charge. Nobody is aknowledging this.”

I acknowledged this in my previous post. The qualifying may remain free but it will require an RD to pay for the grading of their race with UTMB’s performance index. That is already how it works. Being a qualifier is free, but you have to pay ITRA to be rated your ITRA points. We have yet to see how they will structure this. As it stands, there’s good reason to speculate they are being intentionally disingenuous. As evidenced by this conversation, even when the steps are explained, there will be a lot of people who still don’t understand the races are still having to pay.

“There must be a reason why, every year, the top talent in the ultrarunning world lines there.”

Sponsors/money. Both sponsor requirements for current professionals and attracting sponsors by placing here for hopefuls.

I understand your point of view on the professionalism, but just consider that there may be a reason UTMB and ITRA has had such vocal opposition from those in the business side of the sport.

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Nelson says:

May 13, 2021 at 2:21 am

The Polettis said it clearly: the races that act as qualifiers won’t be charged any fee. It may be how it worked with ITRA points, but it won’t be so moving forward.

Will this make getting to UTMB cheaper for the runner? I don’t know, maybe it will, maybe it won’t, it will depend on how expensive the races that get you stones are. These races, I assume, will have to pay a fee to UTMB, so maybe they’ll be more expensive than they used to be. Probably they will.

Running is getting more expensive, all over. How on earth have $160+ dollar running shoes become the norm?!? And $300+ dollar watches?!? There are good quality, cheaper alternatives, but those prices don’t raise an eyebrow anymore. A $120 road shoe is now considered a bargain, ffs.

Race entries may go the same way, with or without UTMB and Ironman joining forces. That’s part of the problem with the increasing popularity of the sport. That and capitalism, of course.

Even if it is expensive to get to UTMB, they have several times more applications than they can accomodate, every year. Enough runners see value in the UTMB events that they are willing to pay what it costs to get there.

UTMB and ITRA have had a very vocal opposition in the US, not elsewhere. There’s a big cultural divide between American and European ultrarunning, we can all aknowledge this much. There’s also just a big cultural divide between America and Europe. And, honestly, I think there’s a lot of resentment against UTMB because of its increasing success, year after year, in drawing American elites and world class ultrarunners away from US races.

And then you have influencial people like Eric, here, who writes on Twitter that the Polettis are “shady” but, when Ian Corless asks him why he thinks so, what his interactions with them have been, doesn’t even reply. Honestly, all this animosity is puzzling.

Or take the John Kelly quote in this page:

“monopolizations of events through exclusive qualifiers” — you probably stand a better chance to run UTMB than Western States or Hardrock, we don’t know yet how many qualifiers will be in place, which races will it be, how expensive they’ll get, etc.

“sky-high entry fees” — debatable, it’s about return of investment, a lot of runners return to UTMB year after year, and I don’t mean sponsored athletes; and we don’t know yet how expensive the stone-races will be

“complete disregard for host sites” — which, in the case of UTMB, is complete bs

“(complete disregard for) athlete experience” — just listen to the race interviews and reports, the praise for these races is almost universal

“(complete disregard) for safety” — I wonder if any other trail ultras have the medical and safety resources UTMB has in place; paradoxically, the mandatory safety kit at UTMB and other Euro races has been a point of frequent criticism in American ultrarunning media

I rest my case.

Obviously, UTMB represents an idea of ultrarunning very different than Hardrock or a cheap fell race. There’s room for all. Good races will stay around. Lazy races that capitalized on the increased demand will probably be the ones that suffer. How does that not benefit the runner, in the end?

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