Episode 36 – Ultrapedestrian Ras, Kremer, Calitz, Davies, Cardelli, Browy

Posted on May 31, 2013 by talkultra

Episode 36 of Talk Ultra – Stevie Kremer and AJ Calitz talk to us from Zegama-Aizkorri. We speak to Brendan Davies and Beth Cardelli respective winners from TNF100 in Australia. An inspirational 15 minutes of fame with Eric Browy, Talk Training is about Knees with Mitch from StrideUK. Our interview is with UltraPedestrian Ras. Speedgoat (Karl Meltzer) is back, we have a blog, the news and of course, the up and coming races.

Show Notes:

00:00:45 Start

00:16:30 News with Speedgoat

00:24:50 AJ Calitz talks to Ian after his run at Zegama-Aikorri.

Trail runner Andre ‘AJ’ Calitz is a record-setting South African trail runner. Over the past two years he has won numerous local races, frequently setting new records on challenging courses. He is sponsored by the outdoor brand K-Way. In just the past six months Calitz ascended Table Mountain’s Platteklip Gorge a record 11 times between sunrise and sunset to win the K-Way Platteklip Charity Challenge. He then won the two-day Grootvadersbosch Trail Run, where he set new records on both days. At the end of August, running in wind and rain, Calitz won the 80-kilometre Hi-Tec Peninsula Ultra Fun Run (PUFfeR) and set a new record time of six hours, 59 minutes and 36 seconds, becoming the first runner to set a sub-7 hour time on the original, full-distance route. In 2012 Calitz placed second at The Otter, a 42-kilometre trail run on the iconic Otter Hiking Trail. Even more impressive was that Andre, together with race winner Iain Don-Wauchope, became the first runners to break the 4h30 barrier. Both runners broke the course record set last year by Ryan Sandes. Although Calitz is a relative newcomer to trail running, his pedigree is impressive. He has been a multiple All Africa Triathlon Champion, South African Duathlon and Triathlon Champion and South African Cycling Champion. He also holds silver medals for Two Oceans and Comrades finishes.

00:46:00 Back to News

00:50:20 Stevie Kremer talk to Ian after a stunning third place Zegama-Aizkorri.

Stevie Kremer, burst on the U.S. trail running scene with a few notable races in Colorado. She moved to Italy in 2012 and performed beyond expectations at Sierre-Zinal with an incredible second place. Stevie finished seventh in the World Mountain Running Championships 8.8K uphill race on Sept. 2 in Temu-Ponte di Legno, Italy, and then won the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge at the 42.2K Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland the following weekend.

01:04:35 News

01:07:25 Brendan Davies not only won the TNF 100 in Australia but he broke Kilian Jornet’s two year old course record.

I live in the Blue Mountains and work in Western Sydney. In my day job, I am a Special Education school teacher; kids call me Mr D. I’ve been a school teacher for over 10 years and love it. It has been both a very challenging and rewarding career thus far. But I am a runner, always have been and always will be. I have recently been selected on the International Inov-8 team – a dream come true which will take me wider and further than I ever thought, to some of the most spectacular places on Earth like Mt Fuji and Mt Blanc. Another great honour was to be named by my ultra running peers and the governing body of ultra running in Australia – AURA, as the 2012 Australian Ultra Runner of the Year.

01:20:06 Beth Cardelli topped the podium in the ladies race at TNF100.

I really only started running after being involved with my husbands 2007 Sydney Trailwakler Team. We had a pretty slow time and I knew I could do the distance a lot faster. Since then I have focused on becoming a better runner. HERE

01:32:50 Back to News

01:43:50 Blog – Rob Krar on iRunFar HERE

01:48:40 Talk Training with Mitch from Stride UK

02:12:55 Interview with Ultrapedestrian Ras – website HERE

I expound my ideas, experiences, philosophies and half-assed schemes simply as documentation of the immense blessing that is my life. I am uneducated and underemployed, and in many ways not what is typically considered a productive member of society, and my words should be understood within this context.

02:51:55 Meltzer Moment with Speedgoat

02:59:00 15 Min of Fame with Eric Browy

After throwing away a scholarship and getting kicked out of college for partying too much, my guest enlisted in the Army in June of 2002. As soon as he arrived at his unit, he was deployed to Iraq in the beginning of 2003, here he truly learned the meaning of what a Soldier was and more than anything that just because someone was not his blood they could be his brother. His brother had been killed when he was younger and he had gone through life not expecting to every have that relationship with anyone again. He found that in the Army. After returning home, with less people than we departed with he struggled while being back at Ft. Hood, He didn’t admit that he had any problems, It was a difficult thing for him to handle all of the loss that had happened while being deployed so he just “soldiered on” and self-medicated himself with alcohol and partying in my non-working hours. In 2005 he was deployed again and he was injured in March 2006. Team RWB HERE

03:23:25 Races

03:27:00 Close

03:27:40

Links:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_36_UltrapedestrianRas_TNF100_Zegama_Eric_Browy.mp3

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

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

Website – talkultra.com

Brendan Davies – what’s next?

Posted on May 21, 2013 by talkultra

Brendan Davies TNF100 supplied by Brendan Davies

I first spoke to Brendan Davies (36) in the latter part of 2012. A schoolteacher, he was motivated by the escape that running provided. On the horizon was the Tarwaera Ultra in New Zealand. This race was being billed as the really big kick-start to the 2013 season. It had a stacked field with Sage Canaday, Timothy Olson, Anton Krupicka (who didn’t race), members of the Salomon International Team and of course all the local talent such as Vajin Armstrong, Mick Donges and Grant Guise. Brendan was relishing the opportunity to race… deep down though he had a bucket list. Brendan had a desire to travel and to race the best ultra runners in the world. As 2012 came to a close and 2013 started, Brendan was rewarded for his commitment, dedication and ability with a position in the Inov-8 International Team. Dreams would become a reality…

IC: Brendan, it is great to catch up with you once again.

BD: Thanks Ian, it is great to be back

IC: The last time we spoke you had aspirations for racing in Europe and a calendar that would fulfill your bucket list. 2013 is looking great… you must be happy.

BD: Absolutely. I have some great races planned. I have raced at Tarawera, UTMF and now TNF100. I go to Europe in June for Mont Blanc marathon and I hope to do UTMB.

IC: That would be awesome; UTMF was quite a race and a new experience. You had a great race in 5^th place but I guess very different to racing in Australia?

BD: Definitely, the amount of elevation and the length of the climbs is just something else. You can’t get that in Australia. We don’t have the high mountain ranges. Our mountains are hills in world standards. We have hills not long climbs. I was certainly tested on the long climbs… what I found is that European men can go uphill so much quicker. They had a better technique. Something I really need to work on. I was slower on the climbs.

IC: I guess from your perspective when you train at home in NSW (New South Wales) you always run. I know that may sound stupid but if you train in the high mountains you have no option, particularly around Chamonix; it just isn’t possible to run everything. You must become efficient at hiking and walking. I guess you are going to work on that?

BD: Absolutely, that is probably the most important thing I learnt at UTMF. If I had the opportunity to race at UTMF again that is the thing I would really work on. I made the mistake of not doing enough research but I never anticipated the walking aspect. It is something I am now going to work on and I will find tough climbs and I will work and work to get stronger for the European races.

IC: What is it like racing in Japan; I would imagine the Japanese are passionate?

BD: Oh yes, they love the running. We had Japanese men in the field and the crowd really got behind them. Great organization and the RD put loads of effort into making everyone feel welcome. The race itself was very difficult. 9000m+ of elevation but I thought it may have been runnable… it definitely wasn’t. It was scrambling and rock climbing in sections. Massive climbs that gave you no opportunity for a rhythm. Thankfully road sections between climbs kept me in the race. Early on I was in 3^rd place and then on the first big climb the European men such as Seb Chaigneau and Julien Chorier just pulled away. They cleaned me up on the climb. The race fluctuated for me. I finally settled into 5^th place and I held that.

IC: I presume weather was an important factor. Japan at this time of the year must be chilly.

BD: It was nice during the day. The locals said how lucky we had been to get sunshine. However at night it dropped below zero. At the highest point of the course it was very cold.

IC: The experience at the finish, they had a local winner so I guess that must have been fantastic for the locals, however, for you it must have been emotional. This was a big race and big learning curve.

BD: I was absolutely over the moon. I can’t explain the emotions. It was just such an epic and brutal event. When I saw the finish I took my pack off, threw it in the air and high fived the crowd. It was such a relief. I was overcome by emotion. It was such a tough event. I used every trick in the book to get to the finish. My body and mid were absolutely smashed at the end… I had given it everything!

IC: Nice to hear that even the elite have to fight hard and dig deep to reach the finish line. What was your lowest point?

BD: I don’t think I really had a low point in the race. My nutrition and hydration went really well. I was happy. If I had a low point it was probably the last leg. It had the most brutal climb I have ever done in my life. This beat everything and I am including rock climbing. I had to scramble, it was muddy, it was so tough and it went on and on. At the top it went on for 7km and switched back on itself repeatedly. It was just incredibly tough. My quads were smashed to oblivion.

IC: How was your recovery post UTMF?

BD: I had some rest and I had some massage. Everything post UTMF was all about getting ready for the TNF 100. It is Australia’s biggest race.

Brendan Davies – Inov-8

IC: TNF 100, what an incredible race eh? Not only did you win it but also you set a new CR!

BD: I feel pretty good today; I think it is all just sinking in. It has hit me what I achieved. I never expected it, a real bonus to set the new CR too. Actually I had no idea of my time in the race. It was only when I finished that I found out the time. I knew I was having a strong race because I know that course and I was running sections that sometimes I walk, so, I knew it was going to be good.

IC: What do you put it down too? You have been super motivated this year. In our previous chats you have said what you would like to do and achieve. Everything is now falling into place with Inov-8, the International Team, a top five at UTMF, do you think that you are in a really good place with your running at the moment? Also, UTMF was only a few weeks ago but you obviously recovered and came back stronger from that experience?

BD: I truly believe that everything I have done in the last six years has been building to the performance at the TNF 100. This year in particular I have been so focused about my running and where and what I wanted to achieve. All those little 1% gains and ticking boxes. It is paying off. I have been waiting for a performance like this; I knew it wasn’t far away. Certainly UTMF and TNF were two big races. I was always going to run both and race them. Months ago I treated them like a block of races. I planned a way to recover from UTMF and use it as a way to benefit the TNF 100. I truly believe UTMF prepared me mentally plus having the aerobic capacity to run 100 miles almost made 100km insignificant. Instead of struggling at the back end of the 100km I had a lot more power in the 80-100km section. So, doing 100 miles as most definitely helped. The hills at UTMF were so much harder, the course was tougher and in comparison TNF 100 was easier so it put me in a great place.

IC: After UTMF that was one thing we discussed, UTMF was such an eye opener for you that it made you realize what else was out there. Suddenly what was difficult on home ground suddenly became easier and your mental balance shifted

BD: Absolutely. Shona Stephenson and I both said the same thing after UTMF. Of course, you can’t just say that and not have a plan. I went straight into recovery mode post UTMF, I didn’t train much but I kept my race legs by doing a half marathon and a 10k. I thought it was a good plan. Both high intensity races that would keep my race legs. The TNF 100 is the no1 race in Australia. It is what counts.

IC: Makes perfect sense. When you have raced 100 miles and then three weeks later you are not going to get any fitter, what you need is recovery and maintaining your top edge. Exactly what you did!

BD: Exactly my plan. UTMF essentially was my last long, long run for UTMF. I saw that as a positive.

IC: Going into the race, Ryan Sandes was without doubt the favorite so what was your thought process when he dropped at CP2?

BD: No, no way. I met Ryan last year and he is a great guy. I have always welcomed international guests to our races. I want the sport to grow in Australia and Ryan is a real powerhouse in the sport. I look at it, as he is someone to test myself against. I have been able to run against Kilian and Ryan, I have watched them, studied them and I have emulated what they have done. I have listened and learned and I have got a little bit closer each year.

IC: Well you surpassed your expectations this year. It is quite incredible. When Ryan dropped at CP2 that left you out in front dictating the pace is that something you don’t mind?

BD: I lead from the front, pretty much from Km 1. You have a little out and back section just after CP2 and it is great as you get to see the competition. I turned and expected to see Ryan. But it was Vajin Armstrong and I had no sign of Ryan so I assumed something must have gone wrong. I didn’t let it affect my performance. I have raced Vajin several times and he has had the better of me, so I respected him as much as Ryan. It kept me motivated to keep going. I didn’t look back; I don’t believe it is a good thing. I needed to keep going and run my own race. Even at the finish I was asking if anyone was on my tail. Running at the front you run scared, you need to be motivated.

IC: The Blue Mountains are your home territory; I guess you know these trails like the back of your hand. What’s it like to win and set a CR on home soil?

BD: It is so special for me. I was in a race that has a small community. The ultra running community is small. I know so many people in the race, front, middle and back. It was so special to share the moment with so many people. The race is in my back yard. It is very significant. A very special moment to be able to share it.

IC: Southern Hemisphere running is going through a renaissance, you, Shona Stephenson, Beth Cardelli, Ruby Muir, Vajin Armstrong amongst others are leading the way. What does the future hold in store for you all?

BD: We are going to be more of a force in international big races. We are going to encourage a new generation of ultra trail runners. I was speaking to people after TNF 100, I spoke to a guy who was 21yrs old who finished seventh, he came up to me and humbled me by saying that I was his inspiration. Many others said this. That touches me and it also signifies how the sport is growing. We are going to get a new breed of runners that are faster, better and more focused than myself. They will lead to the way and it will go from strength to strength.

IC: You are in Europe for the Mont Blanc marathon in June. You will be representing Inov-8 as part of the International Team, how excited are you about being part of this team but also running in the Skyrunning calendar.

BD: I am honored. I have always worn inov-8 so when I was asked on to the team it was such a great honor. To be around other international runners will be a great experience. I also think my Inov-8 teammate Shona Stephenson will really prove what a great runner she is when she gets to Europe. She has gone from strength-to-strength. The longer the race the better she goes. I am really excited to see the other athletes too to see what they can do. I will be a great experience. I am just really happy that Inov-8 has backed us.

IC: Brilliant, what lies ahead for you post Mont Blanc?

BD: Possibly Ice Trail Tarantaise but I am not sure it will fit in my schedule, we shall see. Maybe I will come back to Australia and then I will focus on the road. I want to get my road marathon time under 2:30, I did a 50k in Canberra two weeks before UTMF and I could have gone under 2:30 in that race. So, that will be on my agenda leading up to the world 100k championships in late October in South Africa. I would like to be in the 6:30’s for 100k. So, the latter half of 2013 will be about road running.

IC: Look forward to catching up in Europe. Certainly 2013 is going to be a really exciting year for you.

BD: Thanks so much Ian.

TNF 100 Results:

Men:

Brendan Davies 09:16:12 new CR beating Kilian Jornet’s previous best
Vajin Armstrong 09:42:22
Andrew Tuckey 09:44:52

Ladies:

Beth Cardelli 11:01:08 (12^th overall)
Joanne Brischetto 11:44:35
Shona Stephenson 11:45:38

Links:

TNF 100 full race results HERE
Skyrunning Calendar HERE
Inov-8 HERE
Brendan Davies : runmrd.blogspot.co.uk

Episode 34 – Hollon, Hicks, Davies & Stephenson

Posted on May 2, 2013 by talkultra

On this weeks show we speak to 22 year old Nick Hollon who just recently finished the infamous Barkley Marathon. We catch up with Natalie White who tells us all about the future plans for UK based Inov-8 who are 10 years old in June. We have chat with Ozzies Brendan Davies and Shona Stepehenson who placed 5^th and 2^nd respectively at UTMF in Japan. In Talk Training we speak to Mitch from Stride UK. We also speak to Chris Mills in 15 mins of fame. We have a blog, the news, up and coming races and of course, Speedgoat.

00:00:00

00:00:45 Start

00:09:50 News

Evesham Ultra

Robbie Britton 6:47:17, Mark Davies 07:11:58, Mark Denby 07:12:04

Hayley Stockwell 8:47:51, Joan Clarke 8:57:08, Sandra Goldsack 9:12:54

Lizzy Hawker

once again continues to inspire, she recently broke her own speed record from running Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu – 319km in 63hr 8min.

She is now pack in Nepal to do the Mustang Mountain Trail Race – multi stage 277k in 8 days

Iznik Ultra

130km

1 Mahmut Yavuz 13:52 2 .Aykut Çelikbas 14:15 3 . Mustafa Poyraz 15:14

1. Elena Polyakova 15:00 2. Muazzez Özçelik 19:53 3. Bakiye Duran 22:55

80km

1. Tanzer Dursun 8:13 2 Ahmet Zeren 8:19 3 Özgür Tetik 8:2

1.Amy Sproston 7:12 2. Alessia De Matteis 9:29 3 Sirin Mine Kiliç 9:55

Leona Divide

50k

Yassine Diboun 4:03:33, Jeremy Humphrey 4:09:59 and Aaron Keller 4:33:19

Rachel Lipman 5:21:56, Gwendolyn Ostrosky 5:30:59 and Ruth McCoy 5:41:43

50m

Robert Krar 5:53:51, Jason Wolfe 6:43:10 and Jason Schlarb 6:44:54

Melanie Peters 7:30:47, Jenny Capel 7:59:23 and Kristina Folcik 8:31:05

UTMF

1. Hara 19:39 2. Chorier 19:48 3.Chaigneau 19:50 4. Gary Robbins 20:20 5. Brendan Davies 20:38

1. Krissy Moehl 24:35:45 2. Shona Stephenson 25:56:52 3. Hitomi Ogawa 26:15:25

IAU – 100km European Championships on April 27^th

Asier CUEVAS 6:53:14 Michaël BOCH 6:56:49 José Antonio REQUEJO 6:57:02

Irina ANTROPOVA 7:42:52, Sue HARRISON 7:48:12 and Sophia SUNDBERG 7:53:21

http://www.5000mileproject.org – British couple, David and Katherine are running 5000m across South America in 1 year! They started on July 28^th. I have had some email chats with David and we hope to hook up within the next month or so.

Zion 100

Pierre Loic Deragne 17:52:10, Andy Pearson 17:55:12, Matt Cecill 18:42:22

Jennifer Benna (and 5^th overall) 19:01, Larisa Dannis 20:22:23, Pam Reed 24:09:23

Hoka Highland Fling

Lee Kemp 7:02:50 (new CR), Ricky Lightfoot 7:09:30 and Matt Williamson 7:21:51

Tracy Dean had a real battle to the line with a calf injury but held on to win by just over 1 min ahead of Fionna Cameron 9:12:21. Third was Sandra Bowers in 9:17:02

00:2415 Brendan Davies – Brendan recently raced at Tarawera ultra in New Zealand. Part of the Inov-8 international team, he recently raced at the Ultra Trail Mt Fuji in Japan. He says it is the hardest race he has ever done… he was 5th. We caught up with Brendan just days after the race. Website HERE

00:36:37 Back to News

00:38:30 Shona Stephenson – Shona, a personal trainer and mum of two girls also raced at the Ultra Trail Mt Fuji. Like Brendan, she is also part of the Inov-8 international team. Shona secured an impressive second place behind US based Krissy Moehl, we caught up with Shona when she arrived back home in Australia. Website HERE

00:56:08 Back to News

01:05:10 Meghan Hicks – has raced at Marathon des Sables several times before. However, in 2013 she returned with several objectives. Her main priority was to make the podium but her ultimate goal was to win the race…. we caught up with Meghan at her home in Utah, less than 14 days after the iconic 28th edition of the MDS. Website HERE

01:43:10 Blog – Anton Krupicka is back…. he always writes a very detailed daily post. Here is a highlight:

Sat-AM: 6:59, 11,500′ ~ Grand Canyon Double Crossing

Used the standard South-North Kaibab route and clocked a 6:59:24 roundtrip, which was a 17min PR for me and I think ~30sec under Mackey’s previously 2nd-fastest time (but still 6min short of Dakota’s FKT). I didn’t know if I was going to go particularly quick today, but thought I’d just see how the legs were feeling. After getting down to the river pretty quickly (despite being slowed a minute or two by a descending mule train), I decided to keep going steady and see how things shook out. Felt pretty solid all the way to the North Rim, hiking a fair bit above the Supai Tunnel, but then on the way back down I was definitely already getting pretty tired by time I made it back to the residence water spigot. Things got progressively worse on the run back to Phantom Ranch (stiff, achey, tired legs), but I pounded three bottles of water there (spending 4min at the spigot) and then climbed quite strongly all the way to Tip-Off, but above there things got pretty weak/queasy as I ran out of water about half-way up. At Tip-Off I thought there was a really good chance I could still get Dakota’s record–even take 5min or so off of it–but in the end I was just psyched to sneak in under 7hr. Great run, and a good confidence boost going into TV, as I know I still have a lot of running fitness to gain. Had another 12min of running on the day, getting to and from the South Rim. Splits: River, :46; Phantom Ranch, :53-54; Cottonwood, 1:54; Residence, 2:09-10; Bridge, 2:42; Supai Tunnel, 2:56; North Rim, 3:22; Supai Tunnel, 3:35; Bridge, 3:43?; Residence, 4:04-6; Cottonwood, 4:16; Phantom, 5:08-12; River, 5:19; Tip-Off, 5:49; Skeleton Pt, 6:14; Cedar Ridge, 6:37; South Rim, 6:59:24.

01:45:10 Talk Training – this week we introduce Mitch to Talk Training. Mitch is based in the UK and has a practice called STRIDE UK (http://www.strideuk.com). In our first episode we touch on the importance of flexibility and stretching.

01:59:45 Natalie White Inov-8 – UK based company Inov-8 have a reputation for making some of the best running shoes available. They have made some iconic products such as the famous ‘Mud Claw’. In 2013 they are introducing a new clothing range to the brand, they have created an inter nation racing team and they also celebrate a 10th birthday in June. Website HERE

02:17:45 Nickademus Holllon – Barkley ultra marathon is infamous. It strikes fear into any runner. So difficult is this iconic ultra that finishers are few and far between, Nick Hollon not only completed the race in 2013 but at the age of 22 he also became the youngest ever winner. We caught up with Nick to hear all about how he achieved a finish and also to find out how started in running… he has a great story. Believe me, he doesn’t like to make things easy! Website HERE

03:09:45 Back to Karl

03:14:00 Meltzer Moment – Speedgoat gives us his Good, Bad and Ugly.

03:18:40 15 min of fame – this week we speak to Chris Mills (24fifty.com). Chris is just an ordinary guy. He actually hasn’t run an ultra…. yet! But I am sure when you listen to him, you will find his story inspiring.

03:3210 Races – the up and coming races for the next two weeks.

03:40:05

Links

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

Ultra Trail Mount Fuji preview

Posted on April 24, 2013 by talkultra

Asia’s answer to the TNFUTMB is the UTMF 100, a mountain 100 miler that circumnavigates the ancient volcano of the title name. It has over 9000 metres of elevation gain so it is not for the feint hearted.

The ULTRA-TRAIL Mt. FUJI is an unparalleled event that challenges the human spirit through the outdoor sport of trail running. By connecting mountain trails, local footpaths and forest roads around the foothills of Mt. Fuji, this 161km course allows participants to enjoy majestic 360 degree views of Mt. Fuji while experiencing the stunning natural beauty and culture of this region.

Tsuyoshi Kaburaki has been instrumental in this race and after his experiences at the TNFUTMB, he was sure that Mt Fuji was the only place in Asia possible to offer a race on a par with the iconic 100 miler that has its home in Chamonix. In actual fact, TNFUTMB race director, Michel Poletti is toeing the line at UTMF just two weeks after finishing the 28th edition of the Marathon des Sables.

2012 review

The 2012 and inaugural edition of the UTMF had initially had an incredible start list that had included Scott Jurek, Mike Wolfe, Sebastien Chaigneau and Tracy Garneau. However, all mentioned did not turn up and race. This opened up the race and Salomon athlete, Julien Chorier topped the podium in a time of 18:53:12. Running his first 100 miler, Arc’teryx athlete, Adam Campbell placed 2nd (listen to Adam on the latest Talk Ultra episode HERE) and Kenichi Yamamoto placed third.

The 2012 ladies race was dominated by Salomon athlete Nerea Martinez Urruzola in 24:05:04 with Hiroko Suzuki second almost three hours later and Nora Senn third.

What does 2013 have in store?

MEN

Well, from a European and Australian perspective we will see a quality race at the head of the race. The success of the 2012 UTMF has encouraged Julien Chorier, no1 to return and defend his title.

Sebastien Chaignea TNFUTMB copyright Ian Corless

Certainly Julien is the pre race favourite, he has knowledge of the course, understands the demands required and of course he is the title holder. However, TNF athlete, Sebastien Chaigneau will almost certainly have a different outlook on how the race unfolds… he had a mixed 2012 and ultimately it was a year to forget by his standards. He came into 2013 motivated and his stunning performance at Transgrancanaria will mean Julien will need to be looking over his shoulder or maybe even ahead of him for this race.

Gary Robbins, no 102 (Salomon) from Canada is also going to be flying and ready for this race. Gary has an incredible story (listen to his interview on Talk Ultra HERE) and after being sidelined for almost two years, he returned in the latter half of 2012 and not only dominated but set a new CR at Hurt 100. He has a new outlook on his racing… he is going to race less, but when he races, he will make it count. Definitely my hot tip for the win.

Brendan courtesy of Inov-8

Inov-8 athlete Brendan Davies, 1061 fresh from Tarawera ultra will be confronting the 3,776 m Mount Fuji and he will revel in the task ahead of him. Brendan has plenty of speed but will he have the climbing legs to be up at the front. He has said on his blog that he his in the form of his life. (listen to Brendan Davies interview HERE).

Christophe Le Saux – MDS 2013 copyright Ian Corless

Christophe Le Saux, 1099 (Hoka One One) only last week finished in the top ten of the Marathon des Sables. He will be lining up to test himself. Logic says that fourteen days between ‘MDS’ and UTMF is not enough, but, Christophe loves the hard, technical and gnarly courses as he has proved at Tor des Geants in the past.

In addition to the above, Grant Guise, 108 from Australia, Jeremy Ritcey, 111 a Canadian who lives in Hong Kong and of course many of the local Japenese runners will figure.

LADIES

Nerea Martinez Urruzola is not returning to defend her title, so, this does mean the ladies race is wide open… arguably though, the competition has greater depth for the second edition of the race.

Krissy Moehl, 1106 (Patagonia) from the USA needs no introdction to the ultra world. Her reputation is well established and as such, her twelve years in the sport and her TNFUTMB win will all come into play in helping her make the top of the podium here. She was fourth at the renowned Hardrock 100 in 2012 and of course this will set her up perfectly for the 9000m of vertical at UTMF.

Hong Kong based Brit, Claire Price, 173 (Salomon)will have a great perspective of what is required on this demanding course. She recently won Hong Kong 100 and although this is the first time racing in Japan, the distance may be her stumbling block. She will need to respect the distance and the terrain. She finished Western States in 2012 but didn’t have a great race.

Shona – image courtesy of Inov-8

Finally, Inov-8 athlete Shona Stephenson, 1062 will be racing in her first international 100 miler ahead of what is a daunting year of races. She has already raced at Tarawera and Northburn 100 and will be racing at TNFUTMB and also participating in the Skyrunning ultra series in 2013. Shona has trained in the Blue Mountains and although she has great speed, will this lack of high mountains allow her to perform to her best in and around Mount Fuji?

Of course, local competition will have an advantage on this course. So expect some surprises!

STATISTICS

DATE	Friday, April 26, 2013. Starting at 3:00 pm.
DISTANCE	161km
CUMULATIVE ALTITUDE GAIN	9,000m
TIME LIMIT	46hours
# OF RACERS	800
START / FINISH	Yagisaki Kouen, Kawaguchiko, Fujikawaguchiko-cho, YamanashiPrefecture

Race website: HERE

Tarawera update

Posted on March 16, 2013 by talkultra

Locals Vajin Armstrong, Brendan Davies and Mick Donges had spent a summer preparing for what was almost certainly the most high profile race to have been staged in this part of the world.

Vajin Armstrong had been doing some crazy mileage in training each week (over 200k) in the build up to the event and was most definitely fired up to take the race to the ‘Yanks’. Fast man Brendan Davies was equally fired up and on paper certainly had the potential to give Sage and Timmy a race. Mick Donges as the 2012 winner of the race had some added pressure on his shoulders but he was in shape.

Sage Canaday was coming into this race as a relative newbie. His progression from a 2:16 marathon runner into one of the best ultra runners in the world (up to 100k) is nothing short of miraculous. He showed incredible strength in 2012 with some stunning wins and he showed this form had carried over to 2013 with a great win and course record at Bandera 100k.

Timmy Olson on the other hand had most definitely kicked back after Western States and had enjoyed getting married and was relishing the birth of his son. He also started the year at Bandera but raced the 50k. Although winning the event, his time was slower than Sages’ split time for the distance. However post Bandera Timmy had knuckled down and pre Tarawewra had stated he had had some great training and was ‘in shape’.

Race Day

Fast is probably the easiest way to describe it. Brendan Davies set an early pace that almost seemed like suicide. He was either in the shape of his life and was going to teach everyone else in the race a lesson or he was going to crash and burn. Ultimately it turned out to be neither. He most certainly dominated the race over the opening 20km by gaining a 1 minute lead but had to ease back as Sage took over the race and by the 45km mark, Sage was pulling away from a chasing Brendan Davies and Vajin Armstrong with Timmy Olson and Mick Donges following.

At 40km Sage had a 6/7 minute lead and he then seemed to turn the after burners on. He just seemed to be getting faster and faster. At half way he had a 12 minute lead and in reality we looked back into the field and had to decide who was likely to take 2nd place.

Timmy Olson took over the reins at the front of the chasers and started to move away from Vajin Armstrong. It now seemed that Brendan Davies was paying for that first 20km’s and Mick Donges now in 5th was heard saying “I am saving myself for the final 15km”.

Feedback in the latter stages of the race became sporadic due the difficulty with comms. I had been told at one point that Sage had a 20 min lead. I had just posted on Facebook that I expected Sage to finish in approximately 10 min and Bryon Powell from iRunFar tweeted that Sage was in the final 2/3km.

But then the shocker…. a following tweet saying Timmy was only 2/3 min behind. Really? Had Timmy closed that gap?

Sage went on to say after the race “yeah, I went a little too fast in the middle and it almost got me in the end!”

Sage held on and crossed the line in 8:53:30 managing to avoid a sprint finish.

Timmy really had paced himself perfectly and to be honest, if the race had been a little longer he may very well have taken the win. But hey, the finish line is where it is and he crossed it in 8:56:45. I am still not sure of what the gap between the two front men stretched too but 12 mins or 20 mins, Timmy did a great job of closing down.

Vajin Armstrong took the final slot on the podium in 9:39:45 and was followed by Brendan Davies in 9:51:50 and Mick Donges in 9:59:47.

In the ladies race pre race favourite Ruby Muir absolutely dominated a small field and led from start to finish. New to the 100km distance she showed experience beyond her years. My pre race prediction that she would be doing some ‘chicking’ while out on the course came to fruision. She crossed the line winning the ladies race in 10:30:07. Her time was fast enough for a 7th overall. Impressive.

At the time of writing updates on the remaining ladies have been sporadic but Beth Cardelli a certainly looked likely to be taking a podium slot.

Update ladies result

2nd Beth Cardelli : 11:43:56

3rd Kelly Harrington : 14:23:56

4th Raewynne Blommerde 14:35:55

5th Kate Townsley : 15:54:13

Tarawera website HERE
Results HERE

We must remember that other races did take place, a 60km and 85km event. Notable interest for these events are the relay pairings of Francois d’Haene and Emelie Forsberg going head-to-head against Rickey Gates and Anna Frost in the 85km. Also, Salomon Team manager, Greg Vollet was racing in the 60km.

It’s TARAWERA time

Posted on March 15, 2013 by talkultra

“The quality of the field is amazing,” says Charteris, with a grin. “The 2013 Tarawera Ultra will be the most competitive long distance running event in New Zealand since the 1990 Commonwealth Games marathon.” Paul Charteris, RD

I shouldn’t say it but I guess I must, I am starting with a negative. After some serious smack down talk just months ago, Anton Krupicka has pulled out of the Tarawera race. This is not breaking news, he actually stated this on his blog a couple of weeks ago but it is sad news for the race and for Anton.

“I decided over a week ago to not make the trip down to New Zealand for the Tarawera 100K in 10 days, and despite my hip showing significant improvement I know it was the right choice. I’ve done no long runs of any type since December and don’t have any desire to travel all that way to muddle through 62 miles with poor fitness and a very likely chance of re-injuring myself”

However a race will go ahead and the missing Anton just means one less name in a stacked field. The European contingent of Francois d”Haene, Emelie Forsberg, Greg Vollet will not mix it up in the ‘main event’. Francois announced at the press conference that he stepped down to the 80km relay and would partner Emelie Forsberg. That will mean that the Francois/Emelie show will be going head-to-head against Salomon teammates Rickey Gates and Anna Frost.

The Main Event

As announced earlier in the week, the main race is now even tougher as the course has had some modifications due to fire risk. You can read the post HERE.

The Men

Ultimately, particularly in the mens race race it is the Southern Hemisphere against the USA. The USA have three top representatives toeing the line in the land of the Hobbits.

Timothy Olson, Jason Schlarb and Sage Canaday.

Without doubt, my hot tip is Sage Canaday. Sage throws some freakish speed into the mix. A 2:16 marathoner, he has recently switched to ultra distance racing and became the United States 100km trail champion. He started 2013 by running a stunning course record at Bandera 100k in 8:13:49. His marathon training background and natural speed make him a danger on any course. He may not be used to high mountains but Tarawera will suit him. You can listen to an interview with Sage Canaday on Talk Ultra episode 27.

Timothy Olson needs no introduction after his incredible run at Western States in 2012. Married life and the birth of his son saw him take a more relaxed approach to 2012 and he too started 2013 by running at Bandera but in the shorter 50km race. Although he won that race his pace was casual. It was very much a ‘getting into a new year run’. Since then he has put in the miles and has knuckled down and says he is in good shape. He is without doubt a contender for the podium but I can’t help but think his passions and motivations will be concentrated on Western States and the UTMB. It is still very early in the year for him.

In contrast, Jason Schlarb looks ready for this race. He has spent several months in the Southern Hemisphere preparing so he is going to feel relaxed and adapted. Unlike Sage and Timmy who are really only just starting a racing season, Jason is in the thick of it. This will play into his hands. He has the speed to be up a the front and with Sage and Timmy taking the limelight he may just slip under the radar and take many by surprise.

With USA contingent covered we now look at the Southern Hemisphere.

Vajin Armstrong, Brendan Davies, Mick Donges and Dave Eadie.

My tip here would be Brendan Davies. Brendan really is super focused on this event. Like Sage he brings a real speed element to the race and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two battling at the front for much of the day. I interviewed Brendan for episode 23 Talk Ultra and you can listen to that HERE. Brendan has recently run a 3:16 50k at Stromlo and he is a top 100k runner.

Mick Donges comes to this race with some pressure on his shoulders as last years winner. I spent time with Mick in 2012 in and around Sierre Zinal and UTMB. He is certainly a talent and he has the speed to go with it. However, pressure and the big occasion can seem to affect him. They don’t get any bigger that Tarawera this year so how will he hold up? Mick ran the famous six foot track marathon just last weekend (was that a good idea?) in 3:35.

Vajin Armstrong wants this race. I actually really think he had focused his mind on taking on Anton after the ‘smack down’ talk months ago and as such has been doing some really heavy training. He won the 2012 Kepler Challenge in 4:55:24 and like Brendan he will be pushing for the win or at least, the podium.

Finally Dave Eadie is without doubt a quality runner but I don’t think he will be in the mix for the podium. No disrespect for Dave (honestly Dave). He has done it all… just last year he was at Badwater crushing out those 135 miles in the soaring heat. He has run Western States and has been a multiple 100k champ. He will go out strong and hope he can hold on.

Who do I predict? Sage Canaday. To be honest, I think he will run hard and smash it. Lets just hope he doesn’t go off course.

The Women

I guess with Anna Frost and Emelie Forsberg taking some spice out of the ladies race by running the relay we have four who will fight for the podium.

Ruby Muir, Candice Burt, Shona Stephenson and Beth Cardelli.

“The ultra-racing world is keen to see how 21-year-old Barefoot Inc sponsored, Ruby Muir from Napier will handle the distance”, says Charteris. “She’s unbeaten – including winning her first ever ultra distance run when she stormed away from the field at the 2012 60k Kepler Challenge in Te Anau.”

Beth Cardelli won the last eight events she entered in her home country. That is impressive! She was Australia’s ultra athlete of the year but having had some recent injury issues it does look like her emphasis will be on a good consistent run to lay a foundation for racing some of the 2013 Skyrunning calendar.

Shona Stephenson, like Cardelli had a really impressive 2012. She has recently won a 50km in Victoria but I don’t see her beating Ruby Muir.

Finally, Candice Burt placed 3rd at Hurt 100 and she also had a top 3 placing at the Tahoe Rim Trail. She most certainly has the endurance but does she have the speed. It may very well be that if Beth Cardelli really is not in perfect form that Candice can take that 3rd podium slot or maybe even the 2nd if she has a great day.

Who do I predict? Ruby Muir. She is new to the 100k distance but I think she will lead this race out and may very well ‘chick’ a few guys in the process.

Interviews are available on Talk Ultra as listed below:

Brendan Davies episode 23 HERE
Timothy Olson episode 12 HERE
Anton Krupicka episode 19 HERE
Anna Frost episode 3 and 9 HERE & HERE
Emelie Forsberg episode 28 HERE

“It’s like organising a local bicycle race and having half of the Tour de France peloton show up for the ride,” says Charteris, as he scoped out a section of the course in Rotorua’s world-renowned Whakarewarewa Forest. “It’s humbling – and frankly, scary.”

Race coverage will come from ULTRA168 and iRUNFAR and I will help spread what they provide via Talk Ultra
Race website HERE
Results will be available HERE

Tarawera Ultramarathon

Posted on January 23, 2013 by talkultra

Tarawera trails set for world-class endurance test on March 16 2013

It’s a ridiculously long-distance running race on some of the most beautiful trails in New Zealand’s North Island.

The 100 kilometre Vibram Tarawera Ultramarathon will be run on the magnificent bush tracks and forestry roads from Rotorua to Kawerau on Saturday March 16.

One of the world’s toughest endurance running races, it’s the brainchild of Paul Charteris. The Rotorua event organiser launched ‘the Tarawera’ 5 years ago and for many of the world’s best off-road distance runners, it has quickly become a ‘must-do’.

“The quality of the field is amazing,” says Charteris, with a grin. “The 2013 Tarawera Ultra will be the most competitive long distance running event in New Zealand since the 1990 Commonwealth Games marathon.”

It’s a bold claim.
“The race sold out months ago and the 430-strong field is stacked with the world’s best,” says Charteris to back this up. “The winners of nearly every major international ultra marathon race will be on the start-line.”

A lot of top Kiwi runners will also be in the field, defending local honour.

“The ultra-racing world is keen to see how 21-year-old Barefoot Inc sponsored, Ruby Muir from Napier will handle the distance”, continues Charteris. “She’s unbeaten – including winning her first ever ultra distance run when she stormed away from the field at the 2012 60k Kepler Challenge in Te Anau.”

Muir is expected to receive stiff competition from Dunedin’s Anna Frost, widely regarded as the top female trail runner in the world last year. Frost’s Salomon Racing teammates, Emelie Forsberg from Sweden and Candice Burt from the United States will also be on the start line, along with Australia’s Beth Cardelli.

Cardelli won the last eight events she entered in her home country.

The top of the men’s field is a fleet-footed freight train of long-distance talent.

Mick Donges from Katoomba Australia is back to defend his 2012 Tarawera title against Christchurch’s Vajin Armstrong. The Kiwi finished second over the 100km distance the past two years and is keen to go one better.

Colorado-based runner Anton Krupicka, who ran a relay leg at Tarawera last year, has already fired a warning shot, posting online that he’s coming back to New Zealand for the win.

“This year, I’m looking forward to the technical trail between Humphries Bay and Tarawera Falls most of all,” says Krupicka. “The whole section from Okataina Lodge to the Falls will definitely be a highlight of the day, especially cruising at race pace.”

UPDATE* on Anton Krupicka posted on his blog site:

Other top runners to watch will be Brendan Davies, Australia’s ultra runner of the year and Timothy Olson, Jason Schlarb, Rickey Gates and Sage Canaday from the United States. France’s Francios D’haene and Greg Vollet lead the European contingent.

Interviews are available on Talk Ultra as listed below:

Brendan Davies episode 23
Timothy Olson episode 12
Anton Krupicka episode 19
Anna Frost episode 3 and 9
Emelie Forsberg episode 28 (future show)

Olson and D’haene won the two biggest races in the world during 2012. Olson won the Western States 100-mile endurance run in California in record time and
D’haene won the coveted Ultra Trail Mont Blanc title in his home country, with over 2000 runners in the field.

Canaday throws some freakish speed into the mix. A 2:16 marathoner, he has recently switched to ultra distance racing and became the United States 100km trail champion just last week. You can listen to an interview with Sage Canaday on Talk Ultra episode 27.

For Race Director, Charteris, it’s been a dizzying few weeks.

“It’s like organising a local bicycle race and having half of the Tour de France peloton show up for the ride,” says Charteris, as he scoped out a section of the course in Rotorua’s world-renowned Whakarewarewa Forest. “It’s humbling – and frankly, scary.”

Rotorua is renowned for hosting a number of international sporting events.

In 2006 the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championship were in Rotorua and the Single Speed World Champs were held in the Whakarewarewa Forest in 2010.

On race day, running shoes will replace wheels on many of the same trails.
“A beautiful environment and superb athletes – it really is a recipe for a fabulous day of racing,” enthuses Charteris.

“And with this sort of fierce competition, there will be a large national and international media following for this race. It will be a big week for the region.”

Episode 23 – King, Kremer & Davies

Posted on November 29, 2012 by talkultra

We speak to man of the moment Max King after his incredible wins at UROC and JFK50. Oz fast man, Brendan Davies talks about the ultra scene down under and his win at GNW100. Pocket Rocket Stevie Kremer tells us what it’s like to move from the US to Italy and race at the highest level. Talk Training with Marc Laithwaite is about run shoes. We have the news with Ian Sharman, a blog post with Ellie Greenwood, up and coming races and of course Speedgoat Karl Meltzer.

Libsyn – HERE

ITunes HERE

RSS – HERE

Website – talkultra.com

Show Notes

00:00:00

00:00:45 show start

00:22:00 Interview with Brendan Davies website here

Apart from running, I enjoy a lot of other sports; mountain biking, adventure racing, rogaining, skin/scuba diving and still play social squash. I guess I do these things as I love pushing my mind and body to the limits and being rewarded with fitness, health and friendships that have positive impacts on all aspects of my life. It also gives me the quiet time I need to process all the garbage that life throws at you.

00:51:46 News with Ian Sharman

01:11:00 Interview with Stevie Kremer here

01:32:45 Back to the news

01:38:30 Blog – Ellie Greenwood blog post here

It gets to this time of year and with one racing year winding down it’s time to start planning a little for the following year. My schedule is never set in stone and I’m sure there will be changes before hitting some of these start lines.

01:42:07 Talk Training with Marc Laithwaite – run shoes

02:09:05 Interview with Max King

Date of Birth:
February 24, 1980

Place of Birth:
Sacramento, CA

Current Home town:
Bend, OR

Primary Race Distance:
Hmm, 3k to 50 mile. What’s primary mean anyway?

Other hobbies or sports:
Shoes, running up hills, skiing, mountain biking

What MHW/ Montrail gear and clothing is in your quiver for a typical day at/ on the trail?
Rogue Racers
Effusion Tights
Geist Jacket
Wicked Lite L/S
Power Stretch Glove
If it’s nice then the Ultra Refueler Shorts and Way2Cool shirt.

How were you introduced to your sport?
I wasn’t always a “team player” and I was terrible at ball sports. I used to crush the other kids in the PE mile though so I went out for track in 7th grade.

What inspires you?
Lots of things: A cold stormy run through deep forest on a flowing single track trail, seeing someone else make a huge breakthrough after months or years of hard training, or just the pre-race adrenaline that comes when all the best racers toe the line.

What advice would you give to newcomers to (your sport) today?
It’s all about having fun and working hard. There are no special secrets to anyone’s running success, it’s all hard work.

What’s your favorite pre race meal?
A Hammer Bar or oatmeal.

What the first thing you look forward to doing after a long run / race?
Eating, I like to eat. A lot. It might not show but I run to eat and I eat to run.

How do you balance your training schedule with your “real” job?
I quit my real job.

Do you have any pre-race/ pre-competition rituals?
Sure, but I can’t tell you or it would jinx my superstitions.

In 10 years I hope to be…
Doing the same thing I’m doing today. I envy those guys that are still improving at 40+ and hope that I’ll be doing the same.

Six-word bio:
Pain is weakness leaving the body.

When singing karaoke, what song do you sing to bring down the house?
If I could even sing, it would be: Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

What music gets you fired up?
Linkin Park

If you were a super hero, who would you be?
Wolverine, he’s just plain bad ass. And yes, I’m a comic book geek.

02:48:40 Back to Karl

02:55:56 A Meltzer Moment with Speedgoat Karl

03:00:00 Up & coming races for the next two weeks

03:01:10 Show close

03:05:24