tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797977458833862002024-03-16T11:52:54.756-07:00Sharman Ultrasharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-42380386927550211232019-06-19T11:31:00.000-07:002019-06-19T11:31:12.141-07:001000 Miles, One Week - 10 years at the Western States Endurance Run<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrPQXR_dHCv_q5dZeVCRlfiYlh1fTxqI3AYDjv6KZxWTxbGSzllsB-Kj_eBVcCpyI8ZhhwXjy5TWcgtc_YOZr7VEdM1rE506O0-ywrHvQP3SYLnuytu0-cwFLiYPZLmPFWymij9x-kbWx/s1600/IMG_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrPQXR_dHCv_q5dZeVCRlfiYlh1fTxqI3AYDjv6KZxWTxbGSzllsB-Kj_eBVcCpyI8ZhhwXjy5TWcgtc_YOZr7VEdM1rE506O0-ywrHvQP3SYLnuytu0-cwFLiYPZLmPFWymij9x-kbWx/s320/IMG_0315.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid-race as it heats up. Photo: Derrick Lytle.</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I first heard about the Western States Endurance Run (WS100) soon after I started running, living in London, around 2006 when I read Dean Karnazes’ ‘Ultramarathon Man.’ The crazy 100+ mile events he described seemed well out of my league and very intimidating, so I really didn’t expect ever to run that far in one go. I got into running to travel and see amazing places, which has included the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, the jungles of Borneo and some fantastic races all over the world. There were some really tough events, but nothing longer than 8 1/2 hours in one go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">However, once I moved to the US in 2009 it seemed that every ultrarunner spoke with such reverence about the 100 mile distance and the question wasn’t IF any of us was running a 100, but which one we had next. This is probably biased by the fact I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, just down the road from WS100, but it still changed my perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I entered the lottery for the 2010 WS100 and was luckily picked the first time, not quite knowing what I’d let myself in for. So I decided to run Rocky Raccoon 100 in Texas in February, 5 months prior to WS100 to see what I could learn. I was injured in the build up and could only start running again a week out from the race so was very happy to complete 80 miles and stop before I made the injury flare up too much. That meant my first 100-mile finish was planned for my first WS100.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Somehow I came 8th and that started off an annual ritual of heat training followed by turning up in Squaw Valley in late June, followed by a good enough run (top 10) to auto qualify for the next year. 2010 I got to witness the classic battle between Kilian Jornet and Anton Krupicka where Geoff Roes ran past both of them to take down Scott Jurek’s record, as shown in the amazing movie, ‘Unbreakable.’ 2012 I ran with Timmy Olson through the Duncan Canyon aid station before he blitzed ahead to take the record below 15 hours, plus my good friend (and fellow coach at Sharman Ultra), Ellie Greenwood, ran the only women’s time under 17 hours to date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve seen snow courses, super hot years, a cold year and some the best trail runners in the world nail it as well as blow up or drop out. I saw 70-year old Gunhild Swanson finish 6 seconds before the cut-off in a moment that went viral online. And now, somehow, it’s my tenth race and I can’t believe the memories I have and the history I’ve seen. It gets more exciting each time and I don’t want to stop at 10, hoping I can keep earning my place on that starting line quite a few more times.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAo5biGMdpBlEufPq36BBlf8IFPMigBvnI1yQb7iFt4LuyVOEFf_sWRSkCE8B3_qBfkPYFOSKgOMbRMz54GV10tBtiLZt2WLWd9q8QYeDKGZZu7IbDHKlPvpkSRMNR729Ovq7rFAaNibr/s1600/WS100+2018+Amy+Sharman+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAo5biGMdpBlEufPq36BBlf8IFPMigBvnI1yQb7iFt4LuyVOEFf_sWRSkCE8B3_qBfkPYFOSKgOMbRMz54GV10tBtiLZt2WLWd9q8QYeDKGZZu7IbDHKlPvpkSRMNR729Ovq7rFAaNibr/s320/WS100+2018+Amy+Sharman+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 2018 finish. Photo: Amy Sharman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve had finishes between 4th and 10th, so I’m driven to get faster and really, really want that win. The search is for the perfect race and it takes so many things coming together in training and execution that it’s a near impossible task, but that means there’s always scope to improve, which keeps the fire burning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This year I hope to earn my 10-year buckle, which has ‘1,000 miles, 10 days’ printed on it except I’ve set myself the extra challenge of being the first to finish 10 races in under a week, averaging under 16h48m. Currently I’m a little under that, but things can go wrong very fast when it’s hot and 2019 looks like there’ll be a lot of snow early on to slow things down…then it inevitably gets ridiculously hot and usually above 100 degrees in the canyons in the shade, except there isn’t much shade.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Altra have been kind enough to make a video of my 10-year journey and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1160546020794041">here it is</a>, hopefully with a good ending in a week. Hope you enjoy it and find your big target that pushes you to your limits, too.</span></div>
sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-35197331187133745112017-11-15T17:11:00.000-08:002017-11-16T21:40:55.601-08:00No more FOMO<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPQHBuQOnaiH9nE0keTg7GBwOzshE6Zv4ZzQuHKZyfKsOFl3KIz5VfIh1p4_nsP9F0rSJHnwUWUSzROQQe2PdBBWN4dOAzpzlsNyKmGlW5ocjEpEkOH4yY3hM1VHE8Hrjpn5kj61QTxHy/s1600/Lyden_Trevor_Runtherock2017-29455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPQHBuQOnaiH9nE0keTg7GBwOzshE6Zv4ZzQuHKZyfKsOFl3KIz5VfIh1p4_nsP9F0rSJHnwUWUSzROQQe2PdBBWN4dOAzpzlsNyKmGlW5ocjEpEkOH4yY3hM1VHE8Hrjpn5kj61QTxHy/s400/Lyden_Trevor_Runtherock2017-29455.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No more encores til 2018. Photo: Trevor Lyden</td></tr>
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I'm running along epic, sandy colored trails with haze-free, perfect views of snowy mountains in Central Oregon. This is why I love running, except I'm not feeling in the zone or even within distant eyesight of the zone. It's not the Elvis jumpsuit (which feels surprisingly comfy), but it's something much more frustrating - a lack of energy and flow.<br />
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It took several weeks to finally accept it, but this is what almost all my runs have felt like since I started training again after Leadville. In addition, I track my recovery via Heart Rate Variability (my next Ultra Running Magazine coaching article is about how all that works), and it kept telling me that I was getting more worn down than expected after easy efforts and that my body wasn't bouncing back well. This was despite taking a month off alcohol to see what positive effects it would have, but that experiment was marred by the underlying fatigue.<br />
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Ending my season early is the solution. Frustratingly, I was really excited for my final race of the year at Brazos Bend 100 (hence the Elvis suit training run...), but I've felt like this once before, after running the <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/09/ian-sharmans-2013-grand-slam-of-ultrarunning-report.html">Grand Slam</a> in 2013, and know it simply needs a break and to stop any hard training or racing for a few months. Plus an early off season isn't a bad thing, especially since it's much more important to me to enjoy running and racing for decades to come, rather than potentially ruining the next year or two with overtraining.<br />
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It took me a few days to fully buy into this choice due to the all-too-common fear of missing out from not racing the 100 miler. But now I've had a few days to digest the decision it seems so obvious. It's no different to switching strategy mid-race to get the most out of the rest of the run, finding solutions and the smartest way forward.<br />
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What also helped was to think ahead to the runs I can't wait for in 2018. Antelope Canyon, my 9th Western States, running Softrock (the Hardrock route over a few days) and plenty more. So I don't want to spoil all that for the sake of FOMO.<br />
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I enjoyed 2017's runs but always aim to learn. This year's mistake was a team relay right before Western States 100 which included two downhill legs running all out (averaged about 4:48/mile pace for <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1018617357/overview">one of the legs</a> and then running another hard downhill run hours later trashed my legs). This meant that the great fitness I'd built up was affected by fatigue at WS then that flowed through to a small extent to Leadville two months later. Each race just dug me a little deeper into the hole.<br />
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Besides, I now know the Elvis suit works fine so I'll just use it next year at Brazos Bend. And no hardcore downhill races right before 100 milers!sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-67924993362084437702017-05-01T15:28:00.000-07:002017-05-02T14:16:37.091-07:00It's All Downhill From Here - Revel Mt Charleston Marathon Write-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCuDBGiWnxYGss7ZGHBIrhesR4ZuyGIj0749MGHe9T7B4DQNtHaZeFtmF3Q2bny81EDULM829yh1rrm1WK3N5i_AymAkGozt3HCBHgHmYK_vHsQhUTRy_WjWZ1LlvCE0UqUVMgxE-_GeY/s1600/f8c9a6c6357e0c6645a7845b3c37a3161602cdafd61930a8d970987123320c04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCuDBGiWnxYGss7ZGHBIrhesR4ZuyGIj0749MGHe9T7B4DQNtHaZeFtmF3Q2bny81EDULM829yh1rrm1WK3N5i_AymAkGozt3HCBHgHmYK_vHsQhUTRy_WjWZ1LlvCE0UqUVMgxE-_GeY/s320/f8c9a6c6357e0c6645a7845b3c37a3161602cdafd61930a8d970987123320c04.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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It's a while since I blogged and I wanted to make sure I had something other than a standard race report to write about. So that's the case with the <a href="https://www.runrevel.com/rmc">Revel Mt Charleston Marathon</a> outside of Vegas. It was my 109th road marathon, so I have plenty to compare it too, but it was completely unlike any of the others, as you can tell from the course profile below. Yes, that's a 5,126ft net elevation drop!<br />
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I tend to prefer the downhills in general since I find them more fun and tend to have strong legs for absorbing the impact plus decent technical ability for rugged trails. This obviously wasn't technical, but that amount of pounding on a hard surface can destroy the quads and calves, leading to a huge slow-down nearer the end. So I focused on a couple of tactics to deal with this in my training:<br />
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1. A lot of hilly weight vest power-hiking - virtually daily for around two miles with a 10lb or 20lb vest for two months prior to the race (like <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/920201235">this</a>).<br />
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2. Downhill speed sessions around five times in the month or two before the race, often on interesting Strava segments (like <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/928351045">this</a> or <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/946833540">this</a>).<br />
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The danger with the latter training method is that it greatly increases the chance of injuries as well as causing a lot of muscle damage that takes a little longer to recover from and undoes some of the hard work in flatter speed sessions as a result. I have a good sense of what my body can handle regarding downhills so was able to use years of experience to refine things.<br />
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However, despite committing six months to train for this (which includes my off season, so really more like four months), I picked up a traumatic calf injury at the start of March in a race. That meant March was limited to mainly hiking and almost no running, which isn't ideal for a race at the end of April. Yet there's no point in rushing things as it's not possible to 'catch up' on lost training, so I restarted again in April, having lost minimal speed and gained stronger legs.<br />
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All that specific training paid off and race day had very good running weather. The start area is at 7,500ft altitude and it was just below freezing, so I ended up wearing a jacket the whole way. That only worked because it was a surprisingly cold day in Vegas for April, with the temps at the finish around 60 degrees F. The race starts with the sharpest hill of the day, a quarter of a mile, 60ft uphill. So it's not smart to push too hard up that then it's mainly downhill at around a -4-5% gradient for the next 21 miles, except for tiny hills at miles 3.75 and 12.<br />
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Everything felt amazing through the first half and I was very surprised to drop a couple of sub 5-min/miles as well as most miles around 5:10-5:18. I'd hoped to maintain just under 5:30s, but things felt comfortable so I went with it. On the way I ran quicker than my 5k (16:20), 10k (32:30), 10-mile (51:50), half (1:08:20) and 20-mile (1:44:58) PRs - those times were from this marathon and all are way faster than my flat race times.<br />
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The last 10k involved a tail-wind for most of it, but a reduced gradient of around -1-2%, which felt a lot harder, so the wind really helped. At mile 23 there was an out-and-back for half a mile than was insanely hard at that stage with a headwind and a slight uphill followed by more uphill, so much so that my mile split was 6:50. Then wind-assisted, gentle downhill for the last couple of miles and a 2:21:34 finish, over 11 mins under my PR from 2009.<br />
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This type of race is a fantastic variation on the standard flat marathon, especially for trail and mountain runners whose legs can take more of a pounding than most road runners. It was also very beautiful along mountain roads for the majority of the distance.<br />
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A few people have asked me how much I think the downhill helped and I'd estimate it made me about 15 mins quicker than if I'd raced a flat marathon on the same day...but I didn't train for a flat marathon and didn't have a huge amount of speed (compared to what I'd want) for that type of terrain. When I looked through times from last year I saw that runners in the 2:30s were around 5-6 mins under their previous PRs, but I'd expect a specifically well-trained runner to do better than that, especially with the weather conditions this year (the second and third placed runners in 2017 look like they were 8 mins and 7 mins under their PRs, respectively, according to Athlinks). Someone who hadn't trained for downhills at all might run this race slower than a flat marathon, especially runners with slower PRs and lower mileage training.<br />
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I'm ecstatic with this result and thought that 2:25 would have been a great day if things went perfectly after the injury, but without running the course previously it's always difficult to judge. The gear choices were all perfect too, especially the Altra Escalante shoes, which absorbed the impact really well and remained comfy throughout.<br />
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Congrats to all the finishers and here's the <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/963136567">Strava file</a> for my race. One I'll cherish for a long time...or at least til I run this race again.<br />
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<b>Gear:</b><br />
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Shoes - <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/men/boston-escalante">Altra Boston Escalante</a><br />
Apparel - Altra, including the <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/apparel/men/performance-half-zip-17">Men's Performance Half Zip</a> jacket<br />
Shades - <a href="https://www.julbo.com/en/16/products/sunglasses/performance/model/aero_11815.html">Julbo Aero</a><br />
Nutrition - <a href="http://shop.clifbar.com/CLIF-SHOT-Energy-Gel/c/ClifBar@ClifBar@Shots">Clif Bar Shot Energy Gels</a><br />
Socks - <a href="http://www.drymaxsports.com/product/maximum-protection-running-mini-crew/">Drymax Max Protection Running</a><br />
Lubrication - <a href="http://www.squirrelsnutbutter.com/">Squirrel's Nut Butter</a><br />
Post-race recovery compression - <a href="https://os1st.com/product/calf-compression-sleeve/">OS1st Calf Compression Sleeves</a><br />
Arm sleeves - <a href="http://buffusa.com/shop-buff/men/arm-sleeves-category/uv-arm-sleeves-family.html">Buff UV Arm Sleeves</a>sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-82941596267678450982016-07-03T23:09:00.001-07:002016-07-04T08:55:22.296-07:00Comrades and Western States 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start and finish arch for WS100. Never thought I'd be so involved with the race I'd sponsor it. A very proud moment. Photo: Amy Sharman</td></tr>
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Rather than a standard race report for the past couple of events, I thought it'd be more helpful to spell out what I learnt. Ultra running is about constantly improving and avoiding making past mistakes in training and racing, so that process never ends (it's one of the most fascinating aspects of ultras).<br />
<br />
I've doubled up on two of my favorite races four times now and they're four weeks apart on totally different terrain. <a href="http://www.comrades.com/">Comrades</a> in South Africa is at the end of May and is the biggest and most competitive ultra in the world, then <a href="http://www.wser.org/">Western States 100</a> in California at the end of June and is generally considered to be the premier ultra in the US. Comrades is a hilly road race, WS100 is a hot, rolling trail race with a mid-range of vertical gain and loss.<br />
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This year I'd hoped to really go for it at Comrades and break six hours for the 55.5 mile course, but it didn't happen thanks to an injury in the build-up and illness right before the race while on vacation in Paris. So what did I learn from that? Mainly I learnt that just getting to run Comrades at all is still a huge thrill and that without the pressure of running hard it's more relaxed and fun. However, I'm driven by competition and seeing how well I can run so the relaxed race days will mainly have to wait til my 40s (or maybe 50s). I also learnt that with around one hour of sleep a night for the week before the race (due to coughing non-stop through the night), I was able to run fairly normally and not feel too tired. Probably good news if I ever run some multi-day, non-stop race like Tor des Geants. But that's not on the radar for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
Anyway, continual coughing fits during Comrades didn't annoy me as much as I thought they would since I'd already adjusted my goals and accepted the reality for the day instead of the race I'd dreamed of having. This is a lesson I've learnt before and one that's vital to getting the most of out a given situation in a race.<br />
<br />
So Comrades ended up being a hard training run for WS100, which gave it a useful purpose and kept my motivation up. 6h25m (Strava data <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/591982869">here</a>), over 24 mins slower than my best, but that's still pretty close and was at a reasonably comfy effort for the most part. Next time...<br />
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In the weeks between the races I knew that recovery was the most important and useful factor for performing well at WS100 so I let my body heal with hiking and easy running. In 2015 my heat training was inadequate so that was another area I could work on without harming my recovery. I had some dizzy, energy-sapping slow hike/runs with up to nine layers of clothing, plus another four on just my head. Not the most fun, but it paid off in a huge way on race day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaV0Kf2VuSJxI_fkkUDa2N-VuI9JMRqAUY-zOsah4rXdTKKgSCef8ARHlb9ug3wbBBFp8ju9N_Q1IWgKh80LfGhdDGfbEZaSqGRBbBxXQSqhVF-9Gb0_E08mTltCmdCEyT59KoeEwvpd_/s1600/IMG_2768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaV0Kf2VuSJxI_fkkUDa2N-VuI9JMRqAUY-zOsah4rXdTKKgSCef8ARHlb9ug3wbBBFp8ju9N_Q1IWgKh80LfGhdDGfbEZaSqGRBbBxXQSqhVF-9Gb0_E08mTltCmdCEyT59KoeEwvpd_/s320/IMG_2768.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heat training - hiking at Lake Tahoe in my winter gear. Photo: Amy Sharman</td></tr>
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Pre-WS100 I was invited to take part in the Veteran's Panel, which was a great chance to question my own race day strategy. Here's the video, which includes some excellent info from he panel of Gunhild Swanson, Erika Lindland, Danny Westergaard and myself.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9sy8uiTA1g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Then on to race day, which was hotter than average (a high of around 100F in Auburn compared to around 90F as a median). This was possibly the first time I was genuinely felt excited on race morning instead of a dread that I have to run a full 100 miles and that part of it will feel horrible, guaranteed.<br />
<br />
The biggest story of the race was how aggressive Jim Walmsley ran, despite the blistering heat. It was an impressive run to get so far ahead of the course record splits for a long period, but the beauty of a 100 miler is that there's a lot more to deal with than in a shorter ultra. The three favorites (Walmsley, Sage Canaday and David Laney) all had difficulties and it ended up with many of the slower, experienced 100 milers in the top positions, plus relatively slow times for the top 10 in general. The right tactic was to avoid reacting to the fast pace of the leaders, but it takes discipline to stick to a game plan, especially when it looks like someone else is rapidly pulling away. Luckily, the same mentality that helped at Comrades also helped here - I knew I'd not run enough on trails or enough vertical to be particularly fast, so there was less pressure internally to try to move quickly and more focus on saving the legs for the latter miles so my pace wouldn't fall off a cliff. This was painfully brought home to me by four nasty falls in the high country, a personal record compared to one minor fall maximum in the previous WS100s I've run. Basically I was uncoordinated and below par on anything remotely technical. Not much I could have done to fix that, but it did force me to be more conservative, which I should have done earlier on. Again, playing the conditions and the fitness I actually faced would have been better than going for things regardless and wishing I'd been able to train differently and be more agile. But that's an easy one to fix if the next build up is injury-free.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2eb7u65h6BHePzlfkUGVENuuk58fLCbUlQbjRSW0gcCvcjXmk4Y9bdTMLF4orLDw6rorHQ9iptfKe17iLCkmvENtFSd8pCrZ177C7nHJIl2HuRzchTQjmCjfJ3bH17AtmBLXtxbXNZrA/s1600/IMG_2372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2eb7u65h6BHePzlfkUGVENuuk58fLCbUlQbjRSW0gcCvcjXmk4Y9bdTMLF4orLDw6rorHQ9iptfKe17iLCkmvENtFSd8pCrZ177C7nHJIl2HuRzchTQjmCjfJ3bH17AtmBLXtxbXNZrA/s320/IMG_2372.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duncan Canyon at mile 23. A few cuts and bruises from being uncoordinated. Photo: Greg Lanctot. </td></tr>
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Another lesson here - always look out for the markings even when it's the seventh time you're running a race. I got lost soon after Michigan Bluff since I expected the road to go upwards and forgot it goes downwards first. A few minutes of running by someone's house and I had a group of 3 large dogs running with me. They didn't go away for miles and the detour meant that fellow Brit, Paul Giblin, caught me up. The dogs then distracted us when we were looking for the turn to Volcano Canyon and we missed it by half a mile, then doubled back due to a lack of marking meaning we clearly had gone off course.<br />
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The next lesson resulted from this - when shit happens, move on quickly and don't dwell on 'could haves' and 'should haves.' It's annoying, but adapt to the new reality. I felt I did that pretty well and tried to avoid bitching to my crew about it since dwelling on negatives doesn't help my mindset or lead to good performance.<br />
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Then the final lesson of the day was that it ain't over til the fat lady sings (or John Medinger announces your name as you cross the finish line, at least). Despite only moving at a moderate pace, I was running a good portion of the race for the last 38 miles and the only people I caught were the leaders for most of the day, both of whom were walking - Sage then Jim. Last year it was 100-mile legend, Francois D'Haene, who I caught as he walked it in after getting food poisoning pre-race. If guys of that caliber can have things go wrong but still gut it out then the only excuses I could use for slowing down or stopping involved something like a bone sticking out my shin or an arm hanging by a thread after being ripped off by a cougar. Neither of these scenarios had occurred to sucking up the final miles was the only reasonable way forward. Final result: 16h55m for 6th. Not what I wanted back at the start of the year, but solid and not easy at all so I'm very satisfied. Strava data until the watch ran out of memory are <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/621043326">here</a>.<br />
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So that was a longer write-up than I'd intended, but I know I'll read this before WS100 next year and this will help me appreciate the fitness I have and the opportunity to line up for my eighth run at the storied event. Three more top 10s to be the first man to get top 10 in his first 10 attempts. But I really want one of them to be a win (or, ideally, three).<br />
<br />
Thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, crew and pacers at both these incredible world ultras. Dave Pearse was my legendary local crew (again) at Comrades; Amy Sharman and Rob Tucker crewed expertly at WS100 and Altra's Brian Beckstead got in some pre-Hardrock miles by crawling along with me for the final 22 miles.<br />
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<b>Gear (all worked perfectly and will be used in exactly the same way in my next ultra):</b></div>
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Shoes -<br />
Comrades: <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/men/one-25-neutral-running-shoe">Altra One 2.5</a><br />
WS100: <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/men/lonepeak25?c3api=6671,46492284097,%2Baltra%20%2Blone%20%2Bpeak%202.5&gclid=Cj0KEQiA89u1BRDz8enExq7rvN0BEiQAaFCHm0oYpSugQb40mxiQYeGrinOqdsrawiFPEyS65gGTqHwaAp538P8HAQ">Altra Lone Peak 2.5</a><br />
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Nutrition -<br />
Comrades: <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/">Clif Bar</a> gels<br />
WS100: <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/">Clif Bar</a> gels, Shot Bloks and Organic Energy Food pouches<br />
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Hydration/lights -<br />
Comrades: Water and Energy drink pouches along the course (no handheld bottles)<br />
WS100: <a href="http://ultraspire.com/">UltrAspire</a> Isometric pocket bottles and Lumen 600 waist light<br />
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Socks -<br />
Comrades: <a href="http://drymaxsports.com/extremerunning.php">Drymax Max Protection Road Socks</a><br />
WS100: <a href="http://drymaxsports.com/trail_running_maximum.php">Drymax Max Protection Trail Socks</a><br />
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Shades -<br />
Comrades: <a href="https://www.julbo.com/en/16/products/sunglasses/performance/model/venturi_6792.html">Julbo Venturi with photochromic lenses</a><br />
WS100: <a href="https://www.julbo.com/en/16/products/sunglasses/performance/model/venturi_6792.html">Julbo Venturi with photochromic lenses</a></div>
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Some more photos that capture the beauty and trials of WS100:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dz6s8-7RjsQdF_84w1Eevqwncixc0Nvg31da8LjaP1PS-TW-KFXSxmzs-3A86o8Ms19huOS38a5T0ihm78tp41OeuEo0StK6UVhmZCblLYUqnVnP_KDTFJcUPgHTTntAkO5ilasvnxzQ/s1600/IMG_2848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dz6s8-7RjsQdF_84w1Eevqwncixc0Nvg31da8LjaP1PS-TW-KFXSxmzs-3A86o8Ms19huOS38a5T0ihm78tp41OeuEo0StK6UVhmZCblLYUqnVnP_KDTFJcUPgHTTntAkO5ilasvnxzQ/s320/IMG_2848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising in the middle of the race. Photo: Paul Nelson.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmF5TLyCtHmclBYJA0KwnvTPMUZQBv_jDFBSDGb1mimzSd5E8aF6EIoAUGo_rfldTIgmj3JMHSKy8Ho7dNVYI6X-OzmzzUbbf40VgwMKKVWEUCwIrq3mF88rdqImRhrBv7SfqmTSKq2tF/s1600/IMG_2853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmF5TLyCtHmclBYJA0KwnvTPMUZQBv_jDFBSDGb1mimzSd5E8aF6EIoAUGo_rfldTIgmj3JMHSKy8Ho7dNVYI6X-OzmzzUbbf40VgwMKKVWEUCwIrq3mF88rdqImRhrBv7SfqmTSKq2tF/s320/IMG_2853.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The joyous American River crossing at mile 78. Photo: Gary Wang.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqcTOhQfSIdruxaw63WH_9zW51yxf8-XuAHNr6-bVHmbH0dlzrHfHTwpGD4CmIhatW6bumk24KptZmlw-k5YGhKlhj3w43JRKChfZM1uAOzbMLK9wFwLX58mZ9-E-5ZLEZfpKn8DcpG_4/s1600/IMG_2874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqcTOhQfSIdruxaw63WH_9zW51yxf8-XuAHNr6-bVHmbH0dlzrHfHTwpGD4CmIhatW6bumk24KptZmlw-k5YGhKlhj3w43JRKChfZM1uAOzbMLK9wFwLX58mZ9-E-5ZLEZfpKn8DcpG_4/s320/IMG_2874.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More river crossing fun. Photo: Gary Wang.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medical tent at the end, having pieces of grit pulled out my arm. Get all the pain out the way on the same day! Photo: Rob Tucker.</td></tr>
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<br />sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-18461683522559631622016-04-20T12:58:00.000-07:002016-04-20T14:01:31.296-07:003 Ultras, 3 Weekends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Boston Red Sox game with Clif Bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday before the marathon includes mile races looped around the finish line. This was the pro women.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s Saturday night in Boston, right before Marathon Monday, and I’m sat at a sushi restaurant with Brian Beckstead and Kyle Petrieri. Brian’s at his fourth Boston and has told me he’s running the Boston double, starting early on marathon day to run the course in reverse then run the race as normal. He’s done this every time he’s run Boston. He also co-founded my shoe sponsor, Altra, so he really walks the walk of a passionate ultra runner.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Despite running ultras the previous two weekends and wanting to run a hard, fast marathon, I can’t think of a good reason not to run the double with him. It’s my fifth Boston and it sounds like an interesting opportunity that will make this year stand out from the other Bostons I’ve run.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Fast forward 36 hours and my alarm goes off at 5am on Monday then I remember what I’ve agreed to do and I’m tempted to roll over and get some more sleep, a typical race morning feeling. Yet when I meet up at 5:30am with the five other runners who decided this was a great plan I feel more of a buzz than ever before about seeing the entire Boston course twice.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Those other intrepid (ultra) runners are Nicole Kalogeropoulos (Rocky Raccoon 100 record holder and three-time champ), New Yorkers Stephen England and Keila Merino plus Utah’s Alison Memmott. So we take the obligatory selfie at the Boston finish line in the dark then start running. It takes until the first turn (less than half a mile) before we’re off course, but we soon get back on it and follow the rows of barricades as a guide for the course route.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5:30am at the Boston Marathon finish before starting the double</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">As the sun rises I find myself running with Nicole, a little ahead of the others. The first few miles are mainly uphill, running Heartbreak Hill in reverse (which makes it harder and longer). Two minor missed turns later and we’re enjoying ourselves but have added on some extra distance and are somehow behind the other guys. Then we catch back up around the half way mark and start seeing more and more people out for the race. At first it’s a few cops then it’s volunteers setting up the aid stations every mile or so. Already tipsy students cheer us at a couple of places, some confused into thinking we’re in the official race at that point, despite no other runners being around, a slow pace and running the wrong direction.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">As we approach the final miles a cavalcade of police motorbikes goes by, each representing a different police force in the local area, totaling maybe 20 in formation. Then we see a few military men and women running in full combat fatigues and boots with race numbers. They’re spread out over several miles and it seems there’s some kind of early military start. In the final uphill miles to the start (it’s a big uphill in that direction, meaning a big downhill the other way that gets lost in the adrenaline and huge crowds of runners trying to overtake each other) we see the other early start races. First the wheelchair racers fly by on a downhill, maybe going at 20-30 miles/hour. Next the hand bikes at almost the same speed on a lesser descent. Disabled runners, some with prosthetic limbs and guides, come next and the crowds cheer them on enthusiatically, as we do. These other races are something I see little of in a straight forward run at Boston.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Then the final early start is for the elite women, which we witness about half a mile from the start line, running closely in a pack of around 40. Already this is the most memorable marathon I’ve ever run and I’ve technically not even begun yet. Nicole tells me that she might just come next year to run this reverse Boston and not even bother with the standard marathon too. I know just what she means…although I don’t think I could fly over and not fit in the official event too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Finally we arrive at the official start from the wrong direction and security guards wave a metal detecting wand over us before letting us pass with an orange wrist band. Security is much tighter since the 2013 bombings, as you’d fully expect. We pose for another group photo and split up into our respective corrals, some starting in later waves. Now I’m back to my usual Boston morning experience, except my legs are a little tired after around four hours of running. Within seconds I see the bunch of ultra runners in corral one, mainly from the Bay Area. It includes Jorge Maravilla with the goal of (soon) running a sub-2:19 marathon to qualify for the Olympics for El Salvador (how amazing would that be!?), Alex Varner, Scott Dunlap and a whole host of SF Running Company guys.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi926D6BUl8eYGuZXbrEqYrQIL1OyAKeiu39Ms2jmH0o3dE08-17iMloYp7R9I7SVuKFFRmaHNMuEHO03uFXQoCdR4lIqkxVndIROEURXjBeC39Hb5jKSa1EZ_zvC70jxP-5_0z5MFh7p3A/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi926D6BUl8eYGuZXbrEqYrQIL1OyAKeiu39Ms2jmH0o3dE08-17iMloYp7R9I7SVuKFFRmaHNMuEHO03uFXQoCdR4lIqkxVndIROEURXjBeC39Hb5jKSa1EZ_zvC70jxP-5_0z5MFh7p3A/s320/IMG_2112.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrival at the hot start of the Boston Marathon, around 27.5 miles into the run</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">A few minutes later and the US national anthem is sung, then we’re off. Things are a fair bit faster than the casual run to the start but I’m pleasantly surprised to feel good cruising around a 6:15/mile pace. As always the race has fantastic support and amazing volunteers. If you’ve never run Boston then it’s well worth working towards qualifying for it, even if you’re a die-hard trail runner. After all, all the people mentioned above are mainly trail runners, as am I.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Overall it was an extremely memorable and unique experience which I’ll definitely replicate again in the future. I paced things fairly evenly, losing a little time in the Newton Hills between miles 16 and 21 for a 2:49:42 marathon (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/549417792">here's the Strava data</a>). I was mindful about Scott Jurek’s words at a Clif Bar event the day before about the importance of enjoying the race experience at Boston and taking it all in. So I kept things more relaxed, high fived the crowd a lot and just plain had fun.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Surprisingly I felt fine afterwards and less sore and wobbly than after <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/535000804/overview">American River 50</a> two weeks earlier or even <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/540612706/overview">Gorge Waterfalls 50k</a> nine days earlier. My intention before these races was to use them to boost my endurance and really kick start the three month build up to Western States. It looks like it worked perfectly as I’m stronger now plus I’ve had a great time at three classic races so far in April. Two shorter races remain ahead - the Bend Half Marathon this Sunday then Bloomsday 12k the following Sunday. No need to double these distances up and a healthy dose of speed is just what my legs need.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfmXLjc3iRb4KWp6L_6BjKApDThvBlvX3ECM0ZO5Mh__kt0lXoYh91FHrmQ5HJp653GAXqw05D-aCBa4xeGsvUoepOdpTZgx5Iuu75olPZJzjG5nZ-lBNSKe1C2S4ca4ocf-233tUhNWS/s1600/IMG_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfmXLjc3iRb4KWp6L_6BjKApDThvBlvX3ECM0ZO5Mh__kt0lXoYh91FHrmQ5HJp653GAXqw05D-aCBa4xeGsvUoepOdpTZgx5Iuu75olPZJzjG5nZ-lBNSKe1C2S4ca4ocf-233tUhNWS/s320/IMG_1967.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorge Waterfalls 50k in Oregon, one of the most beautiful ultras in the world. Photo: Ryan Kaiser.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Congratulations to all the runners over these past three races and I can only imagine the variety of life changing experiences people have had at each. One last thing to mention is that American River was the culmination of the second season of ‘<a href="http://becomingultra.com/">Becoming Ultra</a>’ so I know that two runners in particular had profound days. Krystalore Stegner was coached by Liza Howard in the project to complete her first ultra as well as scoring a Boston qualifier in a build up marathon. Then my client was Janet Patkowa and she went from very little running and a half marathon or two under her belt to back-to-back long run weekends and an epic 12 hours out on the trails to complete her first ultra. Thanks so much to the two girls who put in all the hard work and shared their story publicly, as well as to Liza and the master-mind behind the project, Athlete On Fire’s Scott Jones. The podcasts are available from the whole season, plus a short video will come out soon covering the project. Season Three starts soon and we’ll be searching for candidates in the very near future.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpOQD1iKr16XA3NcSQfsutB1nNOx4BTX6cWno4bboV4YVwKybTvWg_TrabqAPTThzuMgi787lw-OIKj01oIzR9AxpyIIVFDAqioaACK00D35Ybp7bIodGRdAjnkd3GUjY7hf-aCaoPWRo/s1600/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpOQD1iKr16XA3NcSQfsutB1nNOx4BTX6cWno4bboV4YVwKybTvWg_TrabqAPTThzuMgi787lw-OIKj01oIzR9AxpyIIVFDAqioaACK00D35Ybp7bIodGRdAjnkd3GUjY7hf-aCaoPWRo/s320/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krystalore finishing American River 50 and showing why she won the Spirit Award for the race.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvdMbu2RdYN30vQ4nPxW33OURwbRHMUb63BBzqBdm6qHgOr-SCFlp1FaQlmGUBW7PMq-L0l8TFeFHSsggh7w_ZEmaJFgog0pID1_RyDitp6IkP9V86YsDj4u1JRRgRQGcT3Mrsyam31Qo/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvdMbu2RdYN30vQ4nPxW33OURwbRHMUb63BBzqBdm6qHgOr-SCFlp1FaQlmGUBW7PMq-L0l8TFeFHSsggh7w_ZEmaJFgog0pID1_RyDitp6IkP9V86YsDj4u1JRRgRQGcT3Mrsyam31Qo/s320/IMG_1938.JPG" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet and Krystalore at the start of their first ultra, pre-dawn</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span>sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-65350258137181924982016-02-07T13:56:00.000-08:002016-02-10T07:56:29.585-08:00Rocky Raccoon 100 2016 - The Best Way To Spend Super Bowl Weekend<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesmtWdn0P_xj9G4cNYF1Y2Klm1NEgackWt2jOdljn8vFQZuqImHIKWALrUyWFDnAlXJWCTddBvvKnnCzgvsuWh7GiAdzmhEbA8deJ0bYY0e8S3NCqyjde3qHd8gQdkshI0wAxFfaxXEB9/s1600/unspecified-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesmtWdn0P_xj9G4cNYF1Y2Klm1NEgackWt2jOdljn8vFQZuqImHIKWALrUyWFDnAlXJWCTddBvvKnnCzgvsuWh7GiAdzmhEbA8deJ0bYY0e8S3NCqyjde3qHd8gQdkshI0wAxFfaxXEB9/s320/unspecified-4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Jason Bryant</td></tr>
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At mile 20 I felt like running was the easiest thing ever and maybe the course record would go down. Five miles later I realized this wouldn’t happen since my legs were already sore, even though my heart rate and effort were low. And so it goes with 100 milers - big highs and crappy lows.</div>
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Rocky Raccoon is known for being a flat and fast trail 100 miler, but the normal course still has 5,500ft of vertical gain and lots of roots to trip up unwary or tired legs. This year there was construction work on the dam and that altered the course to include more jeep roads, more climbing (somewhere around 1,500ft per 20-mile loop or 7,500ft in total) and a little more distance (around 0.3 miles/loop or 1.5 miles in total). So there are definitely faster trail 100s out there, but none that have attracted the same level of talent as this Huntsville, Texas, race (Eric Clifton, Anton Krupicka, Hal Koerner, Karl Meltzer and Scott Jurek…just on the men’s side).</div>
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I’ve had good and bad years at RR100, which were predictable in hindsight. A DNF for my first ever 100 miler (right after an injury and almost zero running for two months), a course record (I was in great marathon shape), another DNF (too focused on going for the record even with really muddy, stormy conditions), then three more runs in the mid-to-high 13hr range with two of them as wins and a second place.</div>
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This one ranks on the predictably imperfect end of the scale. I entered it 12 days pre-race on a whim, after fully planning on focusing on a marathon instead. In the five months pre-race I had one long hike and a handful of long runs, all but one under three hours. However, I was in good shape and had some quality speed work in the past couple of months. So that resulted in 20 miles feeling very easy then the lack of endurance rearing its painful head soon after. After two loops I felt like I’d run four and was hanging on for dear life. Luckily I’ve leant a few things from previous 100s about how to manage things when the original plan is derailed, so I settled into grinding mode and acknowledged that every bad patch (of which there were many more than there should have been) would only last a few miles.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l5wWP5qaJB-TARVfOBeRXTTLEPXUEqRoRavkczGZRPSuElApefcz05JpQnA3rKTKUtqO9gJ_Mja47sklAwgixQfRx4iDyVLgs1VJahgJEiQDPFIjbD4UW0CnLiEvKu1_jLhAyG81xEes/s1600/unspecified-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l5wWP5qaJB-TARVfOBeRXTTLEPXUEqRoRavkczGZRPSuElApefcz05JpQnA3rKTKUtqO9gJ_Mja47sklAwgixQfRx4iDyVLgs1VJahgJEiQDPFIjbD4UW0CnLiEvKu1_jLhAyG81xEes/s320/unspecified-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Jason Bryant</td></tr>
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So lesson learnt, only enter short races at the last moment and respect the 100 mile distance. However, the upside of a tough run is it’s that much sweeter afterwards to know that there were many opportunities to quit and I didn’t take them. Some of the most satisfying races of my life have been the harder days where it didn’t go perfectly. In contrast, the course record year at RR100 in 2011 was anti-climactic since it felt ridiculously easy (hence why I don’t slow down). I’ll keep striving to have another perfect day like that but realize that so many factors have to come together that it’s more about managing inevitable problems mid-race than expecting none to occur.</div>
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In terms of results, I held on for the win in 13:45:03, followed by Paul Terranova who repeated his USATF 100 mile Championship title win after being first American at RR100 last year too. Even more impressively, Sabrina Little ran in third all day (or with Paul for 25 miles) and finished in 14:55, the second fastest time ever at RR100 on a day that the course added a little time to her run. Mind you, the weather was absolutely perfect for fast times, never hot or humid.</div>
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In addition, two legends of ultra running ground out great finishes - Gordy Ainsleigh qualified for Western States 100 at the last chance he had (he automatically has an entry due to being the founder, but still needs a qualifying race); plus 71-year old Gunhild Swanson of the famous 2015 ‘seconds to spare’ WS100 finish was strong for a <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 45, 34);">28:22 finish.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTF_SQCp59ZXnTqP0Frq0TcyX7hjLraqJzTC-_Rc9JcvJCZqM3DTL_ZeR_aSvRKHTJ72pZSzbhcWSWlDuGPxbxTLR0mhzdr4CCis8ukyGR6xNIFN_6FrYf4onsBoT-LFpPtucVEnmm_w_x/s1600/12715287_10156519351860425_1418968136811321350_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTF_SQCp59ZXnTqP0Frq0TcyX7hjLraqJzTC-_Rc9JcvJCZqM3DTL_ZeR_aSvRKHTJ72pZSzbhcWSWlDuGPxbxTLR0mhzdr4CCis8ukyGR6xNIFN_6FrYf4onsBoT-LFpPtucVEnmm_w_x/s320/12715287_10156519351860425_1418968136811321350_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunhild gets her buckle from RD Chris McWatters. Photo: Lynnor Matheney</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUG_OWXLwdzFAm8PtntNul7359Gafu9mMzYjQcQdVxHK8yIbiaaOezBuujxWtnyYOkEB7zDgRBigfrvK_xHzaS5OcYeNMrbNpQWDXNSDpmy9mq0bPufnebzfzHVA6NpPjCLrD1FdGXgV7w/s1600/12715331_10156519365250425_4732219104203841307_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUG_OWXLwdzFAm8PtntNul7359Gafu9mMzYjQcQdVxHK8yIbiaaOezBuujxWtnyYOkEB7zDgRBigfrvK_xHzaS5OcYeNMrbNpQWDXNSDpmy9mq0bPufnebzfzHVA6NpPjCLrD1FdGXgV7w/s320/12715331_10156519365250425_4732219104203841307_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordy after his successful finish. Photo: Lynnor Matheney</td></tr>
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Congrats to everyone who ran and the loops and out-and-back sections mean that I saw all of them many times through the day to mutually support each other. Full results are <a href="http://edsresults.com/rr100/">here</a>.</div>
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<b>Gear (all worked perfectly and will be used in exactly the same way in my next ultra):</b></div>
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Shoes - <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/men/lonepeak25?c3api=6671,46492284097,%2Baltra%20%2Blone%20%2Bpeak%202.5&gclid=Cj0KEQiA89u1BRDz8enExq7rvN0BEiQAaFCHm0oYpSugQb40mxiQYeGrinOqdsrawiFPEyS65gGTqHwaAp538P8HAQ">Altra Lone Peak 2.5</a></div>
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Nutrition - <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/">Clif Bar</a> gels, Shot Bloks and Organic Energy Food pouches</div>
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Hydration/lights - <a href="http://ultraspire.com/">UltrAspire</a> Isometric pocket bottles and Lumen 600 waist light</div>
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Socks - <a href="http://drymaxsports.com/trailrunning.php">Drymax Trail 1/4 Crew Socks</a></div>
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Shades - <a href="https://www.julbo.com/en/16/products/sunglasses/performance/model/venturi_6792.html">Julbo Venturi with photochromic lenses</a></div>
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<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
HRM - <a href="http://life-beam.com/shop/smart-hat/">LifeBEAM Smart Hat with inbuilt HRM</a></div>
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sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-32395331881019776102016-01-17T21:04:00.003-08:002016-01-18T12:28:01.781-08:00Top 10 Female Ultra Performances of All TimeGiven there are plenty of annual lists at this time of year for best performances and runners, it got me thinking about the very best ultra performances of all time. Obviously it's impossible to have some perfect formula to compare every aspect of one performance to another, but I used my own experience from road, track and trail racing (as well as coaching elite women) to consider the most impressive female runs ever and have included the equivalent list for men <a href="https://www.blogger.com/My%20thoughts%20on%20top%2010%20global%20male%20ultra%20performances%20of%20all%20time.%20http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2016/01/top-10-male-ultra-performances-of-all.html">here</a>.<br />
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I factor in the level of competition on the day, the level of competition that's attempted the world or course record at any point in history, weather (where applicable, like at Western States where it can vary significantly) and knowledge of the tactics and skill used to get such a great performance. I was lucky enough to see some of these performances in person or at least meet most of the runners mentioned below.<br />
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I include only one performance per race, unless the race has more than one format or direction (like Comrades with its Up and Down runs or the clockwise/anti-clockwise directions at Hardrock 100). Also, how well these records stand the test of time is important, so a very well-challenged record from longer ago is deemed to be especially impressive.<br />
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I also work off the assumption that if a runner hasn't been caught doping then their results are legitimate, since unfounded accusations are spiteful. Anyone who is a confirmed doper is not part of this list (that I'm aware of).<br />
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<i>No photo available of Tomoe Abe - anyone got one?</i><br />
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<b>1. Tomoe Abe, Japan - 100k World Record at Lake Saroma, Japan (6:33:11, 2000)</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She set the fastest 100k time for women by a long margin (nobody else has broken 7hrs and Ann Trason is one of the closest with a 7:00:47 best). I've heard that this record was set with a tailwind, but it's still so far ahead of any of the other road or track marks set by women at any ultra distance that it really stands out. To give an idea of Abe's caliber, she won the bronze medal in the marathon at the </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1993 World Championships </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: inherit;">and her personal best time is 2:26:09. In addition, she ran a 2:28:01 in the same year as her 100k record and a 2:27:01 the following year so was very much at her peak at that point. This is equivalent to 5:16 for 50 miles (compared to the 5:40 world record by Ann Trason), or even quicker if she slowed towards the end of the 100k. Also, this record is surprisingly close to the men's </span><span style="color: #252525;">record</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"> by Don Ritchie of 6:10:20 (number five on the <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2016/01/top-10-male-ultra-performances-of-all.html">top 10 all time ultra men's list</a>).</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcApQfksd8zOEAxqv9mSNxVapv_8RjlMJTY2Ky4zAA0yJPeUF2cBMZZlu_lK7OiOVp-NhurY-Kh8a-hAUPE2XJiZtY-IlSxmCunz6UQ-W21S9RlRYGii09yH-WQ004b5lA8EtcOwP-3pG/s1600/20131120Awards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcApQfksd8zOEAxqv9mSNxVapv_8RjlMJTY2Ky4zAA0yJPeUF2cBMZZlu_lK7OiOVp-NhurY-Kh8a-hAUPE2XJiZtY-IlSxmCunz6UQ-W21S9RlRYGii09yH-WQ004b5lA8EtcOwP-3pG/s320/20131120Awards.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frith van der Merle. Photo: Sport.co.za</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Frith van der Merwe, South Africa - Comrad</span>es Down Run Course Record (5:54:43, 1989)</b><br />
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van der Merwe destroyed the Comrades down run record in 1989 and nobody's come very close since, with just two other women breaking 6hrs - Ann Trason with a 5:58:24 in 1997 and Tatyana Zhirkova with 5:58:50 in 2005. van der Merwe's average pace was 6:23/mile, working out as around 5:19:30 through 50 miles with hills. The down run is usually won in a time around 6:10:00 and the record looks safe for the moment.<br />
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However, the up run course record of 6:09:24 (Elena Nurgalieva, 2006) isn't quite as comparably fast and doesn't make the top 10 list. It's 15 mins off the down run record while the men's up run record is only four minutes slower than the down run record (see the <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2016/01/top-10-male-ultra-performances-of-all.html">top 10 all time ultra men's list</a>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3hNOAprIgFO0WLtQNFsjBcV-3oZwdk_pU_Nowosi2bTvlv553R69eN2P4YY6t4gyjTkT8HkGrsIUT-wur4IyIdQSV4pwJh3VM_Z_V2VoxfjTgxPXkcLWofJLe7OfovIniMKHntxm6Pne/s1600/Rory-Bosio-UTMB_Credit-Tim-Kemple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3hNOAprIgFO0WLtQNFsjBcV-3oZwdk_pU_Nowosi2bTvlv553R69eN2P4YY6t4gyjTkT8HkGrsIUT-wur4IyIdQSV4pwJh3VM_Z_V2VoxfjTgxPXkcLWofJLe7OfovIniMKHntxm6Pne/s320/Rory-Bosio-UTMB_Credit-Tim-Kemple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rory Bosio. Photo: Tim Kemple</td></tr>
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<b>3. Rory Bosio, USA - UTMB Course Record (22:37:26, 2013)</b><br />
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The top ranked trail performance is by Rory Bosio, who decimated the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc field two years in a row (2013 and 2014 wins), taking over two hours off the course record and finishing seventh overall in 22:37:26, well ahead of the female competition. On top of that she made it look easy, smiling and playing in the mountains throughout the race. This is arguably the most competitive trail ultra in the world and Rory was so dominant that this could easily have been number one in the list.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDmG95mygeUtVKFhkTCB-7MjVUKjN6LdL_D71yu6eWvLRxeGu3tChF6DERPQMjJfvDj45-HYyayq0q-kNeOEc1tkVvP7y7L9hMM-g0d-jyr9AlxGNlQdA86NJd6dfSMTLwNyLR63mL9Mi/s1600/Screen-shot-2014-03-18-at-10.06.55-PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDmG95mygeUtVKFhkTCB-7MjVUKjN6LdL_D71yu6eWvLRxeGu3tChF6DERPQMjJfvDj45-HYyayq0q-kNeOEc1tkVvP7y7L9hMM-g0d-jyr9AlxGNlQdA86NJd6dfSMTLwNyLR63mL9Mi/s320/Screen-shot-2014-03-18-at-10.06.55-PM.png" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Trason. Photo: Running Times</td></tr>
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<b>4. Ann Trason, USA - Grand Slam of Ultra Running Record (79:23:21, 1998)</b><br />
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No woman dominated ultra running like Ann Trason. 14 wins at Western States 100, including the former course record, plus wins at Comrades, the 100k World Cup and just about every major ultra you can think of in the 1990s. She also holds American and World Records at numerous distances, most of which still stand today. She generally raced the men since no women could keep up with her and the fact she has several spots in this top 10 reflects that her times are just as competitive today.<br />
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However, I judge the top-rated performance of her career as her Grand Slam of Ultra Running record, the combined time for the Western States 100, Vermont Trail 100, Leadville Trail 100 and Wasatch Front 100, all over one summer in a period of 10-11 weeks. The next best female time was nine hours back by Krissy Moehl! Ann was the female winner in each of those races, which wasn't unexpected for such a talented runner, but it speaks to her ability to not just perform well for a single target race but to manage so many other factors within ultra running to stay strong and fast through each of these races. If there was an award for the best female ultra runner of all time, it would be hard to argue against Ann as the clear winner, especially with her breadth of dominance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBStqdz-DjX_SSFUrGu5A9QywGvqptHAEVqC372FsUdeKcCkXV7E3ZcGtnKwuxOhKP0pV5PKyiOXXRSALntuoOSPnQsB90DMAUZVlHZqnz4yQMmYDo47avEugsYv-z_wY1Nfp5cod2hPL/s1600/Anna-Frost-2011-TNF-50-victory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBStqdz-DjX_SSFUrGu5A9QywGvqptHAEVqC372FsUdeKcCkXV7E3ZcGtnKwuxOhKP0pV5PKyiOXXRSALntuoOSPnQsB90DMAUZVlHZqnz4yQMmYDo47avEugsYv-z_wY1Nfp5cod2hPL/s320/Anna-Frost-2011-TNF-50-victory.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Frost. Photo: irunfar.com</td></tr>
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<b>5. Anna Frost, New Zealand - Transvulcania Course Record (8:10:41, 2014)</b><br />
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Anna's had numerous spectacular performances and is undoubtedly one of the best female mountain runners of all time. Her course record at the hyper competitive Transvulcania ultra on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands is something that stands out. When Anna's on top form she's like a steam train uphill and most of the very fastest mountain women of the modern era have tackled this course and not come close to this time. Only Anna herself (8:11:31 in 2012) and Skyrunning star, Emelie Forsberg (8:13:22 in 2013), have come close to this performance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcNMKd-w5lVVqklIek4XG7lmJN09ghBnUF-qdts8wvqnGvGSBdZYEG5sL5j99ZHPzlExcGmNiz7fBQ-oc9MVzt91k5I3sjULoJtAlj0RV9IVYFUCbLwKbJl8e7GBdkpAP9ZmOjK7AXTVY/s1600/Ellie-Greenwood-2014-IAU-100k-World-Champion1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcNMKd-w5lVVqklIek4XG7lmJN09ghBnUF-qdts8wvqnGvGSBdZYEG5sL5j99ZHPzlExcGmNiz7fBQ-oc9MVzt91k5I3sjULoJtAlj0RV9IVYFUCbLwKbJl8e7GBdkpAP9ZmOjK7AXTVY/s320/Ellie-Greenwood-2014-IAU-100k-World-Champion1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ellie Greenwood. Photo: irunfar</td></tr>
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<b>6. Ellie Greenwood, Great Britain/Canada - Western States 100 Course Record (16:47:19, 2012)</b><br />
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When someone breaks the record by a large margin at the oldest 100-mile trail race in the world and the former record was the result of 14 wins by Ann Trason, you know it's a special performance. Yes, the weather was very mild and that made it quicker, but it was 50 mins faster than Ann's best. It may take another colder year and a group of the quickest women ever in the world to break this record. Several of the other women in this list have tried, many on more than one occasion, but Ann and Ellie are the only women to break 18hrs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjH3auZMag6KMUsT1TZ6kCJFIy44S7l16D_nIrdnD3OVnvgZlJaHcX_MITRXXTOVhyphenhyphenstVK1pCTFNWqGKvJoo5O18X9p14TEaHSo9iW_R-u7AFO8htjfZOukSkvxZFFtqi_0SilQrpjhao/s1600/nicolestuder_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjH3auZMag6KMUsT1TZ6kCJFIy44S7l16D_nIrdnD3OVnvgZlJaHcX_MITRXXTOVhyphenhyphenstVK1pCTFNWqGKvJoo5O18X9p14TEaHSo9iW_R-u7AFO8htjfZOukSkvxZFFtqi_0SilQrpjhao/s320/nicolestuder_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole Studer. Photo: Jason Bryant</td></tr>
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<b>7. Nicole Studer, USA - Rocky Raccoon 100 Record and Trail World Best (14:22:18, 2015)</b><br />
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The 100 mile record for trails has been less tested by the quickest women in history, but is still a very solid mark. Nicole took 35 mins off the course record at Rocky Raccoon 100 in a mind-blowing performance and took 20 mins off the existing world trail best from Tunnel Hill 100, a flatter course that's arguably easier. Nicole started fast and held on for an astounding win that doubled as the USATF National Championship and not far off the 100 mile record for any type of terrain, which stands at 13:47:41 by (you guessed it) Ann Trason, dating back to 1991.<br />
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<b>8. Ann Trason, USA - Leadville Trail 100 Record (18:06:24, 1994)</b><br />
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Ann's Western States wins were clearly excellent, as were many of her road and track records, but her 1994 winning time at Leadville is far ahead of any other woman at that race. The high altitude course sits between 9,200ft and 12,600ft, with around 15,000ft of vertical gain and the same descent. It includes a lot of fast, flat running but that altitude slows it significantly and many fast women have raced it, with only a handful breaking 20hrs.<br />
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Stick with me for a minute here for some back of the cigarette packet calculations...Using my own rough comparison of the Western States 100 and Leadville Trail 100 courses (from running both numerous times) I'd estimate that the male course record times (14:46 for WS100 and 15:42 for LT100) are roughly equivalent in terms of difficulty, giving the nod to Matt Carpenter's LT100 as being marginally more impressive. So I think of them as having a one hour difference for that pace, meaning around 1:10 at Ann's pace, i.e. her 18:06 at LT100 is equivalent to a sub 17hr WS100. So, pretty damned quick, then.<br />
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<b>9. Ann Trason, USA - American River 50 Record (6:09:08, 1993)</b><br />
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You could pick any number of Ann's records as being amongst the best runs in the world, but the only other one I choose for the top 10 is her American River 50 record from 1993 - a race that's been competitive since it's inception in 1980. That older course was quicker than the current course and involved about 50% bike path and 50% rolling trail, but this is a record that's been tested over the years, not least by Ann herself within her five wins. The only other woman under 6:30 is Ellie Greenwood, who's career mimics many of the elements and highlights of Ann's.<br />
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<b>10. Anna Frost, New Zealand - The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 San Francisco Record (6:56:07, 2011)</b><br />
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Anna's second appearance in the top 10 is at the season-ending TNFEC50 in the Marin Headlands. The large prize purse and reputation of the race means it's always got a deep field and the aggressive running for the men's record by Zach Miller from 2015 was also spectacular, narrowly missing out on inclusion in the men's top 10. It's often muddy and the rolling hills add up to around 10,000ft of vertical gain, so sub-7hrs is extremely fast and involves beating the quickest women in the world on runnable, hilly trails. In comparison, the similarly difficult Lake Sonoma 50, which also attracts a stellar field and has 10,000ft of vert, has a female course record of 7:08:23 by Steph Howe, which narrowly missed a place in this top 10.sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-58494279710817710032016-01-05T08:33:00.000-08:002016-02-21T10:33:12.747-08:00Top 10 Male Ultra Performances of All TimeGiven there are plenty of annual lists at this time of year for best performances and runners, it got me thinking about the very best ultra performances of all time. Obviously it's impossible to have some perfect formula to compare every aspect of one performance to another, but I used my own experience from road, track and trail racing to consider the most impressive male runs ever and have done the same for female performances <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2016/01/top-10-female-ultra-performances-of-all.html">here</a>.<br />
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I factor in the level of competition on the day, the level of competition that's attempted the world or course record at any point in history, weather (where applicable, like at Western States where it can vary significantly) and knowledge of the tactics and skill used to get such a great performance. I was lucky enough to see some of these performances in person or at least meet most of the runners mentioned below.<br />
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I include only one performance per race, unless the race has more than one format or direction (like Comrades with its Up and Down runs or the clockwise/anti-clockwise directions at Hardrock 100). Otherwise, many of the best performances would be at Comrades due to the depth of the field at the world's largest ultra both currently and for almost 100 years in the past and it would dominate the list. Also, how well these records stand the test of time is important, so a very well-challenged record (not all have faced much competition) from longer ago is deemed to be especially impressive.<br />
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I also work off the assumption that if a runner hasn't been caught doping then their results are legitimate, since unfounded accusations are spiteful. Anyone who is a confirmed doper is not part of this list (that I'm aware of, despite allegations against some of the runners below).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F17T-KhSOI3ZnLXqyAXNPyJCDObiBwPPaiQurS-VxhHEIJM91Z4U9Q3QB62t_xTsNfdAwhlIXiXo9nHLJUnZvKWX6lC8F_M9q63oETx5CEsnG0yRfIOtj7rfMB9hDlqb5muXayNm6RiC/s1600/leonid1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F17T-KhSOI3ZnLXqyAXNPyJCDObiBwPPaiQurS-VxhHEIJM91Z4U9Q3QB62t_xTsNfdAwhlIXiXo9nHLJUnZvKWX6lC8F_M9q63oETx5CEsnG0yRfIOtj7rfMB9hDlqb5muXayNm6RiC/s320/leonid1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Numbers 1 and 2 are Leonid Shvetsov. Photo: Comrades Marathon</td></tr>
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<b>1. Leonid Shvetsov, Russia - Comrades Up Run Course Record 87kms (5:24:47, 2008)</b><br />
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Shvetsov has a marathon best of 2:09:16 from 1997 and is a two-time Olympic Marathoner for Russia. His Comrades wins in South Africa were back-to-back and I rate his up run record from Durban to Pietermaritzburg as the better of the two, especially since very few runners can win both directions. Despite it being marginally shorter than the down run (54 miles compared to 55.5 miles), it has around 6,000ft of ascent and 4,000ft of descent and is usually much slower than the down run. The women's records are 15 minutes apart compared to just four minutes difference for the men. This race has up to 20,000 runners and just getting in the top 10 in the up run requires a 50-mile split around 5:20 with all that uphill.<br />
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<b>2. Leonid Shvetsov, Russia - Comrades Down Run Course Record 89kms (5:20:41, 2007)</b><br />
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The down run at Comrades is quicker with around 4,000ft of ascent and 6,000ft of descent and this course record required an average pace of 5:46/mile or 2:31 marathon pace for more than two marathons...with hills. This record had inched down over the years and Bruce Fordyce deserves a mention here for his nine wins at Comrades and for holding the record at both the up and the down - Shvetsov broke his 5:24:07 record from 1986! The back end of the top 10 at the down run requires running around 2:40-2:45 marathon pace for this distance, with hills, something that's just plain astounding in terms of the depth of the field.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bft7-bwquWykQ7XegJoFTaFzzl730lWKPmXg11pwmkBfyn0hz4of7vE-z123bWl46iydaRubhrs7CVuEH5CPSWFqbKfc4_f0O0eDwF3N53iGFdYz9nKijBJC4oudG6t8OvMBdGTzAIB3/s1600/hqgfzjfrdx63jheo0dao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bft7-bwquWykQ7XegJoFTaFzzl730lWKPmXg11pwmkBfyn0hz4of7vE-z123bWl46iydaRubhrs7CVuEH5CPSWFqbKfc4_f0O0eDwF3N53iGFdYz9nKijBJC4oudG6t8OvMBdGTzAIB3/s320/hqgfzjfrdx63jheo0dao.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yiannis Kouros. Photo: complex.com</td></tr>
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<b>3. Yiannis Kouros, Greece - 24hr World Record at a track in Adelaide, Australia (188.63 miles, 1997)</b><br />
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Kouros is the Lionel Messi of running with a list of world and age group world records that goes on forever. He focuses on roads and track running and dominated even into his 50s. However, many of the areas he got records in are not tested by as deep a field of runners as the other performances in this list and his stand out performance is his 24hr world record, the race format where the <a href="http://statistik.d-u-v.org/bestenlisten/AT-24h.pdf">top 11 times ever</a> are all by Kouros and barely anyone can even reach 90% of his mark. He also has the record for the Spartathlon race in Greece, which nobody has come close to, but this top 10 list is based on the factors mentioned at the top of the page, and even that record is not as impressive as his 24hr record. If this was a top 100 ranking, Kouros would make up a lot of the places. However, trails weren't to is liking, as shown by his sole Western States 100 run in 1988 where he was 24th overall in 20:12:54.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5dVlRYneg83JBkx60DEbNKgmQsS38AMx7LS-XQXioJ6hyphenhyphenOKfvgZUyARhVRxJebG6aphDm9sHuZ8OYwBMdAl-BjBjlpC6HSM5Xsg3KWA9K15mNqidcxt-jhALW0JqpQJQMV1ggkDqBX60/s1600/p_cov_mab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5dVlRYneg83JBkx60DEbNKgmQsS38AMx7LS-XQXioJ6hyphenhyphenOKfvgZUyARhVRxJebG6aphDm9sHuZ8OYwBMdAl-BjBjlpC6HSM5Xsg3KWA9K15mNqidcxt-jhALW0JqpQJQMV1ggkDqBX60/s320/p_cov_mab.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Carpenter. Photo: Marathon & Beyond Magazine</td></tr>
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<b>4. Matt Carpenter, USA - Leadville Trail 100 (15:42:59, 2005)</b><br />
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Of all the trail records, I think this one stands out as the most impressive. Despite minor changes to the course over time, nobody has come close to Carpenter's 2005 time, where he had a level of dedication and scientific focus that I've rarely seen or heard about in any sport. The Colorado course varies between 9,200ft and 12,600ft and that altitude slows most runners considerably, but Carpenter has an ability to run at altitude that may be the best ever seen within racing globally. Over the years a lot of top level ultra runners have tested his record but none have even broken 16hrs. To back up his credentials, his seemingly untouchable Pike's Peak Marathon record is testament to this too, another record that nobody has come close to.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4nKFVLA8PLIniA_r0ckTz1RkaZfVEEC6d1dpncWk4qctlIcNOxw27pYpQZyi5qt0MVjIKQJVOi8bPxIf-hr_cBP8aj_UEYPNxGMw9YHe6-MTWT1feMktA1sV0wJxva60H_FH3l0hbHSh/s1600/donrunning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4nKFVLA8PLIniA_r0ckTz1RkaZfVEEC6d1dpncWk4qctlIcNOxw27pYpQZyi5qt0MVjIKQJVOi8bPxIf-hr_cBP8aj_UEYPNxGMw9YHe6-MTWT1feMktA1sV0wJxva60H_FH3l0hbHSh/s320/donrunning.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Ritchie (right). Photo: RRC</td></tr>
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<b>5. Don Ritchie, Great Britain - 100k World Record at a track in London, UK (6:10:20, 1978)</b><br />
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Don holds numerous records, including the British 100 mile record (11:30:51 in 1977), which was the world record when he ran it. He's the only person to break 6 minute/miling in the 100k and his record is older than I am (just).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbjV7aNYChY0Mgp8C6QerAqE0eujvPFs1uf6y9UexQpK_T8cWumxe0MWqzA07jDhuglM26OTEAzFcNK7Znn5Rqz8Zg-XxsTW2Er4NO_JzqRj5ZMhrfmo0p-gEQgitm8R9rKKGKnuou58Z/s1600/Kilian1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbjV7aNYChY0Mgp8C6QerAqE0eujvPFs1uf6y9UexQpK_T8cWumxe0MWqzA07jDhuglM26OTEAzFcNK7Znn5Rqz8Zg-XxsTW2Er4NO_JzqRj5ZMhrfmo0p-gEQgitm8R9rKKGKnuou58Z/s320/Kilian1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kilian Jornet. Photo: Strava</td></tr>
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<b>6. Kilian Jornet, Spain - Hardrock 100 Clockwise Course Record (22:41:00, 2014)</b><br />
<br />
Kilian's won nearly everything, set records everywhere and is the only real global megastar in the sport ever. However, many of his most impressive performances are at sub-ultra distances and I suspect he rarely goes to 100% effort in ultras, especially given how frequently he races and how easy he looks even at finish lines. Again, he'd probably have a lot of entries in the top 100 performances, but his astounding Hardrock 100 clockwise record in Colorado's San Juans shattered the previous best and led to another win and anti-clockwise record the following year. Most amazingly is that he didn't seem to go all-out for this record and could probably go a fair bit faster. Nobody is able to touch this performance this race even through the extremely tough lottery has yielded some of the best mountain 100-milers to have a try.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkJsJkKBMs2Bbm-wYVuQ3HlufMsYs5x1L6ilsJCnOy7x8FN0MObTCHgyPkm7qwce2lYKhr4KrI35blk2peXV7lYSTbPPzeH4mE9SFhEqffLOMIjNdviiaU0xtRKYPqdlQaYw420xO1uJF/s1600/Rob-Krar-800x449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkJsJkKBMs2Bbm-wYVuQ3HlufMsYs5x1L6ilsJCnOy7x8FN0MObTCHgyPkm7qwce2lYKhr4KrI35blk2peXV7lYSTbPPzeH4mE9SFhEqffLOMIjNdviiaU0xtRKYPqdlQaYw420xO1uJF/s320/Rob-Krar-800x449.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob Krar. Photo: Competitor Magazine</td></tr>
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<b>7. Rob Krar, USA - Western States 100 (14:48:59, 2015)</b><br />
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Rob is probably the best ultra runner currently competing at a high level not named Kilian and those two have only raced once, with Rob taking the win at the 2013 UROC 100k to Kilian's 4th. When he's in race mode he could probably run through a brick wall without noticing and this level of focus and toughness got him wins at California's Western States 100 in 2014 and 2015. He's the only man to break 15hrs twice and narrowly missed the course record by two minutes, despite temperatures around 30 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the record-setting year of 2012 (by Timmy Olson). His tactics were perfectly executed on the day for one of the finest ultra races ever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8z1H2xNpzPlJRoK8LD2fhANp2ksgIdOqdlE-xt-3PtN_TZJxfjNthXNWP0k1-9y8GZTLBheV5LWO1Mdemr0vlQpLgHaqYZIs48LOMVaTA0rCtn5lSHZDtwVqZVPloy3D7bTXuunxXMxN3/s1600/Capture-d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran-2014-08-28-a%25CC%2580-09.43.48-620x400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8z1H2xNpzPlJRoK8LD2fhANp2ksgIdOqdlE-xt-3PtN_TZJxfjNthXNWP0k1-9y8GZTLBheV5LWO1Mdemr0vlQpLgHaqYZIs48LOMVaTA0rCtn5lSHZDtwVqZVPloy3D7bTXuunxXMxN3/s320/Capture-d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran-2014-08-28-a%25CC%2580-09.43.48-620x400.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "verdana"; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Xavier Thévenard<span style="background-color: white;">. Photo: nordicmag.info</span></span></td></tr>
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<b>8. </b><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Xavier Thévenard</span></strong><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, F</span>rance - UTMB Course Record For New Longer Course 170kms (21:09:15, 2015)</b><br />
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Even though the UTMB course around Mt Blanc has been getting slightly longer over the last few years and the level of competition is arguably the highest at any trail ultra globally, <span style="font-family: inherit;">Thévenard</span> repeated his previous victory and decimated the field with a tactically perfect race with a 48-minute margin of victory at the finish.<br />
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<i>No photo available - anyone got a picture of Magawana?</i><br />
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<b>9. Thompson Magawana, South Africa - Two Oceans Course Record 56kms and 50k World Record (3:03:44, 1988, with the 50k WR set as a split at 2:43:38)</b><br />
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Raced in Cape Town in South Africa, this is another long-standing record and included the 50k world record as well, even more impressive since the 50k mark is at the top of the largest climb in the race before a fast 6k to the finish. This record includes 2:18 marathon pace for an extra third of a marathon, with two significant hills, plus the 50k record is at 2:17 pace, suggesting that Magawama had to hammer that hill to break from his competitors then held on for the win in the easier final kms. The combination of speed and competitiveness in this event makes it the fastest ultra in the world, as well as the second biggest after Comrades.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLacjN13LCj10VY-3eW_9FPZO57HH5ZBwjKrpuzsjI-67-iYmzXCdCknxZAQkHy7Zxiov1V1sEOrKD23_R2PwRZLC5U1DJh62kXlvwPmiAJWxJcj02udlKRGcx_hnmw2MyGmUMOGlQgED/s1600/AJW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLacjN13LCj10VY-3eW_9FPZO57HH5ZBwjKrpuzsjI-67-iYmzXCdCknxZAQkHy7Zxiov1V1sEOrKD23_R2PwRZLC5U1DJh62kXlvwPmiAJWxJcj02udlKRGcx_hnmw2MyGmUMOGlQgED/s320/AJW.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alastair J Wood. Photo: scottishrunninghistory.co.uk</td></tr>
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<b>10. Alastair J Wood, Great Britain - London to Brighton Course Record 54 miles (5:11:00, 1972)</b><br />
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The 'other AJW' was a Scot and a 2:13 marathoner who held the European Record for the marathon. London to Brighton was started in 1952 through the inspiration of Comrades champion, Arthur Newton, who moved to the UK from South Africa and wanted to recreate his home country's banner race with a similar distance, hilly, point-to-point course. Several winning times were very close to the 1972 record, including Bruce Fordyce in the third of his three wins in 1983 (5:12:32, which includes the official 50-mile road world record of 4:50:21). However, Wood's win suggests a split of 4:48 for 50 miles, which is around the same split as for Leonid Shvetsov in his Comrades down run record. This race was the first ultra I ever ran and it was also the final running of this classic event (2005), so it holds a special place in my heart and if you've never heard of it, have a read about it's insanely fast history <a href="http://www.bandbhac.org.uk/history%20ltob.html">here</a>.sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-92178199930707544122015-10-26T09:08:00.000-07:002015-10-26T09:08:19.138-07:00Heart Rate Monitor Tips<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgvZ2M_UvIBi0RlByqiA2GQIgenm87woh6oyRtLc2IRNAoUegKMG7LjcEyymH029LtpKUD6u53geU_9Fzo_w5BCxDgH2mKbaq-035Uu5QGjjiXQ6dL7bdF4Se86tPGsTPGEApvv5AcpGP/s1600/1pcs-Popular-Favor-Waterproof-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Wireless-Chest-Strap-Sport-Watch-SK-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgvZ2M_UvIBi0RlByqiA2GQIgenm87woh6oyRtLc2IRNAoUegKMG7LjcEyymH029LtpKUD6u53geU_9Fzo_w5BCxDgH2mKbaq-035Uu5QGjjiXQ6dL7bdF4Se86tPGsTPGEApvv5AcpGP/s320/1pcs-Popular-Favor-Waterproof-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Wireless-Chest-Strap-Sport-Watch-SK-35.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is 100% not me.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over the years I’ve owned a lot of GPS running watches and most of them had Heart Rate Monitors (“HRMs”). However, I’ve been very careful to make sure that these added to my training and didn’t have a negative impact. So I thought it would be helpful to list some of the ways a HRM can benefit running and things to avoid. </div>
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<b>Benefits: </b><br />
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- Heart Rate (“HR”) gives a neutral, comparable measure of effort that factors in internal (levels of fatigue/recovery, muscle damage etc) and external (weather, terrain, altitude, temperature etc) variations day-to-day. Pace changes a lot depending on all these factors and HR can be used to check that recovery runs are easy enough and harder sessions are tough enough. <br />
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- Estimates (ideally accurate calculations from lab testing) of maximum HR can help with using heart rate zones to keep to differing purposes on runs, in line with a structured and intelligent training plan. <br />
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- Analysis of data after races can highlight where mistakes were made, showing at what point a given HR for a given distance became unsustainable. Also, if a recent similar race had a higher average HR it can indicate that the effort level could have been greater. Often it takes some trial and error to work out where that red line is for different race distances. <br />
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<b>Things to be careful about: </b><br />
<br />
- Some athletes become too focused on the real-time feedback from an external sensor like a HRM (or GPS watch) and lose the ability to judge intensity, which is a key skill for all running, especially in ultras. Even if you find a way to perfectly work out what HR is sustainable and can adapt this exactly to any new race situation (unlikely, given that other factors also have an effect - see the next point), what happens if a HRM breaks or runs out of battery and you have no other way to judge your effort? A HRM is just one internal or external tool to incorporate and not the only one to rely on. <br />
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- HR only reflects cardio effort, which factors in many things, but not everything. For example, in a hilly race the effort required to run downhill may be low and the HR correspondingly low, but judgement of how much impact your legs can sustain is also important. What may seem sustainable from a HR perspective may lead to trashed legs later in the race from hammering the downhills. <br />
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- Most HRMs rely on a strap around the chest (see photo above), which often chafes, plus many models take several minutes of running and sweating to settle down after spiking the HR early on. This can be very mis-leading and is another reason to be very careful when using HR to adjust your pace, so it’s important to make sure effort can be judged independently of the HRM. One excellent way to get past this particular problem is to use a HRM attached in a different area of the body. In my experience this leads to a more accurate measurement, especially in the early minutes, and no chafing issues - I use a HRM within a cap made by <a href="http://life-beam.com/">LifeBeam</a> (see below) which I’ve found very effective and the battery lasts for around 15-17 hours in my experience, so it’s suitable for most ultras for most runners. I once tried to use a HRM chest strap in a 100-miler and it took several months for the scars to heal!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWRu5vP7EpGw2syKrBWzeF8VQvR83tY04lXXCEaPyS4xsgOZnKpQmoL91eKURZEG8at2DwcmISILGgPNDHvdPukJVeGn8l2ceaIzxOauVHuxc8uX-UaWcQ9arAgEIQe99b-5NYaBgYOAe/s1600/IMG_7039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWRu5vP7EpGw2syKrBWzeF8VQvR83tY04lXXCEaPyS4xsgOZnKpQmoL91eKURZEG8at2DwcmISILGgPNDHvdPukJVeGn8l2ceaIzxOauVHuxc8uX-UaWcQ9arAgEIQe99b-5NYaBgYOAe/s320/IMG_7039.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My magic LifeBeam hat - HRM in the front.</td></tr>
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<div>
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<br />
- HR data during a race can be useful for feedback but override this with how you feel, based on your past experience. Using this data in a way that assumes it’s infallible can lead to poor races. For example, if you estimate that your sustainable HR for a marathon is 150 beats/minute, don’t look at the monitor every few seconds to continuously adjust your pace to keep it at this level. This continuous checking can elevate your stress and effort levels and stop you settling into a rhythm, although it can be more useful on a very hilly route to avoid spiking the HR on the climbs. Instead, check less frequently just to make sure that your internal assessment of effort is roughly (not exactly to the nearest beat/minute) in line with the external data from the HRM. This is equally valid for the frequency of checking pace via a GPS watch. <br />
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- Factor in that using a HRM with a GPS watch will reduce the battery life of the watch due to the bluetooth syncing. Up to marathon distance this is rarely an issue, but it can be essential for ultras where watch battery life is often tested to the limit. I’ve run with two watches before - one to sync with the HRM in my hat, but with no GPS data, and one purely for GPS. This much data at the fingertips can be a bit of a overload and I find it most useful for checking infrequently then analyzing later on on a computer to see what I can learn for future races. <br />
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Ultimately a HRM is just one tool to aid running and it can help if used in a smart and effective way. However, the factors above show that it can also lead to worse training and racing (and scars) if not used appropriately.
</div>
sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-79547875808249642482015-08-23T16:18:00.001-07:002015-08-23T19:56:50.757-07:00Leadville v3<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOFpFqAblC0YqpLzKMXWmmLt26ng5DAKAhDhmYW92EX_NJ9nm4YVuX3TFdDMHbrWKN5IBl7X_M61WetfAKinsoLaPyhuqgYgH4Zgk-Clw9U2QAgWMHO-4VxURffKfeiTWsoXnJ12B9RJN/s1600/11908946_10153560194128910_8776221185766112427_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOFpFqAblC0YqpLzKMXWmmLt26ng5DAKAhDhmYW92EX_NJ9nm4YVuX3TFdDMHbrWKN5IBl7X_M61WetfAKinsoLaPyhuqgYgH4Zgk-Clw9U2QAgWMHO-4VxURffKfeiTWsoXnJ12B9RJN/s320/11908946_10153560194128910_8776221185766112427_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Face-off: Sharman v Aish. Or we're about to kiss. Photo: Nicole Aish</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpVubuAEc-BWh7aFvMtc5O9p77CDJJcRqoE28ebo_Sc7dtXSBg3svQFrDmik9fmpkvIEUo-21jYKaf6d-G5ptH0yIsUoPby_NRgrfVlSmoHZx7QAnIHXKkpUt2oNYvJf-aCYdSDJrW4-O/s1600/IMG_8279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpVubuAEc-BWh7aFvMtc5O9p77CDJJcRqoE28ebo_Sc7dtXSBg3svQFrDmik9fmpkvIEUo-21jYKaf6d-G5ptH0yIsUoPby_NRgrfVlSmoHZx7QAnIHXKkpUt2oNYvJf-aCYdSDJrW4-O/s320/IMG_8279.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After both crossings of Hope Pass I ran into Twin Lakes (mile 61.5) with my first pacer and fellow Brit, Ryan Smith. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks</td></tr>
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This was my third Leadville Trail 100, a race I first experienced as part of the <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/09/ian-sharmans-2013-grand-slam-of-ultrarunning-report.html">Grand Slam</a> in 2013. It's certainly not an easy race, but it is a runner's race, while I'd describe events like UTMB or Hardrock 100 as more like mountain-hiking races.<br />
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With 15,000ft of vertical gain (and the same loss) it has a lot of really flat sections that are quick, despite the fact the altitude varies between a low of 9,200ft at Twin Lakes and 12,600ft at the top of Hope Pass. There's something fun about mixing up easier running sections with steeper parts and this is also true of the appeal of a race like Western States 100 (18,000ft of gain, 22,000ft of loss), another event that really captures my imagination.<br />
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I knew that the main competition would come from former 10,000m and 5,000m Kiwi Olympian, Mike Aish, and I wasn't surprised to run the early miles in the dark with him around Turquoise Lake. The first half marathon to Mayqueen is basically flat and easy so we arrived close to course record pace in 1:42, but were 6 minutes behind Argentinian, Gustavo Reyes, who I've met a couple of times before and who tends to start fast.<br />
<br />
Mike's tactics were clearly to 'man-mark' me so every time I hiked at any point up the first climb to Sugarloaf Pass, so did he, and we stuck together chatting away. The sunrise was beautiful and it felt like the perfect start to a race. I suspected we'd run together for most of the race, but at the second aid station at mile 24.5 I jumped in a toilet and he kept going so we got separated. He noticeably accelerated since Gustavo was now 12 mins ahead, while I sat back and keep things pretty relaxed in third. This was basically the theme through to the half-way at Winfield, but the difference was that we had the first ascent of Hope Pass just before the 50-mile turn-around, a 3,400ft climb followed by a sharp 2,400ft descent.<br />
<br />
Gustavo and Mike slowed after the high point and I almost caught up to them both by the decent into Winfield, despite getting cramps in both calves for the first time ever in a race. Luckily it didn't seem to be too serious but I had to slow down and stretch both sides a couple of times too. My food and hydration were fine but I was concerned that I had a lot of miles left and cramps could end the race.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsHmupEiY4LyXHiNreUQjU0O_BD3NLnndyyuP79ujSVpxKb2h3_PT2X_Quk_-gRGFdIkcgpUJ8YJqipNqMKdkWm6lgxbr5MiKAPj1IYawH4bdksXt4j_lXIy22Pika843jDU2zD4QAi8Z/s1600/IMG_8278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsHmupEiY4LyXHiNreUQjU0O_BD3NLnndyyuP79ujSVpxKb2h3_PT2X_Quk_-gRGFdIkcgpUJ8YJqipNqMKdkWm6lgxbr5MiKAPj1IYawH4bdksXt4j_lXIy22Pika843jDU2zD4QAi8Z/s320/IMG_8278.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up Hope Pass outbound. Photo: Leadville Race Series</td></tr>
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<br />
On the return leg up Hope Pass I had my first pacer/mule, Ryan Smith, and caught Gustavo by about mile 52 then caught Mike just before the pass summit. I later found out he puked at the top and basically couldn't hold down any food for 4-5 hours, so his energy levels were plummeting. In contrast I was feeling really positive and hammered down the more gradual, but longer, side of the pass straight into the vast majority of the field who were on their first climb up Hope. I always love this section because the entire field is so positive and it's enjoyable to interact and pep them up too. In addition, it's a sweet downhill and is pretty fast.<br />
<br />
At this stage I knew it was game on and also knew from the <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/08/leadville-trail-100-how-many-second.html">experience of racing Mike last year at Leadville</a> that he's never down and out even if he looks completely spent. So I decided to push and see if I could gap him over the next 20-30 miles to such an extent that his phoenix-like come-backs wouldn't be enough. I was running faster (at altitude) on some of the easy sections than at Rocky Raccoon 100, a race that takes around four hours less time to complete. However, when in the lead you don't get updates regularly about how the chase pack is doing and those updates are always out of date, relying on splits to a previous aid station instead of how the chaser is currently doing. Altra team-mate, Josh Arthur, paced me through mile 61.5 to the final aid station and I hope my grunting, huffing and puffing wasn't too off-putting.<br />
<br />
By Outward Bound inbound (mile 75.5) I heard I had a 23 minute lead at the last aid station, so it seemed like the effort was paying off. It needed to, since I was leaving very little in the tank for the final 20 miles. The steep climb up Powerline took me to around mile 82 and I was well ahead of my splits from the previous two years, but wanted to cruise it in since my legs were more fatigued than they usually would be at that stage. Luckily my stomach, head, cramping and energy levels all stayed reasonably OK, although by Mayqueen inbound (mile 86.5) I started to feel dizzy. My final pacer was Dana Kracaw, who lives in Leadville and knows the area and the mountains in extreme detail. I told her I probably couldn't talk much but that it would be a welcome distraction if she wanted to talk. So that section consisted of me sounding like I was giving birth while she told jokes and kept things more light-hearted.<br />
<br />
At this stage I knew the race was mine to lose since I had a lead of at least an hour and Mike was dropping farther and farther back and still had stomach problems. He later dropped after Mayqueen and I missed the rivalry from the previous year, but was also happy to avoid the physical and mental stress of having him breathing down my neck.<br />
<br />
As dusk fell the sunset looked incredible over the nearby 14er mountains, especially due to the small amount of smoke in the air from west coast fires. It got dark just as we hit the outskirts of Leadville with about a mile to go. That last section along 6th Street is deceptively long (around 3/4 mile) but you can see the finish from quite far away and it doesn't seem to get closer, especially since it's mainly uphill the whole way.<br />
<br />
I wasn't running at maximum at this point since I wanted to finish and still be in one piece rather than shaving off a few minutes in the final miles but collapsing in a heap after stopping. It was a relief to cross that line, as it is for every single finisher, but also extremely satisfying to have a race that played out as well as I could have hoped, tactically, and to finish in 16:33. It also felt so good to redeem myself after turning up to <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2015/06/western-states-100-2015-crazy-as-ever.html">Western States in June</a> in the best shape of my life then running much slower that last year (and slower than this Leadville finish, given Western is usually about an hour quicker than Leadville for the top men). I felt fairly certain I was fit and ready for Leadville, but you never really know until you get fairly deep into the race. It'll remain one of my favorite memories from my races and it made me hungry for more Leadville action next year, especially since I really want to run it faster.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMi8hmwaCPVbEVcRslMzjnjj7JhpSHoHAvZ_vpYtOyM-mxK25c-hWjOIbk06aepX0Kc1_CWIWQJDrja7iteXNgoFzptaUHBIKLwTJaPiQBogL4Q0o-dMIqDXdhNXwX3MMB_WV2H-23_7I/s1600/IMG_8269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMi8hmwaCPVbEVcRslMzjnjj7JhpSHoHAvZ_vpYtOyM-mxK25c-hWjOIbk06aepX0Kc1_CWIWQJDrja7iteXNgoFzptaUHBIKLwTJaPiQBogL4Q0o-dMIqDXdhNXwX3MMB_WV2H-23_7I/s320/IMG_8269.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relief! Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks</td></tr>
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<br />
Here's the <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/375332000">Strava data</a> for the race, plus the <a href="https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-11337?lc=en">full set of results</a> and <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2015/08/2015-leadville-100-results.html">iRunFar's write-up</a> and my <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2015/08/ian-sharman-2015-leadville-100-champion-interview.html">post-race interview with Meghan Hicks</a>. Congratulations to all who finished and all who attempted it, especially my co-worker, Liza Howard, who got her second win at Leadville and her first sub 20-hr finish in 19:34. That altitude really screws people up but it adds a challenge that makes the race special. It also helps that every trip to the race gives an excuse to play on the local 14er mountains in advance (but not TOO much).<br />
<br />
Thanks for all the support and messages before and after the race, to my kick-ass pacing crew of Dana, Ryan and Josh, and to everyone who organized or volunteered at the race.<br />
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<b>Gear:</b><br />
<br />
Shoes - <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/men/lonepeak25">Altra Lone Peak 2.5</a> with <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/trail-gaiters/altra-trail-gaiter">Altra gaiters</a><br />
Socks - <a href="http://drymaxsports.com/trail_running_maximum.php">Drymax Maximum Protection Trail socks</a><br />
Hydration - multiple <a href="http://ultraspire.com/product/isomeric-pocket/">UltrApire Isomeric Pocket 20oz handhelds</a><br />
Food - <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/products/clif-shot/clif-shot">Clif Bar gels</a> (around 15), <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/products/clif-shot/shot-bloks">Shot Bloks</a> (around five packs), <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/products/clif-shot/organic-energy-food">Organic Energy Food</a> (around six sachets and an assortment of stuff from the aid stations<br />
Headgear - <a href="http://life-beam.com/shop/smart-hat/">LifeBeam heart rate monitor Smart Hat</a><br />
Shades - <a href="https://www.julbousa.com/performance/venturi/">Julbo Venturi with Zebra lenses</a>sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-60008257828116046772015-08-19T10:00:00.000-07:002015-08-19T10:00:26.822-07:00Hill Running Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQzZO2rCvEY9fOaRyWVXIfWQ1t5LdtPUbDZr1JwOtClSCqF4JWAuOCBBWIC_Yajhw-0JY8d1B-O9O7XH9Ce198TxIa6OTiZ76i2OgjYjnZ1J1Y2ya35eOZfu3pB1IxsgLFSGcNckP3rig/s1600/IMG_6155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQzZO2rCvEY9fOaRyWVXIfWQ1t5LdtPUbDZr1JwOtClSCqF4JWAuOCBBWIC_Yajhw-0JY8d1B-O9O7XH9Ce198TxIa6OTiZ76i2OgjYjnZ1J1Y2ya35eOZfu3pB1IxsgLFSGcNckP3rig/s320/IMG_6155.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<br />
I've contributed to a couple of hill running articles recently, especially focusing on downhills, so here are the links in one place. Hope you find these useful and constructive.<br />
<br />
Trail Runner Magazine - "<a href="http://trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips/1818-improve-your-downhill-running-with-ian-sharman">Speed Downhill Like Ian Sharman</a>" by Alex Kurt<br />
<br />
iRunFar - "<a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2015/08/controlled-chaos-learn-to-be-an-elite-hill-runner.html">Controlled Chaos: Learn To Be An Elite Hill Runner</a>" by Joe Uhansharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-22048603063510869872015-06-30T15:50:00.001-07:002015-06-30T15:54:20.998-07:00Western States 100 2015 - Crazy As Ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the first climb. Photo: Matt Trappe</td></tr>
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Every year I've lived in the US I've been lucky enough to run Western States 100 from Squaw Valley to Auburn. It's the most famous US ultra and the one that means the most to people in general. That also applies to me and I want to keep going back to it many more times to get at least 10 finishes.<br />
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<b>Why does it mean so much?</b><br />
<br />
I think it's a combination of several factors:<br />
<br />
1. <b>The history</b> - it's the original 100-miler that started the entire concept in the '70s.<br />
2. <b>The variation of the terrain</b> - mountains, canyons, a run to the river then gentler trails to Auburn.<br />
3. <b>The competition</b> - it's certainly the most competitive 100 in the US and I'd argue it's more competitive than any other US ultra due to the fact every single competitor treats it as an 'A' race and it's mid-season instead of at the end when many runners are tired. I think this year's event is probably a deeper field than UTMB, despite a smaller number of racers.<br />
4. <b>It's damned hard</b> - the course is very runnable, meaning there's less chance to have any kind of break, even the hiking has to be at a really fast pace and time can't be wasted at aid stations at all. The extreme heat also makes it very interesting and hugely affects the race dynamics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qUCx0eH5V3aLnlCoC68eALJh_CrkZSuR7ktdw0zbgAWrJ0I4P2IGqRJDc9QESR2BEJec0yiEYZtlUspiz5YhawuQLN6CormxKQxC0Dxygv4x-bBkjJu9ncKy7_zLASwSEMPPWoWpU3NZ/s1600/_DSC4798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qUCx0eH5V3aLnlCoC68eALJh_CrkZSuR7ktdw0zbgAWrJ0I4P2IGqRJDc9QESR2BEJec0yiEYZtlUspiz5YhawuQLN6CormxKQxC0Dxygv4x-bBkjJu9ncKy7_zLASwSEMPPWoWpU3NZ/s320/_DSC4798.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race briefing with the introduction of some of the elites. Jesse Haynes next to me, who unfortunately had to drop. Photo: Matt Trappe</td></tr>
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<br />
It also means a lot to me personally because it's like a big reunion every year. Many friends from around the world and US turn up and I sometimes only see them this one time per year to catch up away from the virtual world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thursday before the race - group photo at the top of Emigrant's Pass. Photo: Ian Sharman</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hike/jog with Magda a week before the race on Mt Rose. Photo: Ian Sharman</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>Race report:</b><br />
<br />
It was very warm at the start, despite the 5am time and 6,200ft altitude. The classic initial climb up to the Escarpment was very pleasant and I was with Brett Rivers and Chris Denucci for much of it, chatting about the fast pace ahead of us. We crested the four miles in 48 mins, around four mins off the leaders, but at least a minute quicker than I've done it in previous years (yet it felt more relaxed). For once I didn't zoom downhill and tried to cruise and keep things easy. For the first time I had a Heart Rate Monitor to keep myself from going too hard (a LifeBeam hat-based HRM which was way more comfy than a strap, hence why I had this option for the first time). However, my HR was surprisingly high for the comfy effort, probably related to the altitude.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzZVuV8crgUC9CNjgDmZzl8zstHInQqID5XGN2VulIOMmVYgmAyegFbsObK7F1Rbz95NI_nfxiO_1RHm6JzcUfw_-8j3PeELGpdZPkyoFg9WrHi9c-oKg5wf9jvgTUDpexrPLGTq92liX/s1600/IMG_7284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzZVuV8crgUC9CNjgDmZzl8zstHInQqID5XGN2VulIOMmVYgmAyegFbsObK7F1Rbz95NI_nfxiO_1RHm6JzcUfw_-8j3PeELGpdZPkyoFg9WrHi9c-oKg5wf9jvgTUDpexrPLGTq92liX/s320/IMG_7284.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duncan Canyon aid station with Quicksilver RC (my club) at mile 23. Photo: Jeff Clowers</td></tr>
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<br />
The lead pack was about 15 deep and once I caught the back of it I held back to avoid running their race and instead focus on my own plan. So far, so good - a decent pace and nothing feeling too tough. Then through the mountains I kept things chilled and ended up getting to Robinson Flat at mile 29.7 in 4:42, a few mins slower than 2014 and 13 mins off the lead. I was in 16th just before the aid station then 11th as I left it, partly due to drops from the super speedy Ryan Bak and Alex Varner. I expected those guys to run fast and was disappointed they wouldn't get a chance to see what they could achieve. This was the first chance to see Amy and she crewed expertly to hand over new food, drink and headgear.<br />
<br />
Things were certainly heating up, but didn't feel bad yet and I was very positive about the outlook of the race. Then I had the first of several emergency pit-stops by the trail, a sign that I maybe had a minor bug from food the day before or even from earlier in the race. Luckily that didn't get much worse and had a minimal effect on the day.<br />
<br />
Then the long downhill section starts, which always feels great at first but tends to coincide with a low patch most years for me around 35-40 miles. I was running around David Laney, who looked comfy too. So we chatted briefly but he was going uphill faster while I moved downhill quicker. Given it was mainly downhill I ended up staying ahead through the steep canyon and up Devil's Thumb - the steepest, sharpest climb of the day.<br />
<br />
DBo was sat in a chair in the burning heat at the aid station and his day ended soon afterwards unfortunately. Yet another favorite was out and the brutal course claimed another victim, a recurring theme on a day when only 253 people finished (compared to 277 at the extremely hot 2013 race). I was very tempted to join him in a seat but kept moving.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in the first half. Photo: Matt Trappe</td></tr>
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<br />
The next section through two more canyons was hot and felt a little tougher than usual so by Foresthill at mile 62 I was mainly focused on survival rather than racing hard down to the river. I used ice at every single aid station from mile 23 onwards, putting it in my bandana and filling one of my water bottles completely with ice then topping up with water so I could keep pouring it over my head, neck and body throughout the next few miles. Most aid stations were around an hour apart and the ice always fully melted within 20-30 mins. However, I can only imagine that's harder to deal with for runners farther back in the field since their ice would last for a shorter proportion of the time they're out in the sun.<br />
<br />
Matt Laye joined me for pacing and it was a fairly slow pace for the next 16 miles as I felt gradually more and more sorry for myself. My energy was low, legs were tired and things felt generally worse than the last few years at WS. I seriously considered dropping, but reminded myself that so many people want to run this race and I have the chance to keep going with no valid reason to stop other than I felt bad. I wasn't injured, I wasn't even walking, plus I was in the top 10 (8th at this point) and REALLY wanted to continue that streak for another year to make it six in a row. In fact that was the main motivation I clung on to.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuwZoxz7eBfARjfFUU5YBeXYc0exgAlp5rPHM_tRZOHgI3j3XYwBZbF46kMDiM858CJUb10LQ4yzxjKoZRtvRgfNX4GkqPdUTu26W1GvpuClqMhpObEf5bMEB-XsaFdWWEBjnIKZoEyjh/s1600/IMG_7276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuwZoxz7eBfARjfFUU5YBeXYc0exgAlp5rPHM_tRZOHgI3j3XYwBZbF46kMDiM858CJUb10LQ4yzxjKoZRtvRgfNX4GkqPdUTu26W1GvpuClqMhpObEf5bMEB-XsaFdWWEBjnIKZoEyjh/s320/IMG_7276.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after picking up my pacer, Matt Laye, at Foresthill. Photo: Stephen Ingalls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
In long ultras it's vitally important to know why you want to finish and to have extremely good reasons why you'll push rather than fade, why you'll still care about the race when you feel like death. In general, a couple of good reasons for me to keep trying are that moving faster means the suffering ends sooner and that if I give less than my best I'll have to live with it for months or even years. It's a character test - are you as tough as you'd like to believe?<br />
<br />
The river was heavenly since I was falling apart mentally and was extremely hot. It took me five minutes to cross from one side to the other since I lay there with just my face above the water multiple times to cool down. For the first time all day I was a little cold...but after about two minutes of hiking up the other side I was hot again. One year I'd like to stay there for ages and just hang out before moving on.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lpva4M0zJAOAxU2lOBHcpvxgOuckG1_YsecWtf9b-xHmmjQRq5jlp__AaaCTrrLryXy0CaVuBkTw_nEfln5PxsRObePssrrW036dOPVVFalkSB03PDlGhmIC74i72gJJBBD_1LZu8qcS/s1600/_DSC5473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lpva4M0zJAOAxU2lOBHcpvxgOuckG1_YsecWtf9b-xHmmjQRq5jlp__AaaCTrrLryXy0CaVuBkTw_nEfln5PxsRObePssrrW036dOPVVFalkSB03PDlGhmIC74i72gJJBBD_1LZu8qcS/s320/_DSC5473.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river crossing. Could have stayed there hours. Photo: Matt Trappe</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3IdSKtli_Y7M2maXY2r5UmcmzUuL1r9ymnOWYZs4XDILTZbWXm2KExlc_o8_g836E1QfiwoMofZ6ZrNGodUYJolBJNWE4VYZAvjQS-h8mZtDu4gF4M3K0pMKmGPoQ1bkqvXUxZatgrjz/s1600/IMG_7169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3IdSKtli_Y7M2maXY2r5UmcmzUuL1r9ymnOWYZs4XDILTZbWXm2KExlc_o8_g836E1QfiwoMofZ6ZrNGodUYJolBJNWE4VYZAvjQS-h8mZtDu4gF4M3K0pMKmGPoQ1bkqvXUxZatgrjz/s320/IMG_7169.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how most of the river crossing went. Photo: iRunFar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Matt was feeling the heat too and I was mainly silent, but he also wasn't talking much through the fast, flatter single-track from miles 80-90. We passed Francois d'Haene with his pacer, Frosty, just before Hall Koerner's Oregon-manned aid station at Brown's Bar (mile 89.9) and he was walking, looking demoralized and lifeless. I shouted encouragement and told them the next aid was virtually around the corner, but he'd dropped from the lead at halfway to 8th after I passed him and clearly was having a bad day.<br />
<br />
Matt mentioned he had some vertigo at this point from getting water in his ears in the river, plus the heat was affecting him. He hadn't done heat training and after running a marathon in those temperatures he was fading. So just before the climb up to Highway 49 (mile 93.5) he slowed and walked it in while I kept chugging along at steady ultra shuffle.<br />
<br />
By this stage the proximity of the finish is motivation enough and I was able to rally enough to keep pushing, albeit at a slower pace than previous years. I hadn't planned on needing a headlamp but did include it in my crew bag so Amy passed me that so I'd be able to see the final miles. I turned it on around mile 95 on the run downhill in the trees towards No Hands Bridge, now secure that I'd end up top 10 but not sure if anyone right behind was surging or if someone ahead was fading.<br />
<br />
I've never enjoyed the final 20 miles of the race since it takes such a huge effort to avoid slowing, but at least this time I knew it'd feel especially good to finish because I'd come so close to giving up multiple times. I was paranoid that someone would catch me and I'd have to sprint to the end, but luckily I had enough of a gap behind me that I was able to finish the final couple of miles at a more relaxed pace without really digging in - at that point saving a couple of minutes didn't make much difference and there was nobody ahead within the next 10 mins or so who I had any realistic chance of getting close to.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfLLUf3vdCDuYAipvbFOLRShnWhp_ZG4e5mwTlrVQqPucFQk-1bm-WyIMYIy6xGonJd-k21SWA-mxWoB-KGNeLsBJUTbLqzcDYTQwotUXopVNzheAtw7Qmb7IuPOe971rxKcc7qvbWJiZ/s1600/2BWAPSQVnBVE2C8wFU815eub9bZJyyx48hoaMcDIDWI.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfLLUf3vdCDuYAipvbFOLRShnWhp_ZG4e5mwTlrVQqPucFQk-1bm-WyIMYIy6xGonJd-k21SWA-mxWoB-KGNeLsBJUTbLqzcDYTQwotUXopVNzheAtw7Qmb7IuPOe971rxKcc7qvbWJiZ/s320/2BWAPSQVnBVE2C8wFU815eub9bZJyyx48hoaMcDIDWI.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Done and done. Photo: Matt Trappe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjVY6hwAfxpe_XB4FHcFjw_erkX6MzduXTcNZC5fYNH86gWO6EgjNW5GiJV5KPP5DnECAMQyGyko3cC6cRY4ZEnplfB2JRAN20gbXNi9vtRSuUJBIIzZx9awlJHWwH0T2ahHRthzOyywK/s1600/IMG_7264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjVY6hwAfxpe_XB4FHcFjw_erkX6MzduXTcNZC5fYNH86gWO6EgjNW5GiJV5KPP5DnECAMQyGyko3cC6cRY4ZEnplfB2JRAN20gbXNi9vtRSuUJBIIzZx9awlJHWwH0T2ahHRthzOyywK/s320/IMG_7264.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultra Running Magazine's Erika Lindland was the smiliest person of the day and ran herself into 9th to earn another entry for next year. Photo: apologies, I'm not sure where I got this but it epitomized the event</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Unlike previous years where I sprinted around the track, this time I jogged and gave high fives to kids. The finish line couldn't come soon enough but another epic day on the trails was over. It was an hour slower than last year, yet I got 7th in 16:44. At this rate it's technically feasible to do 10 races with 10 different top 10 places - so far I've got 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th...so mainly the podium left to aim for :)<br />
<br />
Before the race I knew it'd be a really memorable day for many reasons. My own race is one small part of the overall story and there are hundreds of people who overcame incredible challenges through the 30 hours of the entire event. Rob Krar's 14:48 was frankly superhuman in that heat and with the pressure of being the defending champ. Gunhild Swanson's finish with six seconds to spare under the cut-off was incredible too, especially since she's 70 years old!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxajWw68ljidzXAQz2D7bvL4ecBBvCYPg_skNF-1kGQ8rVOea5zGrJQe9vhASXFy4MJ2rm_m1pZhWiSRF1bbERuWTFg-c-MLLscyt1IOcROSgReci8dFIsSvtbgwJIMK9WjZGMC9Ksuoj/s1600/IMG_7214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxajWw68ljidzXAQz2D7bvL4ecBBvCYPg_skNF-1kGQ8rVOea5zGrJQe9vhASXFy4MJ2rm_m1pZhWiSRF1bbERuWTFg-c-MLLscyt1IOcROSgReci8dFIsSvtbgwJIMK9WjZGMC9Ksuoj/s320/IMG_7214.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim Twietmeyer cheers for Gunhild Swanson as she finishes and the crowd goes wild. Photo: Ian Sharman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
However, my favorite memory comes from seeing Magda Boulet win her debut 100-miler, despite going two miles off course in the first half. I've really enjoyed coaching her and getting to know her over the past six months - a real star of the running world, an Olympian and a super fun person to call my friend. Seeing her cross the line was fantastic after dominating her ultra races for the past seven months (six straight wins!). I had five other clients running too, so seeing them afterwards was very rewarding, despite one of them not having a good day and having to drop due to the heat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tueRlvaLRiPk7I-Lov94ha2kNf9f0IuZq4_oKg5No5gCDByr4SEef47c4E1QIc5iVMbuXbwdSfphJr2onrTN30Snd3c5L4qvBEBrvL8RKnAhF0i3hvFteBo9n44xgGO62615-earUCRW/s1600/IMG_7277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tueRlvaLRiPk7I-Lov94ha2kNf9f0IuZq4_oKg5No5gCDByr4SEef47c4E1QIc5iVMbuXbwdSfphJr2onrTN30Snd3c5L4qvBEBrvL8RKnAhF0i3hvFteBo9n44xgGO62615-earUCRW/s320/IMG_7277.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Fiving Magda at the finish. Photo: Nate Dunn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I'm tired now, but with each day that passes I get progressively happier with how the race went. Perfect days in 100-milers are rare and I know I can learn more from the imperfect ones, especially when I aim to make the best of it. My fitness was higher than ever before pre-race so I'm just a little disappointed I couldn't improve on last year's time or position, but I got to run Western States and I also get to do it again. Full results <a href="http://www.ultralive.net/ws100/webcast.php">here</a>. Plus my incomplete <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/335581240/overview">Strava data</a> before the watch died.<br />
<br />
The memories of pain fade and the shiny silver buckle remains. Thanks everyone at the race, the volunteers, organizers, runners and supporters.<br />
<br />
<b>Gear:</b><br />
<br />
Shoes - <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/running-shoes/men">Altra Lone Peak 2.5</a><br />
Socks - <a href="http://drymaxsports.com/trail_running_maximum.php">Drymax Maximum Protection Trail</a><br />
Eyewear - <a href="https://www.julbousa.com/performance/venturi/">Julbo Venturi</a><br />
Nutrition - mainly a mix of <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/products/clif-shot/organic-energy-food">Clif Bar Organic Energy Food</a> pouches, gels and Shot Bloks<br />
HRM - <a href="http://life-beam.com/shop/smart-hat/">LifeBeam smart hat</a><br />
Hydration - <a href="http://ultraspire.com/">UltrAspire Isometric handhelds and Alpha pack</a><br />
Keeping the ice cool for my crew (Amy) - <a href="http://www.hydroflask.com/">Hydro Flask</a> 64oz growlerssharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-69086935793160503402015-05-20T16:14:00.002-07:002015-05-20T16:14:42.468-07:00Catch-up and looking ahead to Western States<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4K9OkpIxHwPsP3NLsQBqJsWcGKwdv2KOz_92rDg23uxPz0ZuAUQFfcJC0XPxMIxWA1anGVsgEr21uJQoL_iU72vbfOyBTRc0GWPIN9A2byc30rPzGTupJe5jtv06h0Td-0aSWrEHWJ6i/s1600/IMG_6416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4K9OkpIxHwPsP3NLsQBqJsWcGKwdv2KOz_92rDg23uxPz0ZuAUQFfcJC0XPxMIxWA1anGVsgEr21uJQoL_iU72vbfOyBTRc0GWPIN9A2byc30rPzGTupJe5jtv06h0Td-0aSWrEHWJ6i/s320/IMG_6416.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow-shoeing up Mt Bachelor - that's what I call fun training!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I haven't blogged for a while partly due to moving house and partly because a lot of other things related to <a href="http://www.sharmanultra.com/">coaching</a> and <a href="http://www.usskyrunning.com/">Skyrunning</a> have been keeping me on my toes. So here's a quick catch-up.<br />
<br />
The year started off well and I'm fully past the foot fracture from last year, so that was my main concern through <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2015/02/rocky-raccoon-100-usatf-national.html">Rocky Raccoon 100</a> in Jan and the following months. I then switched to getting in plenty of fun, hilly runs in California and Mt Diablo before moving back to Bend, Oregon, in April.<br />
<br />
Lake Sonoma 50 was a disappointment for me since it's about the most competitive 50-miler of the year in the US (I'd argue it's harder to win than TNFEC50 in San Francisco since a lot of runners are worn down at the end of the season and don't race near their abilities). It was a few days before I moved to Oregon and I just felt tired and 'out of it' but a lot of other runs in the build up had felt amazing. So I dropped at halfway since 50 grinding, slow miles wouldn't have done me any favors for the rest of the season. The very first climb felt odd with a complete lack of energy, which wasn't a good sign, but it didn't improve. It was still a very fun trip to Sonoma and I really want to come back next year to give it my best effort.<br />
<br />
That fatigue followed me through the next couple of weeks and moving was annoyingly stressful, but well worth it now we're all set up in the new house and feel truly at home. After a week of being in Bend I ran the inaugural Bend Half, a hilly road race at which I expected to have a lot of local speedsters to race. Despite the fact I seemed to be stuck in 2nd gear I led a pack of four guys, two in the marathon and one other in the half with me. The marathoners forged ahead a little when I dropped off 6-min/mile pace but it came down to a sprint finish in the half (the races split at mile 10.5), which I narrowly won by two seconds in 1h19m31s. That was a surprise, but not nearly quick enough to go for a marathon PR two weeks later at the Eugene Marathon (the target was to break 2h30m).<br />
<br />
Then Eugene was a fun, hard day out and felt much more encouraging. I knew I wouldn't break 2h30m, but I hoped I could get fairly close. The early miles went about to plan and I felt much better than at Sonoma or the Bend Half. I went through 13.1 in 1h18m flat then hung on for the second half to avoid slowing too much (still didn't quite feel at 100%) to run 2h38m39s.<br />
<br />
The last few months have really been focused on preparing for Western States and it's just over five weeks til race day. The races mentioned above had an upward trend and things feel on track now to hammer some vertical and turn up to the Big Dance ready and raring to go. I feel back to normal and the speed work on flat terrain should help with cruising at much slower speeds on the trail to Auburn. Getting into the mountains is helping too, plus it's very motivating (see the photo above).<br />
<br />
It's always tough to accept some sub-par results, but WS100 is the main event for me and I can't wait to get there. Speaking of which, in two days I'm heading to the Memorial Day Weekend training weekend that covers 70 miles of the race course. That should get the blood pumping!<br />
<br />
#seeyouinsquaw<br />
<br />sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-22146740559699990712015-03-06T16:00:00.004-08:002015-03-06T16:00:45.379-08:00Becoming Ultra ProjectThe <a href="http://becomingultra.com/">Becoming Ultra</a> project is something new I've just started working on with film-maker, Matt Trappe, and Scott Jones from '<a href="http://athleteonfire.com/signup">Athlete on Fire</a>.' It's a fun idea to document the progress of two runners in the build up to their first ultra at the <a href="http://www.aspensnowmass.com/events-and-activities/events/power-of-four-trail">Audi Power of 4 50k</a> Skyrunning event in Aspen, CO, this July.<br />
<br />
Michele Yates (2013 Ultrarunner of the Year) and myself are coaching the runners with live broadcasts every week like the one below. This second episode discusses the differences and similarities between Michele's and my coaching philosophies on a number of areas, including speed work, base training, nutrition and cross training.<br />
<br />
Check it out below and through the <a href="http://becomingultra.com/">project website</a>. Welcome aboard!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tb5L97A-ZbM" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-33315154681261202632015-02-03T14:25:00.002-08:002015-02-05T17:14:32.191-08:00Rocky Raccoon 100 USATF National Championship 2015<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLjFPGmxX7s1cWT3lTrcctRvivxS0AO-cF3AkU9wTGfbJPOtpqEVWggTBC_5Bdshb10cAIqCMcQwcaxJiY53C458e2rMgF6Mb1bN01-aLF8IQUL2LuvCRtEAkLl9qEzBM_Z-rc5VnSYvJ/s1600/2015_rocky_raccoon_100m_17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLjFPGmxX7s1cWT3lTrcctRvivxS0AO-cF3AkU9wTGfbJPOtpqEVWggTBC_5Bdshb10cAIqCMcQwcaxJiY53C458e2rMgF6Mb1bN01-aLF8IQUL2LuvCRtEAkLl9qEzBM_Z-rc5VnSYvJ/s1600/2015_rocky_raccoon_100m_17.jpg" height="320" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid-race. Photo: Scott Dunlap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I've lived in the US for five years now and only missed one <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html">Rocky Raccoon 100</a> in that time. There's something really fun about having a big winter target while most runners I know are just starting to build back up to get fit for Spring.<br />
<br />
Why do I keep going back? Well, it feels like it's one of the classics of ultrarunning and is one of the older 100s (this was the 23rd year) with many outstanding performances over the years and a lot of top level runners have given it a shot. The five 20-mile loops also allow for a lot of social interaction with out-and-back sections and less loneliness and solo running than on point-to-point courses. It always feels like a big social catch-up too, like the way I ran much of lap one with Liza Howard (one of the coaches at <a href="http://www.sharmanultra.com/">Sharman Ultra</a> and a two-time winner - <a href="http://www.lizahoward.com/2015/02/rocky-2015-good-bad-ugly-and-gear/">here's her very amusing race report</a> on getting 2nd place) and James Elson (RD of Centurion Running in the UK and a good friend - <a href="http://www.centurionrunning.com/blog/2015/02/04/rocky-raccoon-100-v-race-report/">here's his race report</a> from running a sub 15hr race this year). It's also impeccably organized by Joe and Joyce Prusaitis plus their team.<br />
<br />
Undoubtedly RR100 is a fast course, but it still has small rolling hills throughout and has significantly slower terrain than flat road or track running, especially during the night sections. That potential to run a quick time draws in a lot of runners aiming for a PR (myself included) and a lot of first-time 100-milers, but it can also be deceptive and cause runners to forget some of the basics of ultra pacing and instead aim for fast splits no matter what.<br />
<br />
I had high hopes of running well and hopefully having a shot at my <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2011/02/ian-sharman-destroys-rocky-raccoon-100-course-record.html">2011 course record of 12:44</a>, but knew that I couldn't really gauge that until maybe 30-40 miles into the race. After a shortened build-up after fracturing my foot back in July on Mt Whitney, I'd lost a lot of fitness before restarting walking at the end of October. However, I felt fit and the foot seemed to have healed, allowing me to run approx 300 miles/month for December and January, including some decent speed work by late December.<br />
<br />
<b>The Race</b><br />
<br />
Starting in the dark for the first hour of running, the weather wasn't too cold and it remained very pleasant all day, between about 43 F and maybe 60 F, but without last year's humidity. Frankly it was perfect weather for speedsters. However, I was surprised at the end of the first 20-mile loop to find I was 12 mins back from the leader who set a lap record of 2:19 to my 2:31 (the CR split was 2:29) and I was in about 8th, just ahead of the first two women.<br />
<br />
It didn't worry me since I was running at a fairly comfy pace and I know the last two laps are the ones that count and that small differences in early laps make little difference overall. That next loop was gradually harder and I could tell I didn't quite have the endurance I'd hoped for. I hadn't run too fast early on, I just hadn't had enough time to build up my endurance. So there's only one sensible thing to do that early in the race - adjust the pace and focus 100% on looking after my body and making things sustainable.<br />
<br />
Lap two was marginally slower in 2:34 so I was happy it wasn't too much worse despite making things easier for myself. Things got fairly bad in lap three and my stride was shortened, I felt tight and I had to concentrate hard to stop myself focusing on negative thoughts like how slow the last loop could end up being. I was extremely tempted to drop, cut my losses and continue working on my fitness for the rest of the season. The one thing that stopped me was that I wasn't injured and was moving forward fine, it was just harder and slower than it should have been. That's not a good enough reason.<br />
<br />
Lap three dropped to a 2:49, making sub-14 hours less likely if the slow-down continued, although the early leader had dropped by this point and I wasn't far from the podium, now in 4th. I made sure I ate more (especially the new savory Clif Bar Organic Energy Food pouches, which I used at WS100 and Leadville last year too) during that loop and near the end I started to feel a little more normal. Then the wind was knocked out my sails when I saw several runners right behind me at the turn around, including female leader Nicole Studer. They all looked better than I felt, but that's fairly meaningless since some runners look great when they're struggling and others look like the walking dead when they're actually cruising.<br />
<br />
Mentally I switched gear after that third loop and starting thinking about how mile 60 was the start of the real race, the important part that separates the runners at the front. I'd not pushed too hard to this point and had spent 20 miles trying to sort out things, so it started to pay off. Paul Terranova caught me a couple of miles into the loop and we ran together with his pacer and chatted. Back in 2011 he'd paced me on loop 4 for a 2:35 loop, so the quirkiness of having him there to 'pace' me again at the same stage felt like a good change and a nice mental boost. Half way through the loop I started feeling genuinely good and gradually pulled away from Paul, catching 3rd and 2nd over the next 10 miles and getting to within two minutes of the leader since about halfway, Marco Bonfiglio from Italy, a winner of numerous 100-milers in Europe and 4th at last year's Spartathlon.<br />
<br />
Marco had looked great all day but he was around 12 mins ahead at mile 60 so the two min gap was very encouraging for me. Lap four was an improvement on lap three, in 2:46, but the more important factor was that I was running freely and felt like a new man. The uphills were easy when I'd had to hike some of them on lap three. I had no doubt I'd catch Marco and I did so after about four miles, making sure I passed strongly to get out of sight within a couple of minutes. Now the adrenaline was flowing and I knew it was completely within my control whether I won or not.<br />
<br />
As the light faded I sped up, knowing the dark would force slower running with the roots and occasional bumpy terrain. I turned my headlamp on around mile 91 and kept pushing to avoid any chance of getting caught. That's a lot easier to do when you're in the lead and have a bigger incentive to push, plus I felt much stronger than 50 miles earlier. It looked like the tortoise's slow and steady tactics were going to pay off. Those final miles were surprisingly comfortable, although I fell twice more in the dark (total for the day was four full-on trips). So the final loop was 2:50 for a finish of 13:32, 48 mins off the record but still respectable for a winning time.<br />
<br />
Nobody else broke 3:15 on that last loop, reaffirming my belief that to really race a competitive 100-miler well, it's mainly about getting to the latter stages in good shape then being able to hammer it to the finish. Just in 2014 there were two perfect examples of this - look at Kilian's last 25 miles at Hardrock 100 or Rob Krar's push from mile 62 at Western States 100. Those guys weren't leading in the first half of those races but dominated at the end.<br />
<br />
I feel this was probably the best race of my life, not because of the time or my fitness level, but because I really got the most out of my body and stuck to my tactics throughout, despite being over 30 mins back near halfway. It's certainly the most satisfying and I'm now ecstatic that I didn't give into the demons mid-way through and drop out pathetically. It gives me a lot of confidence that with a few more months of training and getting fitter, I can hit the summer races as hard as possible, especially Western States and Leadville. After all, I only ran a little over 750 miles between the injury and the start line so tripling or quadrupling that (over a longer build-up) would help a lot. Frankly, I'm really excited for what 2015 has in store.<br />
<br />
One comment I made post-race was that longer ultras are 20% physical and 80% mental. That doesn't mean you don't need to be fit, just that fitness will only get you so far. Grit is important, but that's not the full meaning of the mental side and it also includes the tactics, pacing and ability to plan for and react to issues mid-race.<br />
<br />
<b>Results</b><br />
<br />
Here's the <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/248857944">Strava data</a>, including HRM data - this was the first time I've worn a HRM for an 100. Note it shows the course is 96 miles due to the constant tree cover and cloudiness. I wore two watches as an experiment to see which was more accurate, my old Garmin 910XT and my new Garmin Fenix 2. It wasn't even close - the 910 worked throughout and kept a better signal while the Fenix 2 dropped signal in the trees frequently and just stopped recording after 58 miles because it couldn't regain the signal.<br />
<br />
This is the beautiful trophy for the win (always something unique from Tejas Trails races), plus the coveted sub 24-hr colored silver buckle:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68FeuxT2671PjNFXrHmIBF-fw6a3DNleufM9QJYsq-SUGUvUKwwNbuX_VzGUAp7IV0ix_4-JykxgUwmbKMlqnCA2r3awN4dqdlBJjj_gs77x1iGg8v4oPsDkDs9co2yUXeWUA_0m9bfE2/s1600/IMG_5637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68FeuxT2671PjNFXrHmIBF-fw6a3DNleufM9QJYsq-SUGUvUKwwNbuX_VzGUAp7IV0ix_4-JykxgUwmbKMlqnCA2r3awN4dqdlBJjj_gs77x1iGg8v4oPsDkDs9co2yUXeWUA_0m9bfE2/s1600/IMG_5637.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
Full results <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/docs/Rocky_splits_2015.html">here</a> and the USATF National Champions are Paul Terranova (3rd man, behind a Brit and an Italian who don't count) and Nicole Studer with her new 100-mile trail best of 14:22, taking 23 mins off Traci Falbo's 14:45 last November. Plus loads of photos and a great write-up from Scott Dunlap <a href="http://www.atrailrunnersblog.com/2015/02/new-100-mile-pr-at-2015-rocky-raccoon.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Also, here's the post-race interview with Ultrasportslive.tv who covered the race superbly:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m9PXBSODIno" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Thanks and congratulations to everyone involved with organizing the race, the volunteers, the runners themselves and everyone for your kind messages post-race, as well as Mark Kenney for crewing me. Also, I always know I can count on the following companies to provide me with what I need at races:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/fitness/en/Altra/Men/lone-peak-2-mens"><b>Altra</b> - Lone Peak 2.0s </a>which meant I didn't even feel the tiniest pressure on my healed stress fracture<br />
<a href="http://www.julbousa.com/performance/venturi/"><b>Julbo </b>- new Venturi shades with ventilation</a><br />
<a href="http://drymaxsports.com/trail_running_maximum.php"><b>Drymax</b> - Maximum Protection Trail socks (the only model of sock I've used for the past four years of trail races)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.clifbar.com/products/clif-shot/organic-energy-food"><b>Clif Bar </b>- more gels than I can count, plus Shot Bloks and the new Organic Energy Food pouches</a><br />
<a href="http://ultraspire.com/product/isomeric-8-oz-new/"><b>UltrAspire</b> - Isomeric 8oz handhelds</a><br />
<a href="http://www.uvuracing.com/"><b>UVU</b> - comfiest T-shirt available</a>sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-50879772590032412272015-01-13T19:49:00.001-08:002015-01-13T19:54:09.222-08:00Kicking off 2015 - Crystal Springs 50k<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv-jmNVvDAdvmpQ1XWcXhXpVSKTgGDYuhHEPDVEWNaNZ95oWG5nqXdAVECgyJOzaNVksi__pB673lRA6v7UmrXbHvTyR5WMDzuwSFsKkNn-4WWZUL9BTrOV8XynQc6iu_Vw7RE96SVLnz/s1600/IMG_7356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv-jmNVvDAdvmpQ1XWcXhXpVSKTgGDYuhHEPDVEWNaNZ95oWG5nqXdAVECgyJOzaNVksi__pB673lRA6v7UmrXbHvTyR5WMDzuwSFsKkNn-4WWZUL9BTrOV8XynQc6iu_Vw7RE96SVLnz/s1600/IMG_7356.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing the Crystal Springs 50k</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
It's been a while since I felt fit and fast thanks to my stress fracture last year, but I'm just about getting there again...just in time for Rocky Raccoon 100 at the end of January. I find that a marathon or faster 50k is a great way to test fitness, ideally three to four weeks before a target race. So I ran the Crystal Springs 50k again this year, just like I did last year before Rocky Raccoon. Thanks to a wrong turn on the way back I had 3 mins added to my finish time (I accidentally shaved off 0.3 miles taking the marathon turn-off on my return instead of back-tracking the full orange ultra route - see the difference <a href="http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/cs_wntr_crystal_springs.html#course_map">here</a> and I think that's very fair of the RD). Full results <a href="http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/cs_wntr_results_15.htm">here</a>.<br />
<br />
There are so many races and trails in the Bay Area that the number of races to choose from is almost overwhelming. However, the plus side is that every single local trail race I've ever done here is excellent so it's difficult to make a bad choice. Crystal Springs is a flatter, faster 50k with only 4,500ft of elevation gain and it's a typically pretty course for this area too - check out Scott Dunlap's photos from the weekend <a href="http://www.atrailrunnersblog.com/2015/01/scenes-from-2015-coastal-trail-runs.html">here</a>. I managed to high five him along the way and he's also preparing for Rocky Raccoon (where he has a very good chance of becoming the USATF National Champion for 100 miles).<br />
<br />
I also want to take advantage of the local races before heading back to Bend, OR, in April for a more permanent base. In the five years I've lived in the US I've been in the Bay Area 50% of the time and Oregon the other 50%. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather live.<br />
<br />
Bring on 2015, especially with my new kicks from Altra which feel so good. Am looking forward to running 100-milers in them (the Lone Peaks), since that's the real test.<br />
<br />
<b>Gear:</b><br />
Altra Lone Peak 2.0 shoes<br />
UltrAspire Isometric water bottle<br />
UVU technical T-shirt<br />
Drymax Maximum Protection Trail socks<br />
Julbo Venturi shades<br />
Clif Bar gels and Shot Blokssharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-58080964179300999902014-12-27T15:00:00.001-08:002014-12-27T15:00:47.828-08:002014Each year I always aim to explore new parts of the running world as well as enjoying favorite races like they're old friends. I expect the highlights to be the races where things work out perfectly but that's generally not the case.<br />
<br />
Although I did have fun at the races I focused on (<a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/02/rocky-raccoon-100-race-report-2014.html">Rocky Raccoon 100</a>, <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/07/western-states-100-2014-6th.html">Western States 100</a> and <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/08/leadville-trail-100-how-many-second.html">Leadville Trail 100</a>), the highlights of the year were very different. The first of these was running the <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/03/grand-canyon-rim2rim2rim-super-hero.html">Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim with Sean Meissner</a>, one of the most beautiful runs I've been on. Much as many ultra runners focus on races, I think the biggest benefit of getting fitter is that it makes epic long runs possible, delving deep into remote locations. That includes a lot of summits of my local hill, Mt Diablo.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIS2XW5o78R7LsOR3dMlz29OpZ7MhuPZeW1nUDP8qVO-ukWFnTcmJ_XvHjkS_gYsL87JktJPf1IMhTp5nKEtWWzVExaOUkXwfI85ehOLl7fUAvi1x32tQ-0j3mDCVUa32NmBZcCZoJ8e_/s1600/P1030680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIS2XW5o78R7LsOR3dMlz29OpZ7MhuPZeW1nUDP8qVO-ukWFnTcmJ_XvHjkS_gYsL87JktJPf1IMhTp5nKEtWWzVExaOUkXwfI85ehOLl7fUAvi1x32tQ-0j3mDCVUa32NmBZcCZoJ8e_/s1600/P1030680.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Big Ditch in a more relaxed fashion.</td></tr>
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<br />
A couple of years ago I ran the 40-mile route <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2012/10/mt-hood-circumnavigation-v2.html">around Mt Hood</a> in Oregon with friends and this was equally as fun so that style of run is something I want to do more of when I move back to Oregon next year (a few other items on the to do list include circumnavigating the Three Sisters, climbing Mts Hood, Rainier and Shasta, running portions of the Oregonian section of the Pacific Crest Trail and a couple of other ideas much farther afield).<br />
<br />
Back to 2014, the two most enjoyable races were extremely competitive events where I chose to just enjoy the experience rather than push as hard as I could. I've done that plenty of times at smaller, local races but never at major competitions. These races were <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/04/lake-sonoma-50.html">Lake Sonoma 50</a> and <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/06/comrades-marathon-2014-all-about-ellie.html">Comrades</a> in South Africa. Again, part of the fun was having the fitness to be able to run well but holding back to avoid the pain and suffering associated with a maximum effort. In particular, Comrades was most enjoyable for seeing Ellie Greenwood (who I started coaching a few months earlier) win from the best seat in the house - running around the same pace to see her take the lead and run around the stadium while the crowd went wild for her win. Even though I love Comrades and have always given it my all, having some very rewarding hard runs, this one where the glory was all Ellie's was so much better.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcR65uSsXgLzXakaCdh2vQWzZ4J9u9JCtZ7KlZfs_8jNEK2R7RlDxlJzmnbZqHQk7cMF1EBbRwnXp_iCqSEj632igsAZAJoG4SRqpOx79_kfpBD0merMQx8ZdvuguYB-_cq8VyvcUtWqg5/s1600/10514664_10154317113025384_5155122015739818324_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcR65uSsXgLzXakaCdh2vQWzZ4J9u9JCtZ7KlZfs_8jNEK2R7RlDxlJzmnbZqHQk7cMF1EBbRwnXp_iCqSEj632igsAZAJoG4SRqpOx79_kfpBD0merMQx8ZdvuguYB-_cq8VyvcUtWqg5/s1600/10514664_10154317113025384_5155122015739818324_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congratulating Ellie at the finish of Comrades before she was whisked off for TV interviews.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Then the other highlights of the year include summiting some of California's and Colorado's 14ers in the US. There's something truly inspiring about reaching high places and I've never been anywhere more beautiful than the Himalayas (<a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2009/05/land-of-yeti-duathlon-nepalese.html">back in 2008</a>) so the High Sierra and various parts of the Rockies were perfect playgrounds. Mt Whitney was very busy but still worth seeing since it deserves the attention. I even met a friend at the summit by coincidence (Chikara Omine), despite it being in the middle of a wilderness area and an 11-mile hike to get to the top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XiwwOdTqgQnG7qkEtKk9ZIJ0IYttOy7BFTajPkQqLqB1Sm63bERzfTgvJEIgBG34YE2kKpc4A47_XrVg2ulRai33LRzGyvVYn6F9klnNsRpkiSgo0RjHtuIE3KnaLVWzAwy7xGAVh3Je/s1600/IMG_1954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XiwwOdTqgQnG7qkEtKk9ZIJ0IYttOy7BFTajPkQqLqB1Sm63bERzfTgvJEIgBG34YE2kKpc4A47_XrVg2ulRai33LRzGyvVYn6F9klnNsRpkiSgo0RjHtuIE3KnaLVWzAwy7xGAVh3Je/s1600/IMG_1954.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Whitney at 14,500ft - the highest point in the US outside Alaska.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of Whitney and the High Sierras.</td></tr>
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Colorado was a little too fun and I ended up going up a few too many mountains right before Leadville, but wouldn't change that in hindsight. My biggest week of vertical in the entire year was the first week I spent in Colorado at the start of August. The difference between the hordes at Whitney and the sparse hikers on the Rocky Mountain trails was a welcome surprise and in many ways I'd have preferred to keep doing that rather than racing Leadville and wrecking my legs for a few weeks! Below are a few shots with my favorite being the San Juans and Mt Sneffels (I especially liked it for the link via the name to Jules Vernes' Journey to the Center of the Earth).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Twin Lakes (on the Leadville course) from Mt Elbert</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdx33xaxqJ62ki9uwn3E9asJzYw2Nr-SIzNmRow2nDbftenedFmu63l-x5oBLDdkzE5EDhtBdHh3IsYr0xqgRh9Oii5yg7iUNb1Y2emSu3gdw32hHoswkEZ7R0M8fPbwoz725taGozpnG/s1600/IMG_2265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdx33xaxqJ62ki9uwn3E9asJzYw2Nr-SIzNmRow2nDbftenedFmu63l-x5oBLDdkzE5EDhtBdHh3IsYr0xqgRh9Oii5yg7iUNb1Y2emSu3gdw32hHoswkEZ7R0M8fPbwoz725taGozpnG/s1600/IMG_2265.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Sherman</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7NaJeHPJQ8i9qKnDeEZTKBMjoyNPj6zSRmyx9vZuGFzICv9fklozhooYGdF3X4-233Tft3K5OyhmPbjHWgR50WJviMI9_HTGQoyTXa9BOKHXqORVAx20TUf2H-gu0zJzLHw-vOyV3c2A/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7NaJeHPJQ8i9qKnDeEZTKBMjoyNPj6zSRmyx9vZuGFzICv9fklozhooYGdF3X4-233Tft3K5OyhmPbjHWgR50WJviMI9_HTGQoyTXa9BOKHXqORVAx20TUf2H-gu0zJzLHw-vOyV3c2A/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Mt Massive...possibly of Mt Elbert (I can't quite tell)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNKqaruPb40CPt3Mwi9pqmQejmsFac83z7zPZyx1Ag3fuqRWMGQVVBHMbPqY7cD6pjxxvj1WRSS4ysNMEIBrO7a0ESGW13z1LqiiXgUNuzyQLzBbIQHcbR8fNfNG4fYTtAZfDv-anf8H0/s1600/IMG_2340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNKqaruPb40CPt3Mwi9pqmQejmsFac83z7zPZyx1Ag3fuqRWMGQVVBHMbPqY7cD6pjxxvj1WRSS4ysNMEIBrO7a0ESGW13z1LqiiXgUNuzyQLzBbIQHcbR8fNfNG4fYTtAZfDv-anf8H0/s1600/IMG_2340.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mountains above Telluride, CO</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2GCONxkj9hfrvRYkdTg9cn9a3VLn8upuEnCzVHljKEbXLRMP1yafiU2dvZMcBCZ919_ETcRNoxceCfSl111FLWId-W9qNyIHrpWYvdWZXcMNQYlOCtxGsaUBo84gtLMUxtEEkBu0h3o0/s1600/IMG_2368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2GCONxkj9hfrvRYkdTg9cn9a3VLn8upuEnCzVHljKEbXLRMP1yafiU2dvZMcBCZ919_ETcRNoxceCfSl111FLWId-W9qNyIHrpWYvdWZXcMNQYlOCtxGsaUBo84gtLMUxtEEkBu0h3o0/s1600/IMG_2368.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Sneffels - unbelievably beautiful (and my current desktop background)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHmREthUeBrmd0YPPBDswAt6SuiCBa66N8xQfEXvp9hs3hOUVfV7I4gjREmch7NzwEsY092oXqip6vGb45MwmzieIA78Dd-ucjYYZx8zM6W2keDOD0bCdsv6StYDrqdJjIFa66ivQlRvC/s1600/IMG_2420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHmREthUeBrmd0YPPBDswAt6SuiCBa66N8xQfEXvp9hs3hOUVfV7I4gjREmch7NzwEsY092oXqip6vGb45MwmzieIA78Dd-ucjYYZx8zM6W2keDOD0bCdsv6StYDrqdJjIFa66ivQlRvC/s1600/IMG_2420.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Leadville beer mile with my crew</td></tr>
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So the year was more than I could have hoped for or expected because there was so much I didn't think I'd experience. That's the aim for every year if I'm truly honest and it's those unscripted moments that mean the most.<br />
<br />
Even the last few months of the year worked out surprisingly well given I picked up a foot fracture on Mt Whitney back in July and spend most of the time off running post-August. The final races of the inaugural <a href="http://www.usskyrunning.com/">US Skyrunner Series</a> kept me sane and it was a pleasure to see the first year go so well and be received by runners very positively. Directing the Series is fun but next year I'll be running many of the events myself, giving the perfect excuse to run in the mountains all across the US. Hope to see many of you out there too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS4_1vL6QLXFLCJkNVlgSK5yJmb0voDeWnshZXNJEGPlia9tHA5qJ4aXVlE4vn2BeX5on4_LGE7C1fHGrp94j46C_B0Qbe2TRsr_F7zfymxSOmFymWxVBBur3Br6ku6D-K7uC8uBKWrAi/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS4_1vL6QLXFLCJkNVlgSK5yJmb0voDeWnshZXNJEGPlia9tHA5qJ4aXVlE4vn2BeX5on4_LGE7C1fHGrp94j46C_B0Qbe2TRsr_F7zfymxSOmFymWxVBBur3Br6ku6D-K7uC8uBKWrAi/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners on the final section of the ascent of Lone Peak at the RUT in Montana (around 11,000ft)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcjgQ1oz6A-meBEX5nnyMVpJh-EwdcwX_KbfOB8LyyfG3JNB4qKtFXkGvx3o2-XoXZCPfNdQu5F5jeUKVKqq6bpm-wZoHAnLPcoLM_TMpM0vXPNQeVWFTkeaWs3W6W-Dngc9tN6yK18y0/s1600/IMG_4762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcjgQ1oz6A-meBEX5nnyMVpJh-EwdcwX_KbfOB8LyyfG3JNB4qKtFXkGvx3o2-XoXZCPfNdQu5F5jeUKVKqq6bpm-wZoHAnLPcoLM_TMpM0vXPNQeVWFTkeaWs3W6W-Dngc9tN6yK18y0/s1600/IMG_4762.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy Wolf near the highest point at the Flagstaff Sky Run 55k (around 11,500ft)</td></tr>
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<br />
Happy New Year and here's to a spectacular 2015! Give yourself goals but allow freedom to experience the unexpected too.sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-46894955692027879842014-12-22T13:59:00.000-08:002014-12-22T14:00:43.538-08:00Team Scoring for the US Skyrunner Series - Worked Example Using Western StatesRecently I posted an outline of team scoring for the 2015 <a href="http://www.usskyrunning.com/">US Skyrunner Series</a> <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/12/team-scoring-at-us-skyrunner-series.html">here</a>, allowing runners to identify with both the elite and mass participation teams through geography (US States or foreign countries). The main aim is to add an extra dimension to ultras and make it more interesting to follow a given race. We'll soon have some very exciting news about live tracking of every runner at every 2015 event, which should include real-time team scoring...not just from aid stations but at any point in the race. That should be much more exciting to follow, plus it gives added depth and detail to following individual runners.<br />
<br />
After discussions with a lot of interested parties I decided to create a worked example to show how the team scoring looks in practice. Given I don't have enough data from the 2014 US Skyrunner Series races to hand, I opted for an international race with all the information required already in the public domain - Western States 2014.<br />
<br />
In looking through the numbers I made one change to my original proposed structure for scoring - to make the penalty for not having enough runners be 50 points per runners, not 25 points. So this is how the scoring works:<br />
<br />
<b>Elite team scoring:</b><br />
<br />
Every runner counts for the State or Country they enter under originally for their residence, even if they move before race day. Otherwise the manual changes take forever when compiling results.<br />
<br />
Cross-country scoring with the top two men and one woman from a team counting by adding their gender positions. For example, a team with men in 2nd and 3rd plus the 1st woman would score 6 points (2+3+1). If there are not enough finishers of the correct sexes for a team to complete their three finishers then each missing runner scores 50 points, so the previously mentioned team score without a female finisher would score 55 points (2+3+50). The most an elite team can score is 150 and if a team's runner is lower than 50th place for their gender then they still score 50 points at worst. This is important for scoring throughout a season in a league, otherwise one bad result can add so much to a competitive team that they lose any chance of doing well over the entire Series.<br />
<br />
<b>Full team scoring:</b><br />
<br />
Every runner counts for the State or Country they enter under originally for their residence even if they move before race day, including elites. Otherwise the manual changes take forever when compiling results, especially with hundreds or thousands of entrants.<br />
<br />
The average position of the runners in their gender is the number that counts for scoring, with a bonus for the more runners they have. A minimum of 3 finishers is required to score, otherwise a team scores 1 point below the lowest team with 3 finishers.<br />
<br />
The State or country with the most runners in a race gets a 5 point deduction from their score, second largest gets 4 points off, third largest gets 3 points off, fourth largest gets 2 points off and the 5th largest gets a single point off their score.<br />
<br />
For example, if Colorado has the most runners in a race and the average finisher's position in their gender is 42.567 then we round to one decimal place then deduct the 5 point bonus to give a score of 37.6.<br />
<br />
<b>Single race v entire Series:</b><br />
<br />
I aim to include scoring for every distance at every event to give a result for the individual race plus a league table over the season. I guess I'll get comments about how all the scoring favors the States that hold more races since it's easier to get locals to turn up, but the bonus points' system only gives a slight advantage to big numbers. Regarding the elite races, 2015 should see some high-level competition across the entire Series, meaning that the States with the best mountain runners should do better in the elite rankings and they aren't punished too much if they can't get a full scoring team out given it only requires two men and one woman and there's only so many points that can be added as a penalty.<br />
<br />
<b>Worked example - WS100 2014</b><br />
<br />
Linked to this article is the full set of results <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_7e8p1m_YGrHu1722ByvNQqruCISjK7SOFDVsTTZmOQ/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>. But below I also include the top 10 for the elite and mass participation races. California has by far the most entrants (it's almost certainly always the case that the home State or country will have the most runners), but it doesn't win the mass participation team competition. Australia benefits from a perfect storm for the mass participation race in this case since it has exactly 3 finishers, all relatively near the front of the race.<br />
<br />
<b>Elite team scoring:</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 27px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Elite Team Place"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Elite Team Place</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"State/Country"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">State/Country</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Abbreviation"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Abbreviation</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Finishers"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Finishers</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Elite score"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Elite score</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"California"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fcalifornia.php%23" target="_blank">California</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"CA"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">CA</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[0]C[1]:R[336]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,119]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">119</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[0]C[-1]:R[336]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[0]C[6]:R[336]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,17]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">17</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Oregon"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Foregon.php%23" target="_blank">Oregon</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"OR"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">OR</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-1]C[1]:R[335]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">18</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-1]C[-1]:R[335]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-1]C[6]:R[335]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,20]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">20</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Australia"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">Australia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"AUS"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">AUS</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-2]C[1]:R[334]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-2]C[-1]:R[334]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-2]C[6]:R[334]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,54]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">54</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Montana"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fmontana.php%23" target="_blank">Montana</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"MT"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">MT</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-3]C[1]:R[333]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">2</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-3]C[-1]:R[333]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-3]C[6]:R[333]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,57]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">57</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Colorado"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fcolorado.php%23" target="_blank">Colorado</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"CO"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">CO</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-4]C[1]:R[332]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">10</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-4]C[-1]:R[332]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-4]C[6]:R[332]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,70]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">70</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,6]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Texas"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Ftexas.php%23" target="_blank">Texas</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"TX"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">TX</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-5]C[1]:R[331]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,11]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">11</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-5]C[-1]:R[331]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-5]C[6]:R[331]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,72]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">72</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,7]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Wisconsin"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fwisconsin.php%23" target="_blank">Wisconsin</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"WI"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">WI</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-6]C[1]:R[330]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-6]C[-1]:R[330]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-6]C[6]:R[330]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,100]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">100</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Arizona"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Farizona.php%23" target="_blank">Arizona</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"AZ"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">AZ</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-7]C[1]:R[329]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">7</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-7]C[-1]:R[329]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-7]C[6]:R[329]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,101]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">101</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 52px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,9]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"New Hampshire"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fnew-hampshire.php%23" target="_blank">New Hampshire</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"NH"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">NH</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-8]C[1]:R[328]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">1</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-8]C[-1]:R[328]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-8]C[6]:R[328]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,102]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">102</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">10</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"France"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">France</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"FRA"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">FRA</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-9]C[1]:R[327]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">1</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-1]=0,150,SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-9]C[-1]:R[327]C[-1],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-9]C[6]:R[327]C[6]))" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,103]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">103</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
Full elite scores <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_7e8p1m_YGrHu1722ByvNQqruCISjK7SOFDVsTTZmOQ/edit#gid=542723389">here</a>. It reflects what we would expect at WS, in that the top teams are generally from the States with the biggest populations of elite 100-milers. Note that the competitiveness doesn't go very deeply and that only 29 of 64 States or countries managed to get under the lowest possible score of 150.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Mass participation team scoring:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="121"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col><col width="109"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 59px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Mass Team Place"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Mass Team Place</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"State/Country"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">State/Country</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Abbreviation"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Abbreviation</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Finishers"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Finishers</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Total Score"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Total Score</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Average Score"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Average Score</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Adj Score for <3 finishers"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Adj Score for <3 finishers="" td=""></3></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Point deduction for high finisher numbers"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Point deduction for high finisher numbers</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Final score"]" style="background-color: #bdc0bf; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: top;">Final score</td><!--3--></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Australia"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">Australia</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"AUS"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">AUS</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[0]C[1]:R[336]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[0]C[0]:R[336]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[0]C[3]:R[336]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,54]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">54</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">18</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">18</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"New Jersey"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fnew-jersey.php%23" target="_blank">New Jersey</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"NJ"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">NJ</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-1]C[1]:R[335]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-1]C[0]:R[335]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-1]C[3]:R[335]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,98]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">98</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,32.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">32.7</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,32.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">32.7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,32.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">32.7</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Wisconsin"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fwisconsin.php%23" target="_blank">Wisconsin</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"WI"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">WI</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-2]C[1]:R[334]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-2]C[0]:R[334]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-2]C[3]:R[334]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,187]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">187</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,62.3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">62.3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,62.3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">62.3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,62.3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">62.3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Oregon"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Foregon.php%23" target="_blank">Oregon</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"OR"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">OR</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-3]C[1]:R[333]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">18</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-3]C[0]:R[333]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-3]C[3]:R[333]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1257]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">1257</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,69.8]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">69.8</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,69.8]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">69.8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,-4]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">-4</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,65.8]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">65.8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Colorado"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fcolorado.php%23" target="_blank">Colorado</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"CO"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">CO</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-4]C[1]:R[332]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">10</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-4]C[0]:R[332]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-4]C[3]:R[332]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,706]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">706</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,70.6]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">70.6</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,70.6]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">70.6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,-2]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">-2</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,68.6]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">68.6</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,6]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"New York"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fnew-york.php%23" target="_blank">New York</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"NY"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">NY</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-5]C[1]:R[331]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">5</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-5]C[0]:R[331]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-5]C[3]:R[331]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,350]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">350</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,70]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">70</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,70]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">70</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,70]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">70</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,7]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Canada"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">Canada</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"CAN"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">CAN</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-6]C[1]:R[330]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">8</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-6]C[0]:R[330]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-6]C[3]:R[330]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,615]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">615</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,76.9]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">76.9</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,76.9]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">76.9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,-1]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">-1</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,75.9]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">75.9</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Minnesota"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fminnesota.php%23" target="_blank">Minnesota</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"MN"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">MN</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-7]C[1]:R[329]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">4</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-7]C[0]:R[329]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-7]C[3]:R[329]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,328]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">328</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,82]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">82</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,82]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">82</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,82]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">82</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,9]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Connecticut"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstate.1keydata.com%2Fconnecticut.php%23" target="_blank">Connecticut</a></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"CT"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">CT</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-8]C[1]:R[328]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-8]C[0]:R[328]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-8]C[3]:R[328]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,260]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">260</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,86.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">86.7</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,86.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">86.7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,86.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">86.7</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 29px;"><td data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]+1" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10]" style="background-color: #dbdbdb; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">10</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Japan"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">Japan</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"JPN"]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">JPN</td><td data-sheets-formula="=COUNTIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-9]C[1]:R[327]C[1],R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">3</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUMIF('Results - WS100 2014'!R[-9]C[0]:R[327]C[0],R[0]C[-2],'Results - WS100 2014'!R[-9]C[3]:R[327]C[3])" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,266]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">266</td><td data-sheets-formula="=ROUND(R[0]C[-1]/R[0]C[-2],1)" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,88.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">88.7</td><td data-sheets-formula="=IF(R[0]C[-3]<3,182,R[0]C[-1])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,88.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">88.7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">0</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-2]+R[0]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,88.7]" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: 'pt sans'; font-size: 140%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle;">88.7</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For the mass participation team scoring the top 10 is dramatically different. California is down in 14th after winning the elite race, despite getting the 5 point deduction for having the most finishers. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Call for comment</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ultimately, this is only worthwhile if it creates more excitement around the US Skyrunner Series races, both for fans and for following friends and relatives. I know that as I worked out the tables above I was rooting for the places I personally have an affiliation to, so I hope others get that same buzz.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Whatever form of team scoring is ultimately decided on is likely to apply to all Skyrunning events globally, not just the US Series, so it will have slight differences from country to country in terms of how magnetism there are (e.g. UK races could be split into England, Wales, Scotland, North Ireland and all other countries...or broken down into smaller areas).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does this form of point scoring make sense and is there a better way to score? For example, is the 50-point penalty for not having a scoring elite runner fair? I think it's about right so that an elite team can't do really well without 3 scorers but isn't penalized too heavily. Note that Montana fell into this gap since they had the 2nd man and 5th woman, then had no other finishers so had 50 points added for that and still finished 4th in the elite table.</div>
sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-58964540362401346732014-12-18T12:33:00.003-08:002014-12-18T16:03:30.577-08:00A to Z of World Road Marathons - A Comparison (2014 Update)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxC_1eJCiBnIhUyWyeqKG_IEG2o0r435uu39sS-SqO7lqveW1t2A8w44OIR60teBSqfhcgGTGcrud7g_HY4x90zRUcc2UXmVl_3dr8Ci9C69wlMtnCuCl7uLOMKk3mg5jZgXX-Uw-DMKW/s1600/971525_10151816311030555_1061016697_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxC_1eJCiBnIhUyWyeqKG_IEG2o0r435uu39sS-SqO7lqveW1t2A8w44OIR60teBSqfhcgGTGcrud7g_HY4x90zRUcc2UXmVl_3dr8Ci9C69wlMtnCuCl7uLOMKk3mg5jZgXX-Uw-DMKW/s320/971525_10151816311030555_1061016697_n.jpg" height="320" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Big Sur Marathon start, before it gets scenic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Back in 2011 I wrote my first comparison of the road marathons I've run around the world since I thought it could be useful for people when deciding which ones to choose. Each year I've updated this with new races I've run so here's my 2014 version. The three additions this year are:<br />
<br />
<b>- One additional marathon (CIM)</b><br />
<b>- I state the last time I ran each of the races since some may have changed slightly since I ran them</b><br />
<b>- Strava data for race courses, where I have it (only from the past three years)</b><br />
<br />
There're a lot of fantastic races out there and many in locations that make for a great trip - a perfect way to see various unique cities. Overall it covers Europe and the west coast of the US in more detail but I'll keep searching out road marathons around the world since there's something about them that appeals just as strongly as other forms of running.<br />
<br />
Bear in mind the list isn't exhaustive but includes well over <b>50</b> different marathons across the world, including a good portion of the most well-known ones, so there's some decent variety.<br />
<br />
After each description I show my estimate of how many minutes to add on to your perfect time due to the course/conditions <b>for a three hour marathoner</b> to give a comparison, so add on more of less minutes in proportion for your pace.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amsterdammarathon.nl/home/index.php?a=YTo2OntpOjU7YToxOntzOjQ6InBhZ2UiO3M6NDoiMTg5NyI7fXM6MjoiNWIiO2E6MTp7czo0OiJwYWdlIjtzOjQ6IjE4OTciO31pOjY7YToxOntzOjQ6InBhZ2UiO3M6NDoiMTg5NyI7fXM6MjoiNmIiO2E6MTp7czo0OiJwYWdlIjtzOjQ6IjE4OTciO31zOjI6IjZjIjthOjE6e3M6NDoicGFnZSI7czo0OiIxODk3Ijt9aTo3O2E6MTp7czo0OiJwYWdlIjtzOjQ6IjE4OTciO319&language=UK">Amsterdam Marathon</a> (2007 - this date refers to the last time I attended the event)</b>, The Netherlands (October) - Very fast course with typically perfect weather. Helps to be at near the front but not too big a race. Pancake flat and not necessarily very scenic but it does finish in the 1928 Olympic stadium so you can pretend you're finishing an Olympic marathon around the Great Depression, which isn't that far off the truth. Highly recommended, especially as it's a good excuse to visit the legal(ish) version of Sin City. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/arizona">Arizona Rock 'n' Roll Marathon</a> (2011)</b>, Arizona, USA (January) - If you want to have no off season then this is a great one to focus on for pure speed with comfortable temperatures and a slightly dull, but flat course around the Phoenix megapolis. They bill all the Rock 'n' Roll series races as a party but it's probably the most corporate running experience you could ever have (pay extra for VIP toilets at the start!) with less music along the course than many big city marathons. But the point of this one is really to have an easy course that's fast and to get away from winter snow. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.athensclassicmarathon.gr/marathon/fMain.aspx">Athens Marathon</a> (2006)</b>, Greece (November) - Not particularly pretty but it does cover the original route from Marathon to Athens which is 24 miles, so it includes a loop to reach the adjusted distance of 26.2 miles. Flat first half then gently up before the last quarter is all downhill, finishing in the 2004 Olympic stadium. Kind of has to be done at some point just because of the history, but no need to do it a second time. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.zurichmaratobarcelona.es/">Barcelona Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Spain (March) - A great city to run around and a fast course too. Beautiful views of the sea and less overcrowding than at some of the larger city races. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.marathondubeaujolais.org/marathon-beaujolais-nouveau/">Beaujolais Nouveau Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, France (November) - a large percentage of people run in costumes and the race is similar to other wine country marathons like Medoc in that it's a way to celebrate the new season's wines. Wine, bread and cheese at every aid station, including pre-race so it's not exactly a fast marathon for most people. The highlight was running down steps into a wine cellar, past huge barrels of wine and an aid station, before running out the other end of the cellar and continuing on the course. <b>ADD 5 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.belfastcitymarathon.com/opencontent/?itemid=1">Belfast Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, Northern Ireland (May) - Often windy, rainy and with a few hills to slow people down, yet strangely enjoyable even with sections along a motorway out to the airport. But running through republican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Road,_Belfast">Falls Road</a> and loyalist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankill_Road">Shankill Road</a> with their sectarian murals is an interesting experience (especially if you're English). <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/">Berlin Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, Germany (September) - Fastest marathon course I've seen and the multiple world records broken there (the last four men's records were set there...excluding the disallowed Boston 2011 time). It starts on a wide road so the masses get moving faster than at similar-sized marathons. That allows more of the field to have a fast start, although many people still inevitably have to go very slow in the initial miles. Beer at the finish too. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.bsim.org/site3.aspx">Big Sur International Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, California, USA (April/May) - Adding the word 'International' shows the aim of having people travel from all over the world and it fills very quickly but has a reasonable-sized field of 4,500 runners. Incredibly scenic along a beautiful stretch of California coastline but this is generally one to enjoy the views rather than go for a time. There's also a Boston 2 Big Sur challenge for people who run both, usually about a week apart. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES <i><a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/134939907">STRAVA DATA</a></i></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon.aspx">Boston Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, Massachusetts, USA (April) - In the US this is the big one everyone wants to get to thanks to the need to qualify, the history and the fact the locals get into it more than for any other marathon I can think of. I love it and it does feel special but it's not the fastest course normally due to cross-winds and those famous Newton Hills. Highlight is definitely the Wellesley girls whose screaming you can hear a mile before you get there at halfway. 2011 had a tailwind for much of the course but the 2:03:02 by Geoffrey Mutai may not have been an official world record due to the net downhill and point-to-point course, but I have no doubt it was the best run ever. This course can be fast, but on average <b>ADD 2 MINUTES <i><a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/133016405">STRAVA DATA</a></i></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.brusselsmarathon.be/">Brussels Marathon</a> (2006)</b>, Belgium (October) - Pretty parks along the course and you get to see a good selection of the Brussels scenery including parts of the EU bureaucracy. Warning - your time may be worsened if you sleep through your alarm on race day like I did. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://runcim.org/">California International Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, California (December) - Billed as a fast, net downhill course and it attracts top level US runners. The rollers in the first half are certainly significant so I found these more than make up for the 300ft net drop. It's faster than most Bay Area marathons, but only because they are generally very hilly. If you want a perfect course for a PR, this isn't it, but it's close to it. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/227253157"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2013/01/carlsbad-marathon.html">Carlsbad Marathon</a> (2013)</b>, California (January) - Want to get away from the winter cold? This is certainly a good option in South California and is well organized with a pretty course along the beach-front for most of the race. The half marathon attracts a world class field and the marathon is reasonably competitive too, but this isn't the place to come for a fast time due to the rolling hills (especially the big one at mile 9) and 900ft of ascent. <b>ADD 4-5 MINUTES <i><a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/39116568">STRAVA DATA</a></i></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.copenhagenmarathon.dk/en/">Copenhagen Marathon</a> (2006)</b>, Denmark (May) - Much of the course is run twice with overlapping loops, but I wasn't very inspired by the course which was fairly average, without too many memorable sights. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2012/08/crater-lake-oregon.html">Crater Lake Marathon</a> (2012)</b>, Oregon (August) - There aren't many road races in National Parks and this one circumnavigates the hilly road around the Crater with views of the lake most of the time. Plenty of big hills plus the elevation is mainly between 7,000ft and 8,000ft so it's not fast. It also finishes with a nasty steep two mile climb up on a fire road then straight back down the same way to trash the legs. <b>ADD 16-20 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://dublinmarathon.ie/">Dublin Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, Ireland (October) - Not a very scenic course, with wind and some small inclines to make it slower. But it gives an excuse to drink Guinness where it comes from and hang out with the Irish. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.cornwallac.org.uk/content/FixturesDetail.asp?ID=100">Duchy Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, England (March) - One of the oldest marathons in the UK which used to be extremely competitive for a small event, attracting the top British marathoners back when if you ran a three hour marathon you were last. Surprisingly tough course with a beautiful exposed coastal stretch that can be blustery and has to be run past twice. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.edinburgh-marathon.com/">Edinburgh Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Scotland (May) - Net downhill but not a fast course thanks to the majority being along the Scottish coastline, famous for howling winds and rain. Only the first four miles are really in Edinburgh then it heads out along the coast into a prevailing headwind which turns into a tailwind on the return last eight miles, still finishing way out of the city. The out-and-back is lonely in terms of supporters but then has the entire field supporting each other as they run past both ways. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.eugenemarathon.com/">Eugene Marathon</a> (2011)</b>, Oregon (May) - Fast and flat, as befits 'Track Town USA' and the home of so many Olympians. There's something special about finishing around the historic Hayward Field track and the weather will probably help your speed, even though it'll probably be wet. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.firenzemarathon.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166%3A28th-florence-marathon&catid=95&Itemid=602&lang=en">Florence Marathon</a> (2006)</b>, Italy (November) - The first few miles are downhill so it's easy to go off too fast, then dead flat along the river for most of the rest of the way. One of the best city marathons for scenery as well as being incredibly fast if you don't overdo those first miles. It includes virtually all the main tourist sights in one of Italy's most beautiful (and romantic) cities. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fukuoka-marathon.com/en/index.html">Fukuoka Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, Japan (December) - If you get a chance, you're male and you're reasonably fast then you have to do this race at some point. Before there was a marathon world championship, this was the effective race where the best male marathoners came to duke it out. There's two qualification times: sub-2:27 for the A standard and sub-2:40 for the B standard with each having a separate start. You line up in rows in the exact order of your qualification times and can't drop below a 2:45 marathon pace or you get pulled from the course. It's a unique experience with a lot of crowd and TV support from the marathon-crazy Japanese. So if qualifying for Boston is too easy for you, give this a go. Highly recommended. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.lpm-marathon.be/en/index.htm">Louis Persoons Memorial Genk Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, Belgium (October) - Not many marathons to choose from in January, especially in Europe, and this one has since moved to October. This is a very small, cosy race with a multi-loop course using bike paths and small sections of easy trail. It's a shame they moved it to the middle of the Autumn marathon season instead of the sparse winter marathon famine. It was a novelty to run this in the snow but that's unlikely any more. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES or 5 MINUTES if under snow</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://halsteadroadrunners.net/index.php?s=03084a40228963b1d88c941fabbfe05e&page=marathon">Halstead and Essex Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, England (May) - A two-lap course with rolling hills in the Essex countryside. Full of people who didn't get a spot in the London Marathon and plenty who did it too. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hastings-marathon.org.uk/">Hastings Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, England (December) - I'll include this even though the race was a one-off in 2008 to commemorate 100 years since the London 1908 Olympics where the marathon distance was defined. It may come back at some point and it'd be great if it does. A rolling course including some beach running near the finish and a generally fun, low-key event. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.helsinkicitymarathon.fi/etusivu">Helsinki Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Finland (August) - I did this to complete the set of Scandinavian capital city marathons and it rained. Surprisingly interesting course with some waterfront running and random city streets. But it finishes in the Olympic stadium built for the 1940 Olympics but used in the 1952 Olympics, which is a plus. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.honolulumarathon.org/">Honolulu Marathon</a> (2010)</b>, Hawaii, USA (December) - The definition of a destination marathon but some gentle climbs and guaranteed humidity and heat mean you'll be slowed. You probably won't mind since it just means more time to enjoy running in Hawaii. And you'll be doing it with a lot of other people since this is one of the largest marathons in the US, plus the out-and-back course lets runners cheer each other on (and lets you see a lot of costumes). <b>ADD 8 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/indexsponsers.htm">Lake Tahoe Marathon</a> (2010) - Emerald Bay Marathon</b>, California/Nevada, USA (September) - Day one of the triple marathon around Lake Tahoe, and each is one of the most spectacular road marathons out there. Not the fastest course thanks to the big climbs and 6,000ft altitude plus most people will be doing the marathons over the next two days too. Fit this in if you get a chance since it's a perfect excuse to go to Tahoe and do so outside of the main tourist seasons, yet often with great weather. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/indexsponsers.htm"><b>Lake Tahoe M</b><b>arathon</b></a> <b>(2010) - Cal-Neva Marathon</b>, Nevada/California, USA (September) - Day two of the triple or a stand alone race and the fastest of the three days with smaller climbs and a net downhill from the highest point of the three days (7,000ft) back to the lake level. Easy to hammer those downhill miles too fast and ruin the legs, but if you're doing all three days it's easier to be sensible. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/indexsponsers.htm">Lake Tahoe Marathon</a> (2010) - Main Marathon</b>, California, USA (September) - This is the biggest race of the three days and the one that has a lot of single day runners. It's also probably the hardest with some nasty climbs up to Emerald Bay and the best road views in Tahoe (where the first days starts). After the crest of the hill its downhill then flat for the last six miles then a barbecue on the sandy beach. <b>ADD 5 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/">London Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, England (April) - In the UK this is THE marathon and most people don't even realize there are other ones out there. Most people run for a charity with a huge number doing so in costume and there's a lottery for non-charity entries, although foreigners can just buy an over-priced package to get in. If you want to run a fast time (and you definitely can on this course), then you'll need to qualify with a '<a href="http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/marathon-centre/enter-virgin-london-marathon/good-for-age-entries/">Good For Age</a>' or <a href="http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/marathon-centre/enter-virgin-london-marathon/championship-entries/">Championship</a> time to get near the front or you'll be stuck walking with the masses, being deafened by the crowds, especially near the end. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES (more if not at the front of the start-lines)</b><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGAGKy8VR-vEvDHXmDEzT0lOxkSMWmr1goBShVwZ6atP49Yle9MIE8Q40rrVP-K3UEhpumgWDbjXxsXJre7BwAV8PHm3R7OzFNsgb77hpbXJ75jPDe5nv0uHj9roEt2uhyphenhyphenAWvgBuK4Pto/s1600/P1000264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGAGKy8VR-vEvDHXmDEzT0lOxkSMWmr1goBShVwZ6atP49Yle9MIE8Q40rrVP-K3UEhpumgWDbjXxsXJre7BwAV8PHm3R7OzFNsgb77hpbXJ75jPDe5nv0uHj9roEt2uhyphenhyphenAWvgBuK4Pto/s320/P1000264.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">London Marathon through Canary Wharf</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.runningandstuff.com/blog/2008/7/29/1908-london-marathon-centenary.html">London Marathon - 1908 Olympic Route</a> (2008)</b>, England (July) - This course from Windsor Castle to BBC Headquarters may never be used again, but was recreated (without road closures) for a centennial commemoration of 1908 in 2008 by the 100 Marathon Club. Not a great route, including some dodgy areas of town but it has the same appeal as doing the Athens marathon and maps of the course can be found online if you want to try it solo. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES or more if you allow for traffic and map navigation</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.lutonmarathon.org.uk/">Luton Marathon</a> (2006)</b>, England (November) - A three-lap course with joys such as scary council estates where you may get mugged mid-race, nasty headwinds that somehow follow you around the loop and the chance of cancellation due to icy roads. But it does have a good challenge for a small race, in that there's a three-man relay to race against. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.ing-europe-marathon.lu/">Luxembourg Night Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, Luxembourg (May) - An interesting twist in this race is that it starts soon before sunset, heading through the bridges and old buildings of the city. As it then gets dark part-way through the race, the final mile has candles lining the route and then finishing in an indoor stadium with techno music and disco lighting. Not a fast course due to the continuous rolling hills but pretty and unique. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.marathon-marrakech.com/presa.html">Marrakech Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Morocco (January) - Maybe not the most effective organization but it's a great city to visit and weather will tend to be at least comfortable, but possibly hot. The course is mainly outside the old town with the souks and windy little side-streets so has some desert-like views but it's all on flat roads so is very fast if the heat stays low. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.malibuintmarathon.com/index.htm">Malibu Marathon</a> (2013)</b>, California, USA (November) - Want an excuse to visit the home of the stars and maybe even LA too? This course tends to have good weather, sometimes a little on the hot side and starts inland before running along the Pacific Coast Highway with some gentle hills, especially nearer the end. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/94440969"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.napavalleymarathon.org/">Napa Valley Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, California, USA (March) - Scenic point-to-point run through the Napa wine region with your weight in wine as a prize if you win (they're smart - the winner is unlikely to be big). The course rolls slightly but is quick in general with comfortable, if potentially wet, conditions. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/117300045"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.newforestmarathon.org.uk/">New Forest Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, England (September) - A scenic run through this forest in the south of England on roads with very small trail sections. Some gentle rolling paths and wind can slow the pace slightly but generally a relaxed and enjoyable smaller race. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.nycmarathon.org/">New York City Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, New York, USA (November) - The world's biggest marathon with multiple start areas and routes that stay separate until several miles into the course. This one has to be on every marathoner's to do list despite the fact it's fairly tough due to the bridges acting as nasty hills. If you want to run fast here then you need to qualify to be at the front but the <a href="http://www.nycmarathon.org/entrantinfo/Guaranteed_Entry_Guidelines.htm">times required</a> are tightening from 2012 due to the popularity of the race (for a senior man it will be 2:45, with times dropping for masters' age groups). It's a fun race with a chance to see plenty of NYC, much of which you might not need to really see, so this is really about the experience and it isn't cheap (I can't think of a more expensive entry fee for a road marathon). Don't expect to be running in those early miles or where the starts merge later on unless you're very near the front. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES (much more if not in the front corrals)</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The New York Marathon start line</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.newportmarathon.org/">Newport Marathon</a> (2010)</b>, Oregon, USA (June) - An ideal race to go for a time plus some scenic views of the sea, a large bridge and along a river in the beautiful Oregon coast. Small enough that everyone can run immediately but fast and flat enough to let people nail the race, especially since the weather tends to be ideal for running. Only remotely difficult bit is a tiny hill in the first few miles, unless you decide to do the oyster challenge and eat as many oysters as you can as you go past the oyster farm on the way out and heading back (current record 80 oyster shooters). <b>ADD 0.5 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.nvv.be/en/home">Night of Flanders Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Belgium (June) - The marathon isn't the main event here as it's more focused on the 100k which has previously been the 100k World Cup race. But the courses are the same and the 100k just includes more loops through the countryside and small Flemish villages. The novelty here is that it starts in the evening and so some of the marathon is in the dark while most of the 100k is. Flat, slightly windy and with each lap going past weekend revelers in bars (who seem to be oblivious to the race). <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.oaklandmarathon.com/site10.aspx">Oakland Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, California, USA (March) - Oakland doesn't have a great reputation and has very high crime rates, even though it's just across the Bay from San Francisco and near much less dangerous places. The marathon starts with a gradual then steeper climb up to Piedmont, which is the rich part of town and takes an effort. Then after 10 miles there's downhill into Oakland proper and flat, speedy roads. The front-runners spread out so if you go significantly under 3h pace then you'll run though much of the dodgy part of Oakland solo. So each time you see a cop blocking a road for the race, you'll be happy. This shouldn't be an issue for most people but I felt unsafe running along (having run through ghettos in Africa and several third world countries). <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://en.oslomaraton.no/">Oslo Marathon</a> (2006)</b>, Norway (September) - A course that mainly goes along the bay in one of the richest and most expensive countries in the world. A chance to see Viking ships but if you want to do a Scandinavian marathon then Stockholm is prettier and more fun, not that this is a bad race at all. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Oslo Marathon</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.parismarathon.com/index_us.html">Paris Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, France (April) - Starting along the Champs-Elysees by the Arc de Triomphe so that it's a very wide start allowing the field to spread out on the very gentle downhill. Then you get the chance to see most of Paris' sights, two very French parks and a finish back at the Arc de Triomphe. Fast course, beautiful course and it includes a trip to Paris - highly recommended. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.portlandmarathon.org/">Portland Marathon</a> (2011)</b>, Oregon, USA (October) - Although Portland is a very green city in every way, this course shows less pretty parts of town and has a big bridge crossing around 16 miles. A relaxed atmosphere and not too large a field, plus a focus on making the race good for beginners and be female-friendly means this is a chilled race. People aren't fighting for position at the start like at many races. It'll probably rain and could be cold and windy so this isn't a super-fast course but is good as a first race or if you want to avoid the over-competitiveness you get at many races (particularly near the front). <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.praguemarathon.com/en/2012/volkswagen-marathon-weekend-2012/volkswagen-prague-marathon/about-the-race">Prague Marathon</a> (2005)</b>, Czech Republic (May) - As my first marathon, this feels particularly special to me and Prague is always a great city to visit, particularly the ancient old town where the race starts and finishes. The course has been improved slightly since I ran it but still involves some running on boring roads away from the center. Fast, although some people may not like the flat cobbles near the start and finish. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1haHA39d4AW2TPXvm-C9vzxtJTMw5Sv4xSUBWzBmt9A77aHEEzftt5lLGUfJczhAr2HvCZ95j6blbKryHiOEqFJZyeLTBpyt5f94EvQjNXVx6KDoEV6AvGz7XU7sHfpfoXSQu6tHuzWmi/s1600/13+-+Main+Square+Pre+Start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1haHA39d4AW2TPXvm-C9vzxtJTMw5Sv4xSUBWzBmt9A77aHEEzftt5lLGUfJczhAr2HvCZ95j6blbKryHiOEqFJZyeLTBpyt5f94EvQjNXVx6KDoEV6AvGz7XU7sHfpfoXSQu6tHuzWmi/s320/13+-+Main+Square+Pre+Start.JPG" height="320" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Prague Marathon start/finish area</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.couriraquebec.com/sites/marathon-en.html">Quebec City Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, Canada (August) - Not many marathons in August but this is a fun one that includes a chance to see a large part of the city along the water then finish at the bottom of the old town. Easy first half including some bike paths then there's a steep climb up to a big bridge halfway through and a prevailing headwind to the finish which can really slow everyone down. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.marathon.is/reykjavik-marathon">Reykjavik Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, Iceland (August) - Iceland is an interesting place to visit and the race coincides with their summer festival so the locals do the two things they're famed for - drinking heavily and being promiscuous (the latter is just what I've heard). The course is mainly along the Atlantic coastline and typically is windy, plus even August is generally cold. So even though this course isn't fast, it's the road marathon I've done the most and somehow led to four PBs in a row. But beware that if you run faster than 3h pace you'll be on your own for most of the time. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.experianfestivalofrunning.co.uk/">Robin Hood Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, England (September) - This race in Robin Hood's locality in Nottingham follows the half marathon route, which is quite hilly, then heads off around man-made rowing lakes where there can be headwinds. A medium-sized marathon where a Brit is almost guaranteed to bump into a runner he or she knows. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.maratonadiroma.it/default.aspx">Rome Marathon</a> (2009)</b>, Italy (March) - This is one of the best road marathons out there and even has a quick course. Undoubtedly the most impressive city marathon course given you run past so many world famous sights (unlike, say, London which avoids most tourist areas). Starting and finishing at the Colosseum then including the Vatican, Roman Forum and everything else you'd want to include on a trip there. Some cobbles but they're flattened and shouldn't be an issue for 99% of people. Do this race and fit in a longer trip to Italy if you can. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNrWQuoAEX8rVfP8QzJptA16eivyL8yUEA5hozDhvsgRtW_Zhuhv7u3FXP7NuCxelE6RqAtUS-7Ah7CA9rI7VmP65Q3WYoGoM6RLQLNUGDRT2gx067lzytvNfdqRBGmBktBIE3qyK-Fgd/s1600/P1010306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNrWQuoAEX8rVfP8QzJptA16eivyL8yUEA5hozDhvsgRtW_Zhuhv7u3FXP7NuCxelE6RqAtUS-7Ah7CA9rI7VmP65Q3WYoGoM6RLQLNUGDRT2gx067lzytvNfdqRBGmBktBIE3qyK-Fgd/s320/P1010306.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Rome marathon start (that's me dressed as a gladiator)</td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.saltlakecitymarathon.com/">Salt Lake City Marathon</a> (2010)</b>, Utah, USA (April) - A net downhill, but starting at almost 5,000ft which takes a tiny toll on sea-level dwellers. The start is around dawn with the views of the mountains surrounding the city just starting to be lit with purples and blues, so that distracts you at first before some rolling hills. The half starts at the same point then splits off a few miles in before joining back up near the end. Some freeway running but generally a decent course for views. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/">San Francisco Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, California, USA (July) - Even though its at sea-level with mild weather, this is probably the hardest city marathon <u>course</u> I've seen given the significant hills (ok, trail runners, it's flat in mountain terms). Starting pre-dawn means cold and probably misty conditions but the main draw is the chance to run over the Golden Gate Bridge on an out and back. I loved the course despite the fact it slowed me down a lot. Great excuse to visit a cool city too. <b>ADD 4 MINUTES <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/171755962"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.sbimarathon.com/">Santa Barbara Marathon</a> (2013)</b>, California, USA (November) - A fast and generally flat or gently rolling course with a nasty hill at mile 23 that could put you off your target pace. Great atmosphere with a theme of supporting war veterans and the timing is around Remembrance Day/Veteran's Day. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/94440942"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.thesantarosamarathon.com/home">Santa Rosa Marathon</a> (2010)</b>, California, USA (August) - This small town race in wine country is very fast. Previously a two-lap course along a river, this is now a single lap with a small field and so an ideal course to go for a PB if you don't mind potentially running alone. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.seattlemarathon.org/">Seattle Marathon</a> (2012)</b>, Washington, USA (November) - One of my favorite marathons and a good reason to go to Seattle just after Thanksgiving. Not a fast course but lots of running by the water before coming back inland to the finish, which includes some sharp hills. Another race run concurrently with the half marathon, but the half takes a short-cut so marathoners pop out into the back of the pack half runners, which can be really motivating given the mutual support runners provide to each other. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.shakespearemarathon.org.uk/">Shakespeare Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, England (April) - A marathon in Shakespeare's base of Stratford-Upon-Avon which rolls through country lanes for two laps. Usually very close to the London marathon so it tends to include people unable to get a spot there. An ideal way to run through some gentle English countryside without doing a trail race. <b>ADD 3 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.svmarathon.com/">Silicon Valley Marathon</a> (2010)</b>, California, USA (October) - Out and back from San Jose to Los Gatos along a canal for most of the course, which is now defunct. The first half is gradually uphill then the return leg is fairly easy and the parks and greenery is better than you usually see in the area (I used to live there). No longer exists. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.stockholmmarathon.se/Start/index.cfm?Lan_ID=3">Stockholm Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Sweden (May/June) - Another of my favorites, this involves two slightly different laps across the islands of Stockholm with the only hard part being the double crossing of the long bridge back to the main city. It's scenic, involves visiting a great (if expensive) city, and usually has really pleasant weather although has been too hot a few times. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://sunrivermarathon.com/">Sunriver Marathon</a> (2014)</b>, Oregon (September) - Fast and flat around the golf course of beautiful Sunriver Resort, just south of Bend, OR. Mountain views of the Cascades mean there's always something to keep you occupied and the 4,000ft elevation will barely have an effect. <b>ADD 1-2 MINUTES <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/39116808"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://tricitiesmarathon.com/">Tri Cities Marathon</a> (2012)</b>, Washington, USA (October) - A small race through all three of the cities that make up the Tri Cities, along the Colombia River. Completely flat except the four river crossings but these hardly affect your speed, although it can be windy so that's the only risk. Great for a PB attempt, but this may involve running alone given the small field. <b>ADD 0.5 MINUTES <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/39116654"><i>STRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="http://www.tucsonmarathon.com/">Tucson Marathon</a> (2013)</b>, Arizona, USA (December) - A net downhill course starting at around 4,800ft and finishing at 3,000ft, this looks super fast on paper. In practice there are a couple of reasons it's maybe not quicker than other marathons in this list. Firstly, there's a prevailing headwind for much of the race which negates much of that downhill. Secondly, around 10 miles are flat, rolling or uphill and that wears the body down when mixed with the headwind. Finally, those downhills can wipe out your legs with the additional pounding and impact. Even as a trail runner focusing on huge amounts of downhill training, I found my legs were struggling near the end, purely due to the hard surface and leg damage. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE (MORE IF YOU'RE NOT A STRONG DOWNHILL RUNNER) <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/99358320">S<i>TRAVA DATA</i></a></b><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisntXZw0qY_ZlusryMHZSq1zebkPF0OgbNS5itALN1LgyRp2A28MkgDLBWsizsf4chJy_ob2GXWFL8fbHHgCBfN5QiKA2k9uyJhIMWrBNElzwemAZkmXnYPhI4b_s0wjP3zwKsl84q7xLp/s1600/Tucson+course+profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisntXZw0qY_ZlusryMHZSq1zebkPF0OgbNS5itALN1LgyRp2A28MkgDLBWsizsf4chJy_ob2GXWFL8fbHHgCBfN5QiKA2k9uyJhIMWrBNElzwemAZkmXnYPhI4b_s0wjP3zwKsl84q7xLp/s320/Tucson+course+profile.jpg" height="144" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Tucson marathon course profile</td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://maratondivinapastoravalencia.com/en">Valencia Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, Spain (November) - This race used to be in February and filled a gap in the calendar nicely but has since moved to November. A surprisingly good-looking city with some interesting modern architecture which you see along the route. It's also a well-designed course that is completely flat and easy. <b>ADD 0 MINUTES </b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.vilniausmaratonas.lt/index.php?lang=en">Vilnius Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Lithuania (September) - One of the things I love about running is that way it takes me places I wouldn't ever think of going otherwise. Lithuania is one of those places and it's a beautiful small city with plenty of Gothic architecture, windy little streets and, I found, rain. The course varies from old city streets to bike paths through woods plus it's not got any obvious difficulties. <b>ADD 1 MINUTE</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.maratonwarszawski.com/en">Warsaw Marathon</a> (2007)</b>, Poland (September) - As with Vilnius, I probably wouldn't have visited this historic city if it hadn't been for the marathon. It's a larger race but not as interesting since it includes some Eastern Bloc-style views of concrete faceless buildings and boring main roads as well as some of the old town. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://zurichmarathon.ch/index2010_e.php">Zurich Marathon</a> (2008)</b>, Switzerland (April) - I usually prefer to run in the mountains when in Switzerland, for obvious reasons, but this marathon is executed with typical Swiss efficiency. Plus it has great views the whole way since most of it is out and back along Lake Zurich with the mountains adding a perfect backdrop. The course does have some gentle rolling sections but is still fast. If you miss out on London, this is a more than adequate alternative. <b>ADD 2 MINUTES</b>sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-55284128382800618882014-12-10T21:46:00.001-08:002014-12-22T13:36:17.052-08:00Team Scoring At The US Skyrunner Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotnw-4X0wpfRjeLZC8mL0m6KDmUvXXHQdf1uJz_h1QsbssYiD1MOtKC1nQ7oByCPUSDE1_lE1rLlMpRHLDoOu8VqsoYLwRjgJugUadMnnnGBRdqZnUBoNbw0zMFssYXC4agqzXZwiA2ZU/s1600/scoreboard_black.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotnw-4X0wpfRjeLZC8mL0m6KDmUvXXHQdf1uJz_h1QsbssYiD1MOtKC1nQ7oByCPUSDE1_lE1rLlMpRHLDoOu8VqsoYLwRjgJugUadMnnnGBRdqZnUBoNbw0zMFssYXC4agqzXZwiA2ZU/s1600/scoreboard_black.gif" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently there's been some online and in-person discussion about team scoring surrounding the North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler in Marin, including some great thoughts from Ryan Ghelfi (his latest <a href="http://ryanghelfi.com/2014/12/10/what-next-the-american-ultrarunning-league/">blog post</a>). It got me thinking along lines I'd previously considered before being involved in the <a href="http://www.usskyrunning.com/">US Skyrunner Series</a> as the Series Director - namely that sports need teams for people to support.<br />
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Now that I'm in a position to create a system of scoring for teams at a national level, I decided to relate my thoughts in a blog to get comments before putting it into practice, so please let me know what you think. Bear in mind a couple of constraints - there's no budget for offering prize money for this in 2015 and there's no time to create a budget...but this may kick start that side of things for 2016.<br />
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As an additional feature, I'm currently working on a way to include live, real-time scoring during each race for teams but details are not ready to be released yet.<br />
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<b>Scoring principles:</b><br />
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Here are the key elements I'd like to incorporate in team scoring:<br />
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1. Allow both elites and the entire field to effect the scoring.<br />
2. Incorporate both women and men into a combined score for both elites and the entire field.<br />
3. Create teams that people will genuinely care about.<br />
4. Only include it if it adds something to a given race and/or the entire Series.<br />
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To achieve these aims I'm considering scoring for both the top runners and the entire field, but with the top runners still scoring for the masses as well. To get people behind teams, I believe the most effective common denominator is geography as this is what works in basically every sport globally. Then I hope the combination of these factors makes it of interest and gets people psyched to run for and support their team.<br />
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The geographical scoring makes most sense if based on US States plus international countries, given all the races are in the US. Every State will score in every race even if they have no runners - see the scoring described below. Only countries with finishers will be included, but once they have a single finisher in a single race they will be scored in every race, even if they have no runners.<br />
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<b>Elite team scoring:</b><br />
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Cross-country scoring is tried and tested, so I propose that the top two men and one woman from a team have they gender positions added up. For example, a team with men in 2nd and 3rd plus the 1st woman would score 6 points (2+3+1). If there are not enough finishers for a team to complete their three finishers then each missing runner scores 25 points, so the previously mentioned team score without a female finisher would score 30 points (2+3+25). The most a team can score is 75 and if a team's runner is lower than 25th place then they still score 25 points at worst.<br />
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<b>Full team scoring:</b><br />
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Every runner counts for the State or Country they enter under originally (even if they move before race day), including elites. The average position of the runners in their gender is the number that counts for scoring, with a bonus for the more runners they have.<br />
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The State or country with the most runners in a race gets a 5 point deduction from their score, second largest gets 4 points off, third largest gets 3 points off, fourth largest gets 2 points off and the 5th largest gets a single point off their score. The lowest score possible is 1 point above the worst scoring team that has finishers. This score applies to all teams that fail to have 3 finishers.<br />
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For example, if Colorado has the most runners in a race and the average finisher's position in their gender is 22.567th then we round to one decimal place then deduct the 5 point bonus to give a score of 17.6.<br />
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<b>Single race v entire Series:</b><br />
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I aim to include scoring for every distance at every event to give a result for the individual race plus a league table over the season. I guess I'll get comments about how all the scoring favors the States that hold more races since it's easier to get locals to turn up, but the bonus points' system only gives a slight advantage to big numbers. Regarding the elite races, 2015 should see some high-level competition across the entire Series, meaning that the States with the best mountain runners should do better in the elite rankings and they aren't punished too much if they can't get a full scoring team out given it only requires two men and one woman and there's only so many points that can be added as a penalty.<br />
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<b>Overall thoughts:</b><br />
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There's a degree of trial and error with this approach since it's something new and relies on the races being reasonably geographically diverse and competitive. Both of these elements should increase over time and this is just the first step. Depending on how it goes it could morph into a number of things in 2016, especially with discussions with sponsors to get top athlete's sponsors on board.<br />
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Let me know what you think. Is this an exciting addition to the sport of trail running? Does it add something to the US Skyrunner Series? What would you change to my proposal (be realistic as well as ideas for where to aim for the in the longer term)?sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-15363450077385065432014-12-08T12:56:00.000-08:002014-12-08T12:58:37.901-08:00Lessons From Returning From Injury<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When injured, it's easy to lose motivation and suffer from some degree of depression or at least feel sorry for yourself. I generally try to accept things I can't change and look for positives, so the 2.5 months I missed due to my right foot's stress fracture weren't all that bad and I've had a month of getting back into running which has got my juices flowing.<br />
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Once I realized I was injured, I focused 100% on doing everything I could to fix it, including fun stuff like spending over a week on crutches and committing to not running until it was completely ready. It took a while to accept the stress fracture at first, but at least it was during my off-season so I wasn't planning on running in the early stages anyway.<br />
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I got back to running after a week of walking to test the foot after ditching the crutches. Like any injured athlete I tried to learn everything I could about the injury, likely recovery times etc and none of it sounded as optimistic as I hoped. Again, this is the all-too-familiar route back from injury for athletes of all types, but I hoped that I could use my experience as a personal trainer, coach and common sense to get some kind of edge.<br />
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Luckily the fracture seems to have been at the less serious end of the spectrum and the lack of running in off-season helped stop it getting worse from running when I shouldn't. In addition I worked on my lower body and core fitness even before I could walk again, using cycling and weights. Then I used a simple philosophy as soon as I could put weight on the foot again - start off easy with plenty of walking (including with a weight vest after a week or so), backing off at the first hint of anything negative around the stress fracture.<br />
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My training plan was as flexible as possible once I tried running again. I didn't even write it down, just going out the door each time to start walking then slow jogging before deciding on how far to go and how hard to push, mainly based on how it felt. Occasionally I pushed a little too much then took the next day off completely, except for a small amount of biking and weights.<br />
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Things progressed well and I had five weeks of gradual improvements, including some fast running that surprised me. I also had to take some risks after about three weeks since I have Rocky Raccoon 100 at the end of January and only want to race it it I feel fit and fast. To gauge that I felt I needed to be capable of a marathon at the start of December, eight weeks prior to the 100. So I had that at the back of my mind for the weeks leading up to the California International Marathon, which was yesterday on Dec 7th.<br />
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Even on the morning of the marathon I had big doubts and I was completely willing to stop if my foot deteriorated. I had a soreness near my right tibia, so my first thought was that the past month of running might have caused a new stress fracture in a different area. I imagined running 100ft down the road then turning back and trying to get a lift to the finish, going back to square one again with a new injury. However, this time I was willing to back right off and accept the injury immediately, despite not being happy at the prospect. Again, flexibility was the key and denying an injury doesn't make it go away.<br />
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Luck was on my side again (I don't count on it, but I'll take it when I can) and at the end of the first mile neither my foot or shin felt anything other than normal. It even looked like I might be able to run a fast marathon. Oh, and I should probably add in one extra detail - I decided to wear my old Spiderman costume to take some of the pressure of running fast and remind me that the main priority was finishing with no injury. No attempts at <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2011/03/guinness-world-record-at-napa-marathon.html">Guinness World Records</a> this time, but I've found it a very effective way to spice up a marathon and make it more relaxing. Not the best pacing or highest level of fitness at this one so I slowed down a fair bit, but a finish without injury woes is a big win. My <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/227253157">Strava data from the race</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLUE64YU-S1rU4PGN46DPQxJrEjTCyAFkT3CXdK5VWOnEzI_noVYqIaToZXIJuzcupuXc8C_NQYi6reUZdukpcjitFZP4S2S-LkNl-jKZfRPsNSzDFZ_YY0qJPfD9qQW0KI7gxqxsrIwi/s1600/20141207.AS.CaliforniaIM_285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLUE64YU-S1rU4PGN46DPQxJrEjTCyAFkT3CXdK5VWOnEzI_noVYqIaToZXIJuzcupuXc8C_NQYi6reUZdukpcjitFZP4S2S-LkNl-jKZfRPsNSzDFZ_YY0qJPfD9qQW0KI7gxqxsrIwi/s1600/20141207.AS.CaliforniaIM_285.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CIM. Photo credit: Sacramento Bee</td></tr>
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So what did I learn from all this, now my foot felt fine through a marathon and the injury problems are virtually over?<br />
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1. Mainly it reinforced the fact that there's <b>no one-size-fits-all path back from injury</b>, something I already knew, but this put it in clearer context. Everyone heals differently based on fitness, age, severity of an injury and a whole host of other factors.<br />
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2. It's also vital to <b>discover the cause of the injury to avoid incurring it again</b>. In my case that's less of a problem since it occurred over two days of running at Mt Whitney and Death Valley on sharp rocks with roads shoes and I felt it happen, not like a standard stress fracture occurring over time from overuse.<br />
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The path back to fitness needs close guidance from experts, including medical professionals for anything remotely serious. But one of the most important things is the ability of a runner to hold themselves back and not rush into doing too much. Starting runs with a walk, then an easy paced jog is a good way to include this flexibility and often it's possible to do more rather than less when approached this way. It's not an easy process and we all tend to try to do too much to regain our previous level of fitness faster than the body can cope with...but the body is a resilient entity.<br />
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For example, Mike Wardian was injured for a long period, losing almost an entire season yet he's now back to racing so much and so fast it would break a mere mortal. He ran (hard) at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler near San Francisco on Saturday then wrapped up the weekend with a 2:33 marathon at CIM. The human body is inspiring, especially in the hands of guys like Mike.sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-74386061460695031702014-11-25T14:17:00.000-08:002014-11-25T14:17:13.582-08:00Interview With Ellie Greenwood Post World Championship 100k<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVVhEXfuVOX06G4Nqt40ZkDUq3Nun-cOkgnoiAr1kr3rEflLI-r6NeKElbswOYZVBMPhwAjIptmBjJaIm1BB8n642Whn2Vyy5jf2UMuz9waKhLDVGI6kf34ZN3p-4OuLCIm4YX-3bBdJS/s1600/IMG_5051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVVhEXfuVOX06G4Nqt40ZkDUq3Nun-cOkgnoiAr1kr3rEflLI-r6NeKElbswOYZVBMPhwAjIptmBjJaIm1BB8n642Whn2Vyy5jf2UMuz9waKhLDVGI6kf34ZN3p-4OuLCIm4YX-3bBdJS/s1600/IMG_5051.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the line in 7:30:30 at the WC100k in Qatar. Photo: irunfar/Bryon Powell</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After being named Ultra Running Magazine Ultra Runner of the Year (UROY) in 2011 and 2012 (plus probably winning it this year too), Ellie Greenwood has already had her share of success. However, this year is arguably her best yet due to wins at <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/06/comrades-marathon-2014-all-about-ellie.html">Comrades</a> in South Africa and the recent <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2014/11/third-times-a-charm-ellie-greenwoods-2014-iau-100k-world-championships-report.html">100k World Championship</a> in Qatar. In addition she also won the 2014 Chuckanut 50k and the Squamish 50k.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been lucky enough to help Ellie through this year by coaching her, plus she now coaches others through <a href="http://www.sharmanultra.com/">my company</a> too. There are a lot of interview with Ellie right now, but I wanted to ask a bit more about how she's approached races this year and what she's learned about coaching.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">No doubt Ellie will continue to dominate global ultra running for years to come, so here's an insight into how she does it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. How did you deal with injuries in the last year, given you weren’t able to run much in 2013?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellie - <i>Coming back to ultra running in 2014 I have been very careful to avoid getting injured again. I now work closely with a Sports Med Dr., a physio and a massage therapist to work through any little niggles before they turn into injuries and prevent me from training. I appreciate their expert advice and am careful to follow it. In addition, I have focused on building back to high mileage very slowly and instead have done more quality rather than just pure quantity of training this year, so get a bigger bang for my buck in the miles that I do put in. This year I have had some little niggles but with careful maintenance, foam rolling, stretching and being smart I have been able to work through them and still perform at my key races.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />2. What cross-training did you incorporate while injured and what will you continue to do now you’re injury-free?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Ellie - <i>I pool ran, cycled and rowed/ used elliptical in the gym. I continue to cycle and use pool running when I feel my body needs a break from too much pounding of outdoors running. I also was more dedicated to basic strength training when injured and continue to do this regularly even now I am 100% healthy as I know this is vital in injury prevention and making me a better runner.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />3. How does your training differ for road races compared to trail races?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Ellie - <i>In training for road ultras I tend to spend a similar number of hours each week training as if I was training for the trails but the mileage goes up and the amount of elevation goes down. I focus on more consistent pace long runs, rather than just time on feet and hiking, when training for a road ultra. I will always incorporate some tempo runs and speed work into my training, but these sessions become more important when training for a road ultra. However even when training for a road ultra I'll spend some time of trails but just choose flatter and less technical trails, this gives my body a reprieve from the hard tarmac and also adds variety which is key for motivation.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />4. How do you deal with unexpected factors on race day, such as the harder surface (tiles) and large number of 180 degree turns at the WC100k in Qatar?<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellie - <i>I just accept that all athletes are running the same course so no one has an advantage or disadvantage over another. My UK team mate Jo Zakrzewski had run the course before so we checked out the course two days prior to the race, even this amount of time meant I was able to be forewarned of the courses challenges ahead of the race so there were no surprises on race day. With the hard tiles I chose to wear a more cushioned shoe that I might have done otherwise, and with the sharp turns I didn't obsess if these kms were slower than others as I accepted that the turns would slow me down a little.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />5. What have you learned from your experiences this year with wins at Comrades and the WC100k that you’ll apply to coaching others?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Ellie - <i>I have learned that volume in training is not the be all and end all, and that fewer miles with quality can achieve just as good results. I have also learned that really training specifically for a course (terrain, elevation etc) yields the best results and thus targeting one or two 'A' races each year is the way to really perform at one's best, if that is your goal. I have also learned to take care of what seem like little extra factors e.g. trying to travel pre race a few days before, having a race day nutrition plan, heat training etc. There is no point in just doing the run training and missing these extra factors which can really make a difference to race day performance.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDWOFBJXOav3V1EzNDfHUJtNi8HA3vbAtu2A0yB8LFrgz9Xb0OH4lGKlHC_Rd2UclvRMKRdXAW3W4AafnYFFHglPI5VM1vvHhcAeNEjZwx8Q44xfqwWY8agkcjSVr-0-eTpYGsgM0Gw3Q/s1600/IMG_4957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDWOFBJXOav3V1EzNDfHUJtNi8HA3vbAtu2A0yB8LFrgz9Xb0OH4lGKlHC_Rd2UclvRMKRdXAW3W4AafnYFFHglPI5VM1vvHhcAeNEjZwx8Q44xfqwWY8agkcjSVr-0-eTpYGsgM0Gw3Q/s1600/IMG_4957.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running on the tiles in the WC100k. Photo: irunfar/Bryon Powell</td></tr>
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<br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;" />sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-41566192617517605992014-11-14T13:45:00.000-08:002014-11-16T11:38:52.243-08:00Back From Injury Plus Skyrunning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The joy of a stress fracture</td></tr>
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It's been a while since I wrote a blog post, mainly because I've been very busy setting up the <a href="http://www.usskyrunning.com/#!raceseries/c1yws">2015 US Skyrunner Series</a> and also because I've not been running. Also, I spoke to <a href="http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/ian-sharman-2014/">Ultra Runner Podcast</a> about the same topics a couple of weeks ago.<br />
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Firstly, the Skyrunning side of things - I've loved these epic mountain-style races for years and have been involved with the International Skyrunning Federation since 2012 on the Board. It's an honor to be involved and I'm very happy with the range of races brought together in the Series across nine different States in the US. In particular it's very enjoyable to work with Race Directors with a real passion for trails and mountains who live that lifestyle every day. Here are a few shots from the 2014 US Skyrunner Series races I went to in person.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyA-ewzgm532M5z24Gt4wf5IdQ2ki1vjDtdcUj4d3yci_Cge98Rx5rMHoCbqRTbUByGjRyOe1OSrNYu615SnGjAZMUIBwTzPhTZzH4KaLFlP_2kk3RyUDHoWsPMyq0AKl0QsPh6F31VSk/s1600/IMG_3209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyA-ewzgm532M5z24Gt4wf5IdQ2ki1vjDtdcUj4d3yci_Cge98Rx5rMHoCbqRTbUByGjRyOe1OSrNYu615SnGjAZMUIBwTzPhTZzH4KaLFlP_2kk3RyUDHoWsPMyq0AKl0QsPh6F31VSk/s1600/IMG_3209.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lone Peak at the Rut in Montana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCHqMbomdbl_fiNPKXD7nFGi5Efq8nlFKx4ODOJSBxlqVpRGYlPF7fVHOjX0OONMf_V4hZaYepwQ7jOnQy6aA9aX761fftyDqQvTSStFs0G0HWJtMijh_uQxe8PUzuk3ND5Abv4M3qFzq/s1600/IMG_3238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCHqMbomdbl_fiNPKXD7nFGi5Efq8nlFKx4ODOJSBxlqVpRGYlPF7fVHOjX0OONMf_V4hZaYepwQ7jOnQy6aA9aX761fftyDqQvTSStFs0G0HWJtMijh_uQxe8PUzuk3ND5Abv4M3qFzq/s1600/IMG_3238.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runners ascending Lone Peak</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcwx3aT-wfl27i2pTwJN1JlB7SRw82um7Qe5Ixoov3Co2SYpze2OntKHgBpMIbkD0COvWGIOEMrnMqlLvwAQL4Yh3jpD-fUtaYZM1nVYaTDoBcOXm6pszImtn3grPWBxxrtsNMIy-BABD/s1600/IMG_3497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcwx3aT-wfl27i2pTwJN1JlB7SRw82um7Qe5Ixoov3Co2SYpze2OntKHgBpMIbkD0COvWGIOEMrnMqlLvwAQL4Yh3jpD-fUtaYZM1nVYaTDoBcOXm6pszImtn3grPWBxxrtsNMIy-BABD/s1600/IMG_3497.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kilian on top the VK podium at the Rut </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNpbzCY5WKZAaockVY_GUUYg7g_I9JUe0W6Z4tjO7SiJpDPARqVkCG0wKx9Y1knTuGZi6nnExA8eyDY4AyHeEdtcA3jHWhiSPQrsfboW2IFu0NnvHFhNKhnNU07q4kaIKYhjxpZXPmdgX/s1600/IMG_3534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNpbzCY5WKZAaockVY_GUUYg7g_I9JUe0W6Z4tjO7SiJpDPARqVkCG0wKx9Y1knTuGZi6nnExA8eyDY4AyHeEdtcA3jHWhiSPQrsfboW2IFu0NnvHFhNKhnNU07q4kaIKYhjxpZXPmdgX/s1600/IMG_3534.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Frost coming into an aid station at the Rut 50k</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKM-x1fyQBB5KoBZFrA6B_32BIEn1wtnvjAPhMaROxveubsdqo47VBhH0a5rY75xnIgvDU-7xVdiKXOaoZXbLlJKElxTxCLhUuirDdh91SLxtsXWhaEB-yjsTsd66PTCWWZM6o-6eR5L56/s1600/IMG_3541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKM-x1fyQBB5KoBZFrA6B_32BIEn1wtnvjAPhMaROxveubsdqo47VBhH0a5rY75xnIgvDU-7xVdiKXOaoZXbLlJKElxTxCLhUuirDdh91SLxtsXWhaEB-yjsTsd66PTCWWZM6o-6eR5L56/s1600/IMG_3541.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fellow coach, Ellie Greenwood, with a switch from road dominance at Comrades to the mountains at the Rut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxGRg7475xTodXbThZFRqdNhOXjf-VlHbb0r6XM7xwbXIo0WYnLcdmBaAcHO4-NZOwAw50x_fIJKGOQ2lbBF8t8fLh0RSqsH4toikuCAogU9uTHaaXFzF1UhEMXvHieeMsdYzXEAPxQD6/s1600/IMG_3759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxGRg7475xTodXbThZFRqdNhOXjf-VlHbb0r6XM7xwbXIo0WYnLcdmBaAcHO4-NZOwAw50x_fIJKGOQ2lbBF8t8fLh0RSqsH4toikuCAogU9uTHaaXFzF1UhEMXvHieeMsdYzXEAPxQD6/s1600/IMG_3759.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try getting those prizes home on a plane!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmZVDMXRXOuJxcbTQC3RAmgN8mgjO7HkFPVI5wxMgE9ihpgrDg5J50DAiDdxxOa5Afu-GiVpTG4S3-FmNZc4-0H3FywcGDUutbpkgfMAqBTzv9jgqD70tjhjhJmEGgwf1obF1VR-AAtVl/s1600/IMG_4760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmZVDMXRXOuJxcbTQC3RAmgN8mgjO7HkFPVI5wxMgE9ihpgrDg5J50DAiDdxxOa5Afu-GiVpTG4S3-FmNZc4-0H3FywcGDUutbpkgfMAqBTzv9jgqD70tjhjhJmEGgwf1obF1VR-AAtVl/s1600/IMG_4760.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy Wolf above 11,000ft at the Flagstaff Sky Race in Arizona</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIPo0uHn-JMPrvC4BPkaf5dFoSxwkz6ioCTopzSlLUphDsMPhyphenhyphenzyI_qlHLn98it44DH1Ocqfim6JcZmuSmM-XIxxvda4ID_peuPiMZLSWtaEykmO1uFFRmUFNGCKS07HRgHl_ADMWk7wn/s1600/IMG_4780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIPo0uHn-JMPrvC4BPkaf5dFoSxwkz6ioCTopzSlLUphDsMPhyphenhyphenzyI_qlHLn98it44DH1Ocqfim6JcZmuSmM-XIxxvda4ID_peuPiMZLSWtaEykmO1uFFRmUFNGCKS07HRgHl_ADMWk7wn/s1600/IMG_4780.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Versteeg starting the final descent at Flagstaff</td></tr>
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Secondly, I've been traveling around a lot but not running due to a stress fracture in my right foot. I first felt it back in July after running down Mt Whitney after pacing at the Badwater 135, where I hit the same spot multiple times near my second toe with some sharp rocks. I felt like a bruise and I ignored it, including through the Leadville 100 a month later. After that I'd planned to rest a month as an off-season anyway, so I wasn't as aware of the problem til I tried to run again in mid-September.<br />
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Overall, I've not been too worried about it since I really needed a rest after the three 100s this year (<a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/02/rocky-raccoon-100-race-report-2014.html">Rocky Raccoon</a>, <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/07/western-states-100-2014-6th.html">Western States</a> and <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/08/leadville-trail-100-how-many-second.html">Leadville</a>), at which I already felt fatigued due to the <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/09/ian-sharmans-2013-grand-slam-of-ultrarunning-report.html">Grand Slam</a> last year. So I took it easy, had a three-week visit from my parents where we went to a few National Parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, King's Canyon and the Grand Canyon) then realized I needed a break from even walking...and a break from taking a break! Below are a couple of photos from those beautiful places, although I do wish I could have run in them properly instead of light walking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7BaNH2FGOgcODhxLROfrQcIT6Bxv-ww5dfPIgNjEh_yoRVg8fdrnAMub1JRlw72GD4eG-ADJHRUGzoygC7qCmi5lKj_5dgTQT6-dhjHtqPoqVhV4BzTp0h3K38QcEdT4Cau_z1zSQ5Kz/s1600/IMG_4626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7BaNH2FGOgcODhxLROfrQcIT6Bxv-ww5dfPIgNjEh_yoRVg8fdrnAMub1JRlw72GD4eG-ADJHRUGzoygC7qCmi5lKj_5dgTQT6-dhjHtqPoqVhV4BzTp0h3K38QcEdT4Cau_z1zSQ5Kz/s1600/IMG_4626.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No running shots in the GC, but it's well 'just' taking in the views</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-LRp8WWxiq9kkfORKVwjxf1-AtESKMMP8_B4qYP97EA022MlX4yO6ImcsDMu-6y3j0hpjbc6MnfRFehzFIVYqvZjMLqa9F12AEvGi-MHuCSh7Hh9HYK6qezliHtZj2YttMY2iNvVRCvR/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-LRp8WWxiq9kkfORKVwjxf1-AtESKMMP8_B4qYP97EA022MlX4yO6ImcsDMu-6y3j0hpjbc6MnfRFehzFIVYqvZjMLqa9F12AEvGi-MHuCSh7Hh9HYK6qezliHtZj2YttMY2iNvVRCvR/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I wish I could run down there right now"</td></tr>
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Thanks to the crutches at the top of this post, I then took around nine days of zero impact for my right foot and that was obviously frustrating. However it seems to have paid off in combination with Sarah Lavender-Smith's ultrasound machine (see photo below) since I've been able to get back to walking longer distances. 20 mins a day of this machine seems to have helped, although it's difficult to tell and the science behind it isn't conclusive for this type of situation. I'd be willing t try it again if I get a similar problem, since it's better to have proactive options like this rather than just pure rest. It's also helpful for giving me more insight as a <a href="http://www.sharmanultra.com/">coach</a> - a stress fracture is almost a right of passage for a runner and I've never had one before. So although the use of ultrasound hasn't been conclusively proven to help with healing fractures, it seems to have a neutral effect at worst and it helps pyschologically to be doing something proactive.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JJTApQxrhx7yuGNf5Tr_1YSP5uZg1KOzuuEAjVNhJkB3RaxD1bMr3Wc3eqlLkr6-kOe-hGZ_rxor-bcZXNJIOwF7EkUvIHXMPwHN6bBZydbUkoE22uIg2ChkBt6q5A9zqltfDheKo9bR/s1600/IMG_4945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JJTApQxrhx7yuGNf5Tr_1YSP5uZg1KOzuuEAjVNhJkB3RaxD1bMr3Wc3eqlLkr6-kOe-hGZ_rxor-bcZXNJIOwF7EkUvIHXMPwHN6bBZydbUkoE22uIg2ChkBt6q5A9zqltfDheKo9bR/s1600/IMG_4945.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultrasound for bone stimulation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Amy and I even power-walked the US Half Marathon together in 2h59m at the start of November, which gave me the confidence to restart running. The following week I took a risk in starting the Berkeley Half Marathon and just hoped I could run every step, so was pleasantly surprised to still have some speed and to run a 1h25m with only minor soreness afterwards (except my muscles which really weren't used to it). In the few days after that it feels fine again and I've been able to run pain-free, so I can hopefully progress beyond runs every other day very soon.<br />
<br />
So that sums up the past three months. Really busy and that probably helped by stopping me worry about the injury. I'm very optimistic that this long break will pay off in my 2015 season and it's certainly got me excited about running again. Now I have just over three weeks to my next benchmark, the California International Marathon. Originally I'd planned to have a long, solid build-up and to go for a sub 2h30m, but now the main focus is to run every step pain-free as a confirmation that I can train hard again.sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-79714287452299928702014-08-17T18:24:00.001-07:002014-08-21T23:06:15.490-07:00Leadville Trail 100 - How Many Second Winds Can One Man Have?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6UVMY8etecHJNEwsvhzwnmy7W_Q1MG_l9i4JGSw-2iNMOUUVKkPk_UyUItVqh1YPQOj4qz5aTeNENpMET33iXbg2PeTfuEiQJct6h3PxBebY6BoSdvUWdS3lIw4TqM75ykZ4fipliS0N/s1600/10608295_10203184127537276_3250185334901496322_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6UVMY8etecHJNEwsvhzwnmy7W_Q1MG_l9i4JGSw-2iNMOUUVKkPk_UyUItVqh1YPQOj4qz5aTeNENpMET33iXbg2PeTfuEiQJct6h3PxBebY6BoSdvUWdS3lIw4TqM75ykZ4fipliS0N/s1600/10608295_10203184127537276_3250185334901496322_o.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Caleb Wilson</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Leadville was an amazing experience <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2013/08/leadville-quick-race-report.html">last year</a> as part of the <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/09/ian-sharmans-2013-grand-slam-of-ultrarunning-report.html">Grand Slam</a> and I had a great trip to Colorado again, especially the <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/08/update-pre-leadville.html">two weeks of hiking</a> in the mountains. The race didn't quite go to plan but I felt I got the most out of my legs on the day - both a result of last year's 100-milers. The fatigue has been lingering all year at <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/02/rocky-raccoon-100-race-report-2014.html">Rocky Raccoon 100</a> and <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2014/07/western-states-100-2014-6th.html">Western States 100</a> thanks to not taking a proper long rest after last season, but the plus side is that I really feel I've learnt how to adjust mid-race and maximize how the day goes, no matter what issues I have to deal with. Luckily it's an easy fix as I just need a little time off and won't be running a step for at least a month (mountain biking and hiking are another story).<br />
<br />
Back to the race itself and it turned out to be something I'll remember for many years to come. It started off with a lot of similarities to last year. Firstly I led into Mayqueen aid station at mile 13.5 by a few seconds, just like 2013 (although I spent 45 mins with my headlamp on minimum since the battery went flat well before sunrise despite a full charge). Then I dropped to 9th by the top of Sugarloaf at mile 18. Back into 5th at Outward Bound aid station at mile 24.5 and into 4th just before Twin Lakes at mile 39.5. All identical to last year, plus Mike Aish was 20+ mins ahead in the lead which he did in 2013 too. It was just slower and the legs felt fatigued compared to last year.<br />
<br />
There was a stunning sunrise over Turquoise Lake and a sunny day throughout which made for beautiful running conditions. I was behind my 2013 splits the whole way out but had a solid hike up the major climb of the day at Hope Pass, which ascends over 3,000ft to mile 45.5. On the way down to the turnaround at Winfield (mile 50) I squeezed past Zeke Tiernan to get into third, but then the race started to get really crazy.<br />
<br />
Mike Aish had a huge 25 min lead over me at the turnaround and picked up my Grand Slam nemesis (and good friend), Nick Clark, as his pacer. Rob Krar took a wrong turn due to what must have been trail sabotage, costing him around six mins so he was perhaps 10 mins back from Mike. I would have gone the wrong way too but saw Rob heading back up the turn I'd have missed. That got re-marked in time for the next competitors but meant that Zeke caught up to me.<br />
<br />
A quick turn-around and I picked up my first pacer, Brendan Trimboli, getting out of Winfield in 8:07, about 17 mins slower than last year. We saw Timmy Parr right behind Zeke but were mainly focused on power-hiking the crap out of the steep two-mile, 2,000ft ascent back up to 12,600ft after the rolling few miles from the aid station.<br />
<br />
I felt much better by this stage and had accepted that my legs didn't have quite as much pep as 2013, but knew sub 17hrs was on the cards if I kept my head. The climb went well with a steady, fast power-hike that put a small gap between myself and Zeke. Then the descent was just as much fun as last year as I let myself go and caught up some time on both Mike and Rob, plus saw several hundred runners coming the other way who were really gracious and made it very easy for me to move past them. Brendan played a big role here by going 20ft ahead to warn that a runner was coming through (I'd been told in advance this was a key benefit to having a pacer on this section).<br />
<br />
Amazingly I caught up to Mike just before Twin Lakes (mile 60.5), seemingly done for the day with swollen knees and quads. Last year I caught him walking at mile 67 to take the lead, so it looked like things continued to play out like 2013, but with the addition of Rob Krar ahead. Despite only half a mile to the aid station, I put five mins on Mike and assumed he'd be lucky to finish. How wrong I was!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEGHUb9hJ3AAoT9RDRpFYQA9pglKvV71OsfH1z0hcw8GL87KnuAQQsKsOZAAemE_dWlFOKRF4Fxeh9a-fv2MT3A2TRzUCixqFT872s-4Dsm6AiJzP6m2sKBHHeX-kOwitij9Qx0WrBKM5/s1600/10608862_10103314165861948_1408659199_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEGHUb9hJ3AAoT9RDRpFYQA9pglKvV71OsfH1z0hcw8GL87KnuAQQsKsOZAAemE_dWlFOKRF4Fxeh9a-fv2MT3A2TRzUCixqFT872s-4Dsm6AiJzP6m2sKBHHeX-kOwitij9Qx0WrBKM5/s1600/10608862_10103314165861948_1408659199_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running through a XC section. Such a perfect sunny day. Photo: Brendan Trimboli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The 1,400ft climb out of Twin Lakes is more gradual than Hope Pass but steep enough to force me to hike almost all of it. It was also hot so my second pacer, Aaron Keller, carried some iced water to pour on my neck at regular intervals ('muling' is allowed at Leadville). I assumed the game had switched to a safe second place and maybe first if Rob faltered, but around mile 66, Mike Aish flew past me while I ran close to 8-min/mile pace on a flat section. By the Half Pipe aid station (mile 69) he was three mins ahead. How had he turned things around and could he sustain it for the first time in a race this long?<br />
<br />
I kept moving at a very respectable pace but by Outward Bound (mile 75.5) he was over six minutes ahead, despite 'looking bad' according to many reports. I've learned that people can look like death in an ultra (eg. Nick Clark, who's famous for looking spent but continuing to move fast) and still run well, so I didn't pay too much attention to that.<br />
<br />
A couple of rolling road miles took me to the bottom of the steep Powerline climb with my third pacer (I was spoiled with such a good crew), local Leadvillian, Dana Kracaw. I still had a solid uphill power-hike available and zoomed up, catching Mike a mile from the summit. This time I was sure he was out of it, but kept pushing the pace (I got the Strava CR for the section over Powerline to Mayqueen, showing I wasn't hanging about). Down the gentle downhill I ran sub 8 min/miles then heard Mike charging behind me. I pushed to go faster and zoomed along the jeep road but he still passed me and put about a minute lead on me by the turn into the single track. How did he keep coming back from the dead like this?<br />
<br />
A few minutes into the technical single track I'd dropped my pacer, Dana, and caught up to Mike as he looked like he was bent over retching (I found out after the race he was taking his shoes off due to a blister!). Within the next two miles down to Mayqueen (mile 86.5) I gapped Mike by five mins and was pushing along the road section, not stopping at Mayqueen at all. Dana arrived a minute after me but I'd teamed up with Brendan again for the final section.<br />
<br />
Last year I ran 1:57 for the Mayqueen to the finish split, basically the same as Matt Carpenter's CR split. I'd pushed myself to the brink because of a charging Nick Clark, although he had blown up right after the aid station and slowed considerably. This time I thought I'd secured second and had a tiny chance of catching the 30 min gap to Rob Krar if things went south for him.<br />
<br />
I ran virtually every step along Turquoise Lake, pushing myself up the little rollers and certainly going faster than 2013. Then the short, sharp drop back on to the road and just 5.5 miles to go. The only problem was that Dana and Aaron were there with news that Mike was only a minute behind! He'd turned on the after-burners one last time and was flying at an unbelievable speed (or maybe not when you consider he's a 27-min 10k runner). I sped up as his crew plus mine cheered along the last flat section before the turn back on to the unrelenting uphill to the finish. He'd said on Powerline that his uphill legs were blown so I hoped I could remain ahead if I got to the climb and the last 3.5 miles first.<br />
<br />
It was a full-on race with us both running close to 7-min miles and he caught me right at the turn uphill onto the steep first 400m uphill. We both settled into the fastest power-hike I've ever seen, neck-and-neck. As the gradient dropped to around 10% I started running, maybe 5 feet ahead of him. My watch showed 8-min mile pace and it felt hard, but he drew level and accelerated. I tried to match him but couldn't and had to drop to a more sustainable 9-10 min/mile pace, hoping he'd blow one last time. Afterwards he told me his split for that mile was just over seven mins!<br />
<br />
As dusk turned to dark we approached the turn into Leadville and the switch back from a gravel road to asphalt, but Mike was around two minutes ahead. I couldn't see a way to close that within under a mile, especially since he was running, not walking. So I settled down into a slower pace to avoid the minor high altitude pulmonary edema issues I had last year (I succeeded) and ended up crossing the line in 16:41:38 (11 mins slower than last year), three minutes behind Mike and 32 mins behind Rob, who won in the second fastest time ever, 16:09. Mike's split from Mayqueen to the finish was 1:49:46, over seven minutes faster than anyone else ever. Considering how many low points he had that's just mind-blowing - Rob and I both ran around 1:58 for that section.<br />
<br />
I wanted to end my season giving everything to the race, although I hoped I wouldn't feel so tired. Thanks to Mike I can walk (or limp) away with the satisfaction that I pushed to my limit on the day, wrapping up the season with a podium and becoming the first person to break 17 hours at Leadville twice. The podium's times were the 2nd, 6th and 7th fastest in history, so we certainly made a race of it. Zeke came in with his second best time on the course, in 17:35, and Dave Mackey was next after rallying for a negative split 100-miler to finish as the first of the Leadman competitors in the 100, in 19:10.<br />
<br />
The women had a close race for first and second too, with Emma Roca running the first five miles in the lead with myself and Zeke before taking a bad fall. Emma and Liza Howard yo-yoed ahead of each other all day with Liza sitting as high as fifth late in the race. They finished with Emma in 8th overall in the third fastest time ever (19:38) and Liza just behind in 20:01. That must have been an epic battle too and I can't wait to hear more about it from Liza.<br />
<br />
Full results <a href="http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-6391?lc=en">here</a>. Plus my Strava data <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/181565195">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone involved with the race as it was very well organized and seemed to deal with the overcrowding and other race management issues from 2013. It was another memorable, special day and I feel lucky to be a part of this sport.<br />
<br />
Off season time:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN4FsHmxjz962I4VlSDSwIKTWd3Yq5QKw0EHud8ZfXKl6DYmgQOpVg4_Dm-Fpvqy6yOw9wStBnhyphenhyphenSb70WF7FBnxVjMXM20_YvP1-vBdQypUGA6MqPgCJRYX0hbrTGwFBKIOjX7mKaua-T/s1600/IMG_8546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN4FsHmxjz962I4VlSDSwIKTWd3Yq5QKw0EHud8ZfXKl6DYmgQOpVg4_Dm-Fpvqy6yOw9wStBnhyphenhyphenSb70WF7FBnxVjMXM20_YvP1-vBdQypUGA6MqPgCJRYX0hbrTGwFBKIOjX7mKaua-T/s1600/IMG_8546.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race with a super-tight jacket courtesy of Dana.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<b>Gear:</b><br />
<br />
Scott Kinabalu T2 shoes<br />
UltrAspire handhelds<br />
Drymax Maximum Protection Trail socks<br />
Julbo Dust shades<br />
Clif Bar gels (approx 40) plus other Clif productssharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379797745883386200.post-45362782868923878942014-08-09T08:36:00.004-07:002014-08-09T08:36:47.913-07:00Update pre-LeadvilleIt's a week until my last main race of the year, certainly my last ultra, at Leadville Trail 100. <a href="http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/2013/08/leadville-quick-race-report.html">Last year</a> was so much fun with two weeks of Colorado fun, including seeing some of the Hardrock 100 course in the San Juans.<br />
<br />
This year I didn't have the Grand Slam to deal with so I was able to fit in the Badwater pacing on the adjusted, non-Death Valley route (see write-up by Eric Spencer <a href="http://www.sunshinerunner.com/2014/08/friday-awesome.html">here</a>) plus the San Francisco marathon three weeks prior to Leadville race day. That marathon is a race I love, especially with the section running over the Golden Gate Bridge and back. In addition, the local ultra community was out in force with some good banter on the start line with the likes of Alex Varner, Jorge Maravilla and Devon Yanko. A quick summary - I had a head cold but wanted to move my legs a bit faster than any time since Western States, so I ran a 2:43 negative split (1:22/1:21). Much more encouraging than my fitness pre-Leadville last year where I felt worn down with no speed at all. At a guess I'd say I could have run a marathon just under three hours at Leadville last year, so that seems like an improvement.<br />
<br />
For the past week I've been staying in Leadville for the period pre-race (10,150ft), compared to Durango (6,700ft). I did get up higher for a few days last time, but this year I've already summited three 14ers at Mt Elbert, Mt Massive and Mt Sherman (see photos below). I also had a few days at 6,200ft at Lake Tahoe before coming to Colorado.<br />
<br />
So on paper my preparation is better and I feel stronger and better adapted to altitude already, with another week left. Who know if that'll translate to a better run, but it feels good to be ready. A last minute addition to the field of Rob Krar means the course record is certainly under threat, plus Mike Aish has the potential to run around that time if he can nail a race this long and Zeke Tiernan returns after previously running one of the six sub-17hr times ever run on the course. The field may not be as deep as somewhere like Western States but at least one guy will nail it and run a very fast time.<br />
<br />
Some photos from the past few weeks:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_UiVr2mKBScCTtk-dMT9R2_nuEp-0oFtuKGZjg-zhk0yfAuvg6UcC-fZRK4w-aJ2Vt-VCDvNkNMMJ4AcC75khq9hR5zFjzlj5eFXrre9yBLGEaFa7VnYm99AlB5jBajTfIg0aKnrzA9A/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_UiVr2mKBScCTtk-dMT9R2_nuEp-0oFtuKGZjg-zhk0yfAuvg6UcC-fZRK4w-aJ2Vt-VCDvNkNMMJ4AcC75khq9hR5zFjzlj5eFXrre9yBLGEaFa7VnYm99AlB5jBajTfIg0aKnrzA9A/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tahoe sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL32890G-eR1G83d_PvakSSzt61L9VqhIq-YFyHqg5Un5n3SmWirjI5CNe9YUgJKwR80mHNLEePscrtKX8zDkpbFE5VIVgbqmWXkFCewj9zhunrHXRSPHNxvcQMZ5UiSErNdtmiSfXvSD/s1600/IMG_2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL32890G-eR1G83d_PvakSSzt61L9VqhIq-YFyHqg5Un5n3SmWirjI5CNe9YUgJKwR80mHNLEePscrtKX8zDkpbFE5VIVgbqmWXkFCewj9zhunrHXRSPHNxvcQMZ5UiSErNdtmiSfXvSD/s1600/IMG_2015.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise over Emerald Bay, Tahoe</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHYkvVsT6EbdJQOLKx_kVUJ924hyDGn3XVADgFtuMua_P3z4uCXYvIXroPrCGsgum54u2jlDgSyU6fJSiivL4XjIa97pHbOFDRVGpN0MX24MWspYz5aOAgJDYeSfQIHSHMgI14FyStIeh/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHYkvVsT6EbdJQOLKx_kVUJ924hyDGn3XVADgFtuMua_P3z4uCXYvIXroPrCGsgum54u2jlDgSyU6fJSiivL4XjIa97pHbOFDRVGpN0MX24MWspYz5aOAgJDYeSfQIHSHMgI14FyStIeh/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tahoe sunrise at Emerald Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOXJMlLtBnNr9p7SWWbe5lF26eRApAYemU27-zEzy0hDS_KCeii2-MlwDQ8uLvn2dUmu_PjqlsJkNnKNkNancW72XIJe0TQ8U66rIqWBqhttPaObLPW_yyzYbX1bvLckMDVs3W7eDy43Q/s1600/IMG_2065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOXJMlLtBnNr9p7SWWbe5lF26eRApAYemU27-zEzy0hDS_KCeii2-MlwDQ8uLvn2dUmu_PjqlsJkNnKNkNancW72XIJe0TQ8U66rIqWBqhttPaObLPW_yyzYbX1bvLckMDVs3W7eDy43Q/s1600/IMG_2065.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Mt Tallac looking away from Tahoe</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_j4nLgKNcp55uRVDUcH8tlGTCFwo0785pGkcCgVz4EphDI1RiXwFDRDCRpeSZJcqJz26tTRrDpxP_h10QYGiSy6GK4LUAHEVC9-tOPymLpDueIv3j_7wFTFEPxbji6v7xodim8Thozpor/s1600/IMG_2088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_j4nLgKNcp55uRVDUcH8tlGTCFwo0785pGkcCgVz4EphDI1RiXwFDRDCRpeSZJcqJz26tTRrDpxP_h10QYGiSy6GK4LUAHEVC9-tOPymLpDueIv3j_7wFTFEPxbji6v7xodim8Thozpor/s1600/IMG_2088.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo Lakes, Tahoe</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZxOfl06Xqsw-fpTqHjxNDc1oZhX4eEQsU9JDHN_18uHCkzLgX96vLJN-p7CEVHQfDOtD4zVDBc3coYOBKPE85QA8Qbe4fIO5RhMvuY9zcfdgly6BcvEMpLcxwHGvrfMYcJFU5VQYCxpz/s1600/IMG_2115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZxOfl06Xqsw-fpTqHjxNDc1oZhX4eEQsU9JDHN_18uHCkzLgX96vLJN-p7CEVHQfDOtD4zVDBc3coYOBKPE85QA8Qbe4fIO5RhMvuY9zcfdgly6BcvEMpLcxwHGvrfMYcJFU5VQYCxpz/s1600/IMG_2115.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day in Colorado, near Leadville at 12,000ft</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkuSQchh7xGaIl8r6K37YtAoC8IkdU35ViufRulnrRXMIQGrKre3MeErMDguvaZAFxfGf_COOKnzmkxCFHY1bSTSFFJtn03pDMIc7eR67DRHuGiS72_q21BsWRG5Rmq6PwefL47YmuT87/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkuSQchh7xGaIl8r6K37YtAoC8IkdU35ViufRulnrRXMIQGrKre3MeErMDguvaZAFxfGf_COOKnzmkxCFHY1bSTSFFJtn03pDMIc7eR67DRHuGiS72_q21BsWRG5Rmq6PwefL47YmuT87/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Elbert (tallest mt in Colorado) with Dana Kracaw and Alberto Rossi</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1TuFUMKK_bLM5LRqi0y7NpBoZUe3BNgPd2CjdWLpXpBrVsRT-tJbmbf8Zj0Pzw402ZxKFJZqmX5g3RA3lVu1jTuPUuX3fCSM0tbnD7miD3MlCGF-4HIGgAZkEPgCLQeB8ZVaPPQxSwID/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1TuFUMKK_bLM5LRqi0y7NpBoZUe3BNgPd2CjdWLpXpBrVsRT-tJbmbf8Zj0Pzw402ZxKFJZqmX5g3RA3lVu1jTuPUuX3fCSM0tbnD7miD3MlCGF-4HIGgAZkEPgCLQeB8ZVaPPQxSwID/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Massive from Mt Elbert</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3tRXqjfTZu0Wx6FzoVVw-pAHY7-S6FPhCO0UugHg9gFskjZWHaunGz4_qlGNG89Z2UFyR9TAbK9negvkk96_LQkOxbg5g6jp8Mu54F0ekg6XGqMxYnTLr3xSASwS3YoeMp7DVhA3MUf9/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3tRXqjfTZu0Wx6FzoVVw-pAHY7-S6FPhCO0UugHg9gFskjZWHaunGz4_qlGNG89Z2UFyR9TAbK9negvkk96_LQkOxbg5g6jp8Mu54F0ekg6XGqMxYnTLr3xSASwS3YoeMp7DVhA3MUf9/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Lakes on the Leadville course</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCvvHmfZU5pVrBFZfw75SJnu5MeJQouCuDJKasWmXDCo97woYiP22gVvaJskKei8IW7e1GggVxRZt4Zp1cib9hW9kHdgcixbcEkKGnQAV7vQZtn1j4P0G183CYOHF9yiwNVHHSNfH9Wh8/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCvvHmfZU5pVrBFZfw75SJnu5MeJQouCuDJKasWmXDCo97woYiP22gVvaJskKei8IW7e1GggVxRZt4Zp1cib9hW9kHdgcixbcEkKGnQAV7vQZtn1j4P0G183CYOHF9yiwNVHHSNfH9Wh8/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at Leadville from Mt Sherman</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXdG_TK-AINlEbxFFxf-0-Rl2s-zF_qLh9-NYV5Ifwb7eK3I_H4XFE08W_AAksHKwsGRDQqe08XdgSD5hEHyis3Ju9Jsw3riErNT6r1rp0XKtdJCrPooPoNQBmk52BwmZHXTrIjH5mi6S/s1600/IMG_2270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXdG_TK-AINlEbxFFxf-0-Rl2s-zF_qLh9-NYV5Ifwb7eK3I_H4XFE08W_AAksHKwsGRDQqe08XdgSD5hEHyis3Ju9Jsw3riErNT6r1rp0XKtdJCrPooPoNQBmk52BwmZHXTrIjH5mi6S/s1600/IMG_2270.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way up to Mt Massive</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvG6mRik2EhznTbLBYQ_0jaL2phAl2fWXtguET8Qmx8tIS9uv4BNeO-5zyhJQQqooXh3iiJHoBOneBPl4_s-9npORbcF8d91odzd-jI0czdYSp0Y9jO4kPcygQqnHk4UO9-xAZiAi5M7wf/s1600/IMG_2294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvG6mRik2EhznTbLBYQ_0jaL2phAl2fWXtguET8Qmx8tIS9uv4BNeO-5zyhJQQqooXh3iiJHoBOneBPl4_s-9npORbcF8d91odzd-jI0czdYSp0Y9jO4kPcygQqnHk4UO9-xAZiAi5M7wf/s1600/IMG_2294.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie on top of Mt Massive</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK0WFjyM02kxt-X6NHYiJ1HC2XtHmhHLqlTFc560uGMU82aSi90UU9AxX3uzE315Ht8cJf6OuYKroLs7AXRgvFAGI9GiFpFLmOSrULn4ZMBUka7EmHiDEOV_PnznDL7eEArnuyGFWBaQA/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK0WFjyM02kxt-X6NHYiJ1HC2XtHmhHLqlTFc560uGMU82aSi90UU9AxX3uzE315Ht8cJf6OuYKroLs7AXRgvFAGI9GiFpFLmOSrULn4ZMBUka7EmHiDEOV_PnznDL7eEArnuyGFWBaQA/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Mt Massive</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoTmcHq7ghNwtdta78LDXXdi2bgpbgbEilovnjvg40KI1YY3YcsIvGx4p7fgERCFFcLhZDMxuoDbp18WDj71Qj5EHGuWZ09llQo3AkmPw8Hw9HiG3JtNNqZJS7GiM00RB-gMpeCgAfaSv/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoTmcHq7ghNwtdta78LDXXdi2bgpbgbEilovnjvg40KI1YY3YcsIvGx4p7fgERCFFcLhZDMxuoDbp18WDj71Qj5EHGuWZ09llQo3AkmPw8Hw9HiG3JtNNqZJS7GiM00RB-gMpeCgAfaSv/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telluride Valley from above</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQXhf1al9A1PhDxdMuovexjLrjqKLgdfiwmLau_G0UKG2kNkj3JQ9RcZczvANUE0ZZ6bZuTV9HHaZzs3yC7hVlCAvNPEC-A2K4uP0UFzdB2hkIAW7U07NScCDFl3tcgbU2U-tD56YBlDp/s1600/IMG_2314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQXhf1al9A1PhDxdMuovexjLrjqKLgdfiwmLau_G0UKG2kNkj3JQ9RcZczvANUE0ZZ6bZuTV9HHaZzs3yC7hVlCAvNPEC-A2K4uP0UFzdB2hkIAW7U07NScCDFl3tcgbU2U-tD56YBlDp/s1600/IMG_2314.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75BkubPTakyTGP40056wldzrnUu1gwLOL3VFRfi6d4RywMNnnUH3R62nOt-q8qXRS-JQjzKo70EcRrCLUpeSUvq-1T9RgCA6iQrviT6uod2I_yBBig7T2XZmn6zGSPqm4nHgFOiHe_WY2/s1600/IMG_2321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75BkubPTakyTGP40056wldzrnUu1gwLOL3VFRfi6d4RywMNnnUH3R62nOt-q8qXRS-JQjzKo70EcRrCLUpeSUvq-1T9RgCA6iQrviT6uod2I_yBBig7T2XZmn6zGSPqm4nHgFOiHe_WY2/s1600/IMG_2321.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're in an ultra boom right now. Even the construction industry knows it.</td></tr>
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<br />sharmanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14079178597179728898noreply@blogger.com0