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Showing posts from August, 2013

Now Is Tomorrow

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Yours truly back in the day when a boy and his friend's shark could run a 100—Wasatch, 1992. CHANGES IN THE ULTRA LANDSCAPE The whole landscape of ultras have changed radically in the last 10 years. The day of RDs putting on races because they love the sport are giving way to corporate-sponsored series, with all attendant features and blemishes. Runners themselves have changed since I got into all this back in 1989. I came from a backcountry ski/travel/mountaineering focus. You self-insert, and self-extract. Runners now reflect the widely suburban culture, that expects free parking, deep swag-bags, medals and probably buckles for their 10ks. Races and their entry requirements are also part of this education process. A 50k is a different order of business than a 50-mile, 100k, and a 100-mile. We have legacy 100s that have not significantly changed their qualification requirements since Day One. Gutting out a 50 on the flats is not likely to ge

Wanna Be/Has Been

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I've always been big, just the sponsorship got small. Careless Whispers I was recently called an ultra wanna-be  in an acrimonious email exchange.  The accusation came about because a  disgruntled group-member  posted a come-on from The Clymb, which is Mary-Kay Cosmetics for dudes . I busted him, he got bent, and it all went into the weeds from there.  The exchange ended abruptly before I could tell the young hot-head that I would kill to be a wanna-be. I'm an ultra has-been .  This past year was a yard-sale of health issues, which culminated in a sharp POP  coming from my left-calf this past May. I tore something, and it could've been a lot worse. I went from running to a standing stop. Running in any form is off the table until that tear heals, period.  Right now I do a lot of walking, and the diet got leaner because trousers were shrinking.  Of course,  I blame Obama, global warming, and gay immigrant whales. If I had my gun, none of this would've hap

Hundo Newbie Asks For Tips

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Jesus pops a selfie. Or it could be a Brand Ambassador sponsored runner. Just before the 2013 Angeles Crest 100, Robert Whited,  as our Candide in the Best Of All Possible Ultra Worlds, asked the AC100 Facebook Page the following brilliant pre-race question: “I’m a newbie to hundos, do you have any tips?” Sensing a deep need for enlightenment, men and a woman stepped up and shared out their wisdom.  Read on! Marcus England: The whole course is runnable. Running the uphills is the key to glory. August 1 at 8:04am · Unlike · 7 Howie Stern: Slather yourself in salad oil. August 1 at 8:05am via mobile · Unlike · 4 Robert Whited: Slather and run all the uphills...check. I’m a finicky eater on a vegan diet. Will the aid stations cater to me? August 1 at 8:07am · Like Marcus England: Make sure you follow the course markings, despite your obvious need to always go sharply to the right... August 1 at 8:07am · Unlike · 5 Rainer Schulz: take a lot of selfies to