Mr Trail Safety Speaks!

June 30 2022, Sacramento CA. California Dept of Motor Vehicles announced a new commemorative plate: the FOMOCAM. It honors the sacrifices of amateur camera-operators at the 2022 Western States 100 , who selflessly inserted themselves into glory between working professionals and team athletes. FOMOCAM embodies the tireless efforts of those who are called to collide with reality, as legends in their own minds.   Meanwhile, Colorado, not wanting to be left out, or leave money on the table, announced its two-tier FOMOCAM plate. Colorado bet that there would be an even larger number of FOMOCAM aspirants. The Tier One CO FOMOCAM plate is in honor of famed and exclusive Hardrock 100 . Only 147 of these plates will be issued by lottery, not counting the the 18 international rollovers and RD Dale Garland's Pick-Six. The Waitlist is reportedly almost 48.   The Tier Two CO FOMOCAM plate is in honor of the venerable Leadville Trail 100 , with its related LifeTime®™ family of races spannin...

I'm shattered, shattered... So you're putting together a playlist for your Next Big Ultra. OK! This is part of the Enthusiasm For The Sport®™ that is so endearing. I don't buy into it. Its one more piece of gear that will entangle, distract, and fuck you up. You also might miss an important sound cue from outside your bubble. Batteries, cable, playlist, BPM, and the unplanned mockery when those inspirational lyrics are the soundtrack to you doubled over, talking to the ants.  Its even more annoying when you haul into an aid station, and whoever's in charge thinks you really want to hear Journey, or whatever at volume, because its a party. And everybody's in some costume [another story altogether]. Shit makes me crazy. I'm trying to think, get a grip, and a PA is drilling into my head. I've fled aid stations to get away from the noise and discovered my bottles were unfilled.  Over the years I've relied on memory. Music emerged from deep tissu...