Ultramarathon Daily News, Wed, Nov 4

Good stuff: Jennifer Pharr Davis opines on women in endurance sports and ultramarathons.

Flagstaff is a mecca for both both trail and road runners. Here’s a video from Hoka that shows what the running scene is like.

NUC, but maybe you need a little alcohol-fueled sailing adventure story to get you over this Hump Day. Here you go.

We can all rest. The missing Italian marathoner has been found.

“I quit because I started getting some pain in my legs…I called a cab home, had a double scotch, took a shower, and went to sleep.”

–And more words of wisdom from NYC Marathon’s oldest entrant.

Kate Freeman sues Nike because she was “forced” to wear their gear on a free trail running/marketing trip to Iceland and was injured in a fall. My thoughts: Trail running is an inherently dangerous activity. It was ultimately her decision to run those trails–in those conditions–and she chose to take the risk. Nike should pay for medical, and that’s it. What do you think of her (and Jimmy’s) complaint?

Interview with my favorite track star, Nick Symonds. He talks tough workouts, marathons, and surfing.

…and he should be somewhat happy about this. Though I don’t imagine any of it is going to the MUT council or athletes…

Cory finally got to check the Grand Canyon R2R2R off his bucket list, and he did so with great pictures and details. (It’s still on my list, dangit!)

Ashby ran a 200 mile relay race by himself and has some great thoughts that can be used for any distance.

A running skirt with a trap door for the ladies.

Diet quality should not be based on trends, but on basic tenets of simplicity, says Matt Fitzgerald.

Want to win free ultra coaching from Ian Sharman? Enter the WS lottery and you may just have a chance. (FIXED)

Mr. Roes: How you handle and adapt to weather can make or break your day.

When you buy a GPS watch for an ultramarathon or other endurance event, battery life is of paramount importance. Here, Skurka analyzes the life of the top brands.

Are OCRs bigger than marathons? Where do ultras and trail races fit in to this?

21 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News, Wed, Nov 4"

Austin says:

November 4, 2015 at 6:38 am

I have always liked Jimmy Dean, but I hate when people do this. From the outside this looks like someone just trying to make some money of an accident. Although nike will probably settle and they’ll get a decent check.Reference

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Meghan says:

November 4, 2015 at 6:59 am

This is interesting.. can’t wait to hear opinions… did ANYONE else on the trip get hurt?Reference

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Cb says:

November 4, 2015 at 7:02 am

More info required to add context in order to for an opinion. The part where they ask for $250,000 for Jdf’s lost companionship was an eyebrow raiser though.

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Meghan says:

November 4, 2015 at 7:02 am

ON MY LIST TOO!Reference

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Brett says:

November 4, 2015 at 7:04 am

The link to the free Sharman ultra coaching leads to the 200 mile race report

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  November 4, 2015 at 7:10 am
  
  Fixed. Thanks Brett.
  
  Reply
Doug says:

November 4, 2015 at 7:07 am

Wow man, Jimmy Dean seeking a quarter mil for loss of companionship? And 750k for his wife because she fell? Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. I consider myself a big fan of Jimmy Dean, but this seems slightly shady. If you need money for the health care, ok, but to try to set yourself up for a windfall, come on man, that’s not right.

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b dub says:

November 4, 2015 at 7:54 am

At first I thought this was a joke. I often read these types of stories and wonder what kind of people would do this? Now I know. To me this is no different than suing McDonald’s because the coffee is too hot. I hope the Freeman’s get no compensation from Nike and this lawsuit costs them a lot of money out of there own pocket.

I’m going to go buy some Nike shoes to support them.Reference

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1. Alex says:
  
  November 4, 2015 at 10:02 am
  
  I know it’s slightly off topic, but it continues to baffle me that people who clearly know nothing of the case continue to cite Liebeck v. McDonald’s as an example of frivolous litigation. The coffee, per McDonald’s specific rules, was kept at a minimum of 185 degrees. (Most coffee shops, by comparison, aim for 155.) There had been burns in the past. Internal documents reveal that McDonald’s knew about the problem, and ignored it. The woman in question suffered third-degree burns on 6% of her body as a result of this negligence. It was not simply an issue of “hot coffee being hot”, but being served at an unsafe, scalding temperature.
  
  Point being, your legal commentary is a bit lacking. Maybe hold off on this case, until you know more?
  
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Kevin says:

November 4, 2015 at 8:34 am

I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but this lawsuit seems frivolous.

Do we really want to have more lawyers involved in our outdoor events? Do they want to worry about lawsuits from athletes they’re coaching?Reference

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1. Runcandice says:
  
  November 4, 2015 at 8:08 pm
  
  I too am concerned that this sets a bad precedent for events. Not knowing the full circumstances, I won’t make a judgement but I believe that people are responsible for themselves. Sounds like she agreed to wear the gear in the first place and got a free trip.
  
  Reply
Jarrod says:

November 4, 2015 at 8:48 am

Symond’s claiming he’d struggle to run sub-3 for the marathon? I know it’s not apples to apples, but come on; if that’s not sandbagging I don’t know what is. (Won’t seem to let me comment on the link directly btw, could be an issue with my browser)

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Thomas Brock says:

November 4, 2015 at 8:50 am

I don’t know…This sounds shady as heck…Especially the amount Jimmy Dean Freeman is asking for loss of companionship, etc.

I’m interested to see how other ultra running media sites report this.Reference

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Jarrod says:

November 4, 2015 at 8:58 am

I just can’t believe they didn’t have to sign a waiver protecting Nike from these sorts of things beforehand. As a corporate giant who must get hit with these suits multiple times a day, seems very unlikely…..Reference

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Dean G says:

November 4, 2015 at 9:01 am

I am biased and know facts about this particular day of running that I think might change people’s opinions. It is not my place to share those facts. Suffice to say, any time you don’t know the whole story, leave a little room for the possibility that there may be more to something than you know.Reference

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1. b dub says:
  
  November 4, 2015 at 9:42 am
  
  Maybe the plaintiffs need to speak up and educate us.
  
  Running is running. You should accept the risks associated with it regardless if you were ‘forced’ to wear particular gear or not. If they didn’t feel prepared, they could have easily said ‘NO’ and not gone on the run. It’s not that difficult. People need to take responsibility for their actions.
  
  Going off the facts that are out there, this is simply ridiculous.
  
  Reply
2. Doug says:
  
  November 4, 2015 at 12:12 pm
  
  Yea, I mean ok, I hear you and take the point that we don’t know all the facts regarding what happened. But that said, Jimmy Dean is looking for a quarter mil himself, and he wasn’t even a part of the incident. So I don’t know, maybe Nike told her not to wear microspikes or whatever and is somewhat liable, but the part that can’t be explained as far as I can see is Jimmy Dean getting in on this.
  
  Reply
  1. Meghan says:
    
    November 4, 2015 at 2:46 pm
    
    Again…. I’m wondering about the other people that were there…. did anyone else get injured or complain about the ALL NIKE gear requirement… didn’t NIKE pay for the trip and all the gear… it was a CONTEST by NIKE right? So if they are using it for publicity and taking photos and video then I would assume they have a right to make you wear all NIKE… they paid for you to be there…
    One more.. I think I read a blog or something about the Freemans going to Switzerland to the BEST of the BEST doc that people like Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant (could be wrong about the athletes) use…. so yeah I’m sure the travel, stay, and that docs’ hourly is IMMENSE but that was their choice…..
    
    Reply
    1. Dean G says:
      
      November 5, 2015 at 8:12 am
      
      Ok. Hypothetical. (And this really IS a hypothetical) You are running as a model for a photo shoot for Salomon. They have you in good shoes. But because of production delays, you can’t start your shoot when you are supposed to. The time you wait, the trial goes from mud to ice. You can’t tell because you are at the top. You start the descent and hit the ice – that no one told you about – and you break your ankle.
      
      Salomon says – you were paid to model – shit happens – we are not liable.
      
      You agree with Salomon or the Model who then can’t work for 3 months?
      
      Reply
      1. Bridget says:
        
        November 5, 2015 at 11:17 am
        
        But she wasn’t modeling or working for nike, she was a participant on a run/race put on by them. And she can still coach clients even if she can’t run, right? So she can still do her job and make money, can’t she?
John says:

November 6, 2015 at 2:07 pm

The world isn’t a theme park. You can’t take responsibility for yourself only when conditions are perfect. I think it is going to be a weird time to be a race director.

Reply

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