May 16th the Massannutten 100 will start with one of the best fields to date. No, it’s not Western, but a better course and a fun ride nonetheless.
The Men:
Speedgoat Karl 5-2. I have to put pressure on myself to perform well, I’m in great shape, know the course well and plan on ripping one off to make it ten years in a row with at least one 100 mile win. I’m slightly handicapped this year, but that won’t be revealed till I hit the start line. It has nothing to do with running without crew or those silly pacers! (no offense to pacers, just yacking). Bring it on "Stonewall"! I also have some incentive to bring home a case of 100 mile wins. Todd Walker 4-1. Todd’s experience here will help alot when the course gets ugly in the later stages. This is a race where experience helps. Todd is no rookie. Kieth Knipling 9-5. Kieth wasn’t far behind me at 50 miles a few years ago when I won just over 20 hours. He’s usually pretty fit this time of year. He’ll lead early if Mongold isn’t already ahead. Bradley Mongold 5-1. He’s probably got the best 50k speed here, but he’s gonna have to save that 50k speed for the last 50k. If he does, he’ll be near the front. And he’s a bear hunter, so I’m told. Glen Redpath 6-1. Off to a great start this year. This race will put the pressure on him to keep that good runnin’ going. Joe Kulak 13-7. How could I forget Joe? He’s textbook and will be in it if he wants in. Jeremy Ramsey 7-1. Jeremy has showed lots of promise in shorter distances, and should crack top 5 with a good,solid, smart effort. Nick Pedatella 8-1. Nick won the antelope Island 50 mile in 6:43 ish, good for a kid, if he has a great day and can figure out how to run 100, he’ll surprise some folks, including me. Adam Cassaday 9-1. He’s fast enough to be up front, he’s my sleeper to win it on a great day. He’s got experience around the Massannutten track, and speed to boot!The women:
Amy Sproston 3-2. Amy won’t pay well, she’s easily the one to beat here, and it’s hers to lose. I’d still put my cash on her if I were a betting man and take the small profit Kerry Owens 6-1. She’s won it before, so she knows what it feels like to run out front if Amy has issues.At the Jemez 50 mile:
Look for Ryan Burch and Dakota Jones to duke it out up front. Kyle Skaggs’ record is going nowhere for a long time, we’ll see if hese two boys can go sub 9 hours, close to what Nate and I ran last year. For the women: Darcy Africa is back on the scene, if she’s in decent shape, she’ll have that winning smile once again when she crosses the line. La Sportiva athlete Jean Coulter has the best speed and could certainly give Darcy a run for it, these two could duke it out like the men.
That’s it for odds now, check out gear reviews at Backcountry.com , sign up for the Speedgoat 50k!. ……. start training to run uphill, at altitude, then have a few beers when you finish! Sounds like a fine day at the office to me!
Now go run!
