Mr Trail Safety Speaks!

Eyes on the prize. Drop-downs are a logical response of RDs not wanting to have people dropping at remote aid stations, putting a load onto a tight evacuation scenario. This is recent, and yes, I've used it. I'd rather walk my way out of a race-day gone bad than be stuck somewhere. RD's really don't want to haul you out. If you do, you'll be riding on a pile of gear. They also don't want an expensive, bad publicity evacuation if things go really bad. This is another good reason not to have themed costume aid stations. There's a widening talent spectrum in ultras. Its a logical outcome of the boom in the last 10 years.  More people getting into it, and here are some indicators. the widening gap between the super-talented and the mid to back of pack runners the rise of the drop-down option in races social media plays a role here. Its a fact, not a blame. People get all jizzed up, and then race day reality kicks in. The talent bell curve gets l

1990-something. I suspect Ice House Cyn or maybe Tahquitz. Newbies don't understand training run etiquette. It's not exactly their fault for ignorance, so let's drop some knowledge-nuggets. self-insert, self extract have a workable exit-strategy don't be a martyr know your limitations What does this mean? Details follow: You are responsible for your own actions. You are responsible for knowing how you're going to get out of situations. You are not going to burden your pals with your misery. Unless they truly enjoy that shit, you'll be running by yourself. If you insist on being a martyr for the greater glory of social media, go elsewhere. Seriously, nobody cares. I don't run at elite level, and the only place I'll realistically see the elite is at a finish line somewhere. They'll be seeing their grandchildren by the time I finish up. Then I can tell the kids what great studs their grands were when we started out. BTW: that pic is