Ultramarathon Daily News | Wed, Nov 28

Ultra Trail Cape Town is this weekend and will be the last stop in the Ultra Trail World Tour. Ryan Sandes, Rob Krar, Keely Henninger, Kelly Wolf, Chris Mocko, Stephanie Howe Violett and a whole cast of interntiaonl runners are ready for the 100 ~~miler~~ kilometer in what many consider to be the most beautiful city in the world. Here’s more on the elite field.

Olympian Tianna Bartoletta writes a compelling essay about addiction and choice. My opinions on this have changed drastically over the years and have moved me to make some major changes in my life. I’d love to hear from (former) addicts about what they think of Tianna’s piece.

The IAU has a newly-formed Athlete Advisory Council. Can’t really tell what it will do or who else will be on it. Anyone know anything else?

This guy just hit his 40 year daily running streak and tallied up the money he’s found along the way: Ten grand!

Is ultramarathon running a crazy person’s sport?

RD in Utah awards female winners more money than men. How in the world is this helping anything?

Amy is following in the footsteps of some great editors at UltraRunning Magazine and she’s jumping in with both feet. I can’t wait to see her shine.

Here’s a scientific position paper that I want to dive into a bit more when I have time. For now though, it seems that a group of Australian sports scientists and geneticists think it’s unwise, unethical,and dangerous to use genetic testing for athletics. Any science folks want to dig in a bit more?

The USATF announces their MUT runners of the year.

Read this–> Excellent tutorial from the Trail Sisters on Adventure Planning 101: Topo map reading.

Dopey cyclist entering trail races in Europe. Very tough issue. While I’m a fan of redemption, I’m also a big proponent of using strong tactics to dissuade cheaters.

Do you think you could run a five hour marathon in (on?) Antarctica? Pretty sure? ‘cuz if you’re wrong, you’re taking a long ride in a flying garbage truck back to South Africa.

Speaking of marathons, CIM is this weekend and is showing a cold (28F) but dry start. Should be a great race! Personal note: I was originally set to guide a runner from NY the whole way, but he’s injured and I’ll now be with a different runner for the first half only. We’ll be mid/back of the pack with a 6hr projected finish. And in a strange twist of fate, this will likely be my last time guiding as my lower peripheral vision is deteriorating faster than we expected and I’ve been tripping and falling on my runs quite a bit more more. Would you ask a drunk dude to be your designated driver?

ultramarathon — Running with kids. There’s nothing like it.

More on the importance of kids running before school. It sets them up for a productive day, empowers them, and introduces them to an awesome lifelong journey of self improvement and adventure.

Do you run on the hills or do you train on the hills? Focus on the latter.

It sounds like like the guy who was attempting to swim across The ~~Atlantic~~ Pacific and right thru the Great Garbage Patch is reconsidering his plan. He made it a long way, but too many issues with weather and support have stopped his adventure/message this time.

An ode to the Rand McNally Roat Atlas. I couldn’t agree more! Just like a paper trail map from the Ranger’s Station versus your iPhone map, a big, paper map gives a much better overall depiction of where you are and where you can go.

Something tells me that this author would be horrified/impressed/fascinated by the food intake of runners at pretty much any ultra.

Stay tuned for a new episode with Alabama grinder Liz Canty.

43 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News | Wed, Nov 28"

Corrine says:

November 28, 2018 at 7:52 am

UTCT is 100k not 100miles 🙂

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 8:08 am
  
  Ah crap. Thanks for the correction.
  
  Reply
IRA says:

November 28, 2018 at 7:57 am

In regards to addiction and choice, AA’s Big Book describes it well as “an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind.” I take full responsibility for putting unthinkable amounts of booze down my throat for years – at one time, it was somewhat of a choice, but at some invisible point, the allergy and the obsession takes over and it really isn’t a choice any more. It is usually encroaching death that helps us to finally seek help from a power much greater than ourselves. On our own, we are powerless, but the simple prayer of “God please help me” often gets us to the people who can help lift us out because they have been there too. Never an easy answer to this unless you’ve been to the depths of hell within yourself and can’t see a way out.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 8:53 am
  
  Thanks IRA. I’m an atheist, so seeking help from a higher power or praying for help wasn’t something I was going to do. As I mentioned in my other reply, I’d never consider myself an alcoholic or someone with a problem, but stopping the train before it got out of control was important and I’m thankful for the decision.
  Only problem though…wasn’t I supposed to lose a few pounds in the process? I’ve lost NOTHING.
  
  Reply
  1. IRA says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 11:40 am
    
    There is plenty of room for atheists in AA – you are free to do and believe whatever you want – “AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution” from the AA Preamble. We give the still suffering alcoholic a road map, so to speak, and as long as they follow the directions to living a sober life, they are free to believe whatever they wish – that is none of our business, but not drinking is. As a matter of fact, the early atheists are given great credit in AA for making it open for everyone and everyone who wants to stop drinking regardless of skin color, social status, etc. Check out irunanonymous Podcast for runners who are trying to live the principles on a daily basis. Cheers!
    
    Reply
Sabine says:

November 28, 2018 at 8:08 am

Guess that guy aimed to swim through the Pacific – nevertheless, it’s a big pond anyway. 🙂

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 8:09 am
  
  Two glaring errors in the DN today. Maybe we can go for three. Oof.
  
  Reply
  1. Another Jeremy says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 3:48 pm
    
    You’re there already, unless you were intentionally referring to “interntiaonl” runners in the first paragraph!
    
    Reply
Reuben W Parks says:

November 28, 2018 at 8:39 am

Regarding Tianna’s post, I’m wary of giving any answer to the questions she posed. I can only speak for myself and my experience. I definitely made the conscious choice to start drinking, though I was warned there was a proclivity towards addiction in my family. I enjoyed the culture that was growing around beer and developed a taste for good wine and Islay whisky. Still, the need for a drink crept in around this appreciation and it got to where I didn’t really care about what I was drinking.

I got to a point where I made the choice to stop. I didn’t attend any meetings or see a counselor, but, rather, just decided to quit after a particularly rough night. Fortunately, I’ve been able to stay sober for six years (this Friday will be 6 yrs.), but I think about drinking almost every week. Therefore, while I agree that it’s our choice to start or stop, I feel addiction is biological. I envy those people who can have a single beer or glass of wine; I’m just not one of those folks.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 8:50 am
  
  Rueben-Thanks for sharing your story. Mine is similar. While I never had a “problem”, I did recognize the fact that moderate and casual drinking was something that I had difficulty controlling. I was also intimately aware of alcoholism in my family (grandparent) and did not want to go down that road. So with me, it was a binary option…keep drinking daily, or stop drinking all together. I chose the latter and it’ll be one year in a few weeks.
  I’ve struggled with the “why aren’t I strong enough to just moderate it?” question ad nauseam and no matter how hard I’d try, it was still something that seemed out of my perceived control. I could use every excuse and justification in the book, and I’d still feel like shit the next day. Maybe I should’ve/could’ve tried harder, but the choice I made is a healthy workaround and I’m happy with it.
  Congratulations on your six years.
  
  Reply
  1. Reuben says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 9:45 am
    
    Thank you and congrats on your first year! As for the weight loss, I didn’t start running until after I quit drinking and the weight did not really come off at first. It took some time and careful calorie-counting for that change to happen.
    
    Reply
  2. S says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 9:57 am
    
    I right there with you on realizing that I’m just not able to drink moderately or casually. I tried and had all kinds of rules for myself, but it wasn’t sustainable and was too much work. It is easier just to not drink. I don’t think I am an alcoholic, but I could definitely see how easy it would be to get there and feel like I was on the way. There is a TED talk on grey area drinking, I don’t totally agree with the whole thing, but it was interesting.
    
    I have a family member who is killing themselves with alcohol. I don’t feel like they are making the choice to do that. They do stop for short times, so I guess you could call that making a choice, but then they are right back in it. I think that it must be so hard for them not to drink that it does not take much to tip them the other way. I’m not exactly sure I would call it a choice, I don’t think anyone would want to live that life but the pull is so so hard. The energy to choose otherwise must be extreme for many people.
    
    Reply
    1. eric schranz says:
      
      November 28, 2018 at 10:20 am
      
      I’m curious if you’ve tried NA beers. For me, it’s a great solution, while I know that for others, it’s a bit too tempting to have the “real” stuff.
      
      Reply
      1. M says:
        
        November 28, 2018 at 11:12 am
        
        I love NA beers. I’m hoping the craft NA beers become more of a thing so I don’t have to pay so much to order it from out of state. My favorite cheap on that I can get at Total Wine is Penn’s Best. Kind of the bud light of NA beer but way better than ones that you can get at the grocery store, plus $2.50 a 6-pack. I mix that up with the good craft ones. (I’m also in California)
      2. Reuben says:
        
        November 28, 2018 at 11:36 am
        
        I tried them when I first stopped, but figured it was a slippery slope and just cut it out altogether. I didn’t really find one that I liked either.
      3. Nick says:
        
        November 29, 2018 at 9:16 am
        
        M, it probably depends on where you live but in Florida I can find Athletic and Wellbeing NA beers at my Total Wine. They’re both very fine breweries.
Jeremy says:

November 28, 2018 at 8:41 am

Asking how awarding the top women more than the top men helps anything is kind of like asking how Affirmative Action helps anything. Maybe from the standpoint of someone who is part of the historically favored demographic, it might look like enforced discrimination.

As a white male who is on the “wrong” side of these ridiculous perceived slights, I can tell you that all you need in order to accept it, and even approve of it, is to have just a little bit of historical perspective and some empathy.

Reply
1. Daniel says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 10:57 am
  
  Why do you get to decide what we all need to do?
  
  Reply
  1. Nick says:
    
    November 29, 2018 at 9:19 am
    
    Why do you get to ask trollish questions?
    
    Reply
    1. eric schranz says:
      
      November 29, 2018 at 9:41 am
      
      I wondered where you were Nick!
      
      Reply
      1. Nick says:
        
        November 29, 2018 at 10:04 am
        
        Haha, always here to serve. Infrequent visitor now for reasons you’re starting to grasp.
        
        (btw, different Nick than the other Nick on this thread who seems to be on your side)
2. Nick says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 11:57 am
  
  You aren’t on the wrong side of anything. Did you personally oppress a woman?
  
  You ask for empathy, but you only look at the treatment of groups, rather than individuals. A young man born today had no hand in anything done generations ago, but yet he is to be made culpable and given unequal treatment?
  
  Reply
  1. Jeremy says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 2:47 pm
    
    If you’re complaining about the plight of a young man, you’re missing the point entirely. Women are still receiving unequal treatment *today*. Men are not being punished by attempts to achieve parity to the genders.
    
    You can’t really say I’m ignoring the treatment of individuals – the group is just an aggregate of individuals, and if you’re mistreating a group, you’re mistreating the individuals it is comprised of.
    
    Reply
Garret C says:

November 28, 2018 at 9:14 am

Women weren’t allowed to run long distances races until the 70’s. (Listen to the 30 for 30 podcast Six who Sat and read this NYT article if you haven’t: https://30for30podcasts.com/episodes/six-who-sat/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/sports/women-new-york-marathon.html) More importantly, they still don’t receive equal pay for equal work. So what you’re asking amounts to “How does a small attempt to compensate for large historical acts of discrimination help anything?” And the answer is just that–it’s crazy to me that you’re bothered by someone compensating a discriminated-against group a little. Even if discrimination against women were done with (which it isn’t) there would still be accumulations of wealth and power that don’t just vanish when you (claim to) stop piling on.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 9:35 am
  
  Here’s the difference: I don’t see the wage discrepancy as solely based on gender, while what this RD is doing is based on that one metric. It’s totally and completely up to the RD and he should be allowed to set whatever awards he wants, but it’s an idea that I don’t think is good for the sport.
  
  Reply
  1. Garret C says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 10:53 am
    
    Even if that were correct, it still wouldn’t address the issue of historical wrongs and accumulated wealth and power. It’s easy for the dominant group to say they want things equal after decades or centuries of accumulating advantages. I think it’s great for the sport to actively encourage women to try and counteract some of the historical (and ongoing) disadvantages. I also think it would be great for the sport if you didn’t throw in your libertarian/chauvanist opinions quite as frequently as you do. (Obviously, it’s your show and “It’s totally and completely up to the RD and he should be allowed to set whatever awards he wants” applies but I know runners who don’t listen/read because of it, and a bigger audience never hurt.)
    
    Reply
    1. Nick says:
      
      November 28, 2018 at 11:54 am
      
      Oh come on, this is a conversation, don’t say, “keep your opinions to yourself”. You aren’t correct about everything you believe, neither is Eric, and neither am I.
      
      Here is my understanding. Most of the gender pay gap is explained by differences in things like hours worked, vacation taken, and most importantly, the actual job/profession. The “women are paid 70 cents for every dollar men earn” is based on an average across all workers, in all professions, full and part time. It is and has been illegal to pay people less for equal work solely based on their gender for decades.
      
      A reasonable question to ask is why stereotypically female professions, like teaching, earn less than stereotypically male professions, like engineering. One explanation is oppression. Another is that women tend toward human-oriented professions, and those do not scale well – and that is an emergent property of a market-based economy. It’s hard to teach one million people. But it’s easier to write a program that one million people use, or design a bridge that serves one million cars. You could talk about social pressures influencing men’s and women’s career choices, or (the lack of) maternity leave support, or why teachers should be paid more, but I think these are quite a bit different than oppression.
      
      With all of that in mind, I believe that the motivation of the RD for paying women more prize money neglects the myriad factors leading to the actual pay gap, and it comes off to me as tasteless. Maybe you can convince me I am wrong, or I am missing something.
      
      Even granting that, I am not sure how you justify unequal treatment in the pursuit of equality. What metric will you use to determine when, finally, you can end the unequal treatment?
      
      Do you believe wage discrimination should, or should not, be illegal? Personally, I think it should not, but that’s because I value equitable treatment whenever possible, so I think men and women should get the same prize money for the same place in the same race just like I believe they should earn the same wage for the same hours worked at the same job.
      
      Reply
      1. Garret C says:
        
        November 28, 2018 at 12:21 pm
        
        Accurate analysis from what I understand.
        
        >> I believe that the motivation of the RD for paying women more prize money >>neglects the myriad factors leading to the actual pay gap, and it comes off to me >>as tasteless. Maybe you can convince me I am wrong, or I am missing >>something.
        
        Well, the RD doesn’t have control over all those myriad factors, and they do control the purse in their race.
        
        >>Even granting that, I am not sure how you justify unequal treatment in the pursuit >>of equality.
        
        With everything I’ve been saying thus far, basically. If a group has been discriminated against for a long time and you say “OK from here on out let’s treat everyone equally” the discriminated-against group can still get short shrift forever because of accumulated wealth and power. (e.g. government housing policy explicitly favored whites for a long time. Just saying “no more mortgage lending discrimination” doesn’t give blacks and other minorities similar amounts of capital as whites whose families benefited for generations.)
        
        >>What metric will you use to determine when, finally, you can end the unequal >>treatment?
        
        I freely admit to not knowing the exact answer to that, and I don’t think that makes a difference. But “When there are nine” is a pretty good tongue-in-cheek answer.
    2. Nick says:
      
      November 29, 2018 at 9:21 am
      
      “I also think it would be great for the sport if you didn’t throw in your libertarian/chauvanist opinions quite as frequently as you do. (Obviously, it’s your show and “It’s totally and completely up to the RD and he should be allowed to set whatever awards he wants” applies but I know runners who don’t listen/read because of it, and a bigger audience never hurt.)”
      
      Amen
      
      Reply
2. Jeremy says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 9:37 am
  
  Exactly. It seems Mr. Schranz is looking at this issue in a vacuum wherein every race is compensating female winners more, and prize purses are a significant means of total athlete compensation.
  
  Reply
  1. eric schranz says:
    
    November 28, 2018 at 10:18 am
    
    With all due respect, how in the world did you come up with those two concussions? This is–as far as I can tell–a single race engaging in this type of overt discrimination. (Maybe Dakota did something like this over the summer? I remember hearing about something similar but don’t have time to dig it up.) And I’m well aware of where sponsored athletes income is generated.
    
    Reply
    1. Jeremy says:
      
      November 28, 2018 at 10:59 am
      
      It’s only really discrimination if you fail to look at the other means of compensation athletes get from the race. The male winner might not get as large a purse from this particular race, but his performance in his races, this one included, probably has some influence on his sponsorships, so he’s likely getting compensation as an indirect result of this win that’s not available to the female winner. This is really nothing more than an attempt to equalize the portion of the compensation the RD has no control over, and probably also to raise attention to the issue.
      
      If you take a holistic look at all the compensation received from an individual race, both direct and indirect, the prize purse is just one component, and a larger prize purse for women does not mean more total compensation.
      
      Reply
    2. dude says:
      
      November 28, 2018 at 11:28 am
      
      Let’s not forget all the discrimination on covering and reporting the women winners, which ultimately leads to different compensation/marketing/etc. In your own backyard, a very recent 100 miler posted all day about the men leaders with little mention of the women (and followed up days/a week latter with posts about the women). And the Canyons finish line fiasco last year….
      irunfar is probably the best at equal coverage.
      
      Reply
      1. eric schranz says:
        
        November 28, 2018 at 11:41 am
        
        -I’ll hope and assume you’re not blaming me for whatever race didn’t recognize the women. I honestly don’t even know which race you’re talking about. Was I there?
        -Canyons 2017 was a fiasco indeed. Me getting dragged through the mud was absolute bullshit.
        -iRunFar does provide good, even coverage, I agree. I’m also proud of URPs guest list.
      2. Dude says:
        
        November 28, 2018 at 12:04 pm
        
        To be clear – no blame was intended for you. No idea if you were there.
      3. eric schranz says:
        
        November 28, 2018 at 12:29 pm
        
        Thanks you for clarifying. What race was it?
Paul says:

November 28, 2018 at 11:55 am

The biggest problem I have with the Utah RD is that he is bad at math. A 20% reduction requires a 25% increase to bring it back to parity.

100 x 0.8 = 80

80 x 1.25 = 100

Reply
1. Nick says:
  
  November 29, 2018 at 9:36 am
  
  Fair enough, you’re right. But he didn’t say he wanted parity nor did he say he wanted *men* to be paid 20% *less* than women; simply that wanted women be paid 20% *more* than men, to make a point. Granted, the 20% doesn’t restore parity or properly invert the gap, but I don’t think this shows he’s bad at math.
  
  Reply
SCottieB says:

November 28, 2018 at 12:13 pm

So, reading the article, the action of providing higher prizes for winning women compared to men in the Antelope Island races was done primarily to bring attention to the issue of prize disparity. It wasn’t an attempt to permanently tip the scales to a different kind of discrimination. It was an action (some may call it a ‘stunt’, though this seems more thoughtful than a kind of jerking of the wheel) meant to provoke discussion and reflection and bring attention to past and present inequality. It was a splash of cold water, not the construction of a diversion dam. Jim Skaggs wanted to promote communication. Mission accomplished judging by the small comment/reply up-welling here.

Reply
1. Rick says:
  
  November 28, 2018 at 4:25 pm
  
  You sum it up well, SCottieB.
  
  I couldn’t help but notice that 1 race pays females more and it’s criticized. How many races pay males more and aren’t specifically highlighted or criticized. Feels a bit like cherry picking.
  
  Reply
Ryan says:

November 28, 2018 at 12:48 pm

Re the atlas article: as a professional geographer and lifelong cartophile, I couldn’t agree more.

Reply
oppressed woman says:

November 28, 2018 at 4:21 pm

I’ll play.
1. Paul wins with his excellent math skills.
2. Inequality exists everywhere. Inequality in pay exists between different occupations. We can all agree on that. Inequality exists between the same occupation but different levels of experience (teacher of 20 yrs vs teacher of 2 yrs). And inequality exists between the same profession, with the same level of experience (a lawyer in NYC will make more than a lawyer in Laverne, OK). But it’s pretty much illegal to pay someone for more or less based on their gender (or race or religion or number of toes they have). If women do earn less, then why don’t companies hire only women?
3. If you want to change Eric’s mind, don’t berate his political views. Try to back it up with facts. SCottieB was correct in that it got a discussion going, and hopefully it can lead to more civil discussions. I don’t believe there is a gender gap when you compare apples to apples (and I’m a female), but I’m willing to listen and have my mind changed. Though I’m happy to change my mind now if all the men can send me 20% of their income this past year.
4. We should all go out for a run and be grateful for what we have.
5. Seriously, Paul wins with his math skills.

Reply
Chris says:

November 28, 2018 at 5:54 pm

I believe the race in your backyard that was referenced was rio del lago

Reply

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