Ultramarathon Daily News | Thurs, Feb 18

Garmin’s new Enduro watch has an 80 hour battery time courtesy of mini solar panels and is made specifically for ultramarathons. Love the idea and anxious to see more real life reviews. Anyone tried it?

ultrarunning: Muddy and loopy Hellcat 50k in Florida drew runners from all over the country but was won by two Floridians. First-place male was Flint Brady from Crescent Beach in 3:51 and the female champ was Amy Columbo from Boynton Beach in 4:57. Nice to have some racing again!

Trailsisters: Good advice for women heading out on the trails alone. From getting lost and injured to mammalian predators, it’s always good to be safe, aware, and have a plan. Apparently I’m a glutton for punishment, but I’ll ask it anyway: If safety is such a concern, who do so few women run with a sidearm (where it’s legal to do so)? I don’t own one, but there are a few instances on past runs where I would’ve felt far more comfortable if I had the means to protect myself.

Thursday Funny: Old-fashioned runner saving himself for marathon he really loves.

iRunFar: Black Diamond Distance Spikes review. Never tried any of these before.

Wait, what the hell is happening at the Disney “invitational” Marathon?

Semi-Rad: How to talk to people about their favorite outdoor activities. I’ve seen most of these interactions in real life.

Wine grape based ales are picking up steam. I tried a few sips of one in Portugal last summer (can we just call 2019 “last” summer please?) and it was really interesting. Anxious to see more breweries/wineries trying this style.

Commentary:

I created a bit of a dust up yesterday when I (correctly) predicted that my comments about Zoe Rom’s Trailrunner piece would trigger the Twitter mob. Pretty much on cue, the Boulder Squad © came out in force, upset that I disagreed with the nature of Ms. Rom’s post and angry I called it “hyper-woke.”

I spent the time privately responding to people who agreed with my pithy comment and a few who didn’t. Both groups were apprehensive about commenting publicly because they feared the backlash that occurs when complex issues are discussed in a nuance-free environment. These people feel the same as I do: They feel that the wokesters (oh god, that word again!) have bastardized an extremely important issue–protecting the environment–with their overblown intersectional virtue signaling. In my opinion, in an attempt to make a fair point in support of inclusivity, the author overstepped a bit and turned off readers with the overwrought rhetoric.

If you’re looking to get a wide gamut of opinions on our sport, culture, and environment–and hopefully provide some entertainment–stick around and leave civil comments, especially when you disagree. Sometimes my comments are an attempt to move the readers mindset on an issue, sometimes I ask for feedback to help me understand an important issue, and sometimes they’re meant to add some levity to an increasingly intense world.

Overall, I appreciate the abundance of support I’ve received over the past ten years and thank you all for being a part of URP.

Thanks. —Eric

6 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Thurs, Feb 18"

Jason says:

February 18, 2021 at 1:18 pm

Beyond using the term woke — a term originally meaning being alert to injustice in society, especially racism — as a pejoritive, it wasn’t clear what you felt about the article. There was no indication of why you would see it in a negative light or why many would roll their eyes. It still isn’t clear what you feel was wrong in the article, where the author overstepped, or what was overwrought about it. It seemed like the comments on your original daily news were asking sincere questions that would lend themselves to a nuanced conversation. I think many of your readers are open to a nuanaced conversation and we’d probably be better off for having engaged in something that might challenge us to learn more and communicate our ideas more graciously. And, the What Can Trail Runners Do, section seemed filled with eminently reasonable ideas for local engagement and action, the opposite of virue signaling. I always thought signalling virtue was a good thing because, hopefully, it’ll encourage others to do virtuous things!

Either way, I’d be intrigued to actually understand your deeper thoughts on articles that you disagree with. And, because the trail running world is much larger than my current social circles, I’d love it if your comments fostered a meaningful conversations about those disagreements. I don’t want to live in a bubble, but unless there are avenues to engage with diverse opinions, I often continue to live in one. Help us out, Eric!

Reply
Eric says:

February 18, 2021 at 2:49 pm

I couldn’t think of a way to say/ask this without feeling or seeming confrontational – Thanks.

Reply
Charlie Wurzer says:

February 19, 2021 at 4:56 am

Hey Eric,

I’m someone who has studied environmental issues in an academic setting (graduate and masters), so I like to think I have a pretty good understanding of the concept of environmental justice.

There is plenty of evidence to support that social issues and environmental issues overlap. Low income/minority communities are disproportionately subject to the negative impacts of pollution and toxic waste. But the reality of the situation is that humanity creates pollution and it has to go somewhere. It’s great to think that no one would have to experience adverse impacts from environmental issues, but in a capitalistic society, money buys a better life typically. The true potential for the environmental justice movement is to make the phenomenon of disproportionate exposure to harmful pollution a human rights issue. This will force policy makers to find better solutions to where a city zones toxic waste faculties, power plants, etc..

Regarding your “Hyper-Woke” comment. I think you knew going in that this would trigger a certain group of people. Similarly, I think this said group calling you “Racist” would set you off in the same way. Overall, the name calling is counter-productive. Is geotagging trail pics with indigenous land titles the latest version of posting a black square on Instagram, seems like it. Is regarding environmental justice as something only for the “Hyper-Woke” fair, probably not. Like any issue, there’s no right answer but hopefully a compromise that works for everyone in the middle.
___

Side note – I’m a long time reader and listener, so keep doing what you do!!

Reply
Will says:

February 19, 2021 at 9:04 am

What Jason said. Very thoughtfully put.

Reply
Ron Benavidez says:

February 19, 2021 at 11:57 am

Ron

Reply
Ron says:

February 19, 2021 at 12:05 pm

If your comments are an attempt to move reader’s minds as you as you state, I for one would be interested in reading your response to those you have moved. It’s called debate. And in that debate we the reader’s can discern from your response whether or not your comments have a thoughtful foundation.

Reply

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