Ultramarathon Daily News | Tue, Sep 29

TrailRunner/Metzler: Ten trail running and ultramarathon highlights from this crazy summer. Great list but this gives me anxiety about trying to figure out UROYs and POTYs!

Seattle Times: Her attempt at setting the record for the women’s FKT of the Washington portion of the PCT was going well until she ran out of freakin’ cheese.

Health: Whole Foods CEO suggests that people have any agency with regards to their health and weight and people freak out.

We had Travis Macy on the show five years ago and I recall him talking about how he was inspired by his dad, an accomplished adventurer and endurance athlete. In this interview with Henry Howard, Travis talks about the latest chapter with his dad, and that’s one dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

Koop: The state and future of anti-doping in ultrarunning.
~~Haven’t had the chance to dig through this yet but hope it addressed TUE abuses.~~
Hot takes:
1) Jason lightly addressed it at the bottom, but I think this article would’ve been better on a personal blog rather than one affiliated in any way with Chris Carmichael.
2) Do we all play by the same rules or don’t we? Seems like a fundamental question that needs to be addressed and the current TUE program leaves far too much ambiguity.
3) Agree with Jason completely that teams and sponsors need to take responsibility for their athletes. If the athletes cheats, it should hurt.
4) With testing, I’m no expert and have no idea how to catch cheaters at the right time…in competition, out of competition, etc. Seems really murky with no real solutions.
5) We need a “governing body” (note the huge quotes) of some sort to help hash out these issues. Not USATF, not WA, and not a bunch of out-of-touch oldsters, but a grassroots organization of officials to help steer this boat.

Podium Runner: Four ways climate change affects you as a runner.

Ultramarathon runner and black belt in Karate falls off a trampoline and is now paralyzed. Her outlook on her future is realistic and inspiring.

Treeline Journal: Chase analyses Camille Herron’s upcoming attempt at the 48hr world record. Prepare to raise your eyebrows when you read who’s 48 hour WR she’s aiming for.

Fly that thing safely. There’s a lot of talent aboard!

Fascinating post about the history of fell running shoes from…Reebok?

Japan Running News: Yeah this isn’t going to end well. Japanese runners take the Yosenkai Ekiden very seriously and “blaming” one person for a Covid-related DQ will be disastrous.
Of course there’s room for a discussion about how much pressure is put on these athletes and the appropriateness of placing such outsized importance on these events, but I don’t see that changing.

When hard-earned Strava art, beer, and great PR all collide, it’s a beautiful thing.

iRunFar: AJW runs his first hundred miler in three years. Damn, that sounds like a challenge, Andy!

I complain about Nike a lot, but this is pretty cool: Maternity mannequins sporting running gear.

SCMP: Chinese ultramarathon runner circumnavigates Hong Kong on a paddleboard made of recycled bottles.

Come on, Belarus, get it together.

ultrarunning/Sharman: How to use a weight vest to improve your power hiking. I know Ian uses one and I’ve seen Mike Wardian sporting a vest. Anyone else? (For the record, I’m slowly losing my…shall we call it…natural weight vest.)

Speaking of hiking, Runner’s World has some advice on why it’s so important for runners.

You’ve read and heard me holding out hope that CIM would happen this year, but organizers cancelled it last week. The lesson: Runners can’t have a road race, but protests and riots in the street? Yeah, those are cool.

14 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Tue, Sep 29"

scott says:

September 29, 2020 at 7:36 am

The FKT site must be such a nightmare right now. I respect that they don’t want to deny the existence of a lot of these submissions but when you casually browse around you’ll see a ton that are really questionable.

Reply
Jeff says:

September 29, 2020 at 7:52 am

Eric, I know you stay out of politics so you might not be aware that unlike Road Races; riots and protests are unpermitted and insured events 🙂

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  September 29, 2020 at 8:01 am
  
  Jeff, I stay out of politics (or do my best to) on these pages, but I worked in electoral politics and legislation in Sacramento for years.
  You’re correct, riots are certainly not permitted, but the protests that often lead to those are generally permitted events. Additionally, the municipal leaders who ostensibly decide on whether or not to permit athletic events also seem perfectly OK with supporting unpermitted protests.
  
  Reply
Jeff says:

September 29, 2020 at 7:55 am

*uninsured

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Alex says:

September 29, 2020 at 8:47 am

I don’t see any type of governing body working in ultrarunning. It’s less a cohesive sport than a bunch of discrete events, often very different–and maybe downright eccentric–in their ethics and stated goals. Two of the most famous events–Hardrock and Barkley–refuse to even categorize themselves as races, despite the fact that doing well at either certainly lends an athlete exposure, sponsorship opportunities, etc.

I also wonder how far back in the pack testing ought to go. I don’t doubt there are competitive age groupers and local legends getting a generous TRT dose or something similar–we see this in Ironman, for instance, and every local gym across the country–but I think you’d struggle to find the necessary emotional or financial support to really go after that.

So if we’re only concerned about the elite at events that market themselves as competitive on that level–Western States, North Face, Lake Sonoma, etc.–that ends up being a niche within a niche within a niche. Which isn’t to say measures aren’t worth considering, and ultimately taking. I just wonder how many people are really going to give a shit after all.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  September 29, 2020 at 9:34 am
  
  Totally agree. I see a scenario of the sport splitting into two groups…The professional/European focused runners who go for big events and have financial support–and incentives–from sponsors. Makes sense to test that group somehow.
  The other group would be people who just want to run and race and have fun and couldn’t care less about PEDs or what the elites do.
  
  Reply
Ron Benavidez says:

September 29, 2020 at 10:42 am

What’s wrong with Chris Carmichael?

Reply
Chris says:

September 29, 2020 at 12:05 pm

Eric – disappointed to see you drawing parallels between protests over police brutality with one’s freedom to participate in a road race. How does this fit with your repeatedly voiced concern that environmental activists like Clare Gallagher might alienate half of their audience?

I guess you can count me among the half that is concerned about climate change and systemic injustice.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  September 29, 2020 at 12:10 pm
  
  Didn’t mention anything about police brutality, nor about climate change or systemic injustice.
  
  If the rationale for not allowing a race is that it’s dangerous (Covid), the same rationale should apply across the board to any and all protests or events for any reason.
  
  Reply
Paul says:

September 29, 2020 at 12:49 pm

Ron – Carmichael was Lance Armstrong’s coach. Many people have suspicions that Carmichael knew of and even helped facilitate Lance’s doping.

Reply
Paul says:

September 29, 2020 at 1:01 pm

What is your stance on recreational ultrarunners having THC in their systems during a race* (say due to smoking or ingesting the night before to relax).

Personally, I think they are cheaters and hypocrites (assuming they are against doping in general). Saying, “oh I’m just a middle of the packer, that doesn’t apply to me” is wrong.

*Including up to 12 hours before the race, which is how “in competition” is defined.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  September 29, 2020 at 1:21 pm
  
  Totally fair question. If the rules say you can’t have it in your system, then it’s easy. Don’t have it in your system. The issue is some races state clearly that WADA rules and regs will be followed, while others are clear that it’s just a fun race. And to wrap it up, just because I like to have it in my system and it helps me feel better does not mean I should try to get a TUE that would allow me to have it.
  
  Reply
Will says:

September 29, 2020 at 1:18 pm

Based on the press release (see below), it seems that the CIM folks made this decision themselves–weren’t forced into it. In which case, I question your concept of “not allowing” as a point of comparison between a race (called off by its organizers, not the State) and a potential protest.

“We would like to thank our local leadership, municipal and community partners, and county and state health officials that worked so hard to create an avenue for us to still potentially hold the event in recognition of its immense importance to our community. Despite their creative and open-minded efforts to work with us on effective health and safety protocols, we ultimately recognized that the event would be too much of a departure from the participant experience that has made CIM such a unique and special event over the past 37 years and what we hope will continue to make it one for many more years to come.”

Reply
micahward says:

October 5, 2020 at 8:02 am

Well said Eric.

Reply

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