Trails Collective

Weekly Rundown August 12, 2020

https://youtu.be/V5jOdlwwDmk

Just coming through the shop door this morning, two models which I’m really excited to check out, both from Salomon. The first, a pretty wild niche and small production shoe which is the S/Lab Cross, looking more like a design for special forces ninjas who happen to want to jump in a gnarly muddy trail race. It has an integrated speedlace on a hydrophobic kevlar mesh upper, has a built in breathable gaiter, and at 13mm / 9mm stack heights, has a low profile 4mm drop set on on top of a tacky Contragrip TA outsole modeled on Gecco feet. And, at only 8.11 oz, it’s a pretty slick package. Ya get all that? 

The other, the Wildcross. The Wildcross I have high hopes for. It enters the same functional space as the Speedcross, but (much to Aaron Stredny’s potential dismay) it has a slightly wider midfoot gauge and toebox. It has stack heights of 29.5 and 21.5 for a drop of 8mm, lower and I think more appropriate, and with outsole lugs that are broader and more spaced than the Speedcross. It’s also an ounce lighter, weighing in at 10.2 oz in men, and 8.8 in women. It also bears a new upper wrap. 

Results from this past weekend:

Naylor Mill by Trent Swanson – saw 96 finishers with 16 y.o. Tim Synowiec of Salisbury MD taking the win in 30:55, well ahead of second place and first geezer Gabriel Matyiko in 38:00. “We required masks until they got to the stop and on their “x”. We had the bibs sent by mail, sent them masks as well and required runners to get a temperature check before starting.” Top female spot went to Maria Miller from Tyaskin, MD in 38:10. If Trent’s able to send through some higher resolution video footage from the weekend, we’ll roll it in. 

Luna Run 5k

Was a virtual event for this year as well. Not seeing results but will share including media if we’re able to get some in. 

Husky Ruck 10k

“On Saturday, August 8th, 2020, members of the Southern Maine community will be invited to participate and/or compete in a 10k military ruck through the trails of Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, ME to honor Cpl Mark Goyet of Westbrook, ME who died on June 28, 2011 after his unit came under attack by small arms fire in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During this event, participants will strap weighted packs to their backs and ruck 10 (plus) kilometers over wide backcountry trails before confronting a rigorous O-Course which will challenge both mind and body.“

Mighty Mosquito 99 mile

Looked like a tough one out there with 12 seeing it through to the finish, 27 DNF, and 4 DNS’s. Phil Nesbitt from Caledonia, NY took the win in 19:55…not too shabby for a 99 mile day. Veronica Leeds was first female across the finish in 23:44, also moving along. 

In what would have been Eastern States weekend, the Eastern States 9 set out in Fatass fashion:

6 Got out after it but came up short of the finish: Misty Trowbridge, Daniel Barney, Samantha Hurlburtt, Teresa Barnes, Brandon Mentzer, and Shannon Bragdon-Cowan.

3 made it through for the finish: Don Nissley, Adam Kolb (This is Adam’s 3rd Eastern Finish, these last two being in Fatass fashion. That’s pretty solid), and Seamus Nugent (who I think took the “win” on the day)

On the FKT Front: 

Some big efforts which weren’t in the cards this round: 

Two tough women going after the Long Trail, Aliza Lapierre (Supported) and Alicia Hudelson (Unsupported), and Eli Burakian the unsupported New Hampshire 4000 footers. 

For those who succeeded:

1. CT:
   1. Aiden Toth, 46m 50s for Ragged Mtn, shaving 2 minutes off of Stefan Rodriguez’ time from only two weeks ago.
2. MA:
   1. Jay Durand, 7:45 for the Tour du Greylock, a 28.4 mile circumnavigation of Mt. Greylock, gaining 7,500 ft en route
   2. Colleen Chase 7h 27m for a baseline female supported time on the Robert Frost Trail. Comparing her time to other prior marks, she was flying.
   3. John-Henry Forster 5h 20m for the Cape Code National Seashore Traverse
3. ME:
   1. Thomas Harvey 1h 18m for the West Side Trail, taking 28 minutes off of Ryan Moody’s unsupported baseline set on August 1st.
4. NH:
   1. Samantha LeBlanc 5h 54m for the Moat Mountain Traverse Supported Out & Back
      1. Info on the 9 mile route with 3180’ of gain is another where through this I’m learning of beautiful trail sections which would make awesome destination runs. Further aiding in that venture is that each of the routes on the FKT site have the GPX tracks for download. For this one:
         1. This traverse over North, Middle, and South Moat Mountains in the shadow of the Presidential Range is a great option for when things are still frozen up on high, and this trail is runnable many more weeks of the year. The northern terminus is at Diana’s baths, quite the fine swimming hole. Topographically, it is basically right on the ridge for the entire 9.5 miles. Much of the terrain is that rare, perfect combination of fast technical running, although there are some greasy slabs that could send you straight down to Conway if one does not display at least some caution. There are extended exposed sections for views of the higher surrounding peaks, and while never getting above 3200′, you accumulate about 7k of vertical on the double traverse.
5. NY:
   1. Shawn Bubany, 3:03 for the Catskill Scenic Trail, a 25.7 mile rail trail
   2. Michelle Merlis 3:25 for the Peekamoose and Table Summits, two of the highest peaks in the Catskills, a 13.8 mile FKT route with 4,800’ of gain established by Ben Nephew. Michelle shaved 16 minutes off of Kelly MacDonald’s baseline women’s unsupported mark from end of June
   3. Bill Hoffman and Jake Stookey 21h 31m for the Lake George 12ster
6. PA:
   1. Barry Main 2h 16m for the Cumberland Valley section of the AT
   2. AJ Palmer 5h 23m for the Enola Low Grade Trail, a 30 mile point to point rail trail effort running from Lancaster into Chester County which, although I’ve never run it, was in my relative backyard growing up. 
   3. Reagan McCoy 8h 21m for the Allegheny Front Trail, circumnavigating the Black Moshannon State Park northwest of State College
7. VT:
   1. Dylan Broderick, 6h 7m for the Monroe Skyline Gap-to-Gap-to-Gap, another beautiful and iconic route, 20.7 miles with 5,800’, and traversing one of VT’s most prominent ridgelines, this mark lowering the women’s unsupported time established in June. 

Facebook boards:

VHTRC and Ryan Thorpe on East Coast Trail and Ultra Facebook sites: 

1. “Researchers created a test to determine which masks are the least effective”
   1. A team of Duke University Researchers created a laser box to measure the effectiveness of various mask types in reducing spread of droplets. Takeaway: N95’s or multi-layers best, single layer buffs maybe make it worse by breaking up droplets into smaller particles. Great, good thing we just ordered 200 more buffs. 
   2. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article244850927.html

MassUltra

1. Mass Ultra plugged two Massachusetts runners who run the Tushar’s Ultras in Utah, one of which finished with a top 10: Jeremy Scanlan of Worcester, Mass . Both are working towards Run Rabbit Run 100 in September. 

Shan Riggs

1. With the hashtag #ShanRunsAcrossAmerica, CT trail and ultra runner Shan Riggs announced end of last week his plan to run from San Francisco to the Connecticut coast starting September 1st. The target for the 3,100 mile journey, with 200,000 feet of gain, is to cover between 25 and 50 / day for a 3 – 4 month finish. Shan said the run is a dream of a lifetime, but more importantly will be used as a fundraiser for Foodshare, which helps get food to the food insecure, something extremely important right now. More info coming soon, and, in the interim, check out his route, and plug him into anyone in your network, particularly in the lead of states of CA, NV, and UT. 

Events in August:

Actual / In Person / Non-Virtual

1. August 15th
   1. MD Heat Race, 25k and 50k in Elkridge, MD in Patapsco Park. Start anywhere on course, limited and informal aid.
      1. Currently 30 in the 50k, 63 in the 25k
      2. Registration open until tomorrow, the 13th: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=78216
   2. Interstate 17 Mile Trail Run in Closter, NJ. A looping course using the beautiful Palisades Interstate Park Trail system along the Hudson River west of NYC, the course provides an elevation change of 6,500 feet over 17 miles, river and waterfall views, some steep ascents and descents. 
      1. Registration open until Thursday the 14th: https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Closter/Interstate17TrailRun
2. August 20th
   1. Rotary Trails 2 Ales 5k in Bedford, NH. Designated course that you run at a designated start window. Time yourself to submit. Still grab some ales post race
      1. Race uses a company doing JumboTron banners for the finish. Provide the photo you want up there, and I guess it’ll display that. 
         1. Joe Messer story time on display?
      2. https://www.rotarytrails2ales.com/
3. August 22nd
   1. Hyner Half 14 miler in North Bend, PA
      1. Registration closed out on August 8th with 193 entrants: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=70797
   2. New River Gorgeous Trail Run Half Marathon and 10k Run at the ACE Adventure Resort in Minden, WV. Looks like a pretty slick adventure resort, unsure of activity modifications and restrictions for this year. 
      1. Registration open through August 18th at https://aceraft.com/event/new-river-gorgeous-trail-run/
   3. Hell Hath No Hurry 10k in Cayuga Grove – Settlers Cabin Park, Pittsburgh, PA
      1. Considerable COVID considerations and modifications, with info found at https://www.hellhathnohurry.org/
      2. Only 8 spots remain for the 10k, get on it now at: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Carnegie/HellHathNoHurry
4. August 23rd:
   1. Trail Run in Safe Harbor, 4 – 8 – 12 mile trail runs in Lancaster County, PA
      1. Registration open at https://shop.newhollandbicyclerace.com/main.sc though looks distrustfully dated and kinda cryptic
5. August 29th:
   1. Baker Trail Ultra Challenge, a 50 miler and relay in Brookville, PA. With each year covering a third of the Baker Trail, this year, covering the North section. 
   2. Registration open until this Sunday, August 16th at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=70805 with 44 entrants and 2 teams currently in the mix

Virtual In August

1. Cook Forest 25k Trail Challenge in PA: Virtual, run between July 1 – August 31, Reg closes Aug 31
   1. Currently 294 entrants in the mix
   2. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=70729
2. KC Trust Trail Fest
   1. Entrants can run or walk the KCT 5k, 10K or HM marked courses anytime during the month of August and submit results for the result and schwag
   2. https://www.kporttrust.org/about-trust-trail-fest

Postponed: 

1. Test the Watters 5k, 10k, 25k, 50k, postponed from August 22nd to November 7th in Lost Creek, WV. As my intended WV race for this year was canceled I just registered for this 50k. Anyone want to plan on joining me in what looks like a pretty beautiful historic park and flowy WV trails?
   1. Per COVID, total numbers will be capped, and registration for the inaugural 25k / 50k closed down this Saturday, August 15th: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=72798

Canceled:

Forge the Gorges, Wanakee Wilderness 5k, Whiteface Sky Races, Dam Good Trail Race, Bunker Hill Trail Races, Charm City Run 5k at Boordy Vineyards, Wildcard Downhill Mile, Twisted Branch 100k, Lost Cat 50k, Valley Nature Run, guessing Chase the Chicken 3k as it’s County Fair embedded (I think?), Hammond Hill Relays