Ultramarathon Daily News | Monday, Apr 22
Justin Mock/IRF: All the trail and ultramarathon results from the past weekend.
What caught my eye:
-Ruy Ueda at Mt. Awa SkyRace. I hadn’t heard much of him in the past year, but glad to see he’s back. The guy is an absolute beast and fun to watch.
-Suzanna Bon’s win at Napa Valley 50k. You’ll recall her interview from 2017 with us…she’s not getting older, just getting tougher. Nice work!
-Canyons 100k Golden Ticket race this weekend is looking stout. See below.
Speaking Panel: Heading to Canyons this weekend? I’ll be hosting a panel discussion Fri from 4:30-6 at The Aid Station (packet pickup) in Auburn with a group of elite runners. Join us!
Adventure Journal: Good interview with super mom and “hill walker” Jasmin Paris. And while you’re at it…subscribe to AJ’s print publication. Excellent writing and photography by an independent team with no advertorials.
Danger: If you’re running trails in Colorado, watch out for undetonated avalanche bombs.
WTH: As far as I can tell, Beyonce cut food out of her diet. Yay for holding her up as someone young girls should look up to. (That’s sarcasm, folks.)
Tragic: Bodies of three TNF alpinists recovered from mountains outside Banff.
Cycling: Overeager fans crowding out riders and making for dangerous conditions at big races. Interested to see how the cycling world handles this and what we can learn.
βHis easiest training week of the year would likely put most people in the hospital.β
–Outside Magazine reviews Kilian’s new book.
LetsRun: Another thread about how lame ultrarunners are. Of course.
Fast Women: Check out Allison’s rundown of women’s running news from the past week.
What does an average day at Everest Base Camp look like?
Guardian UK: The secrets of sports recovery. Some are legit, some seem a bit sketchy.
I don’t know anything about this race, but whoa, check out that kick! And where is this track? I’d love to see more events on grass!
I’ve wondered about Alex Honnold’s mom and how she handles seeing him do what he does. Turns out she’s a climber too.
Are you an RD in the Midwest? Here’s a possible new gig.
Angry Irishman: This writer thinks that “extreme” sports are just a bunch of self-absorbed wankers masquerading as real athletes. He’s not entirely wrong, is he?
Toni Reavis: Toni does a great job of analyzing the term “elite” and how it effects marathon fields, prizes, competition, and whether new race formats make it impossible for non-sponsored runners to win a big race. Excellent analysis with plenty of harbingers for the trail and ultramarathon world.
Personal
After a pathetic string of DNS, I finally finished something on Saturday and got that damn money off my back. It was slow and ugly and painful, but it was a finish and I’m proud of it.
I’d run the Mendocino Coast 50k a few years ago, then came back this year to run the opposite direction. A few notes:
- My long run going into the race was 9.5 miles, and I’d run that on roads. This was going to be tough.
- I give people sh*t on URP when they say they “just want to finish”, but that was my goal on Saturday…just finish the damn thing and move on. Zero time goals.
- Mendocino 50k is an incredible event. Small race vibe (150 runners), one race distance for a big loop through the redwoods, breathtaking single track along coast trails, and excellent markings and aid stations. As close to perfection as a race can get. It’s slow, but it allows you to take it all in.
- Fueling on Roctane, Coke, and Oreos was a dumb decision and my stomach paid the price.
- Soleus held up fine. No physical issues at all!
- Wore the Opti-Shokz glasses the entire time and am now ready to write full review. Stay tuned.
- My time was a half hour slower than my 50 mile PR. Oof.
- I was fiddling with my phone charger early in the race (mile 7?) and inadvertently dropped a bar wrapper, reusable cup, and a small electronic device. Didn’t realize until the next aid station. π
- Finished up the day with tender feet and sore legs, but got back to the hotel, took a shower and headed out for dinner with the family. I got into the car wearing my Oofos sandals and caught my toe on something that bent my big toe nail back at 90 degrees. Swore for 5 minutes straight, cleaned up the blood and puss with a dry old baby wipe, and headed to pizza. It’s now being held on by a Band-Aid.
- I got it done, but also realized I’m in no shape to run Miwok 100k in two weeks so will be taking a DNS. Anyone need one night at Holiday Inn Mill Valley? I’ll be in Sacramento geeking out on something else…