Ultramarathon Daily News | Monday, Nov 5

Ultramarathon and Trail results from this past weekend, courtesy of Justin’s excellent sleuthing at IRF. Standout performance: Bronco Billy’s win at Pinhoti. Jeff’s having one hell of a year and will likely land on the UROY top three list. And add Rachel Drake to the list of women I’ll be watching keenly next year.

Should you give your mind a rest by leaving your headphones at home?

This will probably stir up more controversy than pregnancy deferrals and PEDs, but what would you think about pickle pizza at an aid station? (My answer: HELL YES.)

What a cross country bike road taught this scientist about climate change.

I got out of the water and thought this is gonna be amazing, I’ll run in like Baywatch…The reality is that I’m really chubby now, really hairy, and I had a pink tow buoy.

–Dude had a jellyfish attach to his face and sting him repeatedly, his tongue started to rot, and he was forced to eat cheesecake (yuck) during his bonkers 1,700 mile swim around Great Britain.

Hardrock now allows pregnant women to defer entries. I still don’t get it. I got into Western in 2009 when my name got drawn, but withdrew my entry when we found out Sam was having complications and that Sunny would be due right around that time. My entry wouldn’t be deferred for that, why should an expectant mother’s? This is an issue we need to be able to talk through without the invective that cuts off reasonable and constructive discussion.

The day my heart short-circuited: A cautionary tale to pay attention to your body. 219 BPM…wow! Personal note: I was born with one minor and manageable heart issue (medium VSD) and have had an entirely different issue for the past twenty five years. It’s caused black-out spells (with zero warning), a broken jaw, a bazillion invasive tests, the loss of my driver’s license, and some serious fear from my family. Gotta pay attention to the motor, folks.

IRF previews the men’s field for North Face. One real issue, one minor quibble and one comment: One, Patrick Caron should be moved up. His performances in the North East have been far more impressive than some others higher on the list. Just my opinion. The silly quibble: Why do Americans use whilst? Reminds me of college when kids would go abroad for a semester and come back with an accent. And a comment: Mohammed Teman Husien will be flying in from Ethiopia to run his first ultramarathon distance race. While he’s got a PR of 2:12:xx, he’s more recently run 2:14:26 last December. Should be very interesting to see how he does and I’m hoping Kimaiyo’s visa gets approves in time! This is the type of stuff we’ve been waiting for! A runnable course, a reasonable distance, and a relatively decent prize purse. Now throw in a few Japanese runners and let’s call it a party.

Seven of the best ~~hikes~~ trail runs in Ireland. Gorgeous!

Those who get the reference, I salute you.

–Interesting perspective: How sucking at cycling made me a better runner.

I’ll add a few more things to this piece, those from the pitchee side of the equation: If you’re outsourcing your race PR, have someone familiar with running write your press releases. I’ve seen “10k marathon” used more than I care to admit and those get a quick “delete.” Second, when promoting the race to media, include appropriate hashtags so we can follow/support the race on the same page. Also: Get those results up ASAP.

…and I guess, get your race on the ‘gram.

Nations voice their concerns and disgust at WADA’s (in)actions, but will anything change in the beleaguered organization? Does seeing this type of problem change the way you think about having an MUT governing body?

Speaking of cheating, does this video of the 4% change the way you think about the shoe? Sure, it’s interesting, but does it prove anything? I dunno.

New episode dropping today. Stay tuned.

44 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Monday, Nov 5"

Matt says:

November 5, 2018 at 7:41 am

Deferral options should be available for everyone or no one. The deferral reason should not matter.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 8:09 am
  
  I agree.
  
  Reply
  1. Trevor Owen Jones says:
    
    November 5, 2018 at 11:27 am
    
    “We should have a straight pride parade!”
    
    “We should have a White History Month!”
    
    and other brilliant thoughts
    
    Reply
Ryan says:

November 5, 2018 at 7:43 am

I think it’s completely fair that a pregnant woman can defer her entry to a race. You still had the ability to run WS in 2009, but chose not to run so you could be there for your wife. You made the choice to withdraw even though you could have physically run the race. A pregnant woman cannot say the same.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 8:07 am
  
  Pregnant women can’t run races?
  And I’d ask you to talk with my wife if you think I had the option to run.
  
  Reply
  1. B says:
    
    November 6, 2018 at 6:08 am
    
    That’s disingenuous Eric. You were still physically capable of training and running competitively. Of course pregnant women can run races, but not train and run competitively. And depending on the stage of the pregnancy, maybe not at all, or maybe not Hardrock. You could have totally pissed off your wife and still run. A woman can’t take a break from the pregnancy.
    
    Reply
  2. aaron s says:
    
    November 8, 2018 at 7:29 am
    
    Right, but when you decided not to run, it was because of the effect it would have on you (and your relationship). If you’re injured, or have a disease, or have other commitments, you make the decision to race or not to race with the knowledge that you are the one who will deal with the consequences. Pregnancy — actually BEING pregnant, not just being proximal to someone who is pregnant — is the one condition in which the racer has to make a decision that could affect someone else for that person’s entire life. The pregnancy deferral is not a convenience for the mother, it is a safety net for the child. That sets it apart from any other potential deferral reason.
    
    And for the sake of full disclosure, I should note that my wife raced a triathlon two weeks before giving birth, and only stopped running on her due date (she gave birth a few days later). There is a range of experiences during pregnancy, and yes, some pregnancies proceed such that the mother can remain active throughout. However, with races that can take years to get into, no one should be put in a position where they have to weight their own dreams and hard work of five, six, or seven years of qualifying races and lotteries against the health of her child.
    
    Reply
    1. eric schranz says:
      
      November 8, 2018 at 7:35 am
      
      I’m not against deferrals. I’m against deferrals that are specific to one gender for one condition. Make a blanket “major life change deferral” option that would cover cancer, pregnancy, mental health, deployment,adoptions, etc.
      
      Reply
      1. Scott W. Kummer says:
        
        November 8, 2018 at 7:38 am
        
        At the risk of stating the obvious, some pregnancies are planned and by choice. Almost all cancers and health problems that could cause a deferral request are not.
      2. B says:
        
        November 8, 2018 at 8:43 pm
        
        This sounds a bit like many diversity/equality conversations at work. Management decides to start somewhere and do something for one category. Now all other (self identified) special categories start coming out of the woodwork demanding special dispensations as well. To clarify, I am absolutely not against blanket deferrals for life events. But not having a blanket deferral policy (yet maybe), doesn’t make what’s been offered bad or wrong. This is at least a start. Pregnancy deferrals aren’t taking anything away from others who may have equally significant life events.
Scott W. Kummer says:

November 5, 2018 at 8:14 am

How about deferrals for anyone that applies in the RD’s discretion? And if they want to always give them out for pregnancy, fine. But why make a specific rule for one condition. So if me and my wife decide to have a baby she gets up to a three year deferral. If I get brain cancer, well, sorry? What about enlisting in the military? What if my wife has an extremely complicated pregnancy and I want to be there for her. it’s just a really odd line to draw in the sand. I support the idea of giving out the deferral itself. It’s the mechanism. It’s the picking one thing, one gender, one circumstance and valuing it over all others that seems odd – especially when it is often chosen.

Also, if you got into Hardrock and you got pregnant. Congratulations. You’re an extremely lucky person.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 8:44 am
  
  I agree.
  
  Reply
  1. Guy Cheney says:
    
    November 5, 2018 at 9:36 am
    
    Yep. I’ve done the math and I’m actually more likely to get pregnant than get into Hardrock…and it’s my 5th year applying. Interesting times.
    
    Reply
    1. Nicolas says:
      
      November 5, 2018 at 11:51 am
      
      Are you male? If so, I’ll do the math again for you. Your odds of getting pregnant are for all intents and purposes zero. It has to be significantly lower than your odds of getting into Hardrock on your fifth try. Happy?
      
      Reply
      1. mmoromisato says:
        
        November 6, 2018 at 10:02 am
        
        Thanks for the math lesson, Capt. Obvious.
      2. TMB says:
        
        November 15, 2018 at 12:49 pm
        
        Hating on someone again….
2. TAG says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 9:08 am
  
  I was diagnosed with cancer the year I was drawn for Hardrock. I was not offered the chance to defer.
  
  Reply
  1. Scott W. Kummer says:
    
    November 6, 2018 at 2:09 pm
    
    I hope you’re OK and you get a chance to run it someday!
    
    Reply
Steve Jones says:

November 5, 2018 at 8:35 am

Curious why Patrick Caron should be moved up and which specific performances you’re talking about? I’m from the Northeast and extremely familiar with him and his immense talent, but struggle to see a result (other than maybe the 3rd place at Cayuga) that proves he’ll be mixing it up with Walmsley, Evans, etc. I mean, he’s a 16:5x road 5k guy, and finished 14th at Loon (short, steep mt course). Point being, he lacks that raw speed that TNF course needs. Sure, he can kill it over 100 miles on super technical terrain, but I say he finishes outside the top 10 at TNF.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 8:42 am
  
  With all respect to Patrick, he’s got little chance of mixing it up with Walmsley and the very front pack, but I think he’s got the ultra leg speed to be in top ten. A lot more than some of the other runners mentioned with fewer results.
  
  Reply
  1. Steve Jones says:
    
    November 5, 2018 at 9:20 am
    
    Fair enough. This is a great test for him and I’m excited to see where he lands and what his best distance ends up being. I think another 2 focused years on this distance and it’ll be right in his wheelhouse!
    
    Reply
    1. eric schranz says:
      
      November 5, 2018 at 9:32 am
      
      I think the real test will be whether he runs off the front. In my interview with him last year, he emphasized that that’s the way he runs…up front. With all due respect to the (b)east coast crew, I don’t think he’s ever faced the level of competition he’ll be facing at TNF. He’ll have to completely re-think his strategy which is a lot for anyone, especially someone his age. However, Patrick seems to be a pretty mature kid with a decent head on his shoulders. Should be a blast to watch.
      
      Reply
      1. Patrick says:
        
        November 5, 2018 at 10:50 am
        
        Hi Steve, you definitely make a good point! I lack some of the speed that many of the top names in the sport have, and the shorter races haven’t exactly been my strong suit, but I’ve always been someone who likes to mix it up. And maybe I mix it up and race a little too much – the last couple of years I’ve run 40-50+ races over the 52-week calendar, and I’ve never really focused on what you’d call an “A” race. This year, I’m trying to make the transition to that kind of approach, which has been hard for me as someone who likes to do it all, but I’ve realized that’s what taking it to the next level calls for. I’ve had the opportunity to run my first couple of international races which haven’t gone so well, but they’ve been learning experiences for sure, and exposed me to racing in competitive fields where I can’t just run off the front like Eric mentioned. And yes, I might be better suited for long, technical ultras as I’m much more of a grinder, but there’s still lots of exploring to do and there are many other styles of races calling me!
        
        Also, I’m not a 16:50 5K guy, I’ve certainly hopped in a few 5Ks here and there to run for fun or as workouts, but they’ve been nothing more than that. And I’m not saying I’m much faster (I can probably race a 5K around 15:40s or so right now), but I also know it doesn’t take pure speed to excel in mountain-ultra-trail races, that it’s a combination of a lot more than that. At best, I’m hoping for a top 10 finish this year at TNF 50, and more importantly, I’m reminding myself that I’m in this for the long game, and have plenty more years ahead of me to figure out where and how I can improve!
Henry Stevens says:

November 5, 2018 at 9:12 am

While it isn’t explicit in the qualification documents you posted, it is pretty clear that the rationale for this policy is to start slowly reversing the embarrassing historical gender imbalance in the Hardrock field that is in part a consequence of their lottery structure. This obviously isn’t the most straightforward way to accomplish this goal, as they could go for separate male/female lotteries, but I guess they probably found it was the preferable compromise that allowed them to keep their desired structure that ‘preserves the character’ of the race. Simply allowing a deferral to anyone would not accomplish this (unstated) goal, and would probably make things worse because men who injure themselves pushing 150 mile weeks could get a deferral.

Reply
Eric says:

November 5, 2018 at 9:13 am

I still don’t get it. I got into Western in 2009 when my name got drawn, but withdrew my entry when we found out Sam was having complications and that Sunny would be due right around that time. My entry wouldn’t be deferred for that, why should an expectant mother’s? This is an issue we need to be able to talk through without the invective that cuts off reasonable and constructive discussion.

My opinion is you word this wrong – Its stated that because you did not have the option, someone else should not have the option. It should be that someone else has the option, and so should you.

It seems picky, but that small difference matters to the end game here.

Reply
MikeH says:

November 5, 2018 at 10:17 am

I’ll try, once, but it looks like you have a firmly entrenched opinion.
1. The biological effects of pregnancy and childbirth are unique to women, only;
2. Those effects and additional support exceed any window of time of the minimum, average, or even exceptional expectant father, in terms of impact on training and ability to race at or near potential;
3. By definition, the woman is necessarily present at birth; not always true for men (consider high-profile pro male athletes).
4. Decisions about training, or not, impact both the mother and developing fetus/baby

Those reasons are also why, by law and social convention, family leave policy is more supportive (even comparatively limited within the US) towards women.
An argument “but I withdrew from Western States” sounds to me, like, “but I only got off one week for work when my child was born.”

Yes, there are full-bellied, very pregnant women running, and even racing. There are also many more with complications, concerns, or simply the choice to back off racing in particular, and even running, often in silent anguish. I admire and empathize with both groups. That’s everyone’s private decision, and I support those choices that are made with intent and ultimate goal of health for mom and baby. Hardrock has addressed the fact that it is a difficult race for lottery and training, and wisely decided to avoid the anguish involved in family planning (considered a basic human right for 50 years by the UN, to pre-empt any claim that family planning is a choice like any other) for women. In a practical sense, it also enables the next-woman-up to train and race to her potential instead of a potential higher lottery draw potentially deciding to drop out later.

So why not general deferrals, for medical or emergent issues which can effect anyone? Maybe, but that’s a separate argument (red herring). The pregnancy one is one that truly affects women, and developing fetus, disproportionately. Other issues like serious illness and funerals ‘suck’ but suck generally equally for all of us, and even still will just have additional slippery-slope arguments like what constitutes a valid deferral reason. Pregnancy is clear and acceptable in many other areas, IMHO.

Lastly, if empathy is not the lingua franca here, then can we at least go with stated Libertarian tropes? I would think the privacy and health rights of the mother, and fetus and/or baby, should hold some weight. We could then fall back on the “if people don’t like the new policy, they’ll chose a different Hundred Miler in the San Juans” argument as well — let the market decide. Meanwhile, not ‘virtue signaling,’ but having been supportive through two challenging (in different ways) pregnancies and childbirths, and listening to the stories of frustration among women regarding pregnancy and family planning, I have applaud the improvement.

Reply
1. FrenchCanadianRunner says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 10:43 am
  
  Bravo, MikeH.
  
  No, it won’t change his opinion (nothing will), but it is a well reasoned explanation of what should be (and is for most people outside of the US) obvious for everybody, that is, it’s the women who get pregnant and give birth, with all the social, economic and others disadvantages and burdens. Disadvantages that those policies try but are insufficient to correct.
  
  But priviledged men crying about the “injustice” they suffer is as old as the partriarchy in wich we live.
  
  Reply
  1. Mathias says:
    
    November 6, 2018 at 7:27 am
    
    Amen.
    
    Reply
2. MDH says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 10:49 am
  
  Well said.
  
  Reply
3. Nicolas says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 11:47 am
  
  I’ll simply applaud what Mike said. Nothing to add, it’s perfect.
  
  But sure enough, jokes on race banditing are evil.
  
  Reply
4. Tyler Lopez says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 11:52 am
  
  **Insert clapping emoji here**
  
  Reply
5. Sabine says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 12:33 pm
  
  Very well said.
  
  Reply
6. C says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 1:55 pm
  
  Thank you Mike. I was going to post something similar, but you said it much better than I was going to. A woman could be forced to drop due to injury, illness, pr a pregnant partner just like a man could, but a man will never be forced to drop due to being pregnant.
  
  Reply
7. BGA says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 3:40 pm
  
  Well said
  
  Reply
8. SDA says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 5:20 pm
  
  Right on Mike. Could not have said it better.
  
  Reply
9. Ellie says:
  
  November 5, 2018 at 7:52 pm
  
  Thank you for this thoughtfully and well articulated response, MikeH. And thank you Hardrock.
  
  Reply
10. B says:
  
  November 6, 2018 at 6:12 am
  
  Very well said MikeH. Thank you.
  
  Reply
11. Garret says:
  
  November 8, 2018 at 4:06 pm
  
  Well said!
  
  Reply
12. Kelsey says:
  
  November 8, 2018 at 11:43 pm
  
  Really love this response.
  
  Reply
SCottieB says:

November 5, 2018 at 12:21 pm

Lot of meaty articles today, Eric. Thanks for connecting us.
Peter Sagal had a lot of good things to say about cutting off sonic inputs to let your mind wander in constructive ways while running, but I’m still going to stand with the friend who said he had to have that input because he couldn’t stand to spend that much time alone in his head.
For me, it’s not because I have dark thoughts that run me into dark places I’d rather avoid, mostly. My reason is much dumber than that. If I am doing something that involves any exposure to rhythm or if I am in an environment where there is something causing a rhythmic pulse (like some piece of machinery) I can’t stop my brain from grabbing that rhythm and making some piece of music out of it. That in itself isn’t so bad, but for me that music always turns into a loop and that loop plays on and on turning into an earworm that drives me insane. Rhythmic footfalls, rhythmic breathing, the rhythmic way my hydration vest shakes – these things are inescapable and I haven’t been able to stop myself from falling into that earworm state. Having music pumped into my ear (one earbud only) eliminates that urge to form a loop and mindlessly wallow in it. I think running with music actually releases my mind to wander in constructive ways. Without it I’m stomping around to some made-up Sousa-like march or some awful song I heard on the radio earlier in the day (haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate hate haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate hate haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate hate don’t know the other words words words words words words). Argh!

Reply
Tyler Green says:

November 5, 2018 at 12:28 pm

Great to see Rachel Drake getting some attention here. She’s been crushing NW races for a couple years now and won the Cortina Skyrace this year as well against some stout competition. https://ultratrail.it/en/cortina-skyrace-results.html

Reply
Bethany P says:

November 5, 2018 at 4:37 pm

I would add that pregnancy can affect a woman’s ability to race her entire pregnancy as well as the year following. If she has to withdraw her Hardrock entry, then it may be years before she able to (A) get a qualifier again, and (B) even longer to actually get into Hardrock under the current system. Yes, that is also true for illness or injury, but pregnancy is a unique situation. I’ve seen many a male runner race right before, during, or right after their wife giving birth. There is no such option for women when you are the one bearing the child. I do understand the reasoning behind deferment for all or none, but let’s just take one barrier away for women, when there are so many others out there. Bravo, Hardrock!

Reply
Paul says:

November 5, 2018 at 4:38 pm

Just wondering, are you also against men and women competing in separate divisions? Unbelievably, some men feel this way.

I think the pregnancy deferral acknowledges the fundamental biological differences between men and women in the same way that separate divisions does.

Reply
Michael Jimenez says:

November 5, 2018 at 6:42 pm

Patrick is beyond legit.

Reply

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