Ultramarathon Daily News | Thursday, Oct 18

If you read one thing today, read this piece by Brad Stulberg about accepting your reality and working to be good rather obsessing on great.

Take six minutes and watch this awesome film/ad that shows Rory, Fernanda, and Martina all frolicking in the Alps. First few minutes has some ridge running that should test your butt muscles, too.

Interviewing Ellie (Hacker) Fox this morning about staying positive and fun on the trails, van life, coaching, and more. Stay tuned.

Seven tips for self-supported ultramarathon events.

I shared this on Twitter a few days ago (with permission, yes) in hopes of opening up a dialogue and discussion about the importance of having a supportive spouse/partner/family and good communication. It was in response to a guest request I sent awhile ago and I’m guessing many of us can relate to his predicament.

Hi Eric,

Nice to hear from you! I’m really sorry but I don’t feel comfortable about the interview since my wife is still upset about me going to XXX. We are still talking over about how we can communicate better.

She thought that I shouldn’t have even left to attend XXX, but I didn’t get a clear message from her before and during the event.
I’m afraid the interview is going to rehash the negative feelings and upset my wife even more since she’s still not over what happened. And I definitely don’t want to live through that again!

XXX

Scott Dunlap writes a great essay many of us can relate to: Alone on the trails, appreciating our condition, and being at one with our surroundings.

Transgendered woman wins cycling event and fans and competitors are left with mixed feelings, as am I. It’s OK to be LGBTQ friendly, but also believe that we need as-close-to level playing fields as we can get and that this is too far. Where and how should trans athletes compete? I don’t have an answer for that but wish I did. How should the athletics world accommodate those with genetic issues that are a lot more nuanced and individual than “does (s)he have a penis?” I don’t know that either but have heard well reasoned and respectful arguments on each side. But in an attempt to be more woke than the next person, cis-gender female athletes are not being given the chance to compete on level playing fields, and that’s not good or OK for anyone.

Sarah reviews a lot of shoes and is absolutely in love with the Topo UltraFly2.

I’m conflicted on this article and idea and would love to know what you all think. It sounds like Cross Country will be featured at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris–100 years after it last appeared in the Games–but will be “updated” to accommodate younger audiences. These updates make it sound like MTV producers are in charge: Extreme mud pits! Extreme challenge sections! Extreme areas where athletes run through sections of screaming fans. While I appreciate that someone in athletics is working to bring some new life to the sport–and that’s important–to then turn around and say that xc is “going back to its roots” seems a bit bizarre. So what do you think of the updates? Keep the sport old school, or attract new audiences by essentially mixing it with OCR?

Trail runner gets called out for ~~poor sportsmanship~~ being a bi*ch.

Dude goes on a beer run and runs out of the store carrying five cases, jumps in his truck, and peels off. Fail: Beer was Bud Light.

Sunny and I headed up to Auburn last night to check out James Varner’ Trail Running Film Festival. Excellent films this year, when plenty of humor and light points too. During the Kalalau film, we watched as the two runners traversed muddy and extremely technical trails in Hawai’i and Sunny elbowed me and whispered “those are my types of trails.” She’ll have to run those on her own. Check the calendar and go with your kids!

What shoes did athletes wear at Kona? Looks like HOKA reigned supreme, but with Nike making a huge jump from 2017. I’m assuming triathletes are wearing the VaporFly 4%?

I’m not a fan of the snow, but I’m a huge fan when it comes to snow shoe racing. Here’s all you need to know.

And be sure to finish up with this great article by Steve Magness about the different ways and methods we self-limit our own performances. From self doubt to avoiding feedback, it’s worth a read and some self reflection.

29 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Thursday, Oct 18"

Tony says:

October 18, 2018 at 7:40 am

With regards to the X-Country I am for going back to old school but not as far as OCR or catering to a particular demographic. Truth is over the years X-Country at world’s has been little more than a track race on grass with a few bumps and hay bales. Take a look at most any X-Country races in England and Europe where it is a big for everyone from pro to amateur and you will see lots of mud and hills. The issue is they want to for these big events to be easily viewable and presentable for TV so will need to construct the obstacles so as long as they do not add walls, ropes rings and barbed wire and keep it muddy, hilly and tough I am for it.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  October 18, 2018 at 8:04 am
  
  I suppose a lot of my unease with it is based on the lack of confidence that we’ll see the best in the world competing. Will the Kenyans want to deal with the ‘extreme’ element, or will this be a bunch of OCR runners crossing over? We’ll have to wait to see.
  
  Reply
  1. Tony says:
    
    October 18, 2018 at 11:08 am
    
    Yea, the problem may also be that many of the best will maybe want to run the 10K or 5K and pass on a hard X-Country race. Then again there are so many of the Africans left home that may not be an issue. I am with you though that they need to keep it tough but not OCR type racing. There was talk once of having this in the Winter Olympics due to that being closer to X-Country season.
    
    Reply
TJ says:

October 18, 2018 at 8:10 am

Regarding the dude stealing the Bud-Light (ridiculous and hilarious)–Dilly Dilly!

For the Trail Sisters article, I would like to say: please be kind to fellow athletes/runners out there, you don’t know the road or obstacles people have undertaken to get to their destination.

Reply
Joe Williams says:

October 18, 2018 at 9:17 am

Passing at the end of an ultra – If you meet a friendly on the road, follow them in. I’m never in any shape to kick and pass someone at the end myself (If I’m passing, you’re lying down), but if someone wants to kick and pass me they’re welcome to it. But I get why someone might be butt-hurt over it. It’s a dick-move.

Reply
LJ says:

October 18, 2018 at 10:23 am

poor sportsmanship is running behind someone most of race and then sprinting pass them at the line with your arms in victory. what the other girl said to her was completely uncalled for. 2 poor moves, that both should have been avoided. everyone needs to chill out.

Reply
1. Joel says:
  
  October 18, 2018 at 10:57 am
  
  Agree. Both were in the “wrong” here.
  
  Reply
  1. Joel says:
    
    October 18, 2018 at 11:06 am
    
    I also want to add, that including a photo of the woman she passed in her article was another mistake. There is zero value added to the piece other than to attempt publicly shame that individual since anyone who knows her will be able to identify her easily from race photos. This screams cattiness to me which further goes against the idea of woman building up other women.
    
    Reply
    1. Max says:
      
      October 18, 2018 at 5:40 pm
      
      At the end of the article the author follows up with an edit: She was privately contacted by the other woman and they hashed things out, realizing it was a misunderstanding based on fatigue and that they were both in the wrong. Most things can be resolved with simple communication.
      
      Reply
  2. ripvanracer says:
    
    October 18, 2018 at 11:57 am
    
    When was this unwritten “rule” made that you aren’t supposed to race at the end of an ultra?
    
    Reply
    1. Joel says:
      
      October 18, 2018 at 12:16 pm
      
      This is just my 2 cents: Its not a rule that you don’t race to the finish (I hate when runners finish holding hands), but given that its an ultra, it seems silly to not race the other person for 99.9% of the race, and then kick in the last couple hundred meters of 50k-100mi event. Additionally, in my experience its usually pretty obvious if the person ahead of you is “racing”/working hard to stay ahead (ie beat you) – if they are then the race is on and go for it, but if they’re running pretty casually, why wait till the last second to beat someone who isn’t purposefully racing you? Just pass them and move on.
      
      Reply
      1. John says:
        
        October 18, 2018 at 12:45 pm
        
        Why call someone a bi*** then? Was that necessary?
        Racing another your in the last part of the race is wrong, but calling (and mocking) another runner names, isn’t?
        So, if I come up behind you at the end of a race, I should hang back and let you finish first? If I do “kick” and beat you in the last 50 meters, does “kicking” justify you acting out and calling me names?
    2. Danny says:
      
      October 18, 2018 at 12:38 pm
      
      I let someone finish ahead of me in a race this year and later had mixed feelings about it. It felt like the right thing at the time so I don’t regret it but I don’t ever want someone to do that to me….race me to the end I would be happier to win or loose with both people leaving everything on the trail. As for the comments at the finish line….well that’s just not cool. If you don’t care about your result it should matter. If you do care about your result you should have been aware the race wasn’t over.
      
      Reply
      1. Joel says:
        
        October 18, 2018 at 1:49 pm
        
        John – my very first comment stated that I thought both parties were in the wrong, I absolutely don’t support the other runner’s decision to comment in the way she did, if it were me I would have kept my mouth shut. I think that was a poor choice on her part.
        
        Danny – I can relate, I certainly have zero expectation of anyone else and how they choose to run their race, whether they pass me with 50 miles or 50 meters to go they have that right. That said I just can’t relate to the individual’s mindset/strategy that says: I’ll pace directly off your back for an extended period of time, apparently not talk/engage you in any friendly manner, and then choose to blow by you just before the finish. I would have a hard time doing that to someone else, as did you it sounds like.
    3. Jeremy says:
      
      October 19, 2018 at 9:04 am
      
      It’s not a rule, and people should stop acting sprinting past someone at the end of a race is an insult. I had a guy try to overtake me at the very end of a short race; he failed and now we’re good friends. I had a guy running in the 35k race start overtaking me at the end of my 100; I didn’t know he was in the shorter race, but I just took it as a challenge, and sprinted to the finish. It’s a race, and thinking people who might just be challenging themselves are insulting you is actually kind of narcissistic.
      
      Reply
  3. Paul says:
    
    October 18, 2018 at 12:10 pm
    
    This issue comes up in various forums from time to time. One camp says a race ends at the finish line and sit and kick is a well-established race strategy. The other camp says that kicking to finish one place higher in the middle of the pack is dumb and just spoils another runner’s finish. I can see both perspectives.
    
    I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like it if someone spoiled my finish at the end of a 100 miler. On the other hand, if I was right at the 24 hour cutoff or a contender in my AG, I would have no reservation pushing hard through the finish (assuming the other person was in my AG).
    
    The article is particularly bizarre because the author states she thought the other woman was not in her race. Kicking to pass someone not in the same race seems completely nuts to me. Wouldn’t you want your finish line photo to yourself? Plus there is always the risk of the kick inducing a cramp or other malady.
    
    Reply
Peter says:

October 18, 2018 at 10:37 am

Open Question to the Community: Do you know if there exists a transparent hydration backpack that is OK with the NY Marathon No-Backpacks rule? Secondary and less important question to that if the rule is because of the backpack bombings at Boston a few years ago?

Reply
Rachel says:

October 18, 2018 at 11:06 am

Regarding trans athletes, there was a great Ten Junk Miles podcast with a trans ultra runner as a guest. They talked about the even playing field issue, and she provided a lot of info on hormone levels and fairness. I highly recommend giving it a listen. I consider myself somewhat educated on these issues, and I still learned a lot listening to the podcast.

Reply
1. Mitch says:
  
  October 19, 2018 at 4:19 pm
  
  There was a recent StarTalkSports with this topic too.
  
  Reply
Nicolas says:

October 18, 2018 at 11:15 am

Minor quibble: I think the acceptable use is now “transgender” (or “trans”), not “transgendered”.

These are not easy questions, and I confess to being uncertain, but it’s a bit over the top to claim that cis female athletes are not “given the chance to compete on level playing fields.” That’s a hasty generalization about 1. the number of such cases; 2. the extent to which being a trans woman systematically favors you (it often does not). In 99.9% of events cis women have this chance. Otherwise this piece of news would not be newsworthy.

Reply
1. PS says:
  
  October 18, 2018 at 5:52 pm
  
  Yes, using “transgendered” as an adjective to describe a person’s gender identity is problematic at best: https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender
  
  It appears Rachel McKinnon was abiding by the IOC rules that her testosterone levels be below the women’s threshold for at least 1 year prior to competing. And a study showed that “After a year of hormone therapy, for example, female trans distance runners completely lose their speed advantage over cisgender women. ”
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/do-transgender-athletes-have-an-unfair-advantage-at-the-olympics/2016/08/05/08169676-5b50-11e6-9aee-8075993d73a2_story.html
  
  It’s still a difficult question for other sports where muscle mass and size can matter – especially in an arena where women are disadvantaged to start with. As if we use testosterone to judge, then cis-women with naturally higher levels of testosterone (like Caster Semenya) are disqualified from competing.
  
  Reply
dan p says:

October 18, 2018 at 12:36 pm

It’s a race. Pass whoever whenever you want. If they don’t want to be passed they should run faster. I’ve passed people at the end of races and been passed. I usually do it because I just want to be done and lay down. Not to finish ahead of another mid packer that slogged 11 min miles with me all day. Some of my favorite finishes have been trying to hammer the last half mile when someone else picks it up with me. Usually high five at the finish and say way to finish strong. Anyway she did nothing wrong. It is her race. Are we so fragile as a society now that it isn’t ok to try to run strong through a finish line for fear of offending someone that may or may not be running the same distance? Good job to her for pushing. If the other wrunner was running another loop why even care if someone passes you?

Reply
1. Mike says:
  
  October 18, 2018 at 12:49 pm
  
  Exactly. Why call people names? Unnecessary.
  
  Reply
2. Dehart says:
  
  October 18, 2018 at 2:48 pm
  
  What was that line from Chariots of Fire?
  “I don’t run to take beatings!”
  
  Reply
Molly says:

October 19, 2018 at 9:36 am

I ran my first 50k this summer. I led as first place female the entire race until the last half mile. The second place female kicked a higher gear than I at that point and came up behind and truly encouraged me to race it in first, I tried my darndest. I failed and took 2nd place 18 seconds behind her. The entire time I was laughing and telling her I’m doing my best to hold first but ultimately she had more kick. At that point it felt like a true race, we did finish with high fives and laughter and congratulated one another. It’s a race to the finish no hard feelings, I came to race and she taught me some lessons that day. Drink some beer and chill.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  October 19, 2018 at 1:34 pm
  
  You did the right thing. A race is a race. If you don’t like the competitive aspect, don’t sign up.
  
  Reply
  1. Mark says:
    
    October 22, 2018 at 4:14 pm
    
    So, you don’t believe in running races to have fun or use them as training runs? When is it ok to call someone names like that? How is that acceptable?
    
    Reply
    1. eric schranz says:
      
      October 22, 2018 at 4:18 pm
      
      I never said it’s OK to call someone names and please don’t twist my words.
      A race is a race. If you sign up, expect others to be competitive.
      
      Reply
    2. Sam says:
      
      October 22, 2018 at 4:18 pm
      
      Apparently, now the post has been deleted. Even though, the person that called her a b**** has not apologized or commented in any sort of manner.
      Sad.
      
      Reply

Please use real name. Anonymous comments will be deleted. Thanks. Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.