Waldo 100k

Posted on August 7, 2012 by talkultra

Oregon Ultrarunning Stars Olson, Koerner to Headline Waldo 100K RaceWomen’s field includes Joelle Vaught and Denise Bourassa

Race Day Aug. 18, 2012

WILLAMETTE PASS, Ore. — Western States 100 champion and Montrail Ultra Cup winner Timothy Olson and Hardrock 100 winner Hal Koerner top the start list for Oregon’s premier ultramarathon,Waldo 100K.

They will be joined by Waldo women’s course record holder Joelle Vaught and 2011 second place finisher and Montrail Ultra Cup champion Denise Bourassa, along with some of the nation’s finest ultrarunners. The demanding 62-mile race takes place on mostly single-track trails southeast of Eugene, Ore.

“We’re fortunate to have deep fields on the men’s and women’s sides of the race,” said Craig Thornley, Waldo race director and Western States 100 assistant race director. “However it goes down, we can guarantee there will be some exciting competition.”

The excitement of the race is ratcheted up a notch by the fact that Waldo, once again, kicks off the Montrail Ultra Cup race series, and the top two male and female finishers will earn automatic entry spots into the 2013 Western States 100. Top finishers will earn cash prizes thanks to event sponsor Sunsweet Growers. The first place male and female finishers will each earn $500.

Top talent on the men’s side includes Joe Uhan, winner of the 2011 McKenzie River 50k, and 2012 McDonald Forest 50k winner Nick Triolo. 2011 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile champion Ian Sharman will also be competing, along with 2011 Forest Park 50k winner Yassine Diboun and young gun Jacob Rydman, who was third at this year’s American River 50 mile race.

On the women’s side, Ray Miller 50k winner Jen Benna will be in the mix, along with Mountain Masochist 50 mile champion Alison Bryant. Blackhills 100k winner Helen Lavin and Capitol Peak 55k champ Kathleen Egan are both on the start list.

About Waldo 100k

Founded in 2002, Waldo 100k is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization supporting the Willamette Pass Ski Patrol. The challenging mountainous race takes runners over three major climbs of more than 2,000 feet each for a total of 11,000 feet of elevation gain and an equal amount of loss. Sponsored by Sunsweet Growersand Mountain Hardwear, Waldo 100k is funded in part with room tax funds from the city of Oakridge/Westfir Area Chamber of Commerce. The event is part of the Oregon Trail Series and the Montrail Ultra Cup. For more information, go to waldo100k.org.

Hoka One One news

Posted on August 7, 2012 by talkultra

I have just spent a day with Mark and Steve who are the distributors of Hoka One One in the UK. Always great to catch up with these guys and look at what is coming up from the land of Hoka. In this case, 2013.

The big news; TWO NEW SHOES!

A stripped down trail shoe called RAPA NUI COMP is the first highlight. It has all the benefits of the Hoka One One range such as the rocker profile and bucket seat but this shoe has ‘less’ cushioning to give more ‘feel’ under the foot. In contrast to conventional trail shoes this new shoe still offers great cushioning but NOT to the extent of the Stinson Evo or Mafate 2.

On the trail now you have three choices: Mafate 2 for the rough tough and muddy stuff, Stinson Evo for a more refined trail shoe with less grip and a more streamlined feel than the Mafate 2 and of course now, the Rapa Nui Comp which is an out and out trail racing shoe for hard trail.

Following the ‘stripped down’ feel is a NEW road shoe, the KAILUA COMP.

The shoe shown here is currently a prototype and will change slightly for 2013. Basically the ‘glossy’ effect on the toe box and tongue will go and be replaced with a ‘matt’ finish. As with the Rapa Nui Comp this is a stripped down Hoka One One with rocker profile and bucket seat but with a little less cushioning to provide an increased feel for the road. This will be a great shoe for marathon or below. Again, Hoka One One will now have three shoes for road. Bondi B is a great long distance road or even hard trail shoe, the Stinson Evo Tarmac is a long distance racing shoe (see below) and the new Kailua Comp offers a lighter weight and lower profile shoe for the out and out road racer.

Finally, available now! is the NEW Stinson Evo Tarmac

The Stinson Evo Tarmac is an evolution of the Stinson Evo Trail shoe but with a road sole. It is a fast shoe for distance road running. As with the Evo it comes with two insoles and two lacing options; speed lacing or conventional. The shoe offers a more precise fit over the Bondi B and is a little narrower in the toe box. Availability in the UK will be very limited with just 50 pairs until delivery of 2013 sock expected March.

You can purchase or order Hoka One One here

Turkey Style

Posted on August 4, 2012 by talkultra

Running Fitness September 2012 – Turkey Style

Fancy an ultra race with a cultural feel? Look no further than Turkey’s Iznik Ultra.

Steeped in history, Iznik, formerly known as Nicea, is in the province of Bursa some two and a half hours from Istanbul. It is a quiet place situated on a beautiful lake. Founded in 4BC by the Macedonian King Antigonous 1 Monopthalmus, it has a rich past and has been an important centre since the Roman Byzantine times….

Tempted?

Read on…

Please note. The Iznik Ultra has new distances for 2013. They are as follows:

130km, 75km, 42km and 10km

Race Information is available in FRENCH here

The Iznik Ultra will take place on the 20th April 2013.

Race information is available on the race website HERE

You can download this article HERE

If you would like to speak to somebody in the UK and discuss a race travel/ travel package please fill in this form:

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Sandes in the Canyon

Posted on August 1, 2012 by talkultra

Ryan Sandes has just set a new record for the Fish River Canyon in Namibia.

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Ryan had to abandon his Fish River Canyon Trail Run record attempt in 2011 due to heavy rains. The record for the 85km trail run was originally set on the 13^th of July 1990 by South Africans Ronnie Muhl and Bruce Matthews – both seasoned Comrades runners – in a time of 11hrs 42min. It was then beaten by 3 Namibian locals Russell Paschke, Charlie du Toit and Coenraad Pool on the 16^th of August 2003 in a time of 10hrs 54min.

Not liking to be beaten, Ryan decided he would have another go at the record in August 2012.

Charlie du Toit is quoted as saying “This canyon is not for the faint hearted and an attempt to run it should not be taken light heartedly”.

Ryan had this to say:

“I know this challenge is going to extremely tough, especially coming off the back of my running the Western States 100miler in the USA at the end of June, but I can’t wait to get back into the canyon. The record attempt will be filmed by the African Attachment / Wandering Fever so I will keep everyone posted on where and when you can watch it,”

The Fish River Hiking Trail starts at Hobas and ends 85 kilometres (53 mi) further south at Ai Ais. The trail has no facilities and hikers usually fast pack through in 3 to 5 days. Ryan completed the trail in an impressive time just sneaking under 7 hours with a time of 6:57.

Due to flash floods and high summer temperatures which frequently exceed 45°C, the hike is only open in winter. The season starts 1 May and ends 15 September (winter time in the Southern Hemisphere).

Fish River Canyon

The Fish River Canyon is located in the south of Namibia. It is the second largest canyon in the world and the largest in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 metres deep.

The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which is today dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river usually floods in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is situated.

Upstream the river runs through horizontal dolomite strata. These strata formed part of the canyon about 650 million years ago when plate movement cracked the earth, the first process in the formation of the Fish River Canyon.

Lower down, a granite complex system is exposed to form a characteristic river bed that results in forms like Fingerspitze. In this area, a fault runs north-south, which accounts for the gorge-like channel and the presence of hot sulphurous springs.

You can read more about Ryan here

You may like to listen to Talk Ultra and our interview with Ryan here

The African Attachment who have documented Ryan’s career and are making a film about him can be checked out here

Information on the Fish River Canyon is available here

Statement from ISF re Speedgoat 50k

Posted on July 31, 2012 by talkultra

Marino Giacometti, ISF President, in reply to the Speedgoat issue comments:

“It’s taken a while for us to get all the feedback together but here goes:

The ISF board conferred with the new Athletes Commission, ATRA and the organiser, Karl Meltzer and we came to the following decision:

Everyone concurs that runners must stay on the course. However, as things stand only guidelines exist in America. In this case there was no written regulation at Speedgoat – something Karl says he will include in the future.

On Kilian’s own admission he cut the course and ran by skyrunning rules. It seems that possibly some of the other runners did the same.

As a race on the World Series calendar, ISF rules state that organisers’ rules must be adhered to and in the case of a dispute ISF rules will prevail.

We respect the organiser’s difficult decision and will apply a 3 minute penalty* to Kilian which means he maintains first place in the race and consequently 100 points for the Ultra Series ranking. *Penalty (6.15 COMPETITOR’S RACE CONDUCT – a) Competitors must follow the course markings on sight, go through all the checkpoints…..) and (6.16.1 A penalty from three minutes to disqualification will be applied for: c) Not following the race course signage, voluntarily or otherwise…

We believe that it’s correct to assign the record to the second runner (Rickey) who ran the designated course. Whether Kilian gets the prize or not is exclusively up to the organiser and we already know that decision.

I’d like to add that the majority of skyrunning races worldwide (not just in Europe) take place in parks or protected areas and generally are capped for this reason – as well as for safety reasons of course. (The ISF rules (4.22) and (3.13) address these environmental issues).

Regarding the Pikes Peak precedent in 2004, the situation was different. The rules there state clearly no switchback cutting. The winner, Agustì Roc, was disqualified and given a 20 minute penalty which meant he dropped some places and received the relevant points for his final position.

Everyone we consulted agreed that there’s a need in the future for race organizers to publish clear, simple and written regulations and, with the new Athletes Commission, we’ll be reviewing ours as well!! A pre-race briefing should also be held to illustrate the regulations and the course to all the competitors. We’re actually working on standardizing this for all organizers, so it should be easier for everyone all round. Certainly it’s not easy to find a compromise but “rules are rules” and, as Anna Frost says “let’s keep it simple”!

Marino

Speedgoat 50K & Giir di Mont

Posted on July 31, 2012 by talkultra

Two great races – many great champions. Winners at Saturday’s Speedgoat 50k , the second World Series Ultra, were Kilian Jornet and Anna Frost. Jornet finished in 5h14’10” breaking the course record. Rickey Gates was a close second in 5h18’27” followed by Max King (5h23’10”) and Anton Krupicka (5h23’36”) 4^th in a great come-back after his long lay-off. You can read my pre-race predictions here

The result was not without controversy however as Jornet was declared winner but his record and prize-money withheld for ‘cutting switchbacks….. I will be interviewing Speedgoat Karl for a ‘Meltzer Moment’ on episode 15 of Talk Ultra so make sure you tune into the show to hear what he has to say.

Anna Frost, despite worries of not being on top form, led the race from start to finish. Kerrie Bruxvoort was second while local runners Sarah Evans and Emily Sullivan where third and fourth, respectively.

Back in Europe at Italy’s Giir di Mont, predictions aside, no-one was ready for American Kasie Enman’s triumphant win and record together with Tofol Castanyer’s great come-back in a stacked men’s field. Brit Tom Owen’s was second and Luis Alberto Hernando, third.

The men’s field was an exciting match with Rumenian Ionut Zinca leading strongly in the first part of the race, before ceding to pressure on the final ascent from Hernando, with Castanyer and Owens alternating the lead. Owens was hampered on the final downhill due to severe blisters from last week’s Dolomites SkyRace^® but managed a heroic second position.

In the women’s field it was Enman’s race from start to finish, breaking the course record and closing 14 minutes ahead of her competitors. Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg kept a steady second place throughout most of the race, to be overtaken by Silvia Serafini – Italy’s new skyrunning hope. No doubt last week’s superb record at the Dolomites SkyRace® took its toll on Forsberg who slipped down to fifth position. Oihana Kortazar finished third, not on her best form and Blanca Maria Serrano, fourth.

After the weekend’s races, the Skyrunner^®World Series ranking is lead by Luis Alberto Hernando, Kilian Jornet and Tom Owens and Emelie Forsberg, Blanca Maria Serrano and Kasie Enman.

On August 9th I will be heading out to Switzerland to report live and record some interviews at the next World Series’ race on August 12 with another star-studded line-up at the Course de Sierre Zinal in Switzerland.

Skyrunner^® World Series ranking

New Horizons for the ISF

Posted on July 31, 2012 by talkultra

Another important step marks the rapidly changing face of skyrunning as the ISF takes on the 100-mile distance.

The rule was approved at the ISF AnnualGeneral Assembly which took place in Spain on July 6 during the SkyGames^®. Members representing the 22 countries in person or by proxy attended the meeting, chaired by President, Marino Giacometti.

The new Secretary General was elected in the form of skyrunner Nina Dacanay from the Philippines who no doubt will bring, among her many qualities, competence and efficiency together with a strong passion for promoting the sport.

New blood on the Management Committee includes Evgeny Kolchanov (Russia), Ian Sharman (Great Britain) and Fabio Menino (Italy) – all three runners. In fact, key runners were elected to stand on the Athletes’ Commission, namely Anna Frost (NZL) Joe Grant (USA) together with Fabio Menino and Ian Sharman. Their input will be invaluable in the development and strategy of the sport and to represent a voice for runners everywhere.

The athlete has always represented the number one focus for the skyrunning management and, at the beginning of the season, a seminar was held on the island of La Palma, Spain, with a view to gaining insight from the sport’s principal players – what runners really want and how they would like to see the sport develop. “Less Cloud. More Sky” was the title, emblematic of the new horizons skyrunning aims to explore.

Running legends representing different disciplines, countries and brands attended the three-day seminar from May 14 – 16, together with a number of the most representative media outlets from four continents.

Representing the ISF were president Marino Giacometti and VPs Lauri van Houten and Dr Sergio Giulio Roi. The superstar athletes attending were: KilianJornet, Iker Karrera, Anna Frost, Seb Chaigneau, Maud Gobert, Francois d’Haene, Thomas Lorblanchet, Florent Troillet, Gustavo Reyes, Csaba Nemeth, GiulianoCavallo and Americans Anton Krupicka, Mike Wolfe, Geoff Roes, Joe Grant, Ian Sharman, Nick Clark, Nikki Kimball, Transvulcania winner Dakota Jones and World Mountain Running champions Max King and Marco De Gasperi…..

For a new generation of runners the skyrunning past, illustrated with slides and videos, was an eye-opener. The topics examined included: the social media phenomenon, sponsorships and the industry – how these relate to the runners – and back to the industry; why a federation was created; how it interacts with the athletes; and the federation’s spirit and values.

The feedback from runners has proven invaluable in indicating the way forward and, just two months later, in giving runners a place and a voice on the Federation’s Management Committee and Athletes’ Commission.

Thanks to the success of “Less Cloud. More Sky” another seminar is programmed for 2013.

Episode 14 – Hal Koerner

Posted on July 26, 2012 by talkultra

Episode 14 of Talk Ultra is now available and I interview a legend of the sport. Hal Koerner has been running ultras since 1999 and has a list of results second to none.

He recently won Hardrock 100 making him one of only two runners (Scott Jurek the other) to have done the Western States and Hardrock double.

On the show we discuss Hardrock and take a look back over his stunning career.

Hal is owner of Rogue Valley Runners

The show is available on iTunes, Libsyn and talk ultra.com

Taking a break S2 E05

Posted on July 26, 2012 by talkultra

Gathered for Kilian’s Classik in the Pyrenees, the team takes time out together on Kilian’s home turf. They run and they have fun! What if that’s their secret…?

Once again another great Salomon Running video filmed by The African Attachment.

If you ever wonder why you run or wonder why you perform well, surely the secret must be because you love what you do. This movie for me sums up that enjoyment, the pleasure of running and enjoying the trails with like minded people.

Dolomites Sky Race

Posted on July 22, 2012 by talkultra

Records fall at the 2012 Dolomites Skyrace with Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg taking the respective wins in the male and female races. The Dolomites Skyrace is part of the ISF Skyrunning World Series.

The mens race:

photo by Skialper

Kilian Jornet ran 2:01:52 beating the previous course record by nearly 3 minutes. In second place some 4:39 in arrears was Alin Ionut Zinca with a finish time of 2:06:31 and third place went to Mitjia Coseweli in 2:06:58.

Brit Tom Owens finished 7th in 2:09:45

The ladies race:

http://www.sportdimontagna.com

To confirm the dominance of Salomon Running (they took the top three places), Emelie Forsberg ran a superb race to not only take the win but set a female course record in 2:26:00 on the dot, over 4 mins quicker than Antonella Confortola who set the record of 2:30:09 in 2008. Second place behind Emelie was Kasie Enman in 2:28:09 and in third was Mireia Miro in 2:30:08.

Previous records:

Mens record set in 2007 by Mitja Kosovelj 2:04:53
Womens Record set in 2008 by Antonella Confortola 2:30:09

The Route

The race is 22 km long (10 km uphill, 12 km downhill), the path changes from earth to gravel. The race begins and ends in Piazza Marconi, Canazei m. 1450, the maximum height of Piz Boo is 3.152 m., the uphill altitude is 1.750 m. The course is marked with flags. Refreshments are available at Passo Pordoi (2.239), Pordoi saddle (2.829 m.), Boè (2.871 m.), Pian Schiavaneis. Runners must reach Passo Pordoi in 1 hour and 5 minutes and Forcella Pordoi in 1 hour and 50 minutes.