Ultramarathon Daily News, Tue, Dec 15

Read this: How to destroy your child’s athletic future in three easy steps.

What’s going on the minds of those who run Sri Chimnoy? It’s hard to wrap my head around that type of event, but I suppose the mental aspect is the toughest/most rewarding part of it. Solid journalism from The New Yorker.

Awesome pics and summary from Cross Country Nationals last weekend. High school XC is where I started trail running, and it’ll always be my first love. Anxiously awaiting Matt Trappe’s pics to post as well…

Let’s visit Guillaume in the beautiful trails of Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria.

It has taught me that finish lines are often the beginning of new and wonderful adventures. It has taught me to believe in myself, to trust the universe, to be grateful for those that I do life with, the people as well as the birds, bees, snakes, alligators, and coyotes that cross our paths in the wilderness. It has taught me the importance of solitude and building a relationship with myself, and it has taught me the joy and honor of companionship. It has taught me that if I am bored with myself, I need to plunge deeper, to uncover that faucet of joy and wonder and creativity that the responsibilities of daily life sometimes dilute.

–-Lessons learned from running 100 miles. Great piece from HuffPo that’ll surely draw more attention to our sport.

Varner talks about his Quad Dipsea CR and on knowing when it’s time to DNF.

The LetsRun peanut gallery discusses whether or not Ryan Hall should get into (I’m sorry…retire) to ultramarathons.

Mario has some opinions about whether dopers should be allowed to race. I agree, except that’s putting the onus on the RD to have an up to date list of cheaters. At the very minimum, make it clear on the website what the policy is. “We don’t check banned lists” or “Past convictions are OK but those currently serving band not OK” or “these drugs are verboten, but convictions for these are OK.” Something that’ll tell the competitors what they’re signing up for.

I won’t include all of the other links to the subject, but check Mario’s post. He’s linked to Ian’s excellent piece, as well as Sam Robinson’s thoughtful comments and others. (Read this too though.) If you’ve got an opinion (preferably from the “other side”) that you’d like me to include, shoot it my way.

Not many people pass up a chance to race in the Headlands, but Andrew took a DNS and hopped on a plane to Chile to race around a tropical volcano. Good move!

Wookie set out on a 45 day road trip that would put him in 33 different states. There, he looked for awesome trails and ran them all. #jealous

Here’s a neat look at the emerging running scene in India.

Hope this link/infographic works: How outdoor consumers shop.

Justin Apsley says:

December 15, 2015 at 8:36 am

On the PED topic. I personally feel like our sport is open to all. I however caveat that with a podium is reserved for winners, not cheaters. If a person feels the need to cheat, (be that course cutting, doping, or whatever) then they have no place on a podium, now or ever. I feel that completing any run is borderline spiritual and I won’t deny anyone that. I also am a solid back of the mid pack runner and if I ever should find myself near a podium I don’t want to ” lose” to a cheat (in my own mind I never will but that’s beside the point). One who cheats at best only hurts the ones that would have one, but ultimately it’s the entire sport that’s being cheated.

John says:

December 15, 2015 at 10:45 am

I agree, but I think we need to remember that the sport is not the races. I think that the sport is open to all, but races not so much. I could care less if a doper like Lance Armstrong wants to go out and run all the trails he can. I think that’s great and wish him well in it. I just don’t think he should be allowed to race or run competitively. Ever.

At this point, I’m more curious about people actually moving beyond the talking. It’s awesome that this is getting discussed so much, but I feel that it could verge on the point of everyone talking about it so much that no one actually does anything and the problems remain.

1. Michael J says:
  
  December 15, 2015 at 2:26 pm
  
  +1

Paul says:

December 15, 2015 at 10:33 am

It took me a number of visits over the course of a week or two to the race for the race to really register on any level in my mind a couple of years ago. I now visit the race regularly. The pace of the runners when visiting for just an hour or two can look soft, but the race is relentless and unforgiving. It continues, rain or shine, heat, humidity, blisters, chafing, aches, pains, etc. It reduces the runners’ lives to a relatively primitive existence – the same as other runners, even in a 5K – where all that matters is relentless forward progress. There is no navigation to worry about, there is easy aid station access. It is a race of man, himself, and the clock. I was fortunate to witness Aalto’s finish this year. He had some of the fastest finishes in history; this was his 13th time completing the race, meaning he has literally spent a year of his life running around that half mile block. This year he finally broke Wolfgang Schwerk’s course record, and shattered it (by 23hrs); a record held by one of the few runners in history who was able to give Kouros serious competition (the longest Kouros raced was 1,000 miles).Reference

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