Ultramarathon Daily News, Mon, Oct 10

Justin’s comprehensive list of ultramarathon/trail results from the past week.

Did you catch our latest podcast with elite trail runner and skimo champ Meredith Edwards? Check out her instagram page, watch her dance, and hold on tight, she’s got a ton of energy and is living a pretty awesome life right now. Expect to see her on the podium of 2017s steepest races.

Kenya had the top four men and women at the Chicago Marathon. Superior genes, expert training and culture, or something else?

Last year, Altra was the official shoe sponsor, this year (and for the next three), the company is the title sponsor for Western States. What impact does that have on you? Could you name the title sponsor before Altra? I’m sure they’ve done their ROI studies, but I just don’t see the draw. Congrats on a new partnership, nonetheless!

The Six Foot Track Marathon is a big deal in Australia. Though technically an ultramarathon, the trail race appeals to a large swath of runners and gaining entry has been tough recently. Here are a few of the changes the committee just instituted to make it fair. Full report here. What do you think of the list below?

There’s a lottery, but the following exceptions are given entry:
- Past winners.
- Top ten from last year.
- Sweeps for the following year.
- 3rd time’s a charm.
- Those that contribute $1,000 AUS.

Not a run, but this ultramarathon swim is outstanding. She swam for 56 hours straight (no stopping!) to cover a record 82 miles across Lake Powell.

…meanwhile, this Aussie gal just swam the English Channel for a record 19th time.

Part three of how to sh!t in the woods, including a delightful explanation about using a snowball to wipe.

Warrior Dash structure collapses during race, injuring participants.

Luke shares a great photo essay of the high elevation trails in Great Basin National Park.

…and this photo essay of Denali (from a tourists perspective) really makes me want to check it out.

One of those great, positive moments in high school XC that shows a combination of quality parenting, coaching, and character.

Stubborn cyclists and drivers: I don’t want to die, and you don’t want to hurt me.

I missed it, but apparently the Ironman World Champs in Kona were pretty awesome this weekend. Did you see it?

Jason Green says:

October 10, 2016 at 6:26 am

I think what amazes me is that Altra was able to pony up the dollars, in my mind I thought they were a small company with limited resources for advertising. WS chooses their sponsors wisely and tends to stick to companies born from trail runners and the community. So hats off to WS for not having Nike as the sponsor and rolling with the fam

eric schranz says:

October 10, 2016 at 6:31 am

They were….until 2011 when the company was acquired by ICON fitness, owners of NordicTrack, GOld’s Gym, and a bunch of other fitness companies. Altra is not short on cash at all.

1. Jason Green says:
  
  October 10, 2016 at 1:07 pm
  
  Wow !!! Are you required to send them a certified letter when you stop wearing their shoes just like when your contract is up at Golds Gym?

Scott Towle says:

October 10, 2016 at 7:12 am

October 19th? NEWS FROM THE FUTURE!

eric schranz says:

October 10, 2016 at 7:16 am

Oops! That’s the day I fly out. Apparently it’s on my mind right now.

Tim says:

October 10, 2016 at 8:31 am

Wasn’t Montrail the title sponsor before Altra? It has little impact on me since I already wear Altras.Reference

pete says:

October 10, 2016 at 9:30 am

Third time’s a charm only works if it’s moderately oversubscribed. In three years time, they could have no entries available…Reference

Herbert Wingfield says:

October 10, 2016 at 11:13 am

Eric, although not part of today’s topic… excuse for not getting in your run (plug for Trails and Tarmac) on your schedule: hurt my back working on my slot machine!?! BTW, still excited being part of that program.
Keep up the good work.

Jacques says:

October 10, 2016 at 6:38 pm

Regarding Kenyan performance, while a specific gene hasn’t been pinpointed, there are a host of other factors that have been used to explain their dominance. These include growing up and training at altitude in the Great Rift Valley and socio-cultural factors, where most kids run to school from a young age and the enormous financial incentive in a country where the per capita income is less than $2,000 a year. It should also be pointed out that most of the great Kenyan runners are from the Kalenjin tribe that makes up only about 1/8 of the population. If you’re really interested, check out The Sports Gene by David Epstein where he devotes a chapter to this topic. Also, there was this article in NPR a couple of years back: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/11/04/361403249/what-makes-kenyas-marathon-runners-the-worlds-bestReference

camel says:

October 14, 2016 at 5:29 am

This is really how US could be in trail running. If we continue building the culture and getting more involved, the talent pool grows, competition grows and domination ensues. The kenyans/ethipians now have a long culture of running geared toward fast major marathons. They’ve become specialists and go where the money is, athletic assassins.Reference

Ultramarathon Daily News, Mon, Oct 10

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