Ultramarathon Daily News | Fri, Oct 20

While I appreciate Homer Simpson’s advice (“You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try”), I’m more partial to this inspiring essay by Zach Miller.

Courtney Dauwalter’s 2017 season is setting her up for a UROY nod. (Here’s her twitter account.) Who’s in it for the fellas?

New Mountain Outhouse: JMT, Courtney, #stockomocko, and more.

Hmph. GQ Magazine lists the “Ten Greatest Athletes of the Future.” Basketball, soccer, golf, gymnastics. And I’m no climbing expert, but the 16yo girl from New York is more talented than Honnold? No multisport athletes in there? Maybe even an OCR athlete? Nothing?

Great post by Dakota Jones about his first VK and what he’s willing to do for chocolate croissants.

Didya catch our latest interview? I chatted with Andy Gohlich, the guy who won the Ultimate Direction FKT grant earlier this year, and who set out to connect 13 fourteeners in the Sierra Nevada. We talk prep, he explains climbing terminology, we find out what ultimately went wrong, and hear about what it’s like living in a van in LA. At the end of the interview, I describe my Vermont trip and why I was absent for a few weeks. All is good now.

That episode was sponsored by S-Fuels bars. Looking for an LCHF-friendly bar that won’t leave you with gastric distress? Click right here for a free sample box.

#grandraid is pretty exciting. Jim’s fallen off the lead and is struggling with GI issues (update: just dropped), while Andrea Huser has an hour lead on the 2nd female. Live (en Francais) here.

The guys from San Joaquin Running headed out onto the Rae Lakes Loop to catch up with Francois on his JMT run. This video shows the terrain and trail well…nice work!

Magness: Coach people, not numbers.

Beginner’s Guide: Measuring distance on a map.

The guys and gals over at TAUR review Sarah’s Trail Runner’s Companion and give it two toes up.

What’s this 112 year old woman having for her birthday? She’s sharing a beer with a friend. #lifegoals

What are you running this weekend? I’ve got a Sat/Sun double that should help determine where my recovery and legs are. Anxious to get out there!

scottywk2 says:

October 20, 2017 at 7:23 am

I don’t get a vote for male UROTY (because no one really cares about the midwest) but I would probably vote for Thomas Green.

Doug says:

October 20, 2017 at 7:53 am

Dude, that 16 year old girl in NY is an absolute beast. Ashima Shiraishi is her name. I remember bouldering in Central Park once about 8 years ago, and she was on another level – several levels above mortals. Are her climbs as “bold” as Honnold, in that she falls she dies? No. But I guarantee you she can climb at his skill level and higher. Honnold has a lot of balls for free soloing, but purely as a climber, you should watch her before you disrespect her (and NY) with this “16 year old girl from NY” nonsense. She’s the best I’ve ever seen. Hands down.

D. robinson says:

October 20, 2017 at 8:10 am

Truth! She’s among the best climbers in the world right now. (I and say this as someone who super respects Honnold.)

eric schranz says:

October 20, 2017 at 8:52 am

I’m not using “16 yo girl from NY” as a perjorative. She IS a 16 yo girl from NY.
And I stand corrected as to her abilities. I guess Honnold is the present, and this girl is the future. Anxious to learn more about her!

1. Jacques says:
  
  October 20, 2017 at 10:05 am
  
  Alex is the boldest free soloist of all time for sure. In terms of technical abilities, there are quite a few more male and female climbers that are better. Ashima is the first female to have climbed a V15 boulder problem. Hard to explain to non-climbers, but imagine climbing on severe overhanging rock hanging by the margins of your fingertips. There aren’t even that many guys that climb at that level.
  
  1. Alex Kurt says:
    
    October 20, 2017 at 11:11 am
    
    Exactly! Honnold is usually the first to admit he isn’t a top-level climber among pros, and that his talent lies more in compartmentalizing fear than climbing at the absolute edge of human ability (the “present” in that regard are probably Adam Ondra and Margo Hayes, who are also quite young and arguably the future as well – and that’s assuming we’re talking about sport climbing. If I have a critique of Ashima’s inclusion, it’s that the mag didn’t build any context about sport vs. trad vs. alpine, etc.). Ashima is as good a pick as any for this list. Maybe Alex Megos could have been on there too. All that said, these lists will invariably be incomplete and are obviously written for clicks. And it totally works on me.
    
    1. nasmorn says:
      
      October 23, 2017 at 3:53 am
      
      Yes you gotta imagine if in the part about Simone Biles there was also a sport where they did the bar over real lava. Totally possible that she would not be up to it and who could blame her.
Brent says:

October 20, 2017 at 10:54 am

I’d put Margo Hayes up there with her. Especially if you’re talking about trad instead of bouldering. I saw Ashima at an Atlanta gym and yeah, she’s badass.

Brett says:

October 20, 2017 at 8:27 am

Honnold is the greatest but he’s not the future. He’s said he won’t attempt any bolder climbs than the Freerider (good!) and in terms of difficulty, he’s several grades off cutting edge. So the future is elsewhere

Ultramarathon Daily News | Friday, Oct 20

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