Check out the sweet sale at Backcountry.com!
Author Archive for admin-karlmeltzer
Mom’s day is coming soon, and she needs some nice gear, so click here for great deals at Backcountry.com….The driving force behind the Appalachian Trail Assault!
Three cool trail races this weekend! The “I’m a little bit haggered” Hagg Lake 50k, TheMt. Cheaha 50kto the summit of Mt. Cheaha, and the Cross Timbers 50mi, in Texas.
Mt Cheaha looks to be the most competitive with Tom Possert, DeWayne Satterfield, Dink Taylor and Jamie Dial. I’m taking Taylor by 5 over Satterfield, Possert and Dial not far behind. I’ll have results for all 3 races as soon as I recieve them! The killer sale at BC.com only lastsuntil the 29th! Check out the killer deals, only the best Outdoor Gear!
Heads up for all you gear junkies, Backcountry.com is busting out its Semi-Annual Sale right now. The deals are ridiculousup to 70% off over 12,000 backcountry goods. This goes down just once a year for winter gear so stock up now, then laugh at your friends next fall for paying full retail. Check it out at Backcountry.com
RED HOT 50K was as expected…RED HOT!
Moab’s Red Hot 50k was hotter than the summer desert sun as Skaggs and Krupicka made it look easy…once again. 4:03 was the winning time, 22 minutes faster than my old record of 4:25. Conditions were perfect as usual in the mid 40s. I ended up 7th with the same time as last year. A few fast boys from Colorado and CU stuck with a torrid pace early and gave Tony and Kyle a run for it..but without luck!
The womens race was equally exciting as Susanna Beck ripped across the slickrock in a dual with Anita Ortiz of La Sportiva. Susanna ran away the last 4 miles edging out Anita running a super fast 4:28. Ian Torrence caught me at 29 miles and encouraged me not to get “chicked”… gotta like encouragement from a great friend and competitor. Ian did drop me too, but I drank more beers at the end! -Speedgoat Karl
In a heated battle, Josh Beckham threw down a fast performance and outlasted David Rindt and DeWayne Satterfield crossing the line 6 and 8 minutes in front, respectively. Dave Mackey’s Record remains immaculate as usual, but only 11 minutes quicker.
Patricia Smith also ran a great race outdistancing Wendy Parker-Dial by just over 5 minutes, and another 5 back was Kristine Whorton.
We would love to see some of these fast folks at the Speedgoat 50K in July!
And Mr. HalKoerner is dominating the Speedgoat of the Year award over on the other side of the ridge at Wasatchspeedgoat.com, check it out if you haven’t voted yet!
271″ have now fallen since early December and storms continue to line up waiting to enter Little Cottonwood Canyon. The door is always open here as the Great Salt Lake keeps pumping moisture through thefamous funnel-like entrance. Snowbird Ski Resort continues to run killer specials even during high season…Utah remains a secret in theski resort popularity contest.
The last two days I’ve been runningmy”Bread and Butter” run in 16″ of the kind Utah Fluff, today I’ll go ski it! What’s next? We’ll slip away to the desert to run someof the best trails onearth this weekend and prepare for the RedHot 50k in Moab, on February 16th. Tough Life!! Speedgoat Karl
Paul Hopwood led early with a 3:46 first lap and never looked back to dominate in 2008. Although the winning time was not close to any record, the course came close to the record, wth only 21 official 100 mile finishers. 50 runners chose to bailout with 100k under their belt. Paul’s time of 27:17 was enough to edge out Geoff Hanson’s 28:52. My favorite Hartell “survived” at his first attempt in the jungle. Gordon Lau was the strongest finisher with his last two laps run solidly.
Suzanna Bon dominated the women’s crown with a respectable 31:56 edging out the legend Monica Scholz! It’s all over now and the stellar Dinner awaits…Kalua Pig, Sushi, and an array of Hawaiian fare are on the menu. PJ and John are preparing the heckling session…wish I could be there! Until next year!
Speedgoat50k.com registration here!No mud, no jungle, bigger hills, bigger party! Do the math! -Speedgoat Karl
According to Ultrarunning Magazine. Scott amassed 199 votes to Meltzer’s 153 to win the prestigious award.Kyle Skaggs (137) and HalKoerner (131) rounded out the top 4.Scott’s awesome Hardrock recordand Spartathlon win earned him the honor.Jurek’s Hardrock was also listed as Performance of the year! 5 100 mile wins wasn’t enough for me to get the votes this year, perhaps running 2175 miles at once this coming summer will make it happen for 2008!
Nikki Kimball takes the women’s vote for the third time with impressive wins at Western States and the UTMB in Chamonix. Krissy Moehlstole the Performance of theYear with her Hardrock record.
Speedgoat50k.com to enter the best 50k on earth! -Speedgoat Karl
The HURT 100 kicks off the 100 mile season Saturday morning, January 19, on the muddy trails of Oahu. Mark Hartell and Rod Bien should battle for the overall win. My pick is Hartell with the better technical skills. Suzanna Bon and Monica Scholz should fight for the women’s crown. I’m thinking Bon with more legspeed should prevail. Estes’ record will stand firm as will Moehls’. 2007 will be hard to beat!
Applications for the 2008 Speedgoat50k available here for the toughest31 miles at altitudeand the best post race party all in one! Go to Speedgoat50k.com to register! -Speedgoat Karl 
For those out there thinking about the UTMB…think no more. After finding out year Over 7000 runners applied to get in the Ultimate 163K race! In the US the time was 1am MST to do it. Just when we thought Western was tough! The Europeans really love their Ultra runs! Cheers to the 2500 that got in!
I wont be back this year, but plan a return and redemption in 2009. I must first go after the Appalachian Trail Record in August.
The Speedgoat 50k hasn’t filled up like UTMB, but we expect a full field come July. Register at speedgoat50k.com for the toughest 50k you’ll ever love!
Speedgoat Karl
For the best in Mountain Running Camps…Ultra style, consider 4 days running, training, and learning from a Speedgoat himself. I’ll be on-hand at all times with instruction, tips, and tricks of the trade, along with Nutrition guidance, injury prevention tips, and stride analysis. We’ll teach you ways to perform at a high level every race! July 9th-13th are the dates. More info can be acquired at the ‘Ultra Running Camp’ link above or at speedgoat50k.com, click on Utah Ultrarunning Camp. Consider staying in Utah for the race two weeks later and use the new mountain running techniques. Baaaahhhhh, Speedgoat Karl
