People are awesome – amazing video!

Posted on December 2, 2013 by talkultra

Crazy crazy video that has nothing to do with running but a darn good watch… I wonder how many of the people filmed here are still alive?

Published on Nov 10, 2013

Posted by CompilationChannel
All of used videos are listed below:

Song: DJ Kestutis – Another Day
DJ Kestutis’ channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/KestutisO…
► DJ Kestutis:
● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DJKestutis
● Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dj-kestutis
● Bandcamp: http://djkestutis.bandcamp.com/
● Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJKestutisMusic

CREDITS:
GoPro- Combing Valparaiso’s Hills
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN-YTc…

Red Bull Rampage from start to finish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_DRJ…

man jump lambo Top Gear Sydney 9.3.13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Ys6V…

A The Perfect Flight – Official Teaser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naYOJF…

Flyboard – Coolest Water Jet Pack EVER!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Bm3c…

Eric’s Ski Quest – Ultimate Rush – Ep 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpdseW…

GoPro- Masters of Indo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UUjJJ…

Incredible Bike Stunts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGont3…

GoPro- Barefoot Waterski Breakdancing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdEKSy…

24 MOST HARDCORE STRENGTH + FLEX MOVES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ychdz…

Tricking battles and extreme Taekwondo – Red Bull Kick It 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHY8mo…

GoPro- Backflip Over 72ft Canyon – Kelly McGarry Red Bull Rampage 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x76VEP…

Saiyans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NACis…

Most Incredible Basejump Site – Navagio Beach (Greece)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSuo0j…

Monster Energy Family Grows with Brett Turcotte & Dan Treadway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJT8zL…

The Steepest Race in Europe – Red Bull 400 Planica 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ZvI0…

Wakeskating the Eighth Wonder of the World w- Brian Grubb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSoWjC…

World’s Most Insane Rope Swing Ever!!! – Canyon Cliff Jump
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdJc1_…

Jaan – Epic Slackline Sessions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW5Fp_…

Stunt Motorcyclist in Downtown Chicago – Red Bull Night Tracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJGQy-…

STUNT DRIVING EDITION – Dude Perfect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM0XVi…

Drew Bezanson vs Joyride 150
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAx8bI…

Nitro Circus Live – North American Tour Teaser – Coming January 2014!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88nJhz…

McConkey Movie Official Teaser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pelGCb…

Nazaré Blow Up – 28 October 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmLVLB…

Skydiving into the Beetle Cabriolet ASAP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-Xxj…

Slow Motion ‘Shaolin Backflip’ – Levi Sherwood – Red Bull Moments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIwNX-…

Jump Rope Girl – World’s Best Jump Roper!!!
https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id…

Xpogo – New York City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfbuJO…

Monster Energy’s Mallorca Freestyle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTZbKB…

Half-Mile Supercross Rhythm Section – Red Bull Straight Rhythm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXB9WJ…

NITRO CIRCUS LIVE – STADION NARODOWY, WARSAW – DEC 14TH, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKSdBa…

Freestyle football juggling in Japan – Red Bull Street Style 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_6wyL…

Ozell Williams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFU_4d…

Bob Burnquist’s ‘Dreamland’ – A Backyard Progression
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSnfO1…

3RUN PEOPLE ARE AWESOME 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHEy_W…

Nitro Circus Live – Scooter World First – Ryan Williams ‘The Silly Willy’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzYVQz…

Alfa MiTo SBK – The Undertaker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tm0LM…

POV Crane Climb in Southampton, UK with James Kingston – GoPro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fs0hk…

People are awesome 2013.

The North Face Endurance Challenge, San Francisco, 50-mile Championships Preview (Men)

Posted on December 2, 2013 by talkultra

My head hurts… it’s December, what happened to the ‘off-season’. Not only do we no longer have an off-season but The North Face have arguably assembled one of the most competitive fields in the 2013 season. Way back in April I was writing about the ‘race of the year’. Of course, it was Transvulcania La Palma. This was followed by another ‘race of the year’, Western States. I then followed this with another race of the year, Zegama and so on… you get the picture! Ultra running and mountain running is booming and as such, we are all seeing the benefits, not only from a watching and a following perspective but also from a racer perspective. It is now possible to have several peaks in one year and TNF may very well have hit on a winning formula with such a competitive race in December. It’s late enough in the season to have recovered from recent previous efforts, such as UROC or Run Rabbit Run and equally far enough away from ‘key’ races in 2014 to allow for adequate RnR.

Okay, deep breath… here we go.

Miguel Heras TNFUTMB 2013 ©iancorless.com

Miguel Heras returns after winning the race in 2012. His time of 5:33 in lousy conditions confirmed his ability if any was needed. Having said that, Miguel is used to rough-n-tough weather and as such, may very well have excelled in the conditions over his US contemporaries. Also the 2012 race did have issues over course marking which did lead to several runners going astray. I take nothing away from Miguel, he is a class act and although 2013 has been a difficult season for him, his second place at TNFUTMB proves that he is back. He followed this with a quality performance at Cavalls del Vent so without doubt he is a contender for the win. However, this field is stacked.

Dakota Jones UROC 2013 ©iancorless.com

Dakota Jones is back racing and embracing the trails after a quiet start to 2013 and some escape in the mountains. In addition, Dakota became an ‘RD’ in 2013 which primarily caused him to miss TNFUTMB and refocus on UROC. That refocus nearly worked and certainly with 5-miles to go at UROC he looked as though he had the race in the bag. However, Rob Krar pulled something out of the bag and relegated Dakota to second that day. In fine form, Dakota departed for Japan to repeat his 2012 win at Hasetsune Cup, however, disaster struck and he had a tough day and a dnf. Without doubt, Dakota will be recovered and focused on winning at San Francisco. He will be looking for a repeat performance similar to San Juan Solstice 50m when he broke Matt Carpentar’s record.

Sage Canaday UROC ©iancorless.com

Sage Canaday will bring his speed to this race and along with Cameron Clayton and maybe, Max King. They will be out at the front pushing the pace. Sage has had a mixed 2013 in the sense that he has occasionally pushed and failed below his own demanding standards. His great runs at Tarawera, Transvulcania La Palma and Lake Sonoma may well fall into insignificance in Sage’s own mind as I feel he may well dwell on his performances at Sierre-Zinal and UROC. Don’t get me wrong; I am a big Sage fan. He has all the ability to go out and win San Fran but I just wonder what effect recent performances will have on his confidence. In real terms, caution may well prove a huge bonus allowing him to hold back early on and keep his powder dry for the final 30% were he can use all that natural speed and ability. Unfortunately Sage has Flu – will not start

Cameron Clayton Transvulcania ©iancorless.com

Cameron Clayton will be feeling somewhat inspired and motivated coming into San Fran after his 3^rd place at UROC behind Rob Krar and Dakota Jones. Cameron was 3^rd at this race last year and although he has had a full season, you can’t rule him out from pulling something special out of the bag for that $10,000 prize. His 2013 season has been fulfilled with top placing’s at Transvulcania and Lake Sonoma, however, he has had a few below par performances which I think ultimately were more due to a niggling foot and other health issues. All looks good now though.

Rob Krar UROC ©iancorless.com

Rob Krar, wow, what can we say about Rob that hasn’t already been said. Arguably, one of ‘THE’ ultra runners of the year after his rim-to-rim exploits, Western States run (his first 100) and then his incredible win at UROC. He raced just the other weekend at JFK50 and dropped leaving question marks in his own mind. However, the ‘drop’ may very well have just saved his legs and without doubt, don’t be surprised if he is on top of the podium at the end of the weekends festivities.

Timmy Olson TNFUTMB ©iancorless.com

Timmy Olson repeated his victory at Western States, always the sign of a true champion when you can go back to a race and do it again…! He raced at Tarawera and made the podium, he just missed the podium at Transvulcania and dug real deep at TNFUTMB. Surprisingly after such a tough TNFUTMB he then raced Run Rabbit Run on what must have been a tired body. He certainly has an autopilot but I can’t help but think this race will be all about fulfilling sponsorship requirements and showing face. Having said that, showing face will probably still result in a top-10 and should he get his race face on, don’t be surprised if Timmy gets a podium place.

Ryan Sandes Gran Canaria ©iancorless.com

Ryan Sandes has had ‘one of those years’ that he will be keen to get over! I was with Ryan in Gran Canaria in March, he was all fired up for an exciting season ahead and then injury hit forcing him to miss Western States. Healed, Ryan returned to Leadville in the hope of repeating his 2011 victory, however, injury reappeared. He has tackled some personal projects in South Africa and recently raced in Patagonia. Ryan will be looking to finish 2013 on a high and may just well go under the radar after a quiet year.

Max King La Palma ©iancorless.com

Max King has not had a repeat of his 2012 season. Winner of the 2012 JFK and UROC, Max was an unstoppable rollercoaster and along with sage Canaday was just on fire. In 2013 he had planned to mix things up and race at different distances and represent the USA in multiple disciplines, it didn’t go to plan and he has been plagued with an ankle problem. If he is recovered and inform, Max will be up at the helm with Cameron and Sage dropping fast minute miles an looking to be the last man standing at the end.

Alex Nichols Chamonix ©iancorless.com

Alex Nichols placed 5^th last year and will come to this race confident after a great 2013 season racing in the Skyrunning calendar. In particular, he has plenty of speed uphill and has improved his down hill speed. 2013 may well just be the year that he moves a couple of places higher on the podium.

Francois D’Haene UTMB ©iancorless.com

Francois D’Haene was last years 2^nd place, approximately 13-mins behind his Salomon teammate, Miguel Heras. Francois has raced less in 2013 due to the pressures of owning a vineyard, however, when he has raced, he has been in top form. His was 2^nd at Ice-Trail Tarentaise behind Kilian Jornet, he was joint winner at Mont-Blanc Marathon 80k Ultra with Michel Lanne and his recent dominance at the super tough Raid de la Reunion (Diagonale de Fous) means that his presence at San Fran surely means he is a podium contender. *Update “Finally my season ends sooner than expected …since my fall in Death Valley tuesday with a shock in the ribs I hope but I have finally abdicate … So I would support the team tomorrow.”

Michel Lanne Trofeo Kima ©iancorless.com

Michel Lanne is another consistent performer who may well do very well at this race. He had a great run with teammate Francois D’Haene at Mont-Blanc but then picked up an injury. In addition, he has also become a dad! December may well prove to be a great time of year; his life will have settled a little, he will be over his injury and without doubt he will be excited to race in the US.

Dylan Bowman UROC ©iancorless.com

My final hot tip for a podium place goes to Dylan Bowman. Dylan had a great Western States and turned up at TNFUTMB in the form of his life but had a freak training accident, which caused him to miss the race. He has a new coach and he is going to be looking to release some of that UTMB frustration.

So who else… it seems crazy that I am not writing about the names below in more depth. But I have previewed above who I think may well take out the top-3 slots

Mike Wolfe – was 11^th last year and set an incredible FKT this year with Hal he could win this race!.
Adam Campbell – 4^th last year and I may regret not adding him above?
Mike Foote – great 2013 UTMB but been quiet recently.
Hal Koerner – Think he will be on TNF duty.
Karl Meltzer – Karl says he has no chance in such a fast and ‘short’ field. If it were a 100-miles he would be listed above.
Matt Flaherty – another who should maybe be above but he was 2^nd at JFK just a week ago, maybe a little tired?.
Mike Wardian – anything can happen…. Mike is an unpredictable phenomenon.
David Riddle – may or may not race with injury?
Gary Gellin – 9^th last year.
Ryan Ghelfi – 5^th at UROC and I may regret not adding him above too.
Rickey Gates – mixed 2013 but always a contender.
Jorge Maravilla – top 20 in 2012.
Martin Gaffuri – great season on the Skyrunning calendar.
And finally, Greg Vollet who continues to amaze and surprise every time he races.

So, there you have it. A super stacked crazy race to end the year, the top-3 are any bodies guess. I have tried to provide a little insight but just don’t be surprised if we see a completely unexpected performance and a surprise win.

Ladies preview HERE.

William Sichel 2nd at Monaco 6-Day

Posted on December 2, 2013 by talkultra

Orkney-based ultra marathon runner, William Sichel came second overall (first over 60) with 533.57 miles over the 8 Days run around the harbour in Monaco.

William will claim eight Scottish and one British age-group records achieved during the race.

Over 9100 runners took part in the whole event which raised almost 300,000 Euros for children’s charities.

The race was halted on the Monday night when Cyclone Cleopatra hit the port area of Monaco wrecking part of the course. When a tower collapsed, crushing a row of toilet cubicles and a car, the authorities moved in to halt the race as it was unsafe to continue.

“It was a bizarre situation as when the race was stopped we had no idea when it would resume. We went back to our hotel and awaited news of a re-start which came the next morning.”

William lost 12 hours of the event which completely altered the race and ruled out chances for any World Age-Group Records.

“I had to re-assess my goals for the event so that I knew what I was doing.”

The race was subsequently hit by torrential rain which rendered part of the course almost impassable, due to flooding, for some hours. There were also major issues with the computer system at the race which meant that very few distance updates were available to runners during the race.

“All in all a very difficult and unusual race! Finishing 2^nd to Didier Sessegolo, for the the third time, is no disgrace, as he is a worthy World No 1 for this year. I should hang on to my overall World No 3 ranking which isn’t bad for an over 60 year old!”

William now has a short break before heading across the ‘pond’, just after Christmas, for a very competitive Phoenix 6 Day race in Arizona.

William is just starting Project165.com in which he will attempt to have set 165 ultra running records before his 65^th birthday on October 1^st 2018. These records will be at World, British and Scottish level, including age groups, in certified races on road, track or indoor courses. Amongst William’s current records he holds seven world age-group records including the fastest time to run 1000 miles.

Who is William Sichel?

I was told I “might be an ultra runner” in 1994, following some success at ‘ordinary’ marathon running but reporting that I “wasn’t exhausted at the finish”. I enjoyed instant success, winning the Scottish 100km (62 miles) Championships in July of that year.

I went on to get my first Scottish vest in 1995 and my Great Britain call-up in 1996 and represented GB in all European and World 100km Championships through the 90’s. I also won the British Championships and the World Age-Group Championships at the 100km distance.

During the early part of the 2000’s I focused on 24 hour races, being ranked in the World Top 10 for two years. I had outright 24 hour wins in Switzerland, the USA and the UK. I also tackled some classic ultra distance events including the Spartathlon (twice) – 153 miles from Athens to Sparta, setting a Scottish event record and the World’s hottest race, the Badwater Ultra marathon, through Death Valley in California, setting a British event record.

In 2006 I had a winning debut in my first 6 Day race, in Monaco and became the overall World No1 in that event, for that year. Since then, multi-day races, up to 1000 miles in length, have become my specialty.

In the November 2011 Monaco “No Finish Line” 8 Day race (which had over 6,000 participants) I won the event outright, set a new course record and became the first person to cover more than 1000km during the 8-day race.

For some years I have been engaged in Project 60@60 in which I was attempting to have set 60 ultra distance records, at World, British and Scottish level, including age-groups, before my 60^th birthday on October 1^st 2013. The two 1000km records, achieved in Monaco in November 2012, marked my 59^th and 60^th records thus achieving my target 10 months ahead of schedule. Full details are provided HERE.

Project165.com was announced in September 2013.

I run a very active blog, which has had almost 1 million hits over the last 2 years and receives visitors from 91 countries. I also actively promote my performances and my sport via social media.

The Scotsman newspaper described me as a ”role model for the middle aged”.

IMAGES book now available

Posted on November 30, 2013 by talkultra

I am pleased to announce that my coffee table book, IMAGES is now available to order.

PREVIEW

Details:

Size: 10×8 inckes/ 25×20 cm’s
Format: Landscape
Pages: 68
Paper: High quality images printed on Premium Lustre paper
Cover: Hardcover with full colour images dust jacket
Foreword: by Emelie Forsberg (Salomon Running)

Availability:

Book : £50.00 (plus postage) full colour hard bound book with dust jacket, signed on request.

Postage costs:

UK £6.00
Europe £10.00
USA, Australia and Canada £15.00

eBook : £15.99 available for iPad ORDER HERE

Hints n Tips:

The ebook IMAGES by Ian Corless is also available for download. Here’s how to get this ebook onto your iOS device:

Order HERE and then open the email you receive on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.
If you do not have the free Apple iBooks app you’ll need to install it before downloading your book.
Follow this link to get the book: YOU WILL BE SENT A LINK
(This link will expire in 48 hours, after which you will be prompted to log in)
Safari will open and begin downloading the ebook to your device.
When the download is complete, you will be given the option to ‘Open in iBooks’. Tap this button once.
iBooks will launch, im port the ebook, and then open it for viewing.

A few notes for a smoother experience…

Connect to Wi-Fi: Image-rich ebooks can be quite large, so downloading and importing them to iBooks can take several minutes.
Be patient: Very little feedback is given while iBooks is opening the file, so you may want to check your device after a few minutes.
Make room: Make sure you have enough free space on your device or the download may fail.
Can’t find your book? In iBooks, make sure you’re viewing the ‘Books’ collection and not the ‘PDFs’ collection. To switch views, just tap the ‘Collections’ button in your iBooks library.

PDF : £12.00 a high-resolution full colour PDF available for computer viewing in Adobe or similar software. (You will receive a download link after your payment has cleared)

Races included in the book:

Trofeo Kima
Templiers
The Coastal Challenge
The Causeway Crossing
Transvulcania La Palma
Zegama-Aizkorri
Haria Extreme
Ronda dels Cims
Mont-Blanc Marathon
Ice Trail Tarentaise
Dolomites VK & Skyrace
Trans D’Havet
Matterhorn Ultraks
TNFUTMB
Grand to Grand
UROC
MDS
and Everest Trail Race.

Ordering:

Books are available to order with an estimated 12-day turnaround. It is possible to pay a premium for 5-7 day turnaround (price £15.00).

Please complete the order form below. Please ensure that you tick the appropriate boxes. However, you may order the eBook via a direct link HERE

Once ordered, you will receive a Paypal invoice and an email confirmation.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Episode 49 – Team Redden, 5000 mile project, Tim Stevenson and Emelie Forsberg

Posted on November 29, 2013 by talkultra

What a great show… we speak with ‘Team Redden’ about running and the incredible story of how mum, Sabrina and Teagan (aged 8yrs) tackled 100km’s. We have an in depth chat with David and Katharine who ran 5000 miles across South America in the 5000 mile project. Tim Stevenson joins us for a special Talk Training on Strength and conditioning. Emelie Forsberg is back for Smiles and Miles. The news, a blog, up and coming races and Speedgoat discusses pacers!

NEWS

JFK50

Zach Miller – 5:38:53
Matt Flaherty (Salomon) – 5:44:37
Mike Wardian (The North Face)- 5:55:37
Iain Ridgway – 5:57:26
Ryan Aschbrenner – 6:13:25

Emily Harrison (adidas) – 6:35:05
Sage Norton – 7:14:03
Kara Henry – 7:17:37
Lara Shegoski – 7:20:34
Shanna Ailes-Istnick – 7:30:02

Beacons Ultra

Lee Kemp 5:58:37
Mark Palmer 6:39:58
David Jackson 6:49:13

Mel D Varvel 7:24:35
Isobel Wykes 7:35:10
Katie Cole 7:59:35

BLOGS

Frosty – Everest Sky Love

Blog LINK

“Too much snow and risky conditions stopped us…but not in our tracks. We all continued for more miles in more wonderful scenery. For me, my journey stopped in Namche Bazar. In front of Ama Dablam, Everest and Lhotse. There I rested in the fresh mountain air, absorbing the sun into my tired legs and finding the peace I was so ready for.”

Make sure you check out Frosty in the new Salomon Running video, S3 EO2 HERE

Interview – 5000mile project, David and Katherine running the entire length of South America. – http://www.5000mileproject.org

TALK TRAINING – Tim Stevenson from Kinetic Three Sixty – http://www.kineticthreesixty.com and ONE Athlete http://www.oneresult.com

INTERVIEW

Team Redden. Have to say, I found this interview quite inspiring… we discussed a few episodes ago about young Teagan Redden (8yrs) running 100km. I was on the fence… part of me thought, I’m not sure this is good. Another part of me thought; wow, awesome. What I do know is that it is very easy to have an opinion, fill in gaps and make assumptions. I hope you all, like me, are far more informed after this interview and maybe, just maybe, you will rethink any initial thoughts you had?

(Seth Redden, his ex-wife Sabrina, their five children (three biologically and two adopted) ages 2 to 10 years, and their dog, Baya, are going on the ultimate summer adventure. They’re starting out in Scottsdale, AZ in a big, white, 15-passenger van and heading to Silverton, CO where they’re camping and living out of the van for five(ish) weeks.)

MELTZER MOMENT – Pacers? The pros and cons, or is it just the cons…

SMILESandMILES with Emelie Forsberg – smilesandmiles@yahoo.com

RACES

Australia

New South Wales

Coast to Kosciuszko | 240 kilometers | December 06, 2013 | website

Queensland

Kurrawa to Duranbah and Return – 50 km | 50 kilometers | December 08, 2013 | website

Narawntapu 50 km | 50 kilometers | December 08, 2013 | website

Tasmania

Bruny Island Ultra Marathon | 64 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

Victoria

Razorback 58K Run | 58 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

Razorback 64K Run | 64 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

Razorback 68K Run | 68 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

The Full Bull | 75 kilometers | December 08, 2013 | website

Cambodia

Cambodia – The Ancient Khmer Path | 220 kilometers | November 29, 2013 | website

Cape Verde

Boavista Ultramarathon – 150 km | 150 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

Boavista Ultramarathon – 70 km | 70 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

France

Côtes-d’Armor

Le Grand Menestrail | 53 kilometers | December 01, 2013 | website

Loire

La Saintélyon | 69 kilometers | December 08, 2013 | website

Seine-et-Marne

Trail du Tour du Canton – 82 km | 82 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

Germany

Bavaria

Chiemsee-Ultramarathon November – Dezember | 108 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

Lower Saxony

2. Lauf PSV Winterlaufserie 100 KM | 100 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

2. Lauf PSV Winterlaufserie 50 KM | 50 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

3. Lauf PSV Winterlaufserie 100 KM | 100 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

3. Lauf PSV Winterlaufserie 50 KM | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

Martinique

Le Défi Bleu | 58 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

TransMartinique | 133 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

New Caledonia

Evolo Kura to Mount | 300 kilometers | November 29, 2013 | website

New Zealand

Kepler Challenge Mountain Run | 60 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

Philippines

IBTUR 88 Ultra Marathon | 88 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

United Kingdom

Dorset

Coastal Trail Series – Dorset – Ultra | 34 miles | December 07, 2013 | website

West Berkshire

Winter 100 | 100 miles | November 30, 2013 | website

USA

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50K | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

California

Calero Park 50K Run | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

High Desert 50K Ultramarathon | 50 kilometers | December 01, 2013 | website

Malibu Canyon Trail Run 50 km | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

The North Face Endurance Challenge San Francisco 50K | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

The North Face Endurance Challenge San Francisco 50 Mile | 50 miles | December 07, 2013 | website

Florida

The Guana River 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | December 01, 2013 | website

Georgia

Pine Mountain 40 | 40 miles | December 08, 2013 | website

Louisiana

Big Dog Trail Run 50 K | 50 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

North Carolina

Derby 50k Ultra Run | 50 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

Ohio

Bigfoot 50K | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

Oregon

Civil War Relay | 52 miles | December 08, 2013 | website

Texas

Isle du Bois 54 km Trail Run | 54 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

Texas Trail 50K Run | 50 kilometers | December 07, 2013 | website

Texas Trail 50 Mile Run | 50 miles | December 07, 2013 | website

Washington

Ghost of Seattle 50K | 50 kilometers | November 30, 2013 | website

CLOSE

Join Karl on the Wings for Life run HERE

2014 Calendar HERE

IMAGES coffee table book – hard back, eBook and PDF HERE

LINKS:

ITunes http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-ultra/id497318073

Libsyn – feed://talkultra.libsyn.com/rss

Website – talkultra.com

The countdown has begun to Africa’s first Ultra SkyMarathon®, the Lesotho Ultra Trail.

Posted on November 29, 2013 by talkultra

With less than 36 hours to go before the 55km ultra trail race through the Tsehlanyane National Park in the heart of Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains, anticipation is building amongst the trail running community for this, the second South Africa Skyrunning Association (SASA)-sanctioned event on the South African trail running calendar

After the success of the Matroosberg SkyMarathon® in October, skyrunning fever is running high, setting the ground for the imminent announcement of a national skyrunning series in 2014.

Presented by Maliba Lodge, KZN Trail Running and The North Face, the Lesotho Ultra Trail will see a selection of South Africa’s best trail runners facing the challenge of an ultra-distance, high altitude course boasting more than three kilometres of vertical ascent, peaking at 3155m above sea level.

Big names include South African trail star and winner of the Verdon Canyon Challenge in France AJ Calitz (K-Way/Vivobarefoot), mountain running legend and winner of the 2012 Otter African Trail Run Iain Don Wauchope (The North Face), 2013 SA Ultra Trail winner Nic de Beer, Stellenbosch-based mountain runner Andrew Hagen (Vibram) and Gauteng trail speedster Lucky Mia.

In the women’s field, Canadian ultra trail star Stacie Carrigan will be dicing one of the most competitive women’s contingent of any southern African ultra trail race to date, including Matroosberg SkyMarathon® winner Robyn Kime (The North face), 2013 SA Ultra trail champ Tracy Zunckel (Race Food), 2011 Otter African Trail Run winner Su Don Wauchope (The North Face) and SA ultra running legend Linda Doke (Salomon).

With Lesotho offering world class skyrunning terrain and warm hospitality, the Lesotho Ultra Trail is set to become one of the continent’s premier off-road ultras.

For more information about the race, visit www.lesothoultratrail.com of follow the race live via Twitter [www.twitter.com/lesothoultra]

Article ©lesothoultra

Feature on AJ Calitz

AJ Calitz in Europe, early 2013. Zegama-Aizkorri

In just the last two months K-Way athlete AJ Calitz has been on the podium, won or set course records at many competitive trail races. As the year winds down, so does his racing schedule. This weekend’s 55-kilometre Lesotho Ultra Trail race will be his last for the year.

Two weeks ago Calitz took part in the annual Salomon SkyRun – only a week after winning Red Bull LionHeart.

“I didn’t expect to still feel LionHeart in my legs, but I did – unfortunately,” he says.

“SkyRun was a tough one,” Calitz says, recalling the challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions that led to the course being shortened and runners diverted off the mountain and down to safety.

After getting horribly lost between checkpoints one and two, Calitz managed to catch up to the chasing group. He stayed with them – safety in numbers.

“The weather was horrific with torrential ice-rain and winds of 100kph. It was very dangerous on the Dragon’s Back, but luckily I had all my emergency kit to keep me going.

“I really had a terrible day from the start and with the cold and navigation problems I didn’t eat as well as I should have. I felt the effects of this towards Balloch,” he explains.

Reaching Balloch he was already very cold. “I just couldn’t warm up again,” he remembers. He decided not to carry on.

But then, his K-Way teammate Annemien Ganzevoort – the leading woman runner – came in and told Calitz that she was carrying on. He decided to join her.

“If something happened to her in those conditions and I could have gone along – but didn’t – I would never have forgiven myself… and I really didn’t want to have a DNF on my first SkyRun either. So, we suited up in our K-Way mountain-trekking and cold-weather gear and carried on. We were halted by race organisation just short of Edgehill Farm though.”

“It’s amazing how weather like that can draw athletes closer together… where you switch from competing to surviving in only a few moments. I love this kind of racing. It’s not all about the winning or prize money or whatever the reason why you run, but it becomes an expedition and a truly valuable life experience,” says Ganzevoort.

While Ganzevoort takes a well-deserved rest, Calitz has one more race before he can put his feet up.

Lesotho Ultra Trail is a marked route that is 55-kilometres in distance and, staged in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, the 3200-metres of accumulative ascent comes as no surprise. The course description promises stream crossings, loose rocks, steep descents and “two notable climbs”. The section between nine and 22 kilometres is run at over 3000-metres in altitude.

The men’s (and women’s) field is very competitive and Calitz is expecting to work hard to gain ground on Nic de Beer, Iain Don-Wauchope and Lucky Mia.

“I’m just going to take it as it comes,” he adds.

Although your money can be safely bet on Su Don-Wauchope or Robyn Kime for a win in the women’s race, the odds are fairly good that Linda Doke, Tracey Zunkel, Chantal Nienaber, Megan Mackenzie or Stacie Carrigan (Canada) could be up front too.

SKYRUNNING 2014 Calendar Announced – SWS14 #SWS14

Posted on November 28, 2013 by talkultra

Kilian Jornet Trofeo Kima 2012 ©iancorless.com

The ISF is pleased to announce the 2014 Skyrunner® World Series. Fifteen quality races, three disciplines, the same winning formula. The 2014 Series will offer participants benefits amounting to 1,000 race slots, 230 free entries, 125 accommodation slots and 50 travel slots.

Five Sky, five Ultra and five Vertical races are distributed across six nations in three continents.

The Sky Series comprises some of the best races in the history of the sport and welcomes back Zegama, Dolomites SkyRace, Course de Sierre-Zinal celebrating its 41^st year, Zermatt’s Matterhorn Ultraks launched this year and Limone Extreme tying up the Series.

Opening the season in May will be the almost legendary Transvulcania Ultramarathon. In its third successful year on the Skyrunner® World Series, the event will be enhanced with a spectacular “sea to sky” Vertical Kilometer®, where contestants climb up the same rugged, steep descent of the long distance race.

The Ultra Series heads over to France for a repeat of the 65 km Ice-Trail Tarentaise over the snow-covered peaks above Val d’Isère. A Vertical Kilometer® will also take place here. From 1996 five editions were held on the imposing Face de Bellevarde, where the first world record was set.

Utah’s Speedgoat 50K returns on the Ultra Series followed by the biennial Kima Trophy. Probably the most emblematic skyrunning event, it will celebrate its 20^th anniversary with skyrunning legends Bruno Brunod and Fabio Meraldi.

Concluding the Ultra Series in September, we welcome new entry, The Rut 50K, in Montana’s appropriately named Big Sky resort. Organised by two American Ultra running icons, Mike Foote and Mike Wolfe, it’s set to make its mark on the international scene. Here, America’s first World Series’ Vertical Kilometer® will also take place in the rugged Montana mountains.

The Italian Dolomites, home of the 2013 European Championships, are again back on the calendar with a SkyRace® and Vertical Kilometer® double.

Italy’s incredibly spectacular and gruelling Limone Extreme SkyRace® and Vertical Kilometer® will again host the World Series final in October on Lake Garda.

462 kilometres across the three disciplines are set off by no less than 36,150 metres vertical climb with inclines between 16% and 50%.

The reward for this gruelling programme? Benefits amounting to US $ 200,000. $ 120,000 cash prizes, $ 25,000 World Series final prizes and $ 55,000 worth of benefits.

The rewards don’t finish here however. There’s more in store with the new Skyrunner® card. Details will be revealed in January 2014.

2014 Skyrunner® World Series

Team partners are a growing success story with two partnership formulas to choose from. At least ten principal outdoor brands are involved. See here for further information for team entries in the World Series.

SKY
1. SPAIN: Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri – 42 km – Zegama – May 25
2. ITALY: Dolomites SkyRace® – 22 km – Canazei – July 20
3. SWITZERLAND: Course de Sierre-Zinal – 31 km – Valais – August 10
4. SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Ultraks – 46 km -Zermatt – August 23
5. ITALY: Limone Extreme SkyRace® – 23 km – Limone sul Garda – October 12

ULTRA

1. SPAIN: Transvulcania Ultramarathon – 83 km, La Palma – May 10
2. FRANCE: Ice Trail Tarentaise – 65 km, Val d’Isère – July 11
3. USA: Speedgoat 50K, Snowbird, Utah – July 19
4. ITALY: Trofeo Kima – Aug 31
5. USA: The Rut 50K, Big Sky, Montana – September 14

VERTICAL
1. SPAIN: Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer® – May 8
2. FRANCE: VK Face de Bellevarde, Val d’Isère – July 11
3. ITALY: Dolomites Vertical Kilometer®, Canazei – July 18
4. USA: Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer® – September 12
5. ITALY: Vertical Grèste de la Mughéra, Limone sul Garda – October 10

*Legend

SKY – races more than 22 km and less than 50 km long with at least 1,300m positive vertical climb (SkyRace® and SkyMarathon®)
ULTRA – races over 50 km long that exceed the SkyMarathon® parameters (Ultra SkyMarathon®)
VERTICAL – races with 1,000m positive vertical climb not exceeding 5 km distance (Vertical Kilometer®)

Skyrunner^®,SkyRace^®, SkyMarathon^®, Vertical Kilometer^®are registered trademarks

Skyrunning Vertical top 100 men and 50 women

Posted on November 27, 2013 by talkultra

After the Ultra and Sky rankings released recently, it is now the turn of the ISF Vertical discipline to announce the top ranked athletes.

Ten races in five continents were selected in the Vertical category and count 239 men from 20 nations and 115 women from15 nations.

Italy leads the men’s ranking followed by Spain and France and places second in the women’s ranking which is led by Spainand followed by France.

The Vertical discipline is clearly at home in the steep and technical terrain of the Alps where skyrunning was born. For added drama, many of the events take place at night. “One thousand metres skywards” however, can be found in many countries and new nations are adopting this fascinating discipline, introduced by the skyrunning inventors in 1994 who registered “Vertical Kilometer®” and it’s derivatives as a trademark. America will feature among the countries including the “VK” in their national calendar. Talking of new nations, it’s also interesting to note the very high performance level of new entries like Norway, ranking 10^th and 12^th

Urban Zemmer, 2012 & 2013 Vertical World Champion heads the Vertical ranking. © iancorless.com The overall ranking has been devised for the three skyrunning disciplines based on 55 races in 2013 (24 Ultra, 21 Sky and 10 Vertical). Among the principal aims was to take into account the quality of the field and the time relative to the winner, along with a proprietary ISF algorithm and other factors.

Here’s the general overview on the calculations previously published in the Ultra and Sky news:

“The ranking was elaborated on the basis of the participation and results obtained by the athletes in the international races selected by the ISF.

In calculating the points, the ranking is based on a proprietary ISF algorithm specifically studied for outdoor running, taking into account a consolidated algorithm used by the International Ski Federation.

Fifty-five races were selected for the 2013 season (24 Ultra, 20 Sky and 10 Vertical) – see ISF announcement in March. The selection was aimed at identifying the world’s most prestigious races with the greatest number of elite athletes participating, as indicated in the ISF news in January.

In each selected race, the first 30 men and first 15 women were counted. For each athlete, points were calculated on the basis of: the final position, the time relative to the winner and the number of elite athletes ahead or behind.

The final points were calculated on the average of the three best results of the season obtained by each athlete. For athletes who did not participate in at least three of the selected races throughout the season, a penalty of 11% was applied to those who participated in only two races, and 22% was applied to those who participated in just one.

The 2014 ranking will be based on 2013, but with a more precise indication of the elite athletes based on the previous year’s ranking.

The ISF ranking will be complete at the end of the 2015 season as the points will be calculated on the average of the previous three seasons with a weighted coefficient for each year.

The ISF assesses the yearly performances in their whole within the context of the results and performance in each race. As in other disciplines, it does not analyse the performance in absolute terms due to the many variables in outdoor running (vertical climb, type of terrain, climate, level of the competition… etc), the comparison between different races or different editions of the same race, would be too approximate.”

Here’s the top ten men and women at a glance

2013 ISF Vertical Ranking

Men

1. URBAN ZEMMER (ITA) 301,482

2. KILIAN JORNET BURGADA (ESP) 291,557

3. NEJC KUHAR (SLO) 237,842

4. ALEXIS SEVENNEC-VERDIER (FRA) 235,754

5. PHILIP GOTSCH (ITA) 235,538

6. MARCO FACCHINELLI (ITA) 230,773

7. AUGUSTI ROC AMADOR (ESP) 227,807

8. MARCO MOLETTO (ITA) 227,626

9. SAUL ANTONIO PADUA RODRIGUEZ (COL) 224,861

10. ERIK-DAGSSØNN HAUGSNES (NOR) 219,095

Women

1. LAURA ORGUE VILA (ESP) 230,564

2. CHRISTEL DEWALLE (FRA) 224,725

3. ANTONELLA CONFORTOLA (ITA) 223,595

4. VANESA ORTEGA TRANCON (ESP) 206,194

5. SAMANTHA GALASSI (ITA) 202,008

6. TESSA HILL (GBR) 195,039

7. ALBA XANDRI SUETS (ESP) 189,899

8. EMELIE FORSBERG (SWE) 184,717

9. VALENTINA BELOTTI (ITA) 179,400

10. CELINE LAFAYE (FRA) 168,187

2013 Vertical ranking

Top 100 men

Top 50 women

Article ©ISF

IMAGES – Coffee Table Photo Book

Posted on November 25, 2013 by talkultra

I am pleased to announce that my coffee table book, IMAGES is now available to order.

Details:

Size: 10×8 inckes/ 25×20 cm’s
Format: Landscape
Pages: 68
Paper: High quality images printed on Premium Lustre paper
Cover: Hardcover with full colour images dust jacket
Foreward: by Emelie Forsberg (Salomon Running)

Availability:

Book : £50.00 (plus postage) full colour hard bound book with dust jacket, signed on request.

eBook : £15.99 available for iPad – direct purchase HERE

Hints n Tips:

The ebook IMAGES by Ian Corless is available for download. Here’s how to get this ebook onto your iOS device:

Open this email on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.
If you do not have the free Apple iBooks app you’ll need to install it before downloading your book.
Follow this link to get the book: YOU WILL BE SENT A LINK
(This link will expire in 48 hours, after which you will be prompted to log in)
Safari will open and begin downloading the ebook to your device.
When the download is complete, you will be given the option to ‘Open in iBooks’. Tap this button once.
iBooks will launch, im port the ebook, and then open it for viewing.

A few notes for a smoother experience…

Connect to Wi-Fi: Image-rich ebooks can be quite large, so downloading and importing them to iBooks can take several minutes.
Be patient: Very little feedback is given while iBooks is opening the file, so you may want to check your device after a few minutes.
Make room: Make sure you have enough free space on your device or the download may fail.
Can’t find your book? In iBooks, make sure you’re viewing the ‘Books’ collection and not the ‘PDFs’ collection. To switch views, just tap the ‘Collections’ button in your iBooks library.

PDF : £12.00 a high-resolution full colour PDF available for computer viewing in Adobe or similar software

Races included in the book:

Trofeo Kima, Templiers, The Coastal Challenge, The Causeway Crossing, Transvulcania La Palma, Zegama-Aizkorri, Haria Extreme, Ronda dels Cims, Mont-Blanc Marathon, Ice Trail Tarentaise, Dolomites VK & Skyrace, Trans D’Havet, Matterhorn Ultraks, TNFUTMB, Grand to Grand, UROC, MDS and Everest Trail Race.

Ordering:

Books are available to order with an estimated 12-day turnaround.