Ultramarathon Daily News, Mon, Jan 25

Ultramarathon News from Around the World:

Toni Reavis raises a great point about the difference between race directors and race promoters. It is a race, or is it a real competition between athletes? Of course the common refrain in the ultramarathon world is that it’s the runner against the course, but everyone likes to see tough competition, right? Which ultras/RD fit in the race promoter category?

Without looking, who was third male OA at Western last year? He’s selling one of his buckles on eBay and some people are freaking out. What do you think? Just a buckle, or something more?

Sarah takes a trip down memory lane with stories of how she started running. And check out those bangs! (That’s Sarah on the left.)

If you’re in Northern California and looking for a new trail (or maybe ultramarathon? Who knows!) idea, check out this race. You won’t know the date and location until a week prior, and the distance and trails won’t be announced until you’re at the starting line. Sounds like fun.

Coach Vance has some strong words and opinions on Ryan Hall’s career. Thoughts?

Read this: Jean Pommier is a tough masters runner who excels at distances from the 5k to 24 hour, trails, roads, and track. Here, he extols the importance and virtues of track workouts.

Jeff Browning’s report from HURT and his analysis of whether the OFM diet helped with his win. Here’s my interview with Bronco Billy from last year.

Full weekend ultramarathon and trail results from Justin at IRF.

I had no idea there were so many devices to help you take a dump in the woods. There’s the Loop n Poop (some call it the Strap & Crap), the Bumper Dumper, and the Squat Strap, which wins it for the funniest video. Ever tried any?

My favorite philosophical/running blogger writes about the weirdness of the elliptical, and I couldn’t agree more.

Again, if you don’t like the race/registration rules and policies, don’t enter the damn race.

29 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News, Mon, Jan 25"

Sarah Lavender Smith says:

January 25, 2016 at 6:14 am

I think it’s his (Jared Hazen, right?) prerogative to sell it and make money from it. Maybe he has personal reasons for not wanting it. I’ve heard a past WS100 winner talk about the mental hangup of the cougar trophy, so maybe he doesn’t want it for emotional reasons. To me the question is: who would buy it and what would they do with it?? It would feel so wrong for the non-finisher to display or wear it. When I bought my van from Rod Bien a couple of years ago, it had a “WS100 Finisher” license plate frame. I immediately took it off because it didn’t feel right to drive around with it, since I didn’t earn it. I saved it and hope to mount it the afternoon of June 26!

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  January 25, 2016 at 6:29 am
  
  Yep, Jared Hazen. He says in his FB post that he’s got two of them and really just wants to see how much money he can get for it since he “ties shoes for a living.”
  
  On a deeper note, it does seem sad that, despite how sentimental he is/isn’t, one of our sports’ best is selling off an award to make money. That, on top David Laney’s need to live in his car to finance race travel, is an interesting commentary on the state of our sport. Or am I looking too much into this?
  
  Reply
  1. Tim Tollefson says:
    
    January 25, 2016 at 6:42 am
    
    I see your train of thought but my stance is the same for road and track athletes; Pursue a career path that sets you up for financial stability in life (if that’s important to you) at the same time you train like hell for your other passion!
    
    Now obviously I would love to see athletes get paid more (anything) but that’s not our current reality so it irks me when gofundme pages and the sort pop up to support someone’s “dream”…
    
    Reply
    1. Katie says:
      
      January 25, 2016 at 7:15 am
      
      Amen Tim. I love this outlook, the every person doesn’t get their college of whatever paid for. It seems the most successful athletes have good careers anyway (Kaci, the Roches off the top of my head). Laney paid his way as far as I know and that was a sacrifice he chose to make while others choose to work and get up at 3 am to train on the treadmill. Do what you think is right for your success.
      
      Reply
    2. Alex Varner says:
      
      January 25, 2016 at 7:51 am
      
      upvote.
      
      Reply
    3. Joey says:
      
      January 26, 2016 at 11:18 am
      
      I don’t know the exact words but I love what Eric Thomas says about dreams. “It’s your dream. I don’t owe you a thing. If you want it to happen, get your butt up and make it happen.”
      
      Reply
  2. Sarah Lavender Smith says:
    
    January 25, 2016 at 6:43 am
    
    On the Dave Laney example — and by the way, that was a great episode! — I’d keep in mind that he’s a young guy in his mid-20s just getting started in life. It’s normal and maybe even healthy for young adults to go through a period of working odd jobs and being broke before hitting stride in a career (speaking from my husband and my experience in our 20s), be it an athletic career or something else. I came into ultrarunning when it was something that many if not most “elites” did on the side while also having another source of income. I don’t know if that’s such a bad thing insofar as it leads to more life balance and perhaps longevity in the sport, as opposed to being paid to train and race full time and hard, and then burning out a few years later. Having the sport get really lucrative creates another set of potential problems, as you know. I don’t feel strongly one way or the other; I’m just saying there are at least two sides to this issue :-).
    
    Reply
    1. Mic Med says:
      
      January 25, 2016 at 7:32 am
      
      No No no. You can’t have it both ways. There can’t be comments and posts about how the sport of “ultra running” needs to stick to it’s roots, resist selling off races to the highest bidders (imagine the outrage if it became “The Western States presented by Muscle Milk”), be about the everyman, glorify Fat Asses, etc and then whine about the lack of money the athletes get. Want more money in the sport? Attach the sport of ultrarunning to the IAAF and get Nike behind it. Don’t want to make a deal with the devil? Then accept it for what it is.
      
      Reply
  3. J. says:
    
    January 25, 2016 at 7:17 am
    
    I think the freak on facebook from a lot of people, some of whom are prominent names in the sport, is rather telling. These are some of the very people who lovingly long for the “good ol’ days” of live and let live, run free, do it for you, and so on. Those are all great sentiments that I fully support, but it now also seems that some of the old guards are letting a piece of metal get in the way; it kinda betrays the philosophy they want to get back to, no? If you’re running the race for a buckle, your priorities are very different than mine. If you’re letting the buckle (or the color of a buckle) define you personally, or provide for self-esteem, it might be time to stop racing and just spend some time running.
    
    Reply
  4. Travis says:
    
    January 25, 2016 at 7:50 am
    
    I think the whole philosophical side of this will change with time.
    Being an athlete doesn’t always pay the bills. Nor does a physical award always satisfy the cravings of the spirit. Sometimes – as cliche as it is – the real reward is in the accomplishment.
    Maybe having your name etched in the history books or the minds of your peers is worth more than the silver and gold. Maybe the sacrifice of a ‘stable career’ to chase athletic glory brings unwritten costs, like selling buckles and sleeping in cars.
    There are plenty of ‘unique’ medals, trophies, and awards that have come on ebay and auction houses over the years. There is something amazing about winning a gold medal, to put it up on the internet for sale seems to dishonor it. Yet, it has happened often enough now, people don’t really talk about it. As ultrarunning grows, i am sure that things like this will become more commonplace. As runners age, as kids and grand-kids inherit buckles and cougars, I am sure many will fall to the auction block for financial reasons, or even lack of connection.
    Whatever the reasons, (please pardon another cliche) it is up to the rest of us not to let the actions of one affect the rest of us.
    MUT running has a pure heart and spirit – just smile, put on your own buckle, and go hit the dirt.
    
    Reply
  5. Michael McKinnon says:
    
    January 25, 2016 at 12:59 pm
    
    irunfar’s Justin Mock, This Week In Running says, “Said to be chasing a college scholarship, Jared Hazen again hit the indoor track. Racing at the Colorado School of Mines Twilight meet in Golden, Colorado, Hazen ran 16:09 for 5000m to finish seventh.”
    
    Will selling WS100 buckle effect his NCAA Eligibility?
    
    Reply
    1. Paul Welch says:
      
      February 5, 2016 at 6:12 am
      
      Ask A.J. Green. http://espn.go.com/college-football/news/story?id=5547721
      
      Reply
  6. Jeramy says:
    
    January 25, 2016 at 3:46 pm
    
    It’s a shame that he’s selling it, but ultimately his decision. This gets back to the basic fact that we each run for different reasons. We also learn to run our own races and not someone elses. I think those up in arms are forgetting the adage about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
    
    I would be overjoyed to have an (earned) WS100 buckle in my posession. Hopefully someday I will get the chance to run that iconic race. The hard work, determination and sacrifice to get it is as much (or more) of the reward as the buckle.
    
    Being a young guy possibly needing cash, looking at something that holds a monetary value and not so much sentimental will be the first to go. I’m a sentimental guy, so all current and future buckles will be passed on to my daughter to enjoy and remember the crazy journeys she was a part of with her dad.
    
    Seeing how much the sport of ultrarunning is growing, there is an unfortunate lag in the pay of our top athletes. A big part of this is due the lack of true managers handling the affairs of these athletes.
    
    Having worked for years in the entertainment and professional sports industries, those without representation usually leave a lot on the table when brokering their own deals.
    
    Adding a more structured business approach would open up more options for the elites of the sport.
    
    Reply
2. Dan-O says:
  
  January 25, 2016 at 8:56 am
  
  Yep, his prerogative Even though it’s a big deal to attain 3rd at WS – not all people are sentimental about the material item they receive. How he uses the buckle doesn’t matter anymore than how a race winner with prize money spends her/his proceeds.
  
  Reply
Meghan says:

January 25, 2016 at 6:35 am

The ONLY issue I have with this is that…. the problem is that once you trash your thyroid and adrenals by overtraining to the extent that you need medication to get it back to NORMAL… it’s a LIFETIME thing… you will always have to take thyroid medication. You can’t just take a year off and be OK…. BUT I will agree if the levels he was taking were making it a “super” thyroid instead of just back to normal… i don’t know… it’s tough….

Reply
Tim Tollefson says:

January 25, 2016 at 6:36 am

I think if you are running simply for a medal or buckle you are doing it wrong, but, definitely believe there is meaning to these tangible items, especially handmade ones. I rarely keep my medals, however, I personally wouldn’t ever try to profit off them. Like my Olympic Trials medal I gave to a young (and previously VERY athletic) cancer patient I was working with at the time.

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Sabrina says:

January 25, 2016 at 6:41 am

Ah, no! I love Ryan Hall. It seems like…while now it’s obvious that overtraining throws you hormonally off-balance, and the burden of agency is in your court to back off (rather than, wow, I have a disease and should be medicated), it wasn’t always that obvious. Or while increasing conversations about doping has refined our questions and boundaries, something like that wouldn’t have been clear before. I don’t doubt he took thyroid medicine with a clear conscience. I give him the benefit of the doubt, especially knowing how he’s handled the testosterone issue.

Reply
Alex says:

January 25, 2016 at 7:54 am

Regarding Hazen’s WS medal: Looking at the FB comments, it appears nearly everyone – including several pretty noteworthy runners – is taking what I’d call the sensible path. That is, it’s a piece of metal, it means what it means to you. There isn’t any objective value beyond what the silver is worth. The only real detractor appears to be AJW, whose Western States sentiment is famously overflowing.

Reply
1. Tim Tollefson says:
  
  January 25, 2016 at 8:17 am
  
  Oh AJW…
  
  Reply
bd says:

January 25, 2016 at 8:03 am

Does anyone in Utah know these two guys? These names are both found on Ultrasignup and they both look to be avid ultrsrunners. I’m curious if anyone has insight into their decision to file a lawsuit.
Speaking of lawsuits, any info on the Jimy Dean Feeeman lawsuit?

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  January 25, 2016 at 8:49 am
  
  I haven’t heard any updates on the Freeman/Nike case. Just filed a few months ago, so I assume it’ll be awhile.
  
  Reply
Aitch says:

January 25, 2016 at 8:04 am

Tim Long sold a Leadville buckle on eBay a couple years ago. Read his description, it’s funny. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leadville-100-Mile-Trail-Run-Big-Buckle-/121245779172

Reply
1. Sarah Lavender Smith says:
  
  January 25, 2016 at 8:45 am
  
  “Running 100 miles sucks, especially when you have to fight the crowds at the Leadville 100. Be the hottest dude at the next sausage fest party you show up at with this platter-sized big buckle, which was obtained in my 2011 run at the race (net time 20:59:52). It hasn’t been on a belt yet, so it’s almost like new. Save your $300 entry fee and the six months of selfish training. No limit set on this bad boy, so bid away!”
  
  I admit, that’s hilarious. Footfeathers is quite a character.
  
  Reply
  1. DJ says:
    
    January 26, 2016 at 4:49 am
    
    Elevation Trail! I enjoy their podcasts as much as I do Ultrarunnerpodcast. Alway fun to get different perspectives.
    
    Reply
Billy Yang says:

January 25, 2016 at 8:48 am

Jared’s prerogative to do as he wishes to do with the hardware. From the sound of things, seems like a little bit of coin would help (temporarily). Me personally, I’m a sentimental guy and so I wouldn’t attach a monetary value to something you worked so hard to earn. But I guess I’m a guy who’s also at the crossroads of the old and new school of thinking: to me, WS and its history is everything I love about this sport whereas the newer crop isn’t as attached to that. But I also do love the influx of fast, fresh faces into the scene.

Never was this more evident than TNF/WS Lottery weekend when my heart was pulled in both directions. anyway, I’ve always been a laissez faire person so as you wish to do young Jared. But I’m also tempted to just give you that $100 and make you keep it 🙂

Reply
Jack says:

January 25, 2016 at 10:36 am

The only things that mean anything to me are the items I wear during the race, especially the bib, since they are with me the whole race. I actually keep a couple pair of shoes for the same reason. Medals, buckles and shirts really don’t mean much and all end up in a box somewhere. I never take them out. If you are struggling financially and can get some cash, I say go for it. But I also completely agree to choose a career to afford the lifestyle you wish to live.

Reply
Francois says:

January 25, 2016 at 10:50 am

I don’t have one, and just like for when you don’t have kids, i’ll refrain from commenting on what you should or shouldn’t do with yours 🙂 (and just like for people who have kids, people do very different things with theirs and many think they are right and the ones doing differently are wrong – although all silver buckles are the same, unlike kids).

But I do have medals from many races, and I don’t know where they are (some are still in my car, some are in boxes that never were unwrapped from a previous moving), and i’ll likely don’t care if I find them, some have an integrated bottle opener and I know exactly where they are (one in each room and the car, just because opening bottles matter more than the medal you open them with).
I ran the races (or “raced the races” as Jorge would put it) because I wanted to run there on that day, not because I wanted a medal. If I ever run ws and get a buckle, I’ll be pretty damn happy… to have run and finished. And i’ll have a buckle to put on my canyons 100k belt that I can’t wear without one. That would be a good think, but then I know myself, and I’ll need a cowboy hat to go with it… I like the running part better I guess.

Reply
Dylan Bowman says:

January 25, 2016 at 12:03 pm

Ironman had a similar ruling on their lottery in 2015. http://www.outsideonline.com/1981506/how-ironman-lottery-smackdown-affects-other-endurance-events

Reply
Will Childress says:

January 26, 2016 at 11:48 am

I love the idea of the Uncharted Scramble! Last summer, I had my wife sign me up for a road race and she didn’t tell me the location/distance till the night before. It was awesome!

Reply

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