The new face of Western States 100!
The Western States Endurance Run Board just announced their selection of a new race director to replace the departing Greg Soderlund.
As of today, all the details I have are:
The WS Board is pleased to announce the selection of Craig Thornley of Eugene, OR, for the RD position.
The Mathis were the force behind the Sierra Nevada Trail Runs.
According to a report in the Reno Gazette Journal, around 8:00 PM Friday night, Robert and Linda Mathis were struck and killed while crossing Highway 28, in a painted crosswalk, in Incline Village.
Although they haven’t released details, the Nevada Highway Patrol suspect drug use was involved in the accident. The driver, Christopher Smith, was arrested and booked into Washoe County Jail on two counts of DUI causing death and failure to yield to a pedestrian.
The Mathis are widely known in the road and ultrarunning community, and Robert Mathis is the race director behind a large number of races, including the River City Marathon and Rock’n River 50.
Rae Clark pacing at CIM
If you are a local runner, the odds are good you’ve met Rae Clark at a race or expo. You can’t miss the mustache, and his easy-going nature seems like it would make him great company on a run. Not surprisingly, he’s been a pacer for CIM for years.
If you look at his bio, you’ll see it modestly includes these nuggets:
Marathon PR of 2:28
Around this time every year, folks gather in the auditorium at Placer High School in Auburn to watch names get pulled out of a Gatorade jug.
The “prize” is an entry into the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, held on June 24-25.
Did you go? Did you get in?
Here’s the list so-far.
Most of us who like to train have been asked from time to time by our non-running friends or relatives, “Isn’t all that running hard on your body?”
We assure them that no, it’s great. We might even confess that if we weren’t able to run, we would likely find some less healthy way of shaking off the bad moods, anxiety, and general craziness.
The fact is, that while there is good science showing the benefits of high volumes of exercise in general, the data regarding the impacts of ultra-distance training is muddled.
You now have the opportunity to help inform the debate with your in-laws about the impact of all your running.
The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run lottery is now open until midnight November 26th.
Cross your fingers and click here. You know you want to!
The actual lottery drawing takes place 9:00 AM on December 10th, at Placer High School in Auburn.
Things have changed for women runners!
There are a couple of recent articles about women runners of note that are delightful in their juxtaposition, in what they say about women’s running.
First off was a New York Times article about women’s running pioneer Dr. Julia Chase-Brand.
On Thanksgiving Day, Dr. Julia Chase-Brand, 69, plans to run a 4.75-mile race in Manchester, Conn., where the presence of women will be plentiful and unremarkable. Fifty years ago, when she and two other women ran there the first time, it was a widely publicized act of civil disobedience that became a pioneering moment in female distance running in the United States.
Not only was she pushing against the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) prohibitions against women competing in road races, she was fast. Starting a block behind the rest of the runners (to avoid race officials), she still managed a 33:40 for that run.
If you want to impress people with your knowledge of running related current events, look no further than today’s edition of Things You Should Know.
After reading this, you’ll be prepared to bore your non-running friends with the most up to date running news from the world of running!
This past weekend, Patrick Makau, of Kenya (surprise!) won the Berlin marathon and set a new world record of 2:03:38, or approximately 2:26 faster than Oprah Winfrey*.
If you are into math, Makau’s finishing time translates to just under 4:43 per mile. My quads hurt just thinking about it.
The first place woman was Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat, who ran 2:19:44. World Record Holder Paula Radcliffe ran her first marathon in almost three years, finishing third in a still impressive 2:23:46.
Lukas Temer nabs the win in his first 100 mile race. (Photo by Agnès Pommier)
Every summer, a million words are spilled in honor of the big, local hundred mile race: The Western States 100. Under the shadow of so much reporting, it would be easy to miss the region’s other, smaller, long-standing hundred mile race: The Rio Del Lago 100.
This race had been Norm Klein’s baby for many years, and last year he passed the baton to new Race Director Molly Sheridan.
This year, Sheridan reconfigured the course significantly—eliminating the loop around Lake Natoma, and replacing the lost mileage with a repeat out and back from Twin Rocks to Cardiac. “This part of the course is so cool that we wanted you to experience it again!” says the race website.
Jesse Barragan took 3rd in the 50K despite a bad stumble that had him walking the last mile or so. (Photo courtesy of Scott Sandow)
Sunday’s Run on the Sly trail races continue a long tradition of August trail racing along Jenkinson Lake in El Dorado County. This year, more than 600 runners completed the various races.
In the 50K, Palo Alto’s Cameron Berg ran away with the overall win in a smoking 3:57 on that hilly course.
The next three in were locals. These were Lincoln’s Michael Fink, finishing in 4:17 (only a couple minutes off his age group course record), Folsom’s Jesse Barragan, with 4:30, and the women’s winner Jen Pfeifer, of El Dorado, in 4:33.
