SCMP: What kind of trail runner are you? An All-American Ultramarathon Trail Pro? Unknown Elite Runner from the Chinese Mainland? Maybe a EuroRace or a Grizzled Veteran? Pretty funny generalizations of our culture. Interesting: A “team” marathon ...
SCMP: What kind of trail runner are you? An All-American Ultramarathon Trail Pro? Unknown Elite Runner from the Chinese Mainland? Maybe a EuroRace or a Grizzled Veteran? Pretty funny generalizations of our culture.
Interesting: A “team” marathon event is coming to the Czech Republic next month. It’ll be scored somewhat like a xc race, but with team bonuses awarded for individual PRs and a few other quirks. Hats off to the RD for trying something new!
Running and air pollution: What you need to know. The worst air quality I’ve ever run was in New Delhi, India. I literally couldn’t see the hotel across the street. Next up was the Northern California fires last year…I think I made it two miles and turned around.
Des Linden sets a new World Record for 50k. Very cool that she crushed Dixon’s old mark, but personally, I just wasn’t very interested in this story. If it had been in a proper race or had a live feed of some sort, sure, but the way it was managed just didn’t appeal to me. Nothing against Josh Cox, but any time there’s an agent involved, it takes away from the intimacy and personal connection of our sport. Hopefully we’ll get to see her in a race format soon. Huge congrats.
IRF/TWIR: This Week in Running is back! Ultramarathon and trail racing results from Justin Mock/IRF.
Chase and Nikki over at Treeline Journal did a great job covering Peterson Ridge Rumble on Twitter yesterday. And what a race! Here’s their wrap up with all the twists and turns from the front of the packs. (And did I call Dani Moreno’s win?!? She’s a beast on the short-distance trail races!)
I think a lot of us, especially women, put limits on what we think we’re capable of without really knowing what we’re able to do. Especially at some of these longer distances … To me, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to go after the overall record. That doesn’t mean I’m always going to get it—in fact, I didn’t with the Wonderland Trail—but that doesn’t mean that I should limit what I think is possible. Why not set a big scary goal and get out there to see what you can do?
Lize Brittin writes about how eating disorders are (mis)portrayed on Twitter and how it’s impossible to come to consensus on the transgender athlete issue if one side constantly vilifies the other. Good read.
Trailrunner Mag: How cannabis can fit into your workout and recovery routines. Highly recommended.
I was contacted by a journalist over the weekend who asked me what the “trail running community” (which it turns out is getting harder and harder to define) thought about game cameras on the trails. I told her that I hadn’t ever seen one and that I wasn’t aware of any problems. Naturally, my Libertarian hackles stood up and I started thinking about privacy issues, surveillance, etc., but I was still confused by the question. After posting about it on Twitter, it seems there are quite a few areas that have game cameras–generally for scientific purposes as opposed to hunting–on both public and private lands, and many near me. Because of my vision I have to focus on the trail directly in front of me while I run and don’t often get the chance to look around, but now I’m curious to spot one of the elusive cameras in the wild. Do you see them on the trails?
YouTube: It’s hard to not smile while watching these three women rip it up on their mountain bikes.
Treeline Journal: Chase writes up a preview of the stout field lining up this weekend at the Peterson Ridge Rumble in southern Oregon. For the fifty miler, the men’s ultramarathon field will be exciting (Stern, Diboun, Kaiser, Hornig, and all eyes on Hal!), but for the forty (36?) miler, the women’s field gets the nod for its depth with Mattox, Moreno and Mayfield leading the charge. Those three women should provide a ton of excitement. I’d put a few bucks on Dani Moreno, but it could go any way.
There’s something about climbing that distills all cause and effect. The mountains don’t accept excuses, and don’t care who you blame for your choices and actions. And the less energy we waste in our own minds pointing fingers, the more energy we have to move powerfully in the direction we want to go-and the same thing goes in our daily lives.
IRF/Liza: A gallery of photos dedicated to a group of runners underrepresented in media: Old folks.
A sixth grade girl walked onto practice yesterday (first timer) and totally dominated the hill repeats. She hasn’t run all year and has only been to dance class twice a week. My mind was blown.
Wednesday funny I can relate to…with a Say Anything reference.
What’s your guess for @UTMBMontBlanc this year?#Assuming that a trad mass start is out of the question, what will be the format?
— ultrarunnerpodcast (@UltraRunnerPod) April 2, 2021
TrailSister Deserae writes about weighing the risks in trail running with those in every day life…and how fulfilling those risks can be.
Nature Mag: Data scientists are predicting sports injuries using an AI algorithm.
Site news: I deactivated my Facebook account and the URP page has been mothballed because of it.
Personal: Two races on the calendar now. Added Cal Int’l Marathon yesterday. Sunny’s running Broken Arrow VK and 11k. Looking for a trail race for me now.
iRunFar/Mock: Abby McQueeney Penamonte ran the grand slam of ultrarunning in 2014, podiumed at most, and hasn’t run an ultramarathon since. Now she competes in powerlifting and has some interesting thoughts and perspective on our sport.
Amidst a ‘Rona surge, Kenya bans all sporting activities. No word on whether Olympic athletes will be exempt or how the country will respond.
Follow along as Candice Burt takes on the 800 mile Arizona Trail. She’s on day three right now. More live tracking right this way on the FKT site.
Kevin Beck takes aim at many of the woke activists he sees masquerading as running journalists.
I don’t share my family photos on here, but this was truly one of my favorite runs of my life. First, it was my wife’s idea to run on vacation (Santa Cruz mountains and Capitola Beach), and though it was only three miles, my mouth still hurts from smiling so damn much.
TrailSisters/Chelino: Trina Chelino opens up about her abusive and rocky childhood and how she later found solace in the mountains. Good read.
Results from a survey that polled British runners show that men and women prefer to run different distances in XC races. But in the pursuit of equity, we should force them to run the same distance, right?
After the cancellation of a race last year, I’ve got my first SUP race on my calendar! I have no idea how I’ll do or even how to race, but it’s near my house, the entry is cheap, and it’s a course I paddle at least once a week. Now to find a good trail race!
Treeline Journal: Anton Krupicka is registered for Leadville 100 this year and what a win would do for the trail ultramarathon world. I’d just love to see him line up and finish the damn thing, but a win…oh, a win would be crazy.
Trailrunner Mag: I may not know a ton about ski mountaineering, but I know that Italian trail runner/skiier Martina Valmassoi did something incredible last week. Nearly 58k feet of vert in 24 hours is very hard to comprehend.
iRunFar: Justin catches up with Grayson Murphy. Want to know more? Here’s our interview with her from Dec 2019.
The AP addresses trans women in sports here and Amby Burfoot shares his opinions here. Kevin Beck has a more aggressive and straightforward version here (link fixed) that also addresses hypocrisy in running media. Whaddya think?
There’s a certain naive, in-over-my-head enjoyment of jumping into a race that is outside what our training would indicate we’re ready for. But, in my experience, there’s something missing during these types of races.
What I miss is respect. A respect for the distance.
If you think drug doping is a big issue, get ready for gene doping and CRISPR. Really good article that lays out the pending confusion and problems in athletics. Given the opportunity, what would you change about your body (via gene doping) to make you a better MUT runner? I honestly have no idea.
I got this shirt from the folks at rabbit last and it immediately became my top choice for running and paddling. Button down and collared and made from a stretchy material that’s punctured with thousands of venting perforations in the back. Pockets up front for necessities and snaps to easily ventilate. Highly recommended, and no, not a paid ad spot.
Run specialty stores: Personalized service is great, but also have an option for people who just want to be brought shoes/sizes and get out of there without having to be social.
I generally cringe when I see “how to start trail running!” in style magazines, but this one is pretty good. It doesn’t contain any information that readers of URP don’t know, but I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. Major credit for not insisting that a runner needs $2k worth of running kit to get started.
This story is not unique unfortunately. British Oly Trial Marathon winner Chris Thompson used a pair of blacked out Nike super shoes with the (begrudged) approval from his sponsor on. (And on that note, when and if you decide to start a retail company, choose a name that is not inherently confusing in copy.)
Personal note: The wildflowers in Northern California are simply incredible right now. I ran and paddled this weekend and the oranges, purples, and yellow-carpeted hills along the trails and rivers do wonders for the soul. Pictures do no justice. If you know, you know.
