The Speedgoat 50K is in town! And so is the White River 50
The USATF National Championship is on the line at White River….the Scott McCoubrey 50 mile adventure!
The boys: This is a tough one, a very stacked field of roadies and trail dogs! Mike Wardian 5-2. His speed is there, and if he has some left, should run away down that nasty road. Brian Morrison 5-2. Seems it’s his turn to run a fast one and he knows this course well. Greg Crowther 3-1. Greg, like Mike has superior speed, hasn’t raced much and is likely to be near the front all day….if he has a good day. Hal Koerner 4-1. His 2:35 marathon speed is certainly fast enough to hang on this route, and is the best technical runner of the other 3 above him.. Mark Lundblad 5-1. Kills it on the road, but we’ll see what happens when some roots become part of the road. Josh Brimhall 5-1. He’s run right around 7 hours here…he’ll be in it! Paul Dewitt 6-1. If Paul sticks with a good race plan, he can catch them all on the Skookum Flats trail at the end. Jasper Halekas 8-1. The only thing Jasper lacks a little is raw speed, but he’ll power right through it and get in under 7:30. Jonathan Basham 8-1. The sleeper from the East coast will also be in the early Peleton. William Emerson 10-1. If he can bring back some old form, he could run top 3…Previous winner here around 7 hours. The Ladies: Susannah Beck 7-4. Her speed will prevail, and her experience is now intact. She’ll run away with it early and win by 12 minutes. Kami Semick 7-2. She’s next in line if Susannah doesn’t have her day, but it’ll be tough to hang on that dusty road if the race is close. Prudence Le’Heureux 6-1. She’ll crack top 3, but that’s it. Ronda Sundermeier 8-1. Needs a great day to slip into the top 3, but she’ll run a fast time either way. Shannon Willford 12-1. Doesn’t have the speed as those few up front, but is in good shape, and looking for a good tune-up run before Wasatch. And on the tougher course….The Speedgoat 50K! Men’s Race: Nate McDowell 3-2. If he makes the drive, he’ll run away with it, his skills are far better than anyone around this weekend. Erik Storheim 5-1. Erik has shown real promise with a close to 7 hour 50 mile PR, but the boy in front of him will be gone. Adam Cassaday 6-1. The boy from the east is the sleeper. He’s got some speed, but he better be able to hike fast. The women: Anita Ortiz 3-2. She’ll be the first to the topfor the $100 sprint bonus, and never look back. She may win it outright if Nate doesn’t make the drive. Jenn Coulter 5-1. Jenn brings altitude training to the plate, just like Anita, she’ll hang early and take the “bridesmaid” spot easily Sarah Evans 7-1. Alta Local, knows the course almost as well as I, local knowledge will help! I’m out the door to run, then I’llpack up the RV for the Speedgoat 50K command center!
