Hard to say what’s gonna happen this weekend in regards to me running the Jemez 50 mile. I’ve been officially cleared to run if I want…that’s pretty cool only 4 weeks after a broken wing at Zane Grey. Will I “race”? No, not likely, the risk factor is still there if I crash….I tend to take a few risks running downhill. It would be safer if I just ran it as a good training run for Hardrock, somewhere in the 10 hour range. I won’t decide till Friday. I will be there regardless as my wife Cheryl is running the 50k. I would love to be in the mix with the large handful of fast kids running, but with age comes wisdom……..and Hardrock is far more important to me.
So I entered the Pocatello 50 one week later, to give the arm an extra week….probably smart. I’ve been running for two straight weeks now and figure my fitness level will continue to improve…with age comes wisdom.
However, here’s my picks for Jemez:
#1, the record will not go down, that’s an easy one.
1. Nick Clark, Ryan Burch, and Dakota Jones are the three out front, you pick’em, it’s gonna be close. Nick hasn’t run here, the other two have and ran in the mid 9’s.
4. Tim Waggoner, just as fast as the other three, but a little less experience, also running blind.
5. Nick Lewis, claims to be nursing a hamstring, saving it for some track meet in California. He’s quick, and could be sandbagging. 
6. Tom Neilsen, his experience puts him fairly close, but not close enough.
7. Speedgoat Karl, with a broken wing, he’ll need a little more Red Bull to fly, but his NEW HOKA SHOES create flight, so who knows, if he’s close, the hammer may go down on that last 9 mile descent….then again, he may not even run…..and save it for Pocatello.
8. Nicolas Mermoud, Claims he’s not so fit, but he’ll have the Hoka’s on too, so he’ll be flying.
9. Brett Rivers, Harry Harcrow, Tim Barnes, Scott Eppleman, and David Coblentz, round out the rest.
Diana Finkel should run away. I don’t think Anita Ortiz is running and Petra McDowell has dropped to the 50k, Diana all the way. It would be different if Anita and Petra were running the 50…but they’re not.
HOKA’S ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE US IN 4 STORES!!
Wasatch Running Center, Salt Lake City,Utah Salt Lake Running Company, Salt Lake City, Utah Boulder Running Company, Boulder, Colorado Playmakers, Okemos, Michigan (May 24 ish)Scarf them up now, they are already selling in SLC! If they get ordered online, or over the phone, bump up a half size larger….they’re european you know!
The Speedgoat 50k is now 90% full, don’t ask after it’s closed. :-) ….or it’ll be $200.
Great to hear the arm is feeling better. Maybe this Speedgoat Karl guy is sandbagging it too…
no sandbagging here, I’m just psyched to be able to at least run it. The worst part is thinking about how messy all that gel is gonna be using only one hand. My injured hand is still non-mobile, simple tasks are a pain in the arse. Running is the easy part.
Take it easy! WS is way better to win!
Great to hear you’ll be at Pocatello. No trees to climb over there, just a few Big Mountains!
I’ve run most of the Poky 50 course over the last few weeks and there are presently a few deadfall snaggles that should be removed by race day (if anyone can haul a chainsaw to the bottom of Midnight Canyon that would be sweet). Mostly very runnable. Glad to hear you’ll be racing here. Good luck at Jemez 50. Break a le… er, you know what I mean.
Initially I was calling bs on the hoka deal. You keep referencing them though and now have me a little worried.
Also, la sportiva is still listed on your sponsors page, so…
Will wait and see.
If so, what is the deal with the 40mm midsole and $160 price tag?
skeptic:
nice call on the sponsors page, it’s corrected, LS is still a race sponsor for the Speedgoat 50k, that’s different, Hoka will also be the sponsor at the Speedgoat race.
40mm midsole provides the cadillac ride, the wider base give you a feel of the trail, the $160 pricetag sounds expensive, but with the price comes value, my pair lasted 600 miles! and they are not done yet…..that equals big value in the long run. Typically at least for me 150 miles on shoes is enough, they get flat. The Hoka’s don’t really flatten, it’s amazing.
Look out for Nicolas Mermoud.
Yah, I think I know Niko!
Pete M. if he doesn’t get f’ing lost or too drunk drinking w/ Brownie.
Brett Rivers from San Fran had a good Miwok.
watch out for dark horse from texas
Matt Crownover?….totally guessing. Texas is flat.
I’m just jogging, but the more the merrier up front.
results from the Jemez 50 anyone?
Word on the twitterverse has Nick Clark winning in 8:26 with Burch 2nd in 8:31
N Clark 8:26
R Burch 8:31
J Taylor 9:46
women
D Finkel 10:32
no one anywhere near behind her.
It was super to see you twice at Jemez. I got motivated when I saw you running with that cast on! You nailed the 10 hour goal!
Karl- Awesome to get to run with you for a few minutes. The cast thing man… pretty ballsy on that course! My healthy wrists hurt from falling so many times!
Cheers~
T
finishing times at Jemez indicate you had a heck of a training run on your type of terrain. I hope finishing seventh brings you good luck the rest of the year. Did you plan that?
Re: Pocatello 50 … the trail into Midnight Creek was cleared last Sunday. Forest Service took in a chainsaw and cleared the trail. A couple of folks ran the course on Monday and also broke through a couple of large snow drifts. The course is runnable and will be a delightful challenge.
Tim, with my arm in a cast, I had to take downhills slower, so my goal to run even splits was a good one. It’s not worth the risk of breaking it again, or injuring something else. Nick and Ryan would have been gone anyway, but 3rd would have been no problem if I didn’t break the arm. I also left about 15 minutes out on the course, eating popsicles and chatting, something I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I didn’t really feel good either, my legs were lead from mile 4, kinda wierd. We’ll see how the Pocatello 50 goes this weekend….another 50 mile trainer, just like the last….a cruiser.
Lucky 7? good thing I passed a bunch the last 10 miles…:-) I felt better there than anywhere else.
Go and cruise another 50 so you can crush HR in those Hoka’s. I hope I get to try a pair there as well. I tore tendons or broke my ankle coming down Caballo and kept going so I’m not sure what the rest of the year looks like, those Hoka’s sure look sweet though thanks for letting me check them out.MF
any odds on the Pokie. Lots of fast runners