Trail running is a different realm, but that doesn’t mean it is less difficult. Once elevation is added it adds another level of difficulty. There are plenty of trail runners who may not have the elite speed required for the track or roads, but that doesn’t mean they are lesser athletes. Good for Molly for trying new things.
It's nice to see a heralded runner deal with a setback and overcome it.
Exactly. People impose their own desires and expectations on her. But she’s out here doing her thing. Got her MBA. Trying to enjoy life in a new way. Also, more accomplished than most American runners will ever be, and that can never be taken from her.
Referring to an Olympic bronze medalist as a "can’t hack it professional road runner" and declaring your desire to physically assault her because of her choice of clothing is what makes you an a**hole, actually.
Runners who can't hack it anymore retire to longer distance, especially ultras where it's shooting fish in a barrel... maybe there are 3 competitive ultras in the USA? The rest full of obese hikers who think they are more hard-core than fast runners
Referring to an Olympic bronze medalist as a "can’t hack it professional road runner" and declaring your desire to physically assault her because of her choice of clothing is what makes you an a**hole, actually.
precisely, you're just bagging on her because... why exactly? She hasn't cheated and come up with some ridiculous excuse. She's not a burden to society. Apparently she's wired a little different but found a way to keep doing what she enjoys. I loved the way she covered the Nike logo with her shoes on the podium. The turkey outfit for the trot was classic. I think ultras are ridiculous, but why should I care if Molly runs them?
I was already rolling my eyes at yet another can’t hack it professional road runner deciding to “take on the trails” but then I saw her satisfy gear and immediately wanted to donkey kick her.
Ok! What a sad angry person you are. Get some help and work on your violence envy vibe. Rationalizing that your opinion is merely "different" is disturbing.
That's an Olympic medalist. She can wear any shirt she desires.
There is no tribe that owns trail racing. Take the line and see who wins. In this case, she won.
It's nice to see a heralded runner deal with a setback and overcome it.
Exactly. People impose their own desires and expectations on her. But she’s out here doing her thing. Got her MBA. Trying to enjoy life in a new way. Also, more accomplished than most American runners will ever be, and that can never be taken from her.
Ha ha ha, that’s like buying a degree from Amazon.
The course can be respected, but are the fields generally fast? That’s what I’d care about in trying to determine how big a feat it is to get a course record.
Good for her regardless. Very glad to see her running well. I’m sure she has her own gauge of what’s a great performance each time she runs and what isn’t.
yes , but I don't think the Bandera 50K is a Golden ticket race which explains her winning the overall (the 100K is a Golden ticket)
Trail running is a different realm, but that doesn’t mean it is less difficult. Once elevation is added it adds another level of difficulty. There are plenty of trail runners who may not have the elite speed required for the track or roads, but that doesn’t mean they are lesser athletes. Good for Molly for trying new things.
I've run the Bandera course (granted it was way back in 2013 and I did the 100km....which was basically 2 loops of the 50km).
It's a pretty "fast and runnable course" although the year i did it it was quite muddy. Weather can vary on the year and influence times obviously too. I think I split around 3:40s for the first 50km and then slowed the second lap for a big positive split and finished over 8-hours. But it's a good course for "roadies."
For any road marathoner with "sub 2:30 marathon fitness" a sub 4-hour 50km at Bandera would be more line I'd say...
The Black Canyon 100km is going to be way, way more competitive and in the Women's field I'd look out for top runners like Anne Flower, Jennifer Lichter, Tabor Hemming and Yngvild Kaspersen (to name a few!).
While I've always said that "road marathon fitness correlates very highly to ultra running trail events" there are certainly a lot more variables that can go exponentially wrong the longer a race is. So that doesn't mean the 2:25 marathoner always beats the 2:40 marathoner. Big difference between a 50km a 100km (just like there is a big difference between 100km and 100-miles).
Thankfully Black Canyon is a fairly forgiving course (net downhill without a ton of climbing, not really technical and very "runnable").