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This is the Monday, September 28th edition of Single Track News, joined by friend, colleague Alyssa Clark.
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Alyssa, how are you doing after this weekend at the Mammoth Trail Fest?
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I am doing really well.
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Sad to have to leave Mammoth Trail Fest, especially with the 200-mile earth coming up.
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But I did see that Tim posted, it is snowing up there.
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So I'm ooh.
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I love snow.
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I'm not quite ready for it.
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So glad to get out before then.
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Ben, how are you doing?
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I'm doing good.
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And yeah, uh, for all the events that take place here on the Washead front and back in late September, it reminds me of just like how much of a dice roll it can be with the weather.
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I I guess there's always like a certain amount of snow that can throw things into question.
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There was a couple years, I think, where the North Face, when they were doing their Endurance Challenge series, they had an event in Park City.
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And I think that they might have had it the third week in September.
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And it was they were always super unlucky in their later years with weather, and they had to do some serious last-minute rerouting of the course to bring it down to lower elevations.
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I don't know if that's what Mammoth has to do.
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I remember last year they had pretty significant snow mid-race for the back of the pack, but it an exciting, it's it's both uh as as an event director, I'm sure, quite the logistical challenge, but also like for the runners, in some ways kind of thrilling.
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Like I would love to run through the snow.
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Yeah.
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No, I I love going through snow, especially if you have good micro spikes on.
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But yes, last year they rerouted on the second summit of Mammoth.
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The very front of the pack was able to get through, but then I think mid and back of the pack did not summit.
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It's also a week later this year.
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So I think just having been up there, I mean, it was in the 30s at night and still in the 70s during the day.
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So massive temperature fluctuations that I think are only going to compound as we get later.
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So it'll be exciting.
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Given that you were on the ground there, and this could be performance gear, interesting conversations, state-of-the-vent-related, your your top takeaways from Mammoth this weekend.
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Yeah, so I made a little bit of a list.
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I'm not sure if it's five total, but along there, I think the number one piece I would say is that Tim has created something so special.
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Tim Tolfson, he it was his brainchild, Mammoth Trailfest, and truly it brings together this small town love and joy and feeling and visibility with a big event.
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Uh we'll say big event kind of outcomes or implications.
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So you have a large media uh presence of a live stream commentators, the coverage is amazing.
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You have prize purses.
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They're actually, I believe, the first race to give para-athlete prize purses, which is incredible for the 26k.
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Absolutely love that.
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Um, you know, there's a lot of brands there, there's a lot of engagement, but Tim is standing at the finish line with the giant cowbell wearing pink overalls, and it's awesome.
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So you feel so seen, but you also have that um visibility and big event, like, yeah, this race matters in the schedule or this race series.
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And so I just feel like Tim has threaded this needle so beautifully that I've honestly never seen in another event.
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So the whole time it's just hard not to be smiling and feel that joy and energy and competition.
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And uh, I just I think he's done such a brilliant job.
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At Coca-Dona, the gear uh piece for me was just seeing all the ultra spire traverse packs.
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Was there any any gear notables out there?
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Or like was there like a pattern you were noticing?
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Like footwear, packs, belts, anything?
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Yeah, I was not, I I don't think I saw quite as much pattern.
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I mean, it is sponsored by craft, so there's a lot of craft athletes.
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They have a Mammoth Trellfest shoe, which is beautiful, great colors, looked very comfortable.
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Uh, I would say the biggest gear impression I had is that Dara was there with their belts.
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They have some new color combos coming out, and just exciting to see a newer brand.
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I mean, um, Morgan is based in Mammoth, uh, Morgan Tui, who's the owner and founder.
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And so just exciting to see.
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I mean, Dara only launched maybe six to eight months ago and already seems to have a really big presence.
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Um, all of the Mammoth 200 runners are getting a specific belt for uh the race, and just exciting to see that growth in such a short period of time.
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That's amazing.
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Every single runner gets a Dara belt.
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I believe so.
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Wow.
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In a special color and with a special print on it, yeah.
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That is incredible swag.
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Uh on the performance side, and I don't know if you were were tracking this, but there was a 13-year-old woman who podiumed the Dragonsback Ascent.
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Yes, Pema.
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Uh, I'm not quite sure her last name, but she's a Northern.
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Is it Franchi?
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I think so.
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Yeah.
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Podiumed the ascent.
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She was fourth at the 26k.
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She is a legend.
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She's from Ecuador, and I think they're really trying to make sure it stays fun, but she seems like a very driven athlete, clearly very fast, uh, but she is super strong.
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And then also placed fifth in the 26K.
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She was only 12 minutes behind the winner, Caroline Alcorda.
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That's amazing.
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This is an amazing story.
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I I just pulled up, I quickly Googled her name.
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I guess there's a There's a Trailrunner magazine article that just came out about her.
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Yes.
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This is all it looks like Brian Meltzer is writing for them again, too.
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I've seen a bunch more stuff for him, which is interesting.
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Uh yeah, I think he's been following her story.
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I believe I saw for the past couple of years to be able to report on it.
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So def definitely check that out.
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Yeah.
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And it looks like three straight years podiuming the ascent.
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So this goes back to when she was 11.
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That's an amazing, amazing story.
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Any anything else for you from the weekend that was that was eye-opening, interesting.
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I would say I I think that it's just a testament to if you have a great vision, a beautiful place, and the support, you can create an incredible event.
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And it doesn't it gave me some hope that there is still a lot of ways that people can be in the ultra-running world that is outside of kind of the we'll say traditional path of getting stones and uh you know, getting to a couple of races.
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I feel like this was such a world-class event that it doesn't just follow kind of this archetype.
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And I think we need more of these events to hold weight in the trail running world to keep it.
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I hate to say I sound so old saying this, but like keep the spirit of the sport.
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I I think that's what I saw the most is the spirit of the sport is alive and well in events like Mammoth Trailfest.
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Do you know roughly how many runners participate across all the events?
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Is it multiple thousands?
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I think so.
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I mean, I was looking at the finisher list and was honestly quite impressed by the amount of uh people competing.
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And I mean, uh there's such a wide range of events for everyone.
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You know, there's a 1k for the kids, there's a night 10k for newer runners, there's the ascent, there's the 50k, the 26k.
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You know, it just has a lot of accessibility for a wide range of athletes, but it uh it's it seemed like a lot of people to me.
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I mean, multiple waves as well for each event.
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You know, it's and we're probably gonna talk about Run Rabbit Run again later in this episode, but again, we just you think about next year, fall 2027, this amazing social experiment that's about to happen.
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You've got sort of the the major brand pressure to participate at UTMB, plus just like the prestige and the competitive depth of that race.
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You've got the prize money carrot at Run Rabbit Run, you've got the nationalism carrot at Worlds, and then you've got this just like for the culture ambiance carrot at Mammoth Trailfest.
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I am so because again, I mean, and also Mammoth is I I believe it has to be a top two or three, if not the biggest event at this point on American soil, regardless of months.
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I mean, a coca donut, their entire week-long operation is also massive.
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Black Canyon is massive if you include the 100K and 50K.
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Would love to know the I it has to be over 2,000 at this point.
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But anyways, like I just the co the competitive, again, if we're just speaking about competition professionals, lead athletes, I I do believe Mammoth belongs in sort of like this debate about competitive coexistence in next year's fall pocket.
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Absolutely.
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I mean, so I'm just getting uh look at the results.
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Wow.
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Okay, so for the 50K, there were 730 finishers.
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Okay.
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And then, you know, of course, drops, DNSs, but we're talking thousands of runners in this.
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Yeah.
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And like you said, I mean, everything you just described is a major draw in and of itself, totally different from the prize money draw, totally different from like the competitive depth draw.
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And it's an equally valid reason to go and do an event, too.
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So which string pulls pulls the most compelling across these, you know?
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Oh I know.
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It's gonna be interesting.
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Thanks to Johnji, the official apparel partner of the show.
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A couple notes here.
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They did a summer restock in the middle of last month.
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Their best-selling shorts and run all day tops are back.
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Same with their six-inch trail half tights.
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The other piece worth noting here is their ultra hauler backpack.
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I think it might still be sold, or actually might just be back in stock.
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Um, and more units are fast and coming.
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It is the Trail Runners go-to carry-on bag.
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Uh, if you liked the Ultra Hauler tote, this is something that Jules and I have been using for travel all summer long.
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We use it all the time.
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You will like this one too, head over to johngy.com.
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That's J-A-N-J-I.com forward slash singletrack to check it all out.
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Also, thanks to Raid Research, the official equipment partner of the show.
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I am a big fan of Raid's Trail Tech System, everything from their vests to belts.
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I am using their LF2L belt basically every day right now.
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Uh, and you know, they've just got a great set of products to better distribute nutrition and hydration across your body so that you can move more efficiently and comfortably in the mountains.
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I believe all sizes are in stock for that LF5L vest, which has been hugely popular all summer long.
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And I think the same is true for their LF2L belts.
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They have a brand new colorway, by the way.
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It's like this um, uh it's like this like beige kind of color, really cool.
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Um, sand, like beige sand, that that kind of stuff.
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Great.
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Go check it all out, raidresearch.com, r-a-i-d-e research.com.
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I'll tell you about my weekend.
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I I was at the bear.
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I was uh somewhat pacing, or not pacing, crewing my my buddy Mike McBonagal, and then paced my buddy Brad Hornig, but along the way I I got to spend a little bit of time at a bunch of aid stations along the course.
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For folks that aren't sort of tuned into the bear, it is one of the classic hundred miles in our sport.
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It's been a big thing since I think the late 90s, going back to like Hal Kerner's wins there back in the day.
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Um, I've started to look at it sort of like the unofficial Intermountain championship for our region.
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Brings out a lot of the local crushers on the scene.
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2026 ended up being a pretty historic event.
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Specifically, the women's course record went down by over an hour and a half.
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This was Kareth Records time from 2024.
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She ran 20, 25, 49.
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Christian Johnson, who's a Salt Lake local, came in this year, guns ablazin, and ran 1850-37.
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For anyone out there listening to this, that is a Euroi voter, a Troy voter, uh, or someone who just wants to sort of like wave the flag for unsung performances.
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This performance, I believe, is going to be obscured by the fact that it happened at a more local race with a lower than usual media profile.
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But this was incredible.
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To break 19 hours on this course, I mean, regardless of gender, it's a top 10 fastest finishing time ever.
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There have been very elite athletes, both men and women, that have raced here, besides Kerriff, people like Leah Yingling, Caitlin Gerbin on the men's side, Jimmy Elam, Jeff Browning, Mike Foote, Hal, list goes on.
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So this is a really, really, really strong time.
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And then also, huge shout out to Anna Fisher, another local here who took second.
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She also finished about five minutes under the course record.
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And it was a really thrilling women's race.
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I mean, the entire top three, Kristen, Anna Fisher, Maria Guy, all held one through three from start to finish.
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There's a little bit of movement between at times early, but it was a really thrilling women's race.
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So um shout out there.
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And then just in general, this Bear 100, fantastic event.
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Um, we were talking offline.
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The A stations here are incredible, great volunteers, spectacular course.
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They've got this bear tag system where if you want to race your way in as an elite, you can.
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There's I think five or six races in the Utah area, including two of ours, the Buffalo Run and Twisted Fork that you can use.
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Kristen got in through the Twisted Fork 68K.
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Amazing.
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It's it's this, I again, I call it Intermountain, is sort of like what this area is known as.
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I call it like the Intermountain Championship.
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It's it's become a really cool and everyone shows up.
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So that was my weekend.
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No, that's amazing.
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And I know that was Anna's first 100-mile race.
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So love to see that success.
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But I mean, I was just looking at a 20,000-foot 100-mile, you know, gain and descent, running sub-19 is really impressive.
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And I'm sure it's an altitude race too.
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And an altitude race as well.
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Yeah.
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Amazing.
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How so we we have to know in the battle between Mike and Brett, what happened?
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Mike ran away with it.
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So, I mean, major kudos to Mike.
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Uh maybe a lot of folks know him as one of the great photographers, creators in our sport, and he is.
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He's also a great trail runner, specifically at the 100-mile distance.
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Every so often he pops off a big one.
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And he finished second overall and ran the fifth fastest time ever on this course.
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So incredible day.
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Uh, Brett unfortunately had the drop at mile 62, the Franklin base and aid station.
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I mean, just and I don't think he minds me sharing this.
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I think just for context, Brett's a parent, uh, just like Mike, actually, but I think he got super unlucky.
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The whole family was sick in the two weeks leading up.
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He basically came to the start line of this race with no energy, no sleep.
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I think still, I mean, when I was pacing him for the 10 miles from Tony Grove to Franklin Basin, he was hacking up a lung the whole time.
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So I I don't think he was at his competitive best.
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And I and I do wish he was there fresh because I think I think you actually would have seen probably an even faster time from Mike.
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I think those two would have pushed each other to the finish.
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We would have seen maybe those two guys push sub-18.
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Because once Mike took second, I want to say around Franklin or Beaver, he was kind of on an island for the rest of the way.
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The guy in front of him, Sidney Noble, had been on course record splits, but was always at least 45 minutes up.
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So Mike was just sort of pushing himself.
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And I wish Brett had been there.
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So yeah, unfortunate day for Brett, but he'll be back.
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Definitely.
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Oh, that's fun.
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I love hearing the we'll call you guys the intermountain rivalries.
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I know that Brett isn't in your area, but I think we all enjoy that component.
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He's he's honorary Salt Lake.
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And yeah, I I was signed up months ago and I took myself off the start list back in June, and it was absolutely the right decision.
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Uh at this moment today, I am in no shape physically, spiritually, emotionally to run 100 miles in the mountains.
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So I was very much in a in a good spot pacing and crewing.
00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:34.799
Next up here, a ton of FKT action um headlines.
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Joe McConaughey on the JMT, Aurillian Dunan Pilaz on the GR20, both the men's and women's unsupported records on the White Mountains 100, Lindsay Webster on the Prezi Traverse.
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Um maybe we start with the with Joe on the JMT.
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He just took three and a half hours off of Francois Mark, which stood since 2017.
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Um, notable in many ways.
00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:07.680
I think for folks who've monitored the JMT over the years, Francois Mark was, I think, one of the first what felt like super professional efforts in an FKT sense.
00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:15.680
It kind of like shook the JMT scene a bit for just like how the extent to which this thing got crewed.
00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:17.200
And then it stood for nine years.
00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:20.240
So Joe, so Joe taking it is amazing.
00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:22.880
You do you have any thoughts here on the effort?
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:36.640
Yeah, I mean, I could not agree more that I feel like it was this benchmark of a professional athlete in their prime going after an FKT, which we really hadn't seen before in the amount of support that was happening.
00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:41.200
I was so, I mean, how can you not love Joe?
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.960
And so you're always rooting for him.
00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:49.039
So when I saw that he was going after this, I mean, full faith, you never know what can happen over that distance.
00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.160
But I thought if things went well, he'd be able to get it.
00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:54.480
But he knocked it out of the park.
00:18:54.640 --> 00:19:00.559
I mean, very uh substantial decrease of the the time.
00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:06.480
So exciting to see that kind of effort from Joe.
00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.119
I just love his versatility as an athlete.
00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:15.839
I think he's one of the best at just a wide range of expertise.
00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:23.599
Uh also kind of a fun fact is Harry Subertes just took off for a JMT attempt.
00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:27.359
I want to say either self-supported or unsupported.
00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.759
His pact looked pretty hefty.
00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:31.039
So Unsupported.
00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:31.680
Unsupported.
00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:32.319
Unsupported.
00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:32.880
Okay.
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:34.480
That'll be exciting.
00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:37.200
Yeah, to your point about versatility, Jeff.
00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:44.079
I mean, Joe at this point is very much a veteran of the sport and he came into the sport in that multi-week.
00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:48.400
Uh yes, but he also has the collegiate.
00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:51.680
I mean, I think he's like a four sub-four-minute miler.
00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:52.960
He was a collegiate runner.
00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:55.119
So he's he's kind of both.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:02.319
Yeah, uh really awesome uh uh uh running career at Boston College before coming in.
00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:07.519
But I'm sorry, I meant to say, like, came in, like his first big thing in the scene was the PCT FKT.
00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:07.839
Right.
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:12.880
And I love that I love the fact that he was able to have this like substantial multi-week career.
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:17.279
And while a lot of people were questioning, like, what happens if you do that early in your career?
00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:18.240
Like, do you even survive?
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.240
Like he's clearly survived and thrived.
00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:27.519
And to your point, like he's gotten the golden ticket at Black Canyon in recent years and throw down some great times at the 100-mile distance too.
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:30.000
Like he's very versatile and he's had this amazing career.
00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:36.720
And I love that he's, I mean, 12 years on, is uh is still putting up performances like this, just incredible.
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:37.759
And third time's the term.
00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:45.759
I mean, I guess he got the he got this unsupported time in 2022, but it only stood for two weeks because then Jeff Garmeyer took it from him.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.359
So hopefully this one he gets to to cherish a bit more.
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:51.920
Yeah, we're actually in about an hour, we're gonna interview him.
00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:55.759
So I'm excited to get like the full, the full download on how everything has gone.
00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:56.240
Yeah.
00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:57.279
Amazing.
00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.160
Yeah.
00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:11.920
I think that as those of us who kind of love both worlds of the racing and the FKTs, it's always really exciting to see an FKT get more prominence and uh visibility.
00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:17.839
So I love that he's getting his flowers on this effort, it seems like.
00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:20.400
Next up here, Aurelian on the GR20.
00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:25.119
This is another one of the most prized FKT routes in the world on the island of Korska.
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.680
103 miles, 39,000 feet of climbing.
00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:30.960
Aurelian did it in 27 hours, 29 minutes.
00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:32.559
Francois's having a tough week.
00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:37.519
He took two hours and 17 minutes off of Francois's time, which was only set two months ago.
00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.119
Uh, for his so a couple interesting things here.
00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:44.000
He had sort of an all-star crew, a lot of familiar European names.
00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:48.079
Arthur Joyo Boulion, Theodettian, Diego Pezos.
00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.759
Sounds like this route has been near and dear to his heart.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.519
Uh, he's reconned it five times in the past six years.
00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:59.200
I guess his family had been going there in childhood.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:21:59.759
Uh
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:19.279
Uh I was reading the Iron Far report on this, Alyssa, and it looks like the So the quote I pulled here is for his crew, Dunan Pilaz followed the Corsican Mountain Federation guidelines, which allows a maximum of two pacers at a time who can carry his nutrition and other gear.
00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:25.599
He also made sure to have his GR20 notebook signed by each hut keeper along the route.
00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:33.519
So it's just interesting to compare sort of, I'll call it the bureaucracy of that route versus the freedom of the JMT.
00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:39.759
I had no idea that like those are the processes that you have to go through while undertaking this supported.
00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:53.599
I didn't know that either, but I will say there is precedent of signing uh logbooks along the way for the AT, for the PCT to prove that you were there.
00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:58.720
So I kind of like that there is some crossover on that.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:01.680
Well, I just yeah.
00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:14.559
Well, I just I think that the GR20 is one of the most iconic routes, and I think doable in terms of, you know, it's 30-ish hours or somewhere around there.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:19.519
So it's a really strong effort, but it's not multi-multi-day.
00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.319
And I love that it's getting a lot of action this year.
00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:27.359
Hillary Girardi just had an attempt on the women's time as well.
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:32.880
Because I I think that it is such an incredible route.
00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:40.480
And I love that uh it's getting more attention in the European and American North American scene.
00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:44.000
Final bit here, they asked him what he's doing next.
00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:47.440
Apparently, he's going to be putting in for the 2027 Hard Rock Lottery.
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:59.440
So if he doesn't get in via lottery, maybe a Dales pick, I will say the most effortless victory at a major race that I have ever seen in person with my own two eyes was when Aurelian won Hard Rock back in 2023.
00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:06.000
I was in the gymnasium and I just saw him post-race, and it looked like he was halfway through a 200-miler.
00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:11.920
I mean, it was the the extent to which it just seemed like a walk in the park for him, it I'll never forget it.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.880
It blew my mind.
00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:14.960
So maybe he's back.
00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:17.039
That'd be amazing.
00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:21.359
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00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:25.279
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00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:31.359
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00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:42.079
Rachel Entrikken, who took second place at UTMB, Caleb Olson, who took third, Ingfield Kasperson, who won CCC, and Dan Jones, who took sixth place at CCC, just to name a few.
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00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:55.200
Also, thanks to Norda, the official footwear partner of the Single Track Podcast.
00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:58.480
Not sure if you've seen it, but they've got a brand new partnership with Black Diamond.
00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:01.200
One of the things to come out of that is a new shoe model.
00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:08.640
It's called the 000, which it basically takes the upper from the 002 and it slaps it on the platform of the 001.
00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:11.680
It is a fantastic shoe for Rocky technical terrain.
00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:17.759
If you happen to be in New Englander listening to this, I think it's a great candidate for the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:21.039
Go check it all out, NordaRun.com.
00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:28.799
Next up here, uh, I'm biased, but I think that this is currently the most interesting FKT route in the world.
00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:35.599
It's the White Mountains 100, and both unsupported men's and women's times went down in the last week.
00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:38.480
More context for why I think it's amazing.
00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:47.440
I believe it's one of the most difficult, but also one of the most beautiful hundred-mile routes in the U.S., runs across the Appalachian Trail between Gorham, New Hampshire, and Glencliffe, New Hampshire.
00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:59.839
You cross over the Carter Mariahs, the Presidentials, the Pemi Wilderness, Kinsman's, Mount Moose Loch, 34,000 feet of climbing, super gnarly train underfoot, a ton of beautiful terrain above tree line.
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:04.720
Andrew Wojak just lowered the men's time to 3310.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:09.200
Cassidy Carroll lowered the women's time to 4640.
00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:26.720
Part of the reason why also this is a big deal is Andrew Drummond, who is the owner of the retail and event company Run the Whites up in North Conway in Jackson, New Hampshire, put a bounty on a bunch of notable routes across the White Mounds of New Hampshire.
00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:28.559
These two records were on it.
00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.799
He had set aside a total of$10,000.
00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:36.720
And I want to say if you set the women's or the men's times, you got a thousand bucks each.
00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:50.400
So yeah, I think this is part of his initiative to like put a little bit more incentive around performance on these routes, get some fun people out there, maybe some interesting names, both local, regional, and uh in national.
00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:56.400
I also just want to say that I believe they had to change the names.
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:02.319
So they are technically now White Mountain Ski Company, and Run the Whites kind of falls under it.
00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:08.400
There is there's some interesting conversations about that, but they are White Mountain Ski Company now.
00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:18.160
But I might be the second biggest, I don't know, I might be third biggest Andrew Drummond fan behind you and my husband who love him.
00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:21.440
Would you ever do this route?
00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:23.279
Oh, totally.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:24.079
Yeah.
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:25.519
Absolutely.
00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:31.920
Especially if we ever end up back east for some time, it'd be awesome.
00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:47.519
The other part of this bounty that uh was activated this past week, uh Lindsay Webster, who just said a new FKT on the Prezi Traverse, uh, took about eight minutes off her previous time that had stood for about five years.
00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:50.960
Lindsay is uh has an amazing background.
00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:54.640
She retired from OCR a few years back, recently started a family, has two kids now.
00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:59.759
She's got nine world titles in OCR, the 2022 Skyrunner World title.
00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:03.920
We actually had her on the pod a while back, I think in 23 or 22.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:09.039
Um, and she was just on the Run the Whites podcast, recapping this whole experience.
00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.359
But again, stunning route.
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:16.240
It might still be one of the classic routes on FKT.com, about 30 kilometers.
00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:21.359
Over half of it is above treeline in the Prezi uh range of northern New Hampshire.
00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:22.400
Just amazing.
00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:24.640
And glad to see her back in the game, too.
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:31.119
Truly cannot comprehend how fast people move on that route.
00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.359
I mean, people say it's running.
00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:41.680
It is barely running, but I just cannot believe the times that get thrown down on this route.
00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:48.400
Moving on, next headline here: UTMB changing their direct qualification process.
00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:51.039
I'll admit, Alyssa, I was a little bit confused here.
00:28:51.200 --> 00:29:00.319
So correct me where I might have misunderstood, but it looks like a lot of the changes are happening to the UTMB World Series majors in 27.
00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:18.240
The primary goal is to create more opportunities for runners across the world to qualify closer to home, but then they go into this sort of like the results of that are less direct slots allocated via the combination of top tens in these majors and age group category winners.
00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:26.559
They're reducing it from 210 up through this past year to now 60, starting in 2027.
00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:33.519
And a lot of these age grouper categories are no longer receiving direct qualification at the majors like they did.
00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:38.559
And I guess there's going to be more of a rule that'll be announced shortly, but I was I was a bit confused.
00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:44.640
The only thing I understood was that it's going to be the the number of slot automatic slots is going down from 210 to 60.
00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:50.559
And somehow that also relates to this chance for more qualifications locally.
00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:52.240
Did you have any more thoughts here?
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:53.920
I was very confused.
00:29:54.319 --> 00:29:56.240
Well, I was also very confused.
00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:58.400
And there's been a couple of articles.
00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:03.519
The only thing I was kind of discerning from it is exactly what you said.
00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:14.640
The number of so it used to be that if you won your age group in one of the majors, you got did get a spot into one of the finals, and they're doing away with that.
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:17.920
But they said they're rolling out something else.
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:29.759
I'm guessing that there might be uh in the non-majors races an opportunity for age group athletes to qualify.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:41.200
Because I think that they're saying, like, hey, we don't want people from the US flying to Spain or Australia or Thailand to do the major to get a spot.
00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:46.559
Let's maybe make it easier for them to qualify in their more local UTMB race.
00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:53.279
I I think that's the thought behind it, but we haven't heard what that's going to be yet.
00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:55.359
So we'll see.
00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:57.039
Stay tuned.
00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:59.599
I'm always uh I know that I know there's good intentions here.
00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:10.319
I'm always a bit confused by some of the the PR that comes out of UTMB, but um hopefully uh things make more sense with the new ruling that comes out.
00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.559
I'm gonna run through just some results here.
00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:16.240
There's a new women's VK record, Axel Gachet Mollore.
00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:19.200
I probably butchered that, but I think that's how you pronounce it.
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:21.920
Uh she's a world champ member of the French schemo team.
00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:24.640
She just set a new VK record of 3232.
00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:25.680
Incredible.
00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.880
Uh race results.
00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:35.039
Sarah Alonzo and Elaine Santamaria win the Gorbaye-Suzienne Sky Race, which is a part of the World Tour, takes place in the Spanish Basque Mountains.
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:40.640
Patrick Kipniego and Ruth Guitonga win the Great Wall race on the Golden Trail World Series Circuit.
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:44.480
And at Grindstone, Caddy Jackson and Jordan Buck win the 100 mile.
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.279
Rachel Doxie and Guillaume Hansel win the 100K.
00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:51.680
And Sarah Bergeron LaRouche and Liam Meru win the 50K.
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:58.960
You also wrote down here, Alyssa, uh to shout out Keith and Nadeau, who won the Vermont 100 and Vermont 50 this year.
00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:06.400
Yeah, I just I saw it pop up on having a Vermont connection, saw it pop up on my Instagram.
00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:11.440
And just, you know, those are the Vermont 100, one of the oldest 100 milers in the nation.
00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:14.960
Vermont 50, also, I think just a great race in the fall.
00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:22.400
And I think always exciting to see someone, he's a local, he's from Rutland, Vermont, uh, take the win on both of these.
00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:33.200
Before we get to content of the week, uh you uh put this latest trailwaves article on the game theory behind the run rabbit run purse on our list.
00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:34.640
Talk about talk about this.
00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:39.039
Yeah, well, I'm gonna say this is kind of my content of the week.
00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:39.440
Okay.
00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:40.720
So yeah.
00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:44.559
So trailwaves, I think incredible insight.
00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:49.440
I think looks at things in the sport very differently than we're used to looking at them.
00:32:49.680 --> 00:33:03.039
So he applied theory to the question of run rabbit, run purse, UTMB, uh world majors is that, or I'm sorry, what do we call worlds?
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:08.720
Yes, we'll say worlds, uh, and how it's going to impact runners' decisions.
00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:15.279
Also, is it going to push UTMB to have a bigger prize purse?
00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:17.279
Uh, how do sponsors come into it?
00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:33.200
So he was applying game theory to, you know, these questions, and I thought just was a really fascinating way uh to think about the conversation and think about what could happen next year.
00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:40.079
I I don't have an idea, uh I do have an idea of what I think will happen.
00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:50.720
But I loved that he applied this theory and these principles to the conversation because I don't know if we've ever really had that happen before.
00:33:50.880 --> 00:34:08.559
So I highly recommend checking it out on Trailwaves, but essentially he setting up the grids, you know, weighing the pros and cons of the uh different positions that athletes, races, sponsors are all playing.
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:10.000
Fantastic.
00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:10.480
Okay.
00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:13.280
I'll give you my content of the week too.
00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:23.599
And uh as I was preparing for this interview with Joe McConaughey, I went down the rabbit hole of trip reports from past JMT FKT holders.
00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:24.239
Oh, I know.
00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:30.639
Brett Mounty, Lior Pantalot, uh Mike Wolfe, and Hal Kerner when they did it together.
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:33.199
There's a great Iron Far article there about it.
00:34:33.679 --> 00:34:39.440
Other legends are less uh uh what's the word, uh descriptive of their experiences.
00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:44.800
Like if you go and try to find writing on Sue Johnston's, which at the time was a landmark performance.
00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:47.360
I mean, she said the overall time, regardless of gender.
00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:49.280
I think it's like one sentence.
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:52.639
That maybe that is characteristic of how she wants to represent herself online.
00:34:52.960 --> 00:35:07.519
But I this might take two minutes to read, but I want to read this excerpt from Brett Mountie's 2009 report to you in the audience, because I think it's it's inspirational in how we think of limits in what's possible.
00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:12.320
So he says, quote, and this could take two minutes, so just bear with me.
00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:13.920
Records are interesting things.
00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:22.880
On the one hand, they provide a common framework upon which people focus their time and energy to surpass all previous efforts for some arbitrary athletic achievement.
00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:27.199
They challenge, inspire, and at times completely mesmerize us.
00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:29.920
On the other hand, records can smother us.
00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:32.719
They can limit ambition and impede progress.
00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:34.639
People can be blinded by records.
00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:38.800
They may improperly assume the existing record is near what is humanly possible.
00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:41.599
After all, how could it be the record if it were not?
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:48.719
In seeking to break records, people often probably strive to simply surpass the existing one by a conservative amount.
00:35:48.880 --> 00:35:52.320
The tendency to do so is completely rational and understandable.
00:35:52.480 --> 00:36:01.599
Attempting to break these records consumes enormous time and energy, and people naturally want to maximize the probability of success and minimize suffering along the way.
00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:09.440
Once a record exceeds a certain level of difficulty, one can understand that doing the least to surpass the existing record becomes the default strategy.
00:36:09.599 --> 00:36:13.199
Follow the previous guy or girl's timesheet, but do a little bit better.
00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.639
I simply didn't do that.
00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:23.440
Even after the blow up on the first attempt, I could not bring myself to employ a conservative strategy and risked everything to feel satisfied with my effort at the end.
00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:29.119
I became interested, some would say obsessed with the record when I learned it was more than three days.
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:32.639
I felt that the JMT could be hiked unsupported in less than three days.
00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:34.960
After my run, I know this to be true.
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:40.000
My run was far from perfect, and I lost significant time due to avoidable circumstances.
00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:44.480
My time can be crushed, which has obvious implications for the supported record.
00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:48.719
Doing a quick survey of the records on the other trails, I would argue the same for those.
00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:52.719
All current records can be crushed and many totally annihilated.
00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:55.679
Throw away the other person's timesheet.
00:36:55.920 --> 00:36:56.800
End quote.
00:36:58.960 --> 00:36:59.599
Wow.
00:37:00.800 --> 00:37:12.960
There's so no, there's just so many parts that I appreciate and agree with that you are only just going to beat a record if that's what you think you're going to do.
00:37:13.199 --> 00:37:25.599
I so applaud, I think that it was actually Carl Sabe who was the first person to really introduce me to that concept where he went, I think I can do this, and it had nothing to do with the previous record.
00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:28.320
It was just what he believed he was capable of.
00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:32.800
And I think that's why we're seeing such enormous strides in ultra running.
00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:36.559
I mean, Ben Diemon calling a shot at UTMB, Rachel at Coca-Dona.
00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:43.280
It's like if you shoot for just accomplishing something, you will most likely just accomplish it.
00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:48.079
But if you shoot for this is what I think I'm capable of, holy smokes.
00:37:51.199 --> 00:37:52.719
Alyssa, great as always.
00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:56.719
Thanks for the time and uh look forward to next week's news.
00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:58.079
Sounds great.
00:37:58.320 --> 00:37:58.800
Thanks, Finn.
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.240
This is the Monday, September 28th edition of Single Track News, joined by friend, colleague Alyssa Clark.
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:10.080
Alyssa, how are you doing after this weekend at the Mammoth Trail Fest?
00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:12.400
I am doing really well.
00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:19.600
Sad to have to leave Mammoth Trail Fest, especially with the 200-mile earth coming up.
00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:23.600
But I did see that Tim posted, it is snowing up there.
00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:24.320
So I'm ooh.
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:25.920
I love snow.
00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:27.760
I'm not quite ready for it.
00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:30.559
So glad to get out before then.
00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:33.520
Ben, how are you doing?
00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:34.799
I'm doing good.
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:45.119
And yeah, uh, for all the events that take place here on the Washead front and back in late September, it reminds me of just like how much of a dice roll it can be with the weather.
00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:49.280
I I guess there's always like a certain amount of snow that can throw things into question.
00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:56.719
There was a couple years, I think, where the North Face, when they were doing their Endurance Challenge series, they had an event in Park City.
00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:59.759
And I think that they might have had it the third week in September.
00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:09.680
And it was they were always super unlucky in their later years with weather, and they had to do some serious last-minute rerouting of the course to bring it down to lower elevations.
00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.400
I don't know if that's what Mammoth has to do.
00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:25.120
I remember last year they had pretty significant snow mid-race for the back of the pack, but it an exciting, it's it's both uh as as an event director, I'm sure, quite the logistical challenge, but also like for the runners, in some ways kind of thrilling.
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:27.120
Like I would love to run through the snow.
00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:28.000
Yeah.
00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:33.519
No, I I love going through snow, especially if you have good micro spikes on.
00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:39.359
But yes, last year they rerouted on the second summit of Mammoth.
00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:46.079
The very front of the pack was able to get through, but then I think mid and back of the pack did not summit.
00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:48.959
It's also a week later this year.
00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:57.280
So I think just having been up there, I mean, it was in the 30s at night and still in the 70s during the day.
00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:04.879
So massive temperature fluctuations that I think are only going to compound as we get later.
00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:06.079
So it'll be exciting.
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:16.879
Given that you were on the ground there, and this could be performance gear, interesting conversations, state-of-the-vent-related, your your top takeaways from Mammoth this weekend.
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.319
Yeah, so I made a little bit of a list.
00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:32.240
I'm not sure if it's five total, but along there, I think the number one piece I would say is that Tim has created something so special.
00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:50.719
Tim Tolfson, he it was his brainchild, Mammoth Trailfest, and truly it brings together this small town love and joy and feeling and visibility with a big event.
00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:55.280
Uh we'll say big event kind of outcomes or implications.
00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:04.560
So you have a large media uh presence of a live stream commentators, the coverage is amazing.
00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.479
You have prize purses.
00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:14.479
They're actually, I believe, the first race to give para-athlete prize purses, which is incredible for the 26k.
00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:16.479
Absolutely love that.
00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:26.000
Um, you know, there's a lot of brands there, there's a lot of engagement, but Tim is standing at the finish line with the giant cowbell wearing pink overalls, and it's awesome.
00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:37.919
So you feel so seen, but you also have that um visibility and big event, like, yeah, this race matters in the schedule or this race series.
00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:47.520
And so I just feel like Tim has threaded this needle so beautifully that I've honestly never seen in another event.
00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:54.000
So the whole time it's just hard not to be smiling and feel that joy and energy and competition.
00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:58.240
And uh, I just I think he's done such a brilliant job.
00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:04.560
At Coca-Dona, the gear uh piece for me was just seeing all the ultra spire traverse packs.
00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.560
Was there any any gear notables out there?
00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:08.400
Or like was there like a pattern you were noticing?
00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:11.840
Like footwear, packs, belts, anything?
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:17.680
Yeah, I was not, I I don't think I saw quite as much pattern.
00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:20.800
I mean, it is sponsored by craft, so there's a lot of craft athletes.
00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:26.560
They have a Mammoth Trellfest shoe, which is beautiful, great colors, looked very comfortable.
00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:33.040
Uh, I would say the biggest gear impression I had is that Dara was there with their belts.
00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:38.639
They have some new color combos coming out, and just exciting to see a newer brand.
00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:46.879
I mean, um, Morgan is based in Mammoth, uh, Morgan Tui, who's the owner and founder.
00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:48.240
And so just exciting to see.
00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:55.279
I mean, Dara only launched maybe six to eight months ago and already seems to have a really big presence.
00:04:55.439 --> 00:05:07.439
Um, all of the Mammoth 200 runners are getting a specific belt for uh the race, and just exciting to see that growth in such a short period of time.
00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:08.800
That's amazing.
00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:11.120
Every single runner gets a Dara belt.
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:12.399
I believe so.
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:13.279
Wow.
00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:17.279
In a special color and with a special print on it, yeah.
00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:19.199
That is incredible swag.
00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:26.240
Uh on the performance side, and I don't know if you were were tracking this, but there was a 13-year-old woman who podiumed the Dragonsback Ascent.
00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:27.839
Yes, Pema.
00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:31.439
Uh, I'm not quite sure her last name, but she's a Northern.
00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:33.040
Is it Franchi?
00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:33.759
I think so.
00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:34.000
Yeah.
00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:36.319
Podiumed the ascent.
00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:39.199
She was fourth at the 26k.
00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:41.279
She is a legend.
00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:53.360
She's from Ecuador, and I think they're really trying to make sure it stays fun, but she seems like a very driven athlete, clearly very fast, uh, but she is super strong.
00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:57.040
And then also placed fifth in the 26K.
00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:01.279
She was only 12 minutes behind the winner, Caroline Alcorda.
00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:03.680
That's amazing.
00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:04.720
This is an amazing story.
00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:06.879
I I just pulled up, I quickly Googled her name.
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:11.839
I guess there's a There's a Trailrunner magazine article that just came out about her.
00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:12.879
Yes.
00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:16.000
This is all it looks like Brian Meltzer is writing for them again, too.
00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:18.639
I've seen a bunch more stuff for him, which is interesting.
00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:21.439
Uh yeah, I think he's been following her story.
00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:26.079
I believe I saw for the past couple of years to be able to report on it.
00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.079
So def definitely check that out.
00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:28.560
Yeah.
00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:32.240
And it looks like three straight years podiuming the ascent.
00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:34.079
So this goes back to when she was 11.
00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:35.759
That's an amazing, amazing story.
00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:40.399
Any anything else for you from the weekend that was that was eye-opening, interesting.
00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:57.120
I would say I I think that it's just a testament to if you have a great vision, a beautiful place, and the support, you can create an incredible event.
00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:18.800
And it doesn't it gave me some hope that there is still a lot of ways that people can be in the ultra-running world that is outside of kind of the we'll say traditional path of getting stones and uh you know, getting to a couple of races.
00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:26.399
I feel like this was such a world-class event that it doesn't just follow kind of this archetype.
00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:36.079
And I think we need more of these events to hold weight in the trail running world to keep it.
00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:40.560
I hate to say I sound so old saying this, but like keep the spirit of the sport.
00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:47.040
I I think that's what I saw the most is the spirit of the sport is alive and well in events like Mammoth Trailfest.
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:51.680
Do you know roughly how many runners participate across all the events?
00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.079
Is it multiple thousands?
00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:56.720
I think so.
00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:11.680
I mean, I was looking at the finisher list and was honestly quite impressed by the amount of uh people competing.
00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:16.000
And I mean, uh there's such a wide range of events for everyone.
00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:23.600
You know, there's a 1k for the kids, there's a night 10k for newer runners, there's the ascent, there's the 50k, the 26k.
00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:36.559
You know, it just has a lot of accessibility for a wide range of athletes, but it uh it's it seemed like a lot of people to me.
00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.440
I mean, multiple waves as well for each event.
00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:53.279
You know, it's and we're probably gonna talk about Run Rabbit Run again later in this episode, but again, we just you think about next year, fall 2027, this amazing social experiment that's about to happen.
00:08:53.440 --> 00:09:02.240
You've got sort of the the major brand pressure to participate at UTMB, plus just like the prestige and the competitive depth of that race.
00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:13.120
You've got the prize money carrot at Run Rabbit Run, you've got the nationalism carrot at Worlds, and then you've got this just like for the culture ambiance carrot at Mammoth Trailfest.
00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:26.080
I am so because again, I mean, and also Mammoth is I I believe it has to be a top two or three, if not the biggest event at this point on American soil, regardless of months.
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:30.960
I mean, a coca donut, their entire week-long operation is also massive.
00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:34.960
Black Canyon is massive if you include the 100K and 50K.
00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.399
Would love to know the I it has to be over 2,000 at this point.
00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:53.600
But anyways, like I just the co the competitive, again, if we're just speaking about competition professionals, lead athletes, I I do believe Mammoth belongs in sort of like this debate about competitive coexistence in next year's fall pocket.
00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:55.360
Absolutely.
00:09:55.519 --> 00:10:00.000
I mean, so I'm just getting uh look at the results.
00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:01.759
Wow.
00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:08.960
Okay, so for the 50K, there were 730 finishers.
00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:10.720
Okay.
00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:20.480
And then, you know, of course, drops, DNSs, but we're talking thousands of runners in this.
00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:21.600
Yeah.
00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:31.679
And like you said, I mean, everything you just described is a major draw in and of itself, totally different from the prize money draw, totally different from like the competitive depth draw.
00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:34.639
And it's an equally valid reason to go and do an event, too.
00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:40.960
So which string pulls pulls the most compelling across these, you know?
00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:42.960
Oh I know.
00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:44.399
It's gonna be interesting.
00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.039
Thanks to Johnji, the official apparel partner of the show.
00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:47.759
A couple notes here.
00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.919
They did a summer restock in the middle of last month.
00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:53.039
Their best-selling shorts and run all day tops are back.
00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:55.519
Same with their six-inch trail half tights.
00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:58.320
The other piece worth noting here is their ultra hauler backpack.
00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:01.759
I think it might still be sold, or actually might just be back in stock.
00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:04.000
Um, and more units are fast and coming.
00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:07.120
It is the Trail Runners go-to carry-on bag.
00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:11.840
Uh, if you liked the Ultra Hauler tote, this is something that Jules and I have been using for travel all summer long.
00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:12.960
We use it all the time.
00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:15.919
You will like this one too, head over to johngy.com.
00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:20.799
That's J-A-N-J-I.com forward slash singletrack to check it all out.
00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:24.159
Also, thanks to Raid Research, the official equipment partner of the show.
00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.799
I am a big fan of Raid's Trail Tech System, everything from their vests to belts.
00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.480
I am using their LF2L belt basically every day right now.
00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:41.679
Uh, and you know, they've just got a great set of products to better distribute nutrition and hydration across your body so that you can move more efficiently and comfortably in the mountains.
00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:47.919
I believe all sizes are in stock for that LF5L vest, which has been hugely popular all summer long.
00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.039
And I think the same is true for their LF2L belts.
00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:52.639
They have a brand new colorway, by the way.
00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:57.200
It's like this um, uh it's like this like beige kind of color, really cool.
00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.320
Um, sand, like beige sand, that that kind of stuff.
00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:00.799
Great.
00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:05.840
Go check it all out, raidresearch.com, r-a-i-d-e research.com.
00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:07.279
I'll tell you about my weekend.
00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:08.799
I I was at the bear.
00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:21.279
I was uh somewhat pacing, or not pacing, crewing my my buddy Mike McBonagal, and then paced my buddy Brad Hornig, but along the way I I got to spend a little bit of time at a bunch of aid stations along the course.
00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:27.919
For folks that aren't sort of tuned into the bear, it is one of the classic hundred miles in our sport.
00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:35.120
It's been a big thing since I think the late 90s, going back to like Hal Kerner's wins there back in the day.
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:40.240
Um, I've started to look at it sort of like the unofficial Intermountain championship for our region.
00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:42.720
Brings out a lot of the local crushers on the scene.
00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:45.919
2026 ended up being a pretty historic event.
00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:49.840
Specifically, the women's course record went down by over an hour and a half.
00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.480
This was Kareth Records time from 2024.
00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.639
She ran 20, 25, 49.
00:12:54.879 --> 00:13:02.320
Christian Johnson, who's a Salt Lake local, came in this year, guns ablazin, and ran 1850-37.
00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:15.519
For anyone out there listening to this, that is a Euroi voter, a Troy voter, uh, or someone who just wants to sort of like wave the flag for unsung performances.
00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:25.519
This performance, I believe, is going to be obscured by the fact that it happened at a more local race with a lower than usual media profile.
00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:27.919
But this was incredible.
00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:34.399
To break 19 hours on this course, I mean, regardless of gender, it's a top 10 fastest finishing time ever.
00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:48.080
There have been very elite athletes, both men and women, that have raced here, besides Kerriff, people like Leah Yingling, Caitlin Gerbin on the men's side, Jimmy Elam, Jeff Browning, Mike Foote, Hal, list goes on.
00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:50.320
So this is a really, really, really strong time.
00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:54.399
And then also, huge shout out to Anna Fisher, another local here who took second.
00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:57.120
She also finished about five minutes under the course record.
00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:58.960
And it was a really thrilling women's race.
00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:05.840
I mean, the entire top three, Kristen, Anna Fisher, Maria Guy, all held one through three from start to finish.
00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:10.639
There's a little bit of movement between at times early, but it was a really thrilling women's race.
00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:12.399
So um shout out there.
00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:16.240
And then just in general, this Bear 100, fantastic event.
00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:17.840
Um, we were talking offline.
00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:22.720
The A stations here are incredible, great volunteers, spectacular course.
00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:29.039
They've got this bear tag system where if you want to race your way in as an elite, you can.
00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:35.360
There's I think five or six races in the Utah area, including two of ours, the Buffalo Run and Twisted Fork that you can use.
00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:38.480
Kristen got in through the Twisted Fork 68K.
00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:39.600
Amazing.
00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:44.000
It's it's this, I again, I call it Intermountain, is sort of like what this area is known as.
00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:45.919
I call it like the Intermountain Championship.
00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:48.799
It's it's become a really cool and everyone shows up.
00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:50.559
So that was my weekend.
00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:52.480
No, that's amazing.
00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:56.799
And I know that was Anna's first 100-mile race.
00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.120
So love to see that success.
00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:08.559
But I mean, I was just looking at a 20,000-foot 100-mile, you know, gain and descent, running sub-19 is really impressive.
00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:11.039
And I'm sure it's an altitude race too.
00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:12.799
And an altitude race as well.
00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:13.600
Yeah.
00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:14.799
Amazing.
00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:22.960
How so we we have to know in the battle between Mike and Brett, what happened?
00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:24.879
Mike ran away with it.
00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.360
So, I mean, major kudos to Mike.
00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:34.639
Uh maybe a lot of folks know him as one of the great photographers, creators in our sport, and he is.
00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.399
He's also a great trail runner, specifically at the 100-mile distance.
00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:40.960
Every so often he pops off a big one.
00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:46.879
And he finished second overall and ran the fifth fastest time ever on this course.
00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:48.720
So incredible day.
00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:54.320
Uh, Brett unfortunately had the drop at mile 62, the Franklin base and aid station.
00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:56.960
I mean, just and I don't think he minds me sharing this.
00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:02.960
I think just for context, Brett's a parent, uh, just like Mike, actually, but I think he got super unlucky.
00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:05.600
The whole family was sick in the two weeks leading up.
00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:10.799
He basically came to the start line of this race with no energy, no sleep.
00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:18.639
I think still, I mean, when I was pacing him for the 10 miles from Tony Grove to Franklin Basin, he was hacking up a lung the whole time.
00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:23.679
So I I don't think he was at his competitive best.
00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:30.080
And I and I do wish he was there fresh because I think I think you actually would have seen probably an even faster time from Mike.
00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:31.919
I think those two would have pushed each other to the finish.
00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:36.720
We would have seen maybe those two guys push sub-18.
00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:44.399
Because once Mike took second, I want to say around Franklin or Beaver, he was kind of on an island for the rest of the way.
00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:50.000
The guy in front of him, Sidney Noble, had been on course record splits, but was always at least 45 minutes up.
00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.080
So Mike was just sort of pushing himself.
00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:53.440
And I wish Brett had been there.
00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:57.039
So yeah, unfortunate day for Brett, but he'll be back.
00:16:58.240 --> 00:16:58.879
Definitely.
00:16:59.039 --> 00:16:59.759
Oh, that's fun.
00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:04.480
I love hearing the we'll call you guys the intermountain rivalries.
00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:10.960
I know that Brett isn't in your area, but I think we all enjoy that component.
00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:12.880
He's he's honorary Salt Lake.
00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:19.680
And yeah, I I was signed up months ago and I took myself off the start list back in June, and it was absolutely the right decision.
00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:26.480
Uh at this moment today, I am in no shape physically, spiritually, emotionally to run 100 miles in the mountains.
00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:30.720
So I was very much in a in a good spot pacing and crewing.
00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:34.799
Next up here, a ton of FKT action um headlines.
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:45.119
Joe McConaughey on the JMT, Aurillian Dunan Pilaz on the GR20, both the men's and women's unsupported records on the White Mountains 100, Lindsay Webster on the Prezi Traverse.
00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:49.200
Um maybe we start with the with Joe on the JMT.
00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:54.799
He just took three and a half hours off of Francois Mark, which stood since 2017.
00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:57.279
Um, notable in many ways.
00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:07.680
I think for folks who've monitored the JMT over the years, Francois Mark was, I think, one of the first what felt like super professional efforts in an FKT sense.
00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:15.680
It kind of like shook the JMT scene a bit for just like how the extent to which this thing got crewed.
00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:17.200
And then it stood for nine years.
00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:20.240
So Joe, so Joe taking it is amazing.
00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:22.880
You do you have any thoughts here on the effort?
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:36.640
Yeah, I mean, I could not agree more that I feel like it was this benchmark of a professional athlete in their prime going after an FKT, which we really hadn't seen before in the amount of support that was happening.
00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:41.200
I was so, I mean, how can you not love Joe?
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.960
And so you're always rooting for him.
00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:49.039
So when I saw that he was going after this, I mean, full faith, you never know what can happen over that distance.
00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.160
But I thought if things went well, he'd be able to get it.
00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:54.480
But he knocked it out of the park.
00:18:54.640 --> 00:19:00.559
I mean, very uh substantial decrease of the the time.
00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:06.480
So exciting to see that kind of effort from Joe.
00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.119
I just love his versatility as an athlete.
00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:15.839
I think he's one of the best at just a wide range of expertise.
00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:23.599
Uh also kind of a fun fact is Harry Subertes just took off for a JMT attempt.
00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:27.359
I want to say either self-supported or unsupported.
00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.759
His pact looked pretty hefty.
00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:31.039
So Unsupported.
00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:31.680
Unsupported.
00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:32.319
Unsupported.
00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:32.880
Okay.
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:34.480
That'll be exciting.
00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:37.200
Yeah, to your point about versatility, Jeff.
00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:44.079
I mean, Joe at this point is very much a veteran of the sport and he came into the sport in that multi-week.
00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:48.400
Uh yes, but he also has the collegiate.
00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:51.680
I mean, I think he's like a four sub-four-minute miler.
00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:52.960
He was a collegiate runner.
00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:55.119
So he's he's kind of both.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:02.319
Yeah, uh really awesome uh uh uh running career at Boston College before coming in.
00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:07.519
But I'm sorry, I meant to say, like, came in, like his first big thing in the scene was the PCT FKT.
00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:07.839
Right.
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:12.880
And I love that I love the fact that he was able to have this like substantial multi-week career.
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:17.279
And while a lot of people were questioning, like, what happens if you do that early in your career?
00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:18.240
Like, do you even survive?
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.240
Like he's clearly survived and thrived.
00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:27.519
And to your point, like he's gotten the golden ticket at Black Canyon in recent years and throw down some great times at the 100-mile distance too.
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:30.000
Like he's very versatile and he's had this amazing career.
00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:36.720
And I love that he's, I mean, 12 years on, is uh is still putting up performances like this, just incredible.
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:37.759
And third time's the term.
00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:45.759
I mean, I guess he got the he got this unsupported time in 2022, but it only stood for two weeks because then Jeff Garmeyer took it from him.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.359
So hopefully this one he gets to to cherish a bit more.
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:51.920
Yeah, we're actually in about an hour, we're gonna interview him.
00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:55.759
So I'm excited to get like the full, the full download on how everything has gone.
00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:56.240
Yeah.
00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:57.279
Amazing.
00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.160
Yeah.
00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:11.920
I think that as those of us who kind of love both worlds of the racing and the FKTs, it's always really exciting to see an FKT get more prominence and uh visibility.
00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:17.839
So I love that he's getting his flowers on this effort, it seems like.
00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:20.400
Next up here, Aurelian on the GR20.
00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:25.119
This is another one of the most prized FKT routes in the world on the island of Korska.
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.680
103 miles, 39,000 feet of climbing.
00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:30.960
Aurelian did it in 27 hours, 29 minutes.
00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:32.559
Francois's having a tough week.
00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:37.519
He took two hours and 17 minutes off of Francois's time, which was only set two months ago.
00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.119
Uh, for his so a couple interesting things here.
00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:44.000
He had sort of an all-star crew, a lot of familiar European names.
00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:48.079
Arthur Joyo Boulion, Theodettian, Diego Pezos.
00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.759
Sounds like this route has been near and dear to his heart.
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.519
Uh, he's reconned it five times in the past six years.
00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:59.200
I guess his family had been going there in childhood.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:21:59.759
Uh
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:19.279
Uh I was reading the Iron Far report on this, Alyssa, and it looks like the So the quote I pulled here is for his crew, Dunan Pilaz followed the Corsican Mountain Federation guidelines, which allows a maximum of two pacers at a time who can carry his nutrition and other gear.
00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:25.599
He also made sure to have his GR20 notebook signed by each hut keeper along the route.
00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:33.519
So it's just interesting to compare sort of, I'll call it the bureaucracy of that route versus the freedom of the JMT.
00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:39.759
I had no idea that like those are the processes that you have to go through while undertaking this supported.
00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:53.599
I didn't know that either, but I will say there is precedent of signing uh logbooks along the way for the AT, for the PCT to prove that you were there.
00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:58.720
So I kind of like that there is some crossover on that.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:01.680
Well, I just yeah.
00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:14.559
Well, I just I think that the GR20 is one of the most iconic routes, and I think doable in terms of, you know, it's 30-ish hours or somewhere around there.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:19.519
So it's a really strong effort, but it's not multi-multi-day.
00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.319
And I love that it's getting a lot of action this year.
00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:27.359
Hillary Girardi just had an attempt on the women's time as well.
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:32.880
Because I I think that it is such an incredible route.
00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:40.480
And I love that uh it's getting more attention in the European and American North American scene.
00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:44.000
Final bit here, they asked him what he's doing next.
00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:47.440
Apparently, he's going to be putting in for the 2027 Hard Rock Lottery.
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:59.440
So if he doesn't get in via lottery, maybe a Dales pick, I will say the most effortless victory at a major race that I have ever seen in person with my own two eyes was when Aurelian won Hard Rock back in 2023.
00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:06.000
I was in the gymnasium and I just saw him post-race, and it looked like he was halfway through a 200-miler.
00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:11.920
I mean, it was the the extent to which it just seemed like a walk in the park for him, it I'll never forget it.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.880
It blew my mind.
00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:14.960
So maybe he's back.
00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:17.039
That'd be amazing.
00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:21.359
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00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:25.279
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00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:31.359
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00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:42.079
Rachel Entrikken, who took second place at UTMB, Caleb Olson, who took third, Ingfield Kasperson, who won CCC, and Dan Jones, who took sixth place at CCC, just to name a few.
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00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:55.200
Also, thanks to Norda, the official footwear partner of the Single Track Podcast.
00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:58.480
Not sure if you've seen it, but they've got a brand new partnership with Black Diamond.
00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:01.200
One of the things to come out of that is a new shoe model.
00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:08.640
It's called the 000, which it basically takes the upper from the 002 and it slaps it on the platform of the 001.
00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:11.680
It is a fantastic shoe for Rocky technical terrain.
00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:17.759
If you happen to be in New Englander listening to this, I think it's a great candidate for the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:21.039
Go check it all out, NordaRun.com.
00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:28.799
Next up here, uh, I'm biased, but I think that this is currently the most interesting FKT route in the world.
00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:35.599
It's the White Mountains 100, and both unsupported men's and women's times went down in the last week.
00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:38.480
More context for why I think it's amazing.
00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:47.440
I believe it's one of the most difficult, but also one of the most beautiful hundred-mile routes in the U.S., runs across the Appalachian Trail between Gorham, New Hampshire, and Glencliffe, New Hampshire.
00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:59.839
You cross over the Carter Mariahs, the Presidentials, the Pemi Wilderness, Kinsman's, Mount Moose Loch, 34,000 feet of climbing, super gnarly train underfoot, a ton of beautiful terrain above tree line.
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:04.720
Andrew Wojak just lowered the men's time to 3310.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:09.200
Cassidy Carroll lowered the women's time to 4640.
00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:26.720
Part of the reason why also this is a big deal is Andrew Drummond, who is the owner of the retail and event company Run the Whites up in North Conway in Jackson, New Hampshire, put a bounty on a bunch of notable routes across the White Mounds of New Hampshire.
00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:28.559
These two records were on it.
00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.799
He had set aside a total of$10,000.
00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:36.720
And I want to say if you set the women's or the men's times, you got a thousand bucks each.
00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:50.400
So yeah, I think this is part of his initiative to like put a little bit more incentive around performance on these routes, get some fun people out there, maybe some interesting names, both local, regional, and uh in national.
00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:56.400
I also just want to say that I believe they had to change the names.
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:02.319
So they are technically now White Mountain Ski Company, and Run the Whites kind of falls under it.
00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:08.400
There is there's some interesting conversations about that, but they are White Mountain Ski Company now.
00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:18.160
But I might be the second biggest, I don't know, I might be third biggest Andrew Drummond fan behind you and my husband who love him.
00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:21.440
Would you ever do this route?
00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:23.279
Oh, totally.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:24.079
Yeah.
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:25.519
Absolutely.
00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:31.920
Especially if we ever end up back east for some time, it'd be awesome.
00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:47.519
The other part of this bounty that uh was activated this past week, uh Lindsay Webster, who just said a new FKT on the Prezi Traverse, uh, took about eight minutes off her previous time that had stood for about five years.
00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:50.960
Lindsay is uh has an amazing background.
00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:54.640
She retired from OCR a few years back, recently started a family, has two kids now.
00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:59.759
She's got nine world titles in OCR, the 2022 Skyrunner World title.
00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:03.920
We actually had her on the pod a while back, I think in 23 or 22.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:09.039
Um, and she was just on the Run the Whites podcast, recapping this whole experience.
00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.359
But again, stunning route.
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:16.240
It might still be one of the classic routes on FKT.com, about 30 kilometers.
00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:21.359
Over half of it is above treeline in the Prezi uh range of northern New Hampshire.
00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:22.400
Just amazing.
00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:24.640
And glad to see her back in the game, too.
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:31.119
Truly cannot comprehend how fast people move on that route.
00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.359
I mean, people say it's running.
00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:41.680
It is barely running, but I just cannot believe the times that get thrown down on this route.
00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:48.400
Moving on, next headline here: UTMB changing their direct qualification process.
00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:51.039
I'll admit, Alyssa, I was a little bit confused here.
00:28:51.200 --> 00:29:00.319
So correct me where I might have misunderstood, but it looks like a lot of the changes are happening to the UTMB World Series majors in 27.
00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:18.240
The primary goal is to create more opportunities for runners across the world to qualify closer to home, but then they go into this sort of like the results of that are less direct slots allocated via the combination of top tens in these majors and age group category winners.
00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:26.559
They're reducing it from 210 up through this past year to now 60, starting in 2027.
00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:33.519
And a lot of these age grouper categories are no longer receiving direct qualification at the majors like they did.
00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:38.559
And I guess there's going to be more of a rule that'll be announced shortly, but I was I was a bit confused.
00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:44.640
The only thing I understood was that it's going to be the the number of slot automatic slots is going down from 210 to 60.
00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:50.559
And somehow that also relates to this chance for more qualifications locally.
00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:52.240
Did you have any more thoughts here?
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:53.920
I was very confused.
00:29:54.319 --> 00:29:56.240
Well, I was also very confused.
00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:58.400
And there's been a couple of articles.
00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:03.519
The only thing I was kind of discerning from it is exactly what you said.
00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:14.640
The number of so it used to be that if you won your age group in one of the majors, you got did get a spot into one of the finals, and they're doing away with that.
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:17.920
But they said they're rolling out something else.
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:29.759
I'm guessing that there might be uh in the non-majors races an opportunity for age group athletes to qualify.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:41.200
Because I think that they're saying, like, hey, we don't want people from the US flying to Spain or Australia or Thailand to do the major to get a spot.
00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:46.559
Let's maybe make it easier for them to qualify in their more local UTMB race.
00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:53.279
I I think that's the thought behind it, but we haven't heard what that's going to be yet.
00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:55.359
So we'll see.
00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:57.039
Stay tuned.
00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:59.599
I'm always uh I know that I know there's good intentions here.
00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:10.319
I'm always a bit confused by some of the the PR that comes out of UTMB, but um hopefully uh things make more sense with the new ruling that comes out.
00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.559
I'm gonna run through just some results here.
00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:16.240
There's a new women's VK record, Axel Gachet Mollore.
00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:19.200
I probably butchered that, but I think that's how you pronounce it.
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:21.920
Uh she's a world champ member of the French schemo team.
00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:24.640
She just set a new VK record of 3232.
00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:25.680
Incredible.
00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.880
Uh race results.
00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:35.039
Sarah Alonzo and Elaine Santamaria win the Gorbaye-Suzienne Sky Race, which is a part of the World Tour, takes place in the Spanish Basque Mountains.
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:40.640
Patrick Kipniego and Ruth Guitonga win the Great Wall race on the Golden Trail World Series Circuit.
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:44.480
And at Grindstone, Caddy Jackson and Jordan Buck win the 100 mile.
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.279
Rachel Doxie and Guillaume Hansel win the 100K.
00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:51.680
And Sarah Bergeron LaRouche and Liam Meru win the 50K.
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:58.960
You also wrote down here, Alyssa, uh to shout out Keith and Nadeau, who won the Vermont 100 and Vermont 50 this year.
00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:06.400
Yeah, I just I saw it pop up on having a Vermont connection, saw it pop up on my Instagram.
00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:11.440
And just, you know, those are the Vermont 100, one of the oldest 100 milers in the nation.
00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:14.960
Vermont 50, also, I think just a great race in the fall.
00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:22.400
And I think always exciting to see someone, he's a local, he's from Rutland, Vermont, uh, take the win on both of these.
00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:33.200
Before we get to content of the week, uh you uh put this latest trailwaves article on the game theory behind the run rabbit run purse on our list.
00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:34.640
Talk about talk about this.
00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:39.039
Yeah, well, I'm gonna say this is kind of my content of the week.
00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:39.440
Okay.
00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:40.720
So yeah.
00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:44.559
So trailwaves, I think incredible insight.
00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:49.440
I think looks at things in the sport very differently than we're used to looking at them.
00:32:49.680 --> 00:33:03.039
So he applied theory to the question of run rabbit, run purse, UTMB, uh world majors is that, or I'm sorry, what do we call worlds?
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:08.720
Yes, we'll say worlds, uh, and how it's going to impact runners' decisions.
00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:15.279
Also, is it going to push UTMB to have a bigger prize purse?
00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:17.279
Uh, how do sponsors come into it?
00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:33.200
So he was applying game theory to, you know, these questions, and I thought just was a really fascinating way uh to think about the conversation and think about what could happen next year.
00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:40.079
I I don't have an idea, uh I do have an idea of what I think will happen.
00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:50.720
But I loved that he applied this theory and these principles to the conversation because I don't know if we've ever really had that happen before.
00:33:50.880 --> 00:34:08.559
So I highly recommend checking it out on Trailwaves, but essentially he setting up the grids, you know, weighing the pros and cons of the uh different positions that athletes, races, sponsors are all playing.
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:10.000
Fantastic.
00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:10.480
Okay.
00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:13.280
I'll give you my content of the week too.
00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:23.599
And uh as I was preparing for this interview with Joe McConaughey, I went down the rabbit hole of trip reports from past JMT FKT holders.
00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:24.239
Oh, I know.
00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:30.639
Brett Mounty, Lior Pantalot, uh Mike Wolfe, and Hal Kerner when they did it together.
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:33.199
There's a great Iron Far article there about it.
00:34:33.679 --> 00:34:39.440
Other legends are less uh uh what's the word, uh descriptive of their experiences.
00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:44.800
Like if you go and try to find writing on Sue Johnston's, which at the time was a landmark performance.
00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:47.360
I mean, she said the overall time, regardless of gender.
00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:49.280
I think it's like one sentence.
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:52.639
That maybe that is characteristic of how she wants to represent herself online.
00:34:52.960 --> 00:35:07.519
But I this might take two minutes to read, but I want to read this excerpt from Brett Mountie's 2009 report to you in the audience, because I think it's it's inspirational in how we think of limits in what's possible.
00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:12.320
So he says, quote, and this could take two minutes, so just bear with me.
00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:13.920
Records are interesting things.
00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:22.880
On the one hand, they provide a common framework upon which people focus their time and energy to surpass all previous efforts for some arbitrary athletic achievement.
00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:27.199
They challenge, inspire, and at times completely mesmerize us.
00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:29.920
On the other hand, records can smother us.
00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:32.719
They can limit ambition and impede progress.
00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:34.639
People can be blinded by records.
00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:38.800
They may improperly assume the existing record is near what is humanly possible.
00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:41.599
After all, how could it be the record if it were not?
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:48.719
In seeking to break records, people often probably strive to simply surpass the existing one by a conservative amount.
00:35:48.880 --> 00:35:52.320
The tendency to do so is completely rational and understandable.
00:35:52.480 --> 00:36:01.599
Attempting to break these records consumes enormous time and energy, and people naturally want to maximize the probability of success and minimize suffering along the way.
00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:09.440
Once a record exceeds a certain level of difficulty, one can understand that doing the least to surpass the existing record becomes the default strategy.
00:36:09.599 --> 00:36:13.199
Follow the previous guy or girl's timesheet, but do a little bit better.
00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.639
I simply didn't do that.
00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:23.440
Even after the blow up on the first attempt, I could not bring myself to employ a conservative strategy and risked everything to feel satisfied with my effort at the end.
00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:29.119
I became interested, some would say obsessed with the record when I learned it was more than three days.
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:32.639
I felt that the JMT could be hiked unsupported in less than three days.
00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:34.960
After my run, I know this to be true.
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:40.000
My run was far from perfect, and I lost significant time due to avoidable circumstances.
00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:44.480
My time can be crushed, which has obvious implications for the supported record.
00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:48.719
Doing a quick survey of the records on the other trails, I would argue the same for those.
00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:52.719
All current records can be crushed and many totally annihilated.
00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:55.679
Throw away the other person's timesheet.
00:36:55.920 --> 00:36:56.800
End quote.
00:36:58.960 --> 00:36:59.599
Wow.
00:37:00.800 --> 00:37:12.960
There's so no, there's just so many parts that I appreciate and agree with that you are only just going to beat a record if that's what you think you're going to do.
00:37:13.199 --> 00:37:25.599
I so applaud, I think that it was actually Carl Sabe who was the first person to really introduce me to that concept where he went, I think I can do this, and it had nothing to do with the previous record.
00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:28.320
It was just what he believed he was capable of.
00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:32.800
And I think that's why we're seeing such enormous strides in ultra running.
00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:36.559
I mean, Ben Diemon calling a shot at UTMB, Rachel at Coca-Dona.
00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:43.280
It's like if you shoot for just accomplishing something, you will most likely just accomplish it.
00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:48.079
But if you shoot for this is what I think I'm capable of, holy smokes.
00:37:51.199 --> 00:37:52.719
Alyssa, great as always.
00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:56.719
Thanks for the time and uh look forward to next week's news.
00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:58.079
Sounds great.
00:37:58.320 --> 00:37:58.800
Thanks, Finn.
