I don’t run ultras but several of the guys in my circle do.
Goes to show that I hang out with a lot of folks that probably aren’t well. That
said, the relative being of their wellness doesn’t appear to impede their
ability to get after it.
My old partner in crime Mr. Bryan Boots – the other
half of Team Hobo – ripped it up a couple weeks back at Nick Clark’s new ultra
up in the Colorado Front Range, the Quad Rock 50. Old man Botas held it together long enough to notch an 8th place
finish with a time of 8hrs 42min. I haven't a clue how fast that is on a relative basis, but a top-ten
finish is nothing to shake a stick at particularly on the Front Range which has
quickly established itself as one of the epicenters of the country’s rapidly growing
ultra running scene. Looks like he got nicked by a few recognized names: Ryan Burch, Jason Koop, and Corey Hanson. Maybe a bit more than nicked but a
fine and respectable finish nonetheless. Where the wheels at son? Something to work on I guess.
 |
| Mr. Boots hammering out the miles - courtesy of Rob Erskine |
I believe he told me his next race may
be up in Silverton or Lake
City. Might try
to make it up there and pace the guy for a bit. Yeah my toe is half-smashed but
running 50mi through the San Juans is no joke either. Sorta have to take one
for the team and smooth the edges out later with a cold one.
New Mexico had some rep up at Quad Rock, local finishers include Bill Geist (Los Alamos) at 26th,
9hrs 54min; Jim Breyfogle (Rio Rancho) at 37th, 10:31; Neil
Blake (Rio Rancho) at 42nd, 10:41; and, Paul Yourick (Albuquerque)
at 72nd, 11:43.
Updated: I should note that New Mexico's
premier ultra, the Jemez Mountain Trail Runs, were held west of Los
Alamos on May 19th. I know that the race organizers (Bill Geist from above) worked a bit
of magic to put a trail race together in the Jemez after last year's monster fire.
Distances were 13.1mi, 50km, and 50mi.
I'll just point to three solid race reports here:
- Santa Fe's
Jacob Waltz posted notes from the front-pack of the 50mi over at
santafetrailrunner
- Dave Hanenburg has a 50mi report up over at
endurancebuzz.com
- and, Santa Fe's
Katie Arnold, 50km champ and newbie, notes what it feels like to train for,
run, and win an ultra. Katie also writes to an online column for Outside Magazine -
Raising Rippers.
Wow, nearly 9 hours of running....and that Lake City course looks brutal! Sub 9 there sound difficult. Impressive stuff for Bryan.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the toe heal up!
Yeah man, 9 hours of running is more than a lot. That's more than I sleep for chrissakes. Spending that much time in the saddle is no Christmas party either, I don't know how you guys get through that kind of stuff.
DeleteToe feeling better already. If I can just stay clear of anvils and falling pianos I should be good.
I think I picked up "sympathy toe" from you....a little one has been quite sensitive since running the Burner last week. Heal up!
ReplyDeleteYeah man, running out 30mi of trail can be a close approximation to jamming your toes in bike spokes. At least you made more of a day out of it. Big toe and small toe are important stabilizers but the middle toes kinda just control their own minor fiefdoms down there. A little rest, a little sock-action, and they come around almost as good as new.
ReplyDelete