Overheard at the aid station...
Ok…I meant to do a year-end summary, but of course like all my previous race reports I was going to write, it just didn’t happen. Oh well…maybe I should make that a goal for 2008, but don’t hold me to it.
So my race year will start off again with the HURT 100 — one of my favorite 100 milers I’ve done to date. I can’t wait to see all the regulars, plus a handful of rookies coming out to make their first attempt.
Watch us LIVE!
Off to the airport…ALOHA!
A friend of mine forwarded this to me from the Ultra list. Pretty interesting statistics. Over 2000 runners completed at least 1 100 mile race this year, and almost 300 finished 2, with only 20 finishing 5 or more. I think it would be somewhat interesting to also see how many more started a race but didn’t finish (I’d be one of them), plus the total number of 100 mile races completed by an individual.
Compiled by Jason Walz:
Greetings folks! This project actually is a bit more involved than I
thought it would be, so wanted to provide some updates and let
everyone know what my plans are.First, I won’t have a final version of this until the ATY 2007
official results are posted – many, many people recommended I include
all 100+ mile events, so I can’t have a final version until ATY is
done.Yes, that’s a partial cop-out, too, while I get the data cleansed.
I have now included all 100+ mile events (all 100 milers, plus
24/48/72 hour events, the McNaughton 150, and Badwater). Allan Holtz
pointed out that he received credit for the McNaughton 100 mile after
dropping out after completing 100 miles while attempting the 150 (so
if anyone else has done the same, please let me know). I currently
have the 06 Ancient Oaks results, but will replace with the 07 results
before finalizing.I’ve also received a lot of words of support and correction from a lot
of pacers and crew members on behalf of some of the more dedicated
hundred milers out there – I wish I had crews like you guys!NEEDS: I still need two things; if anyone can help with either of
these, it’d be appreciated:
1) Confirm that Iron Horse, Laramie and Moab 100 are inaugural events in 2008
2) Send a finisher’s list of the Haliburton 100 mile (or let me know
which UR it’s in; my URs through November are in storage, but I can
retrieve them over Christmas break – teach me to be the proactive
cleaner over Thanksgiving!)Number of 100s finished in 2007:
11 (1): Dan Brendan
9 (3): David Goggins, Dennis Drey, Hans-Dieter
8 (1): Phil Rosenstein
7 (3): Andy Kumeda, Gilles Barbeau, Jamshid Khajavi
6 (3): Jack Meyer, Karl Meltzer, Rob Apple
5 (9)
4 (31)
3 (66)
2 (283)
1 (1641)2679 total finishes; 2053 ultrarunners; 80% of hundred+ milers run
only one race, and 94% of hundred+ milers run 1 or 2 ultras. Western
States alone represents 10% of all these finishes.Another way to look at this – the 20% of hundred+ mile runners who
finish more than one race account for 29% of all the hundred finished.Although it undersells the effort a bit, the 2679 finishes at one
hundred miles each represents 1.4 BILLION feet ran by these 2053
runners. That’s 10.8 times around the world at the equator.The 270 finishers of the Western States 100 represents more than an
entire circumnavigation of the globe. Not bad for 30 hours work!
I wrote Greg an e-mail when I didn’t see my name on the list, and he informed me that my application didn’t arrive until 2-3 days after the deadline. ??? 
I found that to be odd, since I mailed it at least a week before — 8+ days for first class mail to go from SoCal to NoCal? Oh well…now I guess I don’t have to sit on the edge of my seat refreshing my computer screen on the day of the lottery anymore. Also, it’s going to allow me to do different races next year, since I won’t be able to do the Last Great Race or the Grand Slam again, but doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t do some of those races. I can tell you though, that Vermont is out, and probably Old Dominion is as well. I’ll see about Leadville and Wasatch, but AC is a for sure. Now I’m really hoping I can do Hardrock, but it means I gotta get picked again. I should have three tickets this year, so my chances are pretty good — I got chosen this year with only 2. I’m definitely going to send in my app well ahead of time, which can be done after January 1, assuming they keep the same procedure as this year. The other race I really want to do is TNF Tour du Mont-Blanc, but I need to decide by the 9th of Jan when registration opens, since that fills up very quickly. Also, that’s gonna be an expensive event with the travel and time off from work, so I will have to probably sacrifice some other out-of-town race(s) as well. The obvious WS alternative will be Bighorn, so I’ll definitely be considering that one — registration should open on Feb 1. If I want to do Wasatch again (need to better my DFL), I’ll have to have my entry postmarked between Jan 2-8, and that’s yet another lottery. So I guess if I get into Hardrock, then it only makes sense to try for the Rocky Mtn Slam — Hardrock and Bear, plus two of these: Bighorn, Leadville, or Wasatch.
Well it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but am hoping that I’ll get back to regularly blogging again. (No, I was not in jail, btw.) First, I’m very happy to say that I’ve begun a new chapter in my life — I recently gave up my 3 year stint as an independent consultant to work at a local Dot.com as an IT Manager. Being on my own allowed a ton of freedom, but also meant periods of little/no income, which combined with a heavy race year was not a good combo — I feel (hope?) that this position/company will be a good balance.
This new job also allowed me to move back to Sierra Madre — been gone a long 6 months. I found a great 2 BR house, just a block away from downtown. I love it there! I’m still in the process of unpacking, and have no furniture, but should be settled in soon, so a house-warming shindig will be happening in the very near future. I’m getting settled in slowly but surely…I got my cable/Internet last week, and my 46″ Sony LCD arrived yesterday — for someone who has never had cable or TV, that’s a pretty big deal. But since I don’t even have a couch yet, I can’t become a potato — at least not right away.
My running has been put on the back-burner for the moment — logging only 3-4 days/week on very low mileage. I’ll slowly start ramping up again though in preparation of HURT in Jan — I suppose with some races (SM50K, SB9T, and OTHTC) coming up, I’ll have no choice. Speaking of which, I ran the inaugural Old Goats 50 Miler the other day, and was pretty pleased with the outcome, so hopefully it was a good warmup for the others. Perhaps I’ll write up a little separate report on that for my next posting…hey, I may just surprise you and actually do it for once! Just watch…
Btw, I sent in my WS application last week, but am hoping to not get in, since I’d like to do some different races next year. I do have some already planned though, regardless of what happens in the lottery — HURT, Coyote (I’m especially looking forward to this one), AC, and SD. I haven’t really thought about the others, but do know I’ll be putting in for Hardrock again. Since I’m the new guy at work, not to mention being a manager, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to swing as many days off for races as I did this year. So far, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be that big of an issue, but we’ll see — it’s only my 4th week. The fact I’m writing this now is a good thing I suppose, but it’s really no indication as to how things will be in the future — that’s just the unpredictable nature of technology.
My last 100 for the year was San Diego a few weeks back — I finished just before most of the area near there started to catch fire, and/or was evacuated. The edge of the Witch Fire came real close to where we ran, so it was pretty scary. Going home on the 15, I saw several big rigs on their sides, and those that were still upright were taking cover underneath freeway overpasses.
Finally, I wish I could say that I completed the Last Great Race, but I’m going to have to save that for next time — I suppose 7 out of 8 100′s (plus 17 other shorter races) this year is still a pretty decent accomplishment. Damn Leadville!
Ok…stay tuned to this RSS feed for more exciting news on my life coming soon! Yeah right…you’re probably better off watching Oprah.
90 degree temperatures, plus 80% humidity, left a Michigan police officer dead, and more than 300 people were admitted to hospitals. There were 10,000 (out of 45000 registered entrants) DNS’s, and 10,934 DNFs.
Here’s a message from their website:
Attention Participants and Spectators:Due to the rising heat index and higher than expected temperatures, LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski and Medical Director Dr. George Chiampas, in cooperation with city officials, have implemented a contingency plan, as a precautionary measure, to effectively close the Marathon course at the halfway point. Runners who have not reached the halfway point by approximately 12:00 p.m. will be diverted back to Grant Park via Halsted and Jackson. Jackson will be closed to automobile traffic and the participants will be provided with additional support along this route. Participants who crossed the halfway point prior to the shut-down will continue to be fully supported along the standard course to the finish line. Participants are asked to take advantage of medical personnel, cooling buses, runner drop out buses, water, Gatorade and other means of support en route back to Grant Park.
Mexican politician runs into time warp
A presidential candidate whose past is marked by charges of dishonesty turns in a fast but questionable time in a marathon.Former Mexican presidential candidate Roberto Madrazo disappeared midway through the Berlin Marathon on Sunday before reappearing nine miles later, winning first in his age group and shaving an hour off his personal record.
Madrazo ran his first 20 kilometers, taking him to the marathon’s halfway mark, in a respectable 1:42:42. He was on track to beat his best times this year, 3:39 at the London marathon, and 3:44 in San Diego.
But he must have slipped into a Berlin Triangle somewhere along the Potsdamer Strasse. There’s no record, according to German race officials, of him passing the 25- or 30-kilometer stations, leaving 15 kilometers of the race with no record of his passing.
He ran each five-kilometer segment on record in an average of about 25 minutes, according to computerized timers, compared with the about 14 minutes run by race winner Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia.
But between kilometers 20 and 35, those missing from the race’s computer record, Madrazo appeared to run every five kilometers in fewer than eight minutes, faster than the 34-year-old Ethiopian winner, who set a world record for a marathon of 2:04:26.
Olympian Jones admits to steroid use
In a letter she sent to close relatives and friends, she says she will plead guilty Friday to two counts of lying to federal agents about her drug use and an unrelated financial matter.Marion Jones, the track and field star from Thousand Oaks who won five medals and worldwide fame at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia, is expected today to become the most significant athlete to admit to using performance-enhancing drugs, after years of fiercely denying it.
Such an admission could lead to Jones’ being stripped of those medals.
Dana Hills XC runner and soccer player, 14 year old Megan Nicole Myers, collapsed at the 2 mile mark of a 3 mile race against Capistrano Valley High School — an hour later, she was pronounced dead at Mission Hospital. An autopsy was performed, but proved inconclusive, so the death remains a mystery.
Over 800 mourners filled Aliso Viejo’s Coast Hill’s Community Church to remember Megan. A video tribute, showing her as a toddler playing in the snow, drew sobs from the crowd — it ended with a note from the girl’s grieving father. “I am running through life,” he’d written to her, “so I can walk with you in heaven.”
The family requests contributions to a scholarship for her XC team — send donations to the following:
OCCF/Megan Myers Memorial Fund
c/o Orange County Community Foundation
30 Corporate Park, Suite 410
Irvine, CA 92606
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The race will begin Friday at 7am local time, which should be around 9pm PDT Thursday according to my calculations. The first update will be from CP22 (81KM) at 14:00 local time, which would be about 4am PDT Friday.
Good luck Scott!
Live updates here.
Oh yeah, Olga was kind enough to point out that the Bear is this weekend — not last weekend.
Finally, after a torturous 2 weeks of very little running after AC, I’ll be headed down to San Diego Friday to do the inaugural Noble Canyon 50K, put on by Scott Mills and the SD Bad Rats. Also, just noticed they assigned Gary Hilliard bib #1 — pretty cool. Looking forward to this race…should be a nice warm-up for the SD100 next month.
A Journey on the 2007
Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs
September 29, 2007
Galaxy Theater – Carson City, Nevada
I realize it’s short notice but we’ve just worked out the final details to premier our new TRT Documentary, “A Glimpse of Heaven and a Taste of Hell” .
You’re all cordially invited to join us this Saturday morning at the new Galaxy Theater in Carson City beginning at 10 a.m. The brand new, digital Galaxy Theater is located at 4000 S. Curry Street, Carson City, NV behind the Casino Fandango.
We have room for 200 so please let us know if you can join us. Admission is FREE!
David Cotter
Co-RD
Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs
tahoedwc@sbcglobal.net
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Our new documentary is basically an introductory story about ultra running told by many of you, the runners at this year’s event, using the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs as the backdrop.
Directed by Carson City’s rising talent Tyler Bournes, under the oversight of Emmy Award winning Director Sheldon Altfeld and Telly Award winning Producer Temma Keatan Hammond, the film also features a music score and theme song written specifically for the project by Carson City musician/composer Marsh Broduer.
The film features many of you, too numerous to mention everyone. But here’s a few faces you’re sure to recognize: Jack Driver, Jasper Halekas, Kim Giiminez, Molly Zurn, Rajeev Patel, Bree Lambert, Thomas Reiss, Rob Hills, Jon Gnass, Julia Bramer, Anil Rao, Eric Clifton and many more of your ultra running friends.
We’ve also started to produce copies for sale for those who may be interested and will have some available on Saturday and will take orders.
We hope to see many of you this weekend!
