Ultramarathon News, Thurs, Dec 17

There may be some incredible ultramarathon records set this weekend at Desert Solstice. Here’s a preview of all the track madness.

Alright, Oregon wins. Woooow!

Downhill running isn’t just technique. You also have the leg strength. Find out how here.

The OCR scene is having the same Lance debate we are.

No ultramarathon content but still freaking awesome: This guy has run a sub 5 minute mile every year since 1976.

Be sure to go back and read Lauren Fleshman’s letter to Lance from a few years ago. What fascinates me are her fifth and sixth paragraphs. This entire debate is much about “protecting the elites”, but aside from Sage and Ian, most of them have been silent.

While on the other side, John Burton doesn’t care about the hubbub and lets us know in this funny post.

…while the LetsRun people debate whether Ryan Hall could beat Lance at a 50 miler.

And this is a good perspective on the issue from the mid/back perspective.

>26.2 sticker

Looking for that perfect last minute stocking stuffer? Order today, I’ll send out today and you’ll have them by Christmas. And of course, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Do you want to combine the beauty of the trails with the excitement of a XC race all while feeling like you got beat up? Here are some great snowshoe races to add to your list. I did a half marathon a few years ago and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Pretty much everything I’ve learned about the sport is from Spaff’s page right here.

How to become an outdoor writer and photographer. In the new world of freelancing and blogging, the opportunities are endless.

People who are upset about this race generally aren’t people I hang out with. So good news, I guess.

Sabrina Moran updates us on what she’s been to and how she got so dang chubby.

I agree with this article: Cycling does seem to be “the new golf” for business folks. Why cycling though? Does much business get done on the trails?

Ten low key European ultramarathon races. That Ultravasan 90 in Sweden sounds particularly alluring. Did any get added to your bucket list?

9 Responses to "Ultramarathon News, Thurs, Dec 17"

Johnny says:

December 17, 2015 at 6:16 am

Two hour conversation between Joe Rogan and Lance Armstrong talking about PEDs, cycling, cheating, and all that good stuff.

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Robert says:

December 17, 2015 at 8:37 am

Nice to see so many Florida runners get a mention. The ultra-scene is really burgeoning here and it proves training in this heat and humidity can yield toughness and speed. Keep a close eye on Jennifer Lockrem, she’s been racking up impressive performances this year. 2nd at Umstead in her 100 mile debut followed by 3 consecutive wins at 50 mile, 100 mile and 24 hour races.Reference

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Mike D says:

December 17, 2015 at 8:57 am

Thanks for the kick in the pants, Eric. You made me expand on some recent dialogue I was having with friends that led me to post this on FB and my blog.

With Lance Armstrong’s recent foray into trail racing (because lets face it, if it was just trail running we would not be having this discussion), debate within the MUT (Mountain/Ultra/Trail) community around doping has escalated on the heels of Elisa Desco’s late inclusion into the North Face 50 race. What do we do with those who have been found using banned substances? Do we let them in after they have done their time or do we let them in as many of the events we participate in have no governing body?

I’m far from supporting bring in a governing body like USATF.

Eric Eagan’s recent blog does a good job of putting in place parameters (http://trails2brews.com/2015/12/14/who-exactly-is-welcome/). If we as a community want to be supportive to people, we should include them. However, for being a convicted doper, there should be a scarlet letter worn. So, I fully support allowing a cheater to participate if they do not get an official result and are not eligible for any awards. Where I would go farther is that the individual (in this case, Lance Armstrong) nor any of his/her sponsors could not use anything from the event (images, name) to promote themselves. In this manner, the convicted athlete can get that sense of competition they may need in life and the fellow competitors do not have to worry that they could lose out on something to a person of questionable competitive moral.
A second part of this raises the question, how do we police/test in our own community?
I would like to see networks of race directors get together to pull together resources to do testing. (Maybe races can partner with research/teaching hospitals to get services free or at a reduced cost.) Since the resources are limited, have the testing be rather random. Amongst the group of races, rotate which races test every year. But do not do it in a true rotation. Spin a wheel or pull names out of a hat. Some years have more races test. In other years, less. Do not announce which races are doing testing in that year or even at all. For those of us hoping to be the top of our sport, we should expect to be clean and competing against clean runners. We should not act surprised if we are asked for a sample.

At the end of the day, all of us have a love of running. It is as inclusive a sport as there is and that is a mantle the MUT community should hold up on a pedestal. But we also have a duty to preserve the integrity of racing while keeping true to the roots of inclusion.Reference

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Paul B says:

December 17, 2015 at 11:40 am

I enjoyed reading John’s post about not really caring if Lance runs or not. I’m not a front runner/elite or anyone trying to make a career out of it, so therefore I don’t care that much. I still run and race in ultras. The cheaters don’t affect my enjoyment of the event, nor my enjoyment of the sport as a whole. I can still go out and run. I’m a fan of sport, and I want to see good racing. Good racing does not mean clean racing. I raced bikes for a number of years starting in college, and even as college level cyclist we knew there was doping going on with the pros, and other cyclist. Didn’t bother us, we still raced and had a good time. I still watch pro cycling, and they are some damn good races. I also watch marathons as well to see how fast those 2-3 guys up front can complete the course. Everyone talks about and wants to see a sub 2 hr marathon. Well that ain’t happening without a bit of drug use. I watch sports for the entertainment factor. That’s why we all watch sports. We, especially, Americans love seeing CRs happen during races, ie entertainment. There will be a point when those stagnate and we will be hungry for more, and drugs will allow that line to be pushed further and further, ie ENTERTAINMENT!! It’s also entertaining to watch the greats (or cheats) fall, and many times when they fall, they fall hard. We eat that up!! It gives us something to talk about and argue about, ie even more ENTERTAINMENT!! The argument saying what about the kids, well that’s crap too. It’s your job as a parent to teach them right from wrong as you see it. Then the kids will go out and experience life the way they experience it, and they will see cheating and lying through everything they do. Cheating in school, cheating in sports, lying from friends and family. As we get older the gray area gets larger and larger and more muddled. I read an article the other day that showed a study that said the average person lies 5 times a day. We lie about small stuff and large stuff. We, the human and society, are a muddled mess of complexity. This is my point of view and everyone else has other points of view and that’s okay. I will still go out and enjoy running and riding my bike. I will also continue to be entertained by all the sports out there that I consume, and the story lines that go with it.

The elites and other going after sponsorship will have other opinions because that is how they are trying to make a living, and it’s their job to be the leaders in helping creating level playing fields. Sage and other athletes are speaking out and trying to do their part, and I tip my hat to them because it’s an uphill battle that will never be won. It may limit the amount of cheaters, but it will never be equal. Rules are created, and then people try to find ways to beat the rules. It’s been happening since competition was created. It even happens outside of competition in regular life.

Happy running
Paul

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Meghan says:

December 17, 2015 at 2:28 pm

I LOVE JOHN BURTONS POST! Hilarious and GREAT writing! Same with SCOTT KUMMER!

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Chris says:

December 17, 2015 at 2:34 pm

Funny how it’s all second chances and “we’re a welcoming community” when it comes to Lance… but pure dickishness when it comes to current elites in MUT in the comments by the author. Seriously, going after Sage for his lifestyle while giving lavish Lance a pass is pretty low for a “welcoming” community.Reference

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  December 17, 2015 at 3:43 pm
  
  I couldn’t agree more.
  
  Reply
Carsten says:

December 17, 2015 at 10:08 pm

I’ve done the Laugavegur ultra on Iceland. Amazing race in an otherworldly landscape. Highly recommended.Reference

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  December 18, 2015 at 6:13 am
  
  Now if I could just convince my wife to let me travel that far for a race…
  
  Reply

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