Tussey MountainBack Ultramarathon and Relay held a covid-modified race and it sounds like went really well. Sounds like a bunch of characters from every age group. The Golden Trail Series is going on in the Azores (islands off the coast of Portugal) and ...
Tussey MountainBack Ultramarathon and Relay held a covid-modified race and it sounds like went really well. Sounds like a bunch of characters from every age group.
The Golden Trail Series is going on in the Azores (islands off the coast of Portugal) and Chase wrote up a comprehensive guide right here. Jim and Max are there for the American fellas, with less recognized names for the ladies. Follow along here and here. Looks like Walmsley is in 5th place after the first stage.
Kevin Beck pulls no punches when writing about some “controversies” we’re experiencing in the MUT world. Definitely worth a read.
Henry Howard generally interviews other people for his RunSpirited website, but this time he talks personally about how he’s using trail running as an escape as his dad battles Alzheimer’s Disease.
Important: For example, in the UK 74% of all COVID-19 attributed deaths have been of people aged 75 and over, 90% aged 65 and over. This can be relevant for assessing the risk of mountain sports when practiced by younger mountaineers.
Within all age groups, most victims have at least one underlying health condition. Such health conditions are respiratory problems (but surprisingly not asthma, compared to the overall death rate of those in their 50s), a compromised immune system, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and dementia (Williamson et al., 2020).
TrailRunner Mag: More on the life of ultramarathon/trail/adventure RD Matt Gunn.
Reddit: Canadian cyclist took his whole day to draw some Stravart in Toronto. What did he draw? A moose, of course.
Ian Corless: Kilian will attempt to break the 24hr track record, currently held by Yiannis Kouros. I love that he’s doing this stuff and mixing up his repertoire, but really wish he were coming here and making the attempt at Desert Solstice a month later. Ah well. My prediction is that he lands in the area of Camille Herron’s female WR (167.8), but will not touch Kouros’ 180. Update: He’s not running it. Dealing with an injury instead.
WaPo: Kids sports take a punch during the shutdown, but it’s not all due to that. Waning interest, e-sports, and other activities are crowding out what, in my mind, is one of the more important aspects of childhood. We’ve got a kids running club going and there’s no shortage of enthusiasm here.
I’ll admit to never having heard of Matthew Henson, one of the first explorers to reach the North Pole in 1909. A son of former slaves who joined the Navy at 12 years old, learned to speak the Inuit language and handle sled dogs, then sold a meteorite he found for a small fortune to fund future arctic expeditions? Whaaaa? Unfortunately, because of his skin color, his accomplishments were largely ignored. Why isn’t there a movie about his dude?!?
iRunFar/Malcolm: Fact of fiction with Corrine. Do handheld bottles create biomechanics problems? How much protein do ultrarunners need? Do calf panties work?
I really appreciate the needs and goals and desires to create a more environmental sustainable sport. From athletes to brands to races, we all need to play a part. I get it. But I also roll my eyes a bit when they come from people who’ll never have to pay for a race fee or shoes or shorts or gear of any kind. Imagine the cost if all of these goals were implemented.
NY Post: Hiking/climbing all 57 of Colorado’s fourteeners in f’ing high heels? Yeah, why not? (She’s smart, attractive, active, and does cool stuff? Hello!)
Our latest podcast guest, 14 year old Sebastian Salsbury killing it in the Grand Canyon. Pic courtesy of Michael Salsbury.
Did you catch our latest podcast? Earlier this week I spoke with 14 year old Sebastian Salsbury about a pretty epic weekend most of us would’ve paid good money for! We also discuss what it’s like being a freshman in high school while also trying to balance his running goals and aspirations. Also, Gear Guy Ben checks out some fall running jackets and a few new headlamps, one that’s entirely different than what you’re used to.
Got an email yesterday about a race format I’m suuuuuper psyched to see come to the US. Hopefully a bigger announcement to come soon.
Beer: Athletic’s Run Wild IPA has been a industry-changing beer for a few years now. It’s a phenomenal session IPA, and is often the catalyst for many people taking NA beer seriously. But holy hell, their new single hop IPA is even better. While not as widely available as Run Wild (you can generally find RW at BevMo), I’d highly encourage you to check it out when it pops up on the website. (Not a sponsored post. I just love the beer and want to share my experience.)
Speaking of beer, I’m curious to see how the new NA Guiness Stout tastes. Their attempt at an IPA a few years ago was so appallingyly bad I don’t have much hope, but will definitely give it a try. Has anyone had it yet?
Ugh. Matt Gunn was the RD of the first 100 miler I ran. (Bryce Canyon) and was a hell of a nice guy. He was deeply passionate about the sport, the environment, and ensuring that everyone had a positive time at his events. I hadn’t spoken to him in years but was gutted to hear he took his own life over the weekend.
Can we set up an incentive like this for MUT races? If a male cracks 14 and a female beats 16 in the same year at Western States, everyone in the US gets a plate of nachos? No pressure, elites!
Treeline Journal: It’s still in the 80s and 90s in Sacramento, but we do need to start preparing for the holiday season and cold weather running. In years past I’ve cross trained with snowshoe running, but this year I’ll be paddleboarding through the cold. Or at least, that’s the goal.
Sebastian Salsbury is only fourteen years old–he’s a freshman in high school–but has already run 20 ultramarathons and 30 trail races. He’s qualified for Western States, considers Max King and Luis Escobar his friends, and recently went on an epic run in the Grand Canyon.
Sebastian Salsbury running trails in the Grand Canyon. There’s no doubt that I’d swallow my teeth on that terrain. All pics courtesy of Sebastian and Michael Salsbury
I’ve been following Sebastian for awhile, both from an interested media perspective, and from the eye of a parent and a kids running coach. Up until this point, I’d been hesitant to have him on the show because I didn’t want to risk exploiting him. I’ve seen too much attention given to kids by overzealous parents or teenagers driven to be influencers. Luckily, those concerns were alleviated after our talk this week. This kid loves pushing himself, is passionate about the trail/ultra community, and understands what it takes to succeed more than most people twice his age.
In this interview, we talk about:
How he got into running.
How does he respond to people who question whether he’s pushed by his parents?
Is he planning on running XC in high school?
How does he balance being a normal HS kid and have a life as a trail runner?
The impact trail running camps had on his life.
And how in the world he ended up in the Grand Canyon with Max, Jim, and Jim’s girlfriend Jess this past weekend.
Beer? Nope, halloween candy.
Jessica Brazeau, Sebastian Salsbury, and Max King at Bright Angel Trailhead. 6:30am.
Sebastian Salsbury Episode Notes
Here’s more info on Max King’s Running Camp (no financial interest) and here’s a video that shows the incredible opportunities afforded to these kids.
Follow Seb on Instagram right here and check out some of the videos of his Grand Canyon adventure.
(The products were provided to URP for testing purposes. All words are our own. The above links are Amazon affiliate links. We’d prefer you purchase these products from your local, independently owned run specialty store, but if those aren’t available, using the links will drop a few nickels into the URP coffers and we’d appreciate it.)
After a record-tying 68 yards (remember, there’s 4.1 miles per yard!), Courtney Dauwalter wins the Backyard Ultra for the Americans. A few observations:
The leaderboard and tech were great. Made it easy to understand track “leaders.” As always, Keith Dunn (and Jamil Coury) did a hell of a job on the Twitter machine. UPDATE: The leaderboard seems to have crashed, but Karel Sabbe is posting to Facebook here.
Seven of the 20 countries competing had a female winner. Those countries are US, Germany, Finland, Canada, Denmark, Russia, and Belarus. I don’t have the time to figure out what percentage of the starters were women.
I said yesterday that I’d take Belgian runner Karel Sabbe for the win and yep, he’s still out there. Last update (see above) was from hour 72(!) and was aiming for 100. WOW. I don’t know much about Merjin (the other runner) though. Anyone have more info?
SCMP Humor: How to be a badass runner without doing much running. Sadly, much of this is true.
Tommy Puzey update: Doing better, communicating, and getting ready for bone marrow transplant. Man, that’s great news!
LetsRun: Franklin Pierce University rescinds policy that allowed athlete who previously competed as male to win female NCAA title. To me, that’s common sense. Haven’t read the thread (and I won’t), but I’ve followed this case and agree with the decision.
Trailsisters: Anish lists some mistakes she’s made along the way.
The Speedgoat extends his streak: He’s won a 100 miler every year since 2001. And I agree with Koop in dismissing those who claim he’s cherrypicking races. Go out and win a 100 miler, then do it again for two decades.
Canadian Running: Makenna Myler runs a 5:25 mile while nine months pregnant.
