Ultramarathon Daily News | Thurs, July 19
The Guardian looks at whether more money in ultramarathons would cause runners to run faster and longer. The article focuses on longer races (Gobi, for example) and the fact that more elite level runners would be able to focus solely on training.
My opinion? I think that increased money would have more an impact on a micro level…put a $100k bounty for anyone able to break Fordyce’s 50M record or Abe’s women’s 100k and I’d bet we’d see some real action. For reference, a common win bonus (not prize money, but a bonus paid out by the athlete’s sponsor) at a prestige race like WS, UTMB, LS50 is around $4-6k. Yes, a time trial trial scenario is different than a competitive race, I understand.
Now the other problem is who’d pay that bounty, and what’s their ROI? Throwing a little bit of money at a ton of social media savvy runners pays a lot better return than a big chunk at one event to an athlete that most likely isn’t on your roster.
What do you think?
You’ve read about hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail, but ever really looked into the logistics? Bookmark this piece by Gabi Maudiere for the next time inspiration hits you and you want all the how, what, where, and why. Great work!
This will be interesting to follow: A female member of a Japanese ekiden team tested positive for a banned substance, is stripped of her finish, and as a result, her team loses it’s championship title. Interesting because, as noted in the article, this is the first time Japan will deal with an internal doping issue, and more interesting to see how it’s dealt with culturally.
Congratulations to Dominic and Katie Grossman on the birth of Lindy Mae Grossman. From the looks of their social media posts, everyone’ healthy and happy. #pandacorn
Re: Vermont 100. How many races you’re involved with offer ANY medals in a separate Athletes with Disabilities division? None, right? Now where’s your outrage? (Clarification Edit: Anyone who tears down RD Amy Rusiecki needs to look at their own races first. She’s been a industry leader in inclusiveness and deserves accolades, not ridicule.)
Harvey Lewis finished his AT hike in less than 50 days. Speedgoat Karl lets out a sigh of relief and then rolls his eyes.
“Runners who improved their performance in Vaporflys and then switched to other shoes got slower… these runners finished about 7 percent slower on average…”
–If you’ve got an NYT subscription, you can read this article about whether or not the VaporFlys actually help you run faster. And…what if they do?
It’s a pretty awesome aspect of our sport, isn’t it? Christof Teushcer is heading out this weekend for a self-supported FKT attempt of the WA position of the FKT. That’s 505 miles with 110k’ feet of vert and the current holder is Heather “Anish” Anderson. One thing I don’t understand…and please help me clarify…is why isn’t her record recognized?
No ultramarathon content whatsoever and about as close to politics as I’ll get on this page: After Putin and Trump left Finland on Monday, President Sauli Niinistö made a beeline for the nearest alehouse.
Hardrock starts tomorrow…here’s the preview of entrants.