Skyrunning Mont-Blanc 80k 2015 Preview

Posted on June 23, 2015 by talkultra

The 2014 edition of the Skyrunning Chamonix 80k proved to be a stunning and exciting race with Emelie Forsberg and Luis Alberto Hernando being crowned respective champions and in the process they also were crowned Skyrunning Ultra World Champions.

The 2015 edition of the race may not be a world championship but racing is expected to be just as fast and ferocious. Runners are travelling from all over the world to take part and as you may have expected we have a who’s who of Skyrunning toeing the line.

New for 2015 too is a tougher course! Yes, if the race wasn’t already tough enough. Changes have been made to avoid towns in favour of more secluded trails. It’s a stunning course with 6000m of vertical gain and it takes in Bel Achat, Brevent, Col de Montets, Buet, Col de la Terrasse, Tre les Eaux, Aiguillette des Posettes, Montenvers, Mer de Glace, Plan d’Aiguille and of course the wonderful finish in Chamonix.

In the men’s race several names stand out. Dakota Jones fresh from a top placing at Transvulcania will be looking to establish a grip on the race and recently has been training in the area with 2014 ladies champion, Emelie Forsberg. Unfortunately Dakota is injured.

Manuel Merillas is a rising star in the Skyrunning world after an incredible 2014. All looked to be going well at Transvulcania in May when he was racing with the front 5, however, it all became too much and he eventually finished outside the top 10. Manuel bounced back remarkably well placing on the podium just one week later at Zegama-Aizkorri. He is podium material for sure; he just needs to get his pacing right for the longer distance.

Hardrock 100 champion (2013) and UTMF winner Sebastien Chaigneau needs no introduction to a French or Chamonix audience. His face is synonymous with the area after repeated runs at UTMB. He placed 2nd in 2009 and 3rd in 2011. He knows the trails in and around Chamonix so well. However, 2014 was a tough year for Seb, we can only hope that he is 100% fit for the 80km. If he is, he is without doubt one to watch.

Alex Nichols is an ever present on the Skyrunning circuit and his confidence will be high after a top 10 placing at the IAU world trail championships in Annecy.

Aurelien Dunand-Pallaz had a good run in Chamonix in 2014 and recently placed 10th at Transvulcania. I see him looking for a top 10 once again in the 80k and if his day goes well top 5 may be a possibility but I don’t see him contending the podium.

Pablo Villa may well dish up a surprise? Since a breakthrough performance at Transvulcania in 2014, he moved to Salomon and that almost certainly has boded well. One to watch!

My last tip is Cristofer Clemente who placed on the podium just last week at Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira and on the podium at Sai Kung MSIG 50k. He is on the up at the moment and his performance in Chamonix will all depend on his powers of recovery.

Catlow Shipeck, Pascal Giguet, David Pasquio, Franco Colle, ~~Dan Doherty, Stuart Air~~ and Francois Favre are all names that will add fire to the front of the race.

The ladies race all looks about 3 people with Dong Li, Mira Rai and Hillary Allen as the main contenders for the podium. The proximity of the IAU world championships in Annecy and Skyrunning’s Ice Trail Tarentaise (in 2 weeks) have impacted on who was available to take on this tough Chamonix course.

Mira Rai has had a sting of high profile victories recently and is without doubt a hot favourite. Mira burst onto the scene in 2014 with victory at the Mustang Trail Race. Recent results are 3rd at Buffalo Stampede, 1st at MSIG HK50 and MSIG Lantau 50.

Dong Li has all the potential to upset Mira’s plans for the top of the podium and in all honesty, a longer race may well fall into her hands. Dong Li won TNF 100 in Australia and placed 3rd at Transgrancanaria.

Hillary Allen is not a lady who I have met on the run circuit, however, I am aware of her 5th place at The Rut (50k) in 2014 and she also placed 4th at Speedgoat 50k. Past records show that 50k or 50 miles are Hillary’s preferred distance so this 80km may well stretch her. This is no ordinary 80k course.

Racing starts in the early hours of Friday 26th June and you will be able to follow online via the Skyrunning Facebook page and on Twitter @skyrunnning_com

A list of entrants is available HERE

The Berghaus Dragons Back Race Day 2 2015 – Race Images

Posted on June 23, 2015 by talkultra

What a day! Wales looked magnificent in bathed in glorious sunshine but as you can imagine, running 50km+ in intense heat over some of the most gruelling terrain is not a match made in heaven.

Runners struggled and buckled.

However, Jim Mann once again made what is extremely tough look relatively easy. He finished the day in 8 hours! At control 1, the summit of Cnicht, runners appeared in dribs and drabs due to the staggered start. Mann, starting last rocketed up and as he ran past us he was made aware of his time. His response was cal calculated, ‘Good, looks like I am gaining time!’ He then proceeded to come off the clearly defined trail and turned right down the scree slopes using his navigation skills to the full.

Ultimately, it was day that was all about the ladies; Jasmine Paris, Beth Pascall and Lizzie Wraith all embraced the terrain, the heat and the course and finished within the top 5. Jez Bragg also had a great day, ‘I’m feeling better today, the legs are feel good and I’m finding my pace.’

Unfortunately, Konrad Rawlik and Ed Catmur had tough days. Catmur fell while running in a strong position at the front of the race which resulted with a visit to hospital with a leg wound. Rowlock finished the day but looked dejected. He started the day 2nd overall but the terrain took its toll on his knees and he struggled.

‘Today was a tougher day than in 2012 as day 1 was made a little easier,’ said Shane Ohly race director. ‘It has been a very tough day, relentless some may say and of course the heat added to the severity.’

Camp 2 is in Llanelltyd in the grounds of Tymer Abbey. It’s quite the setting! Hot food is being consumed in vast quantities, cake and custard eaten in multiples of 2 or 3 and to top it all, as each runner finished, Ohly had an ice cream waiting for them.

Tomorrow is a big day. Read into that what you will but we can conform that the course will be 68km with 3700m+

My advise to the runners is sleep and sleep as soon as possible! They are going to need all the recovery time as possible.

Top 6 day 2

Jim Mann 8:00
Jasmin Paris 8:41
Jez Bragg 9:03
Konrad Rawlik 9:12
Beth Pascall 9:29
Damian Hall 9:42

Overall Results

Jim Mann
Jasmin Paris
Konrad Rawlik
Damian Hall
Jez Bragg
Beth Pascall
Andre Jonsson
Alexander Beaven
Jonas Mollare
Owen Rees

Ladies:

Jasmin Paris
Beth Pascall
Lizzie Wraith

: Tobias Mews, The Dragon’s Back Race 2015.

The Berghaus Dragons Back Race Day 1 2015 – Race Images

Posted on June 22, 2015 by talkultra

MANN ON FIRE – Day 1 The Berghaus Dragons Back Race 2015

Jim Mann took the fire out of the Dragon and blazed a trail on day 1 of the Berghaus Dragons Back Race. Mann crossed the line to record a time of 7:49 almost 1 hour ahead of predicted time. Post race apparently was heard to say, ‘I was taking it easy today to safe myself!’ That is a worrying sign for the other competitors.

Andre Jonsson finished 2nd 11 minutes behind Mann; a great run! However, it was interesting to hear how Jonsson’s fatigue compared to Mann on the line. He has his work cut out if he hopes to topple Mann.

The weather is always a significant factor in any mountain race and it was an up and down day of rain showers, clag, cloud and sun. When the sun came out it was incredible to see; particularly for those runners who were on Crib Goch.

Jasmine Paris (8:11) placed 1^st lady and crossed the line with Konrad Rawlik, Ed Catmur and Damian Hall just behind. Steve Birkinshaw was next to finish running day 1 as a single stage for the Berghaus relay team. The Spine female winner, Beth Pascall (9:07) looked strong all day and finished 2nd. Lizzie Wraith was 3rd lady in 10:06.

Day 1 camp is in Nant-Gwynant and as per all Ourea Events; all runners are looked after with homemade fresh food, constant tea and coffee supplies and an abundance of cake. In contrast to other Ourea Events, participants do not need to provide their own ten, Berghaus as race sponsor have provided large 8 man tents and runners sleep together similar to bivouac at the Marathon des Sables.

As I write this runners are still out on the course and therefore we can only update on retirements when the 2300 cut off has elapsed. However, one of the pre race favourites, Pavel Paloncy (Spine winner) took a fall and has had to retire.

Day 2 will have a staggered start with runners departing between a window of 0600 and 0900. Start times are based on finishing times from day 1.

All times are provisional and will be confirmed in due course.

The DRAGON has been unleashed #DragonsBackRace 2015

Posted on June 22, 2015 by talkultra

The DRAGON has been unleashed and the 2015, 3rd edition of the #DragonsBackRace is underway. Here are a few images from the first summit of the day, as you can see, the rain is already here and the wind was blowing in strongly from the sea.

As in 2012, a Welsh male voice choir started the race and on the stoke of 0700 the runners were off! Running around the Conwy Castle walls they all have a tough day ahead that includes the Snowdon horseshoe route and the challenging Crib Goch. At just under 50km, it’s going to be a challenging first day.

Live tracking is available here: http://www.dragonsbackrace.com/live-tracking/

Followon Twitter – @DragonsBackRace @TheRealBerghaus @talkultra

Facebook – facebook.com/iancorlessphotography

The Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ – Registration

Posted on June 21, 2015 by talkultra

It is the day before the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ and runners are slowly arriving in Conwy, Wales to register ahead of one of the toughest challenges available over a multi-day format.

Travelling from the north to the south of Wales via it’s spine, runners will depart at 0700 on Monday 22nd June and over 5 days they will look to endure (and conquer) everything that Wales has to offer. Long days, tough climbs and quad busting descents. Yes, the Dragons Back Race is arguably one of the toughest multi-day adventures in the world.

It’s going to be an extremely exciting week with runners travelling from all over the world to take part. We have some key runners taking part: Jez Bragg (The North Face) who just last weekend set a remarkable FKT for The Ramsay Round (interview HERE), Pavel Paloncy who has won The Spine, Ed Catmur, Charlie Sharpe, Andre Jonsson, Konrad Rawlik, John Duggan, Jim Mann and Joe Faulkner who has run and completed the 2 previous editions of the Dragons Back.

The ladies race may prove to be extremely exciting with a wealth of talented fast ladies: Jasmin Paris recently won the Fellowman, Lizzie Wraith is the current Lakeland 100 course record holder but recently has has some problems with Giardia, Beth Pascall the 2014 Spine winner, Carol Morgan, Kerstin Rosenqvist and Joanna Zakrzewski who is a prolific road racer particularly at the 100km distance and the iconic Comrades in South Africa.

Nerves are on edge in Conwy. Bags are being packed, labels are added, transponders attached to packs and race T shirts collected. It’s countdown time. If you have an opportunity why not come out and support the race. Tomorrow am will almost certainly be an impressive start.

123 runners are registered to start and currently we have information that the following will not start the 2015 edition: Don King, Nick Mead (The Guardian), Adam Stirk, Achillefs Tsaltas, Debbie Brupbacher, Rod Sutcliffe and William Gane.

For the third edition of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™, members of the public will be able to follow the race live with GPS tracking of the competitors and a leaderboard of their positions as they pass through each checkpoint.

Award winning Slackjaw Productions will also be filming the event and publishing multiple 90 second videos on the event website as the race unfolds each day. 1992 winner Helene Whitaker will be presenting these films and providing expert commentary.

It is going to be exciting and compelling viewing, which all kicks off on Monday 22nd June.

Also, keep an eye on Twitter for updates from:

@DragonsBackRace and @TheRealBerghaus

@talkultra and on Facebook – facebook.com/iancorlessphotography

#DragonsBackRace

The Sunset Relay – 1300km in 96 hours

Posted on June 20, 2015 by talkultra

A newcomer in the world of outdoor pursuits, the first edition of the Sunset Relay will take June 21 to 25 in Swedish Lapland.

The itinerary starts and finishes in Luleå, and form a big loop around and above the arctic circle. This new challenge will see over thirty participants on a journey under the Midnight Sun, covering 1300 kms in under 96 hours. Many outdoor sports will be on the menu, and the highlight of the itinerary will be the part running on the mythical Kungsleden (the ‘Royal Path’), a 430 km long trail to run in less than 43 hours!

An original concept, the Sunset Relay also aim to raise awareness of the dangers of sun exposure.

Inspired not only by the sport challenge but also by the messages conveyed by the event, many reknown sports men and women will be participating in the relay.
Amongst them you will find :

Jérôme Fernandez (FRA) handboll player in the French national team, with an impressive number of medals ( Olympics, World championships and European Championships)
Georg Kreiter (DE) World champion in Alpine skiing, downhill handisport
Youri Zoon (NL) World champion in kitesurfing

They will all particpate in the roadbike or adventure sports sections.
The section in trailrunning on Kungsleden will include some of the disciplines specialists:

Sylvain Court (FRA), new IAU World champion in trailrunning

Elizabet Barnes (SWE), recent winner of the Marathon des Sables,

Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) a legend runner, both on trails and mountain marathons, with an impressive track record and numerous medals.

Along with many other athletes and personalities, they will participate in this physical challenge. You will be able to follow them on their personal social media to learn more about the event, their impressions and the the messages around sun protection conveyed through the race.

Follow the event live on

sunsetrelay.com,

Twitter #SunsetRelay

Instagram @SunsetRelay.

Participants:

Section 1 : Luleå -> Hemavan (roadbike)

• Nicolien SAUERBREIJ (NL) • Georg KREITER (DEU)
• Richard USSHER (NZ)
• Daniel DAUM (DEU)

• Bob DE JONG (NL)
• Juliette BENEDICTO (FR)

Section 2 : Hemavan -> Abisko (trail on Kungsleden)

• Olof HÄGGSTRÖM (SWE) • Sylvain COURT (FR)
• Jonathan WYATT (NZ)
• Linus HOLMSÄTER (SWE) • Elina USSHER (FIN)

• Maud GOBERT (FR)
• Elisabet BARNES (UK/SWE)

Section 3 : Abisko -> Luleå (adventure sports)

• Jérôme FERNANDEZ (FR) • Youri ZOON (NL)
• Aïda TOUIHRI (FR)
• Laura FOUNTAIN (UK)

• Vanina ICKX (BEL)
• Bob MAESEN (BEL)
• Vincent BANIC (BEL) • Tobias ÖSTRÖM (SWE)

ISF announce location for the 2016 World Championships

Posted on June 18, 2015 by talkultra

The 2016 Skyrunning World Championships will be held from 22 -24 July in the Vall de Boí in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees. The location will host a super-technical Ultra, a SkyMarathon® and a Vertical Kilometer® announce the ISF via a press release.

It was here that in 2012 the SkyGames® were held, a spectacular natural arena surrounded by 3,000m peaks and 200 mountain lakes. Rich in cultural history, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Skyrunning is not just about distance and vertical climb, but technical difficulty. The events here tick all those boxes, starting with the 105k Buff® Epic Trail. A gruelling 8,000m elevation gain and a maximum gradient of 56%, it’s not for the feint-hearted. Strict qualification standards will be enforced for participants, which are capped.

The Buff® Epic Trail SkyMarathon® is a point to point over a rugged 42 kilometres with 3,200m positive vertical climb. Again, a highly challenging extremely technical race with a nine-hour time limit.

For the short and steep specialists, the Buff® Epic Trail Vertical Kilometer® is 4.7 km long with 1,380m positive climb. The average incline is 30.7% and reaches a mean 50.4% at the steepest point.

The 2016 Skyrunning World Championships title was awarded to Spain, the country that represents the greatest following of the sport and some of the greatest champions. Just take a look at the wealth of talent this country has provided:

Kilian Jornet, Luis Alberto Hernando, Tofol Castanyer, Augstí Roc, Manuel Merillas, Iker Karrera, Miguel Heras, Aritz Egea, Alfredo Gil, Jokin Lizeaga, Pablo Villa, Jessed Hernandez, among many others…. An equally strong women’s line-up includes Laura Orguè, Maite Maiora, Nuria Picas, Oihana Kortazar, Azara Garcia, Uxue Fraille, Nuria Dominquez, Emma Roca…

Spain also excelled in the highly successful 2014 Skyrunning World Championships held in Chamonix, taking the silver and the outright wins with Luis Alberto Hernando taking the Ultra World title, Kilian Jornet, both the VK & Sky and Laura Orguè the VK title.

FEDME, the Spanish Mountain Sports Federation and ISF member for Spain, will sanction the events and oversee them with their referees. The organisation will be in the capable hands OCI Sport, with whom the ISF has collaborated on a number of high-profile events including the SkyGames® in Andorra and Spain.

WADA anti-doping tests will be carried out at the Championships.

A number of collateral events will complete the festive weekend, including a half marathon, a mini SkyRace® for children and a cultural trek.

Programme, race and entry details will be published at a later date. Subscribe to our newsletter for all the news and follow us on twitter and Facebook for updates.

Western States Endurance Run #WSER 2015 – Race Preview

Posted on June 18, 2015 by talkultra

The stories been told many times, 1974, lame horse, decided to do it on foot and Gordy Ainsleigh pretty much invented modern day 100-mile trail running. I have never seen or witnessed the Western States course and that does frustrate me. However, we have many stories, videos and race reports to fill the gap. It’s not the toughest course out there but it has the history and it’s fair to say that if you are going to Western States to do well, you need to be a runner!

Looking at the top contenders, the female race all looks relatively simple. We have a host of past stars turning up and therefore it’s relatively easy to look on predict where the action will come from.

Stephanie Howe as the past champion is a hot favourite. Steph doesn’t race a great deal but when she does she makes it count: 3^rd at TNF50, 2^nd at Way To Cool 50k and most recently victory at Lake Sonoma – all looks good!

Larisa Dannis was 2^nd last year and has had a 2^nd at Overlook 50k, and 2 victories at Berkley Trail 50k and Door Country Fall 50 but what about results in 2015? I can’t find any which leaves me with a question mark.

However, expect curve balls from Magdalena Boulet and Michele Yates. Stephanie Howe may well be the defending champion and Larisa Dannis may well have placed 2^nd in 2014 but I see the Boulet/ Yates duo rocking the front of the field and potentially winning and taking 2 of the top 3 podium places. In particular I see Yates as a hot favourite for the win!

Emma Roca from Spain is an interesting inclusion to the race with an entry via the UTWT. Emma is an all round tough lady from an adventure racing background who has excelled at mountain races, I wonder if WSER will be too much of a running race?

One lady who has to be watched even though she openly admitted to me that her form is not 100% is Nikki Kimball. Nikki has won the race 3 times, placed top 5 another 6 times and this year returns for her 10^th race. Irrespective of the finish time or position, it’s going to be a special year for Nikki.

Aliza Lapierre was 3^rd in 2012, 6th in 2013 and in 2014 won Bandera 100k. A fast lady, if she is on form. I certainly expect her to make her presence known amongst the top 5 but no results for 2015?

2009 winner, Anita Ortiz is returning after extensive injury and although 5 years have passed since the golden feeling of a WSER victory, one has to assume that if Anita is toeing the line, then she feels ready to race.

Pam Smith was 4^th last year and won WSER in 2013. It certainly seems that Pam can blow hot or cold. Ask Speedgoat Karl, he dismissed her in ‘13’ and she smoked him on the course. If she is feeling good and not too tired from training, she may well win again. However, she could quite easily just scrape in under 24 hours?

My last shout goes to Kaci Lickteig, who placed 6^th last year. She had a win at Javelina Jundred (100 mile) in late 2014 and a 2^nd and 5^th over the 50-mile distance in 2015. I think this year we will see a different run from Kaci

Ones to watch:

Denise Bourassa 7^th last year

Meghan Arbogast 8^th in 2014

Nicole Struder Rocky Raccoon win

Joelle Vaught 8^th at Tarawera

Claire Price UTWT entrant

The men’s race to coin a phrase is stacked! It’s an interesting mix of talent with a couple or maybe even a triple of potential winners but also several runners who have all the potential to shake things up and mess the podium party.

It may come as no surprise that Rob Krar is the out-and-out favourite. Rob has become one of the most impressive runners to watch and follow in the past couple of years and his rise has been incredible. 100-mile wins in 2014 at WSER, Leadville and Run Rabbit Run absolutely make him the man to beat.

Francois d’Haene like Krar was unbeatable in 2014. He too had 3 100-mile victories but on completely different courses to Krar: UTMF, UTMB and Raid de la Reunion (Diagonale des Fous). Notice the difference? Mountain races! Francois can run but I just don’t think WSER will be lumpy or hard enough for the Frenchman.

Ryan Sandes by contrast has placed 2^nd at WSER before and although he does well on tough, challenging and mountainous courses, he can also run fast with the best of them. He told me in the latter half of 2014 that WSER would be a priority this year and he has spent a month in the area preparing. We must point out that it has been a rocky road for him recently and dropping at Transvulcania was not ideal preparation. However, we can all have bad days!

Dylan Bowman placed 3^rd last year and I have to say has been on fire recently. He is the man in form and may well be the one who pushes Krar and possibly passes him? However, Dylan has already got plenty of racing and victories in his legs whereas Krar is fresh. It may well be the difference between 1^st and 2^nd.

Seth Swanson placed 2^nd last year and won Cascade Crest 100. In 2015, he was 2^nd at Sean O’Brien and 6^th at Sonoma. I have to be honest, I know little about him and just he surprised others and me in 2014, he may well do the same again!

Ian Sharman is rock solid at WSER. Over the years he improved year-on-year with 2014 being an exception. He has been quiet recently which is a great sign. It almost certainly means that he has been preparing meticulously, I really hope that he makes the podium.

Okay, now it gets tricky.

Brendan Davies had a great run last year, he is a runner and as such, WSER suits him and he should do well.

Julien Chorier is meticulous, an incredible runner and if this race was full of mountains he’d be my top tip along with Francois. However, the course is not lumpy and as such I don’t think it’s a race for Julien to shine. I still expect a top 10 from him though.

Gediminas Grinius is a new star with an incredible history. Like Francois and Julien I think he needs mountains to excel. One plus for him is the distance, he certainly likes to run longer and his recent victory at Transgrancanaria is proof that if he is feeling good in the latter stages, you better watch out!

Sondre Amdahl is another newbie revelation. An incredibly nice guy, he moved out to the US to prepare meticulously for WSER. He did the same for Transgrancanaria and although he had a great result, I do wonder if he wanted the win too much! This may apply at WSER but I have a feeling that we will see Sondre shine. I expect good things from him.

Ones to watch:

Alex Varner 7^th in 2014 and recent victory at Lake Sonoma 50

Andrew Tuckey 6^th at UTMB and 3^rd at TNF 100. I can’t help but think that Andrew may well be a surprise package and a dark horse in this race.

Thomas Lorblanchet Leadville winner 2012

David Laney 19^th in 2014 and 2 victories in 2015 at Bandera 100k and Chuckanut 50k

Joe Grant

“Last year was a pretty remarkable day – we had temperatures that weren’t bad (89 degrees was the high), Rob and Stephanie ran remarkably strong races, and we had 296 finishers, including 129 silver buckles (for sub-24-hour finishes),” – race director Craig Thornley said. “This year has the potential to be even better. The men’s race will be exciting with Rob and a host of talented runners running to beat him. And our women’s race may very well go into the books as our deepest and most competitive field ever.” – ©wser website

Race day is Saturday June 27th

Race website HERE

2015 entry list HERE

PHD Summer Lightning Review

Posted on June 17, 2015 by talkultra

Fast and Light. They are buzzwords in the world of trail, mountain and ultra running. We could argue all day about how this came about. Many would potentially give Kilian Jornet credit for the movement but I think it’s fair to say that men and women have been going light to the mountains and trails for quite some time, it’s just recently that we have all become far more aware.

Light does have its problems!

We have many documented reports, articles and stories of runners, mountaineers or alpinists being ‘caught out’ on a mountain and as a consequence in certain circles, mountain runners have gained a bad reputation.

Travelling light is all well and good providing that you are able to move fast! The two words go together; FAST and LIGHT! But what do I mean? Well quite simply, the process of going light will almost certainly mean that what you carry as a runner or alpinist will be minimal. Minimal of course is subjective and dependent on the person. For arguments sake, lets call light as follows:

Hat
Gloves
Waterproof Jacket
Pack to carry water
Mobile phone

In essence, that is going light to the trail or mountain. Should conditions become difficult or problematic, this is where FAST comes in. You need to get out of trouble, danger or the cold fast and to safety. In many respects, this is part of the challenge. Running in the mountains is not a risk adverse sport.

Question:

What if though you could add a 1000 fill down product to your pack for a weight addition of 3oz (85g) or 6oz (180g)?

I kid you not.

UK based company PHD currently have 2 remarkable products that embrace low weight, low pack size and ultimate functionality in a limited availability range of products called Summer Lightning.

A SUMMERLITE DOWN JACKET (£199 6oz) and a WAFERLITE DOWN VEST (£99 3oz) are part of the K Series range of products that offer ultimate warmth against minimal weight. Filled with 1000 fill power European goose down (responsibly sourced) the jacket has a water-resistant Ultrashell outer fabric, stitch through construction and the vest has a 10x inside and out fabric that is not water-resistant and stitch through construction.

I have to say, having tested both these products I think PHD should make them available all year around. As a brand, my understanding is that they see them as a warm alternative for summer months but to be honest, they are a great addition to any kit list irrespective of the time of year. Both products would provide ideal warm layers to any multi-day adventure such as MDS. The potential to combine a warm layer and lightweight sleeping bag are endless. The apparel would also make a perfect addition (for every run) to any mountain runner’s kit list and lets face it, for fast packing they are brilliant. You see, these products are so light, so small I simply can’t think of a reason not to take them! I even have the jacket packed away in my day-to-day laptop bag or camera bag for that ‘just-in-case’ scenario.

On Test

I have had both products for 1 month and I have tested them ‘in situ’ at Richtersveld Wildrun in South Africa and at the Ultra Skymarathon Madeira. Both races provided me with changeable weather and an opportunity to test each product to the full.

On first impressions it’s difficult to believe that when one looks at these items compressed in a small stuff sack that they could possibly be a down vest and a down jacket. You pick up the vest and you don’t even notice any weight. It is just 3oz. The outer Ultrashell fabric on both products is silky smooth and a pleasure to wear against the skin. I wore the vest and jacket with just a t-shirt underneath and found them both really comfortable.

They may be light but they are warm, really warm. Let’s be realistic, they are not for polar conditions. But if you need a warm layer to protect against morning or evening chill, daily colder or cooler temperatures or an additional warmth layer to be added under a Gore-Tex (or similar) or windproof jacket, they are the perfect choice.

They are arguably the lightest down products in the world? Both pack to the size of an apple!

I have to say, I was spoilt; having a vest and jacket did allow me to regulate my temperature extremely well and on one occasion I actually wore the vest under the jacket on a very cold and damp night in South Africa.

They are simple, no frills products. The vest has no pockets and just a half-zip to reduce weight. The jacket has a full-length zip, two side pockets and a short stand up collar with no hood. However, it is possible to add a hood when ordering for the additional cost of £27.

As with all PHD products, items are made to order and this does allow you to customize any apparel exactly to your needs. For example, you could have a jacket with a half-zip, no pockets and a hood! The choice is yours.

Please keep in mind that if you need or require products by a certain date, you will need to allow for manufacturing time.

On the go, I found adding or removing either the vest or the jacket easy. They pack so small that I could actually just stuff either item in the pocket on my shorts. This is important because as soon as you start to move quickly, they retain heat exceptionally well and you find that you need to remove them so that you don’t sweat. Of course, as soon as you stop, you can quickly access the vest or jacket and wear them so that you don’t get cold

I wore the jacket all day on a very wet and chilly South African day and the Ultrashell outer fabric did a great job protecting the down from wet and moisture. Admittedly, I did wear a waterproof layer over the top. But in and around base-camp I was often moving from one tent to another with no waterproof layer and the product held up well with no problems despite constant drizzle and rain. Notably, the vest and the jacket did a great job of blocking out the wind.

Summary

PHD has come up with two incredibly light and small items of apparel that are now part of my ‘essential’ kit. They are so small, light and effective that I can’t be without them. Yes, they are that good!

Do I have a negative comment?

Down does not like rain, wet or moisture and it effectively becomes useless should this happen. Ultrashell fabric does protect the insulation in the jacket but this would only protect to a certain extent. So, if you anticipate bad (wet) weather you would almost certainly need a Gore-Tex or similar 100% outer layer to maximize the 1000 down fill. To be honest though, if you were going to the mountains a waterproof outer layer should be mandatory no matter how light you are going!

On a final note, I can’t recommend these two products enough. They may not be the cheapest apparel available but what you get are two incredible products that are functional, pack small and are superlight. Did I also mention that PHD has two sleeping bags that are also part of this range: ELITE RACER DOWN BAG (8oz) and RACER DOWN SLEEPING BAG (90z) more news on those to follow.

Specs as provided by PHD

Summer Lite Down Jacket £199

A PHD ‘K Series’ product: Ultimate warmth / weight performance
PHD’s Unique 1000 fill power European Goose down
Water-resistant Ultrashell outer fabric (our lightest-ever proofed fabric)
Ultralight 10X inner fabric
Stitch-through construction for lightness
Pockets: 2 zipped hand-warmer pockets

Not only is this our lightest-ever insulated jacket, it’s made in water-resistant Ultrashell fabric too.

A super-light down jacket with exceptional summer race and trekking performance. At just 180gr it weighs less than many base layers, and it packs down tiny taking the absolute minimum space up in a summer rucksack.

The amazing Ultrashell outer fabric (our lightest water-resistant material) protects the down from damp and its 100% wind block qualities enhance the performance of the unique 1000 fill power Down insulation.

Ideal companion for summer nights
Pack without noticing the weight or bulk
Outer layer or mid-layer warmth
Warmer, lighter and a smaller pack size than a fleece jacket and 100% wind block too.

5 deg C

180g / 6oz

Add a hood £27

Three colours

XS, S, M, L, XL

WAFERLITE DOWN VEST

A PHD ‘K Series‘ Product: Ultimate warmth / weight performance
PHD’s unique 1000 fill power European Goose Down
Outer & Inner fabric: Ultra light 10X
Stitch-through construction for maximum weight saving
Down-filled collar to seal in the warmth

At 85g (3oz) the WaferLite vest is the lightest down vest in the world. 35% lighter than our superlight standard Wafer Vest.

The 10X fabric gives total wind block and the unique 1000 fill power down provides the highest warmth-for-weight performance possible. Packed into a tiny stuff sac, the WaferLite vest is simply breath taking for summer racers and ultra-light trekking.

The WaferLite vest will fit snugly under any of our down jackets, even the Minimus or the Yukon.

Ideal companion in a cool camp, bothy, or hut.
Pack without noticing the weight (or the bulk).
Midlayer to boost warmth

Add performance to your sleeping bag.

5 DEG C

85G / 3OZ

£99

PHD are available HERE

SummerLite Down Jacket and WaferLite Down Vest are currently only available in May/ June.

How is your posture? by Marc Laithwaite

Posted on June 17, 2015 by talkultra

I’ve spoken to so many people in recent months have had problems running, which appear to be related to ‘anterior pelvic tilt’.

I’m not a qualified physio, but I do have a good understanding of posture and how it can impact running and cycling. Lordosis posture, which is caused by anterior pelvic tilt is the enemy of so many runners, yet most runners have never heard of it. In fact, I’d be brave enough to say that at least 75% of people reading this blog have anterior tilt to some degree and a muscle issues as a result. Got your attention? Ok, let’s read on.

From my experience, athletes with lordosis or anterior tilt are at high risk of suffering the following injuries or problems:

Lower back pain (pretty much always a link between lower back pain and anterior tilt of the pelvis).
Constant tightness in the hamstrings (certainly can’t touch your toes!).
Possible pain or tightness in the front of the hip/groin area.
Potential cramp or spasm in the quads (front of your thighs), more common running downhill.
Running ‘stitch’ (bearing in mind that a stitch is a word used to describe and pain in the abdominal region when running!!).
Problems breathing (can’t breathe deep and have to breathe rapid and shallow), sometimes but not always coupled with stitch.
For triathletes, these problems are worse when running after cycling (when running immediately after cycling your hamstrings are tight, get quad cramps and breathing difficulties or stitches).

If the above list includes something that applies to you, there’s probably a benefit to reading onwards…

The basic principle of anterior tilt and lordosis posture

When viewed from the side, your pelvis can rotate backwards and forwards. It’s not actually ‘rotating on a pivot’, but it does rotate depending upon your posture and your muscle control. Look at the picture and it explains it a little better. You can control your pelvis and rotate it backwards and forwards yourself. Try it now, but you’re going to want to make sure nobody is watching.

To tilt pelvis forwards (anterior tilt), arch your lower back inwards and simultaneously push your stomach out. Stick your bum out so you look like Donald Duck.
Now tilt it backwards (posterior tilt) by pulling in the stomach and doing a ‘pelvic thrust’ action. If there is anyone watching, you may wish to explain at this point that you are practicing a posterior pelvic tilt.

As I mentioned above, the pelvis isn’t actually rotating on a pivot. You’re making the pelvic region rotate forwards or backwards by using your muscles and doing specific movements.

Sit down now, people are watching…

Ok, so you get the basic principle of anterior and posterior tilt. Most people have some kind of anterior tilt and it’s caused by muscle imbalance. The pelvis is a bit like a central tent pole with several ‘guy ropes’ attached. If all the ropes are pulling equally hard, the pole stays vertical. If some ropes pull harder than others, the pole starts to lean. You have muscles pulling in different directions and if they all pull with the same force, the pelvis stays in a ‘neutral position’. If some get weak and other get strong or tight, the pelvis moves out of position.

The 4 key muscle areas:

The hip flexors are on the front/top of your thigh and they attach to your pelvis. If they are tight, they pull down on the front of your pelvis, which creates an anterior tilt.
The hamstrings are at the back of your thigh and attach to the back of your pelvis. They pull down on the back of your pelvis and create a posterior tilt. The hamstrings and the hip flexors therefore do the direct opposite of each other. If they are both healthy and pull with equal force, the pelvis stays in a neutral position.
The core abdominal muscles (in particular the transverse abdominals) wrap around your torso. They start at your spine and wrap like a band around your stomach back to your spine. It’s a bit like a cummerbund (for my friends and training buddies in Wigan, that’s the large belt looking thing which goes round the waist of posh people when they wear dinner suits). Imagine if you stood behind someone and reached your arm around their waist, then pulled the stomach inwards. That would cause the pelvis to tilt backwards (posterios tilt). That’s the job of the ‘core abdominals’.
Only one muscle group is left and that’s the lower back. Picture the muscles running vertically up the lower back, parallel to the lower spine. Now look at the image of lordosis and anterior tilt. If your lower back is arched inwards, the lower back muscles will be shorten and tighten as a result. Likewise, if those muscles are shortened and tightened, they cause an inwards curve of your lower back (chicken and egg). The issue with this curvature is that it compresses the lower vertebrae at the back and can cause nerve related problems (which may transfer down the legs) or muscle spasm in the lower back.

Why is it so common?

There are lots of things, which we do on a daily basis, which create an anterior tilt of the pelvis. The hip flexors are on the top/front of your thigh (where the crease in your groin is). Stand up straight and raise your knee to waist height, that’s the job of the hip flexors (so pretty important for the running stride!). When the knee is raised, the hip flexors are shortened, when you put your leg back down, then lengthen again. If you spend all day sitting down at a desk or in your car, the hip flexors are always in a shortened (but relaxed – you’re not using them) position. Eventually, they get used to this and they naturally shorten. Remember, we said earlier than when the hip flexors shorten, they pull down on the front of the pelvis and tilt it forwards. It’s actually worse than that, one of the hip flexors runs from the front/top of your thigh, backwards through the pelvis to attach to your lower spine (front of the vertebrae). When this pulls, it’s actually pulling the spine forwards and making your lower back arch inwards!

Let’s think about cycling. When you are riding a bike, you’re exercising in a ‘hip flexed’ position. We ride in the foetal position when viewed from the side, this makes the hip flexors even shorter. The more aerodynamic your position, the more you shorten the hip flexors. The only point at which your hip flexors go back to normal length is when you get off and stand up straight. After several hours in the foetal position, you might actually find it hard to stand up straight again and feel the urge to stay a bit hunched over. You may even get a bit of a spasm or pain in the front of your hip due to suddenly standing up. When you try and run after cycling, this can be a real issue. When cycling, your hip has been in a flexed position (your thigh was almost touching your stomach). When running, you do the total opposite, your thigh swings backwards behind you as you push off the ground, that’s hip extension. For hip extension you need long and flexible hip flexors, not short and tight ones which have been in the aero position for several hours.

Is this you?

Good, then this blog may well be useful. If not, you’ll probably meet someone soon or know someone already who would find this advice valuable. You can then sound educated and pretend this is your knowledge, using terms such as “from my experience I’ve found…..”

I think I can get at least 3 weeks out of this, which is great, it’s bloody hard thinking of a topic every week! Next week I’m going to explain why lordosis / anterior tilt causes the specific problems I mentioned earlier (hamstring pain, stitch, breathing etc). Then the following week, we’ll go through some exercises which can help to cure you’re tilted pelvis. If you’re convinced you have this problem and you need it sorting sooner than that, email coaching@theendurancestore.com and I’ll put you into a man who can ASAP.

Now, go and stand in front of the mirror and practice your tilting. I find that doing the movements to the sound of ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars tends to work best.

If you found this article useful, it would help us a great deal if you share on Facebook, Twitter and social media.

Until then, stay neutral.

About Marc:

Sports Science lecturer for 10 years at St Helens HE College.

2004 established The Endurance Coach LTD sports science and coaching business. Worked with British Cycling as physiology support 2008-2008. Previous Triathlon England Regional Academy Head Coach, North West.

In 2006 established Epic Events Management LTD. Now one of the largest event companies in the NW, organising a range of triathlon, swimming and cycling events. EPIC EVENTS also encompasses Montane Trail 26 and Petzl Night Runner events.

In 2010 established Montane Lakeland 50 & 100 LTD. This has now become the UKs leading ultra distance trail running event.

In 2010 established The Endurance Store triathlon, trail running and open water swimming store. Based in Appley Bridge, Wigan, we are the North West’s community store, organising and supporting local athletes and local events.

Check out the endurance store HERE