Ultramarathon and Trail Running Daily News | Monday, June 26

Full ultramarathon and trail running results from this weekend. Don’t overlook what happened at Lake Saroma in Japan over the weekend. Tatsuya Itagaki finished with a superb time of 6:14:18 (6:01 min/ mi), only 45 seconds off of Takahiro Sunada’s current road WR (6:13:33) set in 1998.

Awesome: Amby Burfoot runs and writes about Dipsea.

Stulberg: Sustaining a lifetime passion for your sport. Don’t burn out!

ultramarathon — Heading up the hill Fri night. Pic by Vince Matteo.

Quick and random thoughts on Western States Endurance Run 2017:

“You ran in 2017? And you finished? Nice work.” will be a refrain heard for years to come. Those were tough conditions out there, reflected by the 33% drop rate.
Kaci Lickteig is one tough woman. When she came through the finish at 24:02, she was absolutely broken. I’ll bet she learned more yesterday than she learned during her win. I also got to see the bond between she and coach Koop and how each handled her performance. Huge respect for both of them.

From my perspective, there are significantly more families at the race then in years past. Not sure what’s been causing it, but it’s awesome to see kids anxious to get autographs from their favorite runners (kid strutting around Foresthill with his Ryan Sandes hat like he was a boss) and watch the race with real excitement. A very good sign for the future of this ridiculous sport.
Jim played with fire and got burned, but that’w what it takes sometimes. I’m anxious to hear what he’ll do differently next time. Here’s one pretty inflammatory (and pretty lame) take on his day.
Cat Bradley ran probably the smartest race of the day, and also showed real toughness in her battle with YiOu after Foresthill. She certainly earned that win.
The women really toughed it out for the finishes: Emily, Stephanie (Violett and Case), Maggie and Sarah. None of them had great days out there, but they all finished. Nice!
Mackey was working an aid station and apparently had a pretty low DNF rate. Imagine complaining about leg pain to Dave and trying to quit the race.
Tim and Ellie’s records are freaking stout.
Best looking runner thru Foresthill was Alex Nichols. He looked fresh and ready to rock…a lot more than Jim and Ryan. I really thought he was going to chase down Ryan for the win.
I’m pretty sure Mocko blew all of his energy making this video a few days before the race.
Ryan Sandes ran a patient and smart race and toughed it out. Bravo!
At around 29:30, a gentleman came through the gate about to enter the track. He was late 50s, early 60s and had been running all day. His wife was holding his hand, and he was sobbing. Absolutely broken down sobbing as he placed his foot on the track and made his way around to the finish. This is powerful stuff.
I slept on a chair lift (Shirley Lane Express) on Friday night up near the Escarpment. Definitely better than hiking up the hill at 3am. On Saturday night I slept for an hour on the track while watching all the runners come in. Sunday night I slept in my bed. Hard.
Apparently the early aid stations were overwhelmed with the number of people not making cutoffs and ran out of transport vehicles. The snow in the high country was pretty nuts.
I was there when Gordy gave his spot to waitlister #39 John Fegyveresi on Friday afternoon. “Fegy” is a Barkley finisher (2012), traveled from Vermont to Squaw, and was in tears when he found out he’d been running. Well done Gordy. That was awesome.
It’s a testament to the race organizers/volunteers when the RD can compete in the event and the day runs smoothly. Well done.
I won! Put my money where my predictions were and won about $100, even beating out a past WS winner. Boom!
Sharman and Browning are beasts. Give those guys any conditions, any weather, tough competition, and they’re both going to persevere. Same with Meghan Arbogast….they’ve got something special.
Sorry about the lack of repertoire with the Alphorn on Saturday. I lost my mouthpiece and am severely limited in range right now.
The drug testing was a bit underwhelming. A pickup truck with a camper shell? I don’t know, at least make it look more serious.
Cameras and film crews. I’m writing a longer piece about the number of crews on the course and what I think the future looks like.
URP guests leading up to Western this year:
- Andrew Chapello. Finished 29:35
- Jess Mullen. Finished 26:39.
- Jackie Merritt: Finished 21:07.
- Amy Sproston: DNF with quad issues.
- Jim Walmsley: DNF with stomach issues.
- Wally Hesseltine: Timed out at Red Star (15.8 mile.)
Random images from the day

Veteran stud Scotty Mills making his way into the stadium. He’d apparently been listing like this for 10+ miles.

How hot was it? Hot enough to leave John Burton’s tread in the pavement.

Gordy Ainsleigh casually handing his entry to waitlister John Fegyveresi. Lots of tears in those eyes.

4th female Kaytlyn Gerbin making her way thru Foresthill. She looked great.

All smiles as Chloe Romero enters the track. She’s grown up in this sport and this was her first finish at Western.

Nichols and pacer Tim Tollefson looking great thru Foresthill.

Kaci and Stephanie Case squeezing out some smiles at the finish.

Fans! These kids were fans! Running back and forth from the track to the finish for each runner.

50 mile WR holder Bruce Fordyce robbed at gunpoint: “Two men inside the car then pointed guns at me. One got out and began kicking me. They took my takkies (running shoes), which were old and smelled of old cheese, so they are more than welcome to them.”

AJW and I met up on Friday for our beer exchange. Plenty of hops and barleys changed hands.

The inextricable tie between eating disorders and endurance athletes.

Tarawera gets additional funding to support and promote the new 100 miler. Awesome. I know a guy who’d love to go over there in February…

I’ve heard from so many people that Bighorn was a slipper, sloppy mess this year. Here’s another report that shows the insanity.

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53 Responses to "Ultramarathon and Trail Running Daily News | Monday, June 26"

Tim Tollefson says:

June 26, 2017 at 8:27 am

Western States truly is a remarkable event. Each year the amount of compassion, grit, dedication, and heart shown from volunteers, spectators, crews, and runners surprises me more from the previous event.

To piggyback on what you said, every finisher this year will likely hold a wee bit more pride in knowing what was endured out there on the course. It was ugly at points.

Regarding the inflammatory Walmsley article, yes, his title is offensive and indeed strikes a nerve off the bat. He isn’t off base in some of his analysis, however.

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1. Ryan says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 9:10 am
  
  I agree, the title is total click bait offensive, but the points he makes are valid. I was, and still am, a big fan of Jim’s, but I don’t think he gave proper respect for the distance. I hope he is able to learn through this and move forward.
  
  Jim gained a lot of critics this weekend, that’s for sure.
  
  Reply
  1. francois says:
    
    June 26, 2017 at 10:16 am
    
    another way to look at the title is: factual. he did blow up, and it was an “again” occurence. It’s more cold that it is offensive really.
    I don’t think Jim can (nor will) blame him either: he chose to expose himself to that. He must have a pretty thick skin by now, having done nothing but putting himself out there for the last 1.5+ year
    
    Reply
Singletrack Guy says:

June 26, 2017 at 8:43 am

A lot of people seem to be piling on Walmsley, unfairly or not. He likes to run out front, he admitted that in your interview with him. I just don’t know if that’s feasible in a tough, hot 100 miler. You don’t see Killian racing out and away from everybody. He runs with the leaders until they start to tire then usually puts them away. And even Killian was humbled by Western heat once. Plus wasn’t Olsens record set on a ridiculously cool day for Western? Jim has to adjust to the fact that it was going to be hot. Win the race, worry about the record if it’s logically reasonable.

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Ben says:

June 26, 2017 at 8:47 am

Someone is going to make a short film about Walmsley’s day again at Western soon I’m guessing. But I hope in the ensuing weeks even more attention is given to the humble, equally hard-working, non self-promoting elites like Nichols, Magda, etc. These amazing runners do it all and hold down full-time jobs which is really impressive I believe.

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Zac Luchs says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:07 am

That article on Jims race actually isn’t too far off. You don’t light yourself on fire by accident – it happens when you are careless. Yes, Jim has the ability to crush WS and set a new record but first, you have to be respectful of the distance and the conditions. He clearly wasn’t. The heat and pace probably caused stomach issues and he didn’t take anything in for 4 hrs from what I heard but instead of slowing and trying to sort himself when things started to go south, he kept charging until he was completely burnt to a crisp.

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David says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:13 am

Not only are the CRs impressive (both during a cool year), the 15 hour 16 min. finish by Timothy Olson and 18 hour 37 minute finish by Pam Smith in 2013, a hotter year than this year. Both times 50+ minuets faster.

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1. David says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 9:15 am
  
  There was no snow in 2013 though, this could have played to to the difference. Props to all that competed this year
  
  Reply
Sabine says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:14 am

I don’t agree with you in finding the Stephen Cousin’s take on Walmsley lame. Although I plainly admit that Walmsley has got a ton of talent, particularly in shorter distances than 100 miles, I very much dislike his way of talking big before the race and not paying respect to the course, the conditions and to other runners. The way he talks about other runners who achieved much more than he did so far rubbs me the wrong way. Didn’t like the way he was talking about Rob Kar in the most recent URP interview. Didn’t like the way he was talking about his “race strategy” (which was no strategy but pure testosterone) in the IRunFar interview.
What I don’t get is the Jim Walmsley hype before Western States. So many interviews in the week leading to the race. Yes, he has run shorter distances with an incredible legspeed. But what are his achievements at 100 miles? Place 20 at Western States last year. A race of 100 miles needs more than pure speed. It needs planning, the ability to gut out extreme low patches, and it needs respect for the course and conditions. And a good portion of modesty doesn’t hurt. If he doesn’t learn from his failure in this year’s WS, I predict an epic failure.
To be perfectly honest: I like the humble guys and girls in ultrarunning much more than the smack-talkers. When they win, they do it with patience. If they fail – e.g. Kaci Lickteig this year at WS – they do it with style. They are my real heroes.

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1. Zac says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 9:30 am
  
  100% agree and very well said
  
  Reply
2. Stephen says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 6:54 pm
  
  You act like Jim completely blew up last year. Jim was a missed turn at mile 93 from demolishing the States’ course record. The distance isn’t too much for him. Every runner can have a bad day. Also, I felt like Jim gave plenty of respect to previous winners of States, and he even noted that Sandes 2nd to Olsen is way underrated.
  
  Reply
Amy S says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:27 am

Hamstrings not quads… Tweaked hamstring attachments is a chronic thing I’m trying not to mess around with. I was out for several months this fall/winter trying to heal. They’d been good all spring leading up to the race but sliding around on the snow wasn’t ideal.

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1. JP says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 10:05 am
  
  Amy Sproston You Rock !!
  
  Reply
Mike D says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:36 am

My question for those criticizing Jim for Western States is this: Would you have criticized Pre for his attitude on and off the track?

I truly believe Jim respects the 100 mile distance. Challenging the limits doesn’t mean a lack of respect. If anything it is a much greater embrace because of the exponential possibility for failure. (That is not to say failure isn’t always there as a possibility for everyone because it is.)

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1. Alex says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 10:08 am
  
  Considering he was a drunk driver, I hope everyone would be critical of Pre’s attitude off the track.
  
  Reply
  1. Andrew says:
    
    June 26, 2017 at 11:07 am
    
    Frank Shorter was in the care with him moments before he died. Frank swears that Pre wasn’t inebriated.
    
    Reply
  2. Camas says:
    
    June 26, 2017 at 11:17 am
    
    Mic drop
    
    Reply
    1. Alex says:
      
      June 26, 2017 at 12:41 pm
      
      The contemporaneous police and medical report say otherwise, but sure.
      
      Reply
      1. SingletrackGuy says:
        
        June 26, 2017 at 6:04 pm
        
        And this has something to do with running how?
2. Zac says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 10:15 am
  
  Pre proved himself at the distances he was cocky about. He wasn’t showing up at a marathon saying how he’s going to crush it and set a new record. He didn’t say “you’re welcome” for faultering and having someone else win because of it.
  
  Reply
  1. sam bosworth says:
    
    June 26, 2017 at 12:24 pm
    
    pre got smoked like a 2 dollar joint in the olympics for running like jimn and we all wear his tshirt 40 years later
    
    Reply
    1. Zac says:
      
      June 26, 2017 at 1:11 pm
      
      I don’t fall under that banner and I agree, I think the sentiment towards Pre is odd.
      
      Reply
3. Sabine says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 10:16 am
  
  Interesting question. To be honest, I know more about Pre’s actions on the track than off the track. I am not against going out fast and trying everything and then holding on to dear life. But I don’t like smack talk and cockiness without showing results.
  
  I know that Pre was famous for starting “balls out” – in that the runner reminding me of him is Zach Miller rather than Jim Walmsley.
  
  In essence: I would have criticized Pre if he was doing smack talk and not respecting other runners, but not for starting fast.
  
  With regards to Walmsley’s respect for the distance (and the conditions): I don’t agree with you. In the interview with Bryon Powell it soinds that he is caring more about the chasing pack than about his running. Someone who respects the distance knows that in a 100mile race there may or will be low patches and everything can happen. Therefore it is so important to focus on oneself and on the own race.
  
  Reply
4. Paul Beck says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 4:37 pm
  
  I’m with you Mike. We have plenty of humble runners in the ultra scene to follow if that’s your thing. Running needs some excitement and Jim is bring some of that. I like following athletes with some confidence and attitude and self belief, and that will go out and talk about it. It makes sports fun, and exciting to both watch and talk about. I would even argue Jim could go further with what he says and his confidence, but I do think he would rub more people the wrong way in the ultra scene. As long as he’s open and thankful and talkative to the volunteers and other runners around him carrying on the culture that’s been built upon then he’s all good to talk it up a bit and push some boundaries.
  
  Reply
francois says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:50 am

I didn’t find the filmmyrun post that inflammatory nor lame to be honest. The guy as a sports fan is frustrated (for the second time) and I’m sure many share this feeling – it’s been twice now, and next year people may not be that interested anymore. Cockiness doesn’t get so well rewarded without the cocky guy actually delivering in any other area of life.

My main problem though is not that, it’s that the race is kind of biased as spectators (not hardcore fans) might be lead to miss the real point of the race: what is happening behind Jim mattered more than what Jim was doing: that’s where people are actually racing each other. The current course record and the ones before were set by people racing each other, and its way more fun to watch that kind of race than people on raceways going sub-2hrs (full disclosure: I’m not that interested in FKTs so that’s only my take, but I’m okay with people who are 🙂 )Reference

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Nick says:

June 26, 2017 at 10:29 am

Have you actually read the Cousins post, Eric? Please explain what’s lame about it. Honest question.

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Camas says:

June 26, 2017 at 11:12 am

I have zero problem with the Walmsley article. If you make audacious and boastful claims publicly, it naturally opens you to criticism if you don’t finish the job. Is it any less inflammatory for Walmsley to make his public declarations disregarding his fellow competition? I think its inflammatory when you don’t have humility.

I think its ridiculous that so much attention was heaped on this guy, when the winner was disregarded. Are we going to talk about Ryan Sandes’ patient race and deserved win or another year of “man that guy sure was fast for the first ‘x’ number of miles!’? What a weird sport this is.

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Rick says:

June 26, 2017 at 11:26 am

Much ado about nothing??? Read the Cousins’s article and comments below it, and other than the title and overuse of the F-bomb, didn’t find it too off base. I listened to most of the Walmsey interviews over the past year – though missed the iRunfar pre-Western – and found his predictions and confidence considerably more measured and tolerable than the U.S. Olympic 100 meter dash yahoos who posture for the camera every 4 years. Have to say I like Jim, as most do, and have enjoyed his efforts to see what his limits are. Hope he figures Western out soon. Not sure I can wait as long as the Cub’s fans to see the big win if he keeps replaying the strategy of Icarus. That said, the rest of the Western States runners were pretty inspiring as well – cheers to you!

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Brian says:

June 26, 2017 at 11:39 am

Agree with the comments that too much attention is paid to a guy who in two appearances at States has a 20th place finish and DNF. He is proving to not be mentally tough at the 100 mile distance (crumbling on 49 after the wrong turn and DNFing with stomach issues). There are plenty of examples of competitors with stomach issues who have rough days and continue to the finish. I like the example of Sage Canaday from last year (elite athlete, major stomach issues, dashed expectations, continues on to finish).

Maybe he will justify the attention he is given if he comes back to States and wins it, but until then it would be great to focus our attention on the competitors who gut it out to the finish.

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Jared Scray says:

June 26, 2017 at 11:46 am

In reality the only thing that actually bugs me is that we’re talking about and giving tons of attention to a guy that dnf’d at Mile 78 and finished 20th(19th? Can’t remember last yr) instead of interviewing more, talking more, and celebrating more, all those people that gutted it it it out, raced smart, and had the mental fortitude to finish. Speed, pace and the like are all relative. If we are to put it simply, unless you actually have a truly serious injury and you dnf….you quit. Plain and simple, you quit.

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Todd says:

June 26, 2017 at 12:34 pm

Lift Chairs and Lederhosen.
Great name for a alt rock folk band

Reply
Trevor says:

June 26, 2017 at 12:47 pm

Was all for Walmsley crushing it this year, at the same time can’t deny its really annoying when the “elites” DNF when they could have gone on and finished, just not with a great time. Its what happens to the rest of us (barring severe injury/illness and needing to DNF) and what the sport is all about. Also thinking about Herron here too.

Kaci Lickteig had a rough go this year and still brought it home– pretty inspiring. If I can teach my kids the values of ultrarunning its the Lickteigs and Brownings and Sandes that inspire.

As we used to say in punk rock years, “Know what happens when you talk shit? You get your ass kicked.” The lesson is not to talk shit: fired up if Walmsley can do it another year but the “You’re welcome” comment was genuinely pretty shitty.

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Trevor says:

June 26, 2017 at 1:02 pm

also just now got the link for the filmmyrun article to work. Its neither inflammatory nor lame.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 2:44 pm
  
  Referring mainly to the title.
  
  Reply
  1. Stephen Cousins says:
    
    June 27, 2017 at 12:12 am
    
    Hi Eric
    
    I agree and admit that the title was far too clickbaity and I have since changed it. But it’s certainly created some interesting discussion and I’m all for that. I am a fan of JW and I want him to break the CR. But I feel he’s got to go back and rethink his approach for next year.
    
    Reply
Trevor says:

June 26, 2017 at 1:03 pm

ok last comment but did anyone else notice on the Internet Rob Krar mentioned he hopes to come back to Western States? now that would be something….

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Steve says:

June 26, 2017 at 1:28 pm

I am a huge Jim fan and his DNF does not change anything. You do not win a race like WSER or set course records by playing it safe and running with patience. Running a safe race will get people on the podium but to win and attempt to rewrite history you need to see what is possible.

Sandes is getting a lot of praise for his smart race, but he was 8 minutes up on the rest of the field besides Jim 30 miles in. He said it in his post race interview that he wanted to win and to do so you have to push early to put yourself in position for the win.

One last thought, 100 miles is a long way and things are going to happen no matter how you pace. All you have to do is look up and down the results list to see people who were running their own race to have something go wrong and they ended up DNFing or finishing way off their potential. Sure you are increasing the odds by starting harder, but everyone is trying to find that elusive line where you run your best race. If you look at Jim’s training and racing over the last 2 years what would have made him think he could not run a CR yesterday?

Last year he ran well ahead of CR pace for 92 miles. Since then he ran from the front in every race and won and set CR in every single one. He has a history of running well in the heat and has never had stomach issues to this level during a race. He put in a huge training block and learned from his mistakes last year by having a better crew/pacer plan for this year. Looking at all these facts, I am so glad he went for it and I bet he is too. Everyone is allowed to have a bad day.

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Ellie Greenwood says:

June 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm

I respect under runner who has lofty and ambitious goals but must admit I’m inspired a little more by those who are a little less outspoken. My moto? ‘Be humble, be fierce’ and I feel (admittedly only from watching video interviews and reading social media) that Jim’s race was very based on target splits and predetermined calculations without respecting the conditions and listening to his body on the day, he was fierce without humility for the course conditions and competitors on the day. A contrast might be Magda or Ryan Sandes who raced their own race and I believe Magda has mentioned how she adjusted a little when she realised that the tough early miles took more out of her than she had hoped. Hard training and calculated formulas on splits are one thing, but they are nothing compared to being willing to listen and adapt to your body on the day, backing off when needed and rolling with the punches before the punches knock you down. In both years I ran WSER I didn’t have target splits for along the course and nor to I know the splits I ran on the day – I ran slower when I felt I needed to, I pushed harder when I thought I could and when the course allowed and the stage in the race determined that was a smart thing. I bet Ryan Sandes didn’t have splits for a 16hxx finish or Cat for 19H31 but they simply ran what the course allowed on the day and their positions show that.

Reply
1. Ellie Greenwood says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 2:03 pm
  
  Oh, and thanks for your Daily News as always and getting these discussions going 🙂
  
  Reply
2. eric schranz says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 2:43 pm
  
  Excellent insight Ellie. Thanks for sharing. I respect the hell out of those who push the limits like Jim, but the smart racers–Ian, Browning, Meghan–are those who truly amaze me. And your record ain’t too shabby either.
  
  Reply
3. Sabine says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 11:34 pm
  
  This is such an important point: Respect the current conditions and listen to your body. You have proven it at both WS wins and also at your Comrades win, that this gets you a much smarter “race plan” than pre-calculated splits. And it allows to compensate for low patches …
  
  By the way, Ellie: If I need some motivation before a race, I like to watch the last minutes of your comrades race 2014. That showed that one can overcome low patches and then come from behind. For me always a motivation boost!
  
  Reply
Billy Yang says:

June 26, 2017 at 2:42 pm

Oh, was there a race this past weekend?

Reply
1. Stephen Cousins says:
  
  June 27, 2017 at 12:35 am
  
  Apparently there were a few! Who knew this running thing would take off!?!
  
  Reply
Sarah Lavender Smith says:

June 26, 2017 at 4:35 pm

Eric, thanks for your bullet point notes above — I appreciate your insights and the discussion that followed.
Two women’s names I’m surprised have not surfaced here or many places elsewhere in terms of fans expressing admiration and respect, so I’ll throw those names out here: YiOu Wang and Nicole Kalogeropoulos. My heart broke for YiOu. She is such a hard worker and so talented; I think she deserved more excitement and support as the race unfolded Saturday. I was rooting for her to hang onto the win the way she did at LS50, even though I also was cheering for Kaci and Magda. And then there’s Nicole, who always flies a little under the radar and almost always turns in super solid performances, and she’s incredibly nice and humble.
On the guy’s side — wow, way to go DeNucci!
Regarding your comment on the Mocko video — yep. I’ll refrain from saying more.
I loved that one of the big stories of the day involved Stephanie Case reviving Kaci at the river and getting her back on course. Stephanie’s comeback this year is incredible; I hope more people will listen to our interview with her from early in the year!
One last thought: We gotta get you and your Alphorn out to Silverton, Eric.

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Lia says:

June 26, 2017 at 6:53 pm

Eric, I’m looking forward to your thoughts on the film crews on course. This will probably prompt A LOT of discussion! Great topic that can be approached from many different angles.

And fantastic “quick and random thoughts” section on Western States. Following the race there are stories told about top ten, favorites and special interest stories which is what everybody’s hungry to hear about, but it’s great to hear about the random moments that maybe only one person got to witness. (All the kids?! That runner at 29:30?!)

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1. Glenn T says:
  
  June 27, 2017 at 8:50 am
  
  As a past WS photographer, I too look forward to your thoughts on the current media. I have a photo of the photographers lined up at the finish of WS2011; there are 9 of us and we all knew each other. 2011 wasn’t that long ago. But, like ultrarunning itself, the media coverage has also quickly evolved.
  
  Reply
Tyler says:

June 26, 2017 at 6:58 pm

Would anybody out there be willing to bet against Jim winning any race in the next year, including WS 2018? Certainly not me. As a casual fan of the sport for a few years, the Jim Walmsleys and Zach Millers of the world keep me coming back for more. While I certainly respect people for running a smart race and being nice, I’m not tuning into Ultrarunner Podcast or irunfar every 10 minutes to see somebody finish an hour above the record and hold hands across the finish. Jim will be remembered because he will have a course record for just about every race he runs, including Western States when he gets it right, which will probably be next year.

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Lucy says:

June 26, 2017 at 7:17 pm

* Unless you’re actually there, experiencing the race first hand; you know the trail and what the runners have just experienced/have ahead of them; and you see the vibe and how things are developing; you shouldn’t make any judgement on racers’ activities – good or bad – based on b/w written comments.

There’s no substitution for first hand experience – even at a crewing level – staying up all day and all night in those conditions – to better understand any “decisions” runners make.

* Alex Nichols did look stout coming through FH, but Mark Hammond looked even stouter. Kudos to Ryan (who in FH frankly looked the way he has described himself feeling) for holding them *both* off – just goes to show no matter how crappy you feel, everyone else is probably feeling the same way.

* Scotty Mills already had his lean on at Rucky Chucky (78 miles) at 2:30 am and they were on his case about it there (although not as acute as he was at the finish). He told them he “always does that”, and indeed his crew person mentioned that he’s started doing that after 50 miles as he’s gotten older.

* I stayed in Foresthill until the siren sounded – and those are the bravest people – heading out into the dark, after the cut-off, hoping to pull it together. Of that group, take note of 61 yr old Lance Gilbert, who left FH just a few minutes before that siren sounded at 11:45 pm… and made it to Placer High with 53 seconds to spare.

And Pedro Martinez who also left around the same time, yet made it to the track at 9:13 am.

* My runner finished – despite being an hour slower than he expected at Robinson Flat. He managed to make up 15 minutes of that deficit by the end of the day to finish in ~28:15.

* Congratulations to all who started, no matter where they got to – they should be proud they toed the line.

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Mike Bonnell says:

June 26, 2017 at 9:04 pm

About the Jim W., article: Although I think it’s spot on in many ways – I’m not too keen on it. Anybody that critiques another, without keeping in mind the original person’s true intent, I think are missing the mark. Me thinks JW was aiming for one thing and one thing only: CR. If he decided to stop (stomach or personal reasons) ’cause he couldn’t attain his own personal objectives – that decision belongs to him and him alone. He doesn’t “owe” anybody (aside from his sponsors??) anything. And no – just ’cause he has an entry and many others who’d love to have one for the joy of completion do not – that still doesn’t mean he owes anybody anything.

I think that lots of the criticism has at it’s roots, a dislike for his actions, his words, his lack of humility in the lead off. I got to agree with Sabine – I have a personal preference for humble performers that do the job without the fanfare. As such, I’m not much of a JW fan personally. That said, it still doesn’t justify criticizing the man. Just ’cause I prefer quiet heroes – doesn’t mean he needs to be one, or mine. It’s his life, to live as he deems. He owes me nothing. Why do we keep thinking that any athlete owes us anything at all?

Western States – I loved following this year. Loved that the women’s race was so strongly contested. What an awesome run – kudos to all that got there and did what they wanted to do or tried doing.

A last note: some people brought up Prefontaine – which is funny, ’cause I also made the link with him but more closely with Zach than JW. But, I’ll be frank, I never understood all the hoopla. Yes, he was a top American runner – but only in America. Seems to me there were many far better American runners relative to the world scene. Why Prefointaine and not Owens? How is it that Prefontaine is the cult hero and not Owens? It’s almost like we encourage the big talk and bluster over everything else…. And as far as I’m concerned, we all should be wearing Zatopek t-shirts… and Greenwood t-shirts…. 🙂

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1. Sabine says:
  
  June 26, 2017 at 11:10 pm
  
  The hoopla of Pre was – at least in part – because he died young.
  
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Nick says:

June 27, 2017 at 6:48 am

What’s annoying about film crews is now anytime we see a film (say, by Jamil Coury) we see other guys filming in it (say, Billy Yang), and vice versa, which just looks ridiculous at some point. The runners care barely breathe and those fiming are barely watching the race except from the lens of their camcorder.

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Amy says:

June 27, 2017 at 3:15 pm

Lots of good quick splits on WS Eric. Anyone who finished this year should be super proud. One runner who often gets overlooked but who had an amazing performance and ran a superb race is Chris Denucci. I’ll admit I am biased since I was part of his crew, but he was top ten pretty much the entire day and fought like hell for that M5 finish. He is a great guy who flies under the radar but is a total badass.

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Jim Walmsley | Hero of UTMB 2017 | Film My Run says:

September 5, 2017 at 4:53 am

[…] States, I took a lot of flak for writing this article. Not least from Eric Schranz over at the Ultra Runner Podcast and some of Jim’s own team. In fact, I had a long conversation with one of Jim’s Western States […]

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