Archive for the 'Appalachian Trail' Category

Maine to Georgia 2008

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on October 6, 2008
in Appalachian Trail and WheresKarl?
. 24 Comments

Go to the page Me to Ga 2008 under my left ear to read a somewhat brief writeup of the AT Assault.

I will now get back to regular programming. There are still lots of great races coming up: Masochist, JFK, Javelina….just to name a few. Stay tuned for odds and other rambling from me.

I’ll also start doing some gear reviews for some interested folks looking for christmas gifts….only gear I use and feel is worthy. Caoi for now, now go run for me cuz’ I’m gonna rest for a while!

Use coupon code 2JV-1-QJE3H for 15% off almost everything Backcountry.com sells! Christmas is coming…….and by all means pray for some freakin’ snow. It’s PowPow time!

AT Report Coming Soon

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on October 1, 2008
in Appalachian Trail
. 7 Comments

I’m on my way home from Denver now, and will be posting a report from the AT Assault. (Sorry Warren, I’m still gonna call it that) It’ll either be posted here or at Whereskarl.com. And it’s gonna be good!

In the Meantime, rememberTHIS IS THE ONLY SITEto go through to get the 15% DISCOUNT at Backcountry.com. Use Coupon Code 2JV-1-QJE3H for the deal on almost everything they sell. And BC.com has it all. Free Shipping Too.

And that’s a quick wrap for now, Speedgoat Karl….Maine to Georgia 2008

Tour du Mont Blanc on NOW!

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on August 29, 2008
in Appalachian Trail and Race Updates
. 7 Comments

Check out ultratrailmb.com for info on the Mt. Blanc race. Scott Jurek is running and is hopefully gonna kill it!

Then get back to me, cuz’ I got lots of days left!

Caoi for now!

Well Folks……..we have an issue

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on August 19, 2008
in Appalachian Trail
. 22 Comments

My Anterior Tibialas is tweaking. It’s swollen and unrunnable right now. Needless to say, the record will remain in AT’s (Andrew Thompson) hands. My plan now is to pop vitamin P (Prednisone) for a few days and see what happens, along with ice baths a few times a day. I am not quitting yet, vitamin P sometimes has an incredible affect on inflammation, and I will continue if it comes around….quitting this early is not an option. Thanks for all the support and cross your fingers, cuz’ it ain’t over yet.

Please refer back to whereskarl.com for any future comments, all info will now be at that site. This one is now MOOT, like the itinerary!

Let the games begin!

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on August 3, 2008
in Appalachian Trail and WheresKarl?
. 23 Comments

NO, not the olympics, those speedsters run in circles, I’ll be running the “Long Green Tunnel”.

Less than 2 days away. we’re packing up the rig and making final day preperations, hoping the weather will cooperate….at least for the start. And if it doesn’t, we’ll wait till it does……just for the record.

Marit Fischer and Matt Hart will be showing up here in NH to throw their stuff in the blue box this evening, and we’ll head to Kathadin early tomorrow morning. Follow the SPOT Messenger atWHERESKARL.COM I’ll have it on the dashboard so everyone can follow my home on wheels.

Matt Hart will be hiking/running with me all through Maine, scaring the bears away and keeping me awake. He won’t carry anything, except maybe the VIO Camera for the first 1/2 mile on the summit of Kathadin, cuz’ we have to make if official. No blue blazing for this kid…..or old man!

I’ll be erratic in posting, but will do my best to keep in touch with the ultra world. For the next two months, whereskarl.com will be the command center. For those who need to reach me, go there and make a comment, my crew will let me know what’s up.

And lastly for now, let’s thank my sponsors for making this happen. This time I get to run 7 weeks supported, not just one quick 100 miler. This is the real deal. And I give it huge respect. What I’m about to do is step into unknown territory….true delerium and pain…….Let the games begin!

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TRT 100 and the Vermont 100 up next!

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on July 16, 2008
in Appalachian Trail, Race Updates, Speedgoat 50K and WheresKarl?
. 29 Comments

The USATF 100 Mile Trail Championship on the line!

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He kinda looks like Mr. Bill!

And the odds are:

Erik Skaden: 5-2. He was ready for Western and will likely be ready forthis one
Jon Olsen: 7-2. Not far behind Erik, these two guys should battle it out.
Ian Torrence: 12-1. Claims he’s not quite readyto race up front, but I know he has it in him, every time we run, he kicks my ass!
The women’s race gets good too!
Nikki Kimball: 3-1. Simply put, she’s the best, but this course could test her raw speed, a few speedsters will be following.
Jenn Shelton: 7-2. She’s probably the one with the most speed, and if she nails it, she’ll run away withit. The technicality is the only thing that can slow her down, and I’m not sure how technical it is.
Bev Abbs: 6-1. In it all the way, she can win too, if she has a good run!
Connie Gardner: 8-1. Better at the smoother and flatter stuff, but who knows!
Jenny Capel: 9-1. It’s certainly her turn to win something, she could easily make the podium…..if they have one.

The Vermont 100, an old classic!

Glen Redpath: 5-2. I’m thinking it’s his turn to show his speed, and Vermont is essentially a dirt road race.
Bradley Mongold: 4-1. He showed uslots of promise early season, and this race fits his style. Still a rookie at 100 though, he could blow early if he’s not careful
Andy Jones-Wilkins: 5-1. Andy always has a good race in him, he’ll run solid as usual and win by slight default if #1 and #2 suffer.
Joe Kulak: 7-1. We’d like to see some of that old Vermont speed return, but he might be consuming some Long Trail Ale, it could slow him down a bit.
Kevin Sullivan: 10-1. Not as much experience as those few others, but the potential isthere.

The ladies:

I only see two right now:

Devon Crosby-Helms: 3-2. Should be a no-brainer for her to win, she just needs to run smart and not let the fast early pace get her.
Michelle Barton: 5-1. She’ll be styling in her Moeben Sleeves, the ice in the sleeve trick could keep her cool and give her a chance at a win in the Green Mountain State.
Diana Fitzpatrick: 9-1. Experience will take her to the top 3, and potentially even a win.

I may have missed a few here, so help, I’ll update tomorrow if needed.

Today was the last day for the Speedgoat 50k apps to come in, but I’ll take more as we have not yet reached our limit, so send it in and come run the sickest 50k in the US! The goats will be out in force on July 26th.

Check out the new Whereskarl.com website, it is a thing of beauty!
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The Speedgoat 50K course is melting fast!

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on June 30, 2008
in Appalachian Trail and Speedgoat 50K
. 4 Comments

26 days till post-time for the toughest 50K on earth!….maybe not, but it sounds good!

This mornings run took me to the summit of Snowbird to scope out the Speedgoat 50k. It looks like a butt-slide is likely in Little Cloud Bowl for the final descent! It’ll bring back those childhood memories of you’re favorite sled run! I’m working on logistics now and soon we’ll have a map so you can salivate over the course.

We plan to have the $100 bill at the top for the first man and women who make the 4500′ climb to the peak first….but you gotta finish to collect….no sandbaggers here!

Entries Close on the 15th, so if you’re gonna run, send it in now to reserve a spot in the field, and some pizza and beer* at the finish line.

For those who don’t know, directly after the Speedgoat 50K, I’ll be heading out for the run of my life with the Appalachian Assault beginning August 5th on the Summit of Mt. Kathadin in Maine. For more details, whereskarl.com will be the command center for the entire AT run, check out my training, the GPS, the podcasts, the U-Tube videos, and all the other cool stuff we’re gonna do while everyone watches me suffer for 2174 miles.

* Beer must be purchased by runners, I can’t legally buy it for you…damn disclaimers!

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First…Bighorn!

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on June 19, 2008
in Appalachian Trail, Race Updates and Speedgoat 50K
. 0 Comments

This year the Bighorn 100 will be different, most of the Rocky Mountain region had tons of snow this year and the Bighorn Mountains were no exception. The turnaround at Porcupine is still under 3 feet of snow, nonetheless the course will be awesome as usual, and two new records will be set…..and may last forever, so the odds are:

Mens Race
Jeff Browning 4-1. Jeff’s best time is 20:23, only 12 minutes shy of the “soft” record I set last year, it’s a new course, so everyone is blind to start, Jeff knows this terrain well.
Ty Draney 5-1. Simply put it’s Ty’s turn, he should hang with Browning and see what happens late in the race.
Justin Angle 5-1. Very fit now, and ready to rip one, he’ll be out fast, the question is will he have the power to run to the end.
Paul Dewitt 6-1. The fastest for sure, but on this terrain, he’ll be chasing late.
Jamie Gifford 8-1. He’ll slip in there for a podium if the others have tough day.
Bradley Mongold 10-1. His name on the list read “Radley Mongold”, but if it is “Bradley” he’ll be right there. Strong performances early this year….he should get better odds, but a rookie on this course can be a tough one.
Roch Horton 15-1. One of these days Roch’s gonna win one, if he carries his banjo the whole way I’ll give him 3 hours of bonus minutes.
Davy Crockett 20-1. That’s right, Davy makes the list this week.
Womens Race
Prudence L’Heuruex 4-1. Although blind to the course, certainly the fastest out there, some strong performances this spring should propell her to the front when all said and done.
Honey Albrecht 9-1. The next choice if Prudence chooses to lose.
Olga Varlamova 10-1. She’s always wanted to make this odds list, she might slip in for a podium finish.
Milada Copeland 12-1. Wasatch Running Center’s #1 100 mile runner could slip into ta podium finish as well, she likes the Bighorn’s!

Next week I’ll do the Western States Track Meet Odds. I’ll have them on the board on Monday morning, it’ll give us a week to debate it. Just thinking about this list scares me. I think the men’s winner will be easy, after that we’ll all be guessing!

Continue to check out whereskarl.com for info on my Appalachian Trail Assault. The RV is wrapped up…. I’m all over that thing. I wonder what dad will feel like driving around with a picture of his son all over it?

The Speedgoat 50k has almost hit 100 runners, that’s 100 times someone gets to buttslide down Little Cloud Bowl at Snowbird…..with super tired legs, it’s gonna turn into a luge run by the time 25 slide down. Just another added feature to the toughest 50k in the US.

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The Appalachian Assault is only two months away!

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on June 2, 2008
in Appalachian Trail and Race Updates
. 47 Comments

Preparation for the AT assaultis coming together, the RV is in the house (outside of the house) and the Backcountry.com wrap is being designed.

Training wise: Yah, I’ve been running every day, the real training will be after the WS track meet, where I’ll go hiking alot instead of running, it’ll be nice to slow down once in a while.

The biggest concern is the tracking device from SPOT, it works well, but some details need to be improved for it to work the way we want it to. Our friends at SPOT and BC.com are working to provide the ultimate tracking tools to make this adventure not only fun for me, but fun for all to watch me suffer. I like to suffer! Check out our AT command center at whereskarl.com for some new video and info leading to the 2174 mile adventure.

We are now 26 days from the Western States Track Meet, and I’ll certainly do some odds for this one. But first, here’s a list of contenders I know of. If there are any others out there, please help me out and chime in with some comments on their qualifications.

Men: Alan Abbs, Todd Braje, Josh Brimhall, Graham Cooper, Lon Freemen, Mark Godale, Hiroki Ishikawa, Andy Jones-Wilkins, Hal Koerner, Anton Krupicka, Sean Meissner, Karl Meltzer, Zach Miller, Brian Morrison, Dan Olmstead, Neil Olsen, John Olsen, Jorge Pacheco, Glen Redpath, Kevin Sawchuck, Erik Skaden, Mike Wardian, Mike Wolfe, Chikara Omine, Scott Wolfe, Jean Pommier and Jeff Riley.

Women: Beverly Abbs, Meghan Arboghast, Michelle Barton, Annette Bednosky, Susannah Beck, Jenny Capel, Francesca Conte, Devon Crosby-Helms, Nikki Kimball, Kami Semick, Rena Schumann, Jenn Shelton, Caren Spore, Beth Vitalis, Suzie Lister, and newcomer Sabrina Moran.

Red lettering….the real contenders to win it,
Blue lettering….the darkhorses.
Black lettering….Some faster folks that might surprise someone
A good preliminary list to get things going!
Also this week, the San Diego 100 and the Squaw Peak 50 are happenin”. I’ll be at the Squaw Peak 50 running with my wife Cheryl in her first 50 mile attempt, she picked Squaw Peak cuz’ it’s an easy one…yah right!
The snow is starting to melt away at Snowbird, the Speedgoat 50K is filling up quickly now, so those interested in running the toughest 50k in the US, come join in the fun and get your arse kicked on some of the finest goat trails in Utah. Find the Application here.
Thanks to the Speedgoat 50k sponsors: Snowbird Ski Resort, Backcountry.com, LaSportiva, Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories, First Endurance, Powerbar, Red Bull, NUUN, Moeben, Wasatch Running Center, Nordic Track, and Black Diamond.
We’re still needing volunteers for the race, so if you interested, grab you’re binoculars, and cowbells and come up to Snowbird for the Speedgoat Party on the Peak.
In a recent news flash….Scott Jurek will not give Kyle Skaggs a run for it at Hardrock. Let’s hope Scott is not injured, Seems HR may be another run-away victory for Mr. Skaggs….no pressure Kyle, run your own race!

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Red Bull Cola Launched this Weekend in Sin City

Published
by
Speedgoat Karl
on May 27, 2008
in Appalachian Trail
. 5 Comments

This weekend was a blast down in Vegas for some R & R, some flying, driving, and hanging out with the Red Bull Team. Base Jumping and Skydiving were some key highlights (among other things you can only see in Vegas) as Red Bull Launched it’s first new product in 20 years! Red Bull Cola!

And for those who don’t know….HARDROCK IS ON. It’s gonna be fast sliding down Grant Swamp Pass! and you’ll be on your ass on Virginius Pass too!

Backcountry.com has been putting together the pieces for the Appalachian Trail Assault. For weekly updates on how my training has been going, check whereskarl.com. I might even mention how many miles I actually run. Some more cool video should be out soon too.

This past weekend it snowed at the Bird, keeping the Speedgoat 50k course deeply buried under avalanche debris and 15″ of snow out in Paradise and Little Cloud Bowl. Let’s hope it starts melting soon!

Click the Topo Map for more info on the Speedgoat 50k

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And Click the Goat for 15% off at Backcountry.com (Free Shipping Too!)

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