This is the last chance to gain entry into the Western States Track Meet.
So how about we throw some odds for this years race:
Mens Race:
Dave Mackey 3-1. Mac Daddy doesn’t run too many ultras, but usually comes in ready to fly, perhaps he’s looking at the WS 100 in June? He said he’d never run another 100!
Scott Jurek 4-1. Scott knows how to win, and if he’s ready, he’ll be on Dave’s heels from the start.
Hal Koerner 7-1. If he’s fit, he’s in it for sure, he may have some issues now, so really he’s the mystery man, he may stay in Oregon at Rogue Valley Runners.
Erik Skaden 7-1. Erik has certainly proven he’s ready to race with the big boys, he’s already in Western so the pressure is off of him, but I’d love to see him win it!
Thomas Reiss 8-1. Flies under the radar, and on the trail too, he has a chance on a great day.
John Olsen 9-1. Proved himself last year with a stellar 15:46 ish run at theRio Del Lago 100.
Lewis Taylor 9-1. Not sure if he can hang for 62 miles, he’ll have to prove himself here.
Guillermo Medina 12-1. Solid performances, but not quite fast enough to win it.
Sean Meissner 12-1. Sometimes he’s on, sometimes not, we’d like to see him on.
Mike Wolfe 14-1. Another guy with the talent, but doesn’t race enough.
Ryne Melcher 15-1. Still waiting to bust one out!
Mark Tanaka 17-1. Local Favorite.
Others: Jeff Browning, Alan Abbs, Rob Evans, Jean Pommier, Paul Sweeney.
I’m sure I missed a few, so any assistance would be great!
Women’s Race
Kami Semick 3-1. This is her kind of course, she’ll prevail unless she has a bad day.
Beverly Anderson-Abbs 5-1. She’ll prevail if Kami has a bad day. She’ll have to nail it to beat Kami.
It should be a two women race for the title, but here’s what I came up with for the rest:
Helen Cospolich 8-1. Loves hills, Miwok is her friend in those regards.
Caren Spore 12-1. When she’s on, she’ll surprise us.
Betsy Nye 14-1. My sentimental favorite.
Rena Schumann 15-1. Another strong woman in the field to round out the top 6.
Chigaya Mase from Japan appears to be the mystery woman!
Don’t forget the Speedgoat 50k on July 26th, 12,000′ of fabulous climbing on my home turf.
And don’t forget to hit this link to my latest adventure along with other La Sportiva Ultrarunner Jared Campbell…thanks Jared! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4N8LE66nSY
Click the goat for 15% off at Backcountry.com
The brutal Promise Land 50k, held in Virginia has come to a close with Sean Andrish trumping the field running 4:44. He was 13 minutes ahead of mystery man Drew Ponder at 4:57. Jeremy Ramsey took 3rd in 5:00 flat.
Justine Morrison continues to run well winning decisively 28 minutes of Coyote Two Moon 100k champ Amy Sproston 6:10). Justine ran 5:42. Heather Fisher finished 3rd at 6:14.
Full results: http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/2008_pl/results.html
At Zane Grey, Tony Krupicka wins his 3rd of the year, Grossman appears to have run 2nd, and Bradley Mongold finishes 3rd. Anita Ortiz continued her strongdebut at Ultra distances winning the womens’ race and finishing 4th overall. It’s all I know right now, results will be posted asap when I know. Go to Tony’s blog to check out his report, I’m sure it’s a winner!
Don’t forget to register for the Speedgoat 50k, it’ll be here before you know it! Find the application under my left ear!
Click the goat for 15% off at Backcountry.com
Leona Divide 50 mileRecord goes down again!
In a belated report, Moeben UltrarunnerJorge Pachecowon his 3rd Ultra this year tearing across the PCT in Southern California in record fashion running 6:29.15! Devon Crosby-Helms also ran a stellar race breaking the 8 hour barrier finishing in 7:44.18.
Full results: http://www.leonadivide.com/results/2008_results.pdf
The big ditch gets burned you ask?
Over this past weekend a few fast guys all headed down to the big hole…that’s the Grand Canyon, and decided to double cross again. To no surprise, Anton Krupicka was the first one out of the ditch with a stellar time of 7:24. Still nowhere near Mr. Dave Mackey’s recordof 6:59. Seems like the GC double-cross has become a hot spot for record attempts. Wonder if the NPS likes that…it’s a free world!
Zane Grey 50this weekend to top it all off!
Mens Odds:
Josh Brimhall 4-1. Josh knows the course well and on a track like this one, local knowledge is key, not to mention his technical skills could prevail.
Anton Krupicka 5-1. Although Anton has proven himself everywhere else, ZG is another beast. He’ll have to dig deep for his feet to survive the softball size stones.
Eric Grossman 7-1. He’ll certainly bring it in for 3rd. Eric has the speed for sure, but again, this technical course can be a nightmare for speedsters not used to running on rocks the entire way.
Bradley Mongold 8-1. New course will hurt him, his speed will help him. Eats rocks for breakfast, hope he likes grapefruit sized cereal!
This should round out the top 4.
I know Anton Won and Josh got lost and thendropped. Anton was on record pace at about 31 miles….nearly 20 minutes ahead of Josh. If anyone has the link to results, help a brother out!
Womens Race:
Anita Ortiz 7-2. Anita has more speed than all the rest, her technical skills will now be tested.
Darcy Africa 5-1. Darcy has great technical skill, she’ll be smiling the wholeway.
Annette Bednosky 7-1.A new venue for her, if she stays on thetrack, she’ll contend.
Emily Baer 8-1. She’s the sleeper, coming from home at 9318′ she’ll have the lung power to make it feel easy.
Honey Albrecht, Ashley Nordell, and Eve Davies should round out the rest up front.
I’ll post results when available, hopefully on Sunday!
The Speedgoat 50k is approaching quickly, register here for a chance to run in Goat Country.
The Utah Ultrarunning Camp is still taking runners for a fabulous and informative weekend in the Wasatch.
Check out whereskarl.com to see where I ran this weekend, it wasn’t necessarily Disneyland, it just seems like it to me. We’ll post that U-tube Video on Friday…don’t miss it, it is very cool!
Matt Hart is in town this weekend for some training in Salt Lake, Matt’s gonna run the entire length of Maine with meon the Appalachian Trail starting August 5th! Preperations are going well for the 2174 mile trek.
I’m goin’ runnin’
Click the Goat for 15% off at Backcountry.com
Pick up the La Sportiva Fireblades now!
Off to Disneyland this weekend to go play!
A few races this weekend exist, but will fly under the radar…both will be heaters.
The Leona Divide 50 in Southern California and the Spring Desert 50 in Fruita, CO.
I had a hard time finding a runners list for LD, so we’ll do some simple odds for Fruita:
Mens Race:
Duncan Callahan 3-1. Almost won the Red Hot 50k in Moab, has far more speed than the rest of his competition.
Allen Bellshaw 6-1. Allen’s probably still running on snow at Steamboat Springs, CO and will be happy to just be on dirt…will he have some speed?
Mark Lisak should be in there too.
Womens Race
Helen Cospolich, Sarah Evans and Tia Bodington should run top 3 for the ladies, but you pick’em,
And back to Disneyland…Check whereskarl.com early next week to see where Disneyland really is, then sign up for weekly updates as I train my arse off for the “AT Assault”!
In other news: We are getting closer to final approval for the Speedgoat 50k from the Salt Lake Watershed…have no fear, it’s gonna happen! I’ll post the topo map and more race instructions soon, so stay tuned! Hopefully the snow will start to melt as Snowbird sits under a 150″ base right now, we might be hoofing through Little Cloud Bowl…posthole style. The speedgoat 50k page at speedgoat50k.com will soon be deactivated and all registrations will be found here on the “speedgoat 50k” page. Link below my left ear. All info will now be found here, including a current runners list.
Off to Space Mountain!
At Bear Mountain NY, Leigh Schmitt and Deb Livingston took home the 1000 bucks and qualify for a trip to San Fran for a chance at the big prize later this fall. Schmitt won easily over Glen Redpath. Deb Livingston placed 3rd overall to dominate the womens field. Too bad more races don’t have the $1000 prize, competition would certainly improve! Sorry bout the belated results, NF was a little behind on this one! Full Results:
http://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.php?lang=eng&racecode=43167
For a little tease of what’s to come this summer, check out whereskarl.com
The McNaughton 100mi and 150mi loop runs in the mud start Friday!
Small Fields, big odds
The 150 mile should be the best race of the two:
3-1 Paul Stofko. Paul won last year and is a very smart starter in this long event.
7-2 David Goggins. Strong performance at Coyote, knows how to run sleep deprived
6-1 Scott Eppleman. If it were smooth, I would give him the nod, but it’s gonna be nice and slick
15-1 Sherpa John and Ryan Dexter. Look for these guys to persevere!
15-1 TracyThomas. Yah she’s a female, but super tough at longer events
Mystery man is John Obst.
In the 100 miler
It should be all Dewitt if the traction permits! My record of 17:40 is somewhat soft and if conditions are not slick it could go down. And a GOOD LUCK to Adrian Belitu! His laid back demeanor should get him in under 26 hours.
Julie Berg is my pick to win the 10-lapper on the grease track.
Goggins takes the 150 in a tight…sorta tight…race with Ryan Dexter and Paul Stofko!
Results: http://www.timetorun.net/Results/McNaughton%20Park/MPTR2008.HTM
The Bull Run Run 50 mileis anotherstory….Beyond the history
Mens Race
5-2 Leigh Schmitt. Experience at Bull Run, defending Champion, focused and fast
4-1 Mark Lundblad. Has all the speed he needs to win it, should battle with Schmitt till one of them cracks
7-1 Todd Walker. Another veteran here, just not enough raw speed to stay with the other two ahead of him
8-1 Joe Kulak. I have a six-pack of Utah’s (not 3.2) finest ale waiting for him if he cracks the top 3
11-1 Randy Miller & Barry Lewis. Randy has been running well latelyand has a stellar game plan from his coach, Barry is always solid and lines up right here.
15-1 Greg Loomis. Once in a while he busts out a fast one, a true mystery man
20-1 Tim Long and Jesse Leitner should be in the hunt as well
Preliminary Results: Mark Lundblad 6:42, Todd Walker 7:10, Randy Miller 7:29
Womens Results: Anne Lundblad 7:31, Michelle Harmon 8:17, Justine Morrison 8:20
Full Results: http://www.vhtrc.org/brr/2008/results.htm
Women’s race
3-2Anne Lundblad. Usually only minutes behind husband Mark, she may run top 5 overall. A shoe-in to take the ladies race.
5-1 Amy Sproston. Great 100k at Coyote, looked very strong. If she’s recovered she’ll be right up there.
6-1 Francesca Conte. Always fast on her home turf. Franny and Amy should duke it out for 2nd.
12-1 Kerry Owens (Massannutten 100 winner), and Justine Morrison should round out the top 5.
And an extra GOOD LUCK to Pedro De la Viesca, and Randy Miller!
And the Mad City 100k US Road Championship
This race should be a barn burner in Wisconsin! Three world class road runners will toe the line for $2000 bucks -$20 for the chump change club fee.
Mens Race
5-2 Greg Crowther. Defending Champion, knows the course well but will need a stellar day to outrun the US 50K champ on his birthday.
5-2 Michael Wardian. what can I say about him, probably deserves more credit…JFK 50last year, Caumsett 50k, he’s on a roll. Yah, it’s his birthday! how can he go wrong.
6-1 Mark Godale. Certainly will be in it, and if he hangs tough he could run away with it and surprise the other two
12-1 Brad Drake and Eric Herdman should round out the top 5.
The mystery man is Derek Dippon.
Look for Roy Pirrung and Kevin Setnes to battle for the over 50 club, while Michael Hayden and Christopher Samp fight for the under 19 title.
Preliminary Results: Michael Wardian 6:56, Steve Stowers 7:14, Adam Lint 7:19.
Womens Results: Carolyn Smith 8:25, Connie Gardner 8:52, Ann Heaslett 9:40.
Full Results: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=7510
Womens Race
3-1 Connie Gardner. Should be somewhat uncontested if she is fit and ready.
5-1 Anne Heaslett. If she brings back that old form, she’ll be in it to win it.
To no real surprise Anton Krupicka and Jenn Shelton…Both Moeben Ultrarunners dominated the AR50 in blazing fashion. Under prime, fast conditions, Krupicka ran an extra 20 seconds per mile quicker than 2nd and 3rd place finishers, Erik Skaden and LonFreeman, clocking a slick 5:42! Krupicka and Freeman earn a spot to run at theWestern States 100now making the field a bit deeper for the downhill extravaganza in California. Skaden was already in.
Jenn Shelton also ran about12 seconds faster per mile than Jenny Capel to take the crown on the flat path. Jenn will get her chance at Western now, and see if she can run 100 miles on a real trail….well, sort of real smooth.
Results: http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/08_AR50_OVL.HTM
The Speedgoat 50k applications are now available here under my left ear. The apps keep coming so don’t miss out on the toughest and most enjoyable vertical challenge in Utah. Also, the Speedgoat 50k information will now be posted on this website in the future. We are going to run it from here now. I’ll post a topo map and all other important info in the coming few weeks…stay tuned!
The Utah Ultrarunning Camp is still taking runners, for those wishing to get the ultimate crash course (we won’t crash, don’t worry) in Mountain Ultrarunning. Sign ups are available here as well.
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Let’s make this short and sweet and see if I can pick’em off the couch!
Mens Race
Lewis Taylor 4-1.Tuned himself atWay Too Cool and will win it surprisingly with a time of 6:14.
Braje 5-1.Has too much pressure on himself after Cool.
Krupicka 5-1. Just needs a top three for a Western number, will he come in injury-free?
Freeman 7-1.Hasbeen out of touch, but is likely ready now.
Skaden 8-1.Hasit inhim but will still be looking for that win when it’s over.
Oz Pearlman 8-1.He’s the mystery man with real speed
Womens Race
Jenn Shelton 1-1.will win it running away, she ran away from me in California last month! She loves the flats, if she hits the last hill close in a battle for the lead, she’ll blow it! We love you Jenn!
Dont forget the Bull Run Run is also this weekend!
Get you’re La Sportiva’s at Backcountry.com! Use Coupon code 2JV-1-QJE3H for an easy 15% off with free shipping.
After hours and hours of putting maps together, adding mileages and driving myself delerious, the AT plan is set. Remember this is only the itinerary and WILL change as I move down the eastern spine. My personal itinerary has all road crossings and crew access points noted, so have no fear, this is only the basic “start and finish points” listed. Enjoy the reading. The plan is to have a tracking device to see where I am at all times. It is going to happen. Backcountry.com is working on this ultimate adventure.
Go to “AT Itinerary” under my left ear to view it!
Don’t forget Coupon Code 2JV-1-QJE3h for 15% off if you need somethin’.
