Ultra Wake-Up Call

It was in Milwaukee area, not Madison.

Wake up! Killian Jornet just beat Sage Canaday at the RUT 50k by over 10min which also makes him the overall Skyrunning Series champion. KJ also won the vertical kilometer race yesterday at the same venue. Being fast on the roads is not the same as being fast in the mountains.

did he break Zach Bitter's CR?

Race was held on Ice Age Trail located 60 miles southeast of Madison in Kettle Moraine State Park.

Wasn't implying that top road marathoners could compete on a mountain course with top ultra mountain guys. My point is there are a lot of marathon runners who are capable of making many of the current self-promoting top ultra guys look average.

I'm not following you. If they can't compete with the top ultra mountain guys in a mountain ultra then how are they going to make them look average?Plenty of fast road runners have given ultras a shot. Some have succeeded and some failed pretty terribly. The same way being fast on a track doesn't guarantee a fast marathon.

TinMan36 wrote:

Race was held on Ice Age Trail located 60 miles southeast of Madison in Kettle Moraine State Park.

Wasn't implying that top road marathoners could compete on a mountain course with top ultra mountain guys. My point is there are a lot of marathon runners who are capable of making many of the current self-promoting top ultra guys look average.

I think there's a difference though in the terrain of ultras and the "runnability"- roads and not the overly tough trail ultras are bound to be dominated by the fast roadies, but the rocky "hiking" ultras could be dominated by guys like Kilian who have dedicated their lives to slithering over rocks and down mountains.

Isn't Ice Age a runnable course?

I believe Bitter ran the race twice... 6:02 and 6:08 respectively. I also believe Matt Flaherty had the course record of 5:59 before Sigl broke it last year. Sigl is registered for next month's Fall 50 USATF National Championship. Bitter ran 5:26 a few years back. Sigl could go sub 5:00 if he's rested and runs all out. Sigl simply is in a different class.

Look at a map moron. Just NW of Milwaukee...

Runable course, yes, but obviously much more challenging than a road course.

Races Homepage: An ideal course layout for elite speedsters and those taking their first strides in the world of ultra trail running, The Endurance Challenge Wisconsin course is run-able from start to finish, provided that you’ve trained properly. A large portion of the course takes place on the renowned Ice Age Trail located 60 miles southeast of Madison in the southern reaches of the picturesque Kettle Moraine State Park.

Races Web Address:

http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/endurance-challenge/madison-wi/?stop_mobi=yes

Technically not in Madison, but not in Milwaukee either. You obviously are not from Wisconsin or you would know the race is called North Face - Madison.

The reason ultra runners don't get the love on letsrun is because so many (not all) are self-indulgence. Even the fast ultra guys would not win most marathons so they increase the distance raced and find far less competition, have self-promoting websites, boast about the high mileage they run, provide over-the-top race reports, etc. Since the internet and social media is obviously hear to stay, it will likely get worse before it gets better.

You are talking out your as$.

TinMan36 wrote:

Former D3 champ, Tyler Sigl, ran 5:27 on a challenging trail course at the Madison North Face 50 today. I believe it was only his second ultra race, the other being a 5:38 he ran at the same race last year. Serves as another humbling wake-up call to the narcissistic, self-promoting, miles posting, product pimping "elite" ultra specialists. Tyler's performance is another great example of how fast marathons do often equate to fast ultras, and as more sub 2:20 marathon guys start running ultras, more of the current "soft" ultra records will continue to fall.

You don't think many ultra runners are full of themselves or that many of the current ultra records are soft? I'm going to have to side with TinMan on this one.

What really only matters and counts is what has been done, not specuaation of what could be done.Saying ultra guys go up in distance because they can't win marathons is as jack as$ed as saying Wilson Kopsang is a pu$sy because he runs marathons and not the 1500 because he is too slow.

Addict in Carolina wrote:

You don't think many ultra runners are full of themselves or that many of the current ultra records are soft? I'm going to have to side with TinMan on this one.

My original post didn't say anything about why ultra runners choose to run ultras. Some may find greater success running ultras due to smaller numbers, but many obviously run for pure challenge and/or enjoyment of running greater distances. Just wanted to make mention of Tyler's performance for the ultra runners who win a few races, even may set a few records, and then self-promote and pimp product like they are some rare oddity to the sport. Increase the prize money, get more sub 2:20 guys running ultras, and many self-promoters will look average in a hurry.

TinMan36 wrote:

Just wanted to make mention of Tyler's performance for the ultra runners who win a few races, even may set a few records, and then self-promote and pimp product like they are some rare oddity to the sport.

Unless you are willing to provide examples of specific individuals this statement is meaningless. It seems to me that guys that move up from a track or road background are just as willing to self-promote as everyone else. (I'm not talking about Dean K who is definitely not typical).

And most of the top guys (there are exceptions) now had at least some experience running in college at some level.

You presume they fine success because of smaller numbers of runners but you can't give them credit for finding success because maybe this is their distance as opposed to marathons. You are trying to cover your insults but it is very transparent.

TinMan36 wrote:

My original post didn't say anything about why ultra runners choose to run ultras. Some may find greater success running ultras due to smaller numbers, but many obviously run for pure challenge and/or enjoyment of running greater distances. Just wanted to make mention of Tyler's performance for the ultra runners who win a few races, even may set a few records, and then self-promote and pimp product like they are some rare oddity to the sport. Increase the prize money, get more sub 2:20 guys running ultras, and many self-promoters will look average in a hurry.

Not intending to insult anyone. Just think some arrogant, self-promoting ultra guys needed a reality check.

No matter what you do or where you go in life, there will be someone there willing to pimp themselves to make a few bucks. Think Maggie Vessey.