Ultramarathon Daily News | Thurs, Feb 11
Anton Krupicka has always been one of my favorite writers of outdoor adventures. In this latest post about his Grand Canyon R2R2R FKT, he simply does not disappoint. Excellent read and beautiful imagery.
He already has the unofficial world record for the treadmill 50k, and now Florian Neuschwander has the official treadmill 100k record with a 6:26:08. I wonder what Jim Walmsley could do on a treadmill. Would/could his 6:09 on the road convert to treadmill success? I’d love to see an attempt.
Ultrarunning Mag: Jeff Stern writes about the rise of Oregon’s Keith Laverty. Keith was raised in an active family, works his butt off, has a supportive spouse and a good mindset…all the ingredients for more success.
When it comes to transgender athletes, what I would love to see is a solution, one that’s fair to both biological females and those who identify as female. I think there’s a way to do this, but I don’t know if it will ever happen, partly because there’s not a whole lot of excess money in running and also because most people take a win-at-all-costs approach to life, meaning few people want to have a civil conversation if you disagree with them. I find it shocking that many who claim to want inclusivity are so militant when it comes to others holding a different opinion.
–Lize Brittin writes about the (un)fairness of transgendered athletes in sports and the frustration in seeking a solution when any dialogue turns to vitriol. Excellent post.
Runnerstribe: Damian Hall–one of the top ultramarathon runners in the UK–shares the training regimen and gear that’s working for him.
Koop/CTS: Top four reasons ultramarathon runners should do more hill intervals.
Unsupported and baseless claims of various -isms take down a prep XC/track dynasty in California. This is madness.
Forbes: Authentic grassroots beer activism! Black brewer asks other beer makers to release their version of a stout with all proceeds going to social causes under the Black is Beautiful moniker. Since last year they’ve raised nearly $2M bucks. Incredible! Has anyone tried any of the varieties?
CNN: Olympic steepler Colleen Quigley discovers the relationship between physical and mental health and now uses a mental coach as she trains for Tokyo. And yowza, I didn’t realize how attractive she is. Former model….makes sense.
“I was finishing and thinking I’m never doing this again. But everyone gets that feeling. It’s so painful, you’re swearing at yourself for doing this kind of race. You’re telling yourself, ‘why am I doing this, I don’t want to do this again’. When you cross [the finish] you say, ‘I’m done, I don’t have to do this any more’. But you never learn the lesson,” Chung, 47, said on The Adventure Trail podcast.
–Sound familiar? Hong Kong’s Four Trails ultramarathon is set for this weekend and will likely include more of what runners experienced last year: Pain, swearing, and no sympathy.
Vimeo: Another mega-produced film (just the trailer here) of Kilian Jornet shredding in the outdoors.
Wait, wait, wait, whaaat? Pro cyclist and casual runner throws down a 13:25 5k by himself. The article almost reads like parody, but it seems legit. Anyone?
Sunny picked this book by Melody Fairchild off the shelf again last night and shouted portions of it to me as I was trying to go to sleep. “Dad! I want to break six minutes in the mile this year! Dad! I need to eat more! Dad, have you ever met Melody Fairchild? Dad! I want to make a running plan!” Apparently it’s pretty motivational. She loves it. Gift idea for a girl looking to learn more about the sport?
Trailsisters: This post by Cherie Turner gives me hope! She’s a California runner who moved to Boston and discovered she actually loved technical trails. I’ve got a list of excuses and reasons–most are pretty weak–about why I prefer groomed trail: My feet are too big for little rocks, my eyesight sucks, I’ve got runners PTSD from a terrible fall a decade ago, blah blah, but I really hope to learn to enjoy them and experience the East Coast trails at some point.
Insanity: From the UK to California, officials are creating additional health/safety problems by restricting access to outdoor athletic facilities. This nonsense affects the physical and mental health of those with very, very low risk.
Boaty McBoatface: I’m all for creative and innovative fundraising ideas…especially when they leave open the door for creating hijinx. This new program allows people to add songs to a fundraiser’s Spotify mix that they’ll ostensibly listen to on their next run. Hmmm, here’s fifty bucks, now have fun running to The Shaggs, some Brooke Hogan, and maybe the soothing melodic sounds of Yoko Ono.