About Mountain Running…

Posted on January 27, 2013 by talkultra

Yes, I openly admit I work for Skyrunning and I attend the events that they organize. I love the philosophy, the courses and the people.

To be honest, I love our sport. Don’t we all?

The WMRA – World Mountain Running Association, are once again making sure that WE understand what Mountain Running is and I guess what Mountaineering, Orienteering and Skyrunning is…

Taken from the WMRA website – link HERE

Mountain Running is Athletics. Differences with Mountaineering, Orienteering and Skyrunning.

To distinguish the sport of mountain running from mountaineering or orienteering or skyrunning we can look at the philosophy of each sport.

The philosophy of mountaineering is based on contact with and challenge to nature. The time factor is only important in relation to our planning and safety. Climbers seek their adrenalin rush climbing on rock faces, looking for new routes and overcoming the danger inherent in their sport. A considerable amount of technical equipment, (ropes, pitons, etc) is needed. It is a question of combat between man and nature.

The philosophy of orienteering is to work out the quickest router between two points. Speed is important but it is useless without map-reading, compass, and route finding skills. In a few competitions, orienteering moves out of the forest, its natural habitat, and onto the mountains but its philosophy is still distinct from that of mountain running.

The philosophy of skyrunning seems to be an adventure on the mountain, trying extreme difficulties: in fact skyrunning is the discipline of running in the mountains above 2.000 meters, where the incline exceeds 30% and the climbing difficulty does not exceed II° grade. Ski poles and hands may be used to aid progress.

The philosophy of athletics, in our case mountain running, is based on the time factor, how to reach the finish taking the defined way as fast as possible. This is the objective of those who take part in competitive mountain running. Courses are designed to eliminate danger. No equipment is needed, no ropes, no compass. Athletes find their challenge in matching their speed against that of other runners, a competition between man (woman) and man (woman).

Are we clear?

Just to make sure:

WMRA Council: definition of mountain running for IAAF Rule Book

During the final day of meetings for the WMRA Council in Monte Carlo, the definition of mountain running was discussed at length which resulted in proposed language for a new rule to appear in the IAAF rule book: this new rule numbered 251 could replace actual rule 250.10.
It was agreed by the Council that there are extreme variations in conditions in which Mountain running is practiced worldwide. The difference between very successful and unsuccessful events often lies in the natural characteristics of the venue and the abilities of the course designer.
The proposed rule from the WMRA Council is intended as a guide and incentive to assist countries to further develop Mountain running.
Guidelines are included to support worldwide race directors in the organization and logistics of their events.
The proposed rule will be forwarded to the IAAF for consideration with hopes for final approval by the IAAF Congress in August 2013, at Moscow.
The rule would then appear in the IAAF Rule Book

Trail Relays – a new concept

Posted on January 23, 2013 by talkultra

We are excited to announce Ragnar Trail Relays presented by Salomon — the world’s first overnight trail relay series.

It’s time to go off-road on some of nation’s most majestic trails. Each stop in the trail relay series features a two-day outdoor adventure as teams run looped trails at national parks and outdoor resort venues. Each race has a central location where runners will take off with staggered start times, run one of three loops of varying difficulty, then return to handoff to their next teammate. That central area, called Ragnar Village, will feature a Salomon and Suunto tent where runners can check out the latest trail running gear, including shoes, outdoor watches, apparel and hydration packs, and get trail running tips from Salomon pro staff. Suunto is Ragnar Trail Relay’s official timing sponsor and sister brand to Salomon, and will manage the race start and finish times at each event. Teams will typically finish the 120-ish mile course in 20 hours on average.

“Our passion for trail running drives us to grow the sport,” says Ashley Williams, vice president of marketing at Amer Sports Americas. “Yet as we continue to develop products, one thing stands out as a key to this growth– team. Now, by combining the trail running expertise of Salomon and Suunto with the team bonding of Ragnar, everyone wins.”

Ragnar Trail Relays will debut April 26-27 at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch near Zion National Park, Utah. Additional 2013 calendar dates include:

• April 26-27, Zion Ponderosa Ranch (Zion National Park, Utah)

• June 7-8, Big Bear Lake (Morgantown, West Virginia)

• July 26-27, Sierra at Tahoe (Lake Tahoe, California)

• August 23-24, Snowbasin (Huntsville, Utah)

• October 18-19, McDowell Mountain (Scottsdale, AZ)

• November 15-16, Vail Lake Resort (Temecula, California)

You can register at www.ragnartrail.com

UROC – Ultra Race of Champions

Posted on January 15, 2013 by talkultra

Registration opens today. Will you be toeing the line (for the Ultra Race of Champions) on September 28th in Breckenridge?

www.ultraroc.com

The season closing race for the Ultra Skyrunning Championships. Of course it’s some 9 months away. But as the race fills up and you are made aware of ‘who’ is taking part in this race, you don’t want to look back and think… I wish I had entered in January!

Vail, Colorado, January 15th, 2013 – Registration for the Ultra Race of Champions, the Championship for the sport of ultra distance running is set to open on January 15th 2013 at 12 noon mountain standard time (MST), or 2pm eastern standard time (EST) at http://www.ultraroc.com. The date for the 2013 Ultra Race of Champions will be September 28th.

“We are very excited,”

says J. Russell Gill III, Ultra Race of Champions Event Director and Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports CEO.

“A lot of work goes into making this event possible, and it will be thrilling to see it all come together on race day. With UROC as the Skyrunner® World Series Ultra Final, I cannot wait to see how to field shapes up this year. We have already been getting inquiries from several top runners, whose names are right now top secret. After we open registration and as we confirm some of the elite athletes, we will be posting them regularly on the race website and on Facebook.”

“UROC is open to everyone,”

says Francesca Conte, Ultra Race of Champions President,

“and I am very excited to see what kind of response we get from the international audience, particularly from Europe. The International Skyrunning® Federation has been promoting the event as the Series final for months, and a lot of our Facebook Likes have been from Europe”.

Several factors contribute to the appeal of the race. As the ultra running championship, the race attracts most of the elite runners from the USA. As the Skyrunner® World Series Ultra Final, the race will now attract an even larger international field, and many of the best European athletes. The spectacular backdrop of the Colorado Rockies and the point to point course from Breckenridge to Frisco, to Copper Mountain, to Minturn and to finish in Vail Village is a big draw for runners of all backgrounds passionate about running in the mountains. Lastly, the Vail name is nationally and internationally recognized as a summer destination location. The point to point course is contingent upon US Forest Service permit approval.

Runners will be able to register beginning on January 15th, 2013 at www.ultraroc.com

So what you waiting for….

Episode 26 – Talk Ultra

Posted on January 11, 2013 by talkultra

A super stacked show and maybe our longest yet… our main interview is with The North Face athlete, Mike Wardian. We speak with inspirational film makers and ultra runners, JB & Jennifer Benna from JourneyFilm. Live from the Te Araora trail in New Zealand we speak with The North Face athlete, Jez Bragg on his incredible journey. We have our first ‘A year in the life of…‘ chat, Talk Training with Marc Laithwaite, A Meltezer Moment with Speedgoat Karl, the News with Ian Sharman, a blog post, 15mins of fame and of course the up and coming races.

Show Notes:

00:00:00

00:00:45 Show start and introduction

00:12:45 Interview with JB Benna & Jennifer Benna of Journey Film

Journeyfilm is a film production and distribution company that focuses
on adventure, sports, and travel. Established in 1999, the company is
led by filmmaker JB Benna, a USC Cinema/TV graduate and outdoor
enthusiast with an adventure resume that includes the 2,700 mile
Pacific Crest Trail and the Tahoe Rim 100 Mile Endurance Run.
Since its launch, Journeyfilm has produced documentaries such as The
Runner (David Horton’s 2,700 mile run of The Pacific Crest Trail),
UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons * 50 States * 50 Days (Dean Karnazes’s
North Face Challenge), Spinning Southward (a 16,000 Mile Bike Journey
from Alaska to Chile for the Brain Tumor Foundation) and GoLite’s Andy
Skurka and his 7000 Mile Trek. Benna and his team are also committed
to raising awareness for conservation, simpler living, and greater
appreciation of the world.

00:46:20 ‘A Year in the Life of…‘ is a new addition to Talk Ultra. For 2013 we will follow two people on their ultra journeys. This week we speak with Amanda Hyatt.

00:55:10 Back to the show

00:58:10 The News with Ian Sharman as guest co host

01:09:30 Interview with The North Face athlete, Jez Bragg live from New Zealand as he makes his process along ‘The Long Pathway’ the Te Araroa Trail. You can read and listen to my interview with Jez from The North Face press conference HERE and an update HERE. Also a first video has been added HERE

01:37:00 Back to the news

01:50:45 15 mins of Fame – this week we speak to Amanda Boldy and Sarah Gardner Hall. October 2012 Amanda entered a competition to win a prize to go to The Ocean Floor race in Egypt. Running 160 miles non stop departing at the beginning of February. She only went a won it… we speak to Amanda and Sarah with just 2 weeks to go before an adventure of a lifetime.

02:00:30 Blog by Emelie Forsberg. Emelie discusses her incredible 2012 season and you can read that HERE – ‘The Year of 2012’

02:01:00 Talk Training with Marc Laithwaite we discuss year planning and setting objectives.

02:22:40 Interview with The North Face athlete Mike Wardian. Mike is without doubt one of the most formidable ultra runners (and marathon runners) in the world. He has a reputation for running lots of races… he doesn’t only run but he wins them too. Unfortunately for the latter half of 2012 he has had a series of injuries. We catch up with him to discuss his progress and find out about his career.

38 years old, Arlington, VA-United States of America Father of 2 young boys (Pierce-5 years old & Grant-3 years old) BLOG HERE

Current Results:

2nd place at 2011-Disney Marathon
3rd place at 2011-ING Miami Marathon
14th place at Empire State Building Run Up
1st place at 2011 Lower Potomac Marathon-set Guinness World Record-Fastest Marathon as Superhero (Spider Man)
3rd place at 2011 Shamrock Marathon
1st place at 2011 National Marathon (5 time winner)
19th place at Two Oceans Marathon (56K)-First USA
11th place at Comrades Marathon (87K)-First USA
3rd place at The North Face Endurance Challenge-50 Miler
1st place at The North Face Endurance Challenge-1/2 Marathon
13th place and Olympic Trails Qualifier (2:17:49)-Grandma’s Marathon
3rd Place at Badwater Ultra Marathon
1st Place at Grant and Pierce Indoor Marathon (4 days after Badwater)
1st Place at San Francisco Marathon
1st Place at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K-Kansas City
1st Place at The North Face Endurance Challenge 1/2 Marathon-Kansas City
2nd Place at the Kauai Marathon
2nd Place and Silver Medalist at 100K World Championships and First ever Team Gold Medal for 100K World Team for USA-The Netherlands
2nd Place at the Ultra Race of Champions (UROC) 100K

Previous Results:

1st at 2010 ING Miami Marathon
1st at 2010 Delaware Marathon
1st at 2010 National Marathon-Washington, DC
Bronze Medal at 2009 & 2010 50K World Championships-Gibraltar, Gibraltar
3rd Place at 2010-100K World Championships-Gibraltar, Gibraltar
6th Place at 2009-100K World Championships-Torhout, Belgium
USATF National Champion: 2008, 2009, 2010 USATF 50K National Championships
USATF National Champion: 2008-USATF 50 Mile Trail Championships
USATF National Champion: 2008-USATF 100K
Accolades:
IAU Ultra Runner of the Year 2010
USATF Ultra Runner of the Year-2008 & 2009 & 2010 & 2011
New York Road Runners Ultra Runner of the Year: 2009

03:13:40 Back to the show

03:19:30 A Meltzer Moment with Speedgoat Karl

03:29:34 Up & Coming Races for the coming two weeks

03:31:30 Close

03:25:35

LINKS

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_26_Wardian_JourneyFilm_Bragg.mp3
ITunes http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-ultra/id497318073
Libsyn – feed://talkultra.libsyn.com/rss
Website – talkultra.com

Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 12 2013

Posted on January 9, 2013 by talkultra

The 2012 version of the Advanced Skin S-Lab 12 and the smaller Advance Skin S-Lab 5 (review HERE) had runners all over the world pre ordering and searching websites for product. Expectation was high for the pack that Kilian Jornet had developed with Salomon specifically allowing him to carry all the required kit for the TNF UTMB.

Of course, as soon as we all got our hands on the product the general consensus was that this was ‘almost’ the perfect pack. Some runners didn’t like it… of course! We are all individual. But the Advanced Skin S-Lab 12 moved a running pack to a new level.

It fitted like a piece of clothing and actually came in two different sizes so you could get the correct fit. It contained a bladder that sat in an open pocket So you could refill quickly) with the feed pipe cleverly coming out of the bottom (usually the top) and running under and inside the pack to come out close to the mouth. It had pockets galore with options to make one large or two smaller pockets in the main compartment. It had a detachable velcro phone pouch, two bottle holders on the straps, to large open pockets on the side and two large zipper pockets. It had a whistle, it included a foil blanket and it had straps to secure ‘run poles’. It was a break through piece of run clothing/kit… You could fit everything required for a tough mountain race that required compulsory equipment. So popular, the Advanced Skin S-Lab 12 has now been tweaked for a new 2013 version.

In 2012 the pack was being put through it’s paces at races like Transvulcania La Palma but I guess the perfect testing ground was the TNF UTMB. Of course we all know the course was shortened but conditions deteriorated so badly before the race that mandatory kit was increased, luckily for the male winner, Francois d’Haene he was using the new version of the Advanced Skin S-Lab 12.

Copy Droz Photo – http://droz-photo.com/WordPress/en/

The new 2013 version in principal is very similar to the 2012 model but the key change is the chest pockets. Gone are the small bottle pockets that many struggled to find bottles to fit. They have been re-worked and will accommodate bottles easier and hold the new larger ‘soft flasks’ perfectly.

New versions of these flasks will be available in larger sizes

The overall pack is approximately 30g lighter. Hardly worth mentioning considering the size of the pack and the amount of contents it will hold. It has a new colour, the all important 2013 ‘Red & Black’ colour way! Important as it will match the ‘Sense Ultra‘. The pack will also be available in ‘XL’.

Ultimately if you liked the 2012 model, you will love the 2013 model. The reworking of the front of the pack and the new pockets will make the user experience so much more enjoyable.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 43 x 22 x 18cm
P.A.C.E Fit
Sensifit Twin Link
Sensi compression
Split volume in main compartment
2 compressable side pockets
1 mobile pocket
1 removable chest pocket
2 chest pockets to fit larger bottles
1 Zipped back pocket
1 safety pocket with foil blanket
Underarm routing system for bladder
Soft 1.5L volume bladder – PVC, Phthalate, Bisphenol-A FREE
Bite Valve with on/off system
4D bladder insulating sleeve
Custom system
4D pole holder
Wide lateral opening with side sliders
Whistle and Reflective trim
Soft trims
Apparel sizing

Fabrics:

Elastic Power Mesh
Fast wicking fabrics
3D mesh

Salomon S-Lab Skin Belt

Posted on January 8, 2013 by talkultra

Red and black is the new black… at least as far as the 2013 Salomon S-Lab range of products are concerned. The Sense Ultra has this colour way, the new S-Lab 12 Set Pack and the new S-Lab Skin 2 Belt.

I first saw the S-Lab Skin 2 Belt being used at ‘La Course des Templiers‘ in the latter stages of 2012. Several of the Salomon Team used the belt.

As with all products in the S-Lab range it is about finding a solution to a problem! Light, minimalist, practical and comfortable are all important key elements that go into the design of a product like this.

At some point, many of us will have used a belt pack and like so many other people the biggest problem has been ‘bounce’ from the bottles. Salomon are getting around this problem by providing a belt that fits close to the body. It is provided with 2 small 200ml bottles but actually the belt pack may actually be far more comfortable and versatile using the new ‘Soft Flasks‘.

The soft flask when first released was only available in small sizes but Salomon are now releasing a range of new larger sizes to be used with the new 2013 range of products such as the new S-Lab 12 pack and the new Hydro handheld flasks with glove.

Other key elements are storage options. It has zipped pockets, stretch pockets and bottle pockets. It has 2 bottle pockets on one side and six pockets on the other, two of which have zips.

The belt is really two halves coming together to make one whole item. The two halves are connected with Salomon’s snap clip closers, which are lighter than alternative buckles. They ensure the pack remains very secure once fastened. This secure fastening can mean that fastening and unfastening can be a little fiddly but once on the fit is great! You have the option to choose which way round to position the bottles and pockets depending on your requirements or personal preference, realistically it has no front or back.

It really is practical and spacious. It has a large, well thought out pocket system. A total of six pockets. I added small zip cord to my belt as a lack of a ‘pull’ on the zip pockets means they are not easy to open on the move or if wearring gloves. A small omission that is easily rectified. The zipped pockets are ideal for valuables such as money, keys, phone, camera etc

Two large pockets sit on top of the zipper pockets, they are open and ideal for energy bars or items you may need to access easily. Two narrow, angled pockets at the edge of the belt are perfect for holding energy gels or salt tabs etc as they can be easily pulled out as and when needed.

Ultimately you either like belt packs or not. But if you have used a belt pack in the past and just not liked it through poor fit or bounce, then you may well find that this is the product to convert you! The Skin S-Lab Belt is made with Salomon’s high attention to comfort and fit. Using ‘Sensifit’ the belt fits really well to the contours of your body. Adjustable waist straps offer flexibility to enable runners to get a comfortable fit and reducing bounce even when fully loaded in addition the mesh construction keeps it breathable

Salomon Running website HERE