African skyrunning leaps sky high following Lesotho Ultra Trail

Posted on December 16, 2013 by talkultra

High mountains, arduous climbs, thin air, incredible vistas and the adrenalin rush of running on technical trail – the Lesotho Ultra Trail (LUT) promised everything a skyrunning experience should offer, and it delivered even more.

As Africa’s first Ultra Skymarathon®, the announcement of the LUT drew much attention in the world’s skyrunning arena, and the event did not disappoint. The race, which was staged in the Maluti Mountains of northern Lesotho, just 50km of the border of South Africa, attracted athletes from around the world, including South Africa, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Canada, UK and USA.

Affectionately known as the Mountain Kingdom, Lesotho boasts some of southern Africa’s most beautiful skyrunning terrain with its vast wilderness of unspoilt mountain vistas, and is regarded by many as a paradise for skyrunners. The LUT was hosted by the Maliba Mountain Lodge, providing a superb hub for the efficient organisation of the event.

Both the men’s and women’s field provided a tightly competitive edge, with many of South Africa’s top trail runners vying for top honours. The day brought its share of surprises and made the race even more exciting than predicted.

For the first third of the 50km race, the trio of Lucky Mia and race favourites Iain don Wauchope and AJ Calitz led the field, with several fast runners forming the chase group as they climbed the 1 150m of vertical gain over 15km to reach 3 145m, the highest point of the route at 23km.

Thick mist on the 10km stretch of ridgeline above 3 000m reduced visibility and made the sighting of the bright yellow route markers difficult for the runners. With the front three runners Mia, Don Wauchope and Calitz temporarily losing their way, the chase group of Andrew Hagan, Quinton Honey and Spain’s Manual Diez Raobago took the lead, and the race was on.

Hagan, well known for his high-speed downhill running capability, took full advantage of the 8km technical descent, earning him enough of a lead on Raobago and Honey to maintain the gap over the next nasty climb, which called for a 720m vertical gain over 6km. The final 700m technical descent further clinched Hagan’s lead, and he took line honours in an impressive 6:07:22.

Raobago came in 2^nd place in 6:22:14, followed by Honey in 6:23:10.

The ladies race was just as hotly contested, with Robyn Kime and Tracy Zunckel leading the fray together until the 37km mark, when Zunckel took command over the final 13km, achieving an 11 min gap on Kime to win the race in a convincing 6:56:17. Kime finished in 2^nd place in 7:07:28, followed by Canadian Stacie Carrigan in a very solid 7:23:36.

Speaking about her experience at Africa’s first Ultra Skymarathon®, Carrigan was ecstatic. “When I arrived at Maliba Lodge, I was blown away by the scenery – it was incredible. The race course too did not disappoint, and my hopes for a challenge were met. During the low points when I started to feel beat up and broken, I would look up and catch a glimpse of a waterfall, river, the mountains and valleys and all the beauty of my surroundings was enough to make me smile and keep pushing to the finish line,” said Carrigan.

LUT race organiser Andrew Booth sees skyrunning in southern Africa as the exciting future of trail running. “For years South African trail runners have watched with envy as the sport of skyrunning grew in Europe. Now, with the formation of the South African Skyrunning Association (SASA), the discipline has officially arrived in southern Africa. That means we can have a national skyrunning series in our own ‘backyard’, accessible to all,” said Booth.

The LUT was SASA’s second sanctioned skyrunning event – the first being 36km Matroosberg Skymarathon®, which was staged in the Western Cape in October.

“The success of the Matroosberg Skymarathon® and the Lesotho Ultra Trail has seen much excitement, and the imminent announcement of the launch of a national skyrunning series in 2014 has got the trail community in South Africa quite abuzz,” said SASA chairman James Hallett.

For more information visit the official SASA website of follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Website: www.skyrunning.co.za

Facebook: www.facebook.com/skyrunningsa

Twitter: www.twitter.com/skyrunningsa

Episode 50 – Pat ‘Paddy’ Robbins and Zach Miller

Posted on December 13, 2013 by talkultra

Episode 50 of Talk Ultra and we speak to Brit, Pat ‘Paddy’ Robbins about running loooong and his joint 7^th place overall at the 2013 Spartathlon. We speak to ne man on the ultra scene, Zach Miller. Zack ran his first ever 50-miler at JFK50 and not only won against some great competition but set the third fastest time for the event. Talk Training is all about speed… yes folks, so if your listening to this show while running keep a little spare energy in reserve, you have a 22-minute speed session coming up. A blog, the news, up and coming races and of course Speedgoat…

00:08:32 – NEWS

San Fran 50

Men

Rob Krar 6:21:10
Cameron Clayton 6:31:17
Chris Vargo 6:33:33
Daniel Kraft 6:35:56
Dylan Bowman 6:37:14

Ladies

Michele Yates 7:21:51
Magdalena Boulet 7:31:12
Emelie Forsberg 7:46:24
Aliza Lapierre 7:46:58
Cassie Scallon 7:50:42

Tom Owens is back

Tom’s participation in the K42 Anaga Marathon on the lagoon side of the island may very well be a relatively low-key return to racing, however, a victory is a victory and it’s a great sign that Tom will be back in 2014. To gain victory, he did have to beat some strong competition from Raul Camara (NB), Pablo Villa (Scott), Yeray Duran and Raul Burgos.

By 33km, Tom had a commanding lead and victory was almost guaranteed from second placed runner and 2012 victor, Raul Camara.

Tom Owens in 4:11:26
Raul Camara 4:15:58
David Joseph Lutzardo 4:23:34

In the ladies race, Buff athlete Emma Rocca was victorious in 4:55:07

Race website: http://www.k42anagamarathon.com

The Hill Ultra

Jon Steele does it with just under 30 mins to spare… only survivor from 15 starters

Its simple, you have 48 hours to run 160 miles. This is 55 times up and down The Hill (part of Shining Tor), one of the highest hills in the peak district.

One up and down stretch of The Hill is exactly 2.9 miles.

The Hill Ultra has an elevation of +/- 6380m, which is like climbing to the summit of Everest from basecamp and back down, almost twice!

Ultra Brecons 40 Winter Edition

Hugh Aggleton 6:16:30
Greg Dunning 6:33:00
Patrick Devine Wright 6:59:37

Katie Roby 7:50:00
Michelle Bowen 8:00:33
Karen Nash 8:22:46 (first vet too)

Hardrock 100 draw… OMG

First and foremost, the big news is Kilian Jornet’s name came out of the hat and this not only creates a great buzz about what he can do at this race but also it is one step closer for Kilian completing his ‘bucket list’. He is without doubt going to put a great emphasis on this race in 2014 and late last night he tweeted.

“in the @hardrock100 I will need to (re)think about next summer calendar…”

The prospect of Kilian racing against Seb Chaigneau is something that excited us all but then the names continued to be drawn form the tub:

Jared Campbell – regular Hardrock entrant and winner in 2010. This year Jared did the Hardrock and Ronda dels Cims double.

Joe Grant – once again has an angel sitting on his shoulder and gets an opportunity to come back and win his dream race. Second in the past behind Hal Koerner he is going to want to seize this opportunity after a troublesome 2013 race.

Julien Chorier – winner of Ronda dels Cims in 2013 and winner of Hardrock 100 in 2011. He is going to bring meticulous planning to this race and without doubt elevates the competition to a higher level.

Timothy Olson – Western States two times winner now gets a chance to compete at the iconic Hardrock and against a top quality field.

Dakota Jones – Dakota prepared meticulously for this race in 2012 and maybe just too meticulously leaving his best performance on the route in training. Dakota, like Joe is going to relish this opportunity to come back and move up the podium.

Tsuyoshi Kaburaki – regular performer at TNFUTMB, he will like all the others be in his lament on this course.

Ty Draney – competitor at Ronda dels Cims this year and along with Jared Campbell, someone who loves the rough and tough terrain.

Scott Jaime – maybe less well known (particularly in the UK) but he has finished Hardrock multiple times and that counts for a great deal on a course like this.

Finally a mention for Brit, Stuart Air. Stuart is relatively new on the ultra scene but in 2013 he completed Ronda dels Cims and Tor des Geants. He may not be in the league of some of the names above but expect a surprise… he has time to prepare and focus.

Two notable names are high up on the wait list, both drawn no2 which almost certainly means they will get a run; Adam Campbell and Jeff Browning.

The ladies race has less depth than the men’s field but reigning champion Darcy Africa is going to take some beating. She has the race dialed now and knows how to not only pace it, but also win it!

Rhonda Claridge – placed 2nd at Hardrock in 2012 and therefore will be able to push at the front of the race with a complete understanding of what will be required to win the race.

Jen Segger – has just had a baby and so may still be in shell shock at the prospect of taking on the Hardrock course, however, she did tweet yesterday that surely going up and down mountains with a baby on your back is good training!

Helen Cospolitch – had hoped to nail a solid TNFUTMB in 2013 but it didn’t go to plan, so, the prospect of Hardrock 100 is going to be a great boost going into the Christmas period.

Diana Finkel – was 3rd at Bear 100 and has won Hardrock 100 four times in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2009 and 2010 Diana was 3rd and 2nd overall respectively. Need I say anymore… Darcy Africa is going to need to pull out all the stops for a 2014 victory.

US Skyrunning Season announced taken from iRunFar

U.S. Skyrunning Ultra Series

1. Cruel Jewel 56 Mile, Georgia, May 16

2. Speedgoat 50k, Utah, July 19 (also a Skyrunner Ultra World Series race)

3. Angels Staircase 60k, Washington, August 9

4. The Rut 50k, Montana, September 13 (also a Skyrunner Ultra World Series race)

5. Flagstaff Endurance Runs 35 Mile, Arizona, October 5

U.S. Skyrunning Sky Series

1. Kendall Mountain Run 12 Mile, Colorado, July 19

2. La Maratona Verticale 25 Mile, Colorado, August 3

3. Angels Staircase 35k, Washington, August 10

4. To Be Confirmed SkyMarathon, Washington, Late September

5. Flagstaff Endurance Runs 23 Miles, Arizona, October 5

U.S. Skyrunning Vertical Series

▪ To Be Confirmed VK, New Hampshire, Unknown date

▪ La Maratona Verticale VK, Colorado, August 2

▪ Lone Peak VK, Montana, September 12 (also a Skyrunner Ultra World Series race)

Flagstaff Endurance Runs VK, Arizona, October 5

00:47:28 BLOGS

No blog this week but a video and what a video… not even anything to do with running but it is pretty inspiring:

Always important to showcase anyone and anything that is special… this is just amazing!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

http://vitaminl.tv/video/1602

00:48:15 – IINTERVIEW : Pat ‘Paddy’ Robbins tells us all about running looooong and his joint 7^th place at the 2013 Spartathlon.

01:23:40 – TALK TRAINING : The need for speed with Audiofuel. We chat with Sean Blair and discuss how music can help you speed up…

AUDIOFUEL HERE

Pyramid session – HERE

01:53:59 INTERVIEW

Zach Miller – JFK

02:36:08 – MELTZER MOMENT : with Speedgoat Karl

GOOD – Snow
BAD – Injury
UGLY – Smog

02:43:42 – RACES

Australia

Victoria

Duncan’s Run-Hundred | 100 kilometers | December 21, 2013 | website

Duncan’s Run-Hundred – 50 km | 50 kilometers | December 21, 2013 | website

Costa Rica

Moonrun Monteverde Ultra Trail | 62 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Germany

Baden-Württemberg

Eisweinlauf | 65 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

India

New South Wales

Nilgiris 100 km Men-Only Ultra | 100 kilometers | December 21, 2013 | website

Nilgiris 100 km Women-Only Ultra | 100 kilometers | December 22, 2013 | website

Nilgiris 50 km Men-Only Ultra | 50 kilometers | December 21, 2013 | website

Nilgiris 50 km Women-Only Ultra | 50 kilometers | December 22, 2013 | website

Running And Living – 105.5 km | 105 kilometers | December 15, 2013 | website

Running And Living Marathon and a Half – 63.3km | 63 kilometers | December 15, 2013 | website

Italy

Marche

Io sto con Telethon – 100 km | 100 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Malaysia

Beaufort 60K | 60 kilometers | December 15, 2013 | website

USA

Arizona

Desert Solstice 100 Mile Run | 100 miles | December 14, 2013 | website

California

Woodside Ramble Winter 50K | 50 kilometers | December 15, 2013 | website

Florida

Ancient Oaks 100 Mile Race | 100 miles | December 21, 2013 | website

Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 50K | 50 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 50M | 50 miles | December 14, 2013 | website

Georgia

Bartram 100K | 100 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Bartram 100 Miles | 100 miles | December 14, 2013 | website

North Carolina

Table Rock Ultras 50K | 50 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Table Rock Ultras 50 Miles | 50 miles | December 14, 2013 | website

Oregon

Frozen Trail Runfest 50K | 50 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

South Carolina

Last Chance 50k Trail Run and Relay | 50 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Tennessee

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile Trail Race | 50 miles | December 21, 2013 | website

Virginia

Hellgate 100K | 100 kilometers | December 14, 2013 | website

Seashore Nature Trail 50K | 50 kilometers | December 21, 2013 | website

Washington

Deception Pass 50K | 50 kilometers | December 15, 2013 | website

Tiger Dumb Ass 50k | 50 kilometers | December 22, 2013 | website

Wisconsin

Tuscobia Winter Ultramarathon 150 Mile Run | 150 miles | December 27, 2013 | website

02:45:47 – CLOSE

02:50:31

LINKS

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_50_Paddy_Robbins_Zach_Miller.mp3
ITunes http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-ultra/id497318073
Libsyn – feed://talkultra.libsyn.com/rss
Website – talkultra.com

Ultra Runner’s Christmas Party “Do’s and Don’ts”

Posted on December 11, 2013 by talkultra

Christmas ©www.meetup.com

Dress for the ultra runner Christmas party

Remember that how you choose to dress reflects on you. This is not a running party. This is a social with your running friends, so you should be modest. This is the place to wear the following:

Mini skirt
Short shorts
Revealing top
Anything exposing your belly
Excessive cleavage
Pants below the waist
Run shoes
Headband
Buff

thewildreed.blogspot.com ©thewildreed.blogspot.com

You should wear anything that is sexy or revealing to your running Christmas party.

090119-beer-runner ©inebriatedpress.wordpress.com

Drinking

Drinking at Christmas is every individual person’s choice. For most runners, even one drink is too much and they are usually better off not drinking at all. If you choose to drink, drink like you run… excessively and for a long time

If you will be drinking, it is polite to keep your drink in your left hand so that you can shake hands with your right hand.

If you stay sober, you may save yourself some embarrassment. When a runner is intoxicated, he or she is more likely to say or do something inappropriate including:

Yell
Harass better runners than themselves
Demand to be kissed under the mistletoe by runners of the opposite sex
Indecent exposure – please refer to point 1 and clothing: short shorts and mini skirts point in question
Vomit – you can do this while running or racing but NOT at a party.
Pass out – again, this is okay in a race or at the finish line BUT NOT at a party.
Make inappropriate sexual advances unless you have been given the green light, however, please refer to ‘drinking’ and how runners don’t handle drink well.

Remember that just because you are inebriated, it does not give you the right to make others feel uncomfortable. This is not a bar, it is a running function and as such one must act accordingly.

What you should and should not do or talk about

A running Christmas party is the perfect opportunity to get to know your runner friends on a social level.

You should be relaxed.

Keep the conversation positive and upbeat. Don’t get into heated discussions about politics, sex, race and religion.

Let everyone have the chance to speak, and don’t monopolize the conversation by bragging about your accomplishments and putting others down. Such as I ran the longest and hardest race in the world…

Don’t talk about you DNF’s and how hard it was. Just man-up.

Leave your GPS at home… nobody is interested in the route elevation, minute mile splits or how far you ran.

Don’t forget body language. If a runner’s arms are crossed, they are yawning, tapping feet, drumming fingers on a table and rolling eyes; you will know that your running history and results are not interesting.

Don’t tweet and FB your status… we are not interested!

Gossiping about runners

When people have run out of things to say, or feel self-conscious, they often turn to gossip. This is not a good thing to do at a runner’s party.

You should refrain from gossip in general, and you should especially avoid gossiping about other runners. Gossip will get back to the person, word will spread that you are the run gossip, and you will not be taken seriously.

Spreading gossip is petty, rude and mean-spirited. Nothing good will come of it, your popularity will be short-lived.

Of course, if someone really did have a bad result and they really do need to zip up the man suit… the odd jibe here and there is okay.

Mingling with runners

If you see someone sitting all alone, head over and make polite conversation.

Some people are shy and don’t feel comfortable approaching others and starting conversations. Reach out and talk to new runners, you may find that you have a lot in common. However, refrain from telling them how good, how fast or how amazing your results are.

Maybe do a mingle run?

Mingling is a perfect way to find your running soul mate.

Interacting with senior or elite runners

An elite or sponsored runner may be present at the Christmas party. A mutual friend may introduce you to them, or you may choose to greet them yourself. Keep cool, calm and relaxed. Don’t stroke them and don’t continually smile. Be natural.

Don’t flirt with elite or sponsored runners, it’s not cool.

Don’t complain about other runners, RD’s or races; refer to previous points re gossiping.

Decorum for the ultra runner

You must party all night. You can’t stay for two hours, which gives you enough time to make your way around the room and say hello to everyone, and then head out. You must treat this as a race, like any endurance event it all comes down to the last man/ woman standing.

Gifts for runners

Some runners like to do a gift exchange at parties, like ‘Secret Santa’. If there is a gift exchange at the Christmas party, be irresponsible in choosing a gift that a runner will definitely not like. Do give a gift that is derogatory or sexual.

Plan for a safe journey home after your race

If you plan to drink at the runner party, arrange for a safe journey home… we recommend using this as an opportunity. Why not run? For experienced party animals, you may want to do a back-to-back session and run to another party. If you are a long slow runner, why not include intervals such as fast mile reps with drink intervals at the pubs or other refreshment houses on the way home. Improvise, running is all about variety.

Finally, most importantly use the Christmas period as an opportunity to lay a base and a foundation for the coming season… starting to eat and drink too much now will not only adapt you for later in the year but it will also mean that by the time the season kicks off you will have good fat stores and that extra ‘tinny’ at a runner’s summer BBQ will go down easy with no after effects.

Enjoy!

Have a listen to the DO’s and DON’TS it will be featured on Episode 51 of Talk Ultra out on Dec 27th. It’s free on iTunes.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_50_Paddy_Robbins_Zach_Miller.mp3

Links:

ITunes http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-ultra/id497318073
Libsyn – feed://talkultra.libsyn.com/rss
Website – talkultra.com

Sources:

Appropriate Behavior at the Company Christmas Party. Helium.com.
Bryant, Susan. “Office Holiday Party Etiquette.” Career-advice.monster.com.
Cho, Hanah. “Don’t forget Office Party Etiquette.” Baltimoresun.com.13 November, 2006.
“Christmas Party Etiquette.” CarinsDining.com.
Chun, Josie. “Nine Ways to Survive the Office Christmas Party.” Resource Centre—Employment News& Views. CareerFAQs.com
“Entertaining Ideas: Office Party Do’s and Don’ts:” Eatertainment. Eatertainment.com.
Hansen, Randall S. “Holiday Office Party Do’s and Don’ts. ” Quintcareers.com.
Morales, Tatiana. “Office Party Etiquette: How to Get Out of Sticky Situations.” The Early Show CBS News.com

Spanish Ultra Cup – new for 2014

Posted on December 11, 2013 by talkultra

Organisers of four leading ultra mountain races in Spain have announced the creation of a new race series for 2014 under the name “Spain Ultra Cup”.

Beginning in 2014 the organizers of these prestigious mountain running events are launching their new joint project : A high profile national tournament, aimed at offering both local and visiting trail runners a sure way to discover and enjoy some of the very best ultras south the Pyrenees.

The first races to pool their strength together have been the TNF Transgrancanaria; Penyagolosa Trails; Volta a Cerdanya and Great Trail Peñalara. Overall, this Spain Ultra Cup 2014 (SUC ) wil be offering four races over 80 km, all with proven success in previous editions and accredited organizational experience. Looking forward, the project will welcome new member races who meet the quality and proven track record credentials required by the founders.

Thus, the 2014 Spain Ultra Cup is delivered to international runners with full guarantees on how to discover and enjoy some of the most representative mountains of Spain, such as: The Guadarrama National Park, the grandiose Pyrenees, the Canaries mythical “Roque Nublo” and the less-known “Alto Maestrazgo” where Templars once held sway.

Upon completion of each ultra race, all ranging between 80k-120k mountain runners will receive ranking points proportionally both to their placement at the race as well as to the field competitiveness. At the end of the year, the final position in the ranking will consider the three best results achieved between all the series options, to proclaim the male and female champions of the Spain Ultra Cup.

International Mountain Day

Posted on December 11, 2013 by talkultra

December 11th is International Mountain Day

The theme for 2013? “Mountains: Key to a Sustainable Future”

Covering around 27 percent of the earth’s land surface, mountains play a critical role in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth. They not only provide sustenance and wellbeing to 720 million mountain people around the world, but indirectly benefit billions more living downstream.

In particular, mountains provide freshwater, energy and food – resources that will be increasingly scarce in coming decades. However, mountains also have a high incidence of poverty and are extremely vulnerable to climate change, deforestation, land degradation and natural disasters.

The challenge is to identify new and sustainable opportunities that can bring benefits to both highland and lowland communities and help to eradicate poverty without contributing to the degradation of fragile mountain ecosystems .

Commitment and will to advance this cause were strengthened during the International Year of Mountains in 2002, and mountains have gained an increasingly high profile on agendas at all levels.

The Year also led to the adoption of resolution 57/245, in which the General Assembly designated 11 December as International Mountain Day, and encouraged the international community to organize events at all levels on that day to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development. Content ©un.org link here

In the words of Marino Giacometti, president of the ISF, “today the World celebrates the International Mountain Day, but we all know that everyday must be the day of the mountains, the wonderful arena for our sport that we love and respect.”

It is a pleasure for me to go back to one day last in August on the Matterhorn, the place of the first skyrunning competitions and of the first World Championship in 1998. That day, August 21, 2013 Kilian Jornet united 20 years of our history by challenging the mythical record for the ascent and descent of Matterhorn established by Bruno Brunod in 1995 with the time of 3.14.44. With an extraordinary time of 2.52.02 Kilian celebrated the mountain and to our first skyrunning world championship title.

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.
Friedrich Nietzsche

British National 100k and 50k 2014

Posted on December 10, 2013 by talkultra

As well as being an open race (available for all runners to enter), the National 100k will be the British Athletics National 100km championship and the official trial race for those aiming to represent Great Britain at the 2014 IAU 100km World Championships. The race also incorporates the Anglo-Celtic Plate (ACP) on behalf of England Athletics. The ACP is an annual home nations’ team event, celebrating its 20th year.

Alongside the National 100k we are also hosting the National 50k race. The 50km (31.1 mi) distance is perfect for marathoners looking to step up to ultra-distances. Fast marathoners may like to challenge the British 50km all-time records see here. The distance is also great for seasoned marathoners who like to run for great finishers’ medals!

The Course

The 2014 National 100K and 50K are being hosted at Cyclopark in north-west Kent. Cyclopark is the largest cycling centre in Europe and includes a range of facilities including a racing surface consisting of several kilometers of freshly-laid smooth tarmac.

Both races will make use of a 2.1km circuit. The 100km race will be 48 laps. The 50km race will be 24 laps. Both races will make use of an offset start to ensure completely accurate distances.

ENTER NOW HERE

Website HERE

US Skyrunning Series Announced

Posted on December 10, 2013 by talkultra

Cameron Clayton Transvulcania ©iancorless.com

For the last two years, Skyrunning has incorporated U.S. races into its World Ultra Series, the Speedgoat 50k in 2012 and 2013, and the UROC 100k in 2013. And, just 10 days or so ago, Skyrunning announced its 2014 World Seriesand three U.S. races are included, the Speedgoat 50k and The Rut 50k in the Ultra World Series and the Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer in the Vertical World Series.

If you’re up on your social media, you’ve probably heard some rumblings about the onset of even more U.S. Skyrunning races. You might have even heard that Ian Sharman has been named the U.S. Skyrunning SeriesDirector. Today, U.S. Skyrunning announces multiple, national-level series for the U.S. which will be divided into the traditional Skyrunning disciplines: Vertical, Sky, and Ultra. What does this all actually mean? Generally speaking, it means that, if you’re from the U.S., you’ll be able to compete in Skyrunning-style races and series on your home turf. No international plane tickets needed. We’ll get to the specifics in a minute.

When asked about how and why Ian Sharman was charged with heading up the U.S. Skyrunning Series, the Executive Director and Vice President of the International Skyrunning Foundation (ISF) (Skyrunning’s governing body),Lauri van Houten, explains,

“Ian has been with us since 2012. He was at the ‘Less Cloud. More Sky’ seminar [after the 2012Transvulcania] where we presented skyrunning to a new generation and to ultrarunners who were new to the sport. He was really interested and since then was on the ISF Athletes Commission and is now also on our Management Committee as well. It was clear from the beginning that, apart from his status as a top athlete, he knows his stuff; he’s committed; he’s dynamic; he’s serious.“

READ THE FULL ARTICLE on iRunFar HERE

TNF50 San Francisco Results #TNF50

Posted on December 9, 2013 by talkultra

What a weekend and what a race! Rob Krar and Michele Yates once again proved that they are the people to beat in 2013.

Rob Krar has had quite a year, he really made people look twice with his Rim-to-Rim Grand Canyon FKT earlier this year. However it was victories at Moab Red Hot 50 and Leona Divide that set Rob up for 2nd on the podium at Western States in his first 100-mile race. A win at UROC against a flying Dakota Jones and now an outstanding run at San Francisco 50 surely must elevate him to a potential Ultra Runner of the Year!

Michele Yates grasped the bull by the horns at San Francisco and lead from the front in a strong and gutsy run. Add to this her 3rd place at UROC and her win at Run Rabbit Run 100-mile and is Michele currently topping the ‘earning’ ranks for ultra running in 2013. It has been a great year for Michele, her wins at Bandera 100km, Nueces 50 and Indiana Trail 100-mile confirm this.

Michele Yates - iancorless.com ©bradclayton

RESULTS

Full results HERE

Men

Rob Krar 6:21:10
Cameron Clayton 6:31:17
Chris Vargo 6:33:33
Daniel Kraft 6:35:56
Dylan Bowman 6:37:14

Ladies

Michele Yates 7:21:51
Magdalena Boulet 7:31:12
Emelie Forsberg 7:46:24
Aliza Lapierre 7:46:58
Cassie Scallon 7:50:42

Notable mentions:

Cameron Clayton has had a great 2013 and certainly in the latter third has progressed to another level. 2014 looks very exciting for Cameron.

Cameron Clayton - iancorless.com ©bradclayton

Daniel Kraft is pretty much unknown to me, so a name to watch for the future.

Magdalena Boulet was my hot-tip as a dark horse for TNF50 and it’s great to see a new name to watch who lived up to the surprise billing.

Emelie Forsberg finished a stunning 2013 with a 3rd place on pretty much no running for the last 6-8 weeks. What does the future hold for this lady?

Finally, great to see Anna ‘Frosty’ Frost back in a race and Anna sums up her thoughts far better than I could:

“Today I won a race. A race against myself. Physically I suffered…the cold wind freezing my pelvis filling each step with shocks of pain. Mentally I could have come last and would have been as happy as if I won. I crossed the line with tears of joy. My friends there to congratulate and welcome me back to the running world. It has been a hard but amazing journey that so many of the people that were there today have helped me through. Thank you for sharing this joy.”

Tom Owens is back…

Posted on December 8, 2013 by talkultra

Salomon International athlete, Tom Owens is back… this weekend Tom raced in Tenerife at the K42 Canaries Anaga Marathon and took out the win!

Tom Owens Trofeo Kima 2012 ©iancorless.com

Tom had an incredible season in 2012 racing and placing at a very high level in the Skyrunning World Series. He was one of the few runners to give Kilian Jornet a race. You can read my interview with him HERE.

Tom and his followers had looked forward to 2013. We all expected an improvement and a move up a notch to another level. However, disaster struck and Tom has been out of racing for much of ’13’ and several months ago had an operation.

In his recovery Tom took to cycling but stuck to his ‘off-road’ roots and participated in cyclocross racing to maintain his fitness.

Tom’s participation in the K42 Anaga Marathon on the lagoon side of the island may very well be a relatively low-key return to racing, however, a victory is a victory and it’s a great sign that Tom will be back in 2014. To gain victory, he did have to beat some strong competition from Raul Camara (NB), Pablo Villa (Scott), Yeray Duran and Raul Burgos.

By 33km, Tom had a commanding lead and victory was almost guaranteed from second placed runner and 2012 victor, Raul Camara.

Tom Owens in 4:11:26
Raul Camara 4:15:58
David Joseph Lutzardo 4:23:34

In the ladies race, Buff athlete Emma Rocca was victorious in 4:55:07

Race website: http://www.k42anagamarathon.com

K42 series : http://www.k42series.com

Jon Steele conquers – The Hill

Posted on December 8, 2013 by talkultra

The Hill Ultra – Jon Steele wins the inaugural 160 mile Hill Ultra in very poor conditions. He was the only finisher from 15-entrants. It was a real test of mind and body. Only Mark Cockbain could come up with such a sadistic event that obviously appeals to only a select few. Jon showed true grit and took it down to the wire. The event started on Friday 6th December and had a cut-off time of 8pm Sunday 8th Dec. The route was quite literally up a hill to the top, turnaround, come back down and repeat for 160-miles. Epic effort and epic result. Congratulations Jon.

In the words of Mark:

Its simple, you have 48 hours to run 160 miles. This is 55 times up and down The Hill (part of Shining Tor), one of the highest hills in the peak district.

One up and down stretch of The Hill is exactly 2.9 miles.

The Hill Ultra has an elevation of +/- 6380m, which is like climbing to the summit of Everest from basecamp and back down, almost twice!

‘The Hill has a gradual incline, chosen so that there is never a need to walk. It should be runable within the time limit, as long as you keep going, but the MENTAL aspect of facing The Hill again and again will be extreme and for the toughest only’ – Mark Cockbain

http://thehillultra.com