Ryan Hall's Blog, page 307

Photos: France’s Mont Blanc Marathon

Anyone who visits Chamonix, France for the first time is quickly awestruck by how massive the mountains are. Towering high over the village, the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges within the Mont Blanc massif make you feel rather miniscule in the grand scheme of things—especially if you’re a trail runner. While the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc gets most of the press, the three-day Mont Blanc Marathon festival of races is another one of the world’s premier trail running events. Each of the five races—a Vertical Kilometer (VK) uphill race, 10K, 23K, 42K and 84K—send runners over dastardly steep mountains on mostly singletrack trails. The races draw some of the world’s greatest runners, but it’s the shared community experience of being in the rugged mountains that makes it memorable for all runners. (The 2016 Mont Blanc Marathon festival is set for June 24–26.)

RELATED: The Culture of Hard-Core Trail Running in Chamonix

Photos: Jordi Saragossa, Brian Metzler

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Mont Blanc Marathon

American Alex Nichols won the 80K race at the 2015 Mont-Blanc Marathon festival of races in 10 hours, 31 minutes.

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Mont Blanc Marathon

A colorful patch of lupine highlights an amazing view of 15,781-foot Mt. Blanc.

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Mont Blanc Marathon

Greg Vollet of France charges up a trail near the village of Argentiere at the midway point of the Mont Blanc Marathon.

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Mont Blanc Marathon

The glacier-capped peaks of the Mt. Blanc massif dominate just about every view in the Chamonix valley.

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Mont Blanc Marathon

With the Col de Balme in the background, Arnaud Perringnon of France climbs up from the village of Argentiere near the 30K mark of the Mont Blanc Marathon.

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Mont Blanc Marathon

Kilian Jornet climbs the final sections of the Vertical K race at the Mont-Blanc Marathon weekend in Chamonix. Jornet finished seventh in the event, which climbs more than 3,000 feet up the mountainside from Chamonix to the Le Brevent ski area.

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Mont Blanc Marathon

The finish line festival of the Mont Blanc Marathon is held at Le Brevent ski area.

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Spreading Yuletide Cheer: Scenes From A Holiday Pub Run

The Boulder Banditos running club held its second annual Holiday Pub Run on Dec. 22, spreading and imbibing holiday cheer at 10 Boulder, Colo., pubs and/or tasting rooms (7 microbreweries, 1 distillery, 1 meadery and 1 brand new roadhouse-themed restaurant that happened to be nearby). Here are some highlights from the wintry 7.2-mile run that included stops at Boulder Beer, Roadhouse Boulder Depot, Sanitas Brewing Co., Redstone Meadery, J. Wells Brewery, Vapor Distillery, Wild Woods Brewery, Upslope Brewing Co., FATE Brewing Co., Twisted Pine Brewing Co and a return visit to Boulder Beer. (Several other brewpubs and distilleries on the route were closed, otherwise it could have included 16 stops.)

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Departing Boulder Beer mostly sober at 4:25 p.m.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

And we're off!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Next stop, the brand new Roadhouse Boulder Depot, the only stop without beverages made on the premises. (Appropriately, the sign says: "Arriving for the long haul December 2015")

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Pouring a mix of Avery IPA and Boulder Beer's Buffalo Gold at the Roadhouse Boulder Depot.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Cheers!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Cheers!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Looking very festive and feeling even more so.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

This means it's time to move on.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

All aboard! We only ran on the railroad tracks because it was convenient.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

True to his style, Bogie arrived with 1 second to spare.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Sanitas Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Sanitas Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Sanitas Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Sanitas Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Several runners on the pub run are Competitor wear-testers and we all agreed this was the best shoe-testing run of all time.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Sanitas Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Ian joined us just in the nick of time at Sanitas.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Time to hit the road again!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Steve putting on a smile because he's so happy to be at Redstone Meadery again!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Pam really likes mead. Or she's trying her best to fake it.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Mad dash out of the meadery!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Did anyone actually see this on the way to J Wells?

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Chocolate Mlik Stout makes for silly pictures.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Already plotting next summer's 25-pub run and ride!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Traversing yet another railroad track!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

What?!? That's another running group that is actually out running!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

The shining path that leads to Vapor Distillery.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Arriving at Vapor Distillery: "This is where the wheels will fall off!"

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Love the festive ambiance of our new favorite bar!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Uh-oh! The wheels are about to fall off.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Bottom's up! The wheels are coming off!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Wendy looks like she's playing reindeer games!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Cuba libre!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Look: a photo from the Boulder Banditos original holiday pub run in 1928!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

The festive reindeer trying to have a rational conversation with the bartender.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Wild Woods Brewery

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Wild Woods Brewery

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Wild Woods Brewery

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Wild Woods Brewery

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

No idea what's going on here or why there are no drinks in the photo.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

"This is where we need to dig deep!" (As in ... dig deep into the bag of pretzels!)

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Upslope Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Not a creature was stirring ...

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Upslope's Christmas Ale with Cranberry

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

"Big, Bad Leroy Brown ... The baddest man in the whole damn town ... "

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Leaving Upslope, bound for Wild Woods, er, uh, Blackbelly Market, er, uh, BRU, er uh ... Fate!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Oh good, another bar and more drinks!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Greg and Cassie caught up to Kevin and the gang at Fate Brewing Co.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

No, you may not have another order of fried pickles to go.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Selfie!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Arriving at Twisted Pine after the Holiday Beer Quarter Mile.

Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Steve's new nickname: Hoppy Boy!

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Contrary to prevailing rumors, Amy had not been cut-off by the very slow and rather rude bartender at Twisted Pine.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Technically, Amy wasn't allowed to have any of these.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Obviously, Amy drank a few of these.

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Selfie!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

That's a great motto for this event.

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Celebrating the finish back at the start!

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Back where we started, some 5 hours later.

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Finally, something to eat! (And for some, more beers!)

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Happy Holidays!

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Boulder Banditos 2015 Holiday Pub Run

Until next year!

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The post Spreading Yuletide Cheer: Scenes From A Holiday Pub Run appeared first on Competitor.com.

MUT Runners Pledge to Run Clean and Get Dirty

Runners take off at the start of the U.S. Mountain Running Championships in July. Photo: Mario Fraioli

Following the online uproar around Lance Armstrong’s participation in a low-key trail race in the Bay Area on Dec. 13, trail runners Paul Kirsch and David Roche decided there needed to be a resource that showcased clean athletes who are committed to being positive role models in the sport of Mountain, Ultra and Trail (MUT) running. The result was the launch of runcleangetdirty.org, where athletes can fill out an online form committing to the following pledge:

I am committed to being a clean athlete. In addition to any punishment imposed by the IAAF, a national federation, or any national anti-doping agency or government in any sport, I pledge that if I am found by such body to have committed a doping offense (at any competition or out of competition) past, present or future, and I have been subject to a ban of 3 months or more, I agree  to a lifetime ban on receiving any prize money, points, other form of prize, or a position in the competitive rankings of any race.

We caught up with Kirsch this week to discuss the impetus behind the new initiative.

Why—and when—did the idea for runcleangetdirty.org come to be?

The website came about this past weekend after running the idea by David Roche and a few others. It was inspired by Zach Miller’s “Light It Up” blog post. I have read a lot of the recent discussions online about Lance Armstrong and previously about the North Face 50. Although there were some really good constructive discussions that occurred, it also seemed to be an online snarkfest on social media that kind of turned me off. I want to keep the sport clean but I also want to make sure we have discussions and debates about it in a positive manner. That is why Zach’s blog post excited me so much; his whole focus on the light—and not the dark—side of things.

How has the response been to this point?

I am really excited about the response so far. In the first 12 hours after the Trailrunner article, we had 2000 hits on the website and [as of this conversation] close to 80 runners have taken the pledge—including some big names like Ellie Greenwood, Kilian Jornet, Max King and Kasie Enman.

What type of change or action do you hope the initiative can promote?

As a dad and also as someone who works with young runners with the U.S. Mountain Running Team (Kirsch serves as the junior team’s manager), I realized that, for all the discussions on doping, if the next generation wants to find positive role models who are clean and are successful runners, there is no place to go. If all they see is a bunch of adults talking about the negative—and in some cases being mean and snarky—that to me is sending out the wrong message. I hope the site serves as a showcase of clean, successful runners. That it becomes a place that the next generation of trail runners and those observing our sport see as something positive.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not thinking that a website of pledges to stay clean will be the one thing that resolves doping in trail running. But I do think it’s an important part that we celebrate the clean athletes. Although the site is not legally binding, the athletes are publicly taking a pledge to voluntarily remove themselves from the sport if they are convicted of doping. I think that says a lot.

As you said, some big names in the Mountain, Ultra, Trail community have signed up so far, but what does it say—if anything—when not everyone gets on board?

At this early point, I don’t think it means anything as I have to remember that not everyone lives online like I do. It will take a while before word spreads. Honestly, right now I am just excited we have the number we do. My biggest fear was, the 15 or so people I initially emailed about it would be the only ones who signed on. Having five times that already is exciting.

I think that there will be some people who choose not to sign because they think it’s meaningless relative to more testing or other initiatives. Or they may not have faith in the testing process, who knows. I am not going to spend a lot of time speculating on why people are or aren’t signing it. Instead I am hoping those that do realize it’s a chance to send a positive message hopefully change some of the conversations around doping in the sport.

RELATED: Elisa Desco, Trail Running’s Persona Non Grata, Speaks Out

The post MUT Runners Pledge to Run Clean and Get Dirty appeared first on Competitor.com.

Zach Bitter Sets New American Record for 100 Miles

Zach Bitter cruises around the track at Central High School in Phoenix on Dec. 19 en route to a new American record for 100 miles. Photo: Derrick Lytle

Although he fell short of his attempt at a world record, California ultrarunner Zach Bitter lowered his own American record for 100 miles on Dec. 19 at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational in Phoenix. Bitter, 29, ran 402.5 laps on the track at Phoenix Central High School in 11 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds—an average pace of roughly 7:00-minute mile pace—to break the previous mark of 11:47:21 he had held since 2013. He had been shooting for the world record of 11:28:03 and had been ahead of that pace early on—passing through the 50-mile mark in 5:33:30—but struggled over the final 15 miles.

Bitter, who lives in Davis, Calif., also lowered the American record for 100K on a track to 6:58. (The previous 100K track record of 7:00:12 had been held by noted scientist and author Bernard Heinrich since 1985. Max King holds the absolute U.S. 100K record, having run 6:27:43 to win the IAU 100K World Championships in 2014. Bitter placed sixth in that world championship in 6:48:53.)

The invite-only event in Phoenix also had a 24-hour running event happening concurrently, and Pete Kostelnick, 28, of Lincoln, Neb., won that by running 163.5 miles—the fifth highest total in North American history and the second-longest 100-mile track run in 2015, according to IRunFar.com. Kostelnick was also the runner-up in the 100-mile competition, covering 100 miles in 14:08;12. The top women’s finisher in the 100-mile event was Katalin Nagy, 36, of Sarasota, Fla, who placed third with a 14:41:59 split. She also went on to set a new American record for 200K in 19:19:05 but eventually dropped out before completing 24 hours of running. (For complete results, go to AravaipaRunning.com.)

We caught up with Bitter, a 5-foot-9, 140-pound athlete with a 2:31 marathon PR and the 2015 U.S. 50-mile road running championship to his credit, to see how his record-setting day went. (Be sure to read our 2013 story on his original record, too.)

How do you explain to people—even marathon runners who don’t do ultras—about these kinds of events?

Most people don’t really understand what it means to run 100 miles in less than 12 hours, but usually I try to explain it by saying it’s close to running 3-hour pace for a marathon four times in a row. And that’s usually how people can relate to it. That’s usually when the light bulb clicks in their head and they start asking questions like “How did you do that?” or “Don’t you get bored out there?” You get a pretty wide variety of reactions. Some people will say “I would never do that” and then others will get motivated and want do run ultras. The people who are into ultrarunning will say that they’re inspired about their own running, which is pretty cool.

RELATED: 6 Tips To Get You Through Your First Ultra-Distance Race

How did it go out there running 402 laps around a track at 7-minute mile pace?

It was a fun day, minus maybe the last 15 miles. That was just horrible. I was hoping to break the world record and got out aggressively in the first 50. [Note: Bitter’s 5:33:30 split for 50 miles equates to 6:40-mile place.] But I think with 100-milers, you have to expect some regressions in pace. When I came through mile 80, I knew I needed to average 7:00-minute pace the rest of the way to get the world record. Had someone told me that at the start, that I would have been able to get to mile 80 and only needed to average 7:00-minute pace the rest of the way, that would have been great. But I think I spent a little too much energy in the beginning and that 7:00-minute pace wasn’t sustainable at that point.

I made one pretty decent push from about 80 to 85 where I got my pace slightly under 7:00-minute pace for quite a while, but then it got to a point where it became hard to keep it even under 7:30 pace. So it was around mile 84 or 84 is where it became clear that I would fall short of the world record. At that point, my goal was to stay steady so I could continue on and break the American record. I definitely went in there to get the world record but you can never really complain about a PR and an American record.

Was the final 15 miles more of a physical challenge or a mental challenge?

In 2013 when I set the American record, the last 20 miles was more of a mental struggle and less of a physical struggle so if I could get my head in the right spot I could always speed up a little bit. But this year it felt like mentally I was fine and could tell my body to push but my body didn’t want to go any faster, especially that last 10-15 miles or so.

What was your fueling strategy? (Bitter follows unique diet protocol called Optimized Fat Metabolization or OFM, detailed here.)



In training and in everyday life, I use a higher fat approach and use fewer carbs strategically so my body is more used to optimizing fat. Then on race day, I bring the carbohydrates back but I don’t need to use as many of them. During the race, I was using an Extreme Endurance product called Fuel-5, which has five different carbohydrate sources with different release rates. Some are designed for quicker release, some are for slower release. And then I also drank their electrolyte mix called Hydro-X. I was just drinking a scoop of each of those in about 12 ounces of water and sipping at that for a while. I mainly used Vespa Power Products (Vespa Juniors), Guayaki Yerba Mate Tea and a few random things off the main aid station table. I didn’t have any gut issues or digestive issues at all. I only stopped to use the bathroom twice during the entire event.

Overall, how does your body feel now?



Pretty good. I’m definitely a little sore. There is definitely a different type of soreness after (running 100 miles) on a track as opposed to a trail or a road. I can definitely feel the difference, but nothing outside the norm of what I would have expected to feel like.

What shoes did you wear?

I wore a pair of Altra One. I stuck with one pair of socks and one pair of shoes the whole time. I was initially sponsored by a running specialty shop and was able to run in all different shoes, but I started running in Altras a couple of years ago and that’s what I really liked the most. Now I’ve been running in Altras exclusively for a couple of years and then got on the Altra Endurnace team.

RELATED: How Zach Bitter Ran 100 Miles in Less Than 12 Hours

What does your training regimen look like?

I still follow a high-volume, high-mileage training program. I definitely periodize it and bring in some faster stuff when I get closer to an event. But it’s the same general approach I’ve been taking. My peak week of mileage coming into the Desert Solstice event was about 170 miles, but I was closer to about 120 miles for an average week. I also added in some tempo running and hills depending on how close I am to the event and what kind of event it is. This time around, I actually ran quite a bit on the track. I’ve realized that when you’re turning around a track at 7:00-minute pace or faster, you really stress those muscles differently. You can get injured pretty easily by not doing some track running. My go-to workout for this event was warming up by running 20 minutes to the track at just shy of 7:00-minute pace, then running 12 miles on the track that would end with a progression in which I would incrementally move down from 7:00-minute pace to low-5:00-minute pace. The thing I would change most about my training before my next track event like this would be to do some tempo runs at 5:45-5:50 pace for much longer periods of time. I think that could work in my favor for those last 15 miles, helping me keep muscular strength for the last part of the race.

What’s next on your agenda in 2016?

The last couple of years I definitely focused more on road and track events because that’s what I had for training (in Wisconsin). One of the thing I have learned is that specificity is definitely a huge factor in optimizing your performance in ultrarunning. But I moved to California this past summer and now that I have better access to trails, I will be doing some more trail events and a mixed bag of events going forward.

Right now the two big races I’m signed up for are the Lake Sonoma 50 and then the 90K Comrades Marathon in South Africa. I’ve wanted to run Comrades for a long time, but when I was a school teacher (prior to this year) it was always the last week of the school year and it was darn near impossible to schedule it.  I might also run the Black Canyon 100K to get a trail race in before Lake Sonoma.

PHOTOS: 2015 Lake Sonoma 50

Do you think you can go back and break the world record at some point?

Yeah, there’s definitely some excitement coming out of it, knowing how close I was to the world record. One of the things with these events is that, with all of the runners running in the 24-hour event, they’re running a lot slower and you find yourself in lane 2 quite a bit. You don’t know how that’s going to play out. You might get very lucky and won’t have to pass someone in lane 2 very often or you might have an event where you have to go out in lane 2 or 3 to pass people. But by doing that, you definitely add a mile to 2 miles. You know it’s going to happen going in and it certainly is a factor. If I can find an event and can run in lane 1 most of the time, that would likely be the difference.

 

The post Zach Bitter Sets New American Record for 100 Miles appeared first on Competitor.com.

3 Resources For Getting (and Staying) Motivated in 2016!

As this year quickly comes to a close, many runners are looking for new ways to get motivated, stay excited and be held accountable for the long haul of 2016.

While considering resolutions and setting goals for next year, check out these three great resources for getting—and staying—on track:

Run The Year 2016

Can you run (or walk) 2016 miles in 2016? Of course you can! Building off the success of their “Run The Year: 2015 in 2015 Challenge,” Olympian Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano of Run The Edge, an online training community that prides itself on inclusiveness, education, motivation, and reward, are back for another go with Run The Year 2016—this time with even more perks for participants.

Kicking off on Jan. 1 (but registration is open now), Run The Year 2016 challenges runners to cover 2,016 miles—or 5.5 miles a day—in 2016. The program, which costs $25 for an individual membership, is also open to teams of two, three or four people, who can divvy up the workload in order to tackle the mileage goal.

Along with access to a custom mileage tracker, the registration fee includes exclusive access to a first-of-its-kind online virtual race expo, which features several booths providing exclusive training, nutrition and injury prevention content from leading industry coaches and experts to help participants reach their goals. It also includes access to Run The Edge training plans, entry into 365 days of giveaways from a number of popular running brands, a forum where you can interact with other participants, and a Listening Lounge featuring podcasts and the ability to share your favorite playlists. Over 25,000 runners took part in the program this past year, inspiring Goucher and Catalano to offer even more resources to help participants go after their goals in 2016.

“The interaction, support and motivation that exists in this community is contagious,” Goucher says. “And the introduction of the virtual race expo is only going to help take that to the next level. We’re super excited to help even more runners reach their goals in 2016!”

Strava

Need to be held accountable to your weekly mileage goal? Or want something to help push you to climb more hills each month? Or perhaps you’re looking for other people to measure yourself against? On the competitive side of the spectrum, Strava provides a GPS-based platform not only to track your daily runs and workouts, but also a community where you can follow and interact with other runners (and cyclists), and start or join teams and clubs. Using the website or the mobile app, you can also set weekly mileage goals, take part in climbing and mileage challenges, see how much you’ve improved on your favorite routes, as well view various leaderboards to see how you stack up against others who run the same roads and trails the you do on a regular basis. There’s a free version, but premium membership—which costs $59 a year—gives you access to more data, deeper analysis tools, training plans and other exclusive content to help you achieve your goals.

Believe Training Journal

Not a fan of online logs or virtual communities? The Believe Training Journal, created by professional runners Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas, sells for $19 and is part workbook, part training log, and part inspiration manual that will guide you on the path to going after your running goals next year, regardless of where you fall on the experience scale. Deeply personal, the Believe Journal provides you—and only you—the pages to not only plan and record your workouts but also the tools to set goals, learn more about yourself, establish good nutrition habits, optimize recovery, evaluate performances and more.

RELATED: The 10 Most Popular Training Articles of 2015

The post 3 Resources For Getting (and Staying) Motivated in 2016! appeared first on Competitor.com.

Runners Will Warm Up The Road to Super Bowl 50

The 50th edition of the world’s largest annual sporting event will take place on Feb. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., and runners will kick off the excitement a few weeks beforehand with a road race on Jan. 10. The Run the Road to Super Bowl 50 will feature a 10K, an untimed 5K and a kids run fun, starting and finishing at the same location where Super Bowl 50 will take place.

“It will be unique experience,” says race director Jamie Monroe, whose company, Easy Day Sports, is putting on the event. “Finishing at the stadium will allow runners to really embrace the excitement of the big game and take part in what’s going to be a great community event.”

Former San Francisco 49ers’ running back and three-time Super Bowl champion Roger Craig is serving as an ambassador for the event, which serves as the latest addition to the area’s “Countdown to Kickoff” lineup leading up to Super Bowl 50.

“It is an honor to be a part of the Run the Road to Super Bowl 50” says Craig, who will run in the event. “I look forward to taking the field once again with fans and friends in both the football and running communities as we celebrate Super Bowl 50 in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

The 10K race starts at 7:50 a.m., the untimed 5K at 8:50 a.m. and Kids Fun Run—a half-mile—at 10 a.m. Following the event, a post-race Wildcard Weekend “tailgate party” will be held at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Pub near the stadium.

The post Runners Will Warm Up The Road to Super Bowl 50 appeared first on Competitor.com.

Volcano Ultra Trail: Mountain Running Erupting in Chilean Patagonia

With the Osorno Volcano in the background, Spaniard Cristofer Clemente Mora and American Joe Grant run together in the lead of the Volcano Ultra Trail 100K race in Chile in early December. Photo: Horacio Lyon

The Osorno Volcano in the Los Lagos reigon of Chile is a powerful monstrosity of seismic creation. Sitting just shy of 9,000 feet high with a massive prominence of 6,100 feet from sea to summit, its one of the most active volcanoes in the southern Chilean Andes. Tucked deep beyond the neighboring Patagonian town of Puerto Varas, the snow-capped peak rests its base at the edge of the great Lago Llanquihue, roughly 30 miles north from the Calbuco Volcano. Last April, for the first time in 40 years, Calbuco erupted, blowing its cap completely off and spewing out miles of thick volcanic ash and debris to neighboring forests, rivers and towns. As of a result of Calbuco’s eruption Osorno and its surroundings were covered in a thick layer of volcanic sand that would make this Volcanic Ultra Trail races in early December the most physically demanding races the world has ever known.

PHOTOS: 2015 Volcano Ultra Trail Races in Chilean Patagonia

The 100K version of the race circumnavigated the entirety of the Osorno Volcano with 14,000 feet of climbing and descent. The 73K and 42K distances followed suit with 10,000 and 7,000 feet of climbing in each respective race. While the 100K is the only race to circumnavigate the 8,700-foot conical stratovolcano, all of the races have one thing in common: an absolutely mind-blowing amount of volcanic sand. As a result of Calbuco’s eruption, this year’s races were ran almost entirely in ankle to shin deep volcanic ash. With some short-lived exceptions on road sections in the 100K and 73K courses, the marathon’s course never reached hard-packed dirt or trail and only on the last climb did it briefly cross over a short and steep volcanic rock field. By far, the sand was the most difficult element of the race to deal with. It was an exceptionally hot race day for the area as well, reaching 87 degrees by mid-day. When you combined the heat with the exposure and sand-filled shoes, the 2015 Volcano Ultra Trail was a brutal slog around one of the most iconized volcanoes in the world.

Horacio Lyon grew up in Puerto Varas, he and his trail running friends trained on the terrain of the Osorno Volcano for years before making the jump into race directing. They developed a series of races (both ultra and shorter distances) on this challenging terrain. This year was Volcano Ultra Trail’s third running, bringing a total of 1,638 runners competing in distances from the 100k UltraTerra (175) to the 42K Volcano Marathon (337) and 21K Trail (437). In 2013, I lived near Puerto Varas on the neighboring island of Chiloé, during this time I had encountered Osorno a handful of times from a view across the grand lake in a town called Frutillar. It wasn’t, however, until I stepped foot beneath the beast for this year’s 100K race that I saw the vast diversity of ecosystems and terrain that encompassed this stoic giant.

From the marathon to the 100K, runners were taken through dense volcanic forests. Passing through leaves the size of car doors and grabbing onto fixed ropes to aid in climbing steep loose terrain, while searching for the next course marker that paved the way for the mostly off trail race. Out of the forests runners emerged onto steep volcanic rock fields that were accentuated by sharp ridges covered in layers of volcanic sand. The sheer grade of the climbs are closely comparable to those found in sky races around the world. However, when volcanic ash from the Calbuco eruption established itself on the three vertical kilometer ascents throughout the courses, these climbs transformed into absolute suffer fests that left runners relying more on raw power and patience, rather than speed and cadence.

The Volcano Ultra Trail is known throughout Chile and beyond as being one of the most competitive races in the country. This year was no exception. Cristofer Clemente Mora (a Spanish speedster from the Canary Islands who was second at this year’s Run the Rut 50K in Montana and second overall in the Ultra division of the 2015 Skyrunner World Series) and Boulder, Colo., mountain running powerhouse Joe Grant (seventh-fastest Hardrock 100 time ever) tied for first on the podium. Although not speaking a mutual language, the two ran almost every step of the 100K race together and crossed the tape hand and hand in 12:31:35, establishing the new course record. It was an inspiring display of the humble community surrounding international mountain and ultra running. Grant and Clemente had mutually decided after racing back and forth for the majority of the event that they would run the rest of the race together and finish their trip around the volcano in tandem with wide smiles, embracing the monumental feat that they had just accomplished.

RELATED: Global Running—Chilean Patagonia Is The Next Frontier of Trail Running

Boulder, Colo., backpacking legend Andrew Skurka rounded up the podium with a third-place finish in 13:24:41. Skurka noted that despite his experience with the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop and 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea route earning him 2007 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year that the Vulcano Ultra Trail 100K held its own as one of the most physically taxing events he’s ever participated in. Coming off her 10th place finish at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Brazilian Manuela Vilaseca lit fire to the already blazingly hot course, establishing the new female 100K course record in 15:48:00. Local Chilean Veronica Bravo (winner of the 2015 Costa Rica Costal Challenge) was second in 18:09:00 and Argentine Laura Emilce was third in 19:19:23.

I had the pleasure of running the majority of the marathon with friends—local Chilean’s Max Keith and Enzo Ferrari. We all agreed that the heat combined with the shin-deep sand made for one of the toughest courses we had ever experienced. Ferrari, who just came off his 100-mile win at the North Face Endurance Challenge Chile, said completing the course took every once of energy he had that day. Moises Jimenez, a native to the Patagonian region by way of Coyhaique, Chile, ran a near flawless 73K finishing second (9:29:59) to Francisco Alexa (9:27:50) after a big win at the North Face Endurance Challenge 80K earlier this October.

With new races appearing almost annually Chile has been establishing itself as a prominent ultra mountain-running destination.The Volcano Ultra Trail races in early December have erupted onto the international mountain running radar in recent years, inviting adventurous runners who wish to test their might against the beautiful yet rugged Northern Patagonian Andes. A race course that can only be described through the most figurative of language, the Osorno Volcano has now rooted itself not only as a beautiful gem to view from a distance, but a brutal force to reckon with in a pair of running shoes.

The 2016 Volcano Ultra Trail races will take place in early December (Southern Hemisphere’s summer). There is a wild magic of Patagonia that can only be experienced by being there, delving and embracing its soil first hand. If you are looking for an international adventure, Patagonia will welcome you with humble arms and rugged terrain.

READ MORE: More Global Running Adventures on Competitor.com

 

 

 

 

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Photos: A Glimpse Inside The Volcano Ultra Trail Races in Chilean Patagonia

With the Osorno Volcano in the background, Spaniard Cristofer Clemente Mora and American Joe Grant run together in the lead of the Volcano Ultra Trail 100K race in Chile in early December. Photo: Horacio Lyon

With new trail races appearing almost annually, Chile become a prominent ultra-distance mountain running destination. The Volcano Ultra Trail races in early December have erupted onto the international mountain running radar in recent years, inviting adventurous runners who wish to test their might against the beautiful yet rugged Northern Patagonian Andes. As of a result of Calbuco Volcano’s eruption last spring, much of the terrain of the Volcanic Ultra Trail races were covered in a thick layer of volcanic sand, making for some of the most physically demanding trail races the world has ever known. Here are some amazing glimpses inside the races from the lenses of photographers Patricio Oberg, Matias Donoso, Paolo Avila and Horacio Lyon.

RELATED: Ultra-Distance Mountain Running Erupting in Chile

For more about the Volcano Ultra Trail races, go to the event’s website.

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2015 Volcano Ultra Trail

Photo: Paolo Avila

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The Mile Wins Vote to Replace 1500m at NCAA Outdoor Championships

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At the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) convention on Friday morning in San Antonio, NCAA coaches voted 221-169 in favor of replacing the 1500m with the mile at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The vote is still subject to NCAA approval before the change becomes official.

Four years ago at the same convention a similar proposal was defeated, 47-214.

“A BIG thank you to everyone who has supported the Mile and BBTM,” Bring Back The Mile founder Ryan Lamppa wrote in an email. “This proposal is the right, best and simple thing to do in America for Track & Field and its promotion. There is more work to do, but today we’ll take the time to celebrate.”

The proposal was put forth by coach Eric Houle of Southern Utah University. In 2010, his star athlete, Canadian Cam Levins became the first sub-4-minute miler in school history, sparking major media interest for the school.

“The Mile can make a positive difference and create a foundation to welcome fans back to our beloved sport,” bringbackthemile.com posted ahead of Friday’s vote. “NCAA coaches have an opportunity to do the right, best thing and push this proposal through. Below are many of the reasons why they should vote yes.”

The last outdoor NCAA champion in the mile was Villanova’s Eamonn Coghlan, who in 1975 captured the national title in 4:00.06. The NCAA has never contested a women’s outdoor championship race in the mile.

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Shoe Talk: The North Face Ultra MT

Take a look at The North Face Ultra MT, a shoe “that’s created to round out our trail running line” according to the brand. Here’s what sets it apart.

 

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