Speedgoat 50k registration is open, click here to register.
Moeben Ultrarunner Jorge Pacheco squeezes out the mens Ultrarunner of the Year title by only 3 votes! Kyle Skaggs was right behind, while Mike Wardian took third.
Kami Semick edged Jamie Donaldson (the 100 mile queen) by only 18 votes. Suzannah Beck mopped up 3rd in the voting a couple dozen behind Jamie.
My opinion:
Jorge finally got some love as he’s been running fast for many years. This one could have gone either way with Kyle and Mike. Had Kyle run a few more races he might have edged Jorge, but Jorge stacked them up. I will have to say I think Kyle would beat Jorge at any distance but quantity won the vote this year. Mike also was very impressive stacking up many fast marathon times…but marathons aren’t ultras, and unfortunately don’t count.
Kami’s voting was well deserved. Her run at the 100k world’s was stellar. She then beat other top girls at the North Face 50, which in reality (in my opinion of course) was the championship and the deciding race for 2008. All her other races were fast and solid. Suzannah was close too, and is just as fast as Kami, but failed to dominate when she needed to. Unfortunately the NF 50 course marking took Suzannah off course, had she not made a wrong turn she may have taken home the $10,000. Such is the life of a trail race.
Jamie is the winner of the most durable ultrarunner of the year. Her multiple 100 mile wins, all with very fast times, would put her on top most years, but this year turned out to be a very competitive season.
Speedgoat of the Year????, because goats run on trails, Kyle and Jorge get the nod, now we have to figure out who to give it to. Badwater was a road race……remember that!
I’m working on it, and trying to figure out how to put that ugly skull trophy in a box.
Hi Karl: Mike Wardian ran way more than just marathons this year. He won the 50K and 100K national championships along with the White River 50 (50-mile USA trail championship) and was the top American at the 100K Worlds. Unfortunately for Mike, the Western States 100 was canceled. Maybe he should have gotten in a 100 miler after the WS100 was canceled to lock up a brilliant year. At any rate, from what I know about Jorge he’s an amazing runner, but how does a guy bring home 3 national championships and not get UltraRunning Magazine’s Male Ultrarunner of the Year…the same guy who was named ultrarunner of the year by the USATF. To me, this was a robbery.
I love your blog and am a big fan.
Wyatt
give it to the long haired kid….
Since I’m a visual person I’ve done the leg work and outlined out the top 4 candidates 2008 races for speed goat of the year. I’ve removed the non-trail races so that we can look at each of the candidates race resume for 2008.
By removing the non-trail races Jorge losses his Badwater victory. Kyle only did trail races so his race resume remains the same. Jamie losses her Badwater victory, her IAU 24-hour 5th place, and her Cornbelt 24-hour victory. Kami looses her IAU 100k (100k asphalt circuit) 2nd place finish.
Jorge Pacheco
-50k 03:55:21 OTHTC High Desert 50K 4th
-100m 14:12:21 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile 1st
-50m 06:20:37 American River 50 Mile Endurance 7th
-50m 06:42:51 Avalon 50 Miles 5th
-50m 06:29:15 Leona Divide 50 Mile 1st
-50m 07:41:01 Mt. Disappointment 50k Endurance 40 M 1st NCR
Kyle Skaggs
-100m 23:23:30 Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run 1st NCR
-50k 04:03:03 Moab Red Hot 50k 1st
-50k 03:48:59 Dogwood Canyon 50k 2nd
-50m 08:08:15 Jemez Mountain 1st NCR
-50m 07:02:36 The North Face Endurance Challeng 4th
Jamie Donaldson
-100m 18:43:57 Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Enduran 1st
-100m 16:21:10 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run 1st NCR
-50k 04:18:11 Pemberton 50k 1st
-52m 08:17:24 Rocky Mountain Double Marathon 1st
-100k 20:30:00 HURT Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run 1st
-6hr Salomon Equinox 6 Hour 1st
Kami Semick
-50m 07:42:54 White River 50 Miles 1st
-100k 09:15:50 Miwok 100K 2nd
-50k 05:16:44 Silver State 50k 1st
-50m 07:58:37 The North Face Endurance Challeng 1st NCR
After looking at each of their non-trail race season, Klye definitely had the trail performance of the year. Jamie had the most wins with 6 races. After all of this I’m still not sure if I made the speed goat of the year choice clearer or made the decision more difficult.
Joy
Joy, you are a star! compiling all this stuff, you just made my job a little easier! You rock!
Looking at these results, the long haired kid takes it easy, he’ll have that nasty goat haired thing on his mantle eventually. And after Mr. Koerner won it last year, they’ll have to hang that in the Rogue Valley Running store. Now they have two goatheads to look at. It should definately sell more shoes.
On Wardian: he really didn’t get much love. His victory at the 50k, 100k USATF races, and WR were certainly impressive, but against (almost) noone else (except WR). Not taking anything away from him, his times were fast. Maybe this year the boys and girls at UR mag decided to vote in a trail runner? I do feel they are slightly biased on who wins. But that’s how it works, there is no real “authority” in ultrarunning. USATF is hardly an authority in this sport and doesn’t really do anything for ultrarunners, other than collect 20 bucks for membership and put their names on a few races. But that’s another story I’ll leave alone. I would have been interesting to see Mike run Western, a 100 mile race is another ballgame. I missed out too, I saw no love with only 3 votes. I barely made the list of “others”. It is what it is.
On Jorge, his trail runs were good, but against (mostly) no competition too, he ran fast, but didn’t really beat any of the big boys. Kyle Skaggs takes Speedgoat of the Year, hands down.
If we had a male and female award, Kami would win easily because she beat other top runners. Granted Jamie was impressive like Jorge and Mike, but didn’t race competitive fields. Umstead may as well be a dirt road race and the HURT 100k is a DNF in my book. If we sign up for 100 miles, we run 100 miles or DNF. I too, did that a few years ago and don’t count it as a “win”. It was simply a trip to Hawaii and a run through the jungle.
yea for the long haired, granola crunchies. and it did the heart good to see john dewalts name in there for age grouper. two fine fellas.
damn impressive is Josh Cox’s 2:47 50km just recently.
No surprise to me he ran that fast! Josh, I do believe has run some super fast marathons in the past. This is an american record? I know it’s close if not. We’ll put that in the “great performances” of 2009. Now we have two already.
yep, American record, crushed it by some 4 minutes despite taking multiple shit breaks.
I had the opportunity to meet Josh at the 2006 Boston Marathon. He was at the expo going for the marathon treadmill world record. The machine he was on was unlike any dreadmill I’d ever seen. It was a monster to say the least. Must have cost some mucho bucks. I met him right after the attempt. He was sitting and signing autographs. About as down to earth as anyone I’ve met. Good for him on breaking this 50K record.
Let’s not forget he did once own the CR @ MMTR - 6:57, so this guy definitely has the goods to venture into this realm.
Great Website! Keep it up
Excluding pavement races from an ultrarunner award wouldn’t make sense to me. There’s a few “trail” races out there that are groomed dirt roads and some others runs about like a XC course.
Josh Cox 50K. It was laps on a track tagged to end of the Rock ‘n’ Roll AZ road marathon. I think he ran 2:20 for the 26.2. Kind of weird for me claiming records from psuedo events. I don’t know why he didn’t save the 50K effort for the USATF race in NY in March. That said, Cox would probably be tough no matter what course he ran. I’ve seen interviews, interesting guy. You’ve probably seen him in a Powerbar ad.
Scott, you are completely right in saying Ultrarunner of the Year has to include road races. This award is from Ultrarunning Magazine. The USATF Ultrarunner of the Year is only available for USATF members. And although everyone can join the USATF for a measly 20 bucks, never are all the best runners in that voting. 20 bucks is nothing but for some of us, it’s just principle about paying the fee. We should not have to be a member to be an elite athlete and in the USATF voting. The vote should be open to all in the US.
When I mentioned the “Speedgoat of the Year”, it is truly a different award established by myself and another friend. It has nothing to do with the actual “best runner” but the best “trail and mountain runner”. It’s mumbo jumbo, and just a cool trophy, and the people vote on it, not a panel of a select few.
Josh Cox’s 50k run was stellar, but now that I heard on how it was set up, it seems wrong. He should have been on a course that was a certified 50k. Although he probably was on a certified distance, it should have been a 50k race. Wierd seeing he’s the only finisher of this 50k?, Much like Alex Tilson’s run a few years ago.
Any way you look at it, Josh is freakin’ fast!
Just my two cents.
I think the USATF ultrarunner of the year award belongs in the garbage. No offense to the winner. It doesnt count. USATF is a joke.
Also it is hard to choose a true Ultrarunner of the Year award because mountains and roads are apples and oranges.
I think they need to give out 2 awards to help fight the confusion. How do you decide between a fast road 50k and breaking the course record at Hardrock or the HURT?? I think it is stupid and impossible to do.
Just my lame opinion.
Love your opinion Evan!
The USATF UR of the Year award is no more of a joke then their “no headphone” policy. Wait. They changed that. Now you can wear phones except in “championship races” What?
I hope I live long enough to see the day when there are wireless, small earbuds on the market! That’ll screw’em!
Even over the head…headphones that are wireless would rock, we could put that ipod shuffle in the pocket and start rockin’. TEchnology is coming, have faith. I just wish I wasn’t getting older. The Speedgoat 50k…….we encourage headphones, why would you want to listen to yourself sucking wind?
Thank you very useful information indeed http://www.renight.net