Sacramento Running News

The lead pack after 8-miles: Gary Gellin, Rich Hanna, Shaun Martin and Sam Robinson

This past weekend featured two of the regions most popular races.

On Saturday, over 700 ultrarunners, including some of the top names in the sport, lined up near the Cool Firehouse for a go at the remarkably dry Way Too Cool 50K.

This was the second running on a new and designed to be faster course. For last year’s debut of the new course, mud was the theme of the day and thigh-deep stream crossings kept a lid on the pace.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

While the race website still has no mention of it, the race directors for Saturday’s Rucky Chucky Roundabout sent out an email on Wednesday canceling the event. The email included the following apology:

We are sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause. We had already received the race shirts and had already shopped at Costco for race food today before we received the call.

The question of refunds has come up, but so-far all that race management is offering is a free entry to another of their races.

We are willing to offer a free entry to another one of our 2011 races(except Rock’n River 50).

I have more than a little sympathy for the race directors in this situation, but this has happened once before. Perhaps it’s a little too early in the season for this race at this particular location. (more…)

The Western States Endurance Run lottery was held today and some 200 “lucky” runners now have plans for the next seven months.

I see some familiar names on the list. Is yours one of them? Full lottery results are here.

Under rainy and slippery conditions, Leor Pantilat of San Carlos earned the win with a 3:54:29 this week at the 28th running of the Quad Dipsea. Leor joins Erik Skaggs and Carl Anderson in a very small club of runners who have ever broken four hours on this course.

ALSO women’s winner Caren Spore, of Davis, makes history by setting a new course record of 4:38:33!

The Quad Dipsea is a Northern California self-abuse tradition, based on the “more is better” philosophy of ultrarunning and  takes existing, difficult trail runs–Dipsea and Double Dipsea–and makes them longer.

The official course description reads: (more…)

A couple of hapless victims.

In case you’ve been sorta thinkin’ about running that crazy 100 mile race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California, the day to actually “step up” and enter the lottery is upon you.

Is this the year you put your life on hold, alienate your family and your normal friends, tempt injury and snake bites, and spend all your weekends grubbing along the trails around Foresthill? Of course it is.

Sign-up here and wait anxiously until the names pop out of the computer on December 4th.

Once again, my wobbly stomach didn’t allow me the glorious finish I’d hoped for this year’s Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. However, Alaskan Geoff Roes managed to bang out a course record 15:07 on a modified “Snow Year” course. There have been criticisms that this record should have an asterisk next to it due to the modified “snow year” course being a bit faster than the standard course. But having personally slogged through the several miles of snow before and after the “easier” section, I’m not sure the overall course was appreciably faster. Also, if we’re going to go down that road, we need to consider the fact the old course record set by Scott Jurek in 2004 was set on a modified course that was created after the devastating Star Fire of 2001.

The race was impressive in that it was really a race. Roes won, but only by a few minutes over Anton “200 miles a week” Krupicka who ran 15:13.

The top two women were also only a few minutes apart, with Tracy Garneau besting Meghan Arbogast in 19:01 and 19:15, respectively.

(more…)