Friday 11th December sees the running of the 2009 Coast to Kosciuszko Ultramarathon. Very quickly it is becoming Australia’s premier ultra race and will develop more in the next couple of years. This year’s race looks like being another battle between top runners, Tim Cochrane and Jo Blake.

Link

–
Dr Rajat Chauhan

Primary Catalyst – Back 2 Fitness (www.b2f.co.in)

GETTING serious about a sport can mean doing the previously unthinkable. Swimmers shave their bodies sleek. Cyclists take blood-boosters. And ultramarathoners have their battered toenails surgically removed — for good.

Toenail removal is not for the faint of heart, but it can be a big relief to people who compete in 50- or 100-mile races. Even the most hardened ultramarathoners, for whom 26.2 miles is a warm-up, can be distressed by bleeding under a nail or a loose nail that bangs repeatedly against the front of a shoe.

“From my experience, it’s the hard-cores” who choose to go without toenails, said Dr. Paul R. Langer, a Minneapolis podiatrist who has been on the medical team for a 250-kilometer 7-day race through the Gobi Desert. “Even within the ultra community, less than 10 percent or maybe even 5 percent are permanently removing their toenails.”

Full article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22FITNESS.html

coburg2010_eform

Hello everyone

We are pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2010 Coburg
24 Hour Carnival. As usual, we have two dates

Sunday 7 March 2010, 8AM, Coburg 6 Hour Championships
17-18 April 2010, 10AM, Coburg 24 Hour Events

The Coburg 24 Hour events include

- The Victorian 24 Hour Track Championship
- The Australian Centurions 24 Hour Walk

Like last year, we will allocate runners to lanes 1-2 and walkers to
lanes 3-4. This worked well in 2009 and we have decided to continue with
it again.

A reminder that our events are restricted to a maximum field size of 45
concurrent competitors and we always fill. Hence you should not leave
your entry too late. Once the maximum field size is reached, we will
implement a queue with a first come first served basis.

Note that we do not hold places. This is not fair to those who follow
proper procedures. The only way to ensure a place is to make sure you
enter early.

If, after entry, you have to withdraw for any reason (up to the entry
closure date), we will fully refund your entry fee if we are able to
give your place to anyone on the waiting list.

I enclose an entry form for your review and I look forward to seeing
many of our old friends back at Coburg in 2010.

Kind regards

Tim

–
Tim Erickson
Coburg 24 Hour Organizing Committee
03 9012 5431
0412 257 496
terick@melbpc.org.au

Submitted by Tony Mangan.

After last years ‘ disaster ‘ in the Ultracentric 24 and 48 hour races, USA ultra running have switched their selection trial for the World 24 hour Championships to Cleveland this weekend.
http://www.northcoast24.org

“As one of the people who is helping to plan this event, I can say that the course and the race organization are as good as they can be. I am very much looking forward to running it.”
- Connie Gardner, accomplished ultrarunner and member of the U.S. National 24-Hour and 100k teams.

“I am looking forward to running a flat and fast course where the real possibility exists of setting PRs and breaking records.  This will be a first-class race and I encourage all out-of-towners and Clevelanders to sign up.”
- Debra Horn,
three-time member of the U.S. National 24-Hour Team and Silver-Medalist at the 2009 24-Hour World Challenge

The World Championships will be held May 13-14, 2010 in Brive, France.

http://www.northcoast24.org

http://altitudeultrarunner.blogspot.com/

Donaldson named Athlete of the Week
09-30-2009

INDIANAPOLIS – Jamie Donaldson (Littleton, Colo.) has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting an American record in the women’s 200,000 meters over the weekend at the 28th Annual Ottawa International 24 Hour Self-Transcendence Race and Masters’ 24 Hour Championship in Canada.

The fifth-place finisher at the 2008 24 Hr World Championships, Donaldson destroyed the 18-year old American record by completing 200,000m on the track in 21 hours 1 minute 28 seconds en route to running 214.487 km in 24 hours. The previous record of 21:08:47 was set by Sue Ellen Trapp in 1991. As the overall winner, Donaldson ended her 24 hour run in dominating fashion, as her next closest competitor, runner-up Andrew McLean of Ontario, ran 202.943 km.
Now in its eighth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

New ultra to put on your calendars: St. Croix Scenic 50 in the US Virgin Islands
50 MILE ULTRA
What better way to see this gem of the Caribbean than to run over a good portion of its rugged mountains and along its stunning shoreline? The course promises to be as challenging as it is beautiful. Historic sugar mills and two centuries old forts lie along this spectacular course. On clear days you can see 40 miles north to St. Thomas, St. John and the BVI’s. The St. Croix Ironman 70.3 has earned a reputation because of the Beast, and this course runs the whole spine of the Beast. It’s hot, even in January, so be prepared if you want to take on the St. Croix Scenic 50. Go to the race page at http://www.stcroix50.com – Hope to see you there!

Submitted by Cherie from New York.

Here is her full blog

Iroquois Trail 50 Miler

The Iroquois Trail 50 Miler on Saturday was full of ups and downs, and a little bit in between – I’m talking more about my state than the hills, though it was pretty much the same for the terrain.

The morning started off chilly – I wore a long sleeved shirt, gloves, and running skirt at the start. I immediately began having challenges with my fuel belt — apparently, I had lost weight since the VT100 and the stupid belt wouldn’t tighten enough so it jostled for the next 50 miles, which was rather annoying. I started the race out full of energy and excited to spend the day running 50 miles. My goal was to PR in a 50, to run sub 11:00, ideally 10:30, but I wasn’t sure how difficult the course would be.

Overall, I liked the course. Ups, downs, outs, backs. Nothing too crazy, nothing too insane. My major problem with the course is that it was not always well-marked; I had to stop several times to try to figure out where to go next, and even lost about 10 minutes when I ran in the wrong direction after a poorly-marked switchback.

Around mile 10, I had some “female trouble” and ended up wasting 5 minutes in a stupid portapotty. I took off quickly, only to encounter the shoelaces from hell. (Why were my shoelaces fine on various trail runs, including a 10 hour training run, but I run a race and they can’t seem to stay in a knot?) After retying them ten times (I counted), I asked an aid station for help and they duct taped them shut. The volunteers were fabulous (as they often are).

Due to my shoelace issues, I ended up losing the group I was running with so I was alone, which wasn’t so bad. Plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, chat with new people, think. I’m going through some pretty strong changes and rethinking, and this was a great to do so. I found I zoned out a bunch of times, moving my feet while passing the trees, up and down, really enjoying the day.

A while back, my friend Brad said the reason he liked ultrarunning was “because you get the highest of highs and lowest of lows.” I truly felt that; I had insanely high runner’s high, and completely bottomed out at other points. Ultrarunning is SO intense.

I was feeling hopeful about the race as I plugged along, and at mile 41, I ended up going the wrong way around a switchback, and running back in the direction I came. (Where to go after the switchback was not marked well and I went in a circle before going back on the same trail – I was not aware of it.) When a fellow runner informed me of this, I told him it was impossible, then sat on the ground about to cry. I got up and was really angry and he kept laughing.

“Don’t laugh, it’s not funny!”

“I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you.”

“I’m not laughing at all! I’m crying!”

“What do you need? Food? Water? Have you been eating and drinking enough?”

This is what I love about ultrarunning; I bite someone’s head off and they offer to help. Later, I thoroughly apologized but part of why I was so desperate to get to the aid station was that I inadvertently didn’t take all of my endurolytes and was severely electrolyte-deficient (and felt it). When Leo heard of my predicament, he immediately gave me three from his stash, which helped perk me up. We ran together the next five miles or so, and he really helped me. Not only that, but he was fascinating; we talked about Beat writers, fiction writers, love, life, philosophy, and more. He was a really amazing individual.

I started crashing a bit, and let Leo go ahead of me. To sustain myself, I ate more peanut M&Ms and pretzels, and sang Madonna songs in my head.

From mile 47-49.7 (or something like that), it’s all insanely downhill. Insanely. I pushed it hard, and was pleased (though my quads are still hating me).

I finished with a huge smile on my face, but almost about to cry. I knew how hard I had persevered, struggled — with shoelaces untying and portapotties and getting lost and not enough electrolytes and falling straight on my butt — but I still did it. Sustained by strawberry banana gu, pretzels and peanut M&Ms, I pushed myself – and felt rewarded. (I also rewarded myself later with an amazing meal at nearby Moosewood Restaurant!)

Next up is the Dick Collins 50 Miler! I can’t wait!

For all the 2010 Sparthathlon results for 2010 go to:

http://www.spartathlon.gr/resultsfinishers.php

Lumberjack Endurance Runs April 2010

Hello all-
Lumberjack Endurance Runs website http://www.rootsrockrun.com/
online registration will be available soon!

Thanks
Debbee Straub