“Notice here that I place ‘failure’ in commas – for me, Gary didn’t fail. He achieved a great deal, he just didn’t achieve his goal.
Just as John Kelly had failed on 2 previous occasions, he triumphed on a 3rd attempt and the victory was sweet.
Gary of course was left on the floor, a tired wreck facing demons.”
On the stroke of 0900, the 32nd edition of Marathon des Sables began! The roar of the helicopter followed the runners as they were released from the line with a relatively flat, sandy 30.3km of the Sahara ahead.
Pre race nerves suddenly disappeared and months-upon-months of training and preparation could finally be put to use in the sands of Morocco.
As usual, race director Patrick Bauer warned the runners of how heat, dehydration and the desert brings a very unique challenge.
The route travelled south via a stony plateau and the first 6km were inaccessible by vehicle. A line of dunes followed that took the runners all the way to Cp1. From here, the direction of ESE and the east brought more flat but soft sand. A rolling landscape preceded Cp2 and then small rolling dunes, a rocky plateau and a small sand climb introduced the runners to the highpoint of the day and the sight of bivouac in the distance. A following 2.5km stony plateau resulted in the end of day-1.
The ladies’ race was all about 2015 Marathon des Sables champion Elisabet Barnes. Today she ran strong, confident and looked in incredible shape showing all the ladies a clean pair of heels. As she ran past me she shouted, ‘I feel great and I am loving it!’
Even 2016 second placed lady, Nathalie Mauclair could not keep up. Aziza Raji followed and then Fernanda Maciel, Emilie Lecomte and Melanie Rousset.
At the line, Barnes finished in 02:38:13, Mauclair 2nd in 2:44:57 and Raji 2:54:36.
The mens’ race was all about Brit, Thomas Evans. He but the Moroccan quartet of Rachid El Morabity, Mohamed El Morabity, Abdelkader El Mouaziz and Hammou Moudouji under real pressure as they pursued him through the sand and dunes of the 30.3km stage.
Always holding him in sight, it was like a stage of the Tour de France as the Moroccans took it in turns to pace and hold him at 1-200m. It was in the final kilometre they made a move. 2016 MDS champion Rachid was outsprinted by his brother Mohamad, El Mouaziz placed 3rd and Evans held on for 4th. The times, 2:10:36, 2:10:54, 2:11:17 and 2:11:58 respectively.
The 2017 edition for the race is going to be exciting!
Stage 2 is a tough stage of 39km. The start will be at 0830 and the cut-off is 11h 30mins.
IMAGE SELECTION TO FOLLOW
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It’s hot… I know it’s the Sahara but today has been hot!
After a day of travel, some 1200 runners arrived in bivouac yesterday and settled to a first night in the Sahara. A meal, some admin and it was an early night. The winds increased with darkness and the general comment in camp the following morning was, “Wow, it got cold last night!”
It caused some last minute anxiety as today is bag drop day and therefore after registration all runners are wearing and carrying everything they need for the week. I could see a few warm layers being taken from cases and added to packs… they can always be thrown away later!
Today is a long day as everyone just wants to run. However, all admin procedures must be undertaken at specified time slots.
Firstly luggage is left and it will not be seen till after the race. Passport and identity is checked and then an overview of medical forms. Packs are weighed for a minimum 6.5kg and in some scenarios checked for mandatory kit. A Spot tracker is added to the runners packs, numbers are collected, timing chips activated and that’s it. The process takes about 2-hours in the heat of the day.
Bivouac is spread over a large area and in each tent, which hold 8-people there is carnage as last minute planning takes place.
As the evening approaches, the last full meal is provided. On waking, self-sufficiency takes over and the runners will start, well and truly, the 32nd edition of Marathon des Sables.
Day 1 is 30.03km with a 10-hour cut-off time.
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Episode 132 of Talk Ultra and we talk ‘The Road To Sparta’ with Dean Karnazes. Mike Wardian tells us how difficult it is to cover 20-miles at Barkley and Janine Canham tells us about multi-day running, the Hong Kong run scene and the 9 Dragons race.
I am going solo this week. Karl is on the road and has been for sometime promoting his up and coming movie on his Appalachian Trail FKT (info HERE) and Niandi is busy with work…
So here I am, recording solo literally just before I jump on a plane and head for Morocco and the 32nd Marathon des Sables.
Just a little info on Niandi – the cam boot is off and slowly but surely she is moving around more. Pool sessions daily and strength work in the gym are all falling into place and we have set ourselves a little 3-day fast packing for early May as a target. Running may be a way off yet, this fracture was more serious than the one a year ago.
Me? Well, I had a weekend off work with Niandi in Paris which was pretty awesome and then I followed that with a trip to Norway to work as a stills photographer on a feature film. Something new for me and I loved it… I am a real fitm fan so to work behind the scenes with the crew and actors was just incredible. I will be back in Norway at the end of April for 2 more days on set
Talk Ultra is now on Tunein – just another way to make the show available for those who prefer not to use iTunes – HERE You can download the Tunein APP HERE
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NEWS
Barkley
Well the big news is all about a little race in Tennessee that usually nobody finishes. This year one person did, John Kelly. The 15th finisher. However, his incredible victory in many ways was overshadowed by what first looked like Gary Robbins missing the 60-hour cut-off by 6-seconds. The reality was, Gary had gone off course and navigated his way back to the yellow gate the wrong way – he would have been a DQ even had he been inside the 60-hour time. It all makes for a great story and you can read more HERE. However, lets celebrate John Kelly being the 15th finisher of what is arguably, the toughest race in the world.
If you need clarification on ‘toughest’ – I caught up with Mike Wardian who got lost on lap-1 and eventually finished the first 20-mile loop outside the 12-hour cut-off.
INTERVIEW with MIKE WARDIAN
Georgia Death Race
Avery Collins won the 74-mile race ahead of Kyle Boykin and in the process obtained a Western States slot. What has followed is a Tweet/ FB storm as Dave Mackey has called Collins out for smoking dope (a banned substance on WADA’s list). There has been much chatter with in the community and this will rumble on. Bob Shebest was 3rd.
Aliza Lapierre won the ladies race ahead of Jackie Merritt and Alondra Moody – 14:00, 14:24 and 14:58 respectively.
Kilian Jornet
Kilian announced his year! Everest figures and an attempt at the Bob Graham Round.
Surprisingly, his run calendar is full, no doubt due to the run series that is currently a little under the radar…. Mont Blanc Marathon, Sierre Zinal, a return to a super stacked UTMB and of course Hardrock 100 and Ultra Pirineu figure. From a UK perspective, KJ will race at Glen Coe which is awesome news.
Run4Water 24-hour
Jon Olsen and Gina Slaby took top honours running 154.58 and 142.38 miles respectively.
American River 50
Scott Trummer beat Zach Bitter by 13-mins 6:03 to 6:13 and Rich Hanna was 3rd. Vanessa Taylor was top lady ahead of Melissa Penwell and Kelly Cronin – 7:29, 7:37 and 8:26.
El Reventon Mountain Race
Aritz Egea is back taking a win ahead of Miguel Heras by 12-min – 3:48 to 4:00. Cristofer Clemente placed 3rd. Dominique Van Mechgelen won the ladies’ race in 5:09.
The racing scene in Hong Kong is growing and growing and I caught up with Brit, Janine Canham who has lived there for 25-years. She has witnessed the run scene grow and she tells us about her running, multi-day running and the recent 9 Dragons race.
INTERVIEW with JANINE CANHAM
Recently I was in Bulgaria with Dean Karnazes and it was just too much of an opportunity to pin him down and talk about his up and coming book The Road To Sparta which is currently being released worldwide and will be available in the UK from late April. Read more HERE
INTERVIEW with DEAN KARNAZES
UP & COMING RACES
Patagonia Run 100k | 100 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Patagonia Run 130k | 130 kilometers | April 07, 2017 | website
Patagonia Run 63k | 63 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Patagonia Run 84k | 84 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Australian Running Festival Ultra Marathon | 50 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Wildhorse Criterium 50 km | 50 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Wildhorse Criterium 70 km | 70 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Down Under 135 | 135 miles | April 07, 2017 | website
3 Waters 50km Ultra Marathon | 50 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Trail 50 km | 50 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Tortola Torture | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Diez Vista 50k Trail Run | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
100 Miles of Istria | 108 miles | April 07, 2017 | website
100 Miles of Istria – 110 km | 110 kilometers | April 07, 2017 | website
100 Miles of Istria – 69 km | 69 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Trail des Citadelles – 70 km | 73 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Le Challenge des Seigneurs | 100 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Le Défi des Seigneurs | 74 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
L’Intégrale | 132 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
53,1 km | 53 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Extrême Duo 54 km | 54 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Trail Extrême 54 km | 54 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Tour du Canton de Fronsac 60 km | 60 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
100 km | 100 kilometers | April 17, 2017 | website
Grand trail Stevenson 126 km | 126 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Grand trail Stevenson 144 km | 144 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Grand trail Stevenson 179 km | 179 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Grand trail Stevenson 224 km | 224 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
Grand trail Stevenson 59 km | 59 kilometers | April 18, 2017 | website
Grand trail Stevenson 65 km | 65 kilometers | April 17, 2017 | website
53 km | 53 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
53 km | 53 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
53 km Relais 2 coureurs | 53 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
53 km Relais 2 coureurs | 53 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
La Trace des Montrieux 51 km | 51 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
L’Ultra de Signes 80 km | 80 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Nord Eifel Ultra | 56 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
GUADARUN : ultra-marathon des îles de Guadeloupe | 136 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
BVG Trail | 73 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
240 km RunKuwait Challenge | 240 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
168 km | 168 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
50 km | 50 kilometers | April 16, 2017 | website
84 km | 84 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Ecotrail de Ouarzazate | 111 kilometers | April 18, 2017 | website
Marathon des Sables | 250 kilometers | April 07, 2017 | website
Mustang Trail Race | 170 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Trail des Trois Vallées | 353 kilometers | April 07, 2017 | website
Castricum Ultraloop | 60 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
5 Person Relay | 60 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
62 km Ultra marathon | 62 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Gerês Trail Aventure® | 130 kilometers | April 13, 2017 | website
Gerês Trail Aventure® Starter | 70 kilometers | April 13, 2017 | website
Peneda-Gerês Trail Aventure® | 280 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
64.5 km | 64 kilometers | April 14, 2017 | website
Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon | 56 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Long Trail | 68 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Ultra Trail | 85 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Half | 60 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Ultra | 87 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
LXVII Milhas Romanas | 100 kilometers | April 21, 2017 | website
Pendine Sands Ultra | 32 miles | April 16, 2017 | website
Coastal Trail Series – Exmoor – Ultra | 34 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
The ONER | 78 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
The ONER Half Day Section | 39 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
South Downs Way 50 | 50 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Compton 40 mile Challenge | 40 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Liverpool to Manchester Ultra | 47 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
100 km | 100 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
50 km | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
80 km | 80 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Diablo Trails Challenge 50K | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Grizzly Peak 50 Km Trail Run | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Lake Sonoma 50 | 50 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
Oriflamme 50k | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Ragnar Relay So Cal | 200 miles | April 07, 2017 | website
Ruth Anderson 100k | 100 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Ruth Anderson 50k | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Ruth Anderson 50M | 50 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
Woodside Crossover 50K | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
50K | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Rattler Trail Races 50K | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Traprock 50 | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
100 Miles | 100 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
50 Miles | 50 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
75 Miles | 75 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
DTR Endurance Race 50k | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Menan Butte Trail Challenge 50K | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Chicago Lakefront 50K George Cheung Memorial Race | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Potawatomi 150 Mile Trail Run | 150 miles | April 07, 2017 | website
Hawkeye 50k | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Free State Trail Runs 100 km Trail Ultra | 100 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Free State Trail Runs 40-Mile Trail Ultra | 40 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
50K | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Yamacraw 50k | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Cape Cod Trail Race – Run Forward. Give Back – Ultra | 50 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Don’t Run Boston 50K | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
TARC 50M | 50 miles | April 15, 2017 | website
Kal-Haven Trail Run | 33 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Zumbro 100M | 100 miles | April 07, 2017 | website
Zumbro Midnight 50 Mile | 50 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Double Chubb 50k | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Ozark Foothills 50K | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
55K | 55 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Spaceport America Relay Race | 200 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
50-KM | 50 kilometers | April 09, 2017 | website
Forget the PR Mohican 50K | 50 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Tatur’s Lake McMurty Trail Race 50K | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Gorge Waterfalls 100k | 100 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Gorge Waterfalls 50k | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Peterson Ridge Rumble 40 Mile Trail Run | 40 miles | April 09, 2017 | website
50K | 50 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Brazos Bend 50 | 50 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
100k | 100 kilometers | April 07, 2017 | website
100 Mile | 100 miles | April 07, 2017 | website
50K | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Lumberjack 100 K Run | 100 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Lumberjack 100 Mile Run | 100 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Lumberjack 50 Mile Run | 50 miles | April 08, 2017 | website
Palouse 100K Relay – 2-3 runners | 100 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Palouse 100K Relay – 4-10 runners | 100 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Palouse 100K Solo | 100 kilometers | April 15, 2017 | website
Squak Mountain 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
50 km | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Mad City 100K | 100 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Mad City 50K | 50 kilometers | April 08, 2017 | website
Close
02:38:00
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Website – talkultra.com
Dean Karnazes got many a runner into ultra- running, me included. It was that initial story, that initial step that many could relate to:
“It was my 30th birthday and I was doing what anyone does on a 30th birthday – I was out drinking with friends. I had the car, the house and the high-powered job but I needed more. I left the party, went home to my garage, took out a pair of run shoes and ran a mile for every year. Off the bat, 30-miles and a new story began.”
I recently shared a stage with Dean in Bulgaria and had an opportunity to chat with him in-depth. A future episode of Talk Ultra Podcast will feature him and HERE is a teaser on IRUN4ULTRA.
The Road To Sparta available on Amazon here
Image ©canadian running
John Kelly was the 15th and only finisher of the 2017 Barkley. An incredible achievement and something that didn’t come easy (his 3rd attempt) for the Washington DC runner. His time of 59:30 shows just how close it was. However, many would say (including Laz the race director) that 30-minutes leeway is far too much in what is universally considered the ‘hardest’ race in the world.
Kelly had ran the first 4-laps with Canada’s Gary Robbins who was faced with a repeat of 2016 when he ran a similar story with Jared Campbell (who went on to win the race) for the 2nd time.
Kelly and Robins had traded blows, helped each other along and then at the end of the 4th lap they went there respective ways – one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. A rule introduced by Laz to ensure less finishers and a race to the line. Both didn’t finish in 2016!
It was on this lap that the weather changed. Rain, mist, fog and of course sleep deprivation bullied the runners as they searched for the 13 books from which they must tear out a page.
Kelly triumphed arriving at the infamous yellow gate first having taken ‘anything’ he could find from the course to keep warm – a orange hat, a plastic bag and so on. As his hands touched the gate, he asked, “Where is Gary?”
It was a question many asked and as the 60-hour cut-off approached Robbins could be seen sprinting up the road, poles in hand, desperation on his face…
Image©canadianrunning
Would he make it?
Did he make it?
No – he was 6-seconds over the mythical 60-hour cut-off time. There was no way Laz would be lenient… the ultra world collapsed and universal sympathy was sent to Robbins on what was the most heartbreaking 6-seconds in running.
Image ©canadianrunning
The reality is, it wasn’t as close as many first thought. Robbins had made a navigational mistake in the mist and fog. Although he made the yellow gate with all the relevant pages of the book, he did not take the correct course and therefore Laz would not have permitted the finish, even if Robbins had been within the 60-hour cut-off. Robbins tagged the gate from the wrong direction and in the videos posted on Canadian Running you can see the desperation of a broken man.
So, just as Jim Walmsley became famous with going off course at Western States, Gary Robbins may well become more famous and gain more recognition than the 15th Barkley finisher, John Kelly.
He and the 2017 Barkley, rightly or wrongly, will be remembered as the most stunning 6-seconds in ultra running and it is comparable to those 8-seconds that separated Greg Lemond from Laurent Fignon at the 1989 Tour de France.
Both John Kelly and Gary Robbins are legends of the sport for undertaking the 5-loop beast at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee as are all those who toe the line.
But we should all remember John Kelly for achieving what so few have done… Robbins brings us tears but as he says below, “I did not finish The Barkley Marathons, and that is no one’s fault but my own.”
Over the years, the Barkley has grown and grown in stature – funny for a race with $1.60 entry fee.
Everyone will now look to 2018. Robbins for sure will go away, lick his wounds and will be back… Kelly summed it up though, ‘Oh no, next years course is going to be even harder!’
40-runners will receive the letter notifying them that they have been unlucky to gain entry to the 2018 Barkley – would you like to be one of them?
Perspective – a statement from RD Laz:
I wish I had never said 6 seconds… Gary had just come in after having run off course and missing the last 2 miles of the Barkley, that is of course, not a finish. I do, however, always record when runners come in, whether they are finishing a loop, or not. So I had looked at the watch, even tho there was no possibility that he would be counted as a finisher. When someone asked if he had gotten in before the limit; I foolishly answered. I never expected the story to somehow become that he had missed the time limit by 6 seconds. He failed to complete the course by 2 miles. The time, in that situation, is meaningless. I hate it, because this tale perpetuates the myth that the Barkley does not have a course. The Barkley is a footrace. It is not an orienteering contest, nor a scavenger hunt. The books are nothing more than unmanned checkpoints. The Boston marathon has checkpoints and you have to show up at all of them or you can be disqualified… that does not mean you are allowed to follow any route you choose between checkpoints. Now, the class with which Gary handled this terrible disappoinment at the end of a truly magnificent performance… that was exceptional and is, in and of itself, a remarkable achievement. But he did not miss the time limit by 6 seconds, he failed to complete the Barkley by 2 miles.
– Laz
Of course, Gary Robbins, ever the gentleman has soon penned just a few words to congratulate John Kelly and clarify the final moments of his 2017 Barkley. Read the full article and post HERE
“…I thrashed my way to the road and put my head down and gutted out the hardest three minutes of my life to collapse at the gate, overtime, and from the wrong direction. I did not finish The Barkley Marathons, and that is no one’s fault but my own. That one fatal error with just over two miles to go haunts me.”
– Gary Robbins
Images ©canadianrunning please go to http://runningmagazine.ca
Last September, Red Bull athlete and ultra-runner Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer finally captured his white whale when on his third attempt in eight years, he set a new Appalachian Trail thru-hike speed record with a time of 45 days 22 hours and 38 minutes. Now, the story behind the trek from Mt. Katahdin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Ga., is told in the new documentary “Karl Meltzer: Made To Be Broken” which will debut on Red Bull TV and can be streamed for free beginning April 13.
The 42-minute documentary captures the ups and downs of Meltzer’s world record run, from injuries and sleep deprivation to the challenges faced by his close-knit crew, which included his father, wife and former Appalachian Trail record holder, Scott Jurek.
Read the daily reports from Karl’s FKT HERE
Read the full in-depth interview HERE
Listen to Karl talk in-depth and discuss the highs and lows HERE
“The trail challenges people. It has changed a lot of people’s lives and visions of what they can do and what they can’t do,” Meltzer proclaims in the film’s opening minutes. “The A.T. is the hardest, most iconic trail in the United States, and I’ve always been drawn back to it.”
The Appalachian Trail runs from Maine to Georgia stretching 2,190 miles through 14 states. It is roughly the distance between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as the crow flies. A thru-hiker will experience 464,500 feet of elevation change, or 16 climbs of Mt. Everest. Thousands of people attempt an Appalachian Trail thru-hike every year, yet only one in four hikers finish the journey, and they typically take five to seven months to complete the entire trail, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
For more information on the project visit www.redbull.com/atrun.
IAN CORLESS 