Ultramarathon Daily News, Thurs, May 25

Ian’s update on Day Three of Dragon’s Back.

“Yeah, sorry cancer, you’re gonna have to wait. I’ve got a race that month.” Gabe Grunewald is not letting cancer dictate her life or her running.

Life lessons from Joanie.

Speaking of good advice, remember this great song? (Thanks for the reminder Tyler!)

ultramarathon

Check out the latest episode with Sarah Lavender Smith! She details the preparation, training, and week of running the Mauna to Mauna self-supported stage race in Hawaii. How’d she handle drastic course changes? How about altitude? And what piece of gear was she most thankful for?

That episode was sponsored by Destination Trail. Candice Burt and crew put on races of all distances in some truly remarkable venues. Gorgeous trails, superb race management, and killer post-race parties. Up for a new challenge? Check out the Triple Crown of 2oo’s! Thanks for their support.

This new technology will be at trail ultras in the near future: Beer pipelines.

So what exactly makes Sherpas able to handle high altitude without suffering from Hypoxia? Here’s a new study.

F&@k your air hole. I am not a dolphin. I do not care for this S%*t. Make my shoes bouncy. That’s all I ask.

It’s official: The Angry Jogger is the best shoe reviewer of all time.

Larry eulogizes “Uncle” Hal Winton. I never met him, but he sounded like quite a guy from an incredible generation.

Remember your rest days! Amelia knows from experience and shares some ideas right here.

No Ultra Content Whatsoever, but one of the coolest (and most interesting!) infographics I’ve ever seen. Right here.

Which fitness trackers are best at HRM and caloric intake and energy expenditure?

Thursday Funny from Semi-Rad: Hydration and nutrition depend on distance.

Late Breaking: Al Sal responds to the USADA document. He’s done nothing wrong, never has, all legit, yada yada.

One episode in the can, then recording two more today. Stay tuned!

Thoughts on the new WSER drug policy:

Here’s the new policy.
A huge step in the right direction for sure. Bigly.
I’d like to see totally random testing in addition to just the hand-picked runners the BOD wants to check out. Mix it up a bit.
I don’t like that the new policy was announced a month out. It gives cheaters time to cover, and casts a potentially unnecessary shadow of skepticism over those who’ll DNS for legitimate reasons.
I like the penalties: Clear and harsh. Well done.
Important: I’d like to know who’ll be determining the legitimacy of TUEs and whether those will be made public. “So and so tested positive for X drug, but the BOD determined it to be acceptable use because of THIS independently verified medical reason.” No amount of testing matters if TUEs are not strictly scrutinized.
Again, a big step in the right direction. Kudos to the Board for leading this charge.

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16 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News, Thurs, May 25"

Gerell says:

May 25, 2017 at 6:00 am

I could not agree more with you on the WS new drug policy, especially the call possibly for more random testing. It is sad, but needed however,that ultra running is needing to dive into this part of sports. In the end, as you said, it is a great move by the board.g

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Singletrack Guy says:

May 25, 2017 at 6:02 am

I also don’t care for advanced testing notice. Similar to the Clean Sport thing (where if you don’t jump in with both feet you are under suspicion), anybody that backs out now will be met with a raised eyebrow. I would also hope that it not just target elites, since I’m convinced there are many midpackers with disposable income that are using something

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Paul Beck says:

May 25, 2017 at 8:14 am

Good right up on Uncle Hal

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Henry Bickerstaff says:

May 25, 2017 at 9:03 am

I thought TUE had to be declared and in your USDA file before testing or they were considered illegal.

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john says:

May 25, 2017 at 9:06 am

Any testing regime without out of competition testing is a total joke right Eric? I would think that all longterm readers of this podcast are well aware of this by now. What is the purpose of testing in a way that allows the “serious” drug cheats to outsmart the system and get a clean test, thus publicly “verifying” they are clean… Lol!! What positive impact comes from that system? peace of mind for WSER board? Image coverage for sponsors whose athletes may be suspect? I guess this plan only satisfies those who dont understand how endurance doping works or don’t really want to enforce true clean sport best practices. What I see is image protection and in doing so creating a joke of a testing system that will not solve any real doping problems and will just exacerbate the difference between real drug cheats and amateurs. They will probably pop someone for cannabis or some other b.s “performance enhancer” while the real cheats are laughing at all of this.

Either put in place a real testing system or dont pretend that you actually have one.

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1. pete says:
  
  May 25, 2017 at 10:31 am
  
  The issue with out of competition testing the the cost and infrastructure. WSER can’t shoulder the cost of that alone, unless you want a $10k entry fee?
  This is a positive step in the right direction. If other races follow suit, then between them they could share the costs of out of competition testing.
  As a standalone policy it’s as good as it gets.
  
  Reply
2. Ben says:
  
  May 25, 2017 at 11:24 pm
  
  Well said.
  
  Reply
Andrew says:

May 25, 2017 at 11:22 am

Did you see Walmsley is now selling STOP JIM shirts? Think he talked to Mocko about this? The timing is odd, seeing how Mocko just started selling the same shirts.

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Ryan says:

May 25, 2017 at 12:25 pm

Sounds a lot like Lance.Reference

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A Stoner says:

May 25, 2017 at 1:07 pm

I agree it’s a big step in the right direction by WSER to test the front of the field for PEDS. However, a lifetime ban for testing positive for marijuana is ridiculous. I think the performance gains from marijuana are way overstated. It should more appropriately be called “enjoyment enhancement”.

I’ve run a handful of 100’s, a couple I got high in the middle of, and a couple I didn’t. My best races have definitely come without the use of weed. I usually carry a couple 10mg THC/CBD capsules in case “the shit hits the fan”. In those cases it helps me push to the finish and not DNF. It makes the natural surroundings gleam a little brighter, I can disassociate from the pain and time that remains, and it allows me to enjoy the rest of the day as much as possible.

If I’m competing and the day is going to plan, I don’t even think about it. I’ve never come away from a race attributing my success to getting high. For one, after a couple hours it makes you really sleepy so the timing is everything. Second, you lose a lot of coordination when you’re stoned. Anything technical, downhill, or in the dark becomes a lot less efficient and much slower. If anything, if I’ve gotten high during a race the question I usually ask myself after is “how much time did I lose”?

I know how hard those top ten men and women are digging at Western States, or any other major ultra. I really doubt any of them are breaking in the bushes to get stoned. If they are, they would’ve probably been faster without it. At some point I hope people realize that no one is winning races or gaining sponsorships because they’re using cannabis. It’s more likely to do with them being genetically gifted, hard working bad asses that slayed it on that particular day.

I’m glad I got my chance to run Western States last year. My day didn’t go to plan. I was cooked from the heat downhill by the time I got to Duncan Canyon. I took a few THC pills to push through the rest of the day. There’s a silver buckle in my drawer and I don’t think I should have to return it to anyone.

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Paul Beck says:

May 25, 2017 at 1:16 pm

Just assume everyone is cheating and life will move on. might as well ride a Merry-Go-Round cause all everyone is doing is going in circles with this topic. It’s been going on with endurance sports for decades and decades with no end in sight. Find a new way to test and there will be 5 new ways to cheat. I suggest hop on and enjoy the ride!! There is always someone out there willing to break the “rules”.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  May 25, 2017 at 1:31 pm
  
  I’ll somewhat agree with you, and will expand on this later. Currently writing a long piece on THC and will either freelance it or publish it here.
  Briefly, I strongly believe pot is technically a PED. Everyone reacts differently, but for me, when I run high I run much stronger and have a much more enjoyable time, which, right there makes me run better. I’ve certainly sat on the couch and listened to music while pondering society plenty of times, but for the most part, I’m anxious to run, listen to great music, and be one with nature. I run better stoned, plain and simple.
  But should that be banned? Absolutely not. It’s a natural substance and if caffeine, sugar, and ibuprofen are allowed, an ugly flowery weed should be as well.
  
  Reply
Gerell says:

May 25, 2017 at 1:23 pm

Good point Paul…one reason why I’m never overly impressed with results anymore…SAD!!!!!

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1. Paul Beck says:
  
  May 25, 2017 at 3:44 pm
  
  I got to the point a few years ago where I simply let it all go, and now I enjoy watching racing again. I want to see a good race and be entertained. And now that I don’t worry about who’s doping and who’s not I enjoy it again.
  
  Reply
Herbert Wingfield says:

May 25, 2017 at 2:32 pm

So what happens when some smart-ass decides to dump a handful of Sudafed in the water jug at an aid station or sprinkles the potato chips with majic dust? If you are a top 20 runner you can’t afford to take a chance and must go crew-contained. Should get a partial refund for not needing any aid station food or water… Anybody in the military where random pee tests are the norm and supervisors need to protect their coffee and coffee pot from tampering?

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Patrick T. says:

May 25, 2017 at 10:58 pm

Legalize it! I mean…all of it. Or, uh, at least most of it.

Reply

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