It appears as though the HURT 100 mile record has gone down AGAIN. Gary Robbins and Tracy Garneau appear to have both broken previous records. Gary by just 16 minutes, Tracy by alot more than that. What is this world coming too? Or am I just getting old? 20:12 for Gary, 24:06 for Tracy. Nuts! Another performance of the year performance, and it’s only January 16. I still need a confirmation as I’m dumbfounded.
In a brief conversation with my dad about “Ultrarunner of the Year“, he mentioned to me how all the guys in the top 10 were quite a bit younger than I. Me being 42 ( I was voted 2nd ) and most of the others in there early 30’s or 20’s. Maybe I should move forward to the Masters Division? I just can’t think that way, I feel alot younger than that, at least in my brain.
Congrats to all that have now finished and will be finishing in the next 14 hours. Enjoy the stellar meal at the country club. First class all the way.
And now that you’ve finished ( or will be finishing the HURT 100 ) enjoy the rest, it’s well deserved. Now we can watch Mr. Greg Crowther see if he goes under the record at the Rocky Racccoon 100. It wouldn’t surprise me, what are these guys doing……levitating?
In a few days the drawing is held for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Geoff Roes and I are both on the list to hopefully get in and give the Europeans another shot at kicking our american asses. I think Geoff and I have other plans on that one.
Don’t forget the Speedgoat 50k is filling fast, click here to find all pertinent info on the toughest 50k in the US. And now theres some prize money to entice you fast “young” guys out there.
I better go run, cuz’ if I don’t start training hard now, I will be a master!
Two CR’s by two Canadians! Way to go Gary and Tracy!
Results seem to be back up now…
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tec5NjXCArAZ1MBXCq5Ubmg&single=true&gid=0&output=html
Tracy 2nd overall!
Putting Canada in the map! Gary ad Tracy.
I think I mentioned Gary on your blog a couple years ago. I saw it coming and it has come!
Miwok 2010 he’s going for Western…..
Karl, I appreciate the thought, but Clifton’s JFK50 record survived my best shot at it, so I suspect his RR100 mark is safe (from me, anyway) as well. For one thing, I’ve never finished a 100 before; for another, the RR course was changed in ‘09 and is generally thought to be slower now. (AJW estimated that the changes added 10-15 minutes per 20-mile loop.) If I ran run close to or under 14 hours, I’ll be happy.
Thanks for the shout out Karl, means a lot coming from someone of your caliber! Wish I could make it down for the speedgoat 50…maybe in 2011!
GR
Karl, you had a kick ass 2009… Hoping this year treats you even better!
Gary….My caliber? How about your caliber?
Great run man, you and Nick Clark (at Bandera) started this year off with a bang, also apparently a record went down at the Calico 50k as well. Not sure how fast that is, but 3 for 3, records and races. 
Here we go again.
Greg, yah, I was just talking mumbo jumbo, but theres a few guys out there with the speed to challenge records. You are one of them. And even though it may be the first 100, all you have to do is nail it right? Good luck down there. I almost made it to at least run with ya for a little while. But I decided to stick close to home and save my energy for Mt. Blanc….if I get in.
so long as the euro’s don’t cut course, as they have in the past, i don’t think you and geoff should have much of a problem.good luck in getting in!
m.evans
Great job by the Canadians! Top 3 women! But no Ontario male runner has ever completed HURT 100!! Not good for the East Coast - West Coast rivalry!
Now that Monica got the toughest one out of the way, watch as she gets stronger over the next twenty-nine 100-milers!
you are in for UTMB!!! Geoff is also in.
this will be a great race. Killian will have real challenge know.
welcome to Europe
UTMB, you and Geoff got a place.
Go get Kilian!
Looks like another European Vacation….
Wow nice showing with both mens and womens records falling.
Karl,
We met at the Grindstone 100 this past October. I am the anaesthesiologist that was talking to you about the science behind nutrition and poor sleep after a race. I too got into UTMB and look forward to meeting you in August!
You’re an old man and still taking ‘em down at the technical 100 milers. Very inspirational. I don’t see how you or Geoff are going to compete with Kilian at UTMB, however. Dude is really coming into his own, knows the course (obviously since he’s a past winner), has the young legs, has been running in those European crags since he was in diapers, etc. Has he been implicated in the switchback cutting? Or was that just the old dudes like Olmo? Anyway, it’s awesome for us fans that you’re going back to settle a score with the mountain. When you DNF’d a few years back, was it fatigue, injury, disappointment with the cheating, or just a combination of everything? Best of luck, if you win, you just might bring home an UROY trophy!
Trail Clown: I dont expect to run with Killian. I just want to get the monkey off my back. Geoff however, can run with Killian, and he’s the man to challenge for the win. I just want to run a strong race, don’t really care where I finish if I do that.
When I ran last time it was my 6th 100 in 5 months, so I was alittle tired, but I don’t blame that on my lousy race. I was frustrated watching guys cut corners and accept aid where they were not supposed to. That unfortunately got to my head. I did not have any injuries, that was not a problem. Either way I won’t let that happen again. I’ll just do my own thing.
I wasn’t referring to Killian as cutting corners, although I do believe (and correct me if I’m wrong please) that he was penalized some minutes for not carrying all the silly supplies we don’t really need? Not sure about switchbacks.
Excited to return and see what Killian is really made of, it’s awesome to watch younger guns come into the sport with us old guys!
See you in France!
We are going to have race’s with fast time’s this year!
Kilian got 15 min penalty cause some guy (his friend i suppose) ran with him from Vallorcine. Was not penalized for not carrying the stuff you don´t need, not sure how he managed to avoid that.
Because of the high level of competition (not to mention the cost of going to Europe), UTMB should be a focus race. Don’t know if you’d agree, but course knowledge and pacing (self) is more important than at most other races since the first 1/4 of the race is mostly flat and the euros run it fast before hitting the big climbs, which have grades as least as high as, say, Hardrock.
BTW, I’ve always run UTMB 3x in the top 2-5% (dropped last year at 76 mi - stress fracture) and have never seen course-cutting of any significance. I have seen illegal ‘pacing’ and aid, but that had mostly gone away last year with stricter penalty enforcement by race officials. And, contrary to Gary Cantrell’s depiction several years ago in UR, cigarette smoking is uncommon during the race
I didn’t get in to UTMB this year, so I guess I’ll take the thousands of $’s saved on a family trip to Chamonix and put it in my kids’ college fund.
I hope you and Geoff do well.
GMack
barky is right about Killian. that was 2008 not his last win in 2009.
I did UTMB in 2009 and didn’t see any switchback cutting. but of course I was far away from the leaders. Ι think they must have worked a little bit on this because on some… suspicious corners I saw red and white tapes avoiding from cutting.
any way I think Killian is a great runner but Geoff and Karl are great too so it’s going to be really interesting, specially to see how Killian will perform under pressure.
GMack, climbs at UTMB are nothing compared to Hardrock. I know you’ve run both, but do you really think Virginius pass, up from Telluride, is the same as Col de Ferret? Not even close. Altitude factor plays a part as well. Record times usually tell me what the course is like, depending on who sets the records and previous times.
All good stuff, yah, it’ll be interesting in France, and yes, it is the focus race….after Hardrock of course.
Either way I’m now super stoked to see this back to back showdown this summer, Kilian Vs Roes, Round 1 WS, Round 2 UTMB…shall you start the odds already Karl!! (and you’re not fooling anyone into thinking your not a favorite for UTMB either!)
GR
I was looking up towards Virginius Pass from my living room window in Telluride today and I think you’re right.
required gear? gosh, you’d think I would have read a little more about the race before I decided to do it. please tell me we don’t have to use trekking poles. did one 6 hour mountain run with poles last summer and my upper body was sore for a week. sometimes my lack of knowledge about races that I’ve signed up for is really shocking, even to me. I didn’t even know what state Mountain Masochist was in until two weeks before the race. Even Western States, all I really know about it is that it’s somewhere near Sacramento and that everyone wants to run it. i’m sure i’ll get a little more intimate with my knowledge of both western states and utmb as the time draws more near but for now i’m just running in the snow, running up mountains, and enjoying life. come june 26th and august 27th though i’ll be running to win both of ‘em.
No you don’t have to use trekking poles. but you do have to carry a bag with some things.
Obligatory material :
• mobile phone with option enabling its use in the three countries
(put in one’s repertoire the security numbers of the organisation, keep it switched on, do not hide one’s number and do not forget to set off with recharged batteries)
• personal cup or tumbler 15cl minimum (water bottle not acceptable)
• stock of water minimum 1 litre,
• two torches in good working condition with replacement batteries,
• survival blanket,
• whistle,
• adhesive elastic band enable making a bandage or a strapping (mini 80cm x 3 cm),
• food reserve,
• protective raincoat for bad mountain weather,
• running trousers or leggings (au minimum pedal pushers covering the knees),
• cap or bandana.
Required by the frontier police forces: identity papers
every year you have to carry more!!! last year mobile phone was not obligatory.
The mobile phone is really ridiculous! Wouldn’t it be fair to say that there are plenty of people out there to give help if needed?
We’ll make sure we go as minimal as possible.
The tumbler is pretty funny too, is that for a 1oz cup of joe at the aid station? Some espresso? Or perhaps some wine and cheese, shall I bring a knife?
Hope the Dragonfly qualifies as a jacket.
Geoff, we’ll have it dialed as light as possible, don’t you worry.
It is what it is. European racing is a bit different, think of it this way. Here in the US we can have pacers and mules, in Europe, you do it by yourself, and carry your own stuff. Even though some of this is silly, it’s more legit really.
I will say I won’t be buying a new phone, the old samsung will work for me. Or maybe I’ll call you Geoff during your run to say I’m on your arse!
I knew my legs weren’t lying to me. If you take out the first 22 miles of UTMB, which is mostly flat with a 2,600′ speedbump, there’s about 26,000′ of climb in the 80 miles to the finish. Going CW at Hardrock, there’s 26,500′ of climb in the last 82 miles. So, the ft/mi is similar. Below are the grades of major climbs in each race (hope it formats):
Climb Dist Grade
Cunningham-Dives 2620 2.2 22.6%
Courmayeur(out)-Bertone 2621 2.5 19.5%
Grouse-American Pass 2310 2.5 17.5%
Chapman-Oscar’s 2950 3.2 17.5%
Montets-Tete aux Verts 2195 2.5 16.7%
Arnuva-Ferret 2520 2.9 16.7%
Telluride-Virginius 4350 5.0 16.5%
American Basin-Handies 1648 2.1 14.9%
Trient-Catogne 2333 3.0 14.8%
Glacier-Col Seigne 2385 3.1 14.5%
KT-Grant Swamp 2290 3.4 12.8%
Hwy550-Oh Point 4430 6.6 12.7%
Notre Dame-Croix Bnh 3671 5.6 12.4%
Mineral Cr-Putnam Ridge 3205 5.0 12.1%
Le Houche-Le Charme 2582 4.3 11.4%
Sherman-Cataract 2560 5.2 9.3%
I took out the short, but nasty, climb out of Maggie and the one out of Bovine. Data is from the race websites. The margin of error is probably about 10% of the value (not 10% of grade).
GMack……….too much thinking going on,
but definately good observation. I guess the difference is the Altitude, Mt. Blanc does not have that. And also the technical terrain, Mt. Blanc doesn’t have that either, at least in these eyes. Most of the Mt. Blanc trails I would consider a highway….but I am a bit biased on that.
You live higher than Col De Ferret.
It’s big anyway you look at it! Karl and Geoff will slam it hard and fast! Wish I could be their to watch or run.
The key is for Geoff and I to focus on Mt. Blanc. I know Geoff will, and for once, I will too. Which hopefully will give me some extra levitating power.
Just watching the media over this one is gonna be fun, especially if Geoff and Killian run close at Western States. It’ll all be about them, and I’ll just be hanging out waiting to put the hammer down in Champex! I like that idea…..Geoff?
First off, congrats on your entry into Mt. Blanc, Karl. If all goes as planned looks like Western may end up being quite the track meet once again. Krupicka, Jornet, Roes, Koerner etc, etc, etc. If Krupicka is healthy my money is on him. Not to put any needed pressure on, but this guy flat out brings it, as they all do. Time will tell. Way to early to be posting list for that one.
There sure is a lot of excitement so early in what promises to be a very exciting year. I hope we see Kyle Skaggs re-surface as I think his potential matches anyone’s. But,potential schmomential, train and toe the line, when ready.
karl, you just figure out a game plan for blanc and i’ll roll with it. just kidding… or at least mostly kidding. i do tend to run a lot better when i go into a race without planning it out too much.
at any rate it’s going to be an exciting year. i’ll be shooting you an email soon karl cause i’ve got some “behind closed doors” things to chat about. hope all is well in the land of zion.
For me the year just got much more exciting. Geoff Roes is running the NF 50 at Bear Mt! Leigh Schmitt has won both times so far. Expect treachorous footing & a few killer hills, one with 4 miles left. Is a new sheriff in town?