Tour Du Mont Blanc…..The Euro Superbowl!
And now we’re off to Italy for the Skyrunning Championships. A 42k run with 4000 meters of climb, yah, that’s bigger than the Speedgoat race. The UTMB race was cancelled due to inclement weather and a possible landslide. Pretty disappointing, but a reasonable decision for the race committee to make. We’ll report back with more info as it comes to me.
Well, I’m off to Chamonix in about 2 hours….10 hours of flying, for 20 hours of running thru the most beautiful race course on earth. 2500 runners from around the world, and a highly competitive race. This year the US has 4 guys that could win it. Me being one of them on paper, although I don’t consider myself a contender for the cowbell. I won’t do odds because there are too many European runners I don’t know. The guys I do know are listed below and my two cents are included…
US Runners:
Geoff Roes. He’s undefeated and beat Killian Jornet (the favorite) at Western States by an hour. He’s the man to beat in my eyes. Goeff is also a superior mountain runner and has no weaknesses. His ability to run hard at the end has been unmatched at every race he’s run.
Scott Jurek. He broke the american record at 24 hours about 2 months ago and I’m sure with this being his 4th UTMB, he’s ready to kill it. He hasn’t had his best day there yet…he’s certainly due to nail one there.
Speedgoat Karl. I am certainly due to have a good race. My injuries are behind me, I’m not running with a brace on my arm anymore…because of confidence. Ribs are good, shoulder is good, now it’s just a matter of execution. You won’t see me near the front early, but I’ll hopefully still be cranking when I reach La Folly at mile 71 ish. If I’m having a decent day, look for me to slowly reel runners in after the sun comes up.
Mike Wolfe. He broke my record at Bighorn, has won the 50 mile national championship at White River a few years ago. He’s one of those guys that noone will really give credit to, but he’s just as fast as the rest.
Spain:
Killian Jornet. He’s the defending champ and certainly the favorite, but this time he’s gonna have to race Goeff. I’m sure he’s thinking about revenge after Western. This time he better carry a waterbottle….
Japan:
Hiroki Ishikawa. Japan’s popular running hero. Sometimes he’s not on his game, but if he is, he’ll be in it too.
Toshiyo Kaburaki (sp?) I know that’s a wrong spelling, but I’m in a hurry to catch a flight. Kaburaki is fast fast fast, he didn’t run WS because of an injury, but I bet he’s ready to rip one now. Ran near the top last year at Mt Blanc I believe.
Other Europeans I don’t know:
I know Killian has a training partner that’s about as fast as he is…look for that guy to be up there, as well as a few from France of course. And there has to be some suisse guy that’s fast. With mountains like the Alps, we’re sure to see a few.
Women: Unfortunately I have no clue….
And I’ll be running in my Hokas……the french connection to comfort!
