UltraRunning Magazine January/February 2017

Winter Training / Ketones as Fuel / Winter Jackets / Spring Shoes / The Comeback Trail

JAN/FEB 2017

A ULTR R E S

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Runners make their way across a wooden plank in Muir Woods on the Dipsea trail during Eldrith Gosney’s Pure Ultra. [ Let’s Wander Photography]

this issue special section

ultracoach

ultrageek

ultraraces

34 Y ear in Review

by Tropical John Medinger

10 ASK ANN Winter Training

by Ann Trason

16 VIEW FROM THE OPEN ROAD On DNFs

by Gary Cantrell

73 Chicago Lakefront

38 I nterviews with the 2016 Ultrarunners of the Year 42 2016 Stats Roundup

features 22 Spring 2017 Shoe Review 26 Winter Jackets Reviewed 29 Three Keys to Success 31 Tennis in My Hokas 32 Zero Waste 54 Javelina Jundred

12 FROM THE COACH Too Much Tech?

by Ian Sharman 13 ULTRA-LIFE BALANCE What Not to Say to an Injured Ultrarunner

by Ellie Greenwood 14 NUTRITION The Ultrarunner’s Daily Diet for Healthy Living

by Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN

60 Run Rabbit Run 64 Georgia Sky to Summit 68 Eldrith Gosney’s Pure Ultra 70 Heartland

ON THE COVER: The ever-floating Jim Walmsley takes a moment to smile as he approaches the tape at the JFK 50-miler on November 19.

Walmsley broke Max King’s course record by 13 minutes in the oldest ultra in North America. [ Geoff Baker]

17 RUNNING WISE Don’t Forget to Thank the Volunteers

by Gary Dudney 18 ULTRARUNNING SCIENCE Ketones as Fuel

by Matt Laye 19 THE ULTRA MINDSET Digging Deep

by Travis Macy 20 ON MY BOOKSHELF Running Man

by Lisa Henson

76 Mt. Taylor 79 Rockin’ Rockwoods Ultra Run 81 Sierra Crest 82 Surf the Murph 84 Tussey Mountainback 85 Twin Peaks 50 INTERNATIONAL SCENE

86 Ultra Trail Gobi

ultralife 90 ONE STEP BEYOND Numbers Lie

by Dean Karnazes 91 REECE’S PIECES Trail Feast

by Cory Reese 92 MID-PACK ZACH A New Trail

by Zach Adams 93 ROCKET RANTS Running vs. Training

by Errol “Rocket” Jones

UltraRunning (ISSN 0744-3609), Volume 36, Issue 8. ©2017 by UltraRunning, all rights reserved. UltraRunning is a trademark of UltraRunning Media Group, LLC. © 2017 UltraRunning Media Group, LLC. UltraRunning is published 10 times a year, monthly except for combined January/February and May/June issues by UltraRunning, P.O. Box 9, Fairfax, CA, 94930. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION Rates for one year (10 issues): US $ 3999 per year automatic renewal/$4999 manual renewal; CAN/Mexico $7499/$8499 per year (US funds); outside North America $8999/$9999 (US funds). POSTMASTER Send address changes to UltraRunning, P.O. Box 9, Fairfax, CA 94930. Disclaimer: Although ultrarunning is a wonderful activity that we fully encourage as part of a vigorous and healthy lifestyle, the activities described in UltraRunning magazine can entail significant health risks, including significant injury or death. Do not engage in ultrarunning unless you are knowledgeable about all the risks and assume full responsibility for them. Use of and reliance upon the information contained in this magazine and on its website and other digital platforms, is at your own risk. The information, recommendations and opinions of our writers and advertisers reflects their views and is not necessarily the opinion or view of the magazine or its ownership. UltraRunning Media Group makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein or in its other media and further disclaims any responsibility for injuries or death incurred by any person engaging in ultrarunning or relying upon content contained herein.

THE LONG VIEW

PO Box 9321 Bend, OR 97708 ultrarunning.com

We hadn’t attended the Western States lottery in a few years and I was not expecting the spectacle that was ahead of us that morning in the packed auditorium at Placer High School in Auburn, California. I knew it would be flawlessly conducted, high energy and even entertaining.

But to be honest, I had forgotten how lifechanging ultramarathons can be in people’s lives, and the visceral emotions that are unleashed when someone’s name is chosen.

When the names of people in attendance were selected the entire place erupted. The runner’s responses were different, but each was intense. Of course we saw sheer joy and delight. But also shock and awe. Some people sprinted to the stage as if they were doing repeats on the track. And some staggered up to the stage with tears streaming down their cheeks. After each one culminated in handshakes, hugs and even kisses, the place grew silent again as Tim Twietmeyer cleared his throat to read off the next name.

When selected at an ultra lottery your whole life gets a new focus – you are alive in a new way and something essential deep inside of you

What??? Tina Frizner is in disbelief and her friends Melissa Johnson and Jennifer Walker Hemmen whoop it up after Frizner’s name was the last one chosen at the Western States Lottery on December 3, 2016. [

Joe McCladdie courtesy of WSER]

John Medinger

The Power of Ultramarathons

SUBSCRIPTIONS

is turned on. Maybe it had been dormant since you were a child, or maybe you never knew it was in there. A life that was maybe drifting or had too much junk in it – TV, excess food and drink, “fake” news, bad relationships – suddenly crystallizes. That other stuff melts away and your spirit is awakened. You are suddenly on the path of your destiny, taking on a huge and worthy challenge to reach your highest potential.

Jim King, former Western States champion and an icon of our sport, took the stage to say a few words before he pulled some names, and he had a special message. He shared some stories about the good old days, but then he told us all that we are the pioneers. Despite the growth and changes in our sport (there are now over 150 hundred-milers, and most don’t even require a lottery), what we do is epic and there is still life-changing magic in it.

I had forgotten the raw power of a slip of paper with a name on it, and the massive impact that our sport still has on people’s lives.

Experiencing it again first-hand, and hearing Jim’s words, I learned yet again how special ultrarunning is, and will always be.

This 96-page issue of UltraRunning is our biggest and best ever – celebrating 2016 with our UROY results and John Medinger’s yearin-review on page 34. This is also a time of planning the year ahead, the easiest and maybe most exciting part of being an ultrarunner, and we have a number of great articles that will inspire and help prepare you for the year ahead. As well as a few cautionary tales about the dark underbelly of our sport, over-training and burning out. Whether you were selected in a lottery, or have chosen to sign up for other challenging ultras, we are here to cheer you on your path.

From all of us at UltraRunning, thank you for your support and here’s to a fantastic 2017!

Laura Kantor help@ultrarunning.com ADVERTISING SALES

Heather Pola heatherp@ultrarunning.com PUBLISHER

Karl Hoagland EDITOR

karlh@ultrarunning.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Erika Hoagland, Donald Buraglio DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT AND OPERATIONS MANAGER

Cory Smith ART DIRECTOR Lisa Smith SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER

Laura Kantor COPY EDITORS

Ruby Arbogast, Susan Bush ONLINE EDITORS

Matt Flaherty, Courtney Drewsen, Amy Clark EDITORS EMERITUS

Peter Gagarin, Fred Pilon, Stan Wagon, Don Allison, Tia Bodington COLUMNISTS

Zach Adams, Donald Buraglio, Gary Cantrell, Gary Dudney, Ellie Greenwood, Errol Jones, Lisa Henson, Dean Karnazes, Sarah Koszyk, Matt Laye, Travis Macy, John Medinger, Cory Reese, Brett Rivers, Ian Sharman, Ann Trason, John Trent, Joe Uhan CONTRIBUTORS

Brett Rivers, Donald Buraglio, Krissy Moehl, Jill Puleo , Vanessa Runs, Melia Coury, Fred Abramowitz, Alondra Moody, John Brooks, Kristi Mayo, John Schroeder, Jason Yazzie, Kurt Schilling, Megan Seifert, Molly Cochran, Mike Casper, Jessica DeLine, Marshall Ulrich CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Geoff Baker Photography, Enduro Photo, Keith Facchino, Tanner Johnson, Michigan Bluff Photography, Glenn Tachiyama, Matt Trappe, Mile 90 Photography PHOTOGRAPHERS

Let’s Wander Photography, Joe McCladdie, Agnès Pommier, Myke Hermsmeyer, SweetM Images, Keith Facchino, Enduro Photo, Duke Dixon/ Enduro Photo, Paul Nelson, Howie Stern, Jobie Williams, Michael Schroeder, Mark Ladd, Melissa Hahn, Bryan Cochran, Cameron Hart, Paksitphotos, Vanessa Runs, Marshall Ulrich PRINTING AND CIRCULATION Publication Printers, Denver, CO

Submissions Articles, race reports and results, humor and photos should be submitted via email to erikal@ultrarunning.com. Unsolicited material is welcome and will be used as space permits. Photo submissions are very welcome. Photographs should be available in high-resolution files (at least 1Mb, over 3Mb is better). Please label each photograph with: name of race/runners’ names/photographer’s name.

Photos that depict effort, emotion, particularly unusual or difficult terrain, or scenic courses, are especially welcome. Of course, the runners are the most important feature of an ultra, so remember to include them in scenic pictures, too! See ultrarunning.com for more guidelines regarding race reports.

Drymax is the Official Sock of

FINISH WHAT YOU START

Drymax Athlete JIM WALMSLEY

MAXIMUM PROTECTION TRAIL RUNNING

photo: Bob MacGillivray

MAXIMUM PROTECTION RUNNING

HOT WEATHER RUNNING

NEWS & NOTES

BOLLER SETS NEW RECORD FOR 50 MILES ON TRAILS

At Brazos Bend 50-mile on December 10, Caroline Boller ran 5:41 to set a new American Women’s record on trails on her 42nd birthday. Boller enjoyed a magical day with a pace just under 7-minute miles, en route to breaking Ann Trason’s previous record set in 1994 by roughly 33 minutes.

In the same race’s 100-mile event, 36-year-old Maggie Guterl won in dominant fashion with a time of 14:47, which was good for the overall win, and the overall course record. It was the third fastest in American women’s history for 100 miles on a trail.

the seven-hour mark in 6:59 and held off a charging Magdalena Boulet (7:06) to earn the win and the $10,000 cash award.

WALMSELY FLIES AT JFK, SHATTERING THE CR

In another groundbreaking effort, Jim Walmsley ran away from the pack and shattered the Course Record at the sport’s oldest ultra in North America by running 5:21 at the JFK 50 Mile on November 19, which bested Max King’s 2012 record by 13 minutes. Leah Frost won the women’s race in 6:23, the thirdfastest ever at JFK.

US SKYRUNNER SERIES ANNOUNCES EXPANDED SCHEDULE FOR 2017

The US Skyrunner Race Series is kicking off its 2017 ultra schedule with the Broken Arrow 52K at Lake Tahoe on June 17, one week before Western States 100 starts at the same location.

The other four ultras in the series include its first 100-miler, the aptly named IMTUF in Idaho, in addition to the Rut, the Audi Power of Four and culminating at the Flagstaff Sky Race on October 7. All five races have over 10,000 feet of vertical ascent and descent.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Gina Slaby celebrates setting a new 100-mile world record at the Desert Solstice Invitational on December 10, 2016. [ Steve Slaby]

GINA SLABY SETS NEW RECORD FOR 100 MILES

At Desert Solstice, Navy Lieutenant and Seabeck, WA, resident Gina Slaby took to the track and set a new World Record for 100 miles on any surface. Slaby maintained an 8:15 minute-per-mile pace on her way to breaking Ann Trason’s long-standing record since 1991 by almost 2 minutes, with a time of 13:45:49.

MILLER BLAZES AT NORTH FACE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

Zach Miller raced neck-and-neck with relative ultra-newcomer Hayden Hawks to finish in 5:56 and win the highly competitive 50-miler and take home $10,000 in prize money. Hawks took second just two minutes behind Miller, earning $4,000 in the process.

In the women’s race, Swede Ida Nilsson broke

Hey UltraRunning, ’Twas one of those days that had me givin’ a lot of thought to cashing out early, getting one of those cabins so far up off a dirt road it doesn’t even have an address, and the only time the world would see me is on the weekends I have a bib on… finally got home, opened a beer and the new issue, and all I can say to you is thank you, thank you, thank you!

Went for an easy one this morning before work and the only thing on my mind now is destinations! What a great issue, from cover to cover, every article, picture and column, even some of the ads – and they say print media is dead? Ha! —John Vanderpot Hi there, I subscribed to Ultrarunning for the first time last year and really got hooked on the sport. To date, I have completed four 50-milers and am planning to participate in the Vermont 100 and Javelina Jundred next year. I really appreciate the awesome articles, great advice and the fact that there are others who love running as much (and as far) as I do!

—Jamie Stroffolino

Dear Editor, Unless you’ve run the trails on which Jim Walmsley recently established his 5:55 FKT for running rim-to-rim-to-rim at the Grand Canyon, you really can’t appreciate the other-worldly nature of his feat. Having crossed the Canyon many times over the past 18 years, I can attest that in many places, both the North and South Kaibab Trails are steep, rutted and/or rocky, with tall water bars, and even some you-fall-you-die exposures. Given the challenging footing, the steep grades and extreme elevation changes (not to mention that he did the steepest descents in the dark), I would equate his time with a 1:50 marathon or a 3:30 mile.

Almost more remarkable than Jim’s time was that he managed to do it without sustaining any serious injury, which brings me to my second point: anyone thinking about trying to equal, better or even come close to that time should think more than twice about doing so, not so much for his/her own safety, but out of consideration for the Search & Rescue crew that would be called upon to respond if anything to go seriously wrong. The Canyon’s corridor trails are trod by thousands of people annually, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Canyon is a wild and potentially dangerous place, where a fall can have far more serious consequences than a comparable injury in a more accessible location. Rescue could be hours away, helicopter evacuation is costly and can be hazardous for pilot and passenger alike, and extricating someone from the side of a cliff is extremely various dangerous.

The increasing popularity of R2R2R at the Canyon, coupled with complaints from hikers about runners acting as if they own the trails, already has resulted in the NPS imposing permit requirements for organized groups. A proliferation of FKT attempts, particularly if one should go wrong, might prompt the NPS to issue even more restrictive limits.

—George Forman

ERRATA

In the September issue we erroneously stated that White River 50-mile was the USATF Trail Championship Race. In doing so we dated ourselves and also did not properly respect the venerable Cayuga Trails 50-miler, which has been the Championship race for the past two years, and will again serve as the Championship Race in 2017. We regret the error.

SOUND OFF. WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS—EMAIL KARLH@ULTRARUNNING.COM. IF WE PRINT YOURS, WE’LL SEND YOU AN ULTRARUNNING STICKER.

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JAN/FEB 2017

DANA ANDERSON JAVELINA JUNDRED 100 MILE CHAMPION

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/ ALTRARUNNING.COM

SUPERIOR 3.0

ULTRACOACH

Ask Ann

Winter Training

BY ANN TRASON DEAR ANN,

I have a huge 100-mile race this summer, but it’s only January. What should I do this month – and in February and March, for that matter? It’s the dead of winter. I want to be doing the right things, but lots of training mileage doesn’t seem feasible in this weather.

How do I productively train and get through these months when my big race is six months away?

—Laura

DEAR LAURA,

I think for me, a key to being able to race at a high level year after year was how I would set up the first three months of training. I would look at January-March training as a stepping stone for April-May long runs and races on the path to my big summer goals.

My best and most enjoyable years were the ones in which I used the first three months of the year to build a good foundation. I worked on my base, strength and endurance. I looked over past logbooks to see what I had done in the first three months in previous years.

I reviewed what injuries, strengths and weaknesses I had in prior years and used that information to tailor my early-season training. I always thought it was important to set goals for each part of year – not time goals, but being able to do runs of 20 miles in January, 30 in February, 40 in March and so on. I also set a goal for a test race in April or May.

It can be hard to get motivated at this time of year – so I scheduled runs in enjoyable locations or with friends I looked forward to running with. I had a list of “Excited to Run Runs” for the winter and early spring. The runs were my driving force to do the cross training, the spin classes, yoga and weight work during the early part of the year. The ETRRs also helped me from over-thinking the training for my goal 100-miler half a year away. You have the self-confidence to sign up for the big 100. You also need the

your non-ultra friends for easy runs or coffee shop get-togethers. If the weather is really terrible, go to the gym or a yoga class, or do conditioning exercises. I’ve made the mistake of doing runs in the wrong weather and ended up losing time to leg strains or muscle pulls. I learned my lesson. It’s not about toughness; it’s about focusing on the goals.

February is for strength. Quad strength, hamstrings, calves. I’m a firm believer that running hills on a treadmill can pay big dividends later in the year. Add some core and upper body work, too. As long runs get longer, start thinking about fuel, electrolyte and hydration choices. What worked last year? What didn’t? Now is the time to experiment, not a week before your goal race.

March is for endurance. As the days get longer, so do the runs: a longer run once a week, a solid tempo run and more hills. I loved to run with friends whom I could learn from. Dan Williams and Bob Bunnell were fast and could fly on the downhills. Emma Davies and Gary Neel had a passion for exploring new places. No matter the weather, the company of friends makes it fun to go out and explore.

You can also try back-to-back runs: 20/20 or 20/30. As I built my mileage, I made sure my recovery days were truly easy. I wore a heart rate monitor on my easy days to keep myself at a recovery pace. Yes, I really did listen to my heart rate monitor when it told me to slow down. (Note: a two-part Ask Ann, self-confidence to cut back your mileage in “Heartrate Homework” is available in our the winter and focus on building your foun- online archive, April and May/June 2014.) dation. It doesn’t mean you’ll be training Laura, enjoy the next few months building less. You’ll just be focusing on other things a winter foundation for summer success. that build strength and speed for those long spring runs.

Ann Trason is a 14-time women’s champion Those cold winters when it was not as at Western States 100 and holds World pleasant to be out on all-day runs were great Records at the 50-mile (5:40:18 in 1991), times to work on my weaknesses. Your exact 100K (7:00:47, 1995), 12-Hour (91 miles training schedule for January through March 1312 yards, 1991) and 100-mile (13:47:42, will depend on your own strengths and weak- 1991). Ann coaches middle school cross nesses and your goal race. country and supports Focus on something new each month: others’ ultrarunning January is for building a strong base. Build achievements by race from the ankles up. Work on ankle, foot directing, coaching, and stability exercises. Buy a balance board. volunteering, pacing Remember, shorter days means shorter and crewing at ultras workouts. Use the extra time to plan your throughout the Western travel arrangements, hotels, pacers and crew. US. Start good habits: stay hydrated and stretch.

You’re going to be busy on weekends in the spring, so now is the time to reconnect with

YOUR TURN. SEND YOUR QUESTION TO ASKANN@ULTRARUNNING.COM. IF WE PUBLISH YOUR QUESTION, WE’LL SEND YOU AN ULTRARUNNING MAGAZINE STICKER.

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P ROGRE SS B E YON D LOG IC

SUUNTO SPARTAN ULTRA SUUNTO.COM

ULTRACOACH

From the Coach

Too Much Tech?

BY IAN SHARMAN GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) WATCHES A large proportion of us use GPS watches.

Knowing our pace, the distance we’ve run and the altitude helps to give a more accurate picture than the elapsed time alone. However, there’s still a tendency to push too hard and look at the watch more often than is healthy. Also, given that the pace shown by the watch will often jump around erroneously when on trails, under trees or even near tall buildings, making minute adjustments based on it is less effective than settling into a good rhythm and monitoring how things feel internally and whether anything’s changing.

Pacing, nutrition, hydration and all other factors need to be adjusted in a flexible way that doesn’t assume the GPS data is exact.

Due to these and other factors such as limited battery life, being capable of running (and racing) well without feedback from the watch is a necessary skill.

Running is essentially a simple activity with a very low barrier to entry – a pair of running shoes and some athletic gear are all that’s required.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to improve, avoid injuries or get the most out of the experience.

There are many technologies designed to improve running performance, and many of you will start off 2017 testing out new toys.

Most have benefits, but it’s also possible to rely on tech too much. Doing so can impoverish your running skill set, or at least waste money on less useful gear. I’ve spoken with hundreds of people I’ve coached, and I’ve found some common threads about where tech helps and where it hinders. In this issue, I discuss tech that’s been around for a while; in the March issue, I will focus on newer and emerging tech products for runners.

STOPWATCHES One of the cheapest and simplest running aids, the humble stopwatch is often used to track progress in training and racing. However, pushing at unsustainable levels to hit mid-run splits, or complete your favorite loop with a new PR, often leads to a net loss of time when the wheels come off later on. Whether it’s a marathon with mile markers or a trail ultra with aid stations spaced widely, being able to judge one’s effort is essential and requires refinement through experience and training rather than a ticking watch.

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HEART RATE MONITORS (HRM) Monitoring your heart rate is useful in three ways: making sure recovery runs are low enough in intensity, avoiding pushing too hard in the early stages of a race and driving yourself hard enough in speed work to provide a strong stimulus to improve.

However, once a runner has a better idea of how to judge these after using an HRM for a while, there’s little need to use it within training, except perhaps to compare efforts after runs are completed to show improvement.

Heart rate zones, percentages of maximum heart rate or other seemingly precise scientific tools are less effective than widely believed because there’s such huge variation between individuals.

For example, two identically fast runners of the same age could have large differences in maximum heart rate or in heart rate for a particular pace. One big reason for this is that the volume of blood the heart can pump per minute depends on both the number of beats and the size of the heart. A heart that’s twice the size can pump the same volume with half as many beats. Other reasons to be wary when using an HRM, are: The battery may not last through a very long race, so knowing how to judge effort without the HRM is still important. On downhills, your heart rate will generally be lower, but other factors affect how sustainable your effort is, specifically muscle damage. In a very mountainous race, it doesn’t make sense to keep your heart rate at a set level irrespective of the terrain, so other internal judgements are needed about how feasible your intensity level is.

The heart rate rises as effort increases, so at high altitude or on a hot day, the heart rate

will be higher. Tech can help you adjust the intensity of a run, but being able to react based on internal signals is essential for good performance. One of the simplest and most important judgments every ultrarunner

Running (and racing) well without feedback from the watch is a necessary skill.

needs to make is based on perceived effort, knowing what’s sustainable and how to problem solve to keep moving well. The aforementioned tools are best used by the runner to develop and dial-in their own internal monitoring systems.

Next month, I’ll discuss how this relates to cutting-edge tech in the form of running power meters and fitness trackers.

Ian Sharman is an ultrarunning coach with USATF and NASM certifications and is sponsored

by Altra, Julbo, Clif Bar and others. Some of his career highlights include setting the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, three-time winner of the Leadville Trail 100 and seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Western States 100. His 100-mile PR is the fastest trail time run in North America: 12:44.

ULTRACOACH

Ultra-Life Balance

What Not to Say to an Injured Ultrarunner

BY ELLIE GREENWOOD I’ve had my fair share of running injuries. I (un)fortunately feel rather like an expert on the subject – in fact, when a local run club asked me to come talk to their members, and I asked what they’d like me to talk about, the reply came, “Well, whatever you want. How about how to deal with injury?” Yes, it truly is my field of expertise!

As an injured runner, you may go through a phase of avoiding all your running friends entirely, but if the majority of your friends are runners, this is not always practical. So, in order to avoid your annoying uninjured friends saying something to you that may cause serious offense/ anger/despair/sadness, you might want to leave this page of UltraRunning open in front of them – a subtle hint of what they should or shouldn’t say to you.

“Oh, I know. It’s so awful being injured. I missed a run last week because I was injured.” You should especially avoid saying this to a friend who has been injured for a month or more.

Let’s be fair – a minor niggle that necessitates one rest day doesn’t equate to your friend’s stress fracture that demands a walking boot and six weeks of no running at all. Yes, you might be pained you missed that one day of running, but your friend has missed a little more.

“Maybe you should do a triathlon.” This is a very ill advised statement. Just because your injured friend has been swimming and cycling every day, this does not mean that they actually enjoy these activities. These are replacement activities whilst your friend cannot run. If your injured friend has a balanced perspective, they will be glad that they can do some activity, but let’s be honest – staring at the tiles on the bottom of a chlorinated pool

is not quite the same as enjoying Of course, I should remind of sympathy and compassion, but a mountaintop sunset earned by the non-injured among you that a little bit of understanding and running several miles of sweet this list is not exhaustive, but optimism is always appreciated single-track trail. An injured hopefully it gives you insight by the side-lined ultrarunner. runner is not trying to become into the delicate mindset of your After all – it might soon be your a triathlete; they’re just trying to injured friend(s). No, we don’t turn to join the injury train! avoid becoming an out-of-shape necessarily expect bucket loads runner.

“I’m sure it will just take time.”

Whilst some injuries can be Ellie Greenwood ran her first ever ultra on January 1, 2004, at a Fat cured through good old-fash- Ass 50k event in Vancouver, BC. She was immediately hooked on trail ioned rest, this is not an easy and ultrarunning, and has managed to make it to the finish line of perspective to take. A newly over 50 ultras and marathons to date. Supported injured runner does not feel by several sponsors including Salomon and Clif they have time on their side, as Bar, Ellie balances her own training and racing they likely have a race looming with coaching runners of all abilities online for by which date they need to be fit Sharman Ultra. Ellie’s racing highlights include a and injury-free. Or, if your friend course record win at Western States in 2012, a has been injured for six months first place finish at South Africa’s Comrades or more, then clearly time is not 89k and winning the IAU World 100k a healer. How long do you really Championships in 2014. expect them to be patient for?!

“Wow, have you only run one ultra this year?” Yes, I had someone say that to me – like I’d just decided to sit on the couch all RUN TRAILS, MAKE TRACKS, SMILE. year and chill out for no reason.

Okay, races are not the be-all and end-all of ultrarunning, but they are important to a lot of us. If we’re injured, we’ll be sad that we have missed races, so please don’t remind us just how many races we’ve watched from the sidelines and how empty our UltraSignup page is looking.

“You’ve been injured for ages.

Do you think your ultrarunning days are long gone?” Feel free to ask an injured friend this, but only if you are prepared for either an outburst of tears or a torrent of abuse (depending on the temperament of that fragile injured runner on that particular day). A runner has rarely (if ever) injured themselves on purpose, and I have never met an ultrarunner who didn’t like running – most of us damn well adore the sport, so it’s not going to go down too well if you ask them if they’ll never be able to do what they love again.

EMBRACE WINTER.

AND PACK YOUR TAILWIND.

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ULTRACOACH

Nutrition

The Ultrarunner’s Daily Diet for Healthy Living

BY SARAH KOSZYK, MA, RDN Fueling isn’t just about what you eat right before and during an ultra. Fueling is a healthy way of life that should be practiced every day whether you run or not. Essentially, you are fueling your body daily to maintain strength, stamina and brain power. A healthy ultrarunner maintains a consistent daily diet that is well-balanced.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a well-balanced, healthy diet consists of: • Eating fruits and/or vegetables at each meal • Having a breakfast full of fiber and protein • Focusing on whole grains for additional fiber • Consuming lean protein sources • Following the MyPlate method of dedicating half your plate to fruits and/or vegetables, a quarter plate to protein and a quarter plate to grains and/or starches • Dairy and heart-healthy fats This style of eating provides a good baseline by focusing on the basic food groups: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, dairy and fat.

I interviewed successful ultrarunners to find out their number-one daily diet tip.

Magda Boulet, 2015 Ultrarunner of the Year, says that: “Eating well is training,” and shares her tip of eating a diet “filled with a variety of whole, non-processed grains, fresh veggies and lean proteins from eggs or fish.”

Magda says she prepares and eats: “fresh meals daily from foods that support a healthy immune system and reduce acute and chronic inflammation from heavy training. These foods include quinoa bowls topped with fresh dark greens, such as kale or collard greens, eggs or wild salmon, red peppers, blueberries, hemp seeds, avocados and sea salt.”

Jeff Browning, endurance coach at GoBroncoBilly.com, informs us that he: “eats a low-carb, high-fat diet that is moderate in protein from a variety of sources, such as fish, fowl and herbivores. Proteins also include fattier cuts of locally grown, grass-fed meats.”

He also has eggs from his backyard chickens.

In addition, he concentrates on consuming 14

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lots of fresh vegetables, strategic fruits and tubers, and good fats daily. Jeff’s go-to fats include coconut oil, avocado, olive oil and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.

on that at her feedingthefrenzyblog.com).

Donald Buraglio, MPT, is an advocate of mindful eating. His top daily diet tip is: “asking yourself the following questions

It doesn’t have to be right when you wake up, especially if you’re a morning runner. But it’s so important to fuel well early in the day.

If you eat a good breakfast, you’ll be more likely to make better food choices throughout the day and it will help keep you more alert.”

every time you eat something: 1) why are you eating it, 2) do you really need to eat it and 3) what purpose are you serving your body by doing so. The primary reasons for us to eat should be to replenish the calories and nutrients our bodies need to function and perform. It’s perfectly OK sometimes to eat stuff simply because you want to indulge, or to satisfy a craving or even to help seek comfort in stressful times.

However, an increased frequency of those events can result in dietary or weight-related problems. Try to stay mindful, intentional and present with your eating decisons.”

Matt Frazier, plant-based ultrarunner and author of No Meat Athlete and Cookbook, reminds us: consume natural foods with vibrant colors. “Do your best to drink a fruit smoothie and eat a big salad every single day. It’s so easy to neglect fresh fruits and vegetables when you’re focusing on hitting your numbers for complex carbohydrates, protein and good fats. Building in a daily ‘smoothie-and-salad’ habit ensures not just that you’ll be taking in lots of micronutrient-rich foods, but also that you’ll get many of them raw.”

Rob Krar, endurance athlete and two-time winner of the prestigious Western States Endurance Run, enlightens us with his knowledge: “Three key words: simplicity, balance and moderation.

Avoid the extremes and never deny yourself the pleasures. It will go a long way towards building a healthy and fruitful relationship with food. One important tip is to always have healthy snacks easily accessible, such as fruits, nuts and seeds. Healthy snacks are the perfect way to satisfy cravings between meals.” Rob is fortunate to be the beneficiary of his wife Christina’s passion and expertise for wholesome and delicious food (more

Sean Meissner, coach at Sharman Ultra and race director, reinforces the importance of breakfast: “Eat a good breakfast.

Jason Schlarb, winner of the Hardrock 100, espouses a lower carbohydrate/ higher fat diet: “You don’t need to become ‘religious’ about the change, just cut a percentage of carbs, stay consistent and observe any changes over a season.

I saw results with my body composition, more consistent energy and less sugar fueling requirements and gastric distress.”

To sum it up, the recipe for an ultrarunner’s daily diet success is to eat breakfast.

Focus on your fruits and vegetables. Enjoy your protein and heart-healthy fats. Have a snack or two. Stay mindful and present when you eat. And most of all, consume a variety of foods so that you can experience the benefits of multiple vitamins, nutrients and minerals.

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Bay Areabased Registered Dietitian specializing in sports nutrition and weight management.

Sarah has helped hundreds of endurance athletes properly fuel for their events from ultrarunning, ironman, triathlons and more.

Sarah is a brand ambassador for the foodservice industry, helping consumers understand what healthy choices to make. Connect with her at SarahKoszyk. com.

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ULTRAGEEK

View From the Open Road

On DNFs

BY GARY CANTRELL Although there has been some debate about whether it’s correct to call them “words,” the Eskimo really do have 50 different words for “snow.” This only makes sense, as these Arctic natives live in a world of snow. It makes you wonder, though: Why do ultrarunners only have one word for DNF? While every DNF is, by definition, a failure, not all DNFs are equal. Some DNFs represent total failure. They are brought about by a lack of intestinal fortitude, poor planning or carelessness. Other DNFs are relatively unavoidable. “Stuff” happens, sometimes. And a few DNFs are actually something of a badge of honor. Maybe we would be better served by a dictionary of acronyms for DNF. Then we could better describe what happened. I have a few suggestions: NOTMIWHSB – “No One Told Me It Would Hurt So Bad.” The garden variety “it was too hard” DNF. NOTMIWHSB just means you quit on yourself. There was no overriding reason for quitting, other than a shortage of willpower.

IBOMTICC – “I Bit Off More Than I Could Chew.” Who knew that a single 9-hour 50k on a Rails to Trails bicycle path was inadequate experience to attempt a 250-mile, self-supported trek across the Alaskan Wilderness?

MEWBTMS – “My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Stomach.” In a sense, this is a variation on the IBOMTICC. It was so easy, sitting at the keyboard at home, to key in the entries for eight 100-milers in eight weeks. Only my bank account suffered any immediate damage.

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ITIBMFN – “I Think I Broke My Freaking someone had told me about the Neck.” They ought to take down all the YouTube “significant” penalty if you choose videos of Killian Jornet. Do you know what the lump sum payment. happens when a potbellied, 50-year-old man with SISWTC – “Someone Is limited athletic ability and conditioning tries to Screwing With The Clock.” I don’t go down a mountain that way? On the bright side, know exactly went wrong. I had all my friends saw me on the evening news, on a an inkling that there was trouble stretcher hanging 50 feet below a helicopter, being coming during training. I ran just airlifted out of the mountains. the same way I used to 30 years TMS – “Too Many Schedules.” I was sure I had ago. But somehow, the same effort it all worked out. I had all my running and walking that yielded 8-minute miles then, splits figured out. I knew how much to eat and my watch was calling 16-minute drink, and when. I had all my electrolyte replace- miles now. Even though I am ments pre-calculated. Everything was programmed training and racing just as hard as into my watch. It took so long to shuffle through all I ever did, the clock keeps giving my papers to figure out what I was supposed to be me slower and slower times. This taking that I was only able to run 30 or 40 seconds time the clock ran so fast that it between alarms. told me I was over the time limit TMD – “Too Many Devices.” A variation on with a lot of race left. Next time the TMS. How could it have gone so wrong? I had I run a race, I want surveillance everything: GPS; heart rate monitor; gaiters; sun cameras on the damn clock. hat; sun shirt; technical wicking shirts, socks and Someone is screwing with it, and shorts; smooth trail shoes; rough trail shoes; road I want them stopped. shoes; 30 different selections of specialized running IANTNSJ – “I Am Not The food; 22 flavors of gel… There was nothing I could Next Scott Jurek.” But there was possibly need that I didn’t have. I had to rent a cargo only one way to find out. I figure van just to carry it all. And I had to set up a special that you can’t run a 13-hour 100 filing system to find anything. It took over an hour unless you go out at 13-hour 100 at each aid station just to be properly outfitted for pace. Man, was it ever cool, way the next segment. out front, all by myself. It was not ITIWAYCE – “I Thought It Was All-You-Can-Eat.” so cool watching all those people Why do they have 30 food selections at each aid station go past when I was reduced to if you’re not supposed to eat some or all of them? I a smoldering wreck on the side could have missed out on some vital nutrient. And of the road. Live and learn, that’s my thoroughness was going to pay off handsomely. what I always say. Next time, I I was on PR pace – right up until I started puking. play it smart. Anyone know what MISHTM – “Maybe I Should Have Trained the pace is for a 14-hour 100?

More?” But I don’t see how. I had a brutally These are only a few of the thorough training plan all laid out. Base myriad possibilities for a more work, speed work, intervals, weight precise description of that work, hard days, easy days, off days… catch-all term, DNF. I bet most everything. Sure, life intervenes of you know of at least a few more. sometimes. Maybe it was too hot If we put our minds to it, I bet we sometimes, or too cold. It would can figure out 51 acronyms for waste all that hard work if I got DNF. We can’t let those Eskimos sick. Maybe my daughter needed have anything on us. a ride to the mall. Or my spouse deserved to eat out. Family first, Gary Cantrell has logged more you know. And then there might than 100,000 miles since running have been something special on his first measured mile in 1966.

TV. It isn’t like we have to be He has done at least one run of 30 slaves to our training plan. But miles, or longer, in 38 consecutive I stuck to it pretty good. I didn’t calendar years, and has a span of miss a single off day in six months. completed 100s in more than 30 Besides, training is like paying on years. He is looking forward to installments. You can make small adding to those numbers on the payments every day, or just pay a way to extending that running lump sum on the day of the race. I wish career into his 70s.

ULTRAGEEK

Running Wise

Don’t Forget to Thank the Volunteers

BY GARY DUDNEY

Aid station assistance par excellence. [

It’s virtually impossible to run a race and not hear someone say, “We couldn’t do this without our volunteers,” or “Don’t forget to thank the volunteers.” A race director might be the backbone of an ultra event, but the volunteers are the blood, flesh, arms, legs, capillaries and GI tract. Marking and sweeping trails, passing out bibs and swag, staffing aid stations, setting up and tearing down aid stations and transporting people around a far-flung course, just to name a few, are tasks that don’t get done without lots of volunteers.

It’s practically incumbent upon us in the trail running/

Gary Dudney]

ultrarunning world, therefore, to volunteer as part of our participation in the sport. The downside of this obligation, giving up some personal time, has a tremendous upside. Much of the appeal of running is in the friendships you build and in being part of a positive and uplifting community. Most volunteer jobs give you as much or greater opportunity for enjoying that part of the sport as actually running.

Plus, if you work a local race on a regular basis year after year, chances are you’ll develop special relationships with the regulars among the runners and your fellow volunteers as well.

If you are an observant volunteer, you can also learn much that will serve you in good stead as a runner. I once served at a remote aid station in a 100k race where an unexpected rainstorm and a fierce wind made conditions almost unbearable. The full ice chest we had at the station, which normally would have seen lots

of traffic, was never opened, not once. Helping the struggling runners dry off and warm up a bit before they had to go back out and face the elements was a super education in how to prepare myself for such a situation in the future when I was running.

Definitely try to volunteer for a race before you step up to a new distance. If you’re pointing toward your first ultra, you’ll get a real feel for what to expect by working an ultra aid station. If you’re looking forward to your first 100, a stint at an aid station late in the 100 you’re interested in will teach you a lot. Crewing for a runner at your target 100-mile race, or even better, pacing a runner at that race, is a terrific way to preview the mental and physical challenges that you will need to prepare yourself for when it’s your turn under the gun.

Trail work is another way to give back to the sport. In fact, some races with a service requirement will only accept trail work to fulfill the requirement, as opposed to accepting either trail work or volunteering at a race. Trail work is very instructive. Non-woodsmen, like me, sort of imagine that trails create and maintain themselves.

They don’t. A couple of hours with a Pulaski hoe axe making drain dips, building stream crossings or clearing poison oak, and your appreciation for those trails you sail down on race day will go through the roof.

Now, during the dead of winter is always a great time to sit down and dream big about your ultrarunning for the year to come. As you plan your big training windows and pick out your target races, go ahead and schedule in your volunteering as well.

The three weeks leading up to a big race when you’re tapering will give you some down time that you can devote to a volunteer effort. The entire month after a 100-mile race, while your priority is to rest and recuperate, is another good time to volunteer. Make volunteering a standard part of your running year. It will help the sport and round you out as an ultrarunner.

Gary Dudney has been writing on the topic of ultrarunning for nearly 30 years. He’s run over 150 ultras, including fifty 100-milers, but still finds every race a fresh and thrilling experience. His new book, The Tao of Running, explores how to make your running more mindful, more enjoyable and more fulfilling.

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ULTRAGEEK

Ultrarunning Science

Ketones as Fuel

BY MATT LAYE The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that forces your body to become excellent at using fat for fuel. On the ketogenic diet, you have more ketones, which are derived from fats, in your blood.

These blood ketones are used for energy. In a study by Jeff Volek, Ph.D., researchers found that while ultra-athletes who were on a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet used a high proportion of fat for energy, they still broke down muscle glycogen. The research did not compare any measurements of performance of ketogenic versus non-ketogenic athletes.

Other scientific groups are also interested in the question of whether ketogenic diets in general, or ketones more specifically, are beneficial for endurance performance. This

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month, I focus on a recent article, titled “Nutritional Ketosis Alters Fuel Preference and Thereby Endurance Performance in Athletes,” published in the journal Cell Metabolism by a research group led by Dr. Kieran Clarke from the University of Oxford. The goal of Clarke’s study was slightly different than Volek’s. Therefore, his group needed to perform a number of preliminary experiments to establish proof of concept rather than jumping straight into the performance part. Rather than use participants on a ketogenic diet, as Volek did, the researchers in this study gave a ketone drink to subjects who were consuming a normal diet.

In their first study, the authors gave some participants a drink containing ketones.

JAN/FEB 2017

Subjects exercised at two intensities, 40% and 75% of VO2max, for 45 minutes. The higher the exercise intensity, the more ketones the subjects used, totaling between 16-18% of the total energy used for exercise.

Thus, the researchers had proof of concept: Exogenous ketones are used for energy by non-ketogenic adapted athletes.

Next, the authors performed a series of studies comparing the effects of a ketone drink to those of a drink with similar calories from fat or from carbohydrates to see what metabolic changes occurred during one hour of moderate exercise. When subjects consumed the ketone drink in these studies, they used less glucose and fat. The levels of branched chain amino acids in their blood remained stable.

All of these things are good, according to exercise metabolism theory. Could you get even better effects by combining different nutrients, or would carbohydrates inhibit the beneficial effects of ketones? In a third study, the researchers tested this idea. Interestingly, the addition of carbohydrate to the ketone drink did not stop some of the beneficial metabolic responses to the ketone drink. This means that potentially, carbohydrates and ketones together could provide synergistic benefits.

The next study looked at how muscle glycogen and muscle fats (which are good for endurance athletes) changed over two hours with the different supplement drink combinations. While subjects started with similar muscle glycogen and fat levels, after two hours of exercise, those on the ketone plus carbohydrate drink had used more intramuscular fats and less intramuscular glycogen than the group drinking carbohydrate alone.

These findings

were supported by evidence that when subjects drank the ketone plus carbohydrate drink, they were using more fat than when consuming the carbohydrate-alone drink. Remember that ketogenic-adapted runners actually did not have higher levels of muscle glycogen, and while the studies employed different exercise protocols, these results suggest exogenous ketones shift metabolism differently than a ketogenic diet.

Finally, in the performance study, subjects rode at 75% of their peak watts for an hour, and then completed a time trial to see how far they could ride in the following 30 minutes. The metabolic data was similar to the previous studies with regard to increased fat usage and less glycogen usage. However, the major finding was that all of the subjects except one increased the distance covered during the time trial while drinking the ketone plus carbohydrate drink versus when drinking carbohydrate alone.

What should you do with this information? There are plenty of ketone products now on the market that you can try in the form of ketone-esters. I recommend experimenting and documenting, because while this study was robust, it was still done in a lab, on a bike, with a limited number of subjects.

Matt Laye of Boise, Idaho, has a PhD in Medical Physiology and is an Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance at The College of Idaho.

He enjoys competing on trails and on the roads in distances from the mile to 100 miles. He has averaged under 8 min/mile for 100 miles and under 5:30/mile over a marathon.

ULTRAGEEK

The Ultra Mindset

Overtraining Syndrome

Digging Deep

BY TRAVIS MACY

My first experience with significant There’s also another side to it, though. overtraining from running occurred during When you’re wired like this, it’s hard (imposmy two years of collegiate running for sible?) to tell when you’re approaching the CU-Boulder. I was a decent, All-State high line between reaching the goal and burnout school runner in Colorado’s second-largest on the other. In my experiences in academics, school class, but my talent and experience training and work, I’ve rarely been able to were years behind many of my teammates see that line coming until it’s already in the like Dathan Ritzenhein, Jorge and Eduardo rearview mirror. Driving ourselves to meet – Torres, and Steve Slattery. Totally pumped or exceed – our potential may bring us to wellby the simple fact that I had made the team ness and make us better in other areas of life… in the annual tryout for a few walk-ons, I but it may also compel us to go overboard. dove enthusiastically into my training. The And that brings us to overtraining coaches wrote detailed workouts for us: long syndrome. I’m glad UltraRunning is focusing runs on Magnolia Road, track stuff at Potts, on this topic in the March issue because I steady runs on the Creek Path and 4th Street, think it’s relevant and important. If the topic even easy runs and rest days. Each run had is new to you, please consider Googling a specified purpose, and the entire program “Maffetone overtraining” to read Dr. Phil was written and delivered professionally.

Maffetone’s informative, scientific article, My 18- to 20-year-old interpretation about “The overtraining syndrome.” “Running on how to train and “prove myself,” however, Empty” from Outside Magazine (online as generated practices that quickly drove my well) is also illustrative. This can be a hard body – and eventually my mind as well – topic to talk about, and I’m glad we’re talking. into the ground. Instead of learning about I hope that by being open about this subject training methodology and adjusting pace I might empower readers to examine their and effort for the aforementioned workouts own well-being and make adjustments before to suit my ability and experience, I saw each it is too late. team practice as a race. Physically, I believed Completing over 120 ultra distance events all I had to do to get to be as fast as the top over about a decade after college generally guys was to simply keep up with them every went pretty well for me both physically and day; “just train with Dathan,” I told myself. mentally. Recently, however, I have discovered Mentally, I realized the team hierarchy was I may have crossed that line over the past few based on how fast you were and how many years as I added parenting of two young chilmiles you did; I honored these impulses dren and growing my endurance coaching more than the real, clear symptoms my body and education consulting businesses to my was sending me. training and racing. As described by Jen Oops.

Segger, a friend, elite athlete, coach and By the end of one year of this my legs parent who has grappled with overtraining were so shot that getting out of bed hurt and syndrome, “Being that the body can’t differI was taking ibuprofen before many runs. I entiate between training stress, work stress, was mentally fatigued and in a hole. Some relationship stress and everything else, it’s of my workouts were decent, but I felt totally crazy to consider how much we really tax blown just a few minutes into the races ourselves.” because I never rested. And then I did the I’ve been grappling with the following same thing as a sophomore! questions – some of which may be related to Odds are that you are probably wired a overtraining – on fun mountain and road bike bit like me, and that’s why you’re reading rides and ski mountaineering sessions while this magazine. Those of us who enjoy doing taking a break from serious run training over things like running for miles and hours the past couple of months.

Maffetone mentions depressive sympand days in the mountains are typically motivated and compelled to push the limit toms like irritability and low mood as signs in running, work and life in general. Heck, of overtraining. Am I periodically having I wrote a book that teaches people how to these feelings due to my physical training stretch themselves beyond what their minds, or general life stress from parenting and bodies and friends say is possible. That’s work...or maybe all of the above? all good.

Tests have revealed significantly fluctuating testosterone levels over the past

I loved digging deep as a Buffalo in college, but my overzealous training ended up really putting me in a hole. [ Courtesy Travis Macy]

year from mid-range normal to well below normal. Is this overtraining-related? Is it impacting how I feel, train and race?

Is my decreased desire to set a full calendar of ultras for the year ahead related to overtraining? Or maybe just a sign that I could use a break or a temporary focus on other sports?

What diet, training and lifestyle adjustments might I make to increase wellness?

And who should I pick for my “team” to make sure I have support and expertise?

Knowing that this entire topic is nebulous and unsure in nature, how can I work to be comfortable with answers that might necessarily fall into the grey zone, which can be tough for black and white thinkers like me (and maybe you)?

It’s a lot to think about. And darn important.

In the next issue, I will seek to explore answers to some of these questions and share resources that might be helpful to others grappling with the same challenges.

Travis Macy’s distance learning course, The Ultra Mindset for Endurance Athletes, is available at travismacy.com/courses. His sponsors include the adrenalin project, Ultimate Direction, Injinji, Native Eyewear, Hagan Ski Mountaineering and Vespa. He runs, speaks, coaches and parents from Evergreen, Colorado.

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ULTRAGEEK

On My Bookshelf

Running Man

BY LISA HENSON Charlie Engle, by his own admission, is an addictive personality. His new memoir, Running Man, is a brutally honest and compulsively readable account of his years as an alcoholic and crack addict and how he managed to finally put that life behind him in exchange for a new addiction: running.

This likely would have made for a satisfying read without any additional drama, but in the midst of turning his life around, Engle managed to turn into an adventure racer, make two films, get indicted for a “Liar Loan” during the 2008 financial crisis and go on to serve 16 months in federal prison. There are more twists and turns in the book than in most thrillers.

The book begins with Engle planning to run his own personal

Badwater 135 concurrent with the race in Death Valley. His event, however, would take place around a quarter-mile dirt track at Beckley Federal Correctional Institute in West Virginia.

He flashes back from there to his early life in North Carolina and how he had his first taste of alcohol as a fourth grader: “On that humid late-summer night, with Janis Joplin wailing on the stereo, alcohol planted a little f lag in my brain and claimed that territory as its own.” He graduated to cocaine, then to crack, and his spiral into devastating addiction was complete.

Many descriptions of harrowing drug abuse and life-threatening situations follow. It’s hard to believe that Engle was able to pull himself out of the hellhole he found himself in. But he did.

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He had a loving family, a wife and a son – many reasons to seek recovery – but it was a six-day crack binge and near-death experience that finally forced him to confront his problem head-on.

One morning he got out of bed, started running and had an epiphany: “Drugs had been my way out. Running would be my way through.”

One evening while watching TV, he stumbled upon the Discovery Channel’s Eco Challenge and became obsessed with doing an adventure race. He completed several adventure races. Then he had the idea to run across the Sahara Desert. He was put in touch with a producer of adventure films, and Running the Sahara was born. The story of Engle, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin crossing that desert is terrifically compelling. But it is at this point in the book that the dark side of Engle’s personality starts to crystalize again. Little things begin to add up, and I began to notice that Charlie does what Charlie wants, despite the fact that many of these choices place a terrible burden on his friends and his family.

To make the film, he left behind his ex-wife, two children, a new girlfriend and a mother suffering from earlyonset Alzheimer’s disease. He pushed Zahab and Lin across the Sahara with merciless determination, even when they were sick or clearly unable to perform.

He had an intense desire to excel, but at what cost?

Following the Sahara run, Engle decided to run across the US and make a film called Running America. He enlisted his friend Marshall Ulrich to do the run with him. At some point, Engle became too injured to run and decided to bike much of the rest of the way. He took his inability to run out on Ulrich in a highly destructive fashion.

Then Engle explains that a rogue IRS Special Agent took on

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what can only be described as a personal vendetta against Engle, who was eventually convicted of fraud. I won’t elaborate on this, as this is the part of the book that reads like a thriller and is well worth discovering on your own.

I can say, with a fair amount of certainty, that he should never have done prison time. This is so patently clear that Joe Nocera at the New York Times took up his cause, writing two scathing articles about his unfair conviction.

Engle is an excellent athlete and a talented writer. He is a complicated character – you will have to come to your own conclusions about him as a person.

Whatever your conclusion, Running Man is a roller-coaster ride of events and emotions and a very compelling read.

Lisa Henson is an inveterate reader. She is also a runner who has finished more than 80 ultras (and counting), and is a retired stock trader, bar owner, and publishing executive. When not reviewing books, she grows wine grapes in California's Sonoma County and is the co-RD of the Lake Sonoma 50.

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Spring in

YourStep

BY BRETT RIVERS WITH WEAR-TESTING AND INPUT FROM THE CREW AT SAN FRANCISCO RUNNING COMPANY

Most major brands are expanding their lineup of trail footwear for 2017 seeing the steady annual growth of trail and ultra-distance running in North America. Runners have a breadth of great options, and new sub-categories of footwear continue to be defined. Several brands are building their most cushioned models to date, but all with lower heel-to-toe drop angles, expanding a “high-cushioned-but-notquite-Hoka” category. The new Brooks Caldera, Salomon Sense Pro Max, Topo Terraventure and the updated New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v2 all fall into this category, and Hoka will further expand their medium cushioned lineup later in the year.

Enjoy the cushion for your long runs in 2017.

We wish you a healthy and adventurous year!

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ALTRA INSTINCT 4.0 (M)/ $120 INTUITION 4.0 (W) Altra made sweeping changes to the Instinct over the prior three generations, but with the 4.0, they get back to the lower level of cushioning that we enjoyed so much with the 1.5. The instep fit continues to be refined and improved without compromising Altra’s hallmark broad fit in the toe box. We like the look, comfort and breathability of the engineered mesh upper on this latest iteration. Check out the Instinct/Intuition 4.0 if you’re looking for a great low-drop road shoe that also performs on trails, while straddling the minimal and lightweight-neutral categories. Available now.

ALTRA SUPERIOR 3.0

$110

BROOKS CALDERA

$140

HOKA CHALLENGER ATR 3 $130

The updates to the new Superior are all centered around feedback from fans of the 2.0 and address the minor issues around sizing and durability that some runners experienced on earlier models.

The mesh upper has been reinforced in the flex points by extending the toe cap around to the forefoot, which in turn adds a touch of protection. The lateral (outside) toe box is also flared out for increased traction and stability at foot strike. TrailClaw traction, the 21mm cushioning stack height, and the removable rock plate – all great features – are retained in the 3.0. We really like the updates that were made as well as the fact that Altra did not aggressively change the best attributes of their lightweight trail runner. Available now.

The Caldera is an entirely new model from Brooks and is a fantastic debut for what is now their most cushioned trail shoe. The forefoot is surprisingly wide and will be popular with runners looking for a broad fit with a more rounded toe box. The 4mm drop platform is comprised of a midsole of plush foam for a soft, comfortable ride. The tread isn’t overly aggressive, allowing the shoe to handle door-to-trail miles fine. A lace pocket in the tongue and a Velcro gaiter tab at the rear of the shoe round out features that runners and hikers will enjoy when on technical trails. Available now.

The upper and the last (shape) of the Challenger ATR 3 are the primary updates to Hoka’s mid-cushion trail model. The Challenger 3 shifts over to Hoka’s new slightly-wider platform that was first available on the Clifton 3.

The cushioning and tread remain the same from the prior versions, while the midsole shaping and upper are overhauled to add durability and style.

The heel cup feels like it has a bit more structure. Our only complaint is that we would still love to see this trail model outfitted with a gusseted tongue for comfort and to help keep debris out.

Overall, this is a great update in fit for one of the most comfortable and popular trail shoes on the market.

Available now.

HOKA ARAHI

ARC’TERYX NORVAN VT

INOV-8 ROCLITE 290

$130

The Arahi is one of Hoka’s two new “dynamic stability” shoes launching in 2017. While Hoka shoes in the high-cushion category generally run stable, the Arahi has a “J-frame” piece of firmer density foam on the medial (inside) base of the midsole that wraps around the heel to give runners a touch of firmness to help control excessive pronation. It is unlikely that runners with neutral strides will even notice the difference, as the shoe maintains the soft, smoothly cushioned ride that Hoka is known for. The seamless upper fits well, and for those with wide feet, the good news is that this model will also be available in wide widths. Check out the Arahi if you’re a fan of the Clifton, but are looking for a lightweight, road-focused Hoka that adds a touch of increased heel and arch support. Available now.

$170

With the Norvan VT, Arc’teryx is carving out a niche in the crossover between mountain running, scrambling and approach climbing. The thick lugs of the Vibram outsole combine two rubber compounds for increased traction in the forefoot, with abrasion-resistant rubber in the rear for added durability. The midsole cushioning of this shoe reminds us of a trail running shoe, while the reinforced upper, bootie fit and unique on-the-go lacing clip all secure the foot for added stability while scrambling.

We expect this version to breathe well in summer and to drain well in the rain, though there is also a Gore-Tex version available for those seeking a waterproof upper. Check out the Norvan VT if you’re looking for a combo run/scrambling shoe for vertical adventures in the mountains. Available 2/1/17.

$120

The 290 is Inov-8’s new lightweight model in their updated Roclite lineup.

This 4mm-drop shoe combines big tread with minimal cushioning for runners seeking a close-to-ground feel. There is excellent flex underneath the forefoot, even with the full-length grippy rubber outsole. The toe box is slightly wider than standard, and a double layer of lightweight mesh combined with minimal overlays adapt comfortably for a variety of foot shapes.

Check out the Roclite 290 if you’re looking for a minimal trail runner with big tread that excels on rocky, technical terrain and in wet environments where traction and drainability are key.

Available now.

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NEW BALANCE FRESH FOAM HIERRO V2 $115

SALOMON SENSE PRO MAX

The new Hierro v2 has 3mm of additional cushioning to establish itself as the most cushioned trail shoe in the New Balance lineup. This model feels light for the level of cushioning and for the use of a full-length and well-treaded Vibram Mega-Grip outsole. The seamless upper has hidden venting built into the toe box, and a lightly cushioned, semi-gusseted tongue accommodates a broad assortment of foot shapes and instep heights. The broad platform and wide heel shaping below the foot provide a fluid, stable ride, including on steep descents. The Hierro is notably one of the few trail shoes on the market that is also available in width sizes for both men and women. Available now.

Salomon ups the cushioning in their new Sense Pro Max. This is the first trail shoe to receive their premium Opal cushioning and Vibe vibration-dampening chassis, both of which are also found on their new Sonic road shoe (also reviewed). The lightweight Opal cushioning is soft yet bouncy, and the broad platform below the arch and heel provides a fluid, stable ride. The standard-width toe box is constructed with no-sew mesh and can accommodate all but the widest feet. Check out the Sense Pro Max if you’re looking for a highly cushioned trail shoe that fills the category between traditional shoes and max cushioned models from Hoka and Altra. Available 2/1/17.

NIKE ZOOM TERRA KIGER 4

UNDER ARMOUR HORIZON KTV

$125

Nike’s flagship lightweight trail running shoe, the Kiger, receives a major redesign of the upper for version 4.

The burrito tongue is replaced with a standard tongue; however, the tongue is fully gusseted to comfortably wrap the foot and provide a seamless fit in the toe box. New mesh has zoned areas of venting for increased breathability.

The midsole and outsole are carried over from the prior version. Zoom Air cushioning is placed below the ball of the foot and in the heel to provide bouncy cushioning on all surfaces. The 4 feels flexier out of the box than the prior models and still softens up in the midfoot after a couple short runs. The new Kiger 4 is an incredibly comfortable update of Nike’s lightweight trail runner. Available 4/1/17.

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$150

$130

The Horizon KTV is Under Armour’s lightest option in their new Horizon lineup of trail running footwear. The full-length Michelin rubber trail outsole grips really well on wet, early-morning trails. The gusseted and lightly cushioned tongue provides a secure fit in the instep. The high number of welded overlays on the upper helps to keep debris out of the shoe and likely increases the durability of the upper, but may be a little warm for runners in hot locations in the summer. A rock plate in the forefoot and reinforced toe guard provide added protection on technical terrain. Available now.

SAUCONY PEREGRINE 7

$120

At SFRC, we underestimated the popularity of the Peregrine 6 in 2016 (as did Saucony), and this model was continually backordered the latter half of the year. The Peregrine 7 expands on the widely popular design of the 6, but improves both the cushioning and the instep fit. A new upper and gusseted tongue comfortably lock in the foot and heel. The 7 also receives a full-length EVERUN topsole for a lightweight, bouncy ride across the entirety of the shoe. The lugged outsole and protective rock plate remain the same below the foot. The Peregrine 7 continues to be the benchmark for high protection at low weight in a trail runner that is comfortable right out of the box.

Available now.

SCOTT SUPERTRAC RC

$150

SCOTT continues to expand their lightweight, race-inspired “RC” lineup of footwear with the release of the Supertrac RC. The deep lugs on the fulllength rubber outsole provide a tremendous amount of traction especially for how light the shoe is. The instep and upper fit well, and offer a race-inspired fit that secures the foot for fast running on technical terrain. The forefoot has good flex right out of the box, but may not be accommodating enough for very large volume feet or for runners seeking an especially wide toe box. This is a really fun shoe for vertical terrain and for sloppy days on the trail, and is ideal for racing mountainous courses.

The Supertrac RC is also a great option for fans of the Pearl Izumi N1/N2 now that Pearl is discontinuing footwear.

Available now.

SALOMON SONIC TOPO TERRAVENTURE

$110

Topo continues to grow their lineup of trail footwear with the release of the Terraventure. This new model is Topo’s most cushioned and protective trail shoe and does a great job blending elements of both the minimal and traditional movements of running footwear design. The Terraventure has a broad toe box and feels noticeably wider than the MT2. A highly flexible rock plate adds protection without adding much stiffness to the shoe, and the outsole grips on a variety of trails but is still fine for a couple miles of road to and from the trailhead. A structured heel cup and gusseted tongue help lock in the foot. The Terraventure is a great value at $110 and is perfect for runners who want a wide shoe that transitions seamlessly across all terrain. Available now.

$130

SAUCONY FREEDOM ISO

Salomon moves further into road running with the release of the Sonic.

This new flagship model features Salomon's Opal cushioning and Vibe vibration-dampening chassis.

The bouncy cushioning provides an enjoyable feel below the foot and this shoe transitions forward smoothly regardless of cadence or foot strike.

The upper is slightly stiff right out of the box but does soften up and shape to your foot after a couple short runs.

We like that Salomon is putting standard laces on their road models while keeping the Kevlar Quicklace on their trail models. While technically a road shoe, there is plenty of “Wet Traction” Contragrip rubber to easily handle miles on fire roads, dirt trails and wet urban surfaces. This is a great first release for a cushioned road running shoe by Salomon that showcases their future product tech and design.

Available 2/1/17.

$160

Saucony’s new Freedom ISO is a standout release for 2017. The Freedom contains all of Saucony’s top-of-the-line design features and is the first shoe in Saucony’s lineup to receive a full-length EVERUN midsole which provides a cushioned, flexible, and downright bouncy ride. While the cushioning shines, the upper is one of the most comfortable-fitting that we have tested this season. The ISO-fit instep design and knit upper are light and accommodating for nearly all foot shapes, while the unique heel counter provides just enough structure to help lock in the heel. The nearly full-length tread is designed for road, but there are enough teeth for fire roads in the winter and rolling trails come summer. We expect the new Freedom ISO to be a very popular crossover road shoe especially for runners who generally skew to the trails but find themselves on the road.

Available now.

///// SPRING SHOES AT A GLANCE /////////////////////// MODEL

MSRP

LOW

CUSHIONING

HIGH

Altra Superior 3.0

$110

Topo Terraventure

$110

▲

New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v2

$115

▲

Altra Instinct 4.0 (Mens) / Intuition 4.0 (Womens)

$120

▲

Inov-8 Roclite 290

$120

▲

Salomon Sonic

$130

▲

Saucony Peregrine 7

$120

▲

Nike Zoom Terra Kiger 4

$125

Hoka Arahi

$130

▲

Hoka Challenger ATR 3

$130

▲

Under Armour Horizon KTV

$130

Brooks Caldera

$140

▲

Salomon Sense Pro Max

$150

▲

NARROW

WIDTH

WIDE

SMOOTH

▲

▲

▲

▲

3mm

▲

4mm 0mm

▲

▲

▲

4mm

▲

▲

4mm

▲

▲

7mm

▲

4mm

▲

6mm

$150

▲

Saucony Freedom ISO

$160

▲

Arc’teryx Norvan VT

$170

▲

6mm

▲

▲

▲

4mm

▲

▲

SCOTT Supertrac RC

10mm

▲ ▲

▲

4mm

▲

▲

DROP 0mm

▲

▲ ▲

TREAD AGGRESSIVE

▲ ▲

▲

▲ ▲ ▲

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9mm

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BY DONALD BURAGLIO Winter running jackets present an eternal challenge for clothing designers. The primary objective is to balance two competing needs: enough insulation to keep you warm in frigid conditions, but enough ventilation to keep you from overheating with exertion. Comfortable material construction and creative design elements are obviously desirable as well. This winter, we’ve tested six jackets that provide varying degrees of cold weather protection and weather resistance to keep you running comfortably through the harsh elements.

In previous years, the Patagonia R1 Full-Zip (380g, $159) has been marketed more as a skiing or climbing jacket than a trail running garment, but some key design updates this year make it ideal for aerobic activity with high exertion. The fabric construction consists of lightweight Polartec Power Grid fleece in a waffle design that is highly breathable and wicks moisture effectively, while remaining durable enough for its original purpose of rock climbing. True to Patagonia’s environmental ethos, the R1’s bluesign-approved Power Grid fleece is comprised of 93% recycled polyester along with 7% spandex to add stretch properties. The torso runs long and has a slim fit for easy layering under a shell if necessary, but the stretch capacity allows full freedom of mobility. Shoulder seams and dual handwarmer pockets are positioned for compatibility with a hydration pack, and there are interior stash pockets on the inside of the front panels. One of the best qualities of this jacket is the use of Polygiene permanent odor control, which means you can log crazy mileage in the R1 before it needs a bath. By increasing breathability and decreasing its weight from last year’s version, Patagonia has turned the R1 into a very comfortable and versatile addition to its trail running apparel lineup.

With a classic softshell appearance but innovative technology under the hood, the Mizuno Breath Thermo 26

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Softshell (365g, $150) aims to redefine the parameters of insulation from lightweight materials. Its external shell is 100% polyester Impermalite fabric that provides wind and water resistance, along with a dynamic stretch component and microscopic holes for strong breathability.

The interior uses the namesake Breath Thermo fabric, which employs a chemical reaction to generate heat from the absorption of moisture. The effect is that the jacket provides more insulation after you’re warmed up than it does when first heading out the door.

Thoughtful detail accents include a hi-vis zipper, extensive reflective overlays at the distal sleeves, and a vertical chest zip pocket in addition to two zippered hand pockets.

The best insulation to weight ratio in our review is found in the Arc’teryx Argus (385g, $199), which is intended for high intensity activities in moderate to cold winter conditions. The exterior fabric uses a 20 denier, breathable 100% nylon ripstop with wind resistance and Durable Water Repellant (DWR) finish to resist light moisture on the shoulders and front panels. Most of the back panel consists of a moisture-wicking, breathable stretch fabric of 84% polyester and 16% elastane that has a soft brushed surface and a Polygiene finish to combat odor.

Inside, the Argus uses Polartec Alpha synthetic insulation, which provides outstanding warmth; this insulation has knit construction that maintains loft for BEST CATEGORY improved evaporation and moisture transport to prevent overheating.

However, the insulation doesn’t feel bulky, and the jacket keeps a relatively low profile during activity. In addition to

impressive warmth and effective thermoregulation, the Argus has several creative design elements that we love from a functional standpoint. Elastic stash pockets on either flank are easy to access with gloved hands, and are big enough to hold a stocking hat, headlamp or energy bars. An interior MP3 holder inside the front zipper pocket allows you to keep tunes or podcasts close at hand.

Retractable thumbholes at the cuffs give you the option of extended coverage inside your gloves, and the drop back hem with drawcord closure provides full coverage and seals the cold away from the torso.

The heavyweight jacket in our group is the New Balance Heat Hybrid (650g, $200), which easily provides enough insulation to get you through the most frigid winter workouts. This jacket uses the same Polartec Alpha fill used in the Arc’teryx Argus, but with thicker overall distribution to provide maximal insulation. The main panels are quilted with a ripstop nylon shell that blocks wind and precipitation in the most exposed areas. To prevent excess heat retention, thin and stretchy NB Dry fabric runs down the torso, the entire underside of the arms, all the way around the wrist cuffs and across the shoulder blade region. This material provides moisture-wicking performance as well as ventilation. The same quilted paneling found on the body of the jacket is used in the hood, which is adjustable and keeps your head just as warm as wearing a stocking hat. Two zippered hand pockets are hidden by overlays of insulated material, and the hemline has an elastic cord closure to further trap heat. The Heat Hybrid is built for hardcore winter running and is the most formidable in our test group in its ability to protect you from the cold.

One of our favorite new companies on the outdoor scene is Cotopaxi, who have made gradual inroads into trail running apparel over the past year. Their Tikal Active Shell (283g, $150) was originally designed as a waterproof breathable running shell but is now marketed as a “do anything” piece because of its versatility. We wore this piece comfortably over a t-shirt for warm-weather rainy runs, but the torso cut is generous enough to work over a fleece or synthetic down midlayer when needed. The Tikal

utilizes a fully taped 2.5-layer waterproof shell fabric with four-way stretch for unrestricted movement, and perforated underarm panels help with venting. A three-way adjustable hood is generous enough to fit over a trucker hat, but cinches down securely to stay in place; it also has a thin laminated visor to keep rain off your face in case you forgot your trucker hat (for shame!). Two zippered hand pockets help with small item storage, and the center zipper is protected by a Velcro flap to prevent water or air intrusion. The Tikal is certainly the most stylish running shell we’ve tested, and would be perfectly appropriate for everyday casual wear in addition to providing weather protection on the trail.

A much more lightweight and minimalist waterproof shell is the Salomon Bonatti WP (130g, $165), which was specifically created for travelling light and fast through the mountains. This is the lightest waterproof jacket in the Salomon lineup, and it compresses down into its chest pocket so you can easily stow it in a pack for mandatory gear checks at races, or just bring it along for easy insurance on long training days. The technology in the Bonatti is anything but minimalist, utilizing Salomon’s Advanced Skin Dry technologies for breathable weather protection on the exterior surface and enhanced moisture transfer in the interior. The MotionFit torso is relatively short and fairly slim, but articulated sleeves help accommodate full arm swing without feeling restricted. A Skin Fit hood has a thin visor, a form-fitted profile and elastic to hold it in place, but there’s no adjustment mechanism to customize the fit if needed. The cuffs and hemline TOP PICK are similarly non-adjustable, but they each have half-elasticized perimeters to help hold them in place. The Bonatti might be the most breathable waterproof jacket we’ve ever tested, making it ideal for maintaining your intensity when the weather turns hostile.

///// WINTER JACKETS AT A GLANCE /////////////////////// BRAND

MODEL

MSRP

WEIGHT

POCKETS

HOOD

•

Cotopaxi

Tikal Active Shell

$150

283g

Dual hand zippers

Mizuno

Breath Thermo Softshell

$150

365g

Dual hand pockets and one vertical chest pocket

Patagonia

R1 Full-Zip

$159

380g

Dual hand pockets and dual interior stash pockets

Salomon Top Pick Arc’teryx Best in Category

Bonatti WP

$165

130g

Single chest zipper

Argus

$199

385g

Dual hand zippers and two rear elastic pouches

New Balance

Heat Hybrid

$200

650g

Dual hand zippers

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PRESENTED BY

This is the headlamp that lit up that rock at mile 39 that saved you from faceplanting that gave you the score that got you into Western States.

With an entry to Western States on the line, every second of every North American ultra counts.

How do you stack up?

Check out your SCORE at URRaceSeries.com 28

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Now in its second year, the Ultrarunning Race Series scores every runner in every ultra in North America – including you. You’ll get to see how you rank in your distance, age group and gender across each region in the US and Canada. There’s cash and prizes for the top runners in each category, including entry into the 2017 Western States 100 for the top two scores. If you race, you’re already entered; just fill out your profile so we know where to send the loot.

Running Your First Ultra

Three Keys

to Success

BY KRISSY MOEHL

I love ultrarunning on trails.

It’s how I was raised. Adopted by a tawny, muscular and lean tribe, I grew up with long dirty miles and recovery drinks shaping my norm. When I met Scott Jurek after his first Western States win, I wanted to know what running 100 miles was like. I first asked, “Is it possible for me? I don’t even like to drive that far.”

I love first-time ultrarunners because they remind me of the wonder and curiosity of running longer and longer distances. Those who ask, “Do you think I could do that?” and “What is it like?” you are my favorites. You are the ones who take me back to my first ultra experience at the Chuckanut 50k in 2000.

One year ago, I shared my first book with the running community. The training manual Running Your First Ultra, published by Page Street Publishing, represents 15 years of experience purged from my brain to the page. If you own a copy or have thought about adding it to your library, you’ve likely decided you want to run your first ultra.

Maybe you’ve picked the distance that is possible for you to train for, factoring in all aspects of your life. Perhaps you have already started training.

What will it be like? What is possible? These questions are motivators. They will drive you through the months of training, the experiments with clothing, food and gear and will motivate you to do the training and preparation necessary to say with confidence – “Yes, I can do this. I may not know

what it will be like, but I am open to the experience.

It is possible to reach the finish line, because I have prepared myself.”

As you move from commitment to preparation, quite possibly the first thought that will enter your mind will be about all of the miles. You might envision epic ridge runs or slogging treadmill intervals.

I want to encourage you to look a little broader and pull in three important aspects that will aid in your training and racing success:

1. Strength training

2.

Recovery, including nutrition and self-care

3. Goal setting If you already have a cross-training plan that includes strength training, awesome, you can skip this paragraph. If you are a runner who trains solely by running, please open your mind to the benefits of introducing your body to strength training, especially for your core (primarily shoulders to knees, but also including the little stabilizer muscles). Running is primarily forward motion. Trail running challenges that by throwing up obstacles along the way to get to you jump, duck, slide and shimmy. Incorporating focused strength work two to three times a week will both support your running by making you stronger and will perhaps, more importantly (when done with good form and in sync with your running training) help prevent common overuse injuries.

Just as important as your miles and strength work is recovery. Your daily nutrition, down time and self-care will all factor into how well you can train and race. Build these in as important aspects of your training. Make time for foam rolling. Plan your post-workout snacks in advance so that you are prepared rather than starving. Get to bed a little earlier. Give as much credit to your recovery

Even the speedy Jean Pommier wants Krissy’s new book. [ Agnès Pommier]

as you do to your mileage when it comes to training and getting stronger.

One final bit of advice as you prepare to run your first ultra: Make your primary goal to finish the race. It is enticing to think about winning, setting records and running every step. I believe that the first time you run a longer distance, you need to run it to finish it, period. Focus on questions like: “What do I need to do for myself right now to finish the race?” as opposed to, “Can I run faster?”

Think about how your pace feels versus thinking about whether you can catch the next person. Take a second to consume an extra gel rather than fooling yourself into thinking, “I just need to push through.” Make your “A” goal to finish; every other result is a bonus.

My favorite part of race directing the Chuckanut 50k and coaching athletes to train through the winter in preparation for it is seeing their faces at the finish line. The realization that they did something they thought was impossible is a full body experience that first shows in their eyes, then their amazed smile and down through their body in exhilaration and then complete exhaustion. I wear a raincoat at the finish line every year whether it is pouring (in Washington in March, this is a high probability) or not, because I want your sweaty hugs.

I hope I can be there when you finish to share that awe with you and welcome you to the tribe.

Krissy Moehl ran her first ultra trail run at 22 years old. In her 16-year career, she has run more than 100 races. She has 55 female wins and 2 outright wins. She grew up in the sport and continues to build her life as an ultramarathon runner, coach, motivational speaker, race director and most recently added author to her quiver. Running Your First Ultra was published December 2015. Find her at krissymoehl.com.

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Tennis in My Hokas TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JILL PULEO

The bright yellow ball bounces weirdly, hangs in the air for a moment and then lurches toward my right side at an incomprehensible angle. I slash my racket arm down like I’m attacking a herd of fruit flies and then watch the thwacked ball sail up over the fence toward the softball field next door. I grimace, as I’ve certainly just witnessed something foul. “Sorry,” I yell over to my boyfriend’s side of the court. I look down at my old running shoes, now adorned with scuffs from dragging my toes across the smooth green court, and sigh. Yes, I’m sorry, all right.

I am an ultrarunner, not a tennis player. But recently, I found myself spending hot afternoon hours chasing fuzzy orbs around a 2,000-squarefoot rectangle instead of drilling up the trails, mostly because I am an epic idiot. I did the thing that most of you reading this are trying not to do, and the thing that the rest of you are trying to tell yourself you haven’t done already. I burned out.

It happened slowly. About a year and a half ago, as soon as I ramped up my training to include consistent (and by “consistent” I might mean “obsessive”) back-to-back long runs, things started to deteriorate. My friend and I were training for the West Virginia Trilogy, a three-day stomp in a national forest with distances ranging from 13 to 50 miles.

I thought I was “preparing” for this challenging race. I was, in the sense that wrapping your entire home in goose down comforters would prepare you for a cold winter: effectively, yet dementedly.

Bad weather kept us from actually running the race, but I kept up the double-long-run-weekends and pushed my weekly mileage up over what was rational with no goal in sight.

Six months later, I moved out to the Bay Area for work. It was the running equivalent of an addict moving into a crack house. Suddenly, I had endless miles of trails, preserves and open space accessible from my front door. There was a race or organized training run every weekend, and I greedily devoured everything I could, from Lake Tahoe to Portola Valley and everywhere in between.

I was on the trails so much during my first two weeks that I actually gave myself the f lu. My vertical climbing per run increased by about 9000%, since I finally had vertical to climb. Of course, the weekly mileage bumped higher and higher too.

If you think I’m stupid enough to try to accomplish all of this on a crappy diet, you’re correct. I have Celiac disease, lactose intolerance and a million other allergies that make it hard to eat properly. Also, I’m a jerk. I thought I could do all of this on a grain-free diet and go low-carb while I was at it, because everyone wants to be “fat adapted,” right?

Yeah, not so much.

Turns out, that kind of diet isn’t great for me, since my brain seemed to think it was being robbed of glycogen and put the lockdown on the production of most of the hormones needed to function normally. “But Nikki Kimball does it!” was my thought back then, which is great justification – except for the fact that I’m not Nikki freaking Kimball. I lost my period and all my energy, became a tremendous insomniac and enjoyed night sweats and mood swings – sometimes all at the same time.

Like a typical ultrarunner, I kept pushing. I hoped it would get better with time. I just needed to drop my mileage back. I just needed a good dinner.

I just needed the right mix of superfoods and foam rolling and caffeine and compression garments. I researched online. I tried everything. I learned a lot of things, like meditation for sleep shouldn’t be started at 3:30 a.m. Spirulina, although considered a superfood, can give some people super diarrhea... on airplanes, no less. Salad does not, in fact, contain

enough carbohydrates to get you recovered after a 50k run. Oh and hey, not getting your period for several years can cause massive bone loss, eventual heart problems and severe bitchiness. OK, I made up the last part, but that’s what it felt like.

I did start to try to back off, cutting back more and more on mileage and intensity. No matter what I did, I felt like absolute garbage after every run. A quick

It was the running equivalent of an addict moving into a crack house.

and easy 10-mile jaunt around the block suddenly meant I needed a full day of napping to recover. My legs felt constantly fatigued, like I had started each day eating deadlifts for breakfast. At night, I couldn’t sleep for more than three hours at a time. There was only one thing left to do. I had to stop running altogether.

Two days after my last run, my boyfriend scraped my depressed butt off the couch and said I needed to come with him to do an errand. It was only an hour before I found myself standing bewildered on a tennis court with a fresh new racquet in my hand and a litter of tennis balls at my feet.

I find myself hiding out from running for a bit. I’m taking my time to come back, determined not to make the same mistakes again. If I can get back, I promise to take it slower, take it easier, eat better, rest more... whatever it takes.

Although I don’t mind a little tennis for now, I’m not changing my shoes.

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Zero Waste TEXT AND PHOTOS BY VANESSA RUNS

HOW CAN YOU HELP? • Sign up for Zero Waste race events over those that contribute to landfills.

In 2014, at the Bryce 100, race director Matt Gunn personally went through every scrap of garbage accumulated during the race.

His goal was to embark on a brave new Zero Waste policy for all the races in the Grand Circle Trail series: seven races in total, spanning a region that holds the highest concentration of national parks in the country.

It took Matt three days to sort through the garbage for this two-day event. It was a bold move and he was understaffed. He didn’t have adequate materials or the best resources, but his commitment was firm. Over the years, he’s brought others on board as he continues to work out a Zero Waste Race system that is 32

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easy, efficient, cheap and simple to replicate at any existing event.

At Trailfest in October 2016, for five days, I ran the Zero Waste tent, trained in Matt’s new system. I collected, sorted and packed garbage. I approached each food vendor with compost buckets to collect their food scraps.

I encouraged runners to scrape their plates when they were finished eating. I maintained and cleaned compost toilets. I agonized with runners over what could be recycled and what could not, encouraging them to reconsider non-recyclable trail fuel. Most importantly, I watched runners who had tossed everything in the trash on day one transition into carefully sorting their own garbage by day three, understanding where each item came from and where it was going.

At the end of the event, our recycling surpassed our true garbage three times over, and 1,000 lbs of compost were collected for a greenhouse project. All true garbage was compressed into building blocks for sustainable structures. Last December, we used those building blocks for a community project on Navajo land. There, we installed solar, built compost toilets, repaired hogans, and built fences and shade structures. This service project was linked to the Monument Valley 50, 50K and half-marathon. The runners of this event as well as the general community were all invited to participate, camp and share meals with host Navajo families.

Races linked to local community service projects allow our runners to connect more

• Put your registration money to work. Many of us spend thousands of dollars a year on race entries. All Grand Circle trail races are Zero Waste, in addition to being in some of the most beautiful trails in the country. You can find seven spectacular and sustainable races at grandcircletrails.com.

• Ask the race directors of your favorite races to go Zero Waste.

• We would be thrilled to consult with your local race director to develop a Zero Waste policy that works for your event.

Adopt your own personal Zero Waste policy.

• Don’t wait for your local races to go Zero Waste. Make a personal commitment to only race with equipment you can reuse, recycle or compost. It is no longer enough to pack out our garbage and poop in the woods. We must stop purchasing outdoor products that contribute to landfills.

deeply to the local landscape and see areas that are normally off-limit to visitors. They connect and share meals with local families who have been living traditionally in the same area for centuries, some without electricity or running water.

If you are a race director, I urge you to commit to zero waste. If that seems too overwhelming, you can hire us to come to your event and take over all things garbage.

If you’d prefer a more hands-on approach, we can teach you everything we know and point you in the right direction.

Now is the time to make this transition.

It’s easy. It’s not expensive. It’s not too late!

More information at vacationraces.com.

Vanessa Runs is the nomadic author of The Summit Seeker: Memoirs of a Trail-Running Nomad and Daughters of Distance: Stories of Women in Endurance Sports. Follow her sustainable adventures in the wilderness at vanessaruns.com.

OPPOSITE: Vanessa Runs takes a break from packing bags of recycling. The amount of recycling collected surpassed garbage three times over.

BELOW: The fearless leader, Race Director Matt Gunn, leads his Zero Heroes into the brave new future of sustainable racing. The ultimate goal is to send zero items to landfills or water treatment facilities.

JAN/FEB 2017

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Two thousand and sixteen was another year of solid growth and increasing speed in our sport, a continuation of trends that was surely apparent to all participants. But under that umbrella were many ironies and surprises in the actual data. In what was arguably the fastest year ever in our sport (there were 19 significant course records set) – voting for Ultra Runner of the Year saw very little drama at the top of the ballot for the first time in recent memory… Both Jim Walmsley and Kaci Lickteig were near-unanimous choices, with only two of 39 voters not choosing Walmsley and only one not choosing Lickteig… Walmsley won all the races he entered this year, excepting the now-famous missed turn at mile 93 of the Western States 100 (at which point he had a 60-minute lead). Of the other seven wins, he set course records in five of them…

The “Pixie Ninja” was just as dominant, also winning seven races, three of them outright – beating all the men, too. Her only loss of the 34

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year was taking second at the Lake Sonoma 50, albeit running faster than she had in two previous races there… YiOu Wang will forever be the answer to the trivia contest: who is the only woman to beat Kaci in an ultra during 2016… Similar to most of their races, the real question in UROY voting was who would finish second behind Lickteig and Walmsley. In men’s UROY voting four runners were very tightly bunched for runner-up honors, with Jeff Browning edging out Zach Miller, Ian Sharman and Zach Bitter. Giddy up!… Similarly, in the women’s UROY voting second place was a whopping 300 points behind the winner, with last year’s UROY Magdalena Boulet securing a solid margin over the surging Courtney Dauwalter in third place… Voters were scrambling to re-do their ballots as two of the top three women’s best performances took place on the last weekend of the voting period – two days before ballots were due.

The Best Performance of the Year was Gina

Slaby’s 100-mile world record 13:45:49, set at the Desert Solstice Invitational in Arizona.

Simultaneously, about 1,100 miles of Sonoran Desert to the east, Caroline Boller cruised the groomed trails of Brazos Bend State Park for a 50-mile time of 5:48:01, the fastest all-trail time ever recorded for the distance.

Boller’s race was judged to be the third best performance of the year, with Lickteig’s Western States win in between… Both Slaby and Boller beat previous records held by the legendary Ann Trason… Walmsley also owned the men’s best performance award, with his 5:21:28 course record at the venerable JFK 50 Mile, winning top honors over Zach Bitter’s 100-mile American Record set late last December in the first week of this year’s voting period. Walmsley’s Lake Sonoma 50 course record win got the nod for third place…

As per usual, 55-year-old Meghan Arbogast controlled the women’s age group awards.

Her 7:58:21 world age group best at the IAU World 100K Championships in Spain won

Caroline Boller sets a new American 50-mile record at Brazos Bend 50. [

Myke Hermsmeyer]

YEAR IN REVIEW - 2 016BY TROPICAL JOHN MEDINGER

for most outstanding age group performance and her sixth place at Western States was a strong second… The men’s age group performance of the year was the exact opposite, with six different performances getting strong support from the voters. Ultimately, 51-year-old Rich Hanna’s 3:17:41 at the Jed Smith 50K was the winner, edging Mark Richtman’s Miwok 100K by a mere two votes… There were nine significant Fastest Known Times set during 2016. After significant internal debate, it was decided not to include FKTs in the discussion for best performances of the year, sticking to actual race competitions. But FKTs have captivated us all. Look for a feature on FKTs in the March issue of UR… With more and more of the top US runners racing overseas, the process of winnowing out top runners and performances is even harder now than it has been in the past. Most panelists reported agonizing over the copious data for several

hours…

39 voters from around the country – mostly race directors, but also several ultra media people and a few other sage observers of the sport – participated in the voting this year… Many intelligent and thoughtful ultra-geeks had incredibly varied ballots… Total ultra finishes increased from 85,257 to 88,322 and the number of ultra races increased from 1,411 to 1,473 in 2016 – marking another year of growth for the sport – just like in every year since this publication began tracking ultras in 1981… The profile of that growth was surprising, however, with 50Ks growing 10% and the number of timed events (6-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour) growing over 15%… The number of 50Ks also grew over 15% in 2015 after being flat from 2012 to 2014, and the number of 50-milers, 100Ks and 100-mile races were essentially

flat in 2016 from 2015… Interpreting those sub-trends is the subject of another article, but overall growth continues unabated……

Ultrarunning continues to see strong and growing participation from women, at 33.4%, up from 32.5% in 2015… In other trends, the profile of our sport in our broader society continues to expand as seen in the growing number of films – and film festivals – that capture and celebrate the extraordinary endurance feats of ultrarunners. Articles in mainstream media, including the New York Times, also shined a brighter light on ultrarunning in 2016… Ultrarunning continues to grow and change, but the culture of our sport remains its most enduring asset and provides a strong foundation for continued sustainable growth in 2017 and beyond…

Stay tuned in, and until this time next year, I am outta here…

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THE

VOTES ARE IN 2016 RUNNERS OF THE YEAR – MALE*

2016 RUNNERS OF THE YEAR – FEMALE*

1

Jim Walmsley, 26, Flagstaff, AZ (37)

572

1

Kaci Lickteig, 30, Omaha, NE (38)

582

2

Jeff Browning, 44, Bend, OR (1)

277

2

Magdalena Boulet, 42, Oakland, CA

270

3

Zach Miller, 28, Manitou Springs, CO

272

3

Courtney Dauwalter, 31, Golden, CO

210

4

Ian Sharman, 35, Bend, OR

258

4

Caroline Boller, 43, Solvang, CA

203

5

Zach Bitter, 30, Carmichael, CA (1)

228

5

Devon Yanko, 34, San Anselmo, CA

171

6

Brian Rusiecki, 37, South Deerfield, MA

124

6

Amy Sproston, 42, Bend, OR

139

7

Tim Tollefson, 31, Mammoth Lakes, CA

88

7

Katalin Nagy, 37,Sarasota, FL (1)

131

8

Andrew Miller, 20, Flagstaff, AZ

83

8

Pam Smith, 41, Salem, OR

122

9

Pete Kostelnick, 28, Lincoln, NE

82

9

Darcy Piceu, 41, Boulder, CO

102

68

10 Gina Slaby, 35, Seabeck, WA

82

10 Alex Nichols, 31, Boulder, CO

Also receiving votes: Jason Schlarb, CO, 62; David Laney, OR, 43; Hayden Hawks, UT, 42; David Riddle, OH, 41; Patrick Reagan, GA, 40; Sage Canaday, CO, 39; Christopher Denucci, CA, 38; Dylan Bowman, CA, 34; Cody Reed, AZ, 30; Chikara Omine, CA, 30; Jesse Haynes, CA, 17; Michael Wardian, VA, 16; David Roche, CA, 14; Dakota Jones, CO, 10; Jesse Lang, WA, 10; Paul Terranova, TX, 9; Geoff Burns, MI, 8; Ryan Wiebel, CA, 4; Stephen Wassather, CA, 4; Chase Nowak, MN, 4; Tony Migliozzi, OH, 2; Joe Fejes, GA, 1; Ryan Smith, CO, 1; Chris Mocko, CA, 1; Karl Meltzer, UT, 1.

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – MALE* 1

Also receiving votes: Kathleen Cusick, FL, 62; Hillary Allen, CO, 61; YiOu Wang, CA, 55; Sarah Bard, WA, 52; Alissa St Laurent, AB, 39; Camille Herron, OK, 30; Beverley Anderson-Abbs, CA, 25; Maggie Guterl, PA, 25; Denise Bourassa, OR, 23; Bethany Patterson, VA, 19; Meghan Arbogast, CA, 18; Clare Gallagher, CO, 17; Amanda Basham, CO, 16; Angela Shartel, CA, 15; Alyson Venti, FL, 14; Aliza Lapierre, VT, 12; Megan Roche, CA, 12; Silke Koester, CO, 10; Traci Falbo, IN, 9; Mallory Richard, MB, 4; Jodee Adams-Moore, WA, 4; Cassie Scallon, CO, 3; Manoshri Sykorova, ON, 3; Amy Rusiecki, MA, 2; Ashley Nordell, OR, 2; Sabrina Little, TX, 2; Krissy Moehl, WA, 1; Kelly Wolf, AZ, 1; Jacqueline Merritt, GA, 1.

AGE GROUP PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR – MALE*

Jim Walmsley, JFK 50 Mile, 5:21:28 (20)

191

1

Rich Hanna, 51, Jed Smith 50k, 3:17:41 (5)

75

2

Zach Bitter, Desert Solstice 100 Mile, 11:40:55 (10)

124

2

Mark Richtman, 61, Miwok 100km, 10:10:27 (5)

73

3

Jim Walmsley, Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, 6:00:52 (2)

101

3

David Jones, 65, Tunnel Hill 100 Mile, 17:34:29 (5)

62

4

Zach Miller, The North Face 50 Mile, 5:56:03 (3)

86

4

Scott Mills, 65, Hardrock 100 Mile, 38:42:28 (3)

55

5 Jason Schlarb, Hardrock 100 Mile, 22:58:28 (3)

77

4

Mark Richtman, 61, Way Too Cool 50km, 4:03:05 (3)

55

Also receiving votes: Tony Migliozzi, IAU World 50K, 35; Tim Tollefson, UTMB, 23; Zach Bitter, Javelina 100 Mile (1), 18; Andrew Miller, Western States 100 Mile, 16; Max King, Comrades 54 Mile, 14; Jim Walmsley, Western States 100 Mile, 13; Geoffrey Burns, Mad City 100km, 12; Patrick Reagan, IAU World 100K, 10; Pete Kostelnick, Desert Solstice 24-Hour, 8; Jared Campbell, Barkley 100 Mile, 7; Pete Kostelnick, Badwater 135 Mile, 6; Jim Walmsley, Bandera 100km, 5; Hayden Hawks, The North Face 50 Mile, 4; Ian Sharman, Leadville 100 Mile, 3; Christopher Denucci, American River 50 Mile, 3; Joe Fejes, EMU 6-Day, 3; Chikara Omine, Headlands 100 Mile, 2; Dylan Bowman, Ultra Trail Mt Fuji, 28 Mile, 2; Cody Reed, Tamalpa Headlands 50km, 1; David Riddle, Pinhoti 100 Mile, 1; Chris Vargo, Crown King 50km, 1.

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – FEMALE* 1

Gina Slaby, Desert Solstice 100 Mile, 13:45:49 (22)

208

2

Kaci Lickteig, Western States 100 Mile, 17:57:58 (8)

138

3

Caroline Boller, Brazos Bend 50 Mile, 5:48:01 (7)

128

4

Katalin Nagy, Spartathlon 153 Mile, 25:23:52 (2)

64

5

Meghan Arbogast, IAU World 100K, 7:58:21

26

Also receiving votes: Megan Roche, Tamalpa Headlands 50km, 24; Pam Smith, IAU World 100K, 23; Sarah Bard, Comrades, 18; Pam Smith, Dawn to Dusk 100 Mile, 17; Clare Gallagher, Leadville Trail 100 Mile, 16; YiOu Wang, Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, 15; Sabrina Little, Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, 12; Caroline Boller, Caumsett 50km, 11; Cassie Scallon, Bandera 100km, 10; Maggie Guterl, Brazos Bend 100 Mile, 9; Camille Herron, White River 50 Mile, 8; Kaci Lickteig, Bear 100 Mile, 6; Hillary Allen, Cortina Trail 29 Mile, 6; Mallory Richard, Superior 100 Mile, 6; Darcy Piceu, Wasatch Front 100 Mile, 5; Pam Smith, Spartathlon, 3; Darcy Piceu, Bigfoot 120 Mile, 3; Camille Herron, UROC 100km, 3; Alyson Venti, Badwater, 3; Devon Yanko, American River 50 Mile, 3; Ashley Nordell, Bighorn 100 Mile, 3; Manoshri Sykorova, Sri Chinmoy 10-day, 2; Jodee Adams-Moore, Gorge Waterfalls 100km, 2; Magdalena Boulet, Canyons 100km, 2; Alyson Venti, Keys 100 Mile, 2; Magdalena Boulet, UTMB 105 Mile, 2; Jenny Hoffman, North Coast 24-hour, 1; Jacqueline Merritt, Pinhoti 100 Mile, 1.

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Also receiving votes: Jay Aldous, UTMB (4), 40; Tony Cerminaro, JFK 50 Mile, 38; Bill Dodson, Jed Smith 50km (1), 30; Jean Pommier, Caumsett 50km, 27; Hal Winton, Avalon 50 Mile (3), 26; Ian Maddieson, Umstead 100 Mile (1), 24; Bill Dodson, Ruth Anderson 50km (1), 20; Jay Aldous, Desert Solstice 100 Mile (2), 20; Roger Jensen, JFK 50 (1), 18; Bill Dodson, Run for the Ages (1), 16; Zeke Zucker, Caumset 50km, 16; Ed Ettinghausen Beyond Limits 72-hour (1), 14; Mark Richtman, Desert Solstice 50km (2), 14; Ed Ettinghausen, Sri Chinmoy 10-day (1), 13; Hans Schmid, Tamalpa Headlands 50km, 9; David Jones, Badwater, 8; Jean Pommier, Ruth Anderson 50 Mile, 8; Roy Pirrung, Door County 50 Mile, 8; Joe Fejes, EMU 6-day, 8; Wally Hesseltine, Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, 7; Wally Hesseltine, Miwok 100km, 4; Frank Probst, Bull Run Run 50 Miles, 3; Jim Becker, JFK 50 Mile, 2; Hans Schmid, Quad Dipsea 28 Mile, 1.

AGE GROUP PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR – FEMALE* 1 Meghan Arbogast, 55, IAU World 100km, 7:58:21 (22)

209

2 Meghan Arbogast, 55, Western States 100 Mile, 20:30:11 (11) 157 3 Gunhild Swanson, 71, Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, 12:18:21

45

4 Gunhild Swanson, 71, Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, 28:22:39

42

5 Roxanne Woodhouse, 53, Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile, 23:38:07

36

Also receiving votes: Collen DeReuck, Comrades (2), 26; Patricia Devita, Leona Divide 50km (1), 21; Beverley Anderson-Abbs, San Diego 100 Mile, 19; Eldrith Gosney, Headlands 50 Mile, 18; Beverley Anderson-Abbs, Jed Smith 50km, 18; Rita Johnson, Bryce 100 Mile, 16; Sally Brooking, SweetH2O 50km, 15; Meghan Arbogast, Marathon des Sables 155 Mile Stage Race (1), 11; Connie Gardner, Mohican 100 Mile, 11; Gunhild Swanson, Miwok 100km, 9; Roxanne Woodhouse, Tahoe 200 Mile, 8; Debra Horn, Across the Years 48-hour, 8; Colleen DeReuck, Two Oceans 35 Mile, 5; Betty Wagner, McKenzie River 50km, 4; Geri Howland, Way Too Cool 50km, 3; Sally Brooking, Upchuck 50km, 3; Carolyn Showalter, JFK 50 Mile, 2; Yolanda Holder, Sri Chinmoy 10-day, 2; Anita Ortiz, Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, 2.

First-place votes in parentheses

*

PREVIOUS UROY WINNERS 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981

Kaci Lickteig Magdalena Boulet Ellie Greenwood Michele Yates Ellie Greenwood Ellie Greenwood Tracy Garneau Kami Semick Kami Semick Nikki Kimball Anne Lundblad Anne Lundblad Nikki Kimball Nikki Kimball Ann Heaslett Ann Trason Deb Bolig Daniele Cherniak Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Ann Trason Mary Hanudel Sandra Kiddy Sandra Kiddy Donna Hudson Janis Klecker Marcy Schwam Marcy Schwam

Jim Walmsley David Laney Rob Krar Rob Krar Mike Morton Dave Mackey Geoff Roes Geoff Roes Jorge Pacheco Scott Jurek Karl Meltzer Scott Jurek Scott Jurek Scott Jurek Chad Ricklefs Rich Hanna Dan Held Mark Godale Kevin Setnes Tom Johnson Tom Johnson Tom Johnson Tom Johnson Kevin Setnes Eric Clifton Andy Jones Andy Jones Sean Crom Stefan Fekner Charlie Trayer Chuck Jones Stu Mittleman Bernd Heinrich Bernd Heinrich Stu Mittleman Bernd Heinrich

Jeff Browning opens up on a downhill on his way to the win at Freestate 100k. [

Rick Mayo/Mile 90 Photography]

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FEMALE ULTRARUNNER OF THE YEAR

UR: Congratulations on a fantastic year of ultra racing, how does it feel to be Ultrarunner of the Year?

To be named Ultrarunner of the Year is such an honor and privilege. It feels surreal to me as I never would have dreamed I would be named UROY among all the people who I have looked up to and aspired to be like in this sport.

UR: What stands out most from 2016?

My most satisfying performance this past year had to have been winning Western States. That race means so much to me. I had a phenomenal day where everything went right to allow me to run one of the best races, if not the best race, in my life.

UR: You make it look so easy, but can you share some of your challenges over the past year?

I can attest that it isn’t always easy. I have had several challenges starting with my injury (calf/achilles) back in February which forced me to take time off. That was all my fault too. I wasn’t following my training plan and kept pushing my body until it said: “no more.”

At that same time I was feeling exhausted and found out I had severe anemia too. I stopped running and found myself in the gym doing cross training and weights. It wasn’t fun at first, but it got me back to being healthy. I did activities that were pain-free, in order to not aggravate my injury worse and cause a further set back. I got down on myself at first, but decided that I wasn’t going to let this injury get the best of me. I found peace within myself once I accepted my injury. I looked at the bright side and found non-running activities that I could do to make me stronger altogether.

Kaci Licktieg just after her Western States 100 win. [ Melissa Ruse/ SweetM Images]

KACI LICKTEIG

Also, the silverlining was that by cross training and taking time off from running, it would allow my iron stores to increase.

Another helpful measure was having my running partner, Miguel Ordorica, turn into my cross-training partner. It helped me tremendously to have someone to go to the gym with. I can’t ask for a better friend and training partner than him. He saved me through this process of getting my feet back under me.

UR: What was the high point for you this past year?

Oh boy, this is a very tough question to answer. I had so many high points it’s hard to just pick one. I will nail it down to two that stick out the most. The first one is obviously winning Western States, which was a dream come true for me. The other was running The Bear, with the crazy weather and constant course changes. However, I had the best team of friends help me through The Bear, which I could have never have done without them – Roch Horton and Cat, Miguel Ordorica and Zach Miller.

UR: Can you share some of the keys to your success in ultrarunning?

Three keys to my success would have to be consistent training, meaning staying injury free. Choosing goals that I really want and put my whole heart and soul into attaining.

And being happy! I am a person who doesn’t like to be sad or angry, so finding ways to keep my life in balance keeps me running happy and healthy.

UR: What is a typical training week like for you?

A typical training week includes running several different types of runs. That means I will have some days as endurance runs (1:45 to 2+ hours at an easy pace), recovery runs (1:15 to 1:20), steady state runs (30-45 minutes of higher intensity paces within a 1:45 to 2+ hour run) or tempo runs (3x10 minutes at high intensity with half rest for 1:45 to 2+ hours), long runs (3 to 5 hours), and a rest day. I will run on average 95 to 105 miles per week in 12 to 14 total hours of running and about 3,000 to 5,000 feet of vertical.

UR: Do you do cross-training or strength-training or other non-running activities?

I honestly don’t cross-train or strength-train. If I do anything besides running it is walking my two dogs for 2-4 miles.

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UR: What is your diet like – anything new or unique in your approach?

My diet consists of everything and anything, meaning I don’t follow any diets. I eat healthy, but not overboard to where I limit food groups or foods in that manner.

UR: What role does your coach play in your success?

Jason Koop is my coach and he plays a significant role in my success. He brought me from being a mediocre ultrarunner to a UROY. I have worked with him since February of 2014. Since then, we have collaborated together to find the right type of training that works best for me. He has been so vital in my success and achieving my goals. I am so grateful for his guidance and assurance.

UR: What advice would you give others?

My advice is to stay positive and focused on the goal. Try not to overwhelm yourself setting too many big goals at once. Set a primary goal to work towards, then take it day by day. Make small goals each day that you can accomplish leading up to the big goal.

When you look back and see your success each day leading up to your goal event/challenge, it should give you a lot of confidence and help you perform the best you can. And never think a goal is too big or too small... reach for the stars and make your dreams come true!

UR: What are your racing plans for 2017?

My racing plans for 2017 will be in a similar format as in the past. I will start off having a couple 50K to 50-mile races, a marathon and small road races in preparation for the 44th Annual Western States Endurance Run. Western States will be a primary goal race for me, as I love that race so much. I have then decided that I am going to run my first international race this year. I have been given the opportunity to run UTMB and I have decided that I want to give it a shot.

I am really looking forward to racing this challenging run and competing against the best in the world. It will be interesting to me to see how I do coming from the flatlands... but like I said before, I like to dream big.

UR: What is on your longer-term bucket list?

My long-term bucket list at this time includes running Hardrock 100.

UR: What is your favorite ultra?

Hands down, my favorite ultra is Western States. I have grown to love that race more and more each year. I love it because of the people, who make this race unforgettable.

And I absolutely love the course too.

UR: What new ultra do you most want to try?

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For now, Hardrock 100 and UTMB. I look forward to taking on new challenges and getting out of my comfort zone.

UR: Can you describe your past running and what prepared you for such success?

I started running back as a junior in high school. I was a back of the packer then. I remember having to walk-run during cross country races in order to finish. However, when I would cross that finish line it felt so rewarding (regardless of place).

In addition, at that time my mom had just recently quit smoking and picked up running as a hobby. She would take me to the gym or to a one-mile paved bike path with her to run/walk. I soon found running to be a passion and something that she and I could do together. I still remember having so much trouble keeping up with her and I made it a goal of mine to work up to running as fast as she could. I wanted to be like my mom because she has always inspired me. Then one goal led to another which led to another and I was hooked on running!

I continued my running path during college as a walk on for the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK). I competed for two years at the Division II. Once I graduated from UNK in 2008 I moved to Omaha for Grad School. I started running road races and marathons. I met a friend and also physical therapist, Christy Nielsen, who had qualified for the Olympic Trials in the marathon twice. She inspired me to work towards that goal for 2012. I ran several marathons trying to work my way down to the 2:46 Olympic ‘B’ standard qualifying time for 2012. I had one last shot at the California International Marathon held in December 2011. I put my whole heart into that race and finished with a personal best time of 2:44:14. I made a dream come true to be able to run at the Olympic Trials in January.

After that my friends talked me into my first trail ultra in February of 2012. It was the Psycho-Wyco 50K located in Kansas. I cannot tell you how much fun I had running that race. It was that race that hooked me. I found myself in love with the ultra community and trails. That is where my ultra story started.

I have literally worked my butt off to get to where I am today. I was not blessed with talent or good ‘genes,’ my success has been from determination, perseverance and an inner drive to work hard towards my goals.

UR: Your nickname is the Pixie Ninja. Who gave you that nickname? Do you like it?

My friends made that nickname up for me. They have said on the trails I look like a pixie dancing, and on the roads I am like a ninja flying. I do like it as it is unique and fits me well.

UR: You must have an intense fire burning deep inside you – is that the case?

My inner drive is strong. I am very goal driven and I feel the need to set goals. Once I set a goal I will work as hard as I can to achieve it. If that means failing several times in the process. I don’t let failure set me back, rather I let it fuel my fire more and learn. I am very stubborn, as my grandma would say.

Western States means so much to me. I had a phenomenal day where everything went right to allow me to run one of the best races, if not the best race, in my life.

UR: Can you share a time when you hit a deep low in a race?

The biggest low I remember hitting in a race was during my first Western States (2014). I blew out my quads/hip flexors by mile 40 and was forced to walk any downhills thereafter. I overcompensated and ended up causing severe bursitis in my opposite hip. I got to Foresthill ready to be done. I was so sad and mad at myself when I got to my pacer, Miguel. I felt like I let him down and everyone else who had been following me. Miguel helped talk me into continuing and taking it one aid station at a time. I didn’t want to stop, that is not in my character. So, we walked and ran only short areas. I remember coming into Cal-2 aid station and seeing Nick Clark sitting in a chair having a bad day too. I chatted with him and his pacer Jacob and we made a pact to continue together. We were both in the pain cave, but misery loves company. We made our way up the 6-minute hill (more like 15-minute hill) and decided that no matter what, we were going to finish. We fist-bumped and that was where I decided I would not quit no matter how painful it was going to be. I struggled the remainder of that race, but found my way to the track and finished. It was the hardest race I have ever done. If it wasn’t for a great pacer, coach and that pact with Nick, I would have never finished.

UR: How did you decide to become a physical therapist? Does your practice enhance or otherwise aid your running?

I decided to become a physical therapist because I have always loved exercise and physical activity. I worked in a gym during college

and helped as an assistant personal trainer. I loved seeing people get stronger and achieve goals. I also wanted to do something in the medical field and discovered that physical therapy was similar to a personal trainer.

After shadowing a few physical therapists I discovered that is what I wanted to do.

I believe being a physical therapist helps me understand my body and know when something is an injury versus soreness or normal training adaptations. I have the knowledge to know when to stop or when to continue, unless I get too stubborn and that leads to injury.

UR: What do you like most about the sport?

What I like most about ultrarunning is the people who are involved in it. The people are what make this sport special. I have met so many people because of ultrarunning that I admire and aspire to be like. This sport has made me a better person. I also like that you have to put in the work to get what you want.

That makes accomplishing goals that much more rewarding.

UR: What is it like to be an ultrarunner based in the Midwest?

Being an ultrarunner based in the Midwest can be challenging yet rewarding.

We get to train in the four seasons, some of them being more brutal than others. We may not have the mountains or oceans, but we have hills and they can be just as hard to run on as the mountains. We have beautiful landscapes to explore. For example, the great plains and sandhills, the loess hills, the pastures and farmlands. Honestly, who doesn’t love being able to go out and run in the open roads/trails and feel free. It’s really how you look at the big picture, you can find happiness wherever you are.

UR: How is the ultra scene and community different there?

The ultra scene and community here in the Midwest is like the others, where we are close-knit and welcoming. We believe that everyone belongs if they have that passion and love towards the sport. We are always looking out for each other and you can always feel support from everyone.

UR: How have you seen the sport change in the past four years?

I’ve seen the sport grow in the past four years. It’s become more mainstream than in the past. More media and attention has been brought to the sport.

Read the rest of UR: What other ultraKaci’s interview at runner(s) do you admire urmag.me/kaci16 most?

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MALE ULTRARUNNER OF THE YEAR

UR: Congratulations on what was an epic year of ultrarunning. How does it feel to be UROY? It’s weird because you can’t make a goal of UROY. You may keep it in mind as you put together a schedule for the year and things keep coming together on race day throughout the year, but it’s not a very objective goal.

What makes this award special, however, is that the voters are the most informed, connected and respected people in the sport of ultrarunning. They decide. It’s a byproduct of hard work over a whole year and peers recognizing your whole season. That means a lot to me.

UR: Can you talk about how you planned for the year and how things unfolded – was it all part of a master plan?

This year started to take form leading into JFK 2015. I had the idea to turn around training quickly after that race, train through winter, and try to take advantage of a winter race like Bandera where not everyone is training hard that time of year. Bandera was such a huge step forward for me. Then Lake Sonoma. Then Western States. And I’ve felt dialed in since then. I’d get in a good training block, stay healthy and show up on race day.

I’ve been so fortunate for my health this year.

Everything in ultrarunning is still so new to me. It makes everything so enjoyable.

UR: What did you learn about yourself along the way, what adjustments did you make?

A big takeaway early this year was how much of an eating contest ultras are. I don’t mean sitting around and picking at the

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M&M’s at the aid stations, but slamming calories while you’re still running, getting in calories with your fluids. It’s an eat or be eaten type of mindset that started working for me. I started feeling more fresh and stronger late in races and saw I was getting an advantage more than I ever have late in races.

UR: What surprised you most during the year?

I got nervous before all of my races this year. Then I was always so surprised how well the outcome turned out. I always need to remind myself that I have put in a good training block and to just go run on race day.

The whole process of training, tapering and being tough on race day was consistently working out. I keep gaining more and more confidence with each race.

UR: What was the high point of your year?

It’s been a pretty darn good year. Lake Sonoma was really the first high point. I have a picture hugging my mom right after I finished and I was just bawling (crying). I wanted to run so hard and be tough that day.

I had no idea what time I was on pace for. It just all came together beautifully that day. It felt like the first national, big breakthrough for me with a solid course record.

John Medinger was so nice to me, along with also trying to help out my brand new, fresh to the ultra-scene, at the time, friends, Tim Freriks and Cody

Reed. That day felt like the sky was the limit for us all. Tim broke out in a 6:17, top 10 time on that course in his first ever ultra-trail race, and Cody walked away pumped to get into the sport after crewing us that day.

UR: What was your favorite race of the year?

Western States was my favorite race by far this year. It was my best day of running in my life. I experienced a beautiful rush of emotions that day, and it all ended up crashing down in flames in an instant. But that enabled me to appreciate every step of the way to the finish line after that with all of my friends and family. Best day of my life.

I learned so much about myself that day. So much about my strengths and weaknesses.

In my opinion, that day will make me just about unbeatable in 2017 at Western States. I hope every ultrarunner that wants a claim at being the best, races Western States next year.

I feel like it’s my home court advantage now.

I know what I’m capable of on the Western States course now.

UR: How do you like to celebrate a race win?

I like celebrating a win by walking through the finish line. I don’t think ultras should be sprint finishes. Break each other earlier if you want a fight. Enjoy the journey Jim Walmsley flying down the trail early at Western States. [

Myke Hermsmeyer]

and treasure your last steps of that journey across the line. It’s elegant and a good way to let it all soak in.

UR: How does the FKT compare to the races?

The Grand Canyon FKTs are so awesome.

So many people relate to the Canyon. Being from Flagstaff, that’s the ultimate test for us.

It’s on every trail runner’s mind in Flagstaff.

UR: What was the hardest race of the year?

Western States was the hardest race of the year for me. I wanted to win so badly. Just pushing so hard for so long, I was completely dialed to make that race hurt more than anything. So it hurt the most physically. But it also left me completely crushed as well after faltering so late in the race. There was a lot to take in that day!

UR: Can you describe that more for us?

I just fell in love with Western States – the race, the community, the history and the idea of winning it – it’s the biggest treasure in the sport.

UR: You put so much into it and executed f lawlessly, until going off course. How did you deal with that disappointment? How hard was it to still finish the race?

When I realized, I was 100% off course, did not go the right way, no doubt, I was crushed. It’s hard to convince yourself to turn around in that situation. I just took a deep breath and sat down on Hwy 49. I just said to myself, “This sucks, I’m going to take a break now.” I knew I had such a great run up to that point. I was just so disappointed that I let it slip away. I felt like I had led for 93 miles at course-record pace, only to drag along 2-4 other guys stalking me all day who would now run incredible times. I thought everyone was still on my heels all day.

Without the thoughts of my family and friends waiting for me to still finish, I was devastated and alone. But the volunteers from Hwy 49 came down to support and encourage me. They pointed me back in the right direction, without them I don’t know if I could’ve finished that race on my own will power at that point. I drew a lot of encouragement from everyone else at that point.

UR: What did you learn from that experience?

I learned I can handle the heat extremely well. I’m from Phoenix, born and raised in the heat. I have to embrace that ability. I learned I can eat a ton when I need to. And I learned that I show up when it counts.

Lastly, so many people made an effort to console me in the aftermath that I learned just how deep and genuine all the support is. I’m surrounded by it in Flagstaff, close to home in Phoenix, with friends, family and mentors. It also felt like the entire ultrarunning community was offering support. I’ve found a good place for me.

UR: How does that experience make you feel about Western States in the future?

I want that course record. I want to run a time that people won’t even try to go for it.

It makes me so hungry and so focused for 2017. I want to target 14 hours flat next year and I’m going to put together a training plan to attack that time.

UR: That is bold. And exciting. How did you balance training, racing and recovering to race again last year?

I took time to throw in a little taper before races and I took time to have active recovery after races. Counting the before and after races, I was getting in a lot of downtime. The key was focusing on longer weeks or blocks of training for events, then staying in active recovery and not going backwards during breaks. I gave my body time. Sometimes I got back into volume a little quick, but intensity would lag in those cases before adding everything back together. There’s always another race.

I want that course record. I want to run a time that people won’t even try to go for it. It makes me so hungry and so focused for 2017.

UR: If you could change anything about 2016 – what would it be?

I don’t think I could have scripted 2016 much better. I loved every moment of the journey.

UR: You did your first ultra in 2014 and had some great races in 2015, but then you really exploded on the scene in 2016. What was your background in running?

I was a state champ in high school in Arizona. I ran D1 college at the Air Force Academy where I was All-American in the steeplechase. I ran more miles in high school than I did in college. I took time off from running competitively after graduating college in 2012 while I was active duty Air Force. In 2015, I got out of the Air Force, decided to move to Flagstaff, and give ultratrail running a real go. I wanted to see how much I could push myself. 2016 was a good step forward, but there’s more.

UR: Did you do other sports in your youth?

I grew up playing competitive soccer until I was about 16. I loved playing soccer, but went cold turkey on it when I decided to switch to running. It was hard to walk

away from soccer, I had dreams of playing at the highest levels. I enjoyed the friends I made on cross country in high school and that turned out to be most valuable to me.

UR: Were there signs that you were an elite athlete before you got into ultrarunning?

I’ve done alright in running through high school and college. Ultrarunning is still running and I’m a very good trail runner. I’ll take a techy downhill any day!

UR: How did you choose the Air Force Academy for college? How was your collegiate running career?

I always thought an academy was something I would like with the structure and discipline at the school. I wasn’t drawn to the military side of things, just that I could do it and it wouldn’t be a big deal. I really fell in love with the head cross country coach at USAFA, John Hayes, when I was getting recruited. I could tell he would load the miles on me, try to break me, see how much I could take and he believed in me. I think we were both excited that I could make an impact on the NCAA level. But for lots of personal reasons, John took a job offer at University of Texas a month or two into my freshman year at the Academy.

We didn’t have a new head coach take over until December for indoor track, Juli Benson. If I didn’t love Juli as a coach, I wouldn’t have made it through the Academy.

She ran the 800m and 1500m, making the 1996 Olympic team in the 1500m. She writes these incredible workouts and knows how to get a lot out of people, but we’d crash frequently over mileage and adding volume.

I was always trying to argue for more volume, but she had the foresight to see we didn’t go to a normal college and there were too many other stresses in life to add much more mileage. My senior year, I was typically running 80-90 miles per week but crushing some big workouts at 7,000 ft. I learned so much from Juli and she’s a huge reason I have been able to grow as a post-collegiate runner.

It just happens to be that I have done that growth on the trails, not the track. I’m optimistic I could do very well on the track or roads if I was still doing that, but I realize, I enjoy what I’m doing now in ultra trail stuff and I love the people I’m surrounded by now.

I won’t be going back to the track to try to prove anything to myself.

UR: After graduating you worked with nuclear missiles – can you describe that and Read the rest of how it prepared you for Jim’s interview at urmag.me/jim16 ultrarunning?

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2016 TOP FINISHERS

Winners of the Biggest North American Ultras 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

42

RACE Way Too Cool 50K, Cool, CA JFK 50M, Boonsboro, MD TNF - CA 50M, Marin, CA American River 50M, Folsom, CA TNF - CA 50K, Marin, CA TNF - NY 50K, Bear Mountain, NY Rachel Carson 34M, Pittsburgh, PA Run the Rut 50K, Big Sky, MT TNF - DC 50K, Sterling, VA Silver Rush 50 50M, Leadville, CO The HUFF 50K, Albion, IN NYRR NYC 60K, Manhattan, NY Leadville 100M, Leadville, CO Tunnel Hill 50M, Vienna, IL HAT Run 50K, Havre de Grace, MD TNF - NY 50M, Bear Mountain, NY Dirty 30 50K, Black Hawk, CO Blues Cruise 50K, Reading, PA Promise Land 50K, Lynchburg, VA Lake Sonoma 50M, Healdsburg, CA Howl at the Moon 8H, Danville, IL Ice Age 50M, La Grange, WI Chuckanut 50K, Fairhaven, WA Miwok 100K, Stinson Beach, CA Moab Red Hot 55K, Moab, UT Squamish 50K, Squamish, BC Javelina Jundred 100M, Fountain Hills, AZ Western States 100M, Squaw Valley, CA Quad Dipsea 28.4M, Mill Valley, CA Minnesota Voyageur 50M, Carlton, MN Squaw Peak 50M, Provo, UT White River 50M, Crystal Mountain, WA Gorge Waterfalls 50K, Cascade Locks, OR Hyner Trail Challenge 50K, Hyner, PA Bull Run Run 50M, Clifton, VA Mountain Mist 50K, Huntsville, AL Vermont 100M, West Windsor, VT StumpJump 50K, Chattanooga, TN Bulldog 50K, Calabasas, CA Leona Divide 50K, Lake Hughes, CA TNF - WI 50K, Eagle, WI Pineland Farms 50K, New Gloucester, ME Seashore 50K, Virginia Beach, VA Rocky Raccoon 100M, Huntsville, TX Orcas Island 50K, Orcas Island, WA TNF - DC 50M, Sterling, VA McDonald Forest 50K, Corvalis, OR Bandera 100K, Bandera, TX Tamalpa Headlands 50K, Muir Beach, CA Bighorn 32M, Dayton, WY Antelope Canyon Ultras 50K, Page, AZ The Canyons 100K, Foresthill, CA Holiday Lake 50K, Appomattox, VA Gorge Waterfalls 100K, Cascade Locks, WA Born to Run 30M, Los Olivos, CA Virginia Run for Cancer 24H, Hampton, VA Vermont 50K, Brownsville, VT Patapsco Valley 50K, Baltimore, MD Wasatch Front 100M, Kaysville, UT Rio Del Lago 100M, Granite Bay, CA Speedgoat 50K, Snowbird Resort, UT Antelope Canyon 50M, Page, AZ Stone Mill 50M, Montgomery Village, MD Salmon Falls 50K, Pilot Hill, CA Mountain Masochist 50M, Lynchburg, VA Afton Trail 50K, Hastings, MN Ice Age 50K, La Grange, WI Knee Knackering 30M, North Vancouver, BC Noble Canyon 50K, Pine Valley, CA Siskiyou Outback 50K, Ashland, OR Devil’s Lake 50K, Merrimac, WI Bandera 50K, Bandera, TX Run Rabbit Run 100M, Steamboat Springs, CO OTHTC High Desert 50K, Ridgecrest, CA Avalon Benefit 50M, Avalon, CA Squamish 50M, Squamish, BC Smith Rock Ascent 50K, Terrebonne, OR Never Summer 100K, Gould, CO Volcanic 50K, Cougar, WA Hallucination 50K, Pinckney, MI

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MEN'S WINNER David Roche, 27 CA Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ Zachary Miller, 28 CO Christopher Denucci, 36 CA Cole Watson, 25 OR Samuel Gray, 20 NH Mark Egge, 29 PA Cristofer Clemente Mora, 30 ER Adam Dohm, 33 MN Alex Lopez, 21 CO James Fisher, 24 ID Carlo Agostinetto, 36 NY Ian Sharman, 35 OR Coree Woltering, 26 IL Michael Daigeaun, 36 PA Ryan Atkins, 28 ON Chris Vargo, 34 AZ Michael Dixon, 33 NJ Darren Thomas, 22 VA Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ Aaron Churchill, 41 IL Chase Nowak, 27 MN Ryan Bak, 34 OR Cody Reed, 24 AZ Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ Brendan Trimboli, 28 CO Zach Bitter, 30 CA Andrew Miller, 20 OR David Roche, 28 CA Michael Borst, 23 WI Mark Hammond, 31 UT Olin Berger, 31 WA Ian Sharman, 35 OR Michael Daigeaun, 36 PA Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA Matt Flaherty, 30 IN Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA Marcus Faudi, 41 TN Oswaldo Hurtado, 42 CA Christopher Kollar, 30 CA Anthony Hoff, 31 MN Erik Hinrichsen, 27 MA Danny Tepovitch, 36 VA Ian Sharman, 35 OR Masazumi Fujioka, 44 WA Kyle Pietari, 29 MA Scott Williams, 37 NC Jim Walmsley, 25 AZ Cody Reed, 25 AZ Dylan Zitzer, 27 MT Justin Ricks, 36 CO Paddy O’Leary, 28 CA Aaron Saft, 38 NC Rui Ueda, 22 JPN Brian Gillis, 28 CA Steve Speirs, 49 VA Daniel Princic, 36 MA David McKay, 29 DC Trevor Fuchs, 35 UT Mark Hammond, 31 UT Hayden Hawks, 25 UT Hironori Tasaka, 30 JPN William Kuper, 36 VA Greg Bricca, 46 CA Clark Messman, 21 CA Kurt Keiser, 42 MN Brian Condon, 29 CO Aaron Heidt, 40 BC Fernando Blanco, 37 CA Eric Ghelfi, 24 OR Jesse Wesolowski, 25 CO Ross Salinas, 35 IA Alex Nichols, 30 CO Oswaldo Hurtado, 42 CA Jorge Pacheco, 48 CA Dakota Jones, 25 CO Rob Russell, 38 OR Gabe Joyes, 30 WY Adam Airoldi, 31 OR Samuel Darling, 39 MI

TIME 3:19:43 5:21:29 5:56:03 6:00:41 3:48:32 3:59:39 6:20:13 3:51:53 3:53:49 7:05:04 3:30:09 3:57:41 16:22:39 5:30:15 3:54:36 7:09:16 4:30:48 3:44:12 4:40:47 6:00:52 54.14 6:36:45 3:38:17 9:04:32 3:49:20 5:12:45 13:30:28 15:39:36 4:11:33 6:47:23 8:06:17 7:06:48 4:28:05 4:32:12 6:40:31 4:10:19 15:47:11 5:13:31 3:36:52 3:53:03 3:30:20 3:43:16 3:27:30 13:45:03 4:22:00 6:52:14 4:06:02 7:46:37 3:43:51 4:16:39 4:32:45 9:35:39 3:50:38 9:09:37 3:19:46 135 4:47:29 3:57:12 21:13:58 15:33:28 5:25:04 7:32:53 7:19:13 4:06:58 7:08:05 3:44:27 3:54:53 5:01:10 4:20:55 3:41:51 3:56:46 4:25:45 17:57:33 3:24:29 6:33:15 7:31:09 3:58:32 12:29:21 5:38:57 4:30:31

WOMEN'S WINNER Megan Roche, 25 CA Leah Frost, 33 VT Ida Nilsson, 35 SWE Devon Yanko, 33 CA Abby Levene, 25 CO Samantha Creath, 25 NY Meredith Colaizzi, 39 PA Ida Nilsson, 35 SWE Laura Kline, 38 NY Maggie Walsh, 34 CO Elaine Schmeltz, 23 IN Julie Kheyfets, 28 NY Clare Gallagher, 24 CO Janet Shaw, 36 OH Megan Digregorio, 27 MD Heather Hoechst, 36 NM Alicia Shay, 33 AZ Justyna Wilson, 41 PA Bethany Patterson, 37 VA Yiou Wang, 31 CA Patricia Schaefer, 34 IL Larisa Dannis, 28 CA Ellie Greenwood, 37 BC Aliza Lapierre, 35 VT Brittany Goicoechea, 29 ID Anna Frost, 34 FRA Dana Anderson, 33 UT Kaci Lickteig, 29 NE Angela Shartel, 42 CA Stacey Buckley, 40 NE Jackie Achter, 37 UT Camille Herron, 34 MI Summer Cano, 23 OR Rebecca Lewandowski, 30 MD Amy Rusiecki, 36 MA Alicia Rich, 29 IN Gina Slaby, 35 WA Emily Ansick, 32 AL Rachel Ragona, 33 CA Diona Fulton, 36 CA Rhandi Orme, 33 IN Victoria Macias, 27 MA Amy Ostrofe, 29 VA Sabrina Little, 29 TX Holland Gidney, 37 BC Helene Michaux, 31 QC Darla Askew, 43 OR Cassie Scallon, 33 CA Megan Roche, 26 CA Danielle Turk-Bly, 32 ND Emma Horton, 25 MT Magdalena Boulet, 42 CA Sarah Schubert, 27 VA Jodee Adams-Moore, 33 WA Claire Mellein, 33 CA Christina Sumner, 30 VA Hilary McCloy, 33 NH Megan Digregorio, 28 MD Darcy Piceu, 41 CO Cat Bradley, 22 CO Abby Rideout, 36 UT Melissa Beaury, 30 UT Mary Beth Strickler, 42 MD Sally McRae, 36 CA Aliza Lapierre, 36 VT Annika Hempel, 20 WI Emily Renner, 26 MN Darbykai Standrick, BC Cara Pozun, 29 CA Molly Schmelzle, 36 OR Rhandi Orme, 33 IN Regina Kaplan-Rakowski, 41 TX Courtney Dauwalter, 30 CO Emma Delira, 29 CA Heidi Schuette, 41 ID Hannah Green, 25 CO Joelle Vaught, 41 ID Alyson Kirk, 33 CO Paige Pattillo, 28 WA Shannon Sumera, 38 ON

TIME 3:42:24 6:23:40 6:59:49 7:10:31 4:48:27 4:53:09 8:21:44 4:27:29 4:36:27 7:52:38 3:54:51 5:13:55 19:00:27 8:04:17 4:19:20 8:48:36 5:30:37 4:18:48 5:26:22 7:14:45 51.35 7:05:56 4:11:58 10:25:19 4:45:28 5:41:10 21:03:13 17:57:59 5:30:12 9:12:51 10:36:13 7:36:42 5:21:15 5:10:12 8:24:43 5:27:24 18:05:42 6:01:59 4:25:09 4:37:34 4:43:59 4:23:21 3:50:33 14:55:50 5:14:41 7:59:57 4:55:07 9:19:46 4:20:51 5:19:37 6:33:43 10:58:03 4:29:11 10:27:58 3:47:14 111 5:07:41 4:55:17 23:15:25 18:48:07 6:50:41 8:51:20 8:57:15 4:42:57 8:19:37 4:37:14 4:24:30 5:29:55 5:35:38 4:32:21 4:54:00 5:40:08 21:23:37 4:37:33 7:36:03 9:05:15 4:16:05 15:46:43 6:25:03 5:43:53

FINISHERS 818 753 537 524 507 465 452 402 394 384 378 366 340 333 330 329 314 308 304 304 298 297 295 289 289 287 284 280 275 271 264 262 261 258 258 257 256 252 252 250 246 245 243 241 237 233 232 231 231 228 223 221 220 219 218 217 217 214 213 213 213 212 211 211 210 209 209 207 206 204 204 203 203 201 197 195 193 192 192 191

Ultrakiss – husband and wife, David and Megan Roche, give each other a good luck kiss – and a darn good one apparently as they both won the sport’s largest race of the year. [ Keith Facchino]

RACE

MEN'S WINNER

TIME

TIME

FINISHERS

Bryan Morseman, 30 NY

3:01:44

Elizabeth Northern, 28 TX

3:21:30

190

Monument Valley 50K, Monument Valley, AZ

Mark Hammond, 30 UT

4:09:14 Cait Morgan, 32 UT

5:38:03

190

83

Silver Falls 50K, Silverton, OR

Justin James-Long, 38 OR

4:08:38 Felice Kelly, 36 OR

4:49:27

190

84

Deception Pass 50K, Oak Harbor, WA Adam Lint, 33 WA

4:23:36 Annie Hewlett, 33 WA

4:53:26

190

85

Marin Ultra Challenge 50K, Sausalito, CA

Alex Ho, 32 CA

4:01:37 Emily Peterson, 29 CA

4:23:30

190

86 87

Brazos Bend 50K, Needville, TX Lake Hodges 50K, San Diego, CA

Calum Neff, 31 TX Pablo Salmeron, 24 CA

3:10:26 Victoria Webster, 31 TX 4:10:48 Pamela Keller, 29 CA

4:12:54 5:14:01

189 189

88

Crown King Scramble 50K, Phoenix, AZ

Chris Vargo, 34 AZ

3:47:15 Alicia Shay, 33 AZ

4:34:27

186

89

Run Under the Stars 10H, Paducah, KY

Olaf Wasternack, 36 TN

90 91 92 93

TNF - WI 50M, Eagle, WI Vermont 50 50M, Brownsville, VT Black Canyon Trail 100K, Mayer, AZ Antelope Island 50K, Syracuse, UT

Scott Gall, 42 IA Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA Sage Canaday, 30 CO Eric Ellis, 32 UT

94

Oregon Coast 50K, Yachats, OR

Rod Bien, 44 OR

95

Niagara Ultra 50K, Niagara On The Lake, ON

John McAlister, 42 ON

96 97 98

Grindstone 100M, Swoope, VA Adam Watkins, 36 DC Table Rock Ultras 50K, Morganton, NC Gavin Coombs, 30 NC Franklin Mountains 50K, El Paso, TX Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ

99

McKenzie River 50K, Blue River, OR

Ankur Tarneja, 34 CA

3:35:42

Emmiliese Von Clemm, 25 CA

4:24:28

177

Michael Borst, 23 WI

3:57:32 Laura Albares, 28 MN

5:17:08

176

81

Cowtown Ultra 50K, Fort Worth, TX

82

100 Superior Spring 50K, Lutsen, MN

WOMEN'S WINNER

66.5 Marylou Corino, 37 ON

58.5

185

8:22:06 7:33:02 10:09:34 4:20:07

185 184 182 181

4:45:09

181

3:44:36 Neela D’Souza, 39 ON

3:58:06

180

19:39:07 Kathleen Cusick, 41 FL 4:37:33 Anne Wheatly, 31 NC 4:34:07 Maggie Guterl, 36 PA

23:47:13 5:13:05 6:54:01

179 177 177

6:32:02 6:35:36 7:52:26 4:07:17 4:01:19

Molly Culver, 26 MO Liz Gleason, 31 VT Amy Sproston, 42 OR Natalie Como, 27 UT Ashleigh Fischer, 27 OR

Zygos 2.0

2016 TOP FINISHERS

2016 Top 100-Mile FEMALE NAME Gina Slaby, 35 WA Katalin Nagy, 35 FL Maggie Guterl, 36 PA Sabrina Little, 29 TX

TIME 13:45:49 14:41:59 14:47:02 14:55:50

5

Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO

15:08:42 Desert Solstice (2016)

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Melanie Rabb, 35 TX Leigh Jackson, 28 NC Megan Stegemiller, 27 VA Neela D’Souza, 39 ON Melanie Rabb, 36 TX Whitney Richman, 35 VA Claire Gadrow, 47 RI Natalie Larson, 31 CA Gina Slaby, 34 WA Michelle Bischof, 37 KY Adela Salt, 43 AZ Stacey Costa, 47 CA Kaci Lickteig, 29 NE Gina Slaby, 35 WA Chavet Breslin, 34 CO Stacey Costa, 47 CA Xin Xin, 31 KS Alyson Venti, 33 FL Whitney Richman, 36 VA Michelle Bischof, 37 KY

15:17:07 15:41:25 15:47:06 16:20:07 16:43:59 17:13:21 17:15:30 17:24:58 17:34:25 17:35:16 17:44:49 17:47:46 17:57:59 18:05:42 18:12:45 18:15:49 18:26:43 18:27:35 18:30:56 18:34:14

26

Anastasia Andrychowski, 36 IL

18:34:35 Tunnel Hill

27 28 29 30 31

Jennifer McHale, 37 CT Cathy Downes, 48 IN Cat Bradley, 22 CO Amy Sproston, 42 OR Clare Gallagher, 24 CO

18:38:32 18:41:05 18:48:07 18:54:44 19:00:27

32

Jacqueline Merritt, 28 GA

19:04:46 Pinhoti

33

Charlotte Vasarhelyi, 40 ON

19:09:49 Desert Solstice (2016)

1 2 3 4

RACE Desert Solstice (2016) Desert Solstice (2015) Brazos Bend Rocky Raccoon

Desert Solstice (2015) Umstead Pistol Tunnel Hill Desert Solstice (2016) Umstead Ghost Train Jackpot Lumberjack Hennepin Desert Solstice (2016) Desert Solstice (2015) Western States Vermont Desert Solstice Jackpot Hawk Hundred Keys Desert Solstice (2016) Tunnel Hill

Pine Creek Tunnel Hill Rio Del Lago Western States Leadville

NAME Marcy Ambler, 45 MO Devon Yanko, 34 CA Traci Falbo, 44 IN Amy Clark, 39 TX Megan Smyth, 32 TX Kodi Panzer, 35 KS Olga Huber, 45 NY Natalie Halapin, 29 LA Erin Valocsik, 35 VA Susana Ochoa, 42 IL Natalee Thompson, 39 IA Natalie Youtsey, 30 KY Brenda Johnson, 36 IN Ashley Nordell, 35 OR Maddy McCarthy, 32 ME Stacey Buckley, 40 NE Maartje Bastings, 31 MA Charlotte Dequeker, 43 CT Jenna Carosio, 26 IL Amanda Basham, 26 CO Julie Koepke, 33 TX

TIME 19:10:08 19:10:08 19:16:04 19:24:28 19:25:44 19:42:07 19:42:15 19:42:42 19:43:28 19:44:40 19:51:40 19:55:46 19:57:57 19:58:58 20:01:04 20:01:33 20:03:51 20:04:05 20:07:20 20:11:39 20:24:34

55

Mary Beth Strickler, 41 MD

20:24:47 Burning River

56 57 58 59 60 61 62

Rebecca Watters, 30 GA Alissa St Laurent, 31 AB Kaci Lickteig, 30 NE Meghan Arbogast, 55 CA Mae Barker, 38 FL Heather Simon, 36 NJ Bethany Patterson, 37 VA

20:25:54 20:27:11 20:27:57 20:30:11 20:33:54 20:39:20 20:40:42

Yeti Western States The Bear Western States Umstead Brazos Bend Western States

63

Kristen Hyer, 32 NY

20:41:02

Beast of Burden - Winter

64 65 66 67 68

Dennene Huntley, 39 AB Emily Larson, 34 WI Anabel Pearson, 45 TX Grace Fisher, 35 VA Maggie Guterl, 35 PA

37 38 39 40 41

NAME David Riddle, 35 OH Don Reichelt, 31 CO Will Swenson, 44 MA Jeff Browning, 44 OR Steven Jeffs, 41 UT

34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

20:44:38 20:45:20 20:47:06 20:49:06 20:50:07

RACE Pistol Western States Burning River Rocky Raccoon Brazos Bend Heartland Rocky Raccoon Umstead Umstead Tunnel Hill Arkansas Traveler Tunnel Hill Hennepin Ozark Trail Rio Del Lago Hawk Hundred Rocky Raccoon Great NY Hennepin Western States Rocky Raccoon

Desert Solstice (2016) tBunk Rocky Raccoon Vermont Western States

NAME Meridith Ussery, 32 GA Amy Burton, 43 CA Margaret Campbell, 43 MD Chavet Breslin, 34 CO

TIME 20:50:43 20:51:39 20:51:49 20:53:01

73

Jodee Adams-Moore, 33 WA

20:54:54 Western States

74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

Jenny Hoffman, 38 MA Rhea Loney, 33 LA Amy Albu, 40 VA Brenda Johnson, 35 IN Maggie Walsh, 34 CO Dana Anderson, 33 UT Meredith Moore, 43 NC Erika Lindland, 34 CA Cecilia Santos, 37 GA Ann Ciaverella, 45 OR Un Ruschell, 46 MD Kathy Smith, 51 TN Kathleen Cusick, 41 Jamie Atkinson, 39 PA Joanna Ford, 31 AB

20:55:00 20:55:24 20:59:27 20:59:33 21:00:08 21:03:13 21:03:21 21:07:40 21:08:54 21:11:13 21:11:13 21:14:20 21:14:29 21:15:00 21:15:20

89

Courtney Dauwalter, 30 CO

21:23:37 Run Rabbit Run

90

Kristen Hyer, 33 NY

21:25:47

91 92 93 94 95 96

Kristen Jaremback, 36 DC 21:26:13 Yeti Laurie Olson, 51 NC 21:30:03 Umstead Melissa Soper, 37 UT 21:31:30 Antelope Island Caroline Burnet, 36 GA 21:32:40 Brazos Bend Adela Salt, 43 AZ 21:32:56 Javelina Nicole Lowe, 36 UT 21:33:00 Antelope Island

97

Stacy Juckett Chesnutt, 45 NS

69 70 71 72

RACE Yeti Rio Del Lago Vermont Vegas Moonlight

Vermont Umstead Vermont Indiana Trail Leadville Javelina Umstead Western States Blind Pig Mountain Lakes Hennepin Pistol Vermont C&O Canal Sinister 7

Beast of Burden - Summer

21:33:16 Tunnel Hill

98 Loli Arosemena, 36 IL 21:36:03 Hennepin 99 Ashley Nordell, 36 OR 21:38:43 Bighorn 100 Mary Beth Strickler, 42 MD 21:44:27 Oil Creek

MALE NAME Zack Bitter, 29 CA Zach Bitter, 30 CA Ian Sharman, 35 OR Pete Kostelnick, 28 NE Oswaldo Lopez, 44 CA Paul Terranova, 42 TX Olivier Leblond, 44 VA Brad Hinton, 40 VA Juan Moran, 34 WI Patrick Caron, 19 MA Sam Skeels, 38 MI Ryan Loehding, 44 TX Brett Sanborn, 30 NM Von Jones, 48 TX Jason Tischer, 41 NC Mark Hammond, 31 UT Daven Oskvig, 39 NY

TIME 11:40:55 13:30:28 13:45:03 14:08:12 14:22:58 14:24:05 14:32:01 14:42:50 14:49:26 14:51:21 15:04:55 15:07:58 15:15:04 15:19:11 15:30:12 15:33:28 15:33:34

18

Nelson Armstrong, 42 TN

15:33:47 Pistol

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Chris Solarz, 37 NY Jay Aldous, 55 UT Clint George, 39 NC Andrew Miller, 20 OR Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA Joe Fejes, 50 GA Steve Speirs, 49 VA Bob Hearn, 50 CA Paul Sinclair, 47 CA Shan Riggs, 37 IL Brian Schoenholz, 37 MO Jeremy Morris, 37 NE Mike Wardian, 42 VA Skip Crockett, 35 CA Daniel Kosla, 34 NC Oleg Tabelev, 50 AB Ian Sharman, 35 OR Greg Soutiea, 32 MA

15:33:51 15:37:46 15:39:22 15:39:36 15:47:11 15:50:49 15:54:09 15:55:02 15:56:11 16:04:24 16:09:07 16:12:35 16:12:57 16:13:49 16:15:36 16:17:12 16:22:39 16:23:48

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

44

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RACE Desert Solstice (2015) Javelina Rocky Raccoon Desert Solstice (2015) Hennepin Rocky Raccoon C&O Canal Yeti Tunnel Hill Ghost Train Indiana Trail Brazos Bend Javelina Brazos Bend Umstead Rio Del Lago Sulphur Springs

Desert Solstice (2015) Desert Solstice (2016) Indiana Trail Western States Vermont Desert Solstice (2015) Iron Horse Desert Solstice (2015) Hennepin Hennepin Tunnel Hill Hawk Hundred Great NY Rio Del Lago Umstead Desert Solstice (2015) Leadville Desert Solstice (2016)

JAN/FEB 2017

TIME 16:24:15 16:27:55 16:28:34 16:30:40 16:31:41

RACE Pinhoti Tunnel Hill Rocky Raccoon Western States Pony Express

42

Andrew Vermilyea, 34 VT

43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Colin Miller, 38 BC Rob Johnson, 39 NC Padraig Mullins, 35 MA Tim Peterman, 41 MO John Cash, 43 MO Sylvain Olier, 40 MA Ryan Kaiser, 37 OR Nick Seymour, 35 OK

51

Ryan Jones, 36 PA

52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

Alex Anyse, 45 VA Ryan Quinnelly, 33 CO Ryan Cooper, 41 MD Bob Hearn, 51 CA Brian Marshburn, 37 NC Keith Cassidy, 34 VA Steve Barber, 39 TN Paul Jacobs, 38 DC Jeff Friedman, 32 CO Michael Owen, 27 OH Andrew Snope, 29 GA Ian Sharman, 35 OR Dana Munari, 52 TX Chikara Omine, 34 CA Karl Meltzer, 48 UT Hung Ng, 51 FL

16:37:56 16:38:20 16:39:21 16:43:18 16:43:21 16:47:20 16:47:52 16:48:23 16:48:32 16:51:22 16:54:41 16:55:11 16:56:12 16:56:31 16:56:57 16:57:14

68

Matthew Hitechew, 34 NC

16:59:53 Iron Horse

69

Michael Arsenault Jr, 38 NH

16:59:56 Vermont

16:32:12 Vermont 16:32:40 16:32:52 16:33:57 16:35:01 16:35:50 16:36:36 16:36:49 16:37:01 16:37:14

Mountain Lakes Tunnel Hill Desert Solstice (2016) Hawk Hundred Desert Solstice (2016) Pistol Javelina Heartland Beast of Burden - Winter Brazos Bend Rocky Raccoon Rocky Raccoon Desert Solstice (2016) Umstead Umstead Yeti Old Dominion Jackpot Ultra Mohican Fort Clinch Western States Brazos Bend Headlands Lake Martin Desert Solstice (2016)

70 71 72 73

NAME Andrew Snope, 30 GA Chris Mocko, 30 CA Kyle Pietari, 29 MA Jeff Walker, 33 IN

TIME 17:00:49 17:01:47 17:05:01 17:05:51

RACE Desert Solstice (2016) Western States Western States Tunnel Hill

74

Christopher Denucci, 36 CA

17:07:57 Western States

75 76 77 78 79 80

Brian Marshburn, 37 NC Alexander Jinks, 30 VT Scott Williams, 38 NC Jesse Haynes, 43 CA Ed Ettinghausen, 53 CA Nicholas Hanson, 33 MI

17:09:22 17:10:00 17:11:24 17:12:30 17:13:40 17:14:38

81

James Schneiderman, 41 NC

82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97

Sage Canaday, 30 CO Ed Ettinghausen, 54 CA Brandon Yonke, 23 CO Hung K Ng, 51 FL Joe Murphy, 32 NY Nick Seymour, 35 OK Kelly Agnew, 43 UT Wesley Hunt, 33 AR Jon Kuehler, 28 CO Adrian Stanciu, 46 CO Steven Jeffs, 40 UT Luis Murillo, 33 TX Matt Zmolek, 35 TX Jason Koomen, 40 OH David Jones, 65 TN Mark Austin, 32 ID

17:16:00 17:16:34 17:17:03 17:17:52 17:20:07 17:20:18 17:20:33 17:23:33 17:23:54 17:24:47 17:28:54 17:30:03 17:31:05 17:31:47 17:34:29 17:35:27

98

Masazumi Fujioka, 44 WA

17:36:50 Zion

99

Neal Collick, 36 MI

100 Brian Groot, 30 ON

Vermont Ghost Train Mountain Lakes Western States Desert Solstice (2015) Kettle Moraine

17:15:25 Umstead Western States Desert Solstice (2016) Javelina Desert Solstice (2015) Vermont Rocky Raccoon Pickled Feet 24 Hour Arkansas Traveler Rocky Raccoon Desert Solstice (2015) Salt Flats Brazos Bend Rocky Raccoon Pistol Tunnel Hill Western States

17:37:25 Javelina 17:37:40

Beast of Burden - Winter

Races Won Outright by a Female in 2016 WINNER Eileen Torres, 45 GA April Ritter, 46 CA Michelle Hummel, 31 NM Paige Pattillo, 27 WA Lindsay Tollefson, 30 CA Marianne Hogan, 25 CO Caroline Boller, 42 CA Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO Cindy Lynch, 44 CA Jacqueline Merritt, 28 GA Brittany Goicoechea, 30 ID Catherine Sykes, 34 VA Kristen Roe, 47 NY Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO Alyson Venti, 33 FL Renee Harden, 33 OH Megan Valentine, 37 VT Sarah Overpeck, 33 IN Sara Maltby, 37 GA Mary Beth Strickler, 41 MD Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Maggie Guterl, 36 PA Kirsten Hite, 46 FL Alicia Rider, 35 NC Kaci Lickteig, 29 NE Christi Richards, 28 MT Amelia Boone, 32 CA Linnea Howie, 25 TN Angela Shartel, 42 CA

RACE TIME FINISHERS Across the Years 24H, Phoenix, AZ 127.03 162 Nanny Goat 24H, Riverside, CA 114 158 Mt. Taylor 50K, Grants, NM 5:00:01 157 Mt. Hood 50K, Timothy Lake, OR 3:50:22 137 Gold Rush 50K, Folsom, CA 4:15:17 133 North Fork 50K, Pine, CO 4:41:03 128 Brazos Bend 50M, Needville, TX 5:48:01 128 Javelina Jundred 100K, Fountain Hills, AZ 8:48:25 128 PCT 50M, Cleveland National Forest, CA 8:11:53 121 Yeti Snakebite 50K, Lithia Springs, GA 4:57:51 103 Tillamook Burn 50K, Tillamook, OR 4:28:03 102 Singletrack Maniac 50K, Williamsburg, VA 4:13:06 84 Umstead 50M, Raleigh, NC 7:55:32 84 FANS 24H, Minneapolis, MN 135.7 82 Keys Ultras 100M, Key Largo, FL 18:27:35 80 Moebius-Green 50K, Aurora, OH 4:17:28 72 Ghost Train 45M, Milford, NH 6:45:00 68 Hennepin Hundred 50M, Sterling, IL 6:55:21 68 Keys Ultras 50M, Key Largo, FL 7:37:50 67 Cacapon 12H, Berkely Springs, WV 50.1 64 Can Lake 50M, Canandaigua, NY 7:02:46 62 Brazos Bend 100M, Needville, TX 14:47:02 60 Green Swamp 50K, Dade City, FL 4:39:36 60 The Derby 50K, Ellerbe, NC 4:14:17 59 Psycho Psummer 50K, Kansas City, KS 4:23:25 59 Le Grizz 50M, Polebridge, MT 6:57:00 57 Woodside Ramble 50K, Woodside, CA 4:39:44 56 Fall Creek Falls 50K, Pikeville, TN 4:46:02 54 Lost Boys 50M, Borrego Springs, CA 8:47:38 53

Maggie Guterl on her way to taking the overall win at Brazos Bend 100. She also ran the third-fastest women’s 100-mile trail time ever. [ Myke Hermsmeyer]

NUMBER OF ULTRARUNNING FINISHES 100000

88,322

80000

60000

40000

20000

0 1980

1990

2007

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

JAN/FEB 2017

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ULTRARUNNING.COM

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2016 TOP FINISHERS

2016 Top 100k MALE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

NAME Geoffrey Burns, 25 MI Patrick Reagan, 23 GA Patrick Reagan, 29 GA Geoffrey Burns, 23 MI Chikara Omine, 23 CA Zach Bitter, 23 CA Matthew Flaherty, 23 IN Mike Bialick, 34 MN Joseph Binder, 23 CA Steve Stowers, 50 MT Ryan Neely, 26 CA Jim Walmsley, 25 AZ Daniel Metzger, 21 CA Sage Canaday, 30 CO Nick Accardo, 33 LA

TIME 6:30:37 6:35:42 6:35:56 6:38:34 6:48:48 6:52:50 6:56:56 7:15:55 7:34:36 7:38:31 7:44:59 7:46:37 7:47:02 7:52:26 7:55:03

RACE Mad City IAU Worlds Mad City IAU Worlds IAU Worlds IAU Worlds IAU Worlds Mad City IAU Worlds Mad City Ordnance Bandera Ordnance Black Canyon Mad City

16

Christopher DeNucci, 36 CA

8:06:34 Bandera

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Jeff Browning, 44 OR Timmy Parr, 34 CO Karl Schnaitter, 33 CA Olin Berger, 31 WA Paul Terranova, 42 TX Charlie Ware, 30 AZ Jeremy Morris, 36 NE Chris Mocko, 29 CA

8:30:08 8:32:15 8:35:41 8:36:16 8:38:48 8:41:20 8:41:49 8:48:16

Free State Mad City Ruth Anderson Sun Mountain Bandera Black Canyon Free State Black Canyon

25

Evgeny Sotnikov, 27 BC

8:49:59

Harriers Elk/ Beaver

26 27 28 29

Benjamin Stern, 24 CA 8:50:12 Black Canyon Stephen Wassather, 25 CA 8:56:28 Bandera Michael Daigeaun, 36 PA 8:57:25 Boulder Field Ryan Staggs, 41 VA 8:59:19 Virginia Beach

30 31 32 33 34

NAME Cody Reed, 25 AZ Colin Miller, 38 BC Cody Reed, 24 AZ Devon Olson, 27 CO Chris Mocko, 30 CA

TIME 9:00:16 9:04:22 9:04:32 9:07:37 9:10:04

RACE UROC Sun Mountain Miwok Black Canyon Gorge Waterfalls

35

Matthew Fischer-Daly, 36 NY

9:10:23 Catskill Mtn

36

Scott Harber, 45 NC

9:12:25

37

Phillippe Lagace, 41 AB

38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

Chikara Omine, 33 CA Franz Van Der Groen, 31 CA Jason Schlarb, 38 CO Michael Owen, 26 OH Paul Terranova, 42 TX Jack Kurisky, 48 VA Jason Kinsella, 37 AB Clint Holmes, 39 FL Jason Friedman, 40 NY Alan Davidson, 31 NY Brian Donnelly, 43 OR Michael Wardian, 42 VA

9:13:55 9:16:42 9:16:48 9:17:06 9:17:52 9:22:12 9:23:00 9:23:25 9:23:40 9:24:56 9:26:10 9:27:23

Miwok Miwok Tarawera - NZL Black Canyon Quicksilver Virginia Beach Blackfoot Iron Horse Bandera Catskill Mtn Miwok Tarawera - NZL

50

Marcel Thielke, 30 SD

9:30:00

North Dakota Sandhills

51 52 53 54 55 56

Brett Hornig, 25 OR Anthony Jacobs, 26 TX Ariel Polizio, 39 OH Brandon Benefield, 34 WA Christopher Calzetta, 34 CA Todd Ellick, 32 VA

9:30:26 9:30:29 9:30:52 9:31:50 9:32:04 9:32:30

UROC Bandera Mad City Sun Mountain Quicksilver Virginia Beach

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55

NAME Carolyn Hehir, 38 NY Lindsay Mock, 32 VA Jen Quillhorst, 32 FL Stacey Cleveland, 37 BC Meredith Edwards, 32 WY Keely Henninger, 23 OR Corrine Malcolm, 26 WA Bree Lambert, 47 CA Magdalena Boulet, 42 CA Andy Xiang, 38 CA Keila Merino, 35 NY Alicia Hudelson, 31 GA Kristin Moehl, 38 WA Kristen Jaremback, 36 DC Kristen Jaremback, 36 DC

TIME 10:43:05 10:44:17 10:49:17 10:51:17 10:52:00 10:54:03 10:55:05 10:55:34 10:58:03 11:00:47 11:01:36 11:01:41 11:02:07 11:02:22 11:02:29

RACE Great NY Virginia Beach Iron Horse Sun Mountain Javelina Gorge Waterfalls Gorge Waterfalls Miwok The Canyons Ruth Anderson Great NY Bandera Quicksilver Croom Zoom Iron Horse

9:13:12

Weymouth Woods Harriers Elk/ Beaver

FEMALE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NAME Pam Smith, 40 OR Meghan Arbogast, 55 CA Julie Hamulecki, 35 ON Arielle Fitzgerald, 23 ON Traci Falbo, 45 IN Deborah Russell, 35 AB Traci Falbo, 44 IN Julie Hamulecki, 35 ON Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO Angie Darbyson, 34 QC

11

Deb Russell, 36 AB

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Stephanie Manny, 34 VA Cassie Scallon, 34 CO Shannon Johnstone, 42 NC Cassie Scallon, 33 CA Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Kimberly O’Donnell, 25 CA Camille Herron 34 MI Natsuki Ikeda, 29 NY Janessa Taylor, 37 OR Michele Yates, 33 CA Melanie Clement, 40 ON Kaytlyn Gerbin, 27 WA Liza Howard, 43 TX Justyna Wilson, 40 PA Cassie Smith, 33 ON Amy Sproston, 42 OR Nora Bird, 32 WI Aliza Lapierre, 35 VT Devon Yanko, 33 CA Josephine Weeden, 47 MI

9:04:35 9:12:49 9:18:04 9:19:46 9:22:39 9:26:29 9:36:05 9:39:25 9:40:33 9:45:53 9:52:24 9:59:26 10:00:17 10:00:18 10:02:21 10:09:34 10:24:24 10:25:19 10:27:02 10:27:50

32

Jodee Adams-Moore, 33 WA

10:27:58 Gorge Waterfalls

33

Patsy Ramirez-Arroyo, 49 PR

10:30:22 Iron Horse

34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Natalie Larson, 31 CA Denise Bourassa, 46 OR Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Amanda Basham, 26 CO Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Marylou Corino, 37 ON Amelia Boone, 32 IL

10:30:32 10:32:42 10:33:40 10:34:10 10:38:26 10:42:10 10:42:11

46

TIME 7:56:48 7:58:22 8:06:35 8:09:39 8:10:23 8:23:39 8:27:10 8:41:50 8:48:25 8:51:14 8:53:10

ULTRARUNNING.COM

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RACE IAU Worlds IAU Worlds IAU Worlds IAU Worlds IAU Worlds IAU Worlds Mad City Niagara Javelina Lake Waramaug Harriers Elk/ Beaver Virginia Beach Mad City Mad City Bandera Pine Creek Ordnance UROC Great NY Bandera Bandera IAU Worlds Sun Mountain Bandera Green Lakes Niagara Black Canyon Mad City Miwok Sean O’Brien Iron Horse

Orange Curtain Black Canyon Javelina Gorge Waterfalls Vermont Virginia Beach Sean O’Brien

JAN/FEB 2017

56

Bonbon Reszel, 48

11:04:05

Harriers Elk/ Beaver

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74

Kathleen Cusik, 40 VA Lori Wetzel, 43 MA Sally McRae, 37 CA Suzanne Johnson, 38 BC Jessica Laird, 38 AB Jennifer Benna, 36 NV Megan Chamoun, 35 CA Darcy Piceu, 41 CO Katie Arnold, 44 NM Samantha Drove, 33 BC Tara Chahl, 39 AB Deb Russell, 36 AB Kelly Wolf, 21 AZ Anya Bogdanets, 30 NY Laura Richard, 46 CA Carmen Cheadle, 25 AR Suzanna Bon, 51 CA Sarah Colwell, 28 NJ

11:04:50 11:07:45 11:09:23 11:09:36 11:10:00 11:10:32 11:15:04 11:15:09 11:16:20 11:19:12 11:23:00 11:26:27 11:28:20 11:29:33 11:30:00 11:30:42 11:30:45 11:31:33

Pine Creek Vermont UROC Sun Mountain Blackfoot Sean O’Brien Sean O’Brien Gorge Waterfalls Miwok Gorge Waterfalls Blackfoot Lost Soul Black Canyon Niagara Miwok Lake Ouachita Miwok Boulder Field

75

Megan Stegemiller, 27 VA

11:31:52

Thomas Jefferson

Cassie Scallon brings it home for the win and new course record at Bandera 100K. [ Enduro Photo]

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75

NAME Kyle Curtin, 29 CO Matt Ward, 38 CA Steven Moore, 48 TX Jeremy Humphrey, 36 ID Paddy O’Leary, 28 CA Ryan Ghelfi, 27 OR Darren Tannas, 34 BC Chad Stiles, 36 AB Stephen Wassather, 25 CA Rob Russell, 38 OR Derek Somerville, 33 VA Bryce Williams, 36 CA Scott Defusco, 40 MA Steve Sadownik, 44 BC Benjamin Stern, 24 CA Charlie Ware, 31 AZ Cody Callon, 33 BC Paul Broyer, 30 CA Ford Smith, 20 TX

TIME 9:33:15 9:33:21 9:33:41 9:34:11 9:35:39 9:36:08 9:36:54 9:37:00 9:37:22 9:38:11 9:38:46 9:38:47 9:40:52 9:45:00 9:46:42 9:46:43 9:49:03 9:49:10 9:49:57

RACE Black Canyon Ruth Anderson Bandera Gorge Waterfalls The Canyons Gorge Waterfalls Sun Mountain Blackfoot Sean O’Brien Gorge Waterfalls Virginia Beach Orange Curtain Lake Waramaug Blackfoot Gorge Waterfalls UROC Zion Ruth Anderson Tarawera - NZL

GENDER OF ULTRARUNNING FINISHERS

66.58% MALE .93%

33.42% FEMALE .93%

Join us for the 13th annual

— Caumsett State Park —

USATF NATIONAL 50K ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP & 25 KILOMETER RUN Lloyd Neck, Long Island, NY

SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 2017 u CASH PRIZES plus $1000 course and $1500 National record bonuses (USATF Members/U.S. Citizens only) for the 50K ONLY u Both races held on a certified 5K loop course on a paved path through beautiful Caumsett State Park with outstanding scenic vistas adjacent to Long Island Sound u Fully-stocked aid station every 5K loop providing water, sports drinks and food snacks u QUALITY commemorative shirts for all entrants Call Linda at the Greater Long Island Running Club (516) 349-7646 for entry forms, more info, and/or travel arrangements. Register online at www.glirc.org

THE CHARLES COHN FOUNDATION

Sue Corrie Del-Cid & Vincent Del-Cid

2016 TOP FINISHERS

2016 Top 50-Mile FEMALE TIME 5:48:01 6:23:40 6:32:36 6:39:51 6:47:00 6:49:46 6:52:35 6:54:06 6:55:21 6:57:00 6:57:19 6:57:40 7:02:01 7:02:46 7:04:00 7:05:05 7:05:56 7:06:12 7:06:58 7:07:23 7:09:59 7:10:31 7:12:27 7:14:45 7:16:26 7:18:19 7:18:48 7:20:00 7:20:16 7:21:05 7:21:49 7:21:49 7:22:13 7:24:41 7:25:25 7:25:52 7:27:08 7:28:22 7:28:25 7:29:51

RACE Brazos Bend JFK JFK Nashville Brazos Bend Tussey Mtnback Everglades Harriers Elk/Beaver Hennepin Le Grizz Brazos Bend Jed Smith JFK Can Lake Whistler JFK Ice Age TNF - CA San Diego Farm to Farm Tussey Mtnback American River Tussey Mtnback Lake Sonoma Hawk Hundred Iron Horse Antelope Island Chicago Lakefront Can Lake Lean Horse JFK Hennepin Lake Sonoma TNF - CA TNF - CA Azalea 12/24 Hour TNF - CA Lake Sonoma San Diego Can Lake

NAME Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ Coree Woltering, 26 IL Chase Nowak, 27 MN Israel Merkle, 28 OH Michael Daigeaun, 36 PA Anthony Kunkel, 24 CO Gary Gellin, 48 CA Michael Owen, 27 OH Zachary Miller, 28 CO Rich Heffron, 33 NY Karl Schnaitter, 33 CA Chikara Omine, 33 CA Hayden Hawks, 25 UT Michael Wardian, 42 VA

TIME 5:21:29 5:30:15 5:46:49 5:49:40 5:51:25 5:52:08 5:52:57 5:56:02 5:56:03 5:56:34 5:56:43 5:57:12 5:58:07 5:58:50

RACE JFK Tunnel Hill Door County Tussey Mtnback Brazos Bend JFK Tallahassee JFK TNF - CA Tussey Mtnback Jed Smith Ruth Anderson TNF - CA JFK

15

Christopher Denucci, 36 CA

6:00:41 American River

16 17 18

Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ Jean Pommier, 52 CA Matt Palilla, 34 OR

6:00:52 Lake Sonoma 6:08:20 Ruth Anderson 6:08:52 JFK

19

Christopher Wehan, 34 CA

6:10:13

American River

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Joe McConaughy, 25 MA Matt Collins, 25 NY Patrick Caron, 19 MA David Laney, 28 OR Benjamin Ludovici, 28 NY Rob Hays, 50 KS Ian Sharman, 35 OR Rick Stilson, 40 OR Tim Freriks, 25 AZ Jack Daly, 20 MS

6:12:24 6:13:20 6:14:31 6:15:16 6:16:37 6:16:50 6:17:04 6:17:07 6:17:58 6:18:48

Stone Cat Dirty German Pineland Farms TNF - CA JFK Prairie Spirit American River Mt. Hood Lake Sonoma Mississippi Trail

30

Rob Raguet-Schofield, 37 CO

6:19:15

Des Plaines River

31 32

Dustin Dutton, 35 AL Nathan Sicher, 35 MO

6:19:59 Delano Park 6:20:32 Prairie Spirit

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

NAME Caroline Boller, 42 CA Leah Frost, 33 VT Caroline Boller, 41 CA Veena Reddy, 37 KY Shandra Moore, 31 TX Heather Hoechst, 37 NM Katalin Nagy, 37 FL Mallory Richard, 31 MB Sarah Overpeck, 33 IN Christi Richards, 28 MT Melanie Rabb, 35 TX Cassie Smith, 32 ON Megan Digregorio, 28 MD Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Lauren Powell, 29 BC Liz Gleason, 31 VT Larisa Dannis, 28 CA Magdalena Boulet, 43 CA Veronica Rudolphi, 34 AZ Angie Darbyson, 34 QC Justyna Wilson, 41 PA Devon Yanko, 33 CA Anna Zielaski, 33 CA Yiou Wang, 31 CA Jaclyn Long, 34 KS Taryn Giumento, GA Janessa Taylor, 37 OR Bibo Gao, 38 IL Kristen Roe, 48 NY Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Caitlyn Tateishi, 30 DC Christy Nielsen, 41 NE Kaci Lickteig, 29 NE Annie Jean, 35 QC Clare Gallagher, 25 CO Sara Maltby, 38 GA Sandi Nypaver, 28 CO Anna Mae Flynn, 29 CA Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Jen Malik, 37 NY

NAME Camille Herron, 34 OK Jamie Blumentritt, 29 MN Stephanie Murphy, 42 AB Shaheen Sattar, 32 TX Shannon McGinn, 40 NJ Amy Albu, 40 VA Liz Gleason, 31 VT Regina Sooey, 45 FL Kasie Enman, 37 VT Kathleen Cusick, 41 FL Mariel Feigen, 28 NY Debbie Gibson, 51 MT Heidi Schuette, 41 ID Meghan Kennihan, 34 IL Camille Herron, 34 MI Nora Bird, 32 WI Sara Maltby, 37 GA Keely Henninger, 24 OR Sheryl Rosen, 32 Krystina Stoner, 29 GA Becky Bates, 53 BC Lindsay Simpson, 39 VT Hillary Kupish, 29 OR Anna Piskorska, 44 PA Jessica Lemere, 41 WI Anne Portlock, 34 IN Kaci Lickteig, 29 NE Emily Peterson, 29 CA

TIME 7:30:09 7:30:50 7:31:00 7:31:00 7:32:00 7:32:02 7:33:02 7:33:08 7:33:59 7:34:16 7:35:25 7:35:58 7:36:03 7:36:20 7:36:42 7:37:42 7:37:50 7:38:05 7:38:20 7:39:49 7:40:07 7:40:34 7:40:36 7:40:53 7:41:09 7:41:41 7:41:54 7:41:59

69

Stephanie Howe Violett, 33 OR

7:42:04 TNF - CA

70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79

Sonja Hinish, 30 VA Marieve Legrand, 40 BC Arianne Brown, 34 UT Gina Bartolacci, 28 PA Kaylee Nelsen, 24 WI Alexis Doyle, 21 CA Alissa St Laurent, 31 AB Anne Wheatly, 30 NC megan kimmel, 36 CO Sara Maltby, 37 GA

7:42:56 7:42:58 7:43:37 7:43:40 7:44:07 7:44:33 7:46:01 7:46:13 7:46:34 7:47:22

Tussey Mtnback Sun Mountain Pony Express JFK Croom Trail Des Plaines Mt Si Lookout Mountain TNF - CA Fort Clinch

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56

NAME Michael Dixon, 33 NJ Bradley Revenis, 30 MD Cole Crosby, 28 NY Jeff Ball, 27 TX Rob Russell, 38 OR Jorge Maravilla, 39 CA Coree Woltering, 26 CO Sebastien Roulier, 42 QC Benjamin Bucklin, 37 WA Jim Sweeney, 35 NY Steve Barber, 39 TN Maksym Chepeliev, 26 IN Andrew Wasson, 29 MO Mario Mendoza, 30 OR Ullas Narayana, 36 BC John Kelly, 32 MD Dylan Bowman, 30 CA Kevin Weil, 32 CA Scott Gall, 42 IA David Lantz, 27 PA Jason Lantz, 35 PA Brad Hinton, 40 VA Jorge Pacheco, 48 CA Alex Nichols, 31 CO

TIME 6:21:15 6:21:45 6:22:40 6:23:14 6:23:30 6:23:43 6:25:46 6:25:56 6:26:21 6:28:03 6:28:24 6:29:05 6:30:33 6:30:44 6:30:46 6:31:00 6:31:00 6:31:39 6:32:02 6:32:17 6:32:25 6:32:25 6:33:15 6:33:43

RACE Dirty German Dirty German Tussey Mtnback Rocky Mt. Hood TNF - CA American River Pineland Farms Sun Mountain JFK Pistol Chicago Lakefront Frisco Railroad Run Lake Sonoma Whistler JFK Lake Sonoma American River TNF - WI JFK Tussey Mtnback Tussey Mtnback Avalon Benefit TNF - CA

57

Matthew Wieczorek, 29 DC

6:33:52 JFK

58

John Magnotti, 31 TX

6:34:58 Brazos Bend

59

Brian Hopton-Jones, 29 TX

6:35:11

Brazos Bend

60 61 62 63 64 65

Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA Sage Canaday, 31 CO Chase Nowak, 27 MN Gregory Krathwohl, 25 MA Daniel Metzger, 22 CA Joshua Finger, 43 PA

6:35:36 6:35:52 6:36:45 6:36:45 6:37:23 6:38:03

Vermont TNF - CA Ice Age Stone Cat Lake Sonoma Tussey Mtnback

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68

RACE Lake Sonoma Door County Blackfoot Rocky Tussey Mtnback Dirty German Vermont Azalea 12/24 Hour TNF - CA Tussey Mtnback Tussey Mtnback Le Grizz Avalon Benefit Ice Age White River Door County Keys TNF - CA Tallahassee Brazos Bend Sun Mountain Pineland Farms Autumn Leaves Tussey Mtnback Door County Ice Age Silver State Lake Sonoma

Magdalena Boulet at TNF California where she took second in the 50-mile. [ Myke Hermsmeyer]

80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98

NAME Tish Hora, 45 OR Laura Kline, 39 NY Darcy Lucas, 36 FL Dylan Broderick, 25 VT Sarah Keyes, 31 NY Leah Berry, 35 UT Kaylee Nelson, 23 FL Maysoun Geizer, 36 TN Leah Tracy, 30 MT Maggie Walsh, 34 CO Erin Zerth, 35 IL Jennifer Lockrem, 40 FL Maartje Bastings, 32 MA Connie Gardner, 52 OH Felice Kelly, 36 OR Elizabeth Simpson, 24 CA Susana Ochoa, 42 IL Kristen Roe, 47 NY

TIME 7:47:40 7:47:53 7:48:11 7:48:30 7:50:18 7:50:40 7:51:15 7:51:34 7:51:43 7:52:38 7:53:01 7:53:35 7:54:38 7:54:40 7:54:49 7:54:55 7:55:13 7:55:32

Jessica Coffey-Hanlin, 30 NC

7:55:38 JFK

99 Natalie Larson, 31 CA 100 Alexis Braun, 31 WA

RACE Autumn Leaves TNF - CA Vermont Vermont TNF - CA Pony Express Iron Horse Pistol Sun Mountain Silver Rush Door County Des Plaines Pineland Farms Tussey Mtnback TNF - CA TNF - CA Door County Umstead

7:55:59 San Diego 7:56:31 White River

MALE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

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66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

NAME Owen Bradley, 37 AL Erik Sorenson, 30 CA Mike Cooper, 35 OH Bruce Udell, 50 WI Paddy O’Leary, 29 CA Ryan Neely, 26 CA Daniel Hamilton, 27 TN Hal Koerner, 40 OR Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA Adrian Spencer, 33 MD Daniel Lawton, 35 TX Michael Austin, 34 NY Ian Macnairn, 29 AB Brian Condon, 30 CO Philippe Brunet, 28 QC Dominic Grossman, 28 CA Kyle Ormsby, 32 OR Tyler Sigl, 30 WI Jim Rebenack, 32 CO Michael Arsenault, 38 NH Shaun Baker, 36 Cole Crosby, 27 NY David Ryland, 23 OH Evgeny Sotnikov, — BC Adolfo Andrade, 36 CA Jon Noll, 31 WI Steven Lawrence, — MI Anthony Jacobs, 26 Scott Spillman, 30 CO Michael Borst, 23 WI Matt Taverner, 34 VA Cordis Hall, 22 CO Todd Wiley, 46 PA Robert Wayner, 34 OH Zac Marion, 30 UT

TIME 6:38:10 6:38:43 6:39:14 6:39:19 6:39:19 6:39:38 6:39:52 6:40:04 6:40:31 6:40:49 6:41:03 6:41:17 6:41:26 6:42:43 6:42:45 6:43:11 6:43:35 6:43:41 6:43:44 6:43:54 6:44:33 6:45:12 6:45:17 6:45:41 6:45:51 6:46:01 6:46:04 6:46:24 6:47:14 6:47:23 6:47:27 6:47:30 6:47:42 6:49:07 6:49:10

RACE Tunnel Hill TNF - CA JFK Door County TNF - CA Marin Ultra Challenge Lookout Mountain JFK Bull Run Run JFK Brazos Bend Pineland Farms Whistler TNF - CA TNF - Ontario Avalon Benefit Mt. Hood Cayuga Trail TNF - CA Pineland Farms Dirty German Lookout Mountain TNF - CA Whistler Jed Smith tBunk TNF - WI Hell’s Hills TNF - CA Minnesota Voyageur JFK Mississippi Trail Tussey Mtnback JFK Pony Express

2016 Top 50K MALE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

NAME Tyler Andrews, 25 VA Jared Burdick, 29 NY C Fred Joslyn, 32 PA Bryan Morseman, 30 NY Zachary Ornelas, 24 MI Arturs Bareikis, 29 IL Eric Senseman, 27 CO Scott Downard, 33 OK Chris Raulli, 27 NY Logan Sherman, 30 TX Tyler Sigl, 30 WI Calum Neff, 31 TX Cole Crosby, 27 NY Chikara Omine, 33 CA Boyd Carrington, 43 NY Sam Morse, 33 NY Rich Hanna, 51 CA Michael Wardian, 42 VA Jean Pommier, 52 CA Michael Ambrose, 28 CO David Roche, 27 CA Josh Whitehead, 38 AL David Shepard, 29 TX Jean Pommier, 51 CA Jorge Maravilla, 38 CA Devin Allbaugh, 26 IA Patrick Bell, 46 VA Dylan Bowman, 29 CA Aaron Heath, 41 NY Matt Collins, 25 NY Oswaldo Hurtado, 42 CA Owen Bradley, 37 AL Patrick Bell, 46 VA Zachary Szablewski, 26 TX

TIME 2:56:01 2:57:50 2:59:20 3:01:44 3:02:09 3:04:40 3:06:54 3:07:08 3:08:38 3:09:07 3:09:38 3:10:26 3:11:45 3:11:48 3:16:31 3:16:45 3:17:41 3:17:43 3:18:05 3:18:42 3:19:43 3:20:00 3:20:29 3:20:55 3:22:00 3:22:36 3:22:57 3:23:23 3:23:24 3:24:03 3:24:29 3:24:34 3:24:55 3:25:00

RACE Mad City Caumsett Caumsett Cowtown Caumsett Caumsett Caumsett Cowtown Caumsett Cowtown Mad City Brazos Bend Caumsett Jed Smith Caumsett Water Gap Jed Smith Dahlgren Caumsett Caumsett Way Too Cool Nashville Cowtown Jed Smith Way Too Cool Runner’s Flat Caumsett Way Too Cool Caumsett Burning Man OTHTC Arctic Frog Virginia Beach Bridle Trails

NAME Noah Brautigam, 27 UT Rich Heffron, 33 NY Danny Tepovitch, 36 VA Paddy O’Leary, 28 CA Alex Varner, 30 CA James Fisher, 24 ID Nate Billings, 29 OK Anthony Hoff, MN Jason Friedman, 40 NY Daniel Verrington, 53 Chase Nowak, 27 MN Chase Nowak, 27 MN Coree Woltering, 26 IL Daniel Metzger, 21 CA Jonathan Ryder, 26 NC Brett Hornig, 24 OR Lance Cundy, 26 IA Joe Murphy, 32 NY Chris Mocko, 29 CA Ryan Bak, 31 OR Stephen England, 35 NY Jacob Huston, 23 CA Philippe Brunet, 28 QC Silas Carey, 28 NY James Roche, 28 CO Matthew Brooks, 32 IL

TIME 3:25:38 3:26:26 3:27:30 3:27:31 3:29:09 3:30:09 3:30:10 3:30:20 3:30:27 3:30:48 3:30:58 3:31:20 3:31:34 3:31:46 3:32:09 3:32:43 3:33:58 3:34:01 3:34:02 3:34:08 3:34:33 3:35:00 3:35:19 3:35:28 3:35:28 3:35:31

61

Christopher Denucci, 36 CA

3:35:32 Way Too Cool

62 63 64 65 66 67

Ankur Tarneja, 34 CA Philp McCarthy, 47 Gordon Gianniny, 20 CO Eliot Drake, 36 NV Brett Rosauer, 25 IA Padraig Mullins, 34 MA

3:35:42 3:35:47 3:35:48 3:35:55 3:35:58 3:36:13

42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

NAME Nichole Emmert, 36 IN Rebecca Schwartz, 36 Caroline Boller, 41 CA Teagen Andrews, 30 OR Kristen Mohror, 28 OR Johanna Rogers, 52 ME Julie Fingar, 40 CA Magdalena Boulet, 43 CA Megan Digregorio, 28 MD Brenna Bray, 32 SD Rachel Downey, 31 CO Ellie Greenwood, 37 BC Alison Miller, 37 TX Victoria Webster, 31 TX Kelley Aviles, 49 TX Catherine Sykes, 34 VA Amie Dworecki, 43 FL Cass Chisholm, 34 AL Amy Leedham, 31 CA Alicia Rider, 35 NC Lindsay Tollefson, 30 CA Amy Roybal, 26 TX Kelly Donoghue, 37 WI Joelle Vaught, 41 ID Yiou Wang, 31 CA Sarah Ferguson, 30 CA Ellie Pell, 24 NY Rhoda Smoker, 30 PA Rachel Corigliano, 35 FL

35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

RACE TNF - UT Water Gap Seashore Way Too Cool Way Too Cool The HUFF Cowtown TNF - WI Caumsett Caumsett Trail Mix Runner’s Flat Chicago Lakefront Way Too Cool New River Way Too Cool Runner’s Flat Caumsett Way Too Cool Flagline Caumsett Overlook Croom Trail Water Gap Paleozoic The HUFF

McKenzie River Caumsett Dead Horse Burning Man TNF - WI Caumsett

68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92

NAME Colin Culhane, 25 NY Oswaldo Hurtado, 42 CA Brian Purcell, 43 CA Dylan Peterson, 28 CA Evan Close, 31 OH Andrew Utas, 29 CA Matthew Jeromin, 36 IL Ryan Bak, 34 OR Benjamin Stout, 22 ID Josh Brimhall, 40 NV Josh Rogowski, 31 IL Cory Logsdon, 28 NE Aaron Heath, 41 NY Levi Miller, 29 CA Josh Whitehead, 37 AL Matthew McKenna, 30 NY Sam Skeels, 37 MI Mario Mendoza, 30 OR Tyler Sigl, 30 WI Jay Hsu, 27 CA Justus Meyer, 34 CA Bruce Udell, 50 WI Marcel Such, 20 CO Michael Comstock, 30 PA Coree Woltering, 26 IL

TIME 3:36:24 3:36:52 3:37:02 3:37:11 3:37:20 3:37:54 3:38:14 3:38:17 3:38:32 3:38:44 3:38:56 3:38:58 3:39:01 3:39:21 3:39:26 3:39:28 3:39:53 3:40:06 3:40:29 3:40:33 3:40:43 3:40:57 3:41:04 3:41:07 3:41:16

RACE Caumsett Bulldog Jed Smith Way Too Cool Green Jewel Burning Man Arctic Frog Chuckanut Flagline Pemberton Trail Arctic Frog GOATZ Trail Runs Sybil Ludington Way Too Cool Black Warrior Caumsett The HUFF Chuckanut TNF - WI Ruth Anderson Big Basin Mad City Dead Horse Dirty German Dirty Burg

93

Fernando De Samaniego Steta, 31 CA

3:41:45 Way Too Cool

94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Eric Ghelfi, 24 OR Zach Bitter, 30 CA Lou Donofrio, 37 PA Keith Henry, 39 AL Chris Vizcaino, 28 CA Jace Hinesly, 27 OR Jake Dissinger, 34 MA

3:41:51 3:41:55 3:41:55 3:41:58 3:42:02 3:42:15 3:42:15

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

NAME TIME RACE Justyna Wilson, 41 PA 4:18:48 Blues Cruise Jennifer Stong, 43 OK 4:18:55 Cowtown Jennifer Ford, 36 VA 4:19:13 New River Megan Digregorio, 27 MD 4:19:20 HAT Trail Run Sara Maltby, 37 GA 4:19:24 Treutlen Trail Trek Natalie Como, 27 UT 4:20:07 Antelope Island Jodi Kartes-Heino, 45 NY 4:20:19 Caumsett Elissa Ballas, 36 IL 4:20:30 Earth Day

Siskiyou Outback Overlook Caumsett Dizzy Fifties Way Too Cool Way Too Cool Lake Waramaug

FEMALE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NAME Elizabeth Northern, 28 TX Caroline Boller, 41 CA Claudia Becque, 39 CO Camille Shiflett, 42 WI Anna Zielaski, 33 CA Laura Kline, 38 NY Elissa Ballas, 36 IL Megan Roche, 25 CA Yiou Wang, 30 CA Kaci Lickteig, 30 NE

TIME 3:21:30 3:22:51 3:32:27 3:34:56 3:39:39 3:40:17 3:40:39 3:42:24 3:43:12 3:45:46

RACE Cowtown Caumsett Mad City Chicago Lakefront Ruth Anderson Caumsett Mad City Way Too Cool Way Too Cool GOATZ Trail Runs

11

Beverley Anderson-Abbs, 3:48:07 Jed Smith 51 CA

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

Paige Pattillo, 27 WA Anna Hailey, 36 TX Amy Ostrofe, 29 VA Amanda Hicks, 32 DC Elaine Schmeltz, 23 IN Jennifer Pfeifer, 44 CA Malia Crouse, 32 CO Brenda Guajardo, 39 TX Neela D’Souza, 38 ON Magaly Soto, 39 TX Anna Mae Flynn, 28 CA Catherine Sykes, 34 VA Julie Kheyfets, 27 NY Katie Ochoa, 36 OK Lindsay Tollefson, 30 CA Heather Hoechst, 37 PA Tiffany Carson, 32 NY Laura Thompson, 40 ID Johanna Rogers, 51 ME Caitlin Strahota, 30 NC Darbykai Standrick, 28 BC Julie Hamulecki, 35 ON Kelsey Devereaux, 27 IN Jennifer Stong, 43 OK Felice Kelly, 35 CA Ellie Pell, 24 NY Shea Hanson, 26 ID Sarah Keyes, 31 NY Gina Hendrickson, 39 OK Lauren Dorsky, 20 NY

3:50:22 3:50:29 3:50:33 3:53:40 3:54:51 3:56:22 3:56:32 3:57:00 3:58:06 3:58:27 3:59:44 4:00:45 4:02:49 4:03:16 4:03:19 4:03:50 4:04:19 4:05:29 4:05:34 4:05:41 4:05:55 4:06:00 4:07:03 4:07:05 4:07:14 4:07:14 4:07:29 4:07:36 4:07:44 4:07:45

Mt. Hood Cowtown Seashore Cowtown The HUFF Jed Smith The Bear Chase Cowtown Niagara Cowtown Way Too Cool Dahlgren Heritage Caumsett Go Very Long Way Too Cool Everglades Caumsett Weiser River Savannah R2T Seashore Sun Mountain Run for the Toad The HUFF Go Very Long Way Too Cool Water Gap Weiser River Runamok Cowtown Caumsett

TIME 4:07:45 4:07:56 4:08:10 4:08:16 4:08:29 4:08:53 4:09:32 4:09:52 4:10:14 4:11:18 4:11:56 4:11:58 4:12:36 4:12:54 4:13:04 4:13:06 4:13:44 4:14:05 4:14:14 4:14:17 4:15:17 4:15:30 4:15:52 4:16:05 4:16:08 4:16:49 4:16:51 4:17:01 4:17:16

RACE The HUFF Caumsett Mokelumne River Mt. Hood Mt. Hood Mad City Jed Smith Overlook Dirty German Ultra Chili Dead Horse Chuckanut El Scorcho Brazos Bend Cowtown Singletrack Maniac Hellcat Arctic Frog Way Too Cool The Derby Gold Rush Cowtown Mad City Smith Rock Ascent Quicksilver Shadow of the Giants Mendon Trail Run High Bridge Croom Trail

71

Simone Angela Winkler, 33 CA

4:17:27 Jed Smith

72 73 74 75 76 77

Renee Harden, 33 OH Jenna Mutz, 35 MO Gina Slaby, 35 WA Katie Graff, 30 TX Mia Yeager, 20 OH Marta Larsen, 26 UT

4:17:28 4:17:29 4:17:55 4:18:14 4:18:17 4:18:30

Moebius-Green Cowtown Taylor Mountain Brazos Bend Green Jewel TNF - UT

78

Jaime Dawes, 37 NM

4:18:30

E.T. Full Moon Midnight

79

Danielle Marquette, 31 ID

4:18:32 Weiser River

80

Lauren Besenfelder Coury, 30 AZ

4:18:38

89

Sheryl Wheeler, 52 NY

4:20:43

Recover From the Holidays

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Alissa St Laurent, 31 AB Megan Roche, 26 CA Caitlin Roake, 27 CA Lindsay Mock, 32 VA Katie Steinberg, 31 WY Diane Keenan, 35 CT Camelia Mayfield, 24 OR Natalie Harvey, 28 OR Angela Grdina, 34 CA Meghan Kennihan, 34 IL

4:20:45 4:20:51 4:20:59 4:21:26 4:21:28 4:21:29 4:21:31 4:21:37 4:21:38 4:21:46

Bridle Trails Headlands Way Too Cool Seashore TNF - UT Lake Waramaug Flagline Autumn Leaves Virginia Beach Earth Day

4:22:13

New River Trail Races

100 Laura Hedlund, 28 NC

A fist pump for Megan Roche as she defends her title at Way too Cool 50K. [ Joe McCladdie]

McDowell Mountain Frenzy

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2016 TOP FINISHERS

“S Caps, Amino and CLIP2 were the perfect combination for my Badwater race (38:18).

I had steady energy without any queasiness, and wouldn’t use anything else.” © 2016 Succeed Sports Nutrition

–Christy Johnston

Zach Miller pushes hard to set a new course record at TNF California 50-mile. [ Myke Hermsmeyer]

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SIMPLE SOLUTIONS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED. PRE RACE PACK™ supplements are taken just prior to the endurance event. AMINO™ and/or CLIP2™ sports drink for energy input. S! Caps™ buffered electrolyte capsules for electrolyte replacement. RECOVERY PACK™ supplements afterwards to speed up recovery. 970-225-8026

www.succeedscaps.com 50 ULTRARUNNING.COM | JAN/FEB 2017

2016 Top 24-Hour 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FEMALE Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO Pam Smith, 40 OR Jennifer Hoffman, 35 CA Melanie Rabb, 35 TX Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO Laurie Dymond, 50 PA Katalin Nagy, 36 FL April Boultbee, 45 ON Tara Langdon, 34 WV Charlotte Vasarhelyi, 40 ON

MILES 147.49 143.66 142.07 136.95 135.70 133.22 129.00 126.91 126.00 121.96

RACE Desert Solstice (2016) Dawn to Dusk NorthCoast Dawn to Dusk FANS Dawn to Dusk Desert Solstice (2015) DAM Hill O24 Desert Solstice (2016)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MALE Pete Kostelnick, 28 NE Bob Hearn, 50 CA Olivier Leblond, 44 VA Adrian Stanciu, 45 CO Bob Hearn, 51 CA John Cash, 43 MO Greg Soutiea, 32 MA Andrew Snope, 30 GA Serge Arbona, 50 MD Steve Speirs, 49 VA

MILES 163.54 149.13 148.61 144.93 144.71 143.77 143.39 138.81 136.90 135.00

RACE Desert Solstice (2015) Desert Solstice (2015) NorthCoast NorthCoast Desert Solstice (2016) Desert Solstice (2016) Desert Solstice (2016) Desert Solstice (2016) NorthCoast Virginia Run

Biggest Races 100 MILES Leadville, Leadville, CO Javelina Jundred, Fountain Hills, AZ Western States, Squaw Valley, CA Vermont, West Windsor, VT Rocky Raccoon, Huntsville, TX Rio Del Lago, Granite Bay, CA Wasatch Front, Kaysville, UT Run Rabbit Run, Steamboat Springs, CO Grindstone, Swoope, VA Bighorn, Dayton, WY The Bear, Logan, UT 100K Miwok, Stinson Beach, CA Bandera, Bandera, TX The Canyons, Foresthill, CA Gorge Waterfalls, Cascade Locks, WA Never Summer, Gould, CO Black Canyon Trail, Mayer, AZ Quicksilver, San Jose, CA 50 MILES JFK, Boonsboro, MD TNF - CA, Marin, CA American River, Folsom, CA Silver Rush 50, Leadville, CO Tunnel Hill, Vienna, IL TNF - NY, Bear Mountain, NY Lake Sonoma, Healdsburg, CA Ice Age, La Grange, WI Minnesota Voyageur, Carlton, MN Squaw Peak, Provo, UT White River, Crystal Mountain, WA Bull Run Run, Clifton, VA

FINISHERS 340 284 280 256 241 213 213 203 179 175 166 FINISHERS 289 231 221 219 192 182 165 FINISHERS 753 537 524 384 333 329 304 297 271 264 262 258

50K Way Too Cool, Cool, CA TNF - CA, Marin, CA TNF - NY, Bear Mountain, NY Run the Rut, Big Sky, MT TNF - DC, Sterling, VA The HUFF (2015), Albion, IN HAT Run, Havre de Grace, MD Dirty 30, Black Hawk, CO Blues Cruise, Reading, PA Promise Land, Lynchburg, VA Chuckanut, Fairhaven, WA Squamish 50, Squamish, BC Gorge Waterfalls, Cascade Locks, OR Hyner Trail Challenge, Hyner, PA Mountain Mist, Huntsville, AL StumpJump, Chattanooga, TN Bulldog, Calabasas, CA Leona Divide, Lake Hughes, CA TNF - WI, Eagle, WI Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, ME Seashore, Virginia Beach, VA Orcas Island, Orcas Island, WA OTHER DISTANCES Rachel Carson 34M, Pittsburgh, PA NYRR NYC 60K, Manhattan, NY Howl at the Moon 8H, Danville, IL Moab Red Hot 55K, Moab, UT Quad Dipsea 28.4M, Mill Valley, CA Bighorn 32M, Dayton, WY Born to Run 30M, Los Olivos, CA Virginia Run for Cancer 24H, Hampton, VA Run Under the Stars 10H, Paducah, KY

FINISHERS 818 507 465 402 394 378 330 314 308 304 295 287 261 258 257 252 252 250 246 245 243 237 FINISHERS 452 351 298 289 275 228 218 217 185

Four + Wins MALE

TIME

FINISHERS

JIM WALMSLEY, 25 AZ Bandera 100K, Bandera, TX

7:46:37

231

JFK 50M, Boonsboro, MD

5:21:29

753

Mesquite Canyon 50K, Waddell, AZ

4:11:09

63

Franklin Mountains 50K, El Paso, TX

4:34:07

177

Lake Sonoma 50M, Healdsburg, CA

6:00:52

304

Moab Red Hot 55K, Moab, UT

3:49:20

289

BRIAN RUSIECKI, 37 MA Vermont 50M, Brownsville, VT

6:35:36

18

Vermont 100M, West Windsor, VT

15:47:11

256

Massanutten 100M, Fort Valley, VA

19:15:14

151

Bull Run Run 50M, Clifton, VA

6:40:31

258

Hellgate 100K, Fincastle, VA

11:01:26

117

CHASE NOWAK, 27 MN Trail Mix 50K, Rockford, MN

3:30:58

103

Ice Age 50M, La Grange, WI

6:36:45

297

Door County 50M, Sturgeon Bay, WI

5:46:49

84

3:47:19

176

Chippewa Moraine 50K, New Auburn, WI COREE WOLTERING, 26 CO DTR Endurance 50K, Jupiter, FL

4:07:42

70

Buzzard Day 50K, Hinkley, OH

3:52:36

50

Chicago Lakefront 50K, Chicago, IL

3:31:34

105

Tunnel Hill 50M, Vienna, IL

5:30:15

333

4:09:14

190

MARK HAMMOND, 30 UT Monument Valley 50K, Monument Valley, AZ Rio Del Lago 100M, Granite Bay, CA

15:33:28

213

Bryce 100M, Bryce Canyon, UT

19:30:25

103

8:06:17

264

Squaw Peak 50M, Provo, UT MICHAEL DAIGEAUN, 36 PA Brazos Bend 50M, Needville, TX

5:51:25

128

HAT Run 50K, Havre de Grace, MD

3:54:36

330

4:32:12

258

Hyner Trail Challenge 50K, Hyner, PA

MD Heat Trail Race 50K, Elkridge, MD 4:30:08

54

NICO BARRAZA, 26 AZ

Ian Sharman defending his title at Rocky Raccoon 100. His 2016 win was his third time winning Rocky Raccoon 100. [ Duke Dixon/Enduro Photo]

Javelina Jundred 100K, Fountain Hills, AZ

9:57:47

128

Bryce 50K, Bryce Canyon, UT

5:48:38

154

Canyon De Chelly 55K, Navajo Reservation, AZ

4:27:21

130

Grand Canyon Ultras 50M, Grand Canyon, AZ

7:52:10

62

FEMALE

TIME

FINISHERS

NEELA D’SOUZA, 38 ON Green Lakes 50K, Fayetteville, NY Tunnel Hill 100M, Vienna, IL Sulphur Springs 50K, Ancaster, ON

AGES OF ULTRARUNNING FINISHERS <20 0.74%

70+ 0.65% 60-69 4.31%

50-59 21.84%

138 63

Can Lake 50M, Canandaigua, NY

7:02:46

62

Niagara Ultra 50K, Niagara, ON

3:58:06

180

17:57:59

280

KACI LICKTEIG, 29 NE Western States 100M, Squaw Valley, CA Silver State 50M, Reno, NV

The Bear 100M, Logan, UT

7:41:54

67

4:23:25

59

3:45:46

163

20:27:57

166

COURTNEY DAUWALTER, 30 CO FANS 24H, Minneapolis, MN

30-39 32.62%

4:26:18 10:38:26

GOATZ Trail Runs 50K, Omaha, NE

40-49 33%

66 101

Vermont 100K, West Windsor, VT

Psycho Psummer 50K, Kansas City, KS 20-29 11.25%

4:25:16 16:20:07

135.7

82

Run Rabbit Run 100M, Steamboat Springs, CO

21:23:37

203

Hideaway Hundred 50K, Winter Park, CO

5:02:30

53

Javelina Jundred 100K, Fountain Hills, AZ

8:48:25

128

Black Warrior 50K, Moulton, AL

5:26:58

68

Rockin Choccolocco 50K, Pinhoti, AL

5:26:32

56

Oak Mountain 50K, Pelham, AL

5:45:28

76

Dizzy Fifties 50K, Huntsville, AL

4:33:53

74

LIZ CANTY, 24 MA

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Oldest 100Mile Finishers NAME FEMALE Gunhild Swanson, 71 WA

TIME

28:22:39 Rocky Raccoon

Bonnelle Murphy, 68 CA

30:30:00 Razorback

Lynna Gilstrap, 66 OK

RACE

31:17:11 Honey Badger

Joyce Ong, 66 VA

36:24:44 Wildcat

Claudia Newsom, 65 CA

30:51:54 Red Rock

Mary Ann Yarborough, 64 WV

33:34:23 Death Before DNF

Kit Brazier, 63 CA

28:26:39 Jackpot

Letha Cruthirds, 63 MS

29:19:52 Arkansas Traveler

Louise Mason, 63 IL

28:59:07

Beast of Burden â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer

Lori Pratt Smith, 63 UT

35:49:45 The Bear

Louise Mason, 63 IL

28:50:26 Umstead

Karen Alexeev, 63 FL

29:30:23 Keys Ultras

Letha Cruthirds, 63 MS

29:19:52 Arkansas Traveller

Letha Cruthirds, 62 MS

27:28:51 Ancient Oaks

Ruth Kohstall, 62 OH

30:46:19 Mohican

Gail Leedy, 62 NM

33:16:12 Bighorn

Georganna Quarles, 62 NV

28:07:25 Javelina

MALE Tom Sprouse, 74 NC

28:50:28 Umstead

Sylvan Addink, 74 IA

29:28:18 Kettle Moraine

Ian Maddieson, 73 NM

27:30:11 Umstead

David Blaylock, 73 UT

29:30:47 Jackpot

Ian Maddieson, 73 NM

28:19:17 Lean Horse

David Blaylock, 73 UT

29:21:00 Lean Horse

David Blaylock, 73 UT

35:25:28 Salt Flats

Steve Harvey, 71 CA

51:00:47 Born to Run

Nicholas Bassett, 71 WY

33:47:35 The Bear

Don Gibson, 71 GA

29:00:10 Yeti

Mathew Mapram, 70 TX

27:15:39

Houston Running Festival

Jussi Hamalainen, 70 CA

32:23:45 Angeles Crest

Joselito San Gabriel, 70 CA

27:38:00 Long Beach

Mathew Mapram, 70 TX

26:42:03 Jackpot

Significant Course Records 2016 NAME

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JAN/FEB 2017

RACE

TIME

AGE OF RACE

Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ

JFK 50 Mile

5:21:28

54

Tim Tollefson, 31 CA

Silver State

3:58:51

29

Mallory Richard, 31 MB

Superior

23:51:01

26

Chris Vargo, 34 AZ

Crown King

3:47:15

25

Daven Oskvig, 39 NY

Sulphur Springs 15:33:34

21

Megan Roche, 26 CA

Tamalpa Headlands

4:20:51

19

Cassie Scallon, 33 CO

Bandera

9:19:46

14 14

Zach Bitter, 30 CA

Javelina

13:30:28

Jim Walmsley, 25 AZ

Bandera

7:46:37

14

Chikara Omine, 34 CA

Headlands

16:56:31

10

Jacqueline Merritt, 28 GA

Pinhoti

19:04:46

9

David Riddle, 35 OH

Pinhoti

16:24:15

9

Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ

Lake Sonoma

6:00:52

8

Jodee Adams-Moore, 33 WA

Gorge Waterfalls

10:27:58

3

Lindsay Tollefson, 30 CA

Gold Rush

4:15:17

3

Sage Canaday, 30 CO

Black Canyons

7:52:26

3

Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ

Flagstaff to Grand Canyon

3:30:44

3

Jim Walmsley, 26 AZ

Franklin Mountain

4:34:07

2

2016 TOP FINISHERS

Youngest Winners NAME

RACE

TIME

Felix Lawson, 16 CA

Bandit Ultra 50K

James Maguirk, 16 TN Keith Hansz, 18 OH

Oldest Winners

GENDER

FINISHERS

NAME

RACE

4:18:42

M

84

Gene Dykes, 68 PA

Race for the Ages 24H

Fall Creek Falls 50K

4:59:51

M

54

Sally Brooking, 59 GA

Olde Girdled Grit 50K

4:47:13

M

57

Andrew Miller, 19 OR

Georgia Death Race 68M

11:42:51

M

Patrick Caron, 19 MA

Pineland Farms 50M

6:14:31

M

15:39:36 4:37:14 3:35:48

Andrew Miller, 20 OR

Western States 100M

Annika Hempel, 20 WI

Afton Trail 50K

Gordon Gianniny, 20 CO Dead Horse 50K

TIME

GENDER

FINISHERS

205

M

152

SweetH2O 50K

6:06:22

F

74

Davy Crockett, 58 UT

Crooked Road 24H

103.356

M

146

162

Kermit Cuff, 58 CA

Headlands Hundred 50M

8:18:51

M

67

126

Rick Simonson, 58 TX

Palo Duro 50K

4:43:29

M

126

M

280

Liz Bauer, 57 SC

Race for the Ages 24H

152

F

209

Eugene Oddone, 56 NC

The Derby 50K

M

162

Debra Horn, 56 OH

Across the Years 48H

Mia Yeager, 20 OH

Green Jewel 50K

4:18:17

F

101

Roberta Horn, 56 CA

Nanny Goat 12H

Samuel Gray, 20 NH

TNF - NY 50K

3:59:39

M

465

Charles Smith, 55 ON

Mind The Ducks 12H

Alex Lopez, 21 CO

Silver Rush 50M

7:05:04

M

384

Dave Carver, 54 ON

Alexis Doyle, 21 CA

Des Plaines 50M

7:44:33

F

87

Stephanie Miller, 54 FL

Alexis Eldridge, 21 TN

Land between the Lakes 60K

6:06:24

F

112

Clark Messman, 21 CA

Mountain Masochist 50M

7:08:05

M

Kelly Wolf, 21 AZ

Coldwater Rumble 52K

4:41:42

F

Kyle Boykin, 21 GA

Cruel Jewel 50M

10:47:25

Mark McAlister, 21 TN

Blood Rock 50K

5:26:21

Cat Bradley, 22 CO

Rio Del Lago 100M

Darren Thomas, 22 VA

173

F

4:55:06

M

59

170.07

F

66

60

F

61

74.888

M

146

Iron Horse 50M

6:52:04

M

59

Pinellas Trail 46M

8:07:40

F

72

Becky Bates, 53 BC

Sun Mountain 50M

7:40:07

F

86

210

Ed Ettinghausen, 53 CA

Across the Years 144H

50

Karen Pierce, 53 CA

The Canyons 50K

M

64

Riva Johnson, 53 OR

Bryce 100M

M

92

Roxanne Woodhouse, 53 CA Tahoe Rim Trail 100M

18:48:07

F

213

Roxanne Woodhouse, 53 CA Tahoe 200 200M

Mt Cheaha 50K

4:18:39

M

151

Ruth Loffi, 53 OK

Darren Thomas, 22 VA

Promise Land 50K

4:40:47

M

304

David Ryland, 22 OH

Buckeye Trail 50K

3:57:44

M

4:53:38 4:35:13 5:50:34

F

Jacki Cronin, 22 MI

The Trail Marathon 50K

Zack Beavin, 22 KY

Rough Trail 50K

Zoe Rom, 22 AR

War Eagle 50K

481.86

M

66

6:34:06

F

80

23:57:55

F

103

23:38:57

F

155

69:16:09

F

80

Post Oak Lodge 50K

6:10:40

F

66

Aaron Freedman, 52 FL

Keys Ultras 50M

9:57:53

M

67

155

Chip Craig, 52 NC

Black Mountain Monster 6H

37.29

M

53

F

123

Connie Gardner, 52 OH

Snowdrop ULTRA 55H

M

80

Connie Gardner, 52 OH

Mohican 100M

100

Jeff Curtin, 52 WI Jeff Nelson, 52 PA

LEFT: Andrew Miller becomes the youngest ever Western States 100 winner at just 19 years old. [ Paul Nelson] RIGHT: Roxanne Woodhouse cruises toward her third TRT100 victory. [ Keith Facchino]

200.1

F

133

23:24:42

F

121

Apple Creek 50K

4:08:46

M

51

Oil Creek 50K

4:32:40

M

150 84

Stan Ferguson, 52 AR

White Rock Classic 50K

4:35:57

M

Suzanna Bon, 52 CA

Castle Peak 100K

14:01:13

F

72

Bettsie Delapp, 51 OH

Germantown 50K

6:10:44

F

54

Beverley Anderson-Abbs, 51 CA

Jed Smith 50K

3:48:07

F

79

David Herr, 51 VT

Pisgah Mountain 50K

4:12:45

M

80

JAN/FEB 2017

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JAVELINA JUNDRED //////////

BLAZING FAST

COURSE RECORDS in the T SONORAN DESER

BY MELIA COURY

Courtney Dauwalter crushed the 100k with an overall win and set a new course record for men and women! [

Melissa Ruse/SweetM

Images]

JAVELINA JUNDRED

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JAN/FEB 2017

It’s a running community reunion like no other. A sea of over 300 tents popped up at the Javelina Jeadquarters by Friday afternoon, the day before the race. The temporary city was alive with excitement for a weekend filled with running, cheer and costumes – because this ultramarathon race celebrates Jalloween.

Since Javelina Jundred is always near Jalloween, most runners engage in the fun. Even if they don’t dress up, we have plenty of decorations around our aid stations to keep the spirit alive. In some cases, the crew members, aid station volunteers and vendors even dress up!

It was an exciting race for the women. Janessa Taylor held the lead for the first 61.2 miles of the race with a gap starting at 40 minutes and increasing up to two hours before she unfortunately had to drop at mile 80.6. At that point, Dana Anderson and Adela Salt were only five minutes apart. Anderson grew the lead to 30 minutes ahead of Salt for the win. Amy Rasor rounded out the podium 40 minutes behind Salt.

THE HEAT October in Phoenix is still hot. While temperatures stay below 100 degrees, the dry heat from the summer has not yet vanished. This year was hotter than most, with a high of 95 degrees and no cloud coverage. At each aid station, runners were looking for any method to stay cool, including drenching themselves. Volunteers dedicated pitchers of water for pouring over runners. Most found that if they got completely soaked at an aid station, they would be dry by the time they made it the 3-5 miles to the next one.

Many heat trained before the race by going to the sauna.

THE RACE Javelina Jundred is one big party. However, this race is not to be trif led with, as it has a history of a lower finishing rate. This year, only 52% of the 574 runners who began the race on Saturday morning made it to the finish 100 miles later. The heat is a huge factor, but what else makes Javelina difficult? Maybe it’s the weather, or the rolling hill course, or the loops, or a thousand other things. And 100 miles is, well, 100 miles.

100-MILER Leading from the gate, Zach Bitter dominated the whole day. He took the first lap out the fastest because it would have the coolest temperatures of the whole race.

He mentioned in a post-race interview that he planned on a fast first lap since he would slow down as the heat and miles climbed. Bitter didn’t want to push the pace the first lap, but if he felt good then he wouldn’t hold back.

Bitter, as well as Bret Sanborn (second) and Ryan Kaiser (third), all used some of the heat coping methods mentioned above, like getting wet at each aid station and carrying an extra bottle to stay cool. Sanborn hung back earlier in the race, but then pulled ahead of Kaiser during the last 20 miles.

100K Read our It was a hot day, but Courtney Dauwalter interview with handled it like a beast and made history. She Dauwalter at urmag.me/ was just eight minutes back from Nico Barazza courtney at mile 22.3, and by mile 41.8 she pulled into the lead. Dauwalter retained this lead and formed a sizable gap from the remaining runners.

When she finished in 8:48:25, Dauwalter shattered the women’s course record by an hour (Susan Barrows, OPPOSITE: Zach Bitter 9:42:45 in 2015) and the men’s 100k course record by 20 floating toward a new, very speedy course minutes (Jay Smithberger, 9:08:58 in 2010)! record. [ Howie Stern] Neela D’Souza finished second for the women and fourth overall, hanging with the front of the pack most LEFT: Ed Gildersleeve of the day. Meredith Edwards finished off the podium keeping it relaxed during after running most of the day with D’Souza. the 100k. [ Deron Ruse/ SweetM Images] Nico Barraza led the race for the men all day. In a post-race interview, he mentioned before he picked up his pacer, Jim Walmsley, he was going through a rough ABOVE: Tent City at the Javelina Jeadquarters patch. With some company and the sun starting to set, near the start/finish line. he had renewed energy and was able to make an exciting [ Melissa Ruse/SweetM finish. Another epic finish was by Michael Arnstein, who Images] sprinted into the finish and leapt across the timing mat.

His goal was to run sub-10 hours, and he did it. Michael Halovatch finished third to compete the 100k podium for the men.

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JAVELINA JUNDRED

Javelina Jundred

ELEVATION AND SURFACE INFO

Fountain Hills, AZ // October 29

2,2 // 100 Miles & 100k

4, 4 < So, what does that little symbol mean? The first number is the elevation profile, the second is the quality of the surface. Both are on a 1–5 scale, with 5 being the most difficult.

Elevation gain: 100 mile – 6,000 feet / 100k – 3,600 feet | The course is a 15.3-mile loop run four times for the 100k and six times (plus an extra short loop) for the 100-mile on rolling single-track through the Sonoran Desert. The loops are run alternately clockwise and counter clockwise.

The trail is a mix of hard packed granite, rocks and sand.

100 MILES

MI&L ES M I LE S

O F C O LO R A D O’S U LA R M O ST S P E C TAC T R A ILS S IN G L E-T R AC K

44

50K on 6.3.17 Golden Gate Canyon St. Pk.

KM

C

E

1

00

M O U N TA I N

RA

100K on 9.23.17 Silverton, CO.

ALL TH E I N FO: www.Dirty30.org 58

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

JAN/FEB 2017

45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78

Zach Bitter, 30, CA Brett Sanborn, 30, NM Ryan Kaiser, 37, OR Brandon Yonke, 23, CO Neal Collick, 36, MI Travis Dietrich, 34, CA Drew Miller, 30, NY Adam Harris, 30, BC Uli Stuwe, 42, CA Paul Shoen, 35, OR Iain Jones, 39, CA Matthew Edell, 35, CA Steven Kent, 49, WA Steve Speirs, 50, VA Sean Ranney, 39, CA Nobuyori Takeda, 37, NY Neil Feldman, 46, MA Adam Walton, 32, PA Brad Person, 51, AZ Brandon Mewhort, 31, BC Benjamin Ewers, 46, CA Trent Peelle, 40, AZ Dana Anderson, 33, UT Jeffery Hayes, 57, PA Eric Weeden, 46, CA Juan Mendez, 44, AZ Miguel Perez, 34, NM Adela Salt, 43, AZ Stephen England, 36, NY Jon Dewez, 37, CA Nathan Augustine, 42, AZ Benedict Dugger, 46, AZ Soon-Chul Choi, 38, CA Will Rivera, 46, KY Lucas Horan, 35, CA Matt Whalen, 38, CA Camilo Martinez, 35, NY Amy Rasor, 37, AZ Shawn Palandri, 40, NE Paco Raptor, 46, MEX Michael Mayberry, 49, AZ Tonya Keyes, 30, AZ Chris Ragsdale, 39, WA Suzanna Guadarrama, 28, CA Sean Nakamura, 37, CA Andres Hernandez, 47, PA Johan Wikman, 53, CA Jimmy Dean Freeman, 40, CA Jonathan Brayton, 39, CA Richard Morrison, 47, CA Bogie Dumitrescu, 42, CO Marco Zuniga, 44, CO Bryce Williams, 37, CA Rich Morris, 43, BC Dan Wolfe, 50, WA Mark Werkmeister, 55, NM Chris Thorpe, 40, NV Christopher Errecart, 41, CA Vasile Samartinean, 41, AZ Kelcey Knott, 42, MN Mike Tamoush, 37, CA Jon Christley, 46, AZ Kirk Wilson, 39, AZ Woodstock Taska, 27, AZ Keith Straw, 61, PA Raymond Mullenax, 50, ID Steven Ovah, 32, AZ Andrea Thorpe, 40, CO Michael Linscott, 45, WA Sudheer Maremanda, 40, WA Maia Detmer, 34, NV Zandy Mangold, 43, NY Kevin Campbell, 47, TN George Teas, 45, VA Tory Kendrick, 41, MT Charlotte Vasarhelyi, 40, ON Dennene Huntley, 39, AB Bryan Schlinkmann, 22, CO

13:30:28 15:15:04 16:36:49 17:17:03 17:37:25 17:37:50 17:39:10 17:58:13 18:18:40 19:01:53 19:03:45 19:10:43 19:22:53 19:24:17 19:25:54 19:37:42 19:38:25 20:13:27 20:15:12 20:44:29 20:45:42 20:49:11 21:03:13 21:14:10 21:19:45 21:27:03 21:32:36 21:32:56 21:38:49 21:46:22 21:54:44 21:55:05 21:55:44 21:58:48 22:00:29 22:04:37 22:16:46 22:17:48 22:21:23 22:28:10 22:28:42 22:31:29 22:31:53 22:34:03 22:34:08 22:39:28 22:40:17 22:42:29 22:43:44 22:45:38 22:46:19 22:47:11 22:49:12 22:52:08 22:53:01 22:53:29 22:56:40 22:57:21 22:59:44 22:59:44 23:00:35 23:01:04 23:02:11 23:08:10 23:08:57 23:10:04 23:10:43 23:11:49 23:15:18 23:15:18 23:17:03 23:18:31 23:18:48 23:19:56 23:29:02 23:29:17 23:31:44 23:34:30

ELEVATION PROFILE

1 Flat or nearly flat 2 Rolling; total climb up to 50' per mile (2,500’ in 50 miles) 3 Hilly; total climb between 50'-150' per mile (2,500'–7,500' in 50 miles) 4 Very hilly; total climb between 150'-250' per mile (7,500'–12,500' in 50 miles) 5 Mountainous; total climb more than 250' per mile SURFACE

1 Paved or very smooth 2 Mostly groomed trail or dirt roads 3 Trail or dirt road with some rocks, roots and/or ruts 4 Trail or dirt road with substantial rocks, roots and/or ruts 5 Very rough trail

79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119

Derek Beenfeldt, 47, NV Jenny Welch, 34, CA Heather Huggins, 42, CA Fred Roberts, 56, AZ Robert Julian, 48, OR Marko Heinila, 47, NM Luke Montzingo, 29, TX Susan Kramer, 51, AZ Lucas Till, 31, BC Jeremy Mayberry, 46, AZ Amy Chavez, 51, CA Lora Zagnoli, 54, CA Richard McKnight, 47, AZ Sandra Villines, 44, CA Roger Curtis, 55, CA James Tevault, 43, AZ Jon Paradowski, 39, SK Van Patterson, 41, AZ Cortland Wheeler, 28, FL Alexander Tucker, 30, CT David Iler, 39, TX Diran Sirinian, 50, ARG Brian Winter, 46, AZ Jessica Hardy, 34, CA Megan Cheng, 35, CA Pamela Chapman-Markle, 61, TX Maggie Dempsey, 33, GBR Rob Trepa, 42, AZ Nick Mohoric, 34, NY Henry Ward 3, 46, MA Joe Seeley, 44, CA Carolyn Caskie, 29, ON Nathan Moody, 40, NM Deni Ewell, 41, AZ Steve Deluna, 44, AZ Frances Tennant, 61, CA Matt Simmons, 41, AZ Mika Huhtanen, 49, FIN Emily Luhrs, 26, IL Ben Dicke, 37, IL Joseph Bearss, 46, CO

23:35:15 23:36:22 23:36:22 23:37:33 23:39:06 23:39:54 23:40:00 23:41:33 23:42:37 23:45:27 23:46:40 23:49:12 23:49:57 23:51:56 23:52:27 24:12:50 24:16:38 24:21:59 24:25:16 24:28:05 24:35:11 24:37:57 24:38:09 24:47:19 24:52:14 24:53:59 25:01:36 25:02:41 25:07:58 25:17:06 25:21:40 25:23:46 25:28:19 25:46:46 25:48:00 25:49:24 25:49:31 25:52:29 25:56:21 25:56:21 25:56:22

120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210

Irving Bennett, 55, PAN Celia Leber, 52, OR Cara Scott, 38, CA Jesse Murray, 46, CA Matt Bishop, 35, MO Lacy Archer, 35, CO Douglas Franklin, 36, IL Stephen Petretto, 36, OR Landon Benson, 36, AZ Emily Halnon, 32, OR Jeff Friedman, 33, CO Walter Bortman, 41, CA Jeffrey Fong, 44, HI Renee Drucas, 48, CA Brian Hamilton, 47, CA Steve Collins, 46, CO Luis Gomez, 32, FL Paulo Aguilar, 34, CA Susan Speidel, 49, AZ Jonathan Hunter, 35, CA Ken Lewis, 53, CA Joel Livesey, 38, CA Laura Matz, 30, CA Bruce Gungle, 57, AZ Derek Sibley, 44, SK Jennifer Hamburg, 45, CA Jessi Goldstein, 45, CA Denise Renno, 48, WA Carrie Brant, 40, WA Doug Cassaro, 31, TX Jade Carter, 42, BC Susan Donnelly, 53, TN Razvan Lazareanu, 46, ON Rob McDearmon, 45, CA Hoa Schober, 38, CO Robin Phelps, 55, TX Bryan McKenney, 53, TX Emilio Romero, 51, ECU Susan Kokesh, 50, OR Jimmy Brown, 46, NE James Schneider, 28, AZ William Baldyga, 45, WA Jeremy Hendricks, 37, CO Linli Ma, 44, CHN Raul Borja, 40, CA Spring Vick, 40, CA Ashley Oxton, 36, CO Nick Gast, 29, CA Jarrod Neeley, 43, CT Alyx Ulbrich, 28, HI Madeline Harms, 30, WI Adrian Crane, 61, CA Dan Collins, 40, NM Ryan Dempsey, 34, CA John Delozier, 41, TX Kimberly Jacobs, 41, CO Katie Trent, 24, NV Jim Ryan, 55, WA Clifford Matthews, 53, NM Cris Tenorio, 46, CA Martina O’Connell, 34, ON Alyson Jay, 37, AZ Dan Lenz, 41, NC Heather Ficke, 27, MD James Ficke, 55, MD Richard Benoit, 48, OR Brian Klimowski, 52, AZ Alexander Stroup, 42, CA Shane Jones, 38, CA Barry Kitazumi, 54, CA Lilia Gonzalez, 43, CA Andrew O’Brien, 52, AUS Sue O’Brien, 55, AUS Steve Hernandez, 49, CA David Goldstein, 47, CA Jill Weisman, 60, CA Danelle Soto, 32, AZ Vince Villegas, 43, CA David Yancey, 52, FL Jason Reathaford, 48, WA Redfield Baum, 44, AZ David Bliss, 54, AZ Shannon Farar-Griefer, 55, CA Steve Garrity, 35, WY Wade Kao, 42, TX Juan Escobar, 53, TX Darrel Folkert, 46, CA Jacqueline Folkert, 46, CA Georganna Quarles, 62, NV Thomas Lopes, 44, CA Erin Dial, 30, AZ

25:58:29 26:00:58 26:05:53 26:05:56 26:09:32 26:09:58 26:10:15 26:10:49 26:15:00 26:17:16 26:17:17 26:20:10 26:20:26 26:22:03 26:22:57 26:24:07 26:24:26 26:24:31 26:25:13 26:26:52 26:26:54 26:28:40 26:29:05 26:29:13 26:29:56 26:30:26 26:32:49 26:33:24 26:35:15 26:35:57 26:37:39 26:38:05 26:38:25 26:39:04 26:39:23 26:41:37 26:42:19 26:46:27 26:49:20 26:52:34 26:54:29 26:54:39 26:57:54 26:58:25 26:59:00 27:02:11 27:02:40 27:04:17 27:07:53 27:09:14 27:11:57 27:14:08 27:16:05 27:17:33 27:18:03 27:27:05 27:28:28 27:29:05 27:29:12 27:30:45 27:33:49 27:34:17 27:35:04 27:35:33 27:35:38 27:35:48 27:37:04 27:39:50 27:41:58 27:43:32 27:44:18 27:47:48 27:47:48 27:48:57 27:48:58 27:49:50 27:50:34 27:51:18 27:54:34 27:55:31 27:56:36 27:58:59 27:59:54 28:00:34 28:01:13 28:03:40 28:06:14 28:06:14 28:07:25 28:08:50 28:09:25

211 Heather Miller, 38, MO 212 Daniel White, 29, WA 213 Jon Blankenship, 43, TX 214 Chad Swanson, 30, NV 215 Janadel Harris, 36, MD 216 Pamela Geernaert, 48, MD 217 Dave Hope, 51, CA 218 Cindy Carlson, 43, CA 219 Brian Wilford, 52, AZ Soren Hadsund 220 Mortensen, 49, DNK 221 Miki Higuchi, 45, CA 222 David Carder, 53, GA 223 Steve Young, 51, OH 224 Jodi Weiss, 46, FL 225 Blue Kusaka, 43, CA 226 Kristen Klink, 41, CA 227 Mark Shields, 44, CA 228 Amanda Sellers, 30, CO 229 Kristin Harman, 36, CA 230 Dana Notman, 32, WA 231 Meredith Wells, 36, CO 232 Mike Lynch, 52, NV 233 Mark Spencer, 42, NV 234 Tim Hackett, 50, AZ 235 Abbey Hendricks, 34, OR 236 Christopher Morhain, 30, AK 237 Sylvia Van Os, 39, AB 238 Joshua Sun, 31, IA 239 Laura Euckert, 48, TX 240 Benjamin Coon, 40, CO 241 Elijah Slate, 39, TX 242 Shelley Cook, 41, IL 243 Begered Ghazi, 41, CA 244 Scott Harlan, 48, CA 245 Todd Lane, 47, TX 246 Sam Prokop, 47, LA 247 Chris Hasselback, 44, CO 248 Mona Gutierrez, 54, CA 249 Sam Crahan, 27, WI 250 Kelly Aney, 40, MN 251 Stephen Rodgers, 48, CO 252 Victoria Olson, 40, MN 253 Kim Oldham, 45, MD 254 Carson Galloway, 26, IA 255 Anaka Norfleet, 42, CO 256 Ken Reicher, 52, CA 257 Alexia Joens, 43, CA 258 Brenan Oliver, 34, CA 259 Bruce Keele, 49, NJ 260 Jeff Brettler, 55, CA 261 Nahoko Iwata, 44, JPN 262 Doug Camann, 49, NJ 263 Rene Rodarte, 61, CA Karen Bonnett-Natraj, 264 60, CA 265 Arnie Fonseca Jr, 57, AZ 266 Jeff Le, 33, CA 267 Patrick Grengs, 51, WA 268 Angie White, 49, KY 269 Matt Murphy, 42, FL 270 Karen Collins, 54, KY 271 Christopher Baca, 43, NM 272 Giovanni Guevarra, 53, NV 273 Matt Carroll, 36, CA 274 Huy Le, 44, CA 275 Laura Bello, 53, CA 276 David Thomas, 41, CA 277 Spencer Briggs, 40, NM 278 Ann marie Ahern, 48, CA 279 Lee Hulbert, 50, AZ 280 Doug Leary, 53, CO 281 Troy Wolford, 47, IA 282 Todd Wolford, 51, TX 283 Carlos Pineda, 39, CA 284 Robert Andrulis, 48, AZ

28:09:40 28:13:13 28:16:11 28:16:51 28:17:48 28:17:49 28:18:45 28:20:35 28:20:41 28:23:28 28:23:40 28:24:32 28:24:47 28:25:03 28:27:02 28:28:22 28:28:54 28:29:48 28:29:49 28:31:03 28:31:08 28:37:47 28:37:56 28:38:26 28:39:32 28:42:35 28:42:39 28:44:02 28:44:20 28:44:41 28:45:38 28:45:45 28:47:51 28:47:51 28:48:47 28:50:24 28:51:04 28:52:07 28:55:15 28:55:40 28:56:26 28:56:47 28:56:53 29:07:21 29:07:36 29:07:57 29:08:23 29:08:43 29:08:49 29:09:19 29:10:30 29:10:33 29:10:43 29:14:36 29:14:45 29:15:52 29:18:00 29:18:30 29:18:36 29:18:41 29:21:06 29:22:43 29:26:11 29:27:04 29:30:48 29:31:44 29:33:04 29:33:53 29:33:55 29:34:00 29:34:19 29:35:51 29:35:53 29:43:10

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73

Rob Gray, 46, AZ John Ticer, 59, AZ Lyzane Trepanier, 37, QC Selina Nordberg, 48, CA Helene Bindner, 54, CO Eric Bindner, 59, CO Alex Esquivel, 51, CA Maria Vicens, 33, MA Sean Patrick, 36, CA Kimberli Lopez, 31, NV Robert Childress, 30, MT Ryan Benson, 35, AZ Max Bohning, 26, CO Adam Renner, 47, AZ Jim Pineau, 41, AZ Clark Thompson, 19, CA Stacey Shand, 37, SK James Ehasz, 63, AZ Chuck Morehead, 46, AZ Alex Anyse, 45, VA David Clark, 45, CO Alexander Schwarzbauer, 43, FL Duane Baker, 73, NV David Witko, 58, AZ Stanford Lake, 40, AZ Kimberly Evans, 34, TX Mike Delzoppo, 34, OH Jeffrey Dodd, 53, CA Lorena Lujan Vales, 43, MEX Sergio Anibal Meza, 42, MEX Ben Iles, 30, OH Gilles Gervais, 46, QC Sandy Graham, 55, FL James Blair, 34, TX Julie Jensen, 35, CA Arturo Mercado Virgen, 41, MEX Nick Rai, 31, CA Bill Nictakis, 56, AZ Amy Hoch, 48, NJ Sean McCarthy, 39, MA John Vanderpot, 53, CA Phil Redinger, 45, CO Jouyoung Choi, 50, TX Teresa Brobeck, 57, NM Tory Dupey, 30, AZ Nicholas Sala, 28, CO Dawn Long, 60, AZ Charles Leonard, 61, NY Dean Steele, 42, CA Nofal Musfy, 74, TX David Payton, 55, AZ Wendy Norris, 59, CA Katherine Decarlo, 40, CA Jim Reed, 55, WY Agnes Largo, 46, HI Kevin Westover, 48, AZ Daryl Fletcher, 60, CO Kevin Rodgers, 57, CA Yen Darcy, 60, CA

12:33:13 13:06:10 13:26:55 13:30:19 13:34:53 13:34:54 13:39:12 13:45:42 13:46:13 13:56:21 13:58:07 14:06:16 14:06:55 14:09:22 14:21:10 14:23:10 14:23:20 14:30:24 14:38:23 14:40:10 14:53:44 14:55:41 15:08:49 15:08:59 15:14:04 15:19:32 15:19:49 15:23:04 15:26:09 15:26:11 15:27:21 15:29:56 15:33:56 15:35:18 15:41:08 15:53:22 15:55:41 15:56:04 15:57:50 16:06:23 16:07:29 16:12:06 16:18:09 16:18:22 16:26:30 16:30:14 16:36:41 16:42:46 16:45:26 16:51:42 16:59:25 17:00:24 17:03:24 17:17:51 17:23:23 17:24:03 17:26:46 17:29:42 17:32:48

74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128

Andrew Arthur, 40, CA Yuko Oe, 48, JPN Jim Buckley, 59, CA Linda McFadden, 54, CA Robert Lopez, 50, IN Brian Zacher, 41, AZ Shelley Devere, 41, AZ Elizabeth Bonin-Guzman, 48, CA Lynn Adami, 50, CA James Athappilly, 27, WA Scott Saunders, 45, CA Mark Gonzales, 27, AZ Amy English, 42, AZ Mark Gonzalez, 55, TX Salvador Gamez, 41, AZ Tony Lafferty, 55, CA Shane Massey, 42, AZ Esmail Rahimian, 57, CA David Simon, 40, AZ Murray Galloway, 64, BC Jason Camiolo, 45, AZ Brian Hostetler, 37, AZ Tim Truitt, 43, AZ Maria Austero-Macavinta, 51, CA Sonia Burdett, 50, TX Ed Gildersleeve, 43, AZ Jamila Williams, 37, NM Marissa Walker, 49, CA Paulius Berenis, 46, IL Lymaris Viruet, 31, NM Franz Mairhofer, 55, CA Ally Speirs, 51, VA Brian Uhlmann, 46, CO Russell Lane, 26, CA Mimi Dobrich, 53, CA Lisa Wood, 43, WA Jessica Gibson, 31, BC Criss Furman, 70, CO Maria Roman, 46, CA Betsy Rogers, 52, WA Denise Vega-Mondragon, 37, CA Thong Lim, 46, SGP Erica Finch, 40, WA Ross Comer, 47, WA Gary Hilliard, 62, CA Kelly Akyuz, 42, CA Jamie Boudreaux, 39, CA Ilene Bloom, 44, CO Anders Dahl, 46, CA Jeremy Edwards, 29, AZ Betty Desinger, 50, DEU Gary Hayward, 62, CA Peter Fish, 80, OR Michael Miller, 54, AZ Christina Rios, 32, AZ

17:48:27 17:50:40 17:50:43 18:01:43 18:02:37 18:03:52 18:04:03 18:07:36 18:20:01 18:24:54 18:26:23 18:32:42 18:39:35 18:52:01 18:54:47 18:56:47 18:58:45 19:09:23 19:14:30 19:17:32 19:23:55 19:23:56 19:23:56 19:25:02 19:26:16 19:26:30 19:26:31 19:34:17 19:34:19 19:34:23 19:53:46 20:02:38 20:05:31 20:21:47 20:32:37 20:39:15 20:43:56 20:47:45 21:27:37 22:03:45 22:10:29 22:17:42 22:26:29 22:26:30 22:38:07 23:19:25 23:31:59 23:49:25 23:52:26 24:48:19 24:48:21 24:54:24 25:45:32 26:45:44 27:25:55

Trying to stay cool in the 95-degree heat. [ Howie Stern]

100K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Courtney Dauwalter, 31, CO 8:48:25 Nico Barraza, 26, AZ 9:57:47 Michael Arnstein, 39, HI 9:58:15 Neela D’souza, 38, ON 10:33:40 Michael Halovatch, 38, NY 10:40:06 Steven Peterson, 48, CA 10:47:51 Meredith Edwards, 32, WY 10:52:00 Gregory Esbitt, 42, MA 11:05:07 Brett Dubois, 35, AZ 11:13:08 John Maroushek, 49, AZ 11:17:00 Emily Stone, 35, CA 11:37:46 Rick Hoopes, 62, CA 11:55:28 Megan Galope, 43, AZ 12:21:59 Derek Jacobson, 42, AZ 12:31:23

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RUN RABBIT RUN //////////

BY FRED ABRAMOWITZ

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THE RUN, RABBIT, RUN 50 AND 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUNS, presented by Altra, in addition to attracting some of our best established ultrarunners (Geoff Roes, Timmy Olsen, Nikki Kimball, Rob Krar, Emma Roca, Karl Meltzer, Lizzie Hawker...), has also served as the coming out party for future ultra stars (Jason Schlarb and Michele Yates). This year was no exception, as two very fast rabbits – Alex Nichols and Courtney Dauwalter, both 30, and both of Colorado – took home ultra trail running’s richest prize, 12,000 smackeroos, for winning the Fifth Annual Run, Rabbit, Run. Both will be heard from again.

Yup, September 16, 2016, was another glorious day in bunnyland, with Steamboat’s spectacular fall colors in dazzling array as a full field of tortoises and hares set off on their merry way. A stellar field hip-hopped through the mountains. Nichols, Sage Canaday, Dustin Simoens, Jesse Haynes, Tommy Rivers, Jacob Puzey, Bob Shebest, Dan Metzger and Germany’s Marco Sturm led the field early, but by mile 30 Nichols had assumed command, and the blistering early pace began to take its toll.

Carnage was rampant. Nichols ended up winning by over an hour in 17:57. Mark Hammond of Utah took second in 19:19, and Kyle Curtin took third in 19:27. They took home $5,000 and $3,500, respectively. Ever patient Jeff Browning of Oregon was fourth in 19:36 and also took home the masters money, for a total of $3,500.

On the women’s side, Dauwalter was at or near the lead from the outset, ultimately leaving a top notch field, including Nikki Kimball, Amanda Basham, Alissa St Laurent, Nicole Kalogeropoulus (formerly Studer), Anita Ortiz and Denise Bourassa in her wake. She also won by over an hour in 21:23 (eighth overall).

St Laurent ($5,000) held for second in 22:28, and Kalogeropoulos ($3,500) was third in 23:10. Becky Kirschenmann was fourth and top

masters in 24:36 and also won $3,500. Prize money for both men and women went seven deep.

Run, Rabbit, Run features separate starts for hares and tortoises, with the tortoises getting a four-hour head start. In the tortoise division, Colorado’s Kevin Sturmer ran a hare-like 22:12 while Bailey Eppard, just 20, ran 26:40 to take the tortoise win. Josh Golden (24:55) and Scheri Nagaraj (28:55) were top masters. Drew Meyer of Texas, at age 68, was our oldest finisher, in 34:55. All female finishers over 50 and all male finishers over 60 get free entry into next year’s race.

In the 50-miler, Timmy Parr continued his fabulous summers of racing and defended his title, running 7:26 for the win, while Blair Doney ran 9:18 to capture the women’s title. Second and third places were Dillon Gotshall and our very own Amber Sachs, and 17-year-old Patrick McIlroy and Christy Vecchio. Ryan Van Ness (8:52 and fourth overall) was top male master, while Kristi Anderson, at 53, was top over-40 female in a terrific 10:29. Our oldest finisher was Dave Hensleigh, 66, of Illinois.

He’s the guy who brought the

Tarahumaras to Steamboat, and America, five years ago.

Richard Iverson of New Mexico and Steamboat’s Mike Hlavacek earned their 500-mile buckles. Next year’s races are scheduled for September 8 and 9, 2017. Entries will open January 8, 2017. See you next year!

OPPOSITE: Beautiful views from the top of the first climb at Run Rabbit Run. [

Paul Nelson]

ABOVE: Britt Dick and Nikki Kimball cruising side by side. [ Paul Nelson] BELOW: Top three women and men show off their prize money. [

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RUN RABBIT RUN

Run Rabbit Run Steamboat Springs, CO // September 16

4,4* // 100 & 50 Miles Elevation gain: 100 mile – 21,000 feet / 50 mile – 9,000 feet | This course runs through the beautiful mountains of the Routt National Forest in northern Colorado. Expect lots of climbing with a few ascents up to an elevation over 10,000 feet.

100 MILES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81

62

Alex Nichols, 30, CO Mark Hammond, 30, UT Kyle Curtin, 28, CO Jeff Browning, 44, OR Christopher Schurk, 34, CO Tommy Rivers Puzey, 31, AZ Nate Jaqua, 33, OR Courtney Dauwalter, 30, CO Daniel Metzger, 21, CO Evan Namkung, 33, CA Chris Price, 34, CO Joel Anderson, 34, CO Kevin Sturmer, 36, CO Alissa St Laurent, 31, AB Chase Parnell, 30, MT Nicole Kalogeropoulos, 33, TX Joshua Simkins, 23, CO Jonathan Clinthorne, 28, CO Michael Hinterberg, 36, CO Eddie Aispuro, 39, CO Brandon Benefield, 34, WA Tyler Fox, 22, CO Michael Robbert, 40, CO Austin Johnson, 37, CA Jack Daly, 19, MS Chuck Radford, 44, CO Alejandro Venzor, 31, CO Kirt Courkamp, 53, CO Becky Kirschenmann, 42, CO Patrick McGlade, 27, CO Marvin Sandoval, 37, CO Josh Golden, 42, CO Denise Bourassa, 45, OR Hannes Gehring, 30, CO Jamie Kilcoyne, 45, CO Scott Klopfenstein, 44, CO Scott Schrader, 31, KS Zach Hermsen, 38, CO Matthew Berdine, 36, CO Donnie Haubert, 37, CO Mike Rahmer, 42, NM Walter Handloser, 33, CA Paul Tucker, 43, CO Zac Marion, 29, UT Amanda Basham, 25, CO Michael Adams, 46, TX Robert Woerne, 51, CO Cory Linfield, 28, CO Trevor Baine, 42, AB Dustin Simoens, 27, CO Mary Mahoney, 39, CO Kylie Collins, 26, CO Bailey Eppard, 20, CO Kevin Hadfield, 30, CO Tom Welker, 50, ID Jay Donosky, 45, GA Michael O’Brien, 32, CO Kerrie Bruxvoort, 39, CO Bret White, 47, CO Benjamin Dunn, 43, CO Todd Falker, 33, UT Andrea Williams, 35, CO Andy Hamilton, 51, OR Johan Steene, 41, SW Patrick O’Neill, 51, CO Naoki Ouchi, 40, JP Will Howard, 42, CO Jonathan Stuart, 32, UT Nate Hough-Snee, 30, CO Amanda Morgenstern, 27, CO Brian Melia, 51, GB John Witkiewicz, 34, CO Garett Graubins, 43, CO William Ieuter, 52, IL Ramberg Nicholas, 27, CO Ben Zeeb, 41, CO Matt Brinski, 39, CO Dana Kracaw, 30, CO John Paul Ogden, 48, CO Kevin Cannaday, 36, WI Raquel Harper, 36, CO

17:57:33 19:19:20 19:27:04 19:38:48 20:01:53 20:04:46 20:38:05 21:23:37 21:38:12 22:01:23 22:05:28 22:08:44 22:12:52 22:38:48 22:57:54 23:10:36 23:18:21 23:21:29 23:39:12 23:43:23 23:59:55 24:12:31 24:14:30 24:17:35 24:19:36 24:23:19 24:23:51 24:26:22 24:36:40 24:43:39 24:48:58 24:50:30 24:52:17 24:52:46 24:58:12 25:23:04 25:28:08 25:30:34 25:34:34 25:37:35 25:38:09 25:40:47 25:46:56 26:00:35 26:00:43 26:02:39 26:24:30 26:27:06 26:27:28 26:27:32 26:34:26 26:40:05 26:40:49 26:48:22 26:49:22 27:06:03 27:10:13 27:15:29 27:19:29 27:28:41 27:31:58 27:36:14 27:36:56 27:40:46 27:50:39 27:50:55 27:58:33 27:58:58 28:03:43 28:10:25 28:15:19 28:19:21 28:23:33 28:24:53 28:24:54 28:26:08 28:27:15 28:27:57 28:34:43 28:37:45 28:39:10

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82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174

David Golden, 23, CO Jeff Zenger, 23, TX Anthony Arena, 30, CO Becki Lynn Lassley, 39, CO Joe Del Conte, 41, NY Scheri Nagaraj, 40, CO Todd Norman, 47, CO Lieko Earle, 40, CO Elizabeth Davis, 35, CO Ty Reagan, 30, TX Javier Montero, 52, CR Jon Mason, 41, FL Amy Tice, 27, OR Martin Guthrie, 48, TX Alan Barichievich, 48, CA Huw Edwards, 34, CO Eric Hebert, 42, MT Marcy Wilkinson, 42, UT Mike Wilkinson, 44, CO Kyle Dostart, 29, CO Clinton Barrett, 36, AZ Richard Iverson, 55, NM Caroline McIlroy, 43, NL David Finkbiner, 24, MI Scott Rabb, 46, TX Rachel Kelley, 35, NC Kosuke Masaki, 50, JP Matthew Lynch, 31, CT Victor Fallon, 27, SC Monica Ochs, 46, WA Gina Harcrow, 43, CO Scott Snyder, 61, CO Scott Howell, 38, CO Dan Pritchard, 36, CO Jeremy Phillips, 35, CO Steve Marley, 38, NM Michael Kelly, 41, CO Keith Wurm, 36, MO Mark Porter, 38, NM Tonia Smith, 46, CO Allisa Linfield, 26, CO Russ Dresher, 33, MA Lisa Dysleski, 40, CO Alex Pashley, 36, CO Gavin Malia, 42, CO Courtney Schwartz, 29, CO Jon Webb, 42, CO Keith Remington, 44, CO Dave Corsten, 48, CO Thomas Guest, 32, CO Nattu Natraj, 52, CA Ernie Floyd, 61, UT Leah Howard, 43, CO Fred Ecks, 49, CO Bogie Dumitrescu, 40, CO Jason Steinberg, 38, CO Aaron Wilken, 41, CO Joel Martin, 36, CO Bruno Furrer, 38, CO Michael Hlavacek, 43, CO Brian Hoffmann, 49, CO Michele Anderson, 46, MT Rebecca Downey, 31, CO Allen Peoples, 35, CO Russell Valdez, 56, CO Jack Repasky, 30, CO Zachary Ryerson, 27, CO Jonathan Gibson, 45, NJ Jodi Semonell, 43, NE Kendrick Callaway, 31, CO Tim Boggs, 53, OH Andy Stallings, 36, OR Jason Johnson, 44, CO Angie Withey, 39, CO Elisa Sundahl, 42, CO Cale Rogers, 25, CO Cara Marrs, 45, CO Rory Mitchell, 32, HK Richard Stafford, 54, UT Paulo Medina, 31, CA Mike Eyer, 46, CO Jeremiah Jenson, 39, CO Kyle Stichtenoth, 34, AL David Elsbernd, 61, OR Geoff Scott, 66, NC Scot Hartman, 46, CO Matthew Watts, 59, CO David Waas, 31, CO Kevin Flannery, 36, CO Greg Wingo, 38, AL Drew Meyer, 68, TX William Vickers, 37, CO Mark Perkins, 62, CO

JAN/FEB 2017

28:42:05 28:46:38 28:47:22 28:47:56 28:54:19 28:55:38 28:55:39 28:56:55 28:59:50 29:17:05 29:19:37 29:21:35 29:22:33 29:24:19 29:26:01 29:28:19 29:29:32 29:30:19 29:34:48 29:37:03 29:39:23 29:40:19 29:45:57 29:46:48 29:49:26 29:56:34 30:05:18 30:07:35 30:22:57 30:27:14 30:27:38 30:30:44 30:37:24 30:44:43 30:45:46 30:47:42 30:51:57 30:57:32 31:07:04 31:19:37 31:21:54 31:43:17 31:44:04 31:46:01 31:46:01 31:47:16 31:48:26 31:53:30 31:57:22 32:00:45 32:14:00 32:14:00 32:19:21 32:25:28 32:25:30 32:27:15 32:27:33 32:27:53 32:29:18 32:30:55 32:35:42 32:37:01 32:51:27 32:58:14 33:09:12 33:10:38 33:10:50 33:11:25 33:13:01 33:17:10 33:18:01 33:23:18 33:23:33 33:27:41 33:31:28 33:31:30 33:35:21 33:39:27 33:43:04 33:44:13 33:46:29 33:47:17 33:47:56 33:50:51 33:58:04 34:05:16 34:09:51 34:15:31 34:17:22 34:17:50 34:24:38 34:29:28 34:29:37

175 Jodi Richard, 50, NY 176 Brent Owens, 39, CO 177 Myles McLeod, 55, GA 178 Thomas Dempsey, 27, CO 179 Steve Loewenkamp, 45, CO 180 Sam Sharp, 41, CO 181 Courtney Munson, 30, TN 182 Chris Kumm, 30, CO 183 Brent Robinson, 34, TX 184 Peter Neilson, 25, CO 185 Paul Sachs, 54, CO 186 Anna Norlin, 35, CO 187 Heidi Samuel, 45, CO 188 Les Jones, 57, TN 189 Eric Coppock, 47, CO 190 Devin Dummit, 20, CO 191 Roy Lunde, 44, CO 192 Edgar Guzm N, 41, ME Luis Antonio Avalos 193 Jimenez, 26, ME 194 Dave McCollum, 32, CO 195 Clifford Matthews, 52, NM 196 Geoff Smith, 35, CA 197 Nicholas Troiano, 41, CO 198 Megan Kunkel, 22, CO 199 Cameron Adamson, 27, UT 200 Kristin Gablehouse, 37, CO 201 Robert Prestininzi, 43, SC 202 Don McLaughlin, 45, CO 203 Vonhebron Cousin, 45, CO

34:33:48 34:34:24 34:36:08 34:37:41 34:39:44 34:42:26 34:44:02 34:45:04 34:45:33 34:46:04 34:50:26 34:56:49 35:11:44 35:12:42 35:16:45 35:19:57 35:20:17 35:24:20 35:24:21 35:26:36 35:27:27 35:32:29 35:34:05 35:35:54 35:41:47 35:42:01 35:48:27 35:57:06 35:58:09

50 MILES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61

Timmy Parr, 34, CO Dillon Gotshall, 34, CO Patrick McIlroy, 17, NL Ryan Van Ness, 40, CO Cody Draper, 36, UT Matt Lohrentz, 47, CO Zack Strong, 33, MT Bradley Schoultz, 34, VA Charlie MacArthur, 31, CO Blair Doney, 24, CO Daniel MacArthur, 28, CO Stefan Peterson, 47, CO Michael Derrick, 27, PA Greg Lackey, 27, CO Kevin Kelly, 42, CO Brett Wilson, 48, CO Josiah Workman, 24, CO Amber Sachs, 25, CO Brad Fink, 51, CO Michael Hall, 37, CO Matthew Yung, 37, CO Barry Harrison, 43, NZ Christy Vecchio, 31, CO Jimmy Howe, 24, CO Whiley Hall, 25, CO Michael Jarrett, 43, CO Wesley Collier, 38, CA Cliff Wege, 52, CO Brian Johnson, 41, CO Kristi Anderson, 53, CO Eva Humphrey, 25, PA Brent Miller, 36, CO Jeff Olson, 45, CO Jeff Haley, 38, CO Shannon Forbes, 39, CO Peter Rahmer, 34, CA Eric Vogt, 32, NJ Lindsay Swan, 31, MT Steve Chipman, 46, CA Benjamin Dickason, 27, CO Andrew Fullerton, 38, OK Michelle Geib, 40, CO John Diana, 47, CA Molly Chambers, 32, UT Jonathan Barker, 34, CO Ellie Hacker, 20, CO Gus Delaporte, 29, CO Ben Barthel, 36, CO Trey Dominick, 30, CA Jason Groves, 33, CO Susan Chaffee, 52, CO John Berggren, 31, CO Bobby Moelter, 32, CO Kevin Goldberg, 27, CO Deb Groves, 55, AK Lisa Rising, 25, MA Ryan Ernstes, 24, CO Ryan Simon, 26, OK Greg Bauwens, 50, IN Tobin Warren, 42, CO Nick Childers, 32, CO

7:26:59 8:37:29 8:47:10 8:52:52 8:53:01 9:03:55 9:07:24 9:08:06 9:17:25 9:18:59 9:22:39 9:25:21 9:29:46 9:29:48 9:45:34 9:47:48 9:51:26 9:54:05 9:56:45 10:02:50 10:08:15 10:08:35 10:09:02 10:15:04 10:18:24 10:19:11 10:20:37 10:25:06 10:25:40 10:29:41 10:35:14 10:36:50 10:43:07 10:50:19 10:54:24 10:54:51 10:55:24 11:03:47 11:04:37 11:07:02 11:07:58 11:10:34 11:14:36 11:14:40 11:15:09 11:16:35 11:21:04 11:21:20 11:26:52 11:37:26 11:40:06 11:41:27 11:41:28 11:41:49 11:43:48 11:44:24 11:45:15 11:45:58 11:48:04 11:50:27 11:52:08

62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151

Melissa Mincic, 36, CO David Waker, 35, CO Lucas Mouttet, 37, CO Abbie Steinbrueck, 32, CO Kristen Feiges, 35, CO Kendra Ball, 34, CO Julia Purrington, 41, CO Elizabeth Claflin, 48, CO Lara Schick, 32, WY Isaac Hagen, 35, MN Eric Rogers, 36, CO Marc Buffington, 35, CO Derrick Searle, 40, CO Nicole Olexa, 40, CO Vickie Hormuth, 36, CO Julia Nyiro, 22, KS Frank Anello, 42, CO Vicki Gascho, 45, CO Lucy Mills, 39, NZ Marco Santarsiere, 37, CO Jackie Randell, 37, CO Zac Barbiasz, 28, CO Jonathan Brayton, 39, CA Jessica Deugan, 40, CO Cory Prager, 32, CO Ryan Morgan, 44, CO Julia German, 35, CO Ben Robb, 33, CO Ellen Helgen, 45, CO John Williams, 53, CO Rebekah Leoni, 35, CO Brian Decker, 38, CO Cris Walters, 46, ID Anne Rich, 40, MT Nate Tiffany, 33, CO Mary Records, 27, CO Nate Johnson, 31, CO Kip Meister, 40, CO Thomas Butt, 42, CO Chris Stone, 49, CO Randi Strand, 38, CO Christopher Walvoord, 50, IL Jess Thornton, 37, OK Tony Rancatore, 39, CO Rachel Jacobsen, 31, CO Todd Rossier, 33, CO Michael Bjes, 32, CO Matt Greenberg, 40, CO Larry Smith, 41, CO Mary Kitzig, 59, OH Julia Fraser, 48, CO Ashlee Dennis, 34, CO Joshua Martin, 34, TX Jason Brown, 37, CO Regis McGrath, 46, IN Elaine Smith, 36, SC Annette Fortune, 48, CO Liz Harding, 43, CO Roberta Schoultz, 31, CA Glory Haucke, 41, CO Karyn Bixler, 25, NE Erin Gesell, 28, NE Blake Wageman, 31, CO Ed Bousquet, 54, CO Edward Strickland, 60, CO John Mosher, 50, CO Amanda Buchholtz, 28, CO James Kimball, 48, CO Mark Levesque, 51, CO Tyler Irvine, 28, NE Kurt Portwich, 51, CO Allyson Marshall, 24, CO Jason Coughlin, 50, CO Tessa Burris, 26, OK Andrea Guerrieri, 27, CO Dan England, 44, CO Dan Buchholtz, 53, NC Melissa Uchitelle-Roger, 59, CO Jeff Borgsmiller, 45, CO Ken Borgsmiller, 49, CO Jane Sindell, 54, CO Kyle McQuire, 31, TX Bob Potter, 40, CO Dave Haucke, 45, CO Tyler Eversaul, 25, CO Bill Kissell, 46, CO Michael Conway, 47, TX Trey Nixon, 33, OK Dave Hensleigh, 66, IL Sarah Lamberg, 34, CO

11:52:17 11:52:19 11:56:34 11:58:01 12:00:56 12:02:07 12:02:32 12:02:34 12:05:37 12:06:55 12:06:55 12:09:21 12:09:21 12:10:44 12:10:58 12:10:59 12:11:24 12:13:28 12:13:59 12:15:04 12:18:26 12:20:18 12:20:26 12:23:27 12:24:17 12:26:15 12:27:21 12:30:35 12:31:23 12:32:02 12:32:33 12:32:38 12:33:30 12:33:53 12:35:40 12:37:18 12:37:27 12:37:40 12:43:09 12:43:38 12:47:36 12:50:05 12:50:57 12:53:57 12:54:13 12:58:20 12:58:21 12:58:22 12:58:23 13:01:47 13:03:10 13:05:56 13:09:21 13:16:25 13:16:27 13:17:59 13:18:36 13:18:54 13:22:07 13:24:38 13:32:58 13:32:58 13:33:59 13:37:33 13:37:41 13:42:20 13:42:24 13:48:42 13:50:26 13:54:20 13:54:33 13:54:38 13:58:19 14:00:33 14:05:05 14:18:06 14:19:08 14:19:18 14:29:08 14:29:09 14:37:10 14:40:39 14:43:28 14:43:31 14:45:29 14:45:35 14:48:20 14:56:31 14:58:16 15:57:48

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////////// GEORGIA SKY TO SUMMIT

Choices that

Define

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BY ALONDRA MOODY

J Runners climbed to the top of the Rabun Bald Lookout Tower for the ultimate views. [

“Just the name of that race sounds intimidating,” a friend said to me about the Sky to Summit 50K. Those words kept coming into my head as I trained, along with how names and labels affect our perception and maybe even our performance.

The name “Sky to Summit” comes from the beautiful starting point in the small town of Sky Valley, GA, and the double summit of Rabun Bald, the second highest peak in Georgia. Recently, my race performances have led others to label me an “elite female” trail runner (correctly or incorrectly), but I tend to label myself as “Mom.” Going into the Sky to Summit 50K, I needed a way to reconcile these two labels, because they were pulling me in two geographically different directions, especially on race day.

Prior to signing up for the race, I had checked my daughter’s soccer schedule, and verified that her season would be over by race day; however, after soccer ended, she decided to join the high school cross country team to finish out their season.

As fortune would have it, she inherited her father’s efficient stride. Throughout my training period for Sky to Summit, my daughter joined me for hilly trail runs on weekends. Those miles, coupled with playing soccer for years, resulted in her qualifying for the state championships, which fell on the same day as Sky to Summit. I love watching her run. I wanted to be there with her. I just wanted to be “Mom.”But participating in Sky to Summit this year was a big deal to me as a runner.

The course itself is a big draw, appealing with beautiful single-track that wanders by creeks and waterfalls; fast, leaf-covered downhill sections through rhododendron thickets; lung-searing ascents to Rabun Bald that are rewarded by panoramic mountain views and fun sections of technical downhill. The mix keeps the race interesting and challenges me to push myself to the limit over the varying terrain.

Jobie Williams]

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The opportunity to share these trails with an amazing community also excited and motivated me. I felt the weight of the “elite” label while trying to treat my trail running as simply my own place where my effort is judged only by myself.

With my daughter’s blessing, I ran my race and she ran hers.

Even on the start line, I was still torn over the choice of being a “good” runner over being a “good” mom. In the moments of pre-race calm before the torrid excitement of the start, I began thinking about what trail running has given me: confidence and strength in my body, the true beauty of challenging myself and, once the race is on, the replacement of others’ opinions with the desire to just do myself proud. I see these things in my daughter already, and I am thankful for it.

Five hours into the race, as I made my way through the last few miles in the lead, my disbelief at how well the day had turned out on the trails was met with “mom” thoughts about my daughter preparing for her own race. I crossed the line in 5:24, and the only words I could find were that I was missing my daughter’s state championship race. I paused just long enough to get my feet back under me and began to run for my car to call her before she started to warm up.

My husband provided a play-by-play by phone during her run, and the emotion of my own day, along with the emotion of her race, left me in tears. When my daughter took the phone at the finish, she grasped for air to tell me she finished an incredible 16th, making me a very proud mom.

As the day wound down, my thoughts turned again toward living up to labels. Had I pushed myself harder to try to live up to one label? In making my choice, had I fallen short of being a good mother? During his

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pre-race address to the runners, the race director spoke about the race being a transition – from fall to winter, from the rolling Georgia mountains to the rugged Carolina mountains. As I reflected on these label questions, I thought maybe part of the answer lies in how we manage our own transitions, not in choosing one label over another, choosing carefully the things in our lives that are worth our time, worth our effort.

As I headed out of Sky Valley, I was grateful – for those who gave up so much time and energy to volunteer, for the many runners that make up this supportive community, for the chance to run in a beautiful race and because I am blessed to be called both a mom and a trail runner.

LEFT: Women’s winner, Alondra Moody, speeding towards a new course record time of 5:24. [ Jobie Williams] RIGHT: Runners drop off Rabun Bald, the second-highest point in Georgia. [

Jobie Williams]

Georgia Sky to Summit Dillard, GA // November 5

5,5* // 50k Elevation gain: 7,500 feet | With two summits of Rabun Bald, the course has big climbs with rocks and roots throughout the trails. After a summit of Rabun Bald, runners descend several miles to a waterfall at the turnaround and return to the summit where the course descends the opposite side of the mountain and runners complete a large loop back to the start/finish area.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

David Kilgore, 24, FL Jason Parks, 28, GA Daniel Hamilton, 28, TN Cody Goodwin, 31, TN William Ansick, 30, AL Geremy Skeen, 27, GA Matt Shechtman, 32, GA Shawn Webber, 42, FL Alondra Moody, 39, TN Josh Fix, 41, GA John French, 53, GA Patrick Whitehead, 30, GA Sayard Tanis, 34, PA Erin Jobe, 30, NC Shane Thread, 52, IN Justin Quackenbush, 27, AL Andrew Highsmith, 35, GA Tereza Novotna, 24, NC Tom Zoehrer, 44, CO Brian Montero, 41, GA Christopher Fitzgerald, 31, GA Marc Fiorucci, 37, GA Reid Palmer, 24, NC Timothy Kozik, 37, GA Steve Power, 47, GA Jim Schneiderman, 41, NC Gray Riley, 38, NC Kristen Meadors, 33, GA Glenn Legacki, 31, GA Matthew Taylor, 28, GA Ben Dixon, 44, AL Seth Bailey, 34, GA Shawn Roberts, 35, NC

4:19:27 4:24:13 4:43:00 4:53:21 5:05:02 5:08:38 5:18:48 5:19:07 5:24:09 5:30:17 5:41:30 5:42:15 5:42:58 5:51:42 5:53:25 5:59:26 6:01:10 6:09:31 6:10:44 6:12:42 6:15:05 6:15:08 6:15:47 6:18:18 6:19:50 6:22:02 6:22:35 6:22:57 6:25:31 6:26:07 6:28:58 6:32:36 6:33:04

34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78

Trevor Parssinen, 43, GA Peter Ripmaster, 39, NC Lesley Binning, 29, AB Andrew Hove, 26, NC David Esslinger, 52, GA Margaret Frank, 31, MO Hugh Palmer, 26, GA Nicole Gasaway, 32, GA Donovan Broome, 41, GA Harrison Smith, 30, GA Kathleen Turchin, 31, GA Kent Townley, 48, GA Joshua Folan, 45, NC Tim Tappan, 49, IN Dustin Shinholser, 35, GA Richard Estep, 33, GA Kelly Shaer, 33, FL Josh McRoberts, 36, SC Jaime Dansa, 40, NC Krystina Stoner, 29, GA Sean Daswani, 39, GA Ed Hall, 50, GA Dylan Scates, 27, NC Glynetta Vogt, 40, TN Andy Keegan, 59, PA Billy Bachman, 50, GA Randall Simmons, 45, GA John Kilpatrick, 46, GA James Schulte, 29, GA Lance Stallings, 44, GA Clay Collins, 39, NC Tyler Giles, 39, GA Caitlin Gibson, 32, NC Chris Watson, 39, SC Amanda Vicente Santos, 28, GA Allison Alston, 28, NC Brent Carroll, 30, GA Ben Goff, 36, NC Eric Crider, 36, GA Roger Wilhelm, 37, GA Katie Smith, 35, GA Jeremy Parker, 29, TN Rebecca Jones, 31, TN Heather Poast, 35, OH Shane Treadaway, 42, GA

6:37:23 6:40:47 6:42:35 6:44:01 6:48:42 6:49:49 6:49:57 6:50:02 6:50:06 6:50:15 6:50:38 6:52:32 6:56:34 6:57:31 6:57:46 6:59:29 7:01:07 7:01:09 7:01:55 7:02:10 7:02:38 7:06:32 7:07:50 7:09:00 7:17:47 7:17:49 7:18:38 7:19:54 7:24:31 7:25:56 7:26:24 7:26:26 7:32:09 7:36:52 7:38:24 7:38:52 7:39:05 7:44:34 7:44:40 7:44:42 7:46:00 7:52:27 7:52:34 7:53:04 7:53:05

79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122

Hunter Odom, 36, GA Bobby Hall, 38, GA Kendra Stallings, 42, GA Scott Boe, 50, FL Sean Donachy, 44, VA Zach McClure, 25, GA Stephen Berganske, 28, GA Bryan Joyner, 40, GA Brad Watson, 42, GA Claire Cusack, 25, GA Michele Oberprantacher, 42, GA Thomas Oberprantacher, 42, GA Steve McCready, 41, FL Sara Stone, 35, GA Jim Demay, 34, NC Julie Luft, 54, GA George Rollins, 53, NC Chantal Elmore, 23, GA Doug McFarland, 34, GA Dale Vanhooser, 58, GA Jennifer Roy, 33, NC Rick Schell, 45, NC David Flanary, 39, FL Steve Trickett, 40, GA Melanie Dunn, 26, GA Esther Hopper, 41, NC Hannah Gilmore, 32, GA David Nichols, 55, KY Randy Carr, 47, GA Christopher Nelder, 43, FL Joann Zeise, 41, SC Kelli Kilpatrick, 49, GA Valerie Brodbeck, 32, OH Meghan Swavely, 32, CA Scott Conine, 34, GA Todd McCain, 47, GA Yvette Yu, 40, FL Kris Marshall, 41, GA Sarah Holly, 26, GA Jon Pierson, 34, TN Jenny Bonner, 28, SC Katie Petro, 35, OH Jessica Croisant, 36, OH Julie Nikles, 34, OH

7:53:55 7:57:35 8:01:06 8:02:48 8:02:50 8:06:01 8:06:04 8:06:24 8:06:45 8:08:26 8:12:05 8:12:07 8:14:37 8:17:22 8:17:44 8:18:43 8:19:11 8:19:13 8:20:45 8:22:37 8:22:47 8:23:17 8:23:18 8:28:54 8:31:26 8:34:08 8:34:58 8:35:14 8:36:23 8:36:26 8:36:30 8:36:48 8:39:57 8:41:10 8:41:12 8:43:46 8:48:18 8:49:09 8:51:00 8:51:02 8:53:46 8:54:28 8:54:55 8:57:14

123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167

Matthew Ellsworth, 31, OH 8:58:19 Jeff Eller, 36, GA 9:00:41 Chris Landrum, 36, AL 9:02:09 Laura Mitchiner, 43, NC 9:02:14 Angie Payne, 46, FL 9:02:24 Todd Knight, 52, SC 9:02:48 Joseph Hoffman, 36, VA 9:03:02 Rayna Luzier, 37, OH 9:03:09 Cathy Faye, 38, OH 9:03:16 Leslie Hall, 36, ME 9:07:34 Brian Peck, 43, SC 9:07:37 Kenneth Widner, 55, GA 9:07:38 Walter Appleby, 44, GA 9:07:42 Eric Cox, 36, IL 9:09:47 Julie Robinson, 45, VA 9:13:43 Elaine Thomas, 47, GA 9:16:06 Kevin Smith, 38, GA 9:16:08 Doug Wyatt, 41, GA 9:17:53 Heather Davenport, 50, FL 9:18:50 Adrian Daye, 37, GA 9:19:22 Craig Canedy, 38, GA 9:19:55 David Wilkerson, 61, GA 9:21:23 Gary Jones, 48, GA 9:21:25 Aly Kasberger, 35, GA 9:22:30 Matt Kasberger, 39, GA 9:22:32 Barb Kosinski, 45, OH 9:23:36 Jon Crays, 46, OH 9:23:39 Semia Ostrover, 45, NC 9:25:02 Katy Peck, 40, CA 9:25:22 Brandon Gustyn, 40, SC 9:28:34 Budd Bramlett, 43, GA 9:29:13 Jonathan Salud, 30, FL 9:31:23 Rachel Meek, 28, FL 9:31:23 Deena Ali, 38, IL 9:32:06 Bo Lackey, 46, AL 9:32:12 Judith Dobbs, 40, GA 9:32:20 Laura Forbes, 37, GA 9:32:22 Jason Cousineau, 29, GA 9:43:26 Jenna Orick, 42, GA 9:43:29 Susan Briers, 61, FL 9:44:00 Thomas Tate, 46, VA 9:49:10 Pete Bastien, 51, VA 9:52:43 Tammy Sinnette, 52, GA 9:58:50 Gregory Haley, 44, TN 10:00:00 David Ernst, 33, FL 10:00:00

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Join us in NAPA! April 22, 2017 | 50 kilometers Come to Napa Valley on April 22, 2017 for the first running of the Napa Valley 50K. It’s the first-time for this race, and the first-time ever that a race has run across the trails of Robert Louis Stevenson Park. Your course will take you across the Palisades, with panoramic views of the Napa Valley below. Other treats await you on this well-loved trail, a secret kept by the local hiking and running community.

Let’s get ready to Ramble!

After the run, we will gather in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park for an evening of music and fun, leading up to Sunday’s running of the Calistoga Trail Ramble. Stick around for a shakeout run on the 10K and 10 mile courses, or just ring a cowbell and cheer others on.

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Honoring Eldrith

BY JOHN BROOKS, RD

Eldrith Gosney is a living legend in the Bay Area ultra community. At 75, she has been running longer than almost everyone in most races has been alive! No one knows how many races Eldrith has participated in her lifetime, as the internet didn’t start tracking results until her later years, but we managed to track down 177 ultras that she has completed, including forty-five 50-milers; four 100-mile events, including Western States; 12 Quad Dipsea finishes (she’s the current record holder for age 70-79) and fifty-eight 50k finishes. She has run six ultras so far in 2016, including two 50-mile events.

Some friends were training for the Quad Dipsea a couple of years ago and invited me on one of Eldrith’s training runs. It was basically a double Dipsea with a 20-mile additional

Alisha Myers from Chagrin Falls, OH, on her way to a top-10 overall finish. [ Lets Wander Photography]

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////////// ELDRITH GOSNEY’S PURE ULTRA

loop. Bay Area ultrarunners are spirit and of the environment, very familiar with the trails, as along with a challenging event. several classic races are held on The course, based upon them. However, Eldrith created Eldrith’s go-to training run, a challenging training run includes trails on the Marin different than any race. When Headlands, Muir Woods I approached Eldrith about National Monument, the Mill creating a new event based on Valley Dipsea stairs and Mount her training run, she hesitated, Tamalpais’s Steep Ravine and thinking that “no one would Coastal Trails. As Eldrith says, show up.”

“It’s not for weenies.” The 50k has Of course, the event sold out. 6,900 feet of climb and the event Anyone who has met Eldrith offers 36k, half-marathon and 11k inevitably says the same thing: distances as well.

“I want to be like Eldrith.” Partly, The 50k race was tight until this is in response to her long about the 20-mile mark, when running career, as we all hope to Dennis Wilkinson saw how close be running 50 miles at 75 years three runners chasing him were old. Mostly, it refers to her posi- on a short out-and-back section. tive attitude and her smile, the Wilkinson attacked the famous best on the trails.

Steep Ravine trail and shook The race tries to take trail off the chase group, creating a running back to another time, 9-minute gap by the finish.

Women’s winner Penny when Eldrith began running long ago. Everything “right” Macphail had just returned about trail running was found from an injury: “The great here: a celebration of community, thing about this event is there of the strength of the human is enough speed and expertise

on the course to have a wee buzz of competitive racing, but also enough love, fun and character to know it’s a fabulous environment to do your best.” Macphail

had some company on the course, finishing third overall while crossing the line with Alex King from Trout Lake, WA.

Eldrith Gosney’s Pure Ultra

19 Chuck Amital, 58, CA 6:12:35 20 Zoey McLarty, 27, CA 6:23:21 21 Diana Phillips, 38, CA 6:25:09 22 Clayton Kleppinger, 27, CA 6:25:59 23 Grayson Grzegorczyk, 26, MI 6:29:44 24 Erin Quintana, 31, CA 6:30:33 25 Gary Eldridge, 55, CA 6:45:03 26 Nathan Haley, 34, CA 6:56:10 27 Mark Silver, 48, CA 7:02:02 28 Michael Li, 50, CA 7:03:23 29 Darren Beevor, 49, CA 7:08:40 30 Natalie McMahon, 52, CA 7:14:49 31 Kim Fliege, 55, CA 7:15:15 32 Eti Valdez-Kaminsky, 46, CA 7:19:32 33 Leanne Peiser, 43, CA 7:27:29 34 Steve Oliphant, 55, CA 7:27:29 35 Susannah Ragab, 32, CA 7:33:12 36 Marcy Berding, 60, CA 7:33:13 37 Nola Kinaston, 59, CA 7:34:18 38 Carol Kent, 58, CA 7:43:08 39 Loc Tran, 44, CA 7:45:20 40 James Burns, 37, CA 7:52:46 41 Jackie Russell, 32, CA 7:56:10 42 Katie Russell, 35, UT 7:56:11 43 David Weber, 38, UT 7:56:11 44 Gwen Beacham, 50, CA 7:57:35 45 Franklin Lee, 61, CA 7:58:11 46 Manoj Das, 45, CA 8:16:05 47 Patricia Koren, 60, CA 8:25:03 48 Sunil Shukla, 41, CA 8:42:17

Mill Valley, CA // October 22

4,3* // 50k Elevation Gain: 6,870 feet | Steep, unrelenting sections on a loop course with some of the most famous trails in Northern California – Miwok Trail, Muir Woods National Monument, the world-famous Dipsea, Cardiac Hill, Steep Ravine and the Coastal Trail.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Dennis Wilkinson, 40, CA Jared Walbridge, 37, GBR Lucas King, 22, WA Penny Macphail, 48, CA Alex King, 21, WA Makiko Yamashita, 42, CA Scotie Jacobs, 41, NY Yasushi Saito, 49, CA Anj Schuyler, 34, CA Alisha Myers, 40, OH Michael Phillips, 34, CA Lisa Joanne Walbridge, 44, GBR Alden Simmer, 21, WA Brian Hoh, 25, CA Lee Trapani, 61, CA David Cook, 51, CO Benjamin Han, 25, CA Brianne Kwasny, 28, CA

4:41:58 4:50:34 4:59:48 4:59:58 5:02:21 5:07:34 5:12:23 5:19:42 5:44:13 5:51:33 5:57:34 5:57:49 6:00:49 6:02:12 6:03:41 6:07:41 6:09:36 6:11:08

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Come to

the Mad City for an Ultra Experience 11 th Annual

• US National Championship 100K road race • Non-championship but competitive 50K race • Challenging but fast, scenic urban course

m Men en’s s 2016 100K Winner inner: GeoFF eoff b Burns urns

• Madison is a welcoming destination for long-distance runners

April 8, 2017 • Madison, Wisconsin for registration and for more information:

www.madcity100k.com

Women omen’s s 2016 100K Winner inner: Traci Falbo JAN/FEB 2017 | ULTRARUNNING.COM raci albo

The 100K will again be the US National Championship Road Race 69

MAKING A COMEBACK on the PRAIRIE

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BY KRISTI MAYO

////////// HEARTL AND

The day began in the dark, in the middle of a paved county road, on the outskirts of the tiny railroad town of Cassoday, KS. After a quick countdown and the command, “Go,” the field of 59 runners shuttled away under a bright field of stars, turned onto a gravel road and introduced themselves to the rolling, wide-open Flint Hills landscape – the largest remaining tract of the ecologically threatened temperate grasslands.

Like the tallgrass prairie, the Heartland 100 had also been in danger of being wiped out.

Despite its status as a classic Midwestern race, competition with the glut of new races on the fall race calendar forced the

OPPOSITE: Nick Seymour covers ground quick to take an early lead. [

Kristi Mayo/Mile 90 Photography]

BELOW: Alex Francisco provides scale for the Flint Hills. [ Kristi Mayo/Mile 90 Photography]

cancellation of the Heartland 100 in 2015.

“There was discussion of modifying the course, moving the 100-mile to the spring with the 50-mile or just canceling the race,” said 2016 race Director Elden Galano. “I couldn’t let the race end. It was my first 100-mile race – really, my favorite race. I decided to take over the RD duties. I really tried to get the word out that the race was back on. We had a lot of positive response to that.”

In addition to Galano’s promotional push, the Kansas Ultrarunners’ Society introduced the Heartland Challenge.

Runners who completed the Heartland 50 in the spring and the Heartland 100 in the fall would earn a special Heartland Challenge buckle.

The Flint Hills welcomed back the runners with sunny skies, mild temperatures and relatively (for the open prairie) light winds. The course, which consists almost entirely of backcountry roads, varies from

almost-dirt, to double-track with a gravel base, to chunky, ankleturning gravel. As the miles wear on, runners obsessively shift from the right-hand tire track to the left, and then back again; the other side always looks smoother until you’re running on it. The rolling terrain provides unending vistas – one can take in miles of open grassland with swaths of brown, gold and green broken only by the occasional cow, power line and scraggly lone tree. (Lone Tree, in fact, is the name of the 50-mile aid station where runners turn around and start their journey home again.)

The frontrunners of that journey included Nick Seymour of Yukon, OK, who took advantage of the ideal weather and clicked off 8- to 9-minute miles early on, opened up a sizable lead and finished with the fifth-best time in the race’s history. Scott Hill took the special “First Kansan” award, finishing second overall. Kodi Panzer also ran wire to wire in

the women’s race and held third place overall for a good portion of the course, before dropping back to fourth behind sandalshod Jason Yuhasz.

Galano said the aid station volunteers were instrumental in ensuring the success of the event’s comeback. “I think the fact that so many people were happy at the end and ready to come back and run again was a very satisfying feeling,” he said.

Heartland Cassoday, KS // October 8

2,2* // 100 Miles Elevation gain: 6,000 feet | A 50-mile out-and-back course on backcountry gravel roads with less than one mile of paved surface for the 100-mile race. Much of the course meanders through open range with stunning views of the vast expanse of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Nick Seymour, 35, OK Scott Hill, 37, KS Jason Yuhasz, 39, KS Kodi Panzer, 35, KS Gerardo Ramirez, 44, TX Hans Van Zanten, 42, KS Alex Francisco, 26, MO Rickety Cricket, 50, CO Amanda Lynch, 35, OK Sam Brien, 32, MO Elliot Denholm, 43, TX Adam Monaghan, 33, KS Steven Sjolund, 65, MN Mark Berry, 57, LA Michael Belt, 53, MO Russell Bennett, 44, OK Melissa Melton, 45, MO Nathan Chandler, 40, NE Alissa Sebastian, 46, MO Donald Groom, 52, KS Dennis Haig, 56, KS Beiyi Zheng, 52, UT Greg Gray, 46, NE Regan Stoops, 36, IA Dennis Wilson, 58, NE Nicholas Shelton, 38, CO Kathy Hoover, 56, OK Heather Cotten, 42, KS Quynhanh Nguyen, 37, KS Jeffrey Bryant, 38, OK Aubrey Callahan, 34, TX Arnold Begay, 53, OK Dennis Cannell, 58, MO Adele Jordan, 34, KS Allyson Geschwentner, 23, MO Kristy Clark, 35, KS Tamara Begay, 21, NM Jennifer Clinchard, 48, NE Rene Villalobos, 57, TX Steve Blanck, 44, KS Lorraine Coder, 32, KS Vincent Swendsen, 54, NC Daniel Wilson, 58, UT Bruce Rowe, 29, KS Robert Hall, 59, KS Brandy Holey, 37, MO Joseph Galloway, 59, IA Carson Galloway, 26, IA

16:37:01 18:21:16 18:54:22 19:42:07 19:52:26 20:53:54 21:26:23 22:38:36 23:11:54 23:15:13 23:26:36 23:28:21 23:40:37 23:41:58 23:52:01 24:32:10 25:34:13 25:45:53 26:04:25 26:11:23 26:18:14 26:19:46 26:22:52 26:40:33 26:56:38 27:16:59 27:34:18 27:58:12 28:02:06 28:02:36 28:32:56 28:32:58 28:36:45 28:56:32 28:57:21 29:00:00 29:01:41 29:08:04 29:09:16 29:21:35 29:31:40 29:31:42 29:37:22 29:40:10 29:41:36 29:41:37 29:50:29 29:50:33

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Buckle Up All Trails Lead to Leadville

APR 9

Austin Rattler Run

JUN 17 Leadville Trail Marathon Leadville, CO & Heavy Half JUN 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;26

Leadville Trail 100 Run Training Camp

Leadville, CO

JUL 9

Silver Rush 50 Run

Leadville, CO

AUG 13 Leadville 10K Run

Leadville, CO

AUG 19 Leadville Trail 100 Run

Leadville, CO

presented by New Balance

L E A DV I L L E R AC E S E R I E S .C O M

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Austin, TX

ULTRARACES

Chicago Lakefront

Fast Mother

BY JOHN SCHROEDER “Wow, what a race!”

Camille Shif lett, women’s 50k winner and new course record holder at the Chicago Lakefront 50K, summed up an amazing race in an amazing week of Chicago history.

In its new location, the Chicago 50/50 is set on the lakefront bike path north of Chicago’s Loop, in sight of world-class architecture, urban beaches and harbors, and the many soccer fields, beach volleyball courts and parks of Chicago’s scenic lakefront.

The prior evening, eventual World Series winners the Chicago Cubs played less than a mile from the course in near-perfect weather. The conditions held and greeted runners with a gentle breeze off the lake, a welcome change from hurricane remnants that heaved foot-wide concrete chunks across the path only two years before.

“We ran from darkness into light, ran with the sunrise,” said Bibo Gao, women’s 50-mile winner. “The view of Lake Michigan with the beautiful sky was breathtaking.” Gao credits her running group, Chirunners, for support and high-fives throughout the looping course.

Coree Woltering, three weeks removed from a 2:26 at the Chicago Marathon, won the men’s 50k. “I went into the race hoping to have fun, test a different nutrition plan and, if possible, go after the course record.” Woltering set out at a blistering pace. He found his legs were not fully recovered from the marathon, yet still posted a 3:31.

Men’s 50-mile winner Maksym Chepeliev moved to the US just three months earlier to accept a research economist position at Purdue University.

“The atmosphere was really amazing, as all runners waved, smiled and supported each other, which really helped during tough periods.” After sprinting through the finish line, Chepeliev lay f lat on the grass in excited

exhaustion, draped by his native Shiflett was buoyed by the expeUkranian flag. rience. “With the support of my Almost as unlikely at the coach, my team family and my Cubs winning the World Series family and friends, I am now was Camille Shiflett’s 50k course confident I will achieve my goal record. Shiflett, a mother of four, of qualifying for the World Team began her running career only 50k Championships.” So are we. seven years ago. She recently The race ended as it began, enrolled in the nursing school with gentle breezes on a stunof Cardinal Stritch University ning Chicago autumn day. Coree and joined the cross-country Woltering summed it up best: team. As a 42-year-old, she is two “The volunteers were great, the decades her teammates’ senior other runners were very encourand is referred to affectionately aging and Beth Onines’ post-race as “Team Mom.” red beans and rice were worth They also call her “Cheetah.” running the 31 miles.”

“This was the first 50k I have ever run, and the first time I completed a distance further than 26.2 miles.” Cheering for Shiflett was Jim Pearson, former US 50-mile record holder and father of Cardinal Stritch coach Joel Pearson.

Shif lett’s goal, in her first ultra, was nothing less than to make the World Team 50k standard of 3:33. “I did go out too fast and paid at the end,” she said. She finished less than two minutes off the standard.

Regardless of the outcome,

ABOVE: Camille Shiflett on her way to a 50k course record. [ Jim Pearson] BELOW: 50-mile winner Maksym Chepeliev draped in his native Ukranian flag moments after finishing. [

Michael Schroeder]

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ULTRARACES

Chicaco Lakefront

Chicago Lakefront: Fall Version Chicago, IL // October 29

1,1* // 50 Miles Elevation gain: Flat | The course is an asphalt out-and-back along the Lakefront running path. The course is run four times for the 50-mile and three times for the 50k.

50 MILES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

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Maksym Chepeliev, 26, IN 6:29:05 Arun Sarkar, 38, WI 7:17:50 Min Yang, 36, IL 7:19:59 Bibo Gao, 38, IL 7:20:00 James Gardner, 51, NJ 7:20:50 Scott Handley, 29, IL 7:53:49 Abigail Vitkus, 29, IL 8:14:04 Jorge Valenzuela, 39, IL 8:19:41 Joann Clemen, 36, IL 8:23:55 Roderick Lewis, 53, IL 8:47:53 Cathy Becker, 54, IL 8:48:47 Rachel Burke, 32, IL 8:56:47 Jose Barrera, 38, IL 8:56:48 Aaron Braunstein, 38, IL 9:04:51 Jeff Meschewski, 32, CO 9:15:19 Elizabeth Male, 26, IL 9:18:31 Walter Helm-Buckman, 28, IL 9:22:17 Heather Phillips, 43, ON 9:23:49 Corbin Woodling, 50, IL 9:24:54 Tyler Emley, 43, IN 9:26:57 Eric Landschoot, 33, IL 9:31:24 Robert Guiser, 35, IL 9:31:24 Chris Jakobson, 26, IL 9:50:58 Terry Glaab, 56, IL 9:55:10 Juli Aistars, 58, IL 9:56:27 Andy Thomson, 66, IL 9:56:45 John Hayley, 37, IL 9:59:29 Maria Torres, 40, IL 10:06:35 Susie Ro, 45, WA 10:09:43 Louie Auslander, 45, IL 10:12:40

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31 Andrew Penman, 30, IN 32 Maureen Catterson, 28, IL 33 Jeff Piljac, 49, IL 34 Linda Norton, 51, IL 35 Elizabeth Hermans, 34, IL 36 Edward Czoski, 43, IL 37 Ruby Negrete, 19, IL 38 Tanner Phillips, 41, WA 39 Lourdes Meehan, 44, IL 40 Michele Schipma, 40, MI

10:13:03 10:13:23 10:14:34 10:29:21 10:37:16 10:40:54 10:41:42 10:54:01 10:55:41 10:59:36

50K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Coree Woltering, 26, IL Camille Shiflett, 42, WI Efrain Rodriguez, 45, IL Jeffrey Fleitz, 45, IL Jon Maner, 43, IL Danrey Toth, 53, IL Marc Dushane, 37, IL Matthew Blatchford, 48, IL Ashley Nolan, 31, IL Juan Carlos Ramirez Illascus, 38, AZ Daniel Solera, 33, IL Sean Wyatt, 44, IL Charles Gonzalez, 26, IL Matthew Luff, 34, IL Ray Sharp, 56, MI Paul Mollica, 55, IL Fidel Barrera, 42, IL Varun Kelkar, 27, IL Eric Eckerman, 38, IL Praveen Vavilala, 40, IL James Pszanka, 51, IL Ryan Coyne, 38, IL Anastasia Andrychowski, 36, IL Crystal Hutchings, 36, IL Walt Jedzejec, 35, IL Xiaoyan Yao, 46, IL Chris Froseth, 31, IL

JAN/FEB 2017

3:31:34 3:34:56 4:01:16 4:13:53 4:22:18 4:28:24 4:30:32 4:34:01 4:34:14 4:40:00 4:40:14 4:42:33 4:48:49 4:54:36 4:59:27 5:00:25 5:01:12 5:01:24 5:01:29 5:02:04 5:03:39 5:06:39 5:09:24 5:09:25 5:09:47 5:11:42 5:12:16

28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 43 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68

Donna Czarniak, 50, MI Roger Smothers, 66, IL Mike Stone, 65, MI Shawn Groll, 29, IL Brad Pollack, 38, IL Stephen Nunn, 55, IL Matthew Childers, 36, IL Cicely Green, 27, IL Allyson Turner, 24, IL Michael Schmidt, 47, IL Jeff Bart, 25, MI Ralph Hayes, 57, IL Ann Baumann, 40, IL Mark Nelson, 49, IA Jing Geng, 50, IL Franklin Bernal, 49, IL Bart Koziol, 25, IL Hilary Hansen, 38, IL Xiohau Yang, 47, IL Jason Fuchs, 36, IL Ken Martin, 59, IL Yumi Spiller, 32, IL Jaz Hagstrum, 48, IL Anthony Sandberg, 57, IL Edward Piotrowski, 39, IL Fillan Grady, 22, IA Brooke Smith, 50, CAN Don Myers, 45, IA Justine Helminiak, 44, IN Michael Kenny, 53, IL Elin Alexander, 25, IL Jason Ruge, 44, MI Magda Gamez, 55, IN Jesse Onines, 38, IL Steve Carlson, 40, IL John Anderson, 53, IL Jon Recana, 46, IL Ginna Podge, 53, IL Ann Myres, 35, OH Robin Heffernan, 40, IL Jodi Haefner, 43, IL

5:12:42 5:13:52 5:14:14 5:22:36 5:23:55 5:27:42 5:29:42 5:29:56 5:30:56 5:31:42 5:31:45 5:33:30 5:33:31 5:34:34 5:38:15 5:38:43 5:38:43 5:47:48 5:49:11 5:50:13 5:51:26 5:51:56 5:52:15 5:53:00 5:53:07 5:53:35 5:53:36 5:55:10 5:55:57 5:56:59 5:57:37 5:58:12 5:58:40 5:59:36 6:03:20 6:04:52 6:06:02 6:08:39 6:09:08 6:10:21 6:11:58

69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105

Mary kate Ranii, 26, PA Tim McCaskey, 37, IL Jen Wheeler, 39, MO John Fuhrmann, 58, IL Stephen Schram, 50, IL Tim Sheehan, 35, IL Allen Wu, 41, IL Sharon Kuhn, 63, IL Rebeca Hisatomi, 29, IL Vidya Shankara, 41, IL Stacie Birkmeier, 45, VA Kim Spaetti, 36, IL Leanne Fay, 52, IL Kristine Yoon, 45, IL Gayle Martin, 37, IL Crystal Kraut, 32, IL Sue-Ellen Stimmell, 54, IL Traci Lambert-Cwerenz, 55, IL Michael Arnolds, 48, IL Esse Kipnis, 67, IL Reena Fellner, 56, IL Robyn Wenger, 44, IL Melanie Burks, 41, IL Chris Gerber, 56, IN Haiyan Grady, 60, IL Edward Baehrend, 55, IL Aravind Venkataraman, 46, IL Ed Cook, 61, IL Joel Runyon, 29, IL Adam Watson, 22, IL Debbie Crawford, 56, IL Michael Fann, 30, IL Jorge Godinez Jr, 30, IL Kenneth Colbert, 53, IL Rhonda Myles, 52, NC Amy Gonzalez, 24, IL Dan Kittivanichkulkrai, 35, IL

6:14:07 6:14:42 6:16:46 6:16:49 6:20:30 6:20:32 6:21:40 6:22:42 6:26:48 6:27:12 6:29:10 6:29:52 6:30:53 6:31:55 6:32:38 6:35:58 6:36:34 6:37:01 6:38:28 6:41:25 6:43:48 6:44:14 6:44:57 6:45:09 6:46:10 6:46:48 6:47:45 6:48:04 6:51:25 6:53:46 6:54:00 6:55:48 6:55:48 6:57:36 6:58:42 6:59:58 8:46:56

See page 58 for key

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ULTRARACES

Mt. Taylor

An Emotional Ride

BY JASON YAZZIE

I arrived with 15 minutes to spare before the race, so I began stretching. The air was fresh from the rain hours before. There was just a glow on the horizon. I was feeling a mix of fear, anger, sadness and happiness. Fear, because I had never run 30-plus miles. Anger, because I should have trained more. Sadness, because fear mixed with anger can create sadness for me. And happiness, something that I felt throughout the race.

The countdown began and the race started.

People started the shuffle up the first peak.

La Mosca Peak is a 1,300-foot 3.5-mile climb.

The trail is a jeep road, somewhat smooth with enough rocks to require vigilance. With the help of the wonderful view of the west, my thoughts were positive. Some of us have a special appreciation of the sunrise. There are times I’m ready to greet the new day, and

there are others when I wish the day would never come. This time, I was waiting for the sunrise. I had imagined it for months before the race. Once the rays of the sun hit me, a surge of happiness ran through my body.

Reenergized, I started the first descent.

I passed quickly through the first aid station and began pulling away from other runners. Around mile seven, the road became filled with loose rocks. My first mistake: taking care not to let my steps hit too hard, I hurt my right knee. Fear, anger and doubt filled my head. I got my bandana and tied it around my knee. This felt better – although I felt ridiculous. I kept running.

The Spud Patch aid station was awesome.

Even before I could see it, I could hear people laughing and yelling, and bells ringing.

This was my first ultra, so I was excited and curious to see what the midway aid station looked like. I could see my daughter and wife through the trees just as I was about to reach Rock Tank Aid Station. I was overjoyed to see my family. The volunteers had my drop bag ready when I arrived in the tent.

ABOVE: Ellen Hatch and Spencer Briggs have a mighty fencing duel on the summit of Mt. Taylor. [ Mark Ladd] LEFT: Women’s top five, right to left: Michelle Hummel (women’s course record and race overall champ!), Sarah Eury, Marlene Armijo, Erin Lewis and Rachael Greuber. [ Melissa Hahn]

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In the whirlwind of people and conversation, I grabbed some snacks, emptied the rocks out of my shoes and refilled my pack. I kissed my family, and made my way to the trail.

About a mile after the last station, I noticed that my water had stopped flowing; the water level in my pack: empty. In training, I practiced running with minimal water and no carbs for a week to mimic “bonking.” I’m glad I did this. After walking for 15 minutes, the sound of the next aid station faintly entered my ears. I’ve never been so happy to hear a cowbell. After getting thoroughly hydrated, I checked out of the aid station and began the slow ascent up Mt Taylor.

Getting past the tree line opened up the longest hill I had ever hiked. During this climb, thoughts of quitting flew in and out of my head. At one second, I was amazed at the beautiful scenery. The next, I was stuck in my limping pain. I just focused on the runner ahead of me and kept going. Finally, I came to the switchbacks just before the summit.

Caldera Aid Station was the last big test.

I’m not going to lie; I seriously thought about jumping over the small barrier and saying, “I can’t make it.” Then one of the volunteers said, “This is the best part of the course. We had to add this.” Those words snapped me out of my own head, and I started jogging/ hobbling down into Water Canyon. This was the prettiest part of the course. I knew what goes down must go up, but I enjoyed the time going downhill. I’m not sure if my knee hurt more going downhill or uphill, but in the end, I made it out of Water Canyon. I had wondered why it was called Heartbreak Hill. Now I know. With every step, pain shot through my knee. All the emotions that I’d felt at the beginning of the race shot, along with the pain, through me – anger, fear, sadness and happiness. The rocky road took a long while, but as I shuffled through the last mile of the trail, my thoughts turned to my next race. I was thinking how I could make the next race better.

Suddenly, a sound rang out: “Run, Jason!”

“Run, Daddy!” Holy smokes, I could see my family! Finally, the cowbell registered in my head. I was at the finish line. I had thought when I finished, I would thank the person giving me my medal and tell them how beautiful the race was. But it was all a blur of faces, handshakes and applause. It finally came into focus when my family gave me a hug. It was a great race with great people and great scenery.

What more could I have asked for? Big thanks to all the volunteers and the people who make the Mt. Taylor 50K possible.

Mt. Taylor Grants, NM // October 1

4,3* // 50k Elevation gain: 7,000 feet | The course has three big climbs connected by rolling trail as the runner circumnavigates and then climbs the sacred Navajo volcano. There are runnable smooth and rocky sections with a couple of power hike climbs on equal amount single track and jeep roads. The entire course is between 9,000 and 11,300 feet in elevation.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Michelle Hummel, 31, NM Stan Allison, 47, NM Don Solberg, 47, AZ Edward Matteo, 41, NM Aaron Padilla, 31, NM Joel Scholz, 38, CO Michael Wheat, 40, NM Edward Trzcienski, 54, NM Nathan Hahn, 31, NM Marco Zuniga, 44, CO Mark Eury, 39, CO Alberto Garcia, 36, NM Nathan Bosey, 36, NM David Coblentz, 53, NM Mike Engelhardt, 46, NM Barry Roberts, 56, NM Arnoldo Arrieta, 49, NM Sarah Eury, 33, CO Eric Pope, 53, NM Mike Hoog, 52, NM Spencer Sheinin, 43, BC Bryce Montano, 26, NM Tyler Pilger, 33, NM Anthony Duricy, 43, UT Ryan Lachapelle, 30, NM Michael Zbrozek, 29, NM Marlene Armijo, 45, NM Chris McElveny, 44, NM Keith Warshany, 35, NM Jonathan Sandlin, 38, NM Zachary Frederick, 35, NM

5:00:01 5:26:21 5:34:02 5:38:49 5:39:42 5:42:59 5:43:52 5:43:53 5:44:23 5:48:40 5:50:44 5:54:07 5:57:11 6:02:32 6:05:51 6:09:48 6:10:29 6:11:13 6:12:15 6:13:43 6:13:50 6:19:12 6:19:30 6:20:42 6:23:04 6:23:06 6:23:14 6:30:13 6:32:25 6:35:16 6:36:42

32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74

Thomas Hopkins, 42, NM Erin Lewis, 31, OR Rachael Greuber, 24, NM Adam Delu, 46, NM Jacob Guffey, 38, NC Peter Livingstone, 52, NM Lynette Gurule, 41, NM John Maroushek, 49, AZ Edwin Heller, 54, NM Ricky Nez, 36, NM Hector Bezares, 31, NM John Blankfield, 57, NM Mikey Sklar, 39, NM Joe Schramka, 47, DC Katie Bahran, 28, NM Vern Jaques, 51, AZ Andrew Hornig, 34, NM Jason Chavez, 41, NM Jesson Hutchinson, 35, NM Tim Stearman, 34, NM Art Montoya, 53, NM Jim Bean, 62, NM Jordan Armstrong, 35, NM Ross Newman, 30, NM Tom Giermakowski, 40, NM Tim White, 55, NM Lynette Padilla, 40, NM Leigh Caswell, 38, NM Andrew Aragon, 55, NM Maya Ramsay, 34, NM David Infante, 52, NM Erik Spoerke, 40, NM Susie Rand, 45, NM Randy Mattila, 60, NM Gail Leedy, 62, NM Martin Jones, 37, NM Britta Lindquist, 32, NM Henning De May, 27, NM Mark Lisak, 59, CO Michelle Morton, 36, NM Richelle Winston, 30, NM Crystal Anderson, 37, NM Therese Trujillo, 41, NM

6:40:31 6:41:27 6:43:38 6:43:39 6:43:42 6:50:34 6:51:11 6:54:28 6:54:30 6:56:50 6:59:40 7:00:18 7:01:52 7:01:54 7:01:56 7:01:58 7:02:00 7:02:13 7:02:16 7:02:18 7:05:24 7:05:26 7:05:41 7:09:34 7:14:46 7:17:59 7:18:23 7:22:00 7:25:00 7:25:59 7:26:14 7:26:35 7:28:00 7:28:15 7:28:55 7:31:26 7:32:01 7:32:03 7:36:08 7:42:33 7:43:47 7:46:30 7:47:28

75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115

Chris Peters, 43, NM Maureen Abeita, 26, NM Keith Bone, 48, MN Isidoro Hernandez, 49, NM Jacobo Hernandez, 26, NM Andrea Feucht, 42, CA Marcus Martinez, 24, NM Eddie Dimas, 55, NM Larry Brown, 60, NM Steve Nash, 43, NM Ferdinand De Souza, 63, NM Aaron Westrate, 42, IL Christina Brigance, 29, NM Donald Mercer, 32, NM Derek Friday, 50, CO Lauren Buchanan, 41, NM Baron Mattox, 45, NM Kyra Miller, 32, UT Elizabeth Jones, 30, NM Rian Bahran, 33, NM Antonio Pacheco, 38, NM Mike Thacker, 58, OH Kelley Ruehl, 29, NM Michelle Underwood, 49, FL Clifford Matthews, 53, NM Bryan Dickinson, 26, NM Nancy Halpin, 55, NM Matthew Van Avermaete, 24, NM Daniel Dragone-Gutierrez, 43, NM Geoffrey Cordner, 56, CA April Tsosie, 40, AZ Kristine Coblentz, 48, NM Marisa Ortiz, 42, NM Gregory Luffey, 52, TX Michael Wells, 33, NM Amy Urbatsch, 44, NM Diane Starkenburg, 42, NM Alan Hughte, 31, NM Jackson Magyar, 29, NM Douglas Deming, 41, NM Randy Silva, 60, NM

7:47:28 7:48:30 7:48:32 7:50:01 7:50:02 7:50:37 7:51:38 7:53:02 7:53:05 7:53:07 7:53:16 7:54:27 7:57:24 7:57:26 7:57:58 8:02:09 8:02:12 8:03:46 8:03:54 8:03:58 8:04:42 8:05:31 8:08:19 8:10:54 8:11:56 8:12:29 8:16:36 8:17:08 8:17:26 8:21:03 8:21:17 8:23:56 8:25:22 8:25:34 8:28:56 8:29:03 8:29:05 8:29:10 8:29:13 8:29:18 8:40:29

116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157

David Greenberg, 51, CO Rudy Maez, 54, NM Gino Pokluda, 58, NM Gary Wright, 65, WA Elizabeth Chaplin, 37, NM Atsushi Kato, 54, NM Therese Thomas, 49, NM Sean Ottmer, 37, NM Josephine Daggett, 32, MT Diane De Souza, 59, NM Brad Poe, 61, AZ Senovia Baca, 54, AZ Cassandra Tomlinson, 26, ND Spencer Briggs, 40, NM Ellen Hatch, 29, NM Marilyn Martinez, 54, NM Amanda Wang, 36, NM Dominique Dosedo, 34, NM Andrew Russ, 51, MD Keith Toshewana, 29, NM Kristy Ott-Meyer, 58, NM Kenneth Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor, 77, NM Linda Pokluda, 60, NM Katherine Richardson, 33, NM Kyle Kollo, 27, NM Mark Aragon, 49, NM Ann Mattila, 57, NM Sheyanne Carwile, 34, NM Brett Laird, 40, NM Jason Yazzie, 36, NM Yvonne Poe, 49, AZ Dale Louis, 61, NM Rima Lurie, 68, CO Stacey Glaser, 39, CO Tami Hanson, 39, CO Jessica Palmer, 36, CO Jennifer McConnell, 40, CO Kelsie Vallentine, 25, NM Montgomery Montague, 38, NM Kathryn Shaffer, 46, CO Michael Ward, 37, NM Jay Cardon, 58, NM

8:41:49 8:42:49 8:42:51 8:45:35 8:49:39 8:50:41 8:52:26 8:55:18 8:58:10 8:59:31 9:09:50 9:15:07 9:16:48 9:18:54 9:19:14 9:23:20 9:29:30 9:33:59 9:35:22 9:36:22 9:40:24 9:41:00 9:42:26 9:46:08 9:51:04 9:51:45 9:52:54 9:52:54 9:58:18 9:58:45 10:00:27 10:06:10 10:09:17 10:18:14 10:18:15 10:18:16 10:18:18 10:28:53 10:28:54 10:35:30 10:37:29 10:37:30

See page 58 for key

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Sept. 30, 2017

Grants, New Mexico

For runners, by runners.

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Discover Your Next Adventure in TANZANIA! KILIMANJARO CLIMB

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ULTRARACES

Rockin’ Rockwoods Ultra Run

Personal Best

BY KURT SCHILLING

The night before the Rockin’ Rockwoods 20/53K was a wonderful start to what would turn into one of my best race weekends. To meet renowned ultrarunner Krissy Moehl at a book signing that coincided with packet pickup, held at local bar and race sponsor iTap, was surreal and inspiring for this Midwesterner.

Rockin’ Rockwoods starts and finishes in Rockwood Reservation, roughly 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis, MO. The forecast for the weekend was perfect for a race. We arrived 15 minutes before my start time to find temperatures in the mid-40s. The anticipated high was 70 for later in the day.

The 20k started promptly at 7 a.m., with the 53k due to follow 10 minutes later. The range of intensity among the groups of waiting runners was exciting.

With a minute or so left, sweatshirts and warm gear came off as the runners grouped up closer to the starting line.

The out-and-back race is divided into three sections by the aid stations. The first and

last sections are steep, while the middle is fairly run-able. My plan for the race was simple: push myself to stay with the front pack of runners without going out too hard for the first half, and then set myself on cruise for the trip back.

When the race started, I quickly moved out front and tried to gain some space, while trying not to overexert myself on the uphill parts of the trail. It only

took a few miles for me to start passing runners from the 20k distance. I enjoyed exchanging a few words with the happy participants as I passed them by. The first aid station at mile five came and went fairly quickly. After that, I was looking forward to a few miles of mostly run-able terrain.

The rolling hills in this section are very popular with local mountain bikers and horseback riders, and throughout the race, I passed more than a dozen of these folks, who were all super friendly and encouraging.

I was excited when I reached the second aid station, and it was starting to sink in that I was still in the lead, which was a new experience for me. I focused on pushing myself for the next few miles until the turnaround. It was a great feeling to see Rick Mayo from Mile 90 Photography around this time, because I knew the turnaround was close.

At the furthest aid station, I got some encouragement from the volunteers, and a water bottle refill, before heading back up

the hill. More than five minutes passed before I saw the secondplace runner heading towards the last aid station and, with some complicated math, I realized I was more than 10 minutes in the lead. I decided to relax into cruise mode.

The remainder of the race felt like the end of a training run. My only focus was to move steadily. With two miles left to go, I ran into local runner Dan Strieker on the trail, and he said I was under CR pace! With that nice little boost, I pushed to the finish.

I passed my mom on the trail about 1/4 mile from the finish, and as she beamed with pride, I just lit up! It was a great feeling to not only be done, but also to take the win in the process.

I was greeted at the finish by race director Shalini Kovach and my family. As the other runners came through the finish, it was time to revel in the story of our day while feasting on freshcooked burgers and craft beer. A perfect ending to a perfect day!

ABOVE: Tanya Giannotti takes third in the 53k race.

Rockin’ Rockwoods Ultra Run

[

Rick Mayo/Mile 90 Photography]

Wildwood, MO // October 8

BELOW: Kurt Schilling charges down the trail toward a 53k victory. [

Rick Mayo/Mile 90 Photography]

3,4* // 50k Elevation gain: 5,300 feet | A challenging and scenic out-and-back course with steep grades and rolling hills on 95% single-track trail featuring roots, rocks and creek crossings.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Kurt Schilling, 35, MO Rik Denicke, 44, MO Neal Griffin, 32, MO Andy Stann, 42, MO Heidi Williams, 34, MO Chris Bolyard, 37, MO Chuck Violand, 31, MO David Walch, 38, MO Robbie Cannon, 31, MO Corey Lamb, 46, MO Matthew Gray, 40, NC Adam Stacy, 38, MO Steve Wojtowicz, 39, MO David Ortinau, 42, MO Courtney Neff, 24, MO Tanya Giannotti, 35, IL Joe Schafer, 42, IL Jerry Frost, 61, MO David Mason, 46, MO Amanda Smith, 34, MO Chris Blanner, 35, MO Tiffany Montero, 35, TN Joe Cortese, 41, MO Phil Orndorff, 42, MO Jeffrey Halker, 32, MO

5:36:23 6:20:24 6:21:06 6:21:32 6:22:20 6:27:29 6:28:36 6:30:47 6:46:02 6:47:26 6:51:47 6:51:49 7:04:30 7:05:26 7:10:45 7:22:28 7:27:02 7:47:04 7:51:55 7:51:56 7:58:42 8:02:13 8:38:04 9:10:11 9:10:24

See page 58 for key

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ULTRARACES

Sierra Crest

Nordic Running

BY MEGAN SEIFERT The 2016 Sierra Crest 50k/30k, stretching between Truckee and Donner Summit, CA, was a huge success. Minor tweaks to the course allowed race organizers to showcase more of Auburn Ski Club Training Center’s great trails and terrain.

The second running of the Sierra Crest included twice as many racers as the previous year.

The increased popularity of the event was a validation of everything that had been great about the 2015 race. In addition to some awesome trophies and prizes, it included a terrific course, the sense of adventure that comes from running a unique pointto-point race, and an incredible catered post-event meal. 50k male and female winners Nick Sterling and Kati Clark, coincidentally, grew up training and racing as Nordic skiers on some of the trails at Tahoe Donner Cross Country and the Auburn Ski Club Training Center, where the courses begin and end, respectively. Both runners were fired up to see those trails again. Clark wrote, “I definitely have thought of how skiing those trails when

I was younger has shaped me to stay active and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.” Sterling remarked, “It was great to run on the same trails I grew up skiing on, literally right out my backdoor. After the start, I certainly felt a bit of pride was at stake, as I realized this was about as much of a home course as I could get.”

Clark’s favorite section of the course was the long ridge run at the top of the biggest climb, between Hawk’s Peak and the Drifter warming hut. She noted the great views to the north, including those of Euer Valley, Castle Peak and Frog Lake Cliffs. Sterling noted the beauty of Euer Valley, calling it “one of the best mountain meadows in the Sierras. It was gorgeous in the morning, easily the best part of the course for me with the early morning light and dew still on the grass.”

As for the course marking – an issue of great interest for many runners, since the course wanders far into the backcountry and crosses a spider’s web of connecting trails – both 50k winners agreed it was spot on.

Clark said, “Any time I zoned out and wondered if I had made a wrong turn, I saw a marker.”

Both Sterling and Clark agreed that the race’s organization was one of its strong points, and Sterling noted that the Sierra Crest was “run by folks who really know and care about what it takes to put on a race.” Both recipients were pleased with the fun 50k winners’ trophies welded by local artist Pat Blide from cast off railroad spikes and scrap steel.

Clark called hers “really cute” and keeps it on her mantle. Sterling had a slightly different perspective and reason to be proud, as his wife, Lenka, is a decorated Nordic ski racer: “Usually Lenka is the one to bring home the trophies, so it was nice for once to bring it home, and even better that it’s such a good looking one!”

If you’re enticed to try for your own fun, quirky, one-of-a-kind

Near the start in Tahoe Donner, a pack of four pull into the lead (left to right): Landon Woollard, Andy Starostka, Nick Sterling (eventual winner) and Hudson Verbeck. [ Keith Facchino]

race trophy, it’s not too soon to start lacing them up and training for next year’s Sierra Crest, August 5th!

Sierra Crest Truckee, CA // August 6

3,4* // 50k Elevation gain/loss: 4,660 feet / 4,125 feet | This pointto-point course follows the best single-track dirt trails between Truckee and Donner Summit. The course features running surfaces ranging from technical and rocky to smooth and flowing and terrain including a beautiful valley and multiple extended climbs and descents offering tremendous vistas of the Sierra Nevada.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61

Nick Sterling, 32, CA Hudson Verbeck, 17, CA Andy Starostka, 49, NV Andrew Mannisto, 21, NV Landon Woollard, 20, CA Mike Manis, 34, CA Benjamin Snead, 36, CA Jamie Dreher, 42, CA Ken Zemach, 47, NV Nick Presniakov, 36, CA Tim MacIsaac, 37, CA Sean Flanagan, 36, CA Kati Clark, 30, CA Dan Brounstein, 42, CA Molly Zurn, 45, NV Steve Powers, 37, NV Steve Rowbury, 48, CA Christopher Barnwell, 46, TX David Smith, 50, CA Kate Levine, 33, CA Brandon Dey, 39, NV Joel Dziedzic, 37, WI Mark Dziedzic, 40, WI Kris Cosca, 47, CA Eric Sach, 47, WA Steve Lang, 53, NV Jodie Wood, 39, CA Jonathan Brayton, 39, CA Gregory Lynch, 48, CA Mike Kreaden, 53, CA Jesus Enrique Pulido, 31, NV Rebecca Byerly, 32, NC Kristin Gustafsson, 47, CA John Trent, 53, NV Ryan Vitale, 29, IN Gregory Renden, 39, WI John Patchett, 45, CA Chris Smallcomb, 39, NV Joann Ellero, 47, NV Andy Pasternak, 48, NV Jacob Massler, 35, CA Patrick Homyak, 27, CA Jack Meyer, 52, CA Javier Castellar, 49, CA Scott Kreider, 50, CA Mone Haen, 39, CA Kevin Patja, 40, CA Stephanie Nistler, 40, CA Peter Chan, 58, CA Shashank Deshpande, 51, CA Sherri Twedt, 51, NV Tessa Waldron, 31, CA Kristin Niederhaus Henry, 46, NV Nicole Brown, 46, CA Carolyn McCarter, 59, CA Joyce Lee, 35, CA Alison Kelsey, 44, CA Yvette Grabis, 52, CA Lisa Lopez, 43, CA Gn Niere, 35, CA Jill Trent, 55, NV

4:11:08 4:30:17 4:38:13 4:42:07 4:43:58 4:58:18 5:01:03 5:02:14 5:06:32 5:07:56 5:11:20 5:23:02 5:23:49 5:27:18 5:27:53 5:31:43 5:38:21 5:39:05 5:39:33 5:39:41 5:40:23 5:41:17 5:41:19 5:41:58 5:42:00 5:43:43 5:44:06 5:54:22 6:01:28 6:14:18 6:18:28 6:18:41 6:20:35 6:23:47 6:30:52 6:32:02 6:41:39 6:42:15 6:49:18 6:49:21 6:49:42 6:49:47 6:52:22 6:52:23 6:58:28 7:06:52 7:10:05 7:26:37 7:27:59 7:39:30 7:43:17 7:45:23 7:45:25 7:56:34 8:21:58 8:23:23 8:27:21 8:29:40 8:43:02 8:47:01 9:44:42

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ULTRARACES

Surf the Murph

Surfing to Fight Cancer

BY MOLLY COCHRAN, CO-RD Pink was a popular color at this year’s running of Surf the Murph, as the race was dedicated to raising awareness and funds for fighting cancer. The Pink Panther (aka race director Les Martisko), complete with his pink ears and a tail, began his 50-mile journey at 4 a.m. to verify all the course markings. At 72 years old, the Pink Panther has now completed 389 races of marathon

length and longer, and this race completion was dedicated to his wife, fellow race director Cindy Martisko, a cancer survivor.

All racers received pink longsleeved shirts, to the surprise of some of the male competitors, but to the joy of many participants. Cancer has touched almost everyone in one way or another.

Surf the Murph is held at the gorgeous and deceivingly

hilly Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Savage, MN, on the southern edge of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. The convenient location makes this a popular race for racers and volunteers alike.

It’s a fall reunion of sorts for area ultrarunners.

Surf the Murph is a loop course, each loop covering 16.7 miles. Runners choose their challenge: one, two or three loops, aka 25k, 50k or 50 miles.

Racers negotiated fallen leaves and muddy areas, trying to avoid losing a shoe. Some runners were so distracted by the stunning fall colors that they missed a turn, but no runners were lost for long.

As tradition holds, awards are given overwhelmingly to These Girl Scouts (aka Michelle Persich, Heather Sailer and Heidi Williams) are looking very adventurous on their way to the finish. [ Bryan Cochran]

Surf the Murph Savage, MN // October 22

3,3* // 50 Miles Elevation gain: 50 mile – 6,000 feet / 50k – 4,000 feet | The course is a 16.8-mile loop (run two or three times) on wide rolling ski trails covered in fallen leaves, open expanse of the prairie and wooded single-track.

50 MILES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

82

David Hyopponen, 36, MN Mike Bateman, 45, MN Mark Martinsen, 53, MN Jared Vanderhook, 32, MN Jeff Cook, 42, MN Carl Dusbabek, 50, MN Michael Asmus, 36, MN Matthew Haberman, 40, MN Joshua Coval, 41, MN Gerard Cramer, 40, MN Michael Skoglund, 43, MN Edward Conley, 44, MN Dan Strain, 46, MN Michael Anderson, 38, CAN Angie Gora, 40, MN T.J. Nomeland, 45, MN Tim Miller, 32, MN Scott Carlson, 44, MN Scott Breimhorst, 43, MN Brianne Hamann, 36, MN Josh Larsen, 42, MN Stephanie Boss, 42, MN Jozef Klobusnik, 58, MN John Hoel, 36, MN Luke Thoreson, 37, MN Emma Hoel, 29, MN Cary Johnson, 51, MN Kelly Jaworski, 28, MN Anne Gallentine, 48, MN Michael Kopischke, 33, MN Thomas Luchsinger, 48, MN Nick Stoneman, 56, MN Todd Millenacker, 38, MN

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7:17:29 8:03:57 8:50:43 8:53:25 8:58:24 9:01:15 9:11:11 9:19:56 9:21:57 9:34:03 9:34:37 9:35:12 9:37:54 9:41:12 9:46:53 9:52:50 9:52:52 9:57:25 10:19:49 10:32:43 10:33:14 10:33:49 10:38:00 10:49:51 10:52:06 10:55:14 10:57:19 11:06:14 11:07:36 11:07:37 11:07:53 11:08:06 11:11:27

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34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

William Jackson, 54, WI Aaron Landin, 29, MN Jordan Schmidt, 22, MN Marisa Vaughn, 37, MN E paul Christians, 55, MN Sarah Chapman, 41, MN Meagan Devalapalli, 31, MN Stephen Stones Ohara, 42, MN Jodee Hollenbeck, 45, MN Peter Hulbert, 37, MN Jess Sedivy Gunderson, 38, MN Bob Marsh, 53, MN Steven Nguyen, 27, MN John Kriha, 41, MN Ted Gamble, 49, MN Michael Cowger, 26, MN Kent Gordon, 50, MN Chad Nevils, 45, MN Daniel Sikkink, 53, MN Scott Carel, 35, MN Jenn Hunteman, 40, MN Steve Hagedorn, 58, MN Radek Lopusnik, 42, MN Jake Duesenberg, 33, MN David Wilkinson, 49, MN Nicholas Showalter, 28, MN Randy Zellmer, 61, MN Karen Gall, 57, MN Kelly Buser, 38, MN Sally Hulbert, 59, MN Les Martisko, 72, MN Jamie Klemenhagen, 35, MN

11:11:49 11:11:58 11:12:31 11:17:04 11:31:37 11:34:14 11:34:14 11:37:33 11:41:33 11:47:26 12:09:17 12:12:38 12:14:38 12:23:36 12:27:08 12:31:23 12:31:24 12:35:37 12:49:18 12:50:45 12:54:11 12:56:52 12:59:26 13:08:31 13:08:36 13:27:55 13:51:12 14:10:28 14:25:43 14:28:00 15:43:25 15:45:27

Ed Nordstrom, 45, MN Katlyn Stout, 27, MN Mark Kalar, 43, MN Kyle Sather, 24, MN Alison Willford, 32, MN Ross Hedlund, 31, MN Eric Otto, 30, MN Wade Kragtorp, 41, MN Clark William Koenigs, 29, MN

4:23:40 4:53:45 5:00:11 5:08:31 5:13:51 5:20:07 5:20:51 5:21:48 5:24:22

50K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

JAN/FEB 2017

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

Patei Iyegha, 36, MN Timothy Sieh, 56, MN Amanda Theisen, 20, MN Kevin Pilarski, 51, MN Daniel Baron, 50, MN Laurel Sipe, 41, MN Brian Durand, 50, MN Ryan Egan, 33, MN Julia Lyng, 50, MN Jonathan Biermann, 31, MN Bob Lyng, 58, MN Chris Restad, 43, MN Jerry Redman, 49, MN Patrick Haberman, 46, MN Dmitry Zadvornykh, 34, MN Tracy Anderson, 50, MN Gary Jeter, 48, MN Kara Jeter, 45, MN Sam Pred, 51, MN Nimol Grimm, 49, MN Jon Caliri, 40, MN Matt Wilson, 41, MN Amy Kerrigan, 44, IL Gary Sheets, 64, MN Herb Byun, 72, MN Phil Bangert, 37, MN Tim Potter, 62, WI Jim Stocco, 63, MN Timothy Dusbabek, 62, MN Brian Powers, 31, MN Eric Olsen, 49, MN Rick Sperko, 46, WI Janine Sieja, 49, MN Shannon Lorbiecki, 54, MN Joseph Baron, 38, MN Justin Nostrala, 52, IA Jonathan Schaible, 31, MN Rachel Gruber, 33, MN Chris Thorson, 40, MN Sherri Schummer, 36, MN Jim Altstatt, 43, MN Janel Hurtado, 34, MN Kaylie Guderian, 23, MN

5:27:32 5:30:02 5:31:56 5:32:14 5:40:16 5:42:02 5:52:11 5:59:49 6:03:19 6:04:13 6:05:06 6:09:35 6:11:39 6:11:39 6:13:16 6:20:59 6:33:51 6:33:52 6:45:45 6:47:34 6:51:12 6:51:12 6:56:11 6:58:57 7:03:53 7:06:20 7:07:09 7:07:09 7:11:28 7:15:02 7:15:35 7:16:11 7:17:49 7:17:58 7:19:22 7:22:34 7:24:52 7:27:19 7:27:19 7:27:20 7:27:53 7:28:08 7:28:38

the costumed rather than the f leet footed. Receiving high accords were Batman (E Paul Christians); a ghost (Karen Gall); Wonder Woman (Chris Swanson); Queen Bees (Allison Offerman, Greta Schetnan and Patty Lewandowski; Peter Pan (Kelly Jaworski); some ladybugs (Pam Austad and Vicki Courts); a pirate and an alligator (Ida Van Scyoc and Staci Johnston); and some Girls Scouts (Michelle Persich, Heather Sailer and Heidi Williams).

Surf the Murph is a backof-the-packer-friendly race, meaning the cutoffs are generous, the aid stations are well stocked through the final runner and the volunteers stick around to the bittersweet end. In fact, this year our finisher rate was at an all-time high of 97%!

If you’re looking for a fun race that wants you to finish, Surf the Murph fits the bill.

53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92

Tim Whisler, 62, MN 7:31:29 Dennis Bauer, 52, MN 7:36:01 Kent Smith, 46, MN 7:42:49 Aron Johnson, 35, MN 7:43:17 Dacia Kreklau, 30, MN 7:44:47 Christopher Myhro, 27, MN 7:44:48 Kimberly Haines, 58, IA 7:45:36 Paul Neri, 58, MN 7:53:38 Nathan Wisehart, 36, MN 7:54:04 Megan Giesen, 33, MN 8:02:41 Anne Savage, 40, MN 8:02:42 Jill Schwickerath, 34, IA 8:02:42 Christopher Vitek, 54, MN 8:06:26 Catherine Knowles, 24, MN 8:06:26 Darrick Lyons, 31, MN 8:10:32 Justin Mix, 36, MN 8:10:59 Huy Huynh, 35, IA 8:11:05 Maiko Otsuka, 29, MN 8:16:17 Mike Morris, 44, MN 8:16:19 Angela Johnson, 44, MN 8:27:39 Fay Sukow, 47, WI 8:28:56 Jim Chan, 37, MN 8:36:03 Crystal Nelson, 34, MN 8:38:01 Christie Calin, 52, MN 8:38:42 Kari Goodson, 47, MN 8:44:21 Melissa Globinsky, 47, MN 8:53:14 Aaron Eicher, 33, IL 9:09:03 Anne Eicher, 34, IL 9:09:06 Sinead Barry-Lukas, 50, MN 9:09:07 Tanya Nelson, 43, MN 9:17:03 Kathrine Bliss, 40, MN 9:19:38 Carl Bliss, 40, MN 9:19:38 Timothy Bowers, 52, MN 9:27:48 Nancy Nachreiner, 44, MN 9:28:32 Ronda Hague, 51, MN 9:28:33 Sarah Anderson, 36, MN 9:28:33 Theresa Walter, 58, MN 10:30:23 Lindsey Wanek, 29, MN 10:30:24 Michelle Czlopinski, 37, WI 10:45:07 Phillip Gary Smith, 68, MN 11:22:43

See page 58 for key

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION OF ULTRARUNNING MAGAZINE REQUIRED

BY ACT OF OCTOBER 23, 1962: SECTION 4369, TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE 1. Publication Title: UltraRunning 2. Publication Number: 6 6 5 – 4 7 0 3. Filing Date: December 27, 2016 4. Issue Frequency: monthly except bimonthly January/ February and May/June 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 10 6. Annual Subscription Price: $39.99 or $49.99 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: UltraRunning Media Group, LLC, P.O. Box 9, Fairfax, CA 94930 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Karl Hoagland, P.O. Box 9, Fairfax, CA 94930 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Karl Hoagland, P.O. Box 9, Fairfax, CA 94930 10. Owner: Ultrarunning Media Group, LLC, Karl Hoagland, P.O. Box 9, Fairfax, CA 94930 and Cory Smith, P.O. Box 9321, Bend, OR 97708 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. The purpose, function and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months 13. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: December 2016 14. EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION, AVERAGE NO. COPIES EACH ISSUE DURING PRECEDING 12 MONTHS, NO. COPIES OF SINGLE ISSUE, PUBLISHED NEAREST TO FILING DATE A. TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES (Net Press Run) B. PAID CIRCULATION (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated On PS Form 3541 (2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated On PS Form 3541 (3) Paid Distribution Outside Mails Including Sales Through Dealers And Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, And Other Paid Distribution (4) Paid Distribution By Other Classes Of Mail Through The USPS C. TOTAL PAID AND/OR REQUESTED CIRCULATION D. FREE OR NOMINAL RATE DISTRIBUTION (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County, Copies Included On PS Form 3541

10,100* 10,112** 6,700

6,681

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Scenic Single Track Trails & Dirt Roads Start ~ Tahoe Donner Finish ~ ASC Training Center Registration opens 1/1/2017 at ultrasignup.com

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9600 9,528

(2) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Copies In-County Included on PS Form 3541

0

0

(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed At Other Classes Through The USPS

0

0

(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside The Mail

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250

284

F. TOTAL DISTRIBUTION

50k and 30k Point-to-Point Runs

0

284

G. COPIES NOT DISTRIBUTED

August 5, 2017

2900 2,847

250

E. TOTAL FREE OR NOMINAL RATE DISTRIBUTION

TRUCKEE to DONNER SUMMIT

9850 9,812 250

300

H. TOTAL

10,100 10,112

I. PERCENT PAID

97.5% 94.2%

15. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of this publication 16. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: /s/ Karl Hoagland, Publisher; Date: December 1, 2016. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

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ULTRARACES

Tussey Mountainback

It’s a Merkle!

BY MIKE CASPER Put a gaggle of enthused runners at the starting line of a forest ultramarathon, and it’s almost a sure thing that there’ll be serious adventures, good conversations and a few surprises. That’s what happened at the 2016 USATF 50 Mile Road Championships at the Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK on October 30.

Cole Crosby, who finished third in 2014, returned. Anthony Kunkle turned in an impressive 5:38 at last year’s Door County Fall 50-Miler. Israel Merkle had locked down Ohio’s Towpath Marathon just three weeks prior in 2:28, but this would be his first foray at a longer distance. Ben Nephew had finished runner-up at the summer’s Rock the Ridge 50-Mile and Escarpment Trail Run. On the women’s side, several contenders from the past few years were shoulder to shoulder again, including Heather Hoechst, who won in 2015; Kathleen Cusick, who placed third each of the last three years; Anna Piskorska, who took second in 2014; and the indefatigable Connie Gardner, who has won the race three times.

Gardner had suggested that race officials at the course’s 11 aid stations keep a close eye on Merkle. Striking a sprightly pace in one’s first 50-miler can be treacherous.

“Since it was my first 50-mile race, I wanted to go out conservative to keep my body from breaking down in the later miles,” recalled Merkle. “I was thankful to have these guys to run with for most of the first half, as they shared great company, advice and knowledge of the course. Having felt confident on the hills, I pulled away from the pack and our group stretched out a little. After the big hill was over (near mile 25) I tried to keep the pace up going downhill.”

Tussey Mountainback Boalsburg, PA // October 30

3,3* // 50 Miles Elevation gain: 5,485 feet | The race takes place on fire roads (74% dirt, 26% paved) in Rothrock State Forest.

Terrain includes uphill, level and downhill grades, with shaded and open segments and some overlook vistas.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

84

Israel Merkle, 28, OH Rich Heffron, 33, NY Cole Crosby, 28, NY Jason Lantz, 35, PA Brad Hinton, 40, VA Joshua Finger, 43, PR Todd Wiley, 46, PA Heather Hoechst, 37, NM Elijah Shekinah, 38, PA Josh Litofsky, 24, PA Justyna Wilson, 41, PA Anna Zielaski, 33, CA Peter Banks, 30, NV Mike Ryan, 50, OH Shannon McGinn, 40, NJ Kathleen Cusick, 41, FL Mariel Feigen, 28, NY

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5:49:40 5:56:34 6:22:40 6:32:25 6:32:25 6:38:03 6:47:42 6:49:46 6:49:48 7:04:25 7:09:59 7:12:27 7:27:46 7:30:05 7:32:00 7:34:16 7:35:25

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18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

“The monster hill split up our pack as Israel effortlessly floated away,” recalled Rich Heffron, “while Cole and I slowly separated as we worked our way to the top.” Heffron pressed on. “The final uphill (near mile 45) was a soul-crushing experience. I turned my watch to a blank screen so I wouldn’t see my splits or GPS data. But it made the final descent even more rewarding.”

The course itself fed Merkle’s spirits. “The gravel roads give you an option of running on the packed part where people drive or moving to the softer shoulder when needed.

The scenery of the state forest is amazing this time of year, and the hills we climbed during the race gave us some spectacular views. I liked that we did a big loop without repeating parts of the course, as well.”

Heather Hoechst had been the featured speaker at the pre-race dinner the evening before. “After a restless night of sleep, I woke up Sunday morning with a feeling of excitement and fear.” Hoechst ran the first miles comfortably with two male runners through mile 10, when footsteps indicated Anne Portlock was catching up. The mile 11 aid station was timely for Hoechst. “It was hotter than normal this year and I was trying to drink aggressively. As we hit the climbs around mile 13, I felt myself pulling away from Anne and put my eyes on the guy about a quarter mile ahead. I felt strong and terrified that I was taking the race out too fast. I ignored the fear and reminded myself that my plan was to push my limits.”

Last year, Hoechst had used a walk/run strategy on the long middle hill. “This year I was going to see if the altitude and hill training in the San Juan Mountains paid off.” At mile 25 came the answer: she was 16

John Bertram, 53, OH Anna Piskorska, 44, PA Sonja Hinish, 30, VA Brian Penrose, 42, PA Austin Boyle, 32, PA Kip Hoffman, 41, PA Connie Gardner, 52, OH Craig Sheckler, 47, PA Kelly Harris, 37, PA Jessica Simao, 29, NJ Johanna Ohm, 25, NY Gary Sexton, 60, OH Molly Ritter, 29, VA Jacob Fisher, 20, PA Keith Winder, 36, PA Lauren Leonard, 32, PA Jenny Wolfe, 40, MT Michael Reddy, 55, PA Greg Thompson, 49, NJ Donald Bowers Jr, 33, PA Chad Hantz, 36, PA Nicholas Kovacevic, 25, AZ Howard Lee, 61, PA Marlena Miraflor, 42, VA Darrin Knepper, 47, PA Barry Parmiter, 46, OH

JAN/FEB 2017

7:40:32 7:40:53 7:42:56 7:47:14 7:48:05 7:51:41 7:54:40 8:13:18 8:13:46 8:22:30 8:23:49 8:24:58 8:27:17 8:40:52 8:43:44 8:46:36 8:57:37 9:03:02 9:03:02 9:13:40 9:14:56 9:15:01 9:20:24 9:21:39 9:26:30 9:31:59

44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69

USATF National Champion Heather Hoechst defended her 2015 win and took 16 minutes off her PR. [ Cameron Hart]

minutes ahead of last year’s schedule. Miles with Joshua Finger and Josh Litofsky and cheers from relay runner Meira Minard kept her momentum up through the final descent, despite angry quads and arch pain in one foot.

Exclaimed Hoechst: “God, I love this sport.”

This was the latest October date yet for this race. Next year’s race date of October 8 could spur new competition as the mOUnTaiNBACK again hosts the 2017 USATF 50 Mile Road Championships.

Steve Horning, 48, PA Karina Gates, 39, PA Greg Forsythe, 26, PA Suzanne Weightman, 52, PA Wendell P Smith, 51, PA Anthony Chute, 30, PA Christine Borst, 50, PA Amy Prokop, 46, PA Kayla Thompson, 29, PA Dani Seiss, 46, MD Brian Mulligan, 50, PA Angel Burd, 31, PA William Bradley, 44, PA Andrew MacHalick, 27, PA Allen Lockard, 51, PA Candice Lockard, 44, PA Ken Modica, 50, PA John Lewis, 45, PA Kevin Feather, 37, PA Jeff Syster, 42, PA Diane H. Adams, 54, VA Shannon Chappell, 37, PA Jenna Mansberger, 28, PA Yevgeniy Mikhaylov, 26, WA Anthony Jordan, 68, PA Trevor Albert, 31, DC

9:35:50 9:36:39 9:41:37 9:42:27 9:51:05 9:51:44 9:53:08 9:53:09 9:53:09 9:58:53 10:00:19 10:00:59 10:10:35 10:12:14 10:12:28 10:12:29 10:14:39 10:17:35 10:20:29 10:21:20 10:23:04 10:23:35 10:23:36 10:26:48 10:26:56 10:28:27

70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92

George Conrad, 39, PA Donald Halke Ii, 57, PA Maria Vargas, 55, PA Geraline Harvey, 0, PA Lamar Felix, 34, PA Michael Olenchak, 44, PA Matt Hunter, 54, PA Wade Alexander, 49, PA Thaddeus Will, 43, PA Carolyn Gardner, 40, PA Lester Gerber, 38, MD Udon Beidler, 69, PA Douglas Taylor, 52, PA Eric Eller, 48, MD Scott Brown, 54, PA Monica Fletcher, 39, PA Jose Medina, 45, PA Mathew Fredericks, 39, NY Scott Ferrari, 58, PA Brian Rosser, 40, PA Rebecca Sayres, 36, VA Philip Pierce, 75, ME Craig Stauffer, 51, PA

10:32:23 10:42:15 10:50:53 10:57:39 11:03:11 11:07:06 11:07:06 11:09:22 11:11:10 11:17:45 11:18:58 11:22:54 11:23:48 11:25:25 11:27:40 11:32:00 11:34:05 11:36:36 11:41:24 11:43:28 11:47:49 11:56:39 11:56:48

See page 58 for key

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ULTRARACES

Twin Peaks 50

Power Couple

BY JESSICA DELINE Twin Peaks isn’t named after a pair of mountains, but rather for the highest point in Orange County, CA, which is scaled twice during the 50-mile race. At 5,689 feet, Santiago Peak is no easy climb, especially when your first ascent to the peak starts out at 1,700 feet – and that isn’t even the toughest part of the race (just wait until miles 30-34!).

Since the race began in 2008, no one had managed to crack nine hours on the course, which is close to 53 miles in length.

Twin Peaks 2016 saw a spectacular battle between Nickademus Hollon and Mario Martinez (the winner in 2015), who ran the two fastest times in race history.

Hollon and Martinez fought hard throughout the race, and by mile 22, on top of Santiago Peak, Martinez had opened up a bit of a lead. That lead didn’t hold though, as Hollon was pacing himself well, and by mile 30, they were nearly tied.

When they reached Santiago Peak for the second time, they were still nearly in a dead heat.

It was anyone’s race through the final 10 miles. In the end, Hollon stepped on the gas, setting a new course record – and breaking the eight-year-old barrier of nine hours by almost four minutes.

Martinez would cruise in just over four minutes later in what also would have been a new course record. He just missed going under nine hours himself.

In the women’s race, Jade Belzerg broke away from the rest of the pack by mile 22 atop Santiago Peak. Her closest competitor was about 20 minutes behind. Elizabeth Tentuto was chasing Belzerg down and managed to keep within 20-25 minutes almost the entire rest of the race, until the final descent.

Belzerg (who dates and trains with Hollon), also put the pedal to the metal in those final miles and won the women’s race by almost an hour. She set a new course record for women in the process. Both Belzerg and

Nickademus Hollon becomes the first person to break the nine-hour mark in the 50-mile race. [ Paksitphotos]

Hollon took home first-place cash, plus a course record bonus – not a bad day for this ultrarunning power couple.

The 50k race was a sight to behold. Sam Bosworth – who was about 10 minutes behind the leader Rocco Addante about halfway through the race – managed to smack his head on a low hanging tree branch in Holy Jim Canyon. Blood poured down his face and he wore the battle wounds for the duration, refusing treatment along the way. Bosworth also tore up his hand a bit on a fall, but through it all he ran strong, took the lead and handily owned first place by almost 30 minutes. Dried blood caked his face and hand at the finish line, and he wore it proudly. The women’s 50k race was a lot less bloody, but none the less exciting. Going into the final descent, Deanna Flores had just a five-minute lead over secondplace Cherry Cheng. Flores would hold on to that lead, and she and Cheng finished fourth and fifth overall in the 50k, besting a whole bunch of dudes.

Twin Peaks 2016 was not without its casualties. In a typical year, only about 55-60% of runners manage to finish the 50-mile race, and this year that rate was just 53%. If you are looking for a tough 50-mile race that will challenge your mind, body and spirit, this is the race for you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Randall Tolosa, who, on his fifth attempt, finally conquered the beast and finished the 50-mile race with 20 minutes to spare. That’s either some serious determination or he is one hell of a glutton for punishment. Perhaps it’s both.

Twin Peaks 50 Corona, CA // October 15

5,3* // 50 Miles & 50k Elevation gain: 15,000 feet | A mountainous course with no flat ground. Long climbs and descents with plenty of technical sections and some stream crossings. A washing machine loop with two out-and-backs and just under half of the course on single track trail with the rest on fire road.

50 MILES 1 Nickademus Hollon, 26, CA 2 Mario Martinez, 41, CA 3 Ron Gutierrez, 49, CA 4 Jade Belzberg, 24, CA 5 Elizabeth Tenuto, 36, CA 6 Victor Rodriguez, 25, CA 7 Eric Bonilla, 49, CA 8 Michael Fang, 23, CA 9 Ruth McCoy, 40, CA 10 Mariano Corona, 37, CA 11 Luis Alberto Reyes, 43, MEX 12 Marcel Saulis, 46, CA 13 Raymond Morales, 45, CA 14 Charles Simons, 30, CA 15 Soojung Lim, 59, CA 16 Melanie Boone, 45, CA 17 Selina Nordberg, 48, CA 18 Robert Garcia, 37, CA 19 Francisco Garcia, 42, MEX 20 Ted Liston, 59, CA 21 Sergio Tayra, 31, CA 22 Randall Tolosa, 30, AZ 23 Oscar Perez, 49, CA 24 Stephen Harris, 62, CA 25 Ana Astorga, 36, CA 26 Luke Tyree, 30, CA

8:56:27 9:00:52 9:55:26 10:32:34 11:26:07 12:12:52 12:17:41 12:53:00 13:27:18 13:35:33 13:39:05 13:49:02 13:50:08 14:12:50 14:20:32 14:45:04 14:57:43 15:01:14 15:11:49 15:30:10 15:30:30 15:39:09 15:46:53 15:52:47 16:02:42 16:25:45

50K 1 2

Sam Bosworth, 38, CA Rocco Addante, 30, CA

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

Angel Varela, 26, CA 6:51:43 Deanna Flores, 26, CA 7:14:37 Cherry hui Cheng, 34, CA 7:30:01 Jess Kiebach, 41, CA 7:43:01 Chris Agen, 45, CA 7:44:17 Marcel Llopis, 32, CA 8:11:12 Alejandra Leon, 25, MEX 8:15:57 Josh Cagwin, 38, CA 8:20:02 Alfredo Zepeda, 43, CA 8:27:25 Jeffrey McKinney, 49, CA 8:41:12 David Sundius, 57, CA 8:42:09 Chris Haines, 57, CA 8:45:05 Tim McFadden, 27, CA 8:47:06 Giovanni Reyes, 34, CA 8:50:27 Grant Bullis, 50, CA 8:52:23 Benjamin Sumague, 43, CA 8:53:37 Junko Takeya, 45, CA 9:13:04 Warren Muldoon, 59, CA 9:13:06 Annie Reese, 58, CA 9:17:07 Tyler Pelle, 23, CA 9:26:07 Octavio Lopez, 32, CA 9:35:33 Trisha Stergios, 38, CA 9:36:59 Laura Sohaskey, 58, CA 9:37:06 Lori Heinselman-Craig, 49, CA 9:42:51 Carlos Yuriar, 37, CA 9:52:29 John Vanderpot, 53, CA 10:09:05 Tsehay Villeza, 52, CA 10:09:20 Min Chae, 60, CA 10:10:03 Gino Perez, 51, CA 10:13:38 Giovanna Gibson, 56, CA 10:14:34 Courtney Miller-Wakeham, 10:23:09 34, CA Alicia Krueger, 46, CA 10:24:09 Emmett Rahl, 45, CA 10:34:09 Hector Aleman, 43, CA 10:54:13 Yen Darcy, 60, CA 11:26:23 Cesar Saenz, 41, CA 11:57:36 Angela Holder, 45, CA 12:58:58

See page 58 for key

*

5:43:41 6:11:31

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ULTRARACES

International Scene

////////// ULTRA TRAIL GOBI

ABOVE: Bavytian (2 hump) camels near Check Point 9, 60 miles from the start.

OPPOSITE: Yulin Grottos dug into the banks of the Yulin River near mile 125.

The Ultimate Desert Expedition TEXT AND PHOTOS BY MARSHALL ULRICH The Ultra-Trail Gobi (UTG) race promised that I would run on the flat and in the mountains, cross sandy and rocky deserts, wade across crystal-clear rivers, traverse dry riverbeds and salt flats, and travel through amazing ancient ruins and yardangs (hoodoos) – rocks carved into otherworldly shapes by desert winds. And boy, did it deliver! Held September 28 – October 4, 2016, in Gansu province, China, along parts of the Silk Road, the race is based on the journey of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who travelled through the wilderness of the Gobi in the seventh century, searching for the sacred books of Buddhism.

Like the Marathon des Sables (MDS), UTG is a self-supported race in which participants carry mandatory equipment (including clothing, a sleeping bag, emergency 86

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equipment and food), and the race organization provides water, tents and medical care.

That’s where the similarities end (see table on the next page for a detailed comparison).

While UTG is 249 miles, 100 miles longer than MDS, there’s less time to finish – just over six days, instead of seven. To make the cutoffs, I only slept about four hours over five days. The course is not marked, so participants have to navigate.

Being a bit technologically challenged, I had a GPS that had the checkpoints (CPs) in the wrong places, which made it necessary for me to travel with at least one other person at all times. While this may have slowed me down, it did offer me the opportunity to help one of the other runners, who hurt his back, by carrying his equipment for several days.

The camaraderie of these extreme events is one of the reasons I love the sport.

The terrain at UTG is challenging and remote. Over 80 percent of the course is uninhabited, and the quiet of the desert filled my ears and calmed my mind. Some of the mountain rock scrambles (no ropes are provided to help you up the steep sections) reminded me of the old Eco Challenges more than a desert “trail” race. Basketball-sized rocks, covered with spiky salt, slowed my pace so severely the last day, I missed the final CP cutoff, so I only did 220 miles. I saw so many amazing sights along the way – ruins along the Silk Road that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, Buddha caves, fortresses, grottos and mausoleums built more than 15 centuries ago – that I didn’t mind. Asian camels, sand dunes, fields of

cotton, slot canyons, alpine pastures and vast stretches of sandy and rocky desert with snow-covered 16,000-foot mountains in the distance treated my eyes and fed my soul.

This region is one of the most arid in the world, with extreme temperature swings ranging from freezing to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

With only 30 competitors (they’d like to increase to about 50) and 270 staff and volunteers, we were very well taken care of. The 30- by 25-foot tents at the 10 designated rest points had four sides and a floor, with medical care, recharging stations for GPS units and phones, hot water and even a masseur. Harvey Lewis and I represented the US, along with race director Dale Garland of Hardrock fame. There were also competitors from Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

Each competitor had a spot tracker, and the race control center kept a close watch on us from a distance, as did my wife back home. In fact, when I realized I wouldn’t make the last cutoff and wandered around the hillsides before sitting down and licking my bruised ego in the freezing rain, race staff arrived to pick me up before I could break out the sat phone. Now that’s organization!

I couldn’t have been more impressed with the race organization and accommodations, or the challenge, diversity and beauty of the course. The Ultra-Trail Gobi is one to put on your bucket list if you want a physical challenge that will stimulate your senses.

ULTRA-TRAIL GOBI VS. MARATHON DES SABLES VARIABLE

ULTRA-TRAIL GOBI

MARATHON DES SABLES

Distance

249 miles (400k)

156 miles (250k)

Duration

6.25 days (150 hours)

7 days

Go as you please

6 stages

Format Course Location Historical Sites

Self-navigation

Marked

Gobi Desert, China

Sahara Desert, Morocco

Many, including Silk Road UNESCO World Heritage sites

None noted by race organization

Time Cutoffs

Tough, but doable

Generous

Check Points/Water

Every 6 – 9 miles

Every 6 – 10 miles

Rest Stops

10, if you choose

6 mandatory, all night

3,600 – 10,500 feet

2,500 – 3,000 feet

20,000 feet

6,500 feet

32° – 95° F

45° – 120° F

Extremely difficult!

Challenging

Elevation Typical Elevation Change Temperature Range Terrain Competitors In 2016 Support Staff Entry Fee Race Organization Race Director

30

1,250

270 (9 per runner)

450( > 0.4 per runner)

$3,500

$3,250

Beijing Xingzhi Exploring Co., Ltd.

Atlantide Organisation Internationale

Dale Garland (USA)

Patrick Bauer (France)

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High Desert Drop Bags Quality Drop Bags For Runners highdesertdropbags.com Bishop, California

Ultra Protection for the Beginner, the UltraRunner, and all levels in between.

Get 20% Off at NipEaze.com [Enter Promo Code: SAVE20]

3.514” w x 2.238” h

Trail Art on Canvas, Fine Paper, and Cards

www. MaggieTidesDesign .com 88

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This Month in the Standings

See the current leaderboard and your score at urraceseries.com

AS OF DECEMBER 19, 2016

OVERALL LEADERS* MALE

POINTS

FEMALE

POINTS

1 Brian Rusiecki, 37 MA

332.17

1

Courtney Dauwalter, 31 CO

317.49

2 Jason Lantz, 35 PA

282.27

2

Neela D’Souza, 38 ON

303.96

3 Colin Miller, 38 BC

281.72

3

Kaytlyn Gerbin, 27 WA

294.51

4 Dominick Layfield, 44 UT

277.22

4

Darcy Piceu, 41 CO

269.72 258.57

5 Aaron Saft, 38 NC

268.06

5

Kaci Lickteig, 29 NE

6 Bradley Revenis, 30 MD

267.79

6

Sheryl Wheeler, 53 NY

255.01

7 Bruce Udell, 50 WI

266.91

7

Amy Albu, 40 VA

254.12

8 Olin Berger, 31 WA

257.14

8

Kathleen Cusick, 41 FL

252.90

9 Paul Terranova, 42 TX

252.31

9

Helen Pelster, 43 CA

252.74

10 Jonathan Lantz, 31 PA

247.16

10

Clare Gallagher, 24 CO

245.05

The top overall male and female runners as of April 30, 2017, will each win $1,000 and automatic entry into Western States 100, occuring approximately 7 weeks later.

The race is on! Brian Rusiecki battling Jason Lantz at the Masanutten 100 where Rusiecki successfully defended his title. Rusiecki is in the lead of the Ultrarunning Race Series, and just like at Massanutten, will be in a battle to remain on top.

He has a commanding lead but the competition is sure to heat up between now and April 30 as top runners post big scores and round out their scoring by completing a race at each of the four distances. [

TimToogood]

*

REGIONAL LEADERS NORTHWEST

< 22

50k CALIFORNIA

SOUTHWEST

MALE

FEMALE

MALE

FEMALE

MALE

FEMALE

Andrew Miller

Olivia Otto

Carl Maclean

Cat Bradley

Justin Mejia

Kelly Wolf

22-29

Nate Bender

Kaytlyn Gerbin

Matthew Morales

Jade Belzberg

Jim Walmsley

Katie Trent

30-39

Olin Berger

Kristin Moehl

Chris Price

Megan Cheng

Jake Rankinen

Julie Koepke

40-49

Steven Kent

Darla Askew

Ryan Weibel

Helen Pelster

Paul Terranova

Molly Zurn

Susan Henry

Ronald Hess

Jackie Clark

Eric Pope

Robin Phelps

James Ehasz

Pamela Chapman-Markle

50-59 Dave Latourette 60-69 70+

David Elsbernd Max Welker

Liz Kellogg Gunhild Swanson

KINGS AND QUEENS OF THE DISTANCE*

Rick Hoopes

Claudia Newsom

Wally Hesseltine Eldrith Gosney

Nicholas Bassett

FEMALE

RACE

1

Alicia Shay

Ultimate Direction Dirty 30

45.01

2

Bethany Patterson

Promise Land

45.01

3

Abby Levene

TNF – California

50M FEMALE

RACE

1

Camille Herron

White River 50

Larisa Dannis

Ice Age Trail

73.03

3

Leah Frost

JFK

72.59

RACE

MOUNTAIN

< 22 Colton Witherell

MIDWEST

SOUTHEAST

Miwok

90.24

2

Magdalena Boulet

The Canyons

88.29

3

Alyson Kirk

Never Summer 100K RACE

1

Kaci Lickteig

Western States

MALE

FEMALE

MALE

FEMALE

2

Clare Gallagher

Leadville Trail

143.75

Bailey Eppard

Seth Korhonen

Annika Hempel

Kyle Boykin

Kathleen Marsh

3

Dana Anderson

Javelina Jundred

142.75

Clare Gallagher

Brandon Yonke

Kaci Lickteig

Kyle Curtin

Jacqueline Merritt

MALE

RACE

30-39

Alex Nichols

Courtney Dauwalter

Jon Noll

Ashley Truan

Aaron Saft

Laurie Matecki

1

Cole Watson

TNF – California

40-49

Dominick Layfield

Darcy Piceu

Andy Emerson

Susana Ochoa

Andrew Barrett Kathleen Cusick

2

Chris Vargo

50-59

John Maack

Bruce Udell

Deb Johnson

3

Cody Reed

Roger Jensen David Blaylock

83.80 POINTS

FEMALE

Jesse Rich

70+

POINTS

Aliza Lapierre

22-29

60-69

73.50

1

100M FEMALE

MALE

44.56 POINTS

2

100k FEMALE

Ila Brandli

POINTS

Cindy Stonesmith Deanna McLaughlin Nancy Nelson

MID-ATLANTIC

Tyler Peek

Susan Donnelly

Steven Sjolund

Susan Erdmann Michael Walcott

Karen Alexeev

Sylvan Addink

Bonnie McElwee Thomas Skinner

Sally Squier

NORTHEAST

50k

CANADA

153.54

POINTS 45.68

Ultimate Direction Dirty 30 Tamalpa Headlands 50K

50M MALE

RACE

45.34 44.73 POINTS

1

Zach Miller

TNF – California

79.03

2

Hayden Hawks

TNF – California

75.43

3

Jim Walmsley

JFK

100k MALE

72.77

RACE

POINTS 89.48

MALE

FEMALE

MALE

FEMALE

MALE

FEMALE

1

Cody Reed

Miwok

Jeremiah Clark

Julia Kraimer

Patrick Caron

Nicole Ponte

Travis Mann

Alexandra Ostaszewski

2

Paddy O’Leary

The Canyons

22-29

David Lantz

Rebecca Weast

Matt Collins

Ashley Daily

3

Chikara Omine

Miwok

84.45

30-39

Jason Lantz

Amanda Debevc

Brian Rusiecki

Sarah Keyes

Colin Miller

Neela D’Souza

RACE

POINTS

40-49

Marc Griffin

Amy Albu

Alexandre Tilmant

Lori Wetzel

Brian McArthur

Iris Priebe

50-59

Matt Prescott

Riva Johnson

John Geesler

Sheryl Wheeler

Michael Senior

Becky Bates

60-69

George Hollerbach

Ruth Kohstall

Andrei Aroneanu

Mary Lou White

Ted Croll

Dawn Hamel

Gary Klubnik

Gretchen Bolton

Philip Pierce

—————

David Johnson

Marion Landry

< 22

70+

Steven Graupner Hilary Matheson

100M MALE

86.15

1

Andrew Miller

Western States

2

Ian Sharman

Leadville Trail

152.38

161.17

3

Zach Bitter

Javelina Jundred

145.46

All Kings and Queens will receive a $500 prize at the conclusion of this year’s Series on April 30,2017.

*

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89

ULTRALIFE

One Step Beyond

Numbers Lie

BY DEAN KARNAZES The popularity of ultrarunning is growing.

That much we know. Just read this issue and you’ll see that fact reflected in the numbers.

There were more finishers of ultras in 2016 than in any prior year. We have good stats on race finishers, but what these figures fail to show is the interest in ultrarunning moving forward. What we lack is a predictive model that foretells the future growth of our sport.

As someone who spends most weekends at endurance events of various distances and formats – from marathon expos to obstacle course races – I can tell you firsthand that the interest in ultrarunning is higher than it has ever been, and far beyond anything the statistics reveal. I spend a lot of time talking to athletes of all abilities and interest levels, and overwhelmingly, what I hear about from these individuals is their desire to try an ultra.

For instance, I recently attended the NYC Marathon Health & Fitness Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, as I’ve done for the past decade. There were tens of thousands of runners from around the world in attendance. People used to tell me that their goal was to run all of the “major” marathons (i.e., Tokyo, London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York), or that they wanted to finish 10 marathons in their lifetime. That paradigm has shifted. The past couple years, I’ve heard more people than ever telling me their goal is to run an ultra, and this year that sentiment was even more pronounced.

Similarly, at the Spartan Race World Championships in Lake Tahoe last fall – a particularly bruising 14-mile course with 35 obstacles to surmount – more competitors than you could imagine said their next event was going to be an ultra (fittingly, the Spartan Race starts at the same location as the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run).

I realize these are just anecdotal observances by a single individual, one partial to the sport of ultrarunning, no less, but successful mutual fund managers have been known to query taxi cab drivers on the sentiments of riders to gauge future prospects for the economy. Such unconventional means of collecting data can be telling.

What does this all indicate? For one, the health of ultrarunning as a sport appears strong, and the forecast for future growth looks promising. How does this translate to a participant? First and foremost, the demand to participate in the sport’s most popular events will likely continue on an upward trajectory, with races filling even faster than they are now and lottery lists growing even 90

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Dean addressing the crowd of budding ultrarunners at the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon expo. [

The past couple years, I’ve heard more people than ever telling me their goal is to run an ultra, and this year that sentiment was even more pronounced. longer. I know that’s a bummer, but it’s the new reality. Second, we’ll likely see more events springing up to fill this burgeoning interest in ultrarunning. The stats already reflect this growth. And, truthfully, some of these new, smaller events have a really nostalgic grassroots feel for those that cherish the bygone era.

What does all this growth mean for the industry? At a high level, more people will be able to make a living through the sport they love. As more participants enter the arena (er… trails and byroads), the economic prospects become better than ever, both for athletes and for businesspeople. As ultrarunning continues on its upward trend, the economic opportunities will increase as well.

Courtesy of Dean Karnazes]

If nothing more, hopefully that improves my job stability as a columnist for this fine publication.

Of course, none of this measures the positive impact on society and the world overall. I like to think the ultrarunning community is an environmentally sensitive, compassionate and conscientious group. We’re not building walls or fences; we’re running past them. The world could probably use more adventurous, freethinking people, though I digress.

In conclusion, as we start off on the New Year, let’s celebrate all the greatness our sport has to offer. The future looks brighter than ever, for all constituencies involved.

Undoubtedly there will be growth pains along the way, but the magic of ultrarunning is sure to endure, just like its participants.

Dean Karnazes lives and trains in Marin County.

ULTRALIFE

Reece’s Pieces

Trail Feast

BY CORY REESE

The glory of Zion National Park on full display. [

Courtesy of Cory Reese]

My wife’s idea of a perfect vacation is to find a spot on a beach to inhabit and soak up the sun for the weekend. I can take about an hour of that before I start to go stir crazy.

My idea of a perfect vacation involves exploration, and activity, and adventure. I have now discovered my ideal vacation: the Grand Circle Trailfest in southern Utah.

Hosted by Vacation Races in partnership with Trail and Ultra Running, the Trailfest is a three-day running adventure in southern Utah. The friendly city of Kanab was the home base for the trail running festival. Each day, runners were shuttled from Kanab to a different location to run through jaw-dropping scenery. On the first day we ran thirteen miles around the Bryce Canyon area. Day two was twelve miles on Gooseberry Mesa overlooking Zion National Park. The third day was nineteen miles on the Rainbow Rim with scenic viewpoints on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Running wasn’t the only thing on the schedule for the weekend. Once runners returned from the races, there were yoga sessions in the afternoon, a family fun run, and gear vendors. Each evening had a keynote speaker. Sunny Blende spoke about diet and nutrition in endurance sports, I spoke about mastering the mental side of training for ultras, and Ray Zahab spoke about his many

expeditions including a run across the Sahara Desert. There was a concert by the band The National Parks one night, and a trail running film festival on the other two nights.

In speaking with runners (who came from 41 states and 5 countries), they appreciated how the event was all inclusive. Breakfast was provided each morning, a snack box and protein drink was provided after the run, and runners received meal tickets to use for food vendors in the evening. Participants could stay at area hotels or sleep in tents that were set up for runners.

Having run the ultra-distance races for Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon, I am familiar with all the courses. In my opinion, the sections that runners experienced during Trailfest are my favorite parts of each course.

I loved getting to stunningly beautiful view points and seeing a collection of runners with their cameras out to capture the experience.

I petitioned the race directors to subtract ten seconds for each picture taken. If that proposal had been approved, most runners would have been credited with running two-minute miles.

I can see that the Trailfest would appeal to different types of runners. This event is great for seasoned trail runners who want to challenge themselves and see beautiful scenery… but not be physically wrecked afterward. It

was great to have the atmosphere of an ultramarathon…yet still be able to sleep in a bed at night as opposed to battling sleep deprivation in the middle of the night during a 100-miler.

But an event like this also appeals to new trail runners. Each day has a challenging, but manageable chunk of miles that don’t feel quite as intimidating as an ultra. And with so many people out on the course, runners are never caught in No Man’s Land where you may go hours without seeing another human being, which isn’t unusual during 100-milers.

Event organizers acknowledged that there were some glitches that need to get worked out for the next Trailfest considering that this was the inaugural year, though some issues were out of their control, such as food vendors canceling at the last minute.

The festival closed with an emotional speech by Trailfest co-founder Matt Gunn.

He talked about how special the trails are to him, and how during some of the most difficult times of his life, he found hope and healing and purpose out on the trails.

Everyone was clearly moved by his remarks.

I wonder if that’s what keeps all of us strapping on our shoes to go for a run before work, or clicking the “Register” button for races, or pushing the boundaries of our personal limitations. Maybe there is hope and healing and purpose for all of us through running. It doesn’t matter whether you are old, young, fat, thin, slow or fast. Running will accept you. In the sphere of running, you matter. That inclusive sense of community was certainly felt at Trailfest. I have no doubt that this event will quickly find a spot on runners’ bucket lists.

Cory Reese, from southern Utah, enjoys having Zion National Park as his backyard.

He uses running to help balance out a welldeveloped sweet tooth. When he’s not running, Cory is a husband, father, medical social worker, photographer, writer, and piano composer. His adventures can be found at fastcory.com.

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ULTRALIFE

Mid-Pack Zach

A New Trail

BY ZACH ADAMS After more than six years consistently fixer-upper house and have been doing training for and running ultras and 10 years much of the remodeling work myself. But of long distance running, I find myself on a I’m finally ready to get back on the trail: this completely new trail. I am much less comfort- time, the comeback trail. For the past couple able on this trail than I have been on any weeks, I’ve begun the process. other I’ve set foot on. This trail is completely unmapped for me, and I have no idea what I took enough time to expect. I have to admit that it’s exciting.

What trail am I talking about? The comeaway that I missed it, back trail.

You have heard that life will get in the way. and I’m really enjoying It will, and it does. As I’ve written, most ultrarediscovering my runners experience an ebb and flow – periods of high and low times. What happens when passion for running one is both in a mental slump and life gets in the way? Well, I can’t speak for everyone, again. but for me, what happened was definitely not as much running. In the past seven months, Here are a few observations: I’ve been averaging 10-50 miles per month and only run one 50-miler and one 50k. To Your distorted perception of time and put that in perspective, previously I would distance gained through hours and hours train at least 50 miles per week and do one of training and racing will go back to a more or two ultras per month. Aside from having “reasonable” level. A 20+ mile run every basically no desire to run, I purchased a weekend used to seem pretty tame. Now,

running 10 miles seems to take forever. PS – it seems to hurt a lot more, too.

It’s hard to give back that time that you once automatically set aside for training. I find myself feeling like I’m wasting time if I spend more than 30-40 minutes on a run or workout. Something(s) have to give. You will lose conditioning during time off, and it’s disappointing and somewhat disheartening to realize how far your endurance fitness has regressed. Now, not all my observations are negative. Here are a couple great things I’ve realized while hitting the comeback trail: It’s really fun to get out and run again.

While it’s harder than it was last fall, I’m enjoying it more. I took enough time away that I missed it, and I’m really enjoying rediscovering my passion for running again.

My senses have come back to life while running. Sights, smells and sensations that I had grown blind to through repetition have re-emerged. I’m seeing, hearing and feeling things out on the roads and trails that I hadn’t for a while – and I didn’t even notice.

It’s challenging. It’s tough. It hurts.

All of these things were reasons I started competing in ultras in the first place, and I had worked myself to a plateau where these “benefits” were harder to find – but now the wonderful pain is back! I’m just in the beginning stages of getting back to where I was. I have a feeling that it will come back quickly, thanks to muscle memory and the experience that I have with training and racing. But who knows? Maybe I will struggle mightily and never get back to where I was. Or maybe I will surpass limits I had imposed on myself. Maybe the time off was the best thing I could have done for my ultrarunning “career.” The real point is, I’m once again excited to find out.

Zach Adams is a mild mannered marketing manager for a regional Internet service provider by day, official blogger for EpicUltras.com at night, and a mid-pack ultrarunner most weekends. His ultra debut came in 2010 with a 50-mile finish that lit a fire that’s been burning ever since.

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ULTRALIFE

Rocket Rants

Running vs. Training

BY ERROL “ROCKET” JONES

The Rocket looking like his namesake in the early miles of the Heartland 100-miler. [

Kristi Mayo / Mile 90 Photography]

I knew from the onset that I shouldn’t be there, that I wasn’t truly trained or fit enough for the task at hand. But a combination of hubris and old age had me toeing the line. I had flown into what some of us jokingly refer to as one of the f ly-over states.

I was desperate for a change of scenery and a chance to hopefully come away with a 100-mile trail completion and a new belt buckle (the actual buckle, I really didn’t need).

In the end, that turned out to be just so much wishful thinking.

But I did come away rejuvenated, with a renewed sense of self and a stark reminder of what real training is and has always

been. I also found something to look forward to in 2017 in addition to pacing or crewing friends, volunteering or co-directing other races.

Even a wily old veteran can be lulled into a sense of complacency and substitute running for training. There’s a difference. I’d paced a friend at Wasatch for a little under 30 miles. Though it wasn’t that far, I’d been on my feet for more than 12 hours. I told myself I’d trained, when all I’d really done was hiked for hours with a runner who’d already been tested for miles before he got to me. That was followed by two-plus weeks of working at another 100 to prepare for what

turned out to be a Herculean effort of race management, with four or five short runs of 4 to 8 miles interspersed between obligations.

I was far from trained, but I wasn’t injured, so I reasoned that if I did the right things and bided my time, I might come away with a finish, especially since I thought the course might be relatively easy (ie, f lattish) compared to many others I’ve raced or paced on.

I f lew into Wichita, KS, for the 100 in Cassoday and promptly got my ass handed to me. In retrospect, I really enjoyed my run and the time I spent there – however truncated it was.

I also got back to the basics that started my ultrarunning career, such as it has been. I got a lot from that DNF. I could go on and on about all the good things I enjoyed about that trip, but here’s the gist of what I really came away with: When you’re just running, you run when it’s convenient or seemingly most pleasurable, your main goal being joy. When you’re in training mode, it’s a discipline.

You have target distances, paces, courses and days for those runs.

There’s specificity to almost all your runs, with build-up races to gauge your progress. You don’t care what the weather may be, what games are on TV or about the fact that you may have had an unusually hard day at work.

If your training regimen calls for a certain number of miles over specific terrain in a certain amount of time, you go out and

try to get it done. You steel yourself to the task because you know you will reap rewards come race day. Your commitment to race an ultra starts way before race day.

Also, in virtually all ultras, eventually something will go wrong. That’s where the training will reveal itself. You can’t produce in a race what you haven’t experienced in training.

If you’re expecting to get to the finish or run some type of quality run in any hundred, then you’d better have some tough training and racing miles at shorter distances under your belt. Likewise, if you expect to weather the effects of something going awry in your race, then you’d better be putting in training miles on very tired legs, an upset stomach, adverse weather – hot and cold – if you hope to stave off those and other effects on race day when all hell breaks loose and a finish hangs in the balance.

What I got during my traipse across Kansas’s prairie land was a reboot: a renewed sense of what it means to train and the resolve to do just that, train, and not just run. I’d deluded myself into thinking that what I was doing passed for being fit and race ready, but race day showed me for what I was.

Training is a discipline; running is an act. If you want to achieve your ultra goals in 2017, go out and do some training, not just some running.

Errol “Rocket” Jones is a veteran ultrarunner of 34 years, having participated in over 200 ultras dating back to 1981. Jones completed ultrarunning’s Grand Slam in 1998 and is a 3-time finisher of Badwater. He is also Co-Race Director of the Bear 100 and the Quad Dipsea and serves as indentured servant at the Miwok and Lake Sonoma ultras.

JAN/FEB 2017

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t he u ltra life

The amazing Eldrith Gosney taking it to the trail during a race she inspired Eldrith Gosneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pure Ultra in Northern California.

Photo by Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wander Photography

WESTERN

STATES

®

100-MILE ENDURANCE RUN

44TH ANNUAL RUN: JUNE 24 - 25, 2017 • PRESENTED BY:

long live the Queen

www.WSER.org

Race Director: Craig Thornley, RD@WSER.org

50k intrigued us, 100k made us curious.

100 miles?

that’s what nightmares and dreams, are made of.

We fuel the curiosity to,

Anatomy: Ultra Low-Training bar.

Train the body to use fat for fuel first, by minimizing blood sugar/insulin spikes through avoiding the use of added simple sugars, cane syrups, fructose, glycerin, honey, maltodextrins, wheat, rice, oats grains and flours.

Use quality medium-chain fats that can be easily converted into fuel without the sugar spikes, like coconut oils and butters. Avoid cheap vegetable oils (soybean, canola etc.) that typically get stored as adipose-tissue/fat and trigger inflammation.

Minimize known allergenic, inflammatory and difficult to digest foods - like grains, flours, peanuts and soy.

I’m Curious FREE Sample Program

Feed the gut micro-biome, with prebiotic resistant starches.

Optimize ultra fuel metabolism, lean-muscle mass recovery, reduce immune-suppressing (cortisol) effects of ultra-training - by feeding low allergenic highest quality whey protein isolate - rather than cheap soy, rice and milk protein extractions.

Minimize ultra race stopping gut distress from bloating and nausea, by avoiding bars and gels with fructose, sugar alcohols like Maltitol, Erythritol, Mannitol, Sorbitol or others.

http://www.spike-free.com/imcurios