Weekly Rundown August 26, 2020

August 26, 2020

Weekly Rundown August 26, 2020

Weekly Rundown for August 26, 2020

For me last week I had the honor of supporting friend and amazing athlete and individual Sarah Keyes as she went after the ADK 46r FKT, in virtual head to head fashion with Alyssa Godesky. These two individuals, and their core crews are nothing short of incredible. You have to earn every mile in the Adirondacks, and to be with Sarah for just a sliver was an honor. It was a phenomenal effort in every regard. Both finished what they set out to cover in ground and peaks. Alyssa ended up with the win in 3d 16h, the second fastest time ever for a supported effort. Ellie was on a follow up video interview with Alyssa today. Stay tuned for that.

In some media MassUltra linked a nice story on an individual they highlighted earlier in the COVID cycle, Lori Mitchner. Lori’s back at it again, part of a team covering the 900 mile trek over 36 hours to raise money for the first responders battling PTSD. Check it out: https://whdh.com/news/local-woman-going-the-distance-to-raise-money-for-first-responders-struggling-with-ptsd

VHTRC: looking for signups for a mid-September work party on the Massanutten Trails: https://new.vhtrc.org/work

Pickle Juice. That’s right. Something I started putting out on my courses a decade or so ago after I learned about the cramp mitigating properties. Someone on the VHTRC thread posted a link to Pickle Juice Ice Pops. Now while I’m not a personal fan of Pickles, I respect the benefits of their electrolyte goodness. So, I reached out the company who in turn created a short YouTube ad which I’m going to share here. They also asked if I new any distributors in this territory. Anyone out there fit that bill? https://vanholtenpickles.com/pickle-ice/

Events Last Weekend:

August 20th
1. Rotary Trails 2 Ales 5k in Bedford, NH. 41 finishers in the 5k with Caleb Hagner and Kara Haas taking the 5k wins. https://www.rotarytrails2ales.com/
August 22nd
1. Hyner Half 14 miler in North Bend, PA
  1. 195 entrants, no results yet uploaded or FB discussion: 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. Of 67 entrants, the Half Marathon win went to John MIhalek in 1:21, and Ashley Wilson in 1:50. Of 86 in the 10k the win went to Christopher Vinciguerra in 50:49 and Emily Maddow in 53:07. https://aceraft.com/event/new-river-gorgeous-trail-run/
3. Hell Hath No Hurry 10K, 30k, 50k, 50m in Cayuga Grove – Settlers Cabin Park, Pittsburgh, PA. Limited results and for virtual only so far posted.
  1. https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Carnegie/HellHathNoHurry

FKT Front

CT:

Scott Livingston 11h 19m for a baseline men’s unsupported mark on the 50 mile Shenipsit Trail

DE / MD / PA:

Eduardo Pantoja just set an Unsupported mark of somewhere north of 70 hours for the 199 mile long Mason Dixon Trail. That’s pretty wild in unsupported fashion. Dude, look at his pasty beat down feet. That’s pretty awesome. We’ll see if we can connect with him for an interview.

MA:

Justin Kousky, for his 18th FKT of the year, 3h 30m on the Cape Cod National Seashore Traverse, and, doubling back for his 19th FKT of the year, or in the year 2020 PC (or, Post-Covid) 1h 40m on the 12 mile deadpan flat but scenic looking Nauset Beach to Chatham Harbor Loop, shaving 16 minutes off of Stephen Kerr’s time from last week

Iain Ridgway, 6h 25m for the Tour du Greylock, setting an unsupported mark on this 28.4 mile loop which carries 7,500 foot of gain, established by Jay Durand only a couple weeks back.

ME:

Neil Clauson, 4h 7m for the 16.5 mile Bigelow Range Traverse. Gaining 6,850’, and the route referencing being called by Backpacker Magazine one of “America’s Hardest Dayhikes”. Sounds like pretty unforgiving trail. Neil bested the prior FKT from 2016 by just over 2 minutes. Eesh…that’s cutting it pretty close!

MD:

Adrian Spencer, 4h 26m for the 27.5m Catoctin National Scenic Trail

NH:

Ben Thompson, 39m on the WElch and Dickey Loop

Nina Silitch, 3h 14 m on the 18km Cardigan Mtn State Park Loop

Lucy Skinner, on the same day (were they racing?) lowered that mark by 51 minutes to 2h 23m on the Cardigan Mtn State Park Loop

Britta Clark, a incredible athlete who’s won or podiumed most races she’s entered, hammered out a 6h 31m on the iconic 28.7 mile Pemi Loop. This time is pretty phenomenal, besting the men’s fastest times through 2011, and 28 minutes under Jess Marion’s time from 2019. Hopefully we can connect with Britta for an interview. Stay tuned.

NY:

Kelly MacDonald 2h 24m on the Anthony’s Nose

Kelly MacDonald, only a day later, sending the Storm King Round in 4h 23m for a baseline women’s unsupported mark, gaining 4500 feet over 12 miles

Dan Timmerman, a good friend, former pro cyclocross rider, and who would be a phenomenal podium ultra trail runner if he could stay consistent and uninjured, lowered the Interloken men’s mark to 2:48. I’ll spend some time with Dan in the near future in interview fashion plugging his pretty incredible hand and homemade brand Timmermade. Stay tuned for that.

PA:

Stephen Mick, 9h 35m for the roughly 50km Gerard Hiking Trail which covers that used by Oil Creek Ultras

Desiree Dickerson, 5h 24m for the 50 km Ghost Town Trail. This one, situated between Johnston and Indiana, PA, sounds intriguing as I have an affinity towards Ruins Porn…taking long drives while I lived in Oregon just to check out old western ghost towns. This route purports to pass by several old coal mining towns long abandoned.

Events Coming Up:

August 29

Baker Trail Ultra Challenge, Brookville, PA: Reg closed August 16, 41 solo, 2 teams

(Virtual) Race to the Top of Vermont, Stowe, VT, 4.3, biggest fundraiser to benefit the Catamount Trail Association and support backcountry skiing in Vermont. Run up as much Vertical as you can between August 29 and August 30, to rack up entries for prizes.

August 30

Burke Lake 5k / 10k, in Burke Lake Park, VA to benefit the ARC of Northern Virginia, https://bishopsevents.com/event/2020-burke-lake-5k-10k/

September 3

(Virtual) 5k Trail Run for Thorncroft, Malvern, PA, 5.0, https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Malvern/5kTrailRunforThorncroft

September 5

Last Man Standing, New Gloucester, ME, 4.2 loop, they expect it to fill pretty soon given a 100 person COVID cap: https://www.back40events.com/lastmanstanding

Dandelion Trail Run, Mifflinburg, PA, 5.0 / 10.0, a run in memory of the late Rev. Glenn Heasley whose favorite flower was the dandelion. https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Mifflinburg/DandelionRun5k10kTrailRace

Black Bear Half Marathon, Waterville Valley, NH, 1.0 / 5.0 / 13.1, open to 100 participants in each event, and with a virtual option: https://www.freshtracksracing.com/black-bear.html#

Salt Springs Field, Forest & Falls Trail Race, Montrose, PA, 5.0 / 10.0: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Montrose/SaltSpringsTrailRace

September 12

(a pretty solid day on the trail calendar with a few really fun and inspiring options)

Water Gap Trail Runs, Milford, PA, 25k / 50k, http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=72855

Breakneck Point Trail Runs, Beacon, NY, 13.1 / 26.2: http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=71766

Rock ‘N The Knob Trail Races at Blue Knob, Claysburg, PA, 10k / 13.1 / 26.2, “PA’s highest trail race” and “most challenging 10k in PA”, 55 spots remaining

Sasquatch Preservation Trail Run, Seven Valleys, PA, 5.0 / 10.0, named one of Runner’s World’s Top American Trail Races in 2012. I was curious about that distinction, so I looked it up. Gotta qualify the award as the Best Sasquatch Run category. Congrats to them nonetheless though!: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/SevenValleys/SasquatchPreservationTrailRun510K

Pine Creek Challenge, Wellsboro, PA, 26.2 / 50.0 / 100.0. Crosses through the beautiful Grand Canyon of PA along the scenic Pink Creek. An out-back rail-trail format, great for beginners or anyone looking for significant pain cave time in going for a fast time. Registration closes August 30th. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=74639

Boulder Field 100, Jim Thorpe, PA, 18.0 / 50.0 / 100.0. Burly photo of the boulder field, and with 4k gain over 50k loop is solid, but not as technical or tough as some other PA races. They had to reduce their field size to 250 entrants and both entrant list and waitlists are both full. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=73413

Mahoosuc Ridge to the River Challenge, Bethel, ME, 10.0 / 13.1 / 26.2: One which was on my radar if I hadn’t had to push back Breakneck Point, offers a 10k, Half, and Marathon, with the half marathon offering over 3,700 feet of vert, and the marathon at 7,400’ of gain, and covering nearly the entire ridgeline of Sunday River. https://www.ridge2river.me/

Odyssey Trail Running Rampage, Douthat State Park, VA, 6.0 / 13.1 / 26.2 / 40.0, “Racers will run along creeks with waterfalls and through Rhododendron covered tunnels engulfing the trails. A loop will have a total elevation gain of 2700’ over 13 miles, the majority of which will be gained in the first four miles.”. Looks like reg is either capped or closed. On the radar for 2021: https://raceroster.com/events/2020/26661/2020-odyssey-trail-running-rampage-presented-by-the-county-of-bath

VHTRC Women’s Half Marathon Trail Run, Fairfax, VA, 13.1

Tunxis Trail UltraMarathon, Burlington, CT, 8.0 / 30.0 / 60.0, still on to benefit the Burlington Land Trust and with solid COVID modifications: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=74600

Breaks UltraMarathon 45M Trail Run, Breaks, VA, 45 (https://nextopportunityevents.com/breaks): Another burley one with 12,000 feet of gain over 45 miles, and a course that sounds beautiful. “The Grand Canyon Of The South” is the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi River and reaches craggy depths of over 1,600′. The Breaks Ultra trail race is an extreme challenge for any runner. Starting and finishing within Breaks Interstate Park in Virginia, the race takes runners back and forth across the Kentucky-Virginia border and up and over the ruggedly tough Pine Mountain numerous times. Your breath will be taken away by the beauty of the scenery and the extreme challenge of the terrain at the same time. Currently 177 registrants with reg still open at: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=71982:

FAAP Fall Classic 5K, Allison Park, PA, 5.0 / 10.0 / 20.0: http://faap5krace.yolasite.com/register-and-pay-online-here.php

September 13

Brad’s Bruiser, Pownal, ME, 12.0 – unclear if this one is running this year?

Macedonia Trail Race, Kent, CT, 7.3 / 25 / 50, Join me in running this one. “With its unparalleled singletrack and lush forest trails, challenging climbs/descents and two amazing viewpoints on course, the race offers trail runners a one of kind experience in the northwest part of Connecticut”, https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=75945

Where the Pavement Ends – a 4.25 mile hybrid – virtual event where you still run a designated course but within a larger window: https://runsignup.com/Race/CT/Ridgefield/WherethePavementEnds

Athletic Brewing:

Introductory discount code “TRAILSCOLLECTIVE” to use for 10% off their first order at checkout on our online store: https://athleticbrewing.com/, https://athleticbrewing.com/collections/beer