Ultramarathon Daily News | Mon June 6

iRunFar: Justin Mock runs down all this weekend’s ultramarathon and trail running results from around the world. Highlight for me was Ruperto Romero–58 years old!–winning San Diego 100. Here’s our interview with this incredible man from a few years ago.

Watch Emelie Forsberg crush a VK at Zegama right here. My legs burn just watching this.

Retailer REI is making a big move to be a major player in the running space. Whenever I’m in an REI I’ll check out their shoes and they always have a decent selection, but the staff never seems to know what they’re talking about. Same where you are?

Jax Mustafa has completed an impressive list of ultramarathons and stage races all while battling some serious foot problems.

Ultrarunnning: Becoming a durable athlete.

I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that a “gender inclusive” cycling race was won by a biological man, with another man taking second. A young mom, holding her daughter, stood third on the podium.

Adventure Journal: BLM (Land Management) is “unlocking” access to hundreds of parcels of public lands that have been otherwise inaccessible due to their location next to private lands. Great news!

Watch this: FreeTrail: Tim Tollefson’s journey back to Western States.

Is it body shaming to say that pro high jumpers have really weird bodies? Because they really do.

Sometimes even an accomplished runner like Zola Budd needs to be talked thru the latter parts of an ultra. Luckily, the legendary Bruce Fordyce was there to help out.

Semi-Rad’s Brendan Leonard writes an homage to his lost toenails.

6 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Mon June 6"

RG says:

June 6, 2022 at 2:51 pm

Definitely Kilian taking the video of Emilie! Awwww (also, not many could keep up).

Thanks Eric!

Reply
Mark Negele says:

June 6, 2022 at 9:57 pm

Hi there, Mark here and I work in footwear at an REI. Care to say something concrete about your experience that might be constructive? I can only speak for myself and not the company, but I like anecdotes with some facts. When someone throws out a vague missive like yours it does not land well. True to the point you perhaps allude to, I find myself at REI among non runners that sell footwear. FYI, when it comes to footwear we share more responsibilities than selling footwear too as we also cover soft goods. I have some gaps in my knowledge when it comes to boots but I do my best. So, I have some shortcomings on the floor. Conversely, I (as do many of my teammates) have some pride in that I have received frequent customer compliments on the knowledge base shared on any given day (which you will have to trust me on).

I am an ultra runner, a road runner and customers seek me out since I have a niche carved out in the store for that reason. But I keep in mind, like when people/pundits spotlight “controversies”, that even though I get immersed really immersed into the trail running scene I cannot lose sight that it is a very particular area, (albeit growing, I get it) and is in fact a smaller segment of the runner population lacing up. And frankly, some of our customers are not ever going to be runners either so they are spared my avid enthusiasm for trail running factoids. I do a fair amount of work with teachers, medical providers, etc. that come in for Hoka Bondi’s or Cliftons because their podiatrist recommended it. A tangent…sorry.

I suppose it will always be difficult for REI to have the same reputation as a dedicated running store where you can hang with staff that are former Div III runners that are wonks on subjects like which Hokas have a J frame, know the difference between Egofoam and Helion foam or are exclusively catering to people that want Carbon X super shoes to kid themselves the “hi-tech” will be a shortcut to fitness or speed. But keeping up with the rapid changes in the industry is a full time job. It is not going to be the priority from my perspective since there is a lot to outfitting service at REI. For example, REI footwear folks are juggling apparel for outdoor use both casual and more technical use. It is daunting. I dusted off your website’s shoe gear reviews on this website and noted the last contribution date. This is why your comment seems callow and less than prescient.

But, as I have stated, we are also selling more than trail and road running footwear to customers. Chacos to people seeking to hike the Camino trail in Spain, Asolo boots for the AT, Oboz to casual hikers, Birkenstocks to whomever for whatever , and so the list goes on. The REI online inventory is vast, too. We have some very diligent people that do their best to measure folks, decipher their needs, and we are working under the precept to “be descriptive, not prescriptive.” And because of the large inventory we also fit people that are ultimately going to use us to get on a Brannock, try on an On Cloud Monster (if we have their size in store) and ultimately buy it online. Are you a Co-Op member? If you are, then you know we have the best return policy on the planet. Some folks really push that one too. It comes with a society with expectations that are grounded in…? And with this we as a team do our level best to be customer focused. You have no idea.

One more point, like most most industries, we have professionally developed on line and in house training. We have some of the best. At an ETE I recently attended (a gathering of REI Run Fit SMEs and vendors) we learned quite a bit re sales, product line up, etc. and we endeavor to use and share this knowledge for teach backs at our stores. If your last visit to an REI was pre-Covid perhaps go in again and update your viewpoint to see if some of the recent changes to footwear procedures is an improvement. That is a bit of necessary background to establish “your why.” When you toss out a flippant remark like a dart without a target, bait the readers, and say nothing that establishes what deficiencies or dearth of knowledge you feel exist or are part of the REI experience it undermines your credibility with people like me that do our best to make positive change and motivate to promote the sport.

You have a solid fan base to be sure and do provide a nice curated link News page for helpful topics but I seem to more and more pick up on this peculiar vibe from that comes across as whining for the sake of “discussion” and makes your website less relevant from my vantage point. And I obviously have a bias as an employee but I was an REI member long before I worked there. I dont think you’re bashing REI per se but I honestly dont know what you are insinuating exactly and that lack of clarity is a problem and lazy writing. But hey, that’s just me being blunt (without malice). And at 60 years of age that is my issue after serving 25 years as a deep sea diver in the Navy and coaching aspiring special program candidates for 15 years afterwords as a mentor. My workforce experience has a certain ethos that is what it is, for better or for worse. And for whatever it is worth, I am happy the “rona” virus (if memory serves, that was how you referred to it in the past) did not cause you any undeserved after affects and I genuinely mean that.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  June 8, 2022 at 5:20 am
  
  Hi Mark-
  Whew, all that for a short comment about shoes?
  I’m sure your shoe staff have a lot to do. Sandals, boots, shoes, etc with all sorts of skill levels coming in thru the door. My point was that at my REI, the staff seems to only know the marketing jargon about the shoes and not the practical usage. I couldn’t care less which “aero foam” or whatever the hell makes up the cushioning, I want to know which shoe is best for someone with relatively narrow feet and needs something for a “door to trail” scenario. That’s where I see REI staff lacking. Maybe they need to have employees who focus on one aspect of the shoe department? Maybe REI needs to hire better. I don’t know. But my point still stands: Great selection, but the staffing at my REI is not up to par with other run specialty in my area.
  Thanks for the comment.
  
  Reply
Dave Dehart says:

June 7, 2022 at 4:44 pm

Looks constructive. He is pointing out a perceived behavior or weakness. He opened it up for other perspectives. He allowed you and others to comment.

Reply
olgav100 says:

June 9, 2022 at 4:36 am

FWIT, I never use stuffing to ask questions about what I might need for my (not narrow) feet, or door-to-door, or whatnot. I do my research online, nowadays this is where information lays, and then come and try things. And indeed, big corporation or not (I know, I should support local), REI has the best return policy. So if I (myself) made a mistake in choosing, it may go back to the store. I’ve been a member for 20 years, and mostly had a good experience with employees doing their best in being helpful.
In other news, that cyclists story. Wow. That’s really crazy, especially since the organizers didn’t even care for any prove of hormone therapy! I mean, personally, even with that, I’d be “no way, Jose”, but those dudes didn’t even qualify as transgender athletes at all! Even if there’s no money involved, the insanity of it, and sadness of those coming behind, is pretty heart breaking.

Reply
olgav100 says:

June 9, 2022 at 4:37 am

“staff”

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