Ultramarathon Daily News | Wed, Aug 22
Consider Toni Reavis’ “throwaway” discussion: Rather than splitting the elite fall marathon talent between NY and Chicago (as happens each year), try to get all the top women to focus on one race and the men on the other. Next year, switch it up. The reason I point this out is with the massive increase in ultramarathon events, fields in our sport are often thinned out and elites aren’t going head-to-head with other runners of their caliber. Obviously there are myriad other factors to consider in comparing the two, but it’s a compelling idea. And it’ll never happen.
Speaking of New York, the Two Oceans Ultramarathon champ Gerta Steyn is heading to the Big Apple this year in her first run at NYC Marathon. It’s always interesting to see what ultra folks can do in shorter distances.
Ever pulled your hair out with frustration while trying to book a campsite? Whether it’s the bots sucking up all the spots or the complete inefficiency of the website, it’s finally come to a point where there’ll be change for some campsites. Good article on the detail of this f’ed up system.
Tragic ending to the Mollie Tibbetts story in Iowa. She’s out on a run at night and some creep is following her in a car. He gets out and starts to follow her on foot. She shines her light on him and tells him to back off or she’ll call the cops. He attacks her and she winds up dead in a field. Horrible and terrifying. Stay safe out there, ladies.
Ultralight race vest designed for women: Sarah reviews the RaidLight Responsiv 10L and loves every inch of it.
Since it’s the Guardian, I’m assuming this is a UK-focused article, but would also like to see hard numbers domestically as well as globally: What’s the best selling running kit out there right now?
Caffeine is a performance enhancing drug that’s openly accepted in sport. But…it doesn’t help everyone. How and whether or not you benefit is determined by your genes.
International Association of Ultramarathon 100k Championship Analysis:
The IAU has announced the international fields for the 100k championships that’ll take place in early September in Croatia. Pretty decent list…from new 100k WR holder (6:19) Nao Kazami (JP) to 3x champ Giorgio Calcaterra (ITA) to Didrik Hermansen (NOR) to Comrades chapp Bongmasu Mthembu (RSA) and Geoff Burns and Matt Flaherty of Team USA, the men’s race has some talent. Then the women’s side has Elena Makovskaya (BLR, but I think she lives stateside), Mbuthuma (RSA) who works full time while training the rest of the time, then the kick ass team from the US: Boller, Harrison, Howard, Laws, Slaby, Yanko, and Nagy. My prediction: The US ladies leave with a medal. That’s a solid team with real depth.
“Hot yoga sweating is so cleaning!”
Science: No, actually, it’s not.
I don’t like mandatory gear lists and think they go against the very ethos of what makes this silly sport so great, but…if you’re looking for info on what you need for UTMB–and how to pack it– the folks at run247 have you covered. (edit: When published, this read like I didn’t like the run247 site…I like them! It’s the mandatory lists I don’t like. Sorry for the confusion.)
Speaking of UTMB, here’s the women’s preview (fixed.) I’ll be watching Amy, Stephanie, and Kaci closely. Those are three women who run smart races.
Watch this: Probably the best description of what it is we do, boiled down to six minutes and explained by some of the biggest names in our sport: The communal art of footracing.
Sarah is working on a review of wireless headphones, with an emphasis on how to use them safely. If anyone has contacts at JayBird, Apple, FitBit, or BOSE, let me know. We’ve already got the Aftershokz covered (and I’m loving them.)
Dive deep into the world of exercise induced hyponatremia with Dr. Tracy. The how and why of why you need to monitor your salt intake while participating in endurance events.