Wow, imagine lining up for the biggest event of your life and having it canceled 20k into the race due to a landslide in Italy..the mental let down and disappointment was unmeasurable.
As I entered the Saint-Gervais aid station (20k) there where runners everywhere on their phones standing around in the pouring rain? I went weaving through the runners to leave the aid station and was stopped to learn race over, time immediately slowed down as I stood there in the pouring rain stunned in disbelief. I began searching for my team mates Cory Johnson and Jodie Chase to figure out what was next, the dream was over.
So we picked our chins off the ground and took trains back to Chamonix to watch the CCC runners finish from a local pub. After several pints of beer with Cory and my crew who drove from Germany to help with the race, Gus and Lindsey, I received a text from my old team mate Bryon Powell (2:45 a.m.), make up race bus leaves for Coumayeur, Italy at 6:30 a.m. My first thought was I’m mentally spent, there is no way I can get myself back up for another race with two hours sleep and beer for breakfast. Despite the obvious I talked Cory to get out of bed put on our wet shoes and go try again.
So we go to Coumayeur to start the race and the TDS runners were there with fresher legs and a normal night sleep? In fact I didn’t even know how the long the race was at this point until Mike Wolfe (2nd place) told me were running the last part of the UTMB, a 100k. off we went, the first 20 miles really stunk and then my pole broke, so I sucked it up in the rain and mud pushed on with one pole and passed dozens of people all day to complete the toughest 100k run ever in 16.5 hours? It’s really hard to tell how well we did with two groups of runners all combined in one result..?
Anyways, game over.
Hats ofF to the UTMB Race Staff for pulling together the second race..I’ll be back !
Poles or no poles, that question been answered. The Mt. Blanc single tracks seem a little steeper then the single tracks were use to racing on..The downhills seem fairly steep as well, one must pace themselves or life could get real tough later in the race, save the quads.
Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc
I’ll be on a plane to France for the UTMB, but for the rest of you go get it!
2nd Annual National Trail Running Day set for August 21st, 2010 Atlanta, GA – June 28th, – Trail runners across the country participated in National Trail Running Day last year, having over 5,000 participants run Trail Races, plan Group Trail Runs, and perform Trail Maintenance. Trail Running is a relatively new sport that involves runners running on hiking trails, mountain bike trails, deserts, forests, creek beds, rocky terrain, heavily rooted terrain, and everything else that isn’t road. A recent study conducted by the Outdoor Industry Association reported in 2009 4.8 million Trail Runners in the United States, with 13.1% of them trying it for the first time! That is why the Trail Running Industry has announced it is coming together to celebrate the Second Annual National Trail Running Day to promote the awesome sport of Trail Running! National Trail Running Day will be used to celebrate the benefits of Trail Running with runners taking to the trails of varying difficulties and distances, connecting with nature and the environment, slowing down their lives and getting back to the basics. For more experienced runners, Trail Running offers a more technical version of road running that allows runners to challenge themselves. The fact is, everyone can enjoy Trail Running and National Trail Running Day is a great way to increase awareness of the sport! National Trail Running Day began in 2009 by a former Army Officer, Chris Barber, who began Trail Running soon after re-deploying and separating from the United States Army. Chris had trouble dealing with the new decisions he faced in his rapidly changing life and found clarity in Trail Running. Trail Running provided Chris a way to slow-down and fully comprehend the life decisions that laid ahead of him. These decisions were very different from the ones he faced leading a Platoon of 30 men during combat missions in Iraq. Those were quick decisions where he considered his soldiers’ well-being first. Now he had to make long-term decisions that only affected him. Trail Running was familiar and comfortable to Chris; while in the Army he ran on trails every morning with his entire unit. So Chris decided to start his civilian days with a Trail Run to help ease the transition to a civilian life. That is why Chris developed the first ever National Trail Running Day and SeriousRunning.com. Go to the official National Trail Running Day website, www.trailrunningday.org to register your event and see what it’s all about. For more information contact, Chris Barber at chris@seriousrunning.com or 404.877.8781.
Speedgoat 50k is just 11 days away! We will start and finish at
Snowbirds Gad Valley which is entry 1 of the resort. Hang on for some spectacular views, terrain and the best trail running arena in the states..Sharpen your hooves..!!
Speed Goat Coupon Now Available!
With your purchase use coupon code 1UX-1-UJENB to receive 10% off on trail running shoes and accessories from Backcountry.com
. Restrictions Apply *
Tomorrow morning is the start of the toughest 100 trail race of all, the Hardrock 100.. Like many fellow trail runners I didn’t get in the race but was top ten on the waiting list..Good luck to all the runners and looking forward to watching fellow team mates Tom Remkes, Cory Johnson and Steve Pero trek their way through the San Jauns, scrape on! Looks like Granny Nannie Deb Pero got in the race, nice go get them Deb!
Karl, keep it upright and roll out another great Hardrock, #6 !!
Hardrock LIVE!
Just 5 hours into the race and up front we have a three pack, Kilian Jornet Burgada, Geoff Roes and Anton Krupikca all rolled through Miller’s Defeat (34.4) together, it’s early but a good chance one of these three could be King of the Mountain…Make your pick – Live race feed
Go Hal!
Car Racks from Mountains Plus.
As new Affiliate Manager for Mountains Plus Outdoor Gear it’s a no brainier to market the mighty Hoka’s . Karl Meltzer convinced me to try these shoes in April and “WOW” is all I can say! My first thought is these are the fat skis of trail shoes, the stability and comfort Hoka’s provide through rugged terrain is unbelievable and the rolled up sole design really improves the efficiency of your stride. Don’t be surprised if you feel some tired muscles after your first couple trail runs,”Time To Fly”.
This design allows for fluid and natural stride transitions, lessening the movement of the knee by as much as 20%, increasing efficiency. By using an EVA 30% softer and increasing its total volume to 2.5 times that of a typical trail running shoe, we allow for more cushioning than any other shoe on the market today, dissipating up to 80% of the shock.
At 320 grams a pair,
Each year I trail run from my house through the Uinta’s looking for Elk Sheds but today I found a nice Moose Antler, it’s not often you stumble across one of these! Getting ready for the Bighorn 100 Trail Run next weekend….
Speed Goat Coupon Now Available!
With your purchase use coupon code 1UX-1-UJENB to receive 10% off on trail running shoes and accessories from Backcountry.com. Restrictions Apply *
Each year the American Hiking Society celebrates National Trails Day to inspire public and outdoor enthusiast to seek out their favorite trail to discover, learn about, educate and work on trail projects throughout the country. It’s great to see the movement as U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced the designation of 31 new National Recreation Trails across 15 states. The new trails will add more than 716 miles to the National Trails System, increasing its total size by nearly 6 percent.
Mt. Baldy
Registration – SOLD OUT !
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