Ultra Discussion Thread

ultrawoman

hillsiderunner wrote: »

Neady from these parts was 3rd female

Brilliant! Congratulations, Neady!!!

TFBubendorfer

We've spoken about Steve Way a few times before.

He had a tough year, and he had started to think he was getting too old for that kind of thing.

Guess what, he's back. 3rd place in Comrades today! :eek:

https://twitter.com/ComradesRace/status/1005744490345369601

Neady83

hillsiderunner wrote: »

Neady from these parts was 3rd female

Cheers M Lovely to meet you at the CPs, sorry it was so brief and I was probably a bit scattered. The heat certainly made it an interesting race

ultrawoman wrote: »

Brilliant! Congratulations, Neady!!!

Thank you A, your turn next

Itziger

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

We've spoken about Steve Way a few times before.

He had a tough year, and he had started to think he was getting too old for that kind of thing.

Guess what, he's back. 3rd place in Comrades today! :eek:

https://twitter.com/ComradesRace/status/1005744490345369601

Opus of these parts in a (I think!!) respectable 9.32.

opus

Yes indeed I made it to the finish under my own steam this year unlike in the back of a 'bailer bus' last time out! That was my only goal for the event tbh.

It went reasonably ok, just one bad patch but guess you've got to expect one in something 90k long. Without going into too much detail I found myself in pressing need of a portaloo somewhere around 65k, so much so that I had to resort to walking 'til I found one & then there was the inevitable queue of course. When I reemerged into the sunshine, had to resort to coaxing myself back running with the old run to the next pole, walk for a while & repeat trick but it did actually work over the next few k & was chugging along again by the time I passed 75k.

The finish has been moved to one of the stadia built for the world cup which nobody I spoke to (or myself) was very keen on as it has lost the intimacy of the old finish in the cricket ground where you hanging out right next to the track afterwards instead of way up in a stand mile away for the action.

Forgot the most exciting part of the day was actually getting to the start. I managed to snag a lift from another participant so we left at 3am for what is normally a ~1h driver to Pietermaritzberg but turned out that 2 of the three lanes had been closed on the motorway so given the amount of traffic going to the start it was crawling. In the end, the taxi had to drop us around a k from the start so we had a nice little warm up jog from there to the start pens! Bit of a shame as the atmosphere at the start is electric so I missed some of that, made it into the pen with ~5 mins to go as they removed the barriers between the zones & everyone pushed forward. Just at the part in the video below where Chariots of Fire kicks off. All part of the fun I guess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oakNCaX1OI

RIGOLO

Great race in store today in the Western States 100.
Jim 'Im so cocky Im going to break the course record Wamsley makes his return to exorcise the demons of getting lost 2016  and a spectacular blow up last year, goes up against the best of Europe in Francois Haine.
Its not that often the Europeans go stateside to take on the best of Americas trail runners.
Walmsley has spoken of changing his nutrition race strategy, availing of the river crossings to cool down as oppossed to trying to keep his socks dry, and also not setting out at a ridiculous pace. 
Im still expecting Francois to take the victory, his Alpen experience will chew up the best the US has to offer. Although with the course not being so technical it may suit a more speed demon. 
But there are also a number of Americans who are not to be dismissed , over 100 miles alot can happen. 
Its an epic race in my opinion, truly in the spirit of trail running and pioneer spirit. (not the non-alcohol pioneer spirit, the other one) 
Their website doesnt seem to be handling the load,https://www.wser.org/ ; but heres another link with info. 
https://www.outsideonline.com/2320321/jim-walmsley-ultrarunner-western-states

TFBubendorfer

Walmsley went out hard again - 8 minutes lead at mile 25.

Considering that it's supposed to be even hotter than last year he doesn't seem to have to learn from last year's mistake.

Testosterscone

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Walmsley went out hard again - 8 minutes lead at mile 25.

Considering that it's supposed to be even hotter than last year he doesn't seem to have to learn from last year's mistake.

IIRC he has had a few build up races specifically in blistering conditions, assuming these were specific for acclimatization?

TFBubendorfer

Testosterscone wrote: »

IIRC he has had a few build up races specifically in blistering conditions, assuming these were specific for acclimatization?

He raced Lake Sonoma, which was reasonably hot, but I'm not aware of any others - not that I'm following him that closely.

10 minutes lead at mile 30. He'll either win in spectacular fashion or blow up in spectacular fashion once again. Looks like that's the only way of racing he knows.

TFBubendorfer

16 minutes under course record pace at halfway, apparently looking comfortable. :eek:
I still think he's pushing too hard though it would be amazing to be proven wrong.

On other news, our very own ArtieFufkin is doing very well in Belfast, in 3rd place at the moment (still a bit early to take note, though)

Neady83

18 minutes ahead of record pace coming into Foresthill (mile 61.5) at 8:56:15 elapsed.

Really hope that he can keep it up, long way to go yet.

TFBubendorfer

Walmsley wins in 14:30:04, a big new course record of over 16 minutes! :eek:

Sometimes you see a performance that's just out of this world, and this is one of them. Delighted to have been wrong!

TFBubendorfer

And Courtney Dauwalter wins the women's race in 17:27:02. She ran in Belfast last year

TFBubendorfer

It must have been the day for incredible performances.

Nao Kazami sets a new world record for 100k, in 6:09:14!
https://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2018/06/kazami-breaks-100-km-world-record-at.html

Slogger Jogger

Wexford man living in San Fran Paddy O'Leary was 6th place in the North Face Lavaredo Ultra trail. Some going given the big trail names he is running against.
121k with 5,800 metres of climb in what must have been warm conditions.
Race time was 13:19. Nice to see Ireland high up on the results list.
Hayden Hawks won it in 12:16

RIGOLO

Nice interview with Jim Walmsley post his Western States win. 
Amzingly he got held up by a momma bear and her 2 cubs and lost a couple of mins,
 7.50 mins into the interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rr_dqeRGAU
Fair play to the guy he has mellowed with age , lost some of his new young buck on the scene bragadociousness.
Sounds like he had a pefect day .

Off to UTMB , lets see how he gets on in the Europeans backyard . Looking forward to a great race again.

Female winner Courney Dauwalter comes across really nice and a really great runner ..nice combination in anyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3oVzUyjuKw

Neady83

RIGOLO wrote: »

Nice interview with Jim Walmsley post his Western States win. 
Amzingly he got held up by a momma bear and her 2 cubs and lost a couple of mins,
 7.50 mins into the interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rr_dqeRGAU
Fair play to the guy he has mellowed with age , lost some of his new young buck on the scene bragadociousness.
Sounds like he had a pefect day .

The smile on his face, pure unadulterated joy. Absolutely delighted for him

I'll be in Chamonix for the start of the UTMB, looking forward to seeing Jim and Killian toeing the line

Jakey Rolling

Couldn't quite get a direct link, but follow this link and click on "24h Einzel Bewerb" to see how our TFBubendorfer is getting on. Apparently conditions a good deal cooler than here right now, 16C with light showers forecast. Early days yet, just 2 hours in.

Enduro

Jakey Rolling wrote: »

Couldn't quite get a direct link, but follow this link and click on "24h Einzel Bewerb" to see how our TFBubendorfer is getting on. Apparently conditions a good deal cooler than here right now, 16C with light showers forecast. Early days yet, just 2 hours in.

His race number is 51 by the look of it. 5 hours in, so it can only be lost, not won at this stage. He appears to be doing a nice steady pace currently, not getting distracted by the early frontrunners. A bit faster than his PB pace, but not worryingly so.

On the other hand Andreas Michalitz in 2nd, who I've raced against a few times, is currently way beyond his PB speed. Easy pickings later there for Thomas methinks!

TFBubendorfer

Unfortunately it was not to be.

The legs have not felt right for the last 3-4 weeks. I don't know what it is, and could not get them right. I decided to give it a go regardless and see what happens. I was happy enough with the first half but it fell apart rapidly and badly.

If you want to see an example on how to race a 24 race, look at the splits of the winner, Clemens Huemer. He was nowhere near the top for many, many hours but stormed through the field later on to take the win. Andi Michalitz suffered badly in the last few hours but hung on for place 2 by sheer force of will (and a serious amount of talent - I think he is the best ultra runner in Austria at the moment, from a talent point of view)

RIGOLO

Great reporting yesterday from 'Wild Ginger Runner ' on Killian Jornet beating the Bob Graham Round record yesterday. 
Killian had kept it a secret he was going to attempt it (after wining Mont Blanc marathon last week) but when she heard he was doing it , Claire hoped in the car drove the 2 hours to the finish and live streamed her report of the finish. 

As it was live streaming its unedited and off the cuff, might make for hard watching for some after the event but I must say I really enjoyed it yesterday sitting under the sun in the garden,  post a workout the live stream notification popped up on th ephone. It gave alot of the atmosphere.  Plus she was responding real time to questions and comments of those watching, which included his mother. 
She live streamed both the finish and also 1 hour later when Killian came out to meet fans and chat. A very humble real runner, he looked like he had suffered alot, he is human like the rest of us and I smirked as I watched him struggle to climb the steps post the race. And at one stage as Killian was introduced to one of the pacers who paced the record 36 years ago Killian took out his own photo and asked for a picture with the pacer.  
And in a very self-depreceating way he paid respect to the old record by commenting quite often that he had had perfect conditions, dry underfoot. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaaInghWamU
He took 1 hour off the old record, with perfect conditions and top notch pacers, it shows what a feat the original record set by  Bill Bland of 13hrs 53 mins was.

sutrra

As a new guy in Ultra running in Ireland, and running all together(3 years) .....what would be the millestones for Ultra runners in Ireland? From my perspective that will look like Maurice Mullins Ultra, Connemarathon, Kerry 100k, Wicklow Way full route,the kerry way ultra and wicklow round. Thanks you all for and add on this list

TFBubendorfer

sutrra wrote: »

As a new guy in Ultra running in Ireland, and running all together(3 years) .....what would be the millestones for Ultra runners in Ireland? From my perspective that will look like Maurice Mullins Ultra, Connemarathon, Kerry 100k, Wicklow Way full route,the kerry way ultra and wicklow round. Thanks you all for and add on this list

I'd have Donadea 50k at the start of the list, the Connemara 100 mile race closer to the end and the Belfast 24 hrs as my personal 3 top events but then again I'm primarily a road runner.

Plenty of other races that I enjoyed very much, like the Glen of Aherlow ultra or the Sixmilebridge 30/52 miles race or the Portumna 50k/100k, and that's just for starters

ArtieFufkin

sutrra wrote: »

As a new guy in Ultra running in Ireland, and running all together(3 years) .....what would be the millestones for Ultra runners in Ireland? From my perspective that will look like Maurice Mullins Ultra, Connemarathon, Kerry 100k, Wicklow Way full route,the kerry way ultra and wicklow round. Thanks you all for and add on this list

You've got most of the top ones there. As a novice the Donadea 50k (as mentioned by TFB) would be a good starting point. My first was the Connemarathon which is always good fun and sometimes with very challenging weather. I'd rate it as one of the best in Ireland.
Dublin2Belfast or Belfast2dubiln (depending on the year) is a real challenge. 107 miles and more hilly than you would expect!
I've never done the kerry way or Connemara 100 miles but they are definitely ones to aim for (I always seem to be busy those weekends)
WW100 is a real challenge and depending on what is on each year it is usually the toughest 100 miler in the country.

One final mention for the Art O'Neill. I think I've now tried four times but never got an entry. Depending on the weather this one can be really tough.

Enduro

sutrra wrote: »

As a new guy in Ultra running in Ireland, and running all together(3 years) .....what would be the millestones for Ultra runners in Ireland? From my perspective that will look like Maurice Mullins Ultra, Connemarathon, Kerry 100k, Wicklow Way full route,the kerry way ultra and wicklow round. Thanks you all for and add on this list

It all comes down to your own preferences in the end. There are lots of sub-categories.... ultrarunning is a very broad category in reality.
The big divide is definitely off-road/trail vs road/track. We're unusual enough in Ireland in that a high proportion of people give both a good go. But that really is unusual compared to most countries, particularly larger ones.

Road/track have the advantage that they are cross comparible, and there well defined classic distances, as well as national and international championships.

Off road tend to have a lot more variety, and require a broader skillset.

Personally I also divide ultras into "speed" and "endurance" categories. "speed" being event sup to 100km or so, where marathon training and marathon "legs" will get you home, and more! "Endurance" being a big switchover, particularly from 24 hours upwards.

So choice of milestones could be based on which of those various subcategories interest you most. Other factors could be depth of field, age/history of the race, or whether it is a championships or international trial.

So for me, races which I hold in particular regard in Ireland (Order not significant):

Maurice Mullins... Ireland's oldest ultra by a long margin. Generally a good deep field, and plenty of numbers. Often a qualifier.

Belfast 24 hour: National championship, broad range of standards, fast course, Classic distance, very well organised

Art O'Neill : Amazing history, great fun, quite challenging!

Donadea 50km : National championship, broad and deep field, legendary organistion, shortest classic distance for the speedsters

Kerry way... longest trail ultra in Ireland currently, super route

Wicklow Way race: Classic route, growing into quite a big event.

We've come a long way in the last 10 years in Ireland.... its great.

summit2summit

sutrra wrote: »

As a new guy in Ultra running in Ireland, and running all together(3 years) .....what would be the millestones for Ultra runners in Ireland? From my perspective that will look like Maurice Mullins Ultra, Connemarathon, Kerry 100k, Wicklow Way full route,the kerry way ultra and wicklow round. Thanks you all for and add on this list

Check out the Rankin Round too, which is up north

Ultraman100

Heap of videos and short films all in one place

https://trailrunningnordwand.blogspot.com/p/the-trail-running-film-archive.html?m=1

Enduro

Nice article from Outside Magazine from a non ultra runner about his visit to UTMB... I was thinking of our own Chivito reading for some reason

opus

Just thrown my name in the hat for the Rennsteiglauf (~72k trail ultra) in Germany next year, my 2nd attempt as came down with a dose of cold last time so had to do it feeling fairly rotten doped up on paracetamol, of course I'll probably be slower this time now Entered the Conn Ultra as well to force myself to a bit of training in advance.

grahamor

Paul Tierney is about 15 minutes away from finishing Tor Des Geants - http://live.tordesgeants.it/#/runner/25

Think he improved on last years time by about 5 hours.

Absolute beast of a race with more than 30k ascent