Ultramarathon Daily News | Friday, Jan 18 and more...

Adharanand interviewed Jasmin Paris yesterday after her Spine blowout win.

Near the start of a trail half marathon in Canada (or Alabama?), Ludivine the two and a half year old Bloodhound was let outside to pee, but instead wandered over to the start. He took off with the runners, frolicked with cattle, sniffed a dead squirrel, and finished seventh overall. O, Canada!

Who’s the biggest name in MUT running in the US? Overall, I’d say it’s Courtney Dauwalter. Here’s an excellent bio/interview with her from Damian Hall at IRF.

This tweet yesterday led to an eye opening conversation about something I’d never considered: Reducing a 2L bottle of Coke to fit into a small water bottle for a caffeine/sugar/calorie whallop for the end of a race. Ever done it?

Got three minutes to work on your mountain legs? Follow along right here with David Roche.

You heard us talk about the FKTOY award on this episode with Buzz Burrell, and here are the fifth and fourth top FKTs from 2018. Of those four, Andrew Hamilton’s stands out to me because of how all the factors had to line up in order for him to succeed. Nailed it!

Here’s a moving essay from an ultraunner/writer who recently lost her husband to depression and suicide and she indirectly brings up an interesting question: Are endurance athletes less prone to suicide because we learn to cope with tough situations during races? Seems overly simplistic at first glance, but maybe there’s something there?

Friendly reminder to use your real name in the comments section. All other will be deleted. Thank You for understanding.

Best running tech from the Consumer Electronics Show. Yes to the Aftershokz glasses, the rest is meh. I love my Instant Pot, but can’t imagine how BlueTooth functionality would change anything.

Knowing that there are incredible trails in the region, but lacking any mapping or database, Ryan Ghelfi and team went to work and created one. Here’s more info. Nice work! Anxious to see the finished product.

Speaking of trails, as much as I love those of the natural variety, I’d also LOVE to see someone race a downhill urban course like this right in the middle of a city. OUCH.

A new book co-authored by Kilian Jornet about training and racing uphill is set to be released in March.

I get a few emails each day asking about the “most inspirational women MUT runners” shirt. Here’s the link.

Interesting how those names compare with the UROY winners. In order 1-7: Courtney, Camille, Darcy, Kelly, Kaytlyn, Keely, and Amanda.

For any aspiring British mobsters; If you’re a hitman worth anything, leave your damn Garmin at home if you go to assassinate someone or they might just track you to the crime scene.

More advice from across the pond: If you’re experiencing back pain, DO NOT INJECT YOUR SEMEN INTO YOUR DAMN ARM. 

One hundred skills every backpacker should know, but many of them apply to trail and fastpackers too. Pretty useful list.

It’s 2019 and I’m finally srarting to listen to podcasts! This one’s definitely on my list…I like how Sabrina reasons and I’m anxious to learn what she thinks about cheaters and cheating.

And more on cheating: Hee’s a good essay about the 90yo who tested positive and whether that’s the “cheater’ we should be focused on. Compelling and complex stuff in there.

No ultra content whatsoever, but Joe Rogan had Mike Tyson on his show (released yesterday) and it was phenomenal. Mike was a pretty polarizing figure, but it’s hard to not like the guy in the interview.

Have a great weekend everyone. Hope to see you on the trails.

The post Ultramarathon Daily News | Friday, Jan 18 appeared first on Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.

    

Jasmin Paris wins The Spine Race in the UK, setting an overall record. Ian’s got all the info this way. And now suddenly, all I want in this world is for she and Courtney to line up at the same 200 miler.

Here’s her interview on BBC Breakfast this morning.

Help me with this: This hiker crosses Death Valley on foot, becoming only the second person to do so hiking the 166 miles in less than seven days. Has no runner done this before? There’s no claim on FKT about it but I’ve gotta believe someone has beat that time.

I released the new episode with Brittany Peterson to the Patreon crowd yesterday afternoon and will publish it to URP next week. Big thanks again to those supporters! If you’d like to support URP, please consider joining right here. Thank You.

I’m warning you: Do not click this link if you’re eating, drinking, or squeamish. Don’t do it. Otherwise, have at: Blister lancing after an ultramarathon.

Catching up with Frosty. I can’t say enough what an impact she’s had on my daughter Sunny. Anna really gets it and uses her influence for the good.

More on kids and trying to reverse the mass migration indoors.

Much was said about SI’s “Best Athlete” issue last week. Here’s another take on what constitutes the fittest person on earth. I agree with him in that I’d rather be really good at one discipline than pretty good at a few.

Wait, what’s this? A 190k (116M) race in New Zealand with some of the world’s best endurance athletes and a 60 hour cutoff? Is it OCR? And what does the writer mean that “no one knows where they’re going”? Sounds interesting, but any more info on this? Maybe an event name?

Hong Kong 100k starts Sat/Fri and has a pretty solid entrants list. Here’s Bryon’s breakdown.

The post Ultramarathon Daily News | Thursday, Jan 17 appeared first on Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.

    

Look back: The top 25 most influential runners in the ultramarathon/trail scene from 2014, according to the guys at Ultra 168.  And here’s my (US-centric) list from the same year, based solely on clicks.

Speaking of influential, the Influential Women shirt from rabbit is on their website right here.  Very cool!

I hope you’re watching this: Jasmin Paris leading The Spine Ultra overall with just a few miles to go.

Does a “fun run” have to be slow? What does the term mean to you? Here’s Tim’s take on running fast in the Happiest Place on Earth.

Check our latest podcast with Buzz Burrell. We talk about FKTs and why one run may count while another may not. We also talk gear, podcasting, and the FKTOY awards.

That episode was sponsored by Strava and the Summit upgrade package. For a few bucks a month you open up access to cool new features like advanced data analysis, training, and a tracking beacon. Check it out: Use URP at checkout for a free trial.

And somewhat in the same vein, here’s an interesting post about the importance of being the first to ascent a peak.

How to train for trails if you don’t live near trails.

First Leadville denies Walmsley’s entry for 2019, now they announce a VIP package with heated tents, fancy parking and swag for $550. I dunno. I appreciate their attempt to innovate and think out of the traditional box, but has this race jumped the shark?

Jeff Browning and Camille Herron named #2 UROYs. What a year! Any other year, these two would be #1, but 2018 was not any other year.

Maggie is just about at the fundraising goal for run4water. If you’re looking for memorabilia from some of our sports top athletes, check out the auction right here. Which items not on the list would you bid on? Jim’s “holy” shirt from WS’16? Courtney’s custom Salomon shorts?

This model and activist lost her leg to toxic shock syndrome. Then she lost her other last year the same way. And now she’s training for NYC Marathon.

It’s a fair question but I still don’t understand the answer: What do big races do with all the discarded banana peels. The article says it turns them into fuel…How?

I love seeing the return of the blog! Here’s a synchroblog (for those who entered the sport in the post-blog era, a synchroblog is one topic covered by numerous bloggers) of what Western States means to them. AJW | Thornley | Scott Dunlap | Sean Meissner.  Glad to see I wasn’t the only one so happy to see this.

More good writing, though I’ll admit to not having read it all: An academic look at the history of the six day race.

Core strength is important and dammit, beach season is not that far away. Here are 11 plank exercises to focus on.

With this recent conservation acquisition, we may have some sweet new redwood-lined trails in Northern California. Here’s a trail running festival (that’s also a URP sponsor) that’s not too far away…looks nice!

The two keys to maintaining habits and making them stick.  I’m a consistency kick right now with my running so this really hits me. The miles may be shorter than usual, but the consistency and habit is what I’m cultivating.

The post Ultramarathon Daily News | Wed, Jan 16 appeared first on Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.

    

You’ve heard a lot over the last few years about FKTs. Whether you’ve seen them mentioned online or heard them on URP, or maybe you read the Proboards site or tune into the new fastestknowntime podcast, Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin are the guys to talk to because they started the FKT craze. They’re the two who started the trend when they tired of traditional races and wanted to learn more about the natural aspect of where they were running.

We asked Buzz to come on the show and talk about FKTs from the basic ideas and ethos to more complex issues with who decides when a route is a route and how commercialization might affect the sport.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How FKTs are established by runners and verified by Peter with help from the community.
• What constitutes an FkT and what was the hubbub about Jim, Tim, and Eric’s R2r2R about?
• At what point do we stop going after FKTs and big adventures? (Buzz is 67 and not there yet. Doesn’t know answer.)

Buzz Burrell Episode Sponsor: Strava

For the price of a couple of gels each month, you can have access to the Summit upgrade features: Check them out here, head on over to Strava.com/summit and use URP at checkout for a free trial.

Buzz Burrell Episode Notes

Here’s the FastestKnownTime website. Be sure to check out the “Super Classic” FKTs for a laugh.

Here’s the team that makes it all happen: Peter, Buzz, and Jeff.

Here’s Buzz’s FKT podcast.

Follow FastestKnownTimes on the Twitter machine right here.

Buzz is Brand Manger for Ultimate Direction. Check out their packs, poles, and garments right this way. Here’s a link to the kids hydration pack he mentioned. More kids gear! Let’s keep this bubble going!

Here’s a recent write up in TrailRunner Magazine.

Articles mentioned: Here’s his R2R2R alt route report | And here’s the Twitter post about Coconino Cowboy’s R2R2R route | On the Flatiron project and aging

FKTs aren’t just a domestic thing. Here’s an open letter to Ryan Sandes re the Great Himalayan Trail about his FKT claim.

If you liked this interview, you may like this chat we had with Leor Pantilat a few years ago. Leor gave up his incredible racing career (count the wins) to focus 100% on FKTs and hasn’t looked back.

Intro/outro music by David Rosales. Used with permission.

My race calendar. Mendocino50k | Miwok 100k | Yeti 100

The post Buzz Burrell | Understanding FKTs appeared first on Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.

    

Justin breaks down the results from this weekend’s trail and ultramarathon events. Particular note to me is Ruperto Romero’s 2nd at Avalon 50. If you have’t heard our interview with him, I’d urge you to check it out…he’s a pure runner with a passion for racing and pushing himself. And next weekend…wooeeee! Jim at Houston half and a bevy of fast women at HURT!

I’ll add: UK’s Jim Mann and Ireland’s Carol Morgan win convincingly in the 174km Montane Spine race. Something I didn’t know about the event; There’s a division for SAR personel.

In praise of the radically simple idea of walking. Interesting take on how walking is more relatable than running.

Dylan Bowman and Kelly Wolf come in at #4.

JamJam’s Mountain Outhouse News: Golden Ticket, women’s starts, goodr hysteria, tiki bar runs, and more. The Mogollan Monster decision is a strange one, but I can’t find anything about it online. Any help? I missed the joke/comment at the end apparently…Oops. Great stuff as always from Jamil and crew.

In a scene straight out of Tom Sawyer, the Little Rock Marathon creates hype around the opening of volunteer registration.

Excellent short film about an Austrian ultrarunner named Ulte who loves the mountains and squeezes in a final run before the snow comes. Director shows some incredible shots on singletrack…are those trails near Hamburg?

Ask four different coaches about intervals and HIIT and you’ll probably get five answers. Here’s one take. (While it’s not disclosed, this certainly looks like sponsored content by OrangeTheory.)

I hadn’t seen Mocko’s Bandera/Golden Ticket video yet, and yep, it’s pretty good. Check out what all the hype is about right here.

Excellent new newsletter that highlight women’s running, from track events to marathons and beyond. Alison’s guide on how to last in the sport (really past HS and college) is fantastic.

Adidas Terex is slowly putting together a pretty damn solid team. Last year, Tim Olson. This year and its most recent signing: Tom Evans. Also on the team: Luis Alberto Hernando, Sasha Di Giulian, Shauna Coxsey, Kevin Jorgeson, Martin Söderström, Kai Lightner, and Mina  Markovič.

Anyone want to move to Annecy, France and design trail shoes for Salomon?

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