Tag Archive for ‘Bighorn 100’ at KarlMeltzer.com

Tag Archive for 'Bighorn 100'

Bighorn should be a sloppy mess!

Published

on June 17, 2009

. 24 Comments

A quick look at the Bighorn 100 this weekend:

This will be my second 100 of the year. Five weeks after a great win at the Massannutten 100 May 16th. If all goes well, (and it should) I feel pretty confident that I’ll have a decent run on the muddy cow trails. Odds on this one are tough, as only know three other guys in the field have a chance at challenging me for the overall win. So I’m gonna make it simple here and try to pick the order for the top 5.

I’m also gonna do the mighty Western States odds on Monday when I return, so check back after this weekend for that. There’s been alot of chatter at AJW’s blog about it, so go there for this weekend, then come back and see what I came up with……all off the cuff of course!

Bighorn 100:

1. Speedgoat Karl 7-2. After putting pressure on myself at Massannutten, why not do it again right? I feel good, no injury issues and running 100 miles is not that far after running the AT. I have the textbook in my back pocket too, in case I need to refer back to the basics :-).

2. John Anderson 5-1. If John puts down a good run, he could win and go under 20 hours. His performance at the Speedgoat 50k last year was good evidence he’ll be near the front. He excelled at technical terrain at the Speedgoat, and if he’s good in the mud, he’s next in line.

3. Harry Harcrow 7-1. This guy runs textbook and under the radar a bit. Good runs at Leadville and Bighorn shows he’s got talent. But he’s got some good talent in front of him to beat. 3rd no problem, but an hour or two back.

4. Phil Shaw 8-1. Another guy that has great talent and has run some solid 100 mile times. On another blog mentioned in the comments on my last post, shows he has 16 minute 5k speed…..that doesn’t matter here. He’ll run solid and could crack top 3 if he keeps that 5k speed at bay.

5. Sander Nelson 11-1. Sander ran great behind me at San Diego a few years back. If he throws down another good one, he’ll run under 22 hours.

The ladies race is very open with Ashley Nordell leading the way in my book. She, like Amy Sproston at Massannutten should run away……unless I missed someone……cuz’ I always miss someone!

Top 5 at Western:

1. Scott Jurek 3-1. He has to be the favorite, he’s won the thing 7 times.

2. Dave Mackey 7-2. Hot on Scott’s heels, and with unfinished business at Western he’s my pick to win….even though I have him second here.

3. Hal Koerner 4-1. He likes to go out quickly, and if he holds it, he’ll be right there at the Auburn track at 930pm.

4. Eric Grossman 5-1. I should probably give him some more love here. He’s been stellar all year and this is his chance to shine. Definately the best on the east coast. The darkhorse (sort of) to win it.

5. Erik Skaden 7-1. He’s proven he can run fast at Western, and although he hasn’t shown big stuff this spring, I’m sure he’s focused on being another darkhorse to win.

The mens race is so tight it’s a tough call, but here’s another bunch of guys that will be in it at Robinson Flat…..at least. These are in the order I think they’ll finish.

Jasper Halekas, Zach Miller, Kubaragi from Japan, Todd Braje, John Olsen (if he runs), Josh Brimhall, Graham Cooper, Dave James, Dan Olmstead, Brian Morrison, Hiroki Ishikawa, Lon Freeman, Marco Olmo (he wins the over 60 category too), Laval Benoit, Mike Wolfe, AJW, Chikara Omine.

I think top 22 is enough for now. The real odds come out Monday.

Western Women:

1. Nikki KImball 3-2. If she’s fit, she’s the one to beat. She rarely gets beaten, and all the girls behind her on this list have never beaten Nikki at Western. She may crack top 10 overall.

2. Krissy Moehl 4-1. Wouldn’t it be great if Krissy would be real competitive here. She’s got the talent, and could squeak in a win if Nikki doesn’t get to Auburn first.

3. Anita Ortiz 6-1. I almost missed her here. She certainly has the talent, but it’s her first 100. The girls behind her will mop her up if she has a bad day, but she’s tough as nails. The only thing holding her back is maybe the heat. She’ll be close early when it’s hilly.

4. Bev Abbs 7-1. Another girl right in the mix, she’s been running well, and now is her turn to show it off.

5. Jenn Shelton 8-1. She’s horrible in the mountains, (sorry Jenn), but if she hangs in there to Foresthill and is still going strong, she is easily the fastest girl once the trail gets smooth. I’ll have the shot glass loaded for her if she wins.

5. Jenny Capel 10-1. Another girl that is pretty quick, but has her hands full with the 4 in front of her. She’s the sleeper in this field.

6. Connie Gardner 11-1. She kills it at 24 hour races and on the roads. Same as Jenn though, if she hangs tough through Foresthill, she’ll be running to win.

Prudence L’Heureux and Meghan Arboghast take the next two.

Remember the real odds come out on Monday, I’m gonna need something to think about while I’m running from the Bears in the Bighorn Mountains this weekend.

I won’t be able to moderate comments while I’m in Wyoming, so register to see your comment. I’ll try Thursday but no promises on that.

Now go Run!

What’s Next?

Published

Speedgoat Karl

on May 28, 2009

in Race Updates, Snow Reports and Speedgoat 50K

. 14 Comments

The Bighorn 100 starts June 19th. Am I recovered from Massannutten? Absolutely! I feel as though I didn’t even run in Virginia a week and a half ago……scary!

Why am I recovered already?…….because I’m a mutant? or is it the multiple scoops of Ultragen I consume after every run. I’ll call it the Ultragen. Not to mention I have a great coach…..myself!

Last Friday I was summoned to fill in for Missy Berkel at the Pocatello 50 mile relay. I was called on my way up to Pocatello where my wife Cheryl was also participating in the 50 mile relay division. So I said why not?, What’s another 17 miler? I ran it with intentions of just having fun. It certainly was fun. Cruising along on prime Pocatello singletrack comfortably at 10.5 mph had me feeling pretty good. I won the first leg by 5 minutes. Recovered from Massannutten……I think so! Bighorn will be the real test…..then of course the beast of all beasts, The Hardrock 100 follows three weeks later!

Now it’s time to check out Hucknroll.com and Realcyclist.com. Backcountry has now added cycling to there already huge inventory, great discounts at random times and only top-flight gear for the real athlete……..that’s all of us!

The Speedgoat 50k has only 6 weeks to go till entries are closed, so time to suck it up and run/hike the toughest 50k on earth, covered by the greatest snow on earth. That’s right, it’s still buried up in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Perhaps I should start shoveling the course now to get it ready. We still need volunteers for the big dance, so if anyone out there is interested in watching some carnage, come help us out. It’s a great race to be a spectator!

I continue to review gear, not to mention others out there doing reviews for Backcountry.com, so check it out if you need anything, but only the good stuff, cuz’ they don’t sell junk.

First…Bighorn!

Published

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.

Click the goat for 15% off at Backountry.com or use coupon code 2JV-1-QJE3H, the discount will appear when you update the cart!

KarlMeltzer.com