Imagining Mountain Ultra Trail Running In The Olympics

I wrote some thoughts about it here: https://www.finnmelanson.com/essays/mountain-ultra-trail-running-olympics

Sure. I'll watch that one right after bowling.

WasatchFinn wrote:

16 hours into the men’s race, cameras converge on mile 94 where Jim Walmsley (USA, 44 years old), is being chased by Killian Jornet (Spain, 46 years old) on the muddy climb out of City Creek Canyon. Both are at the tail ends of illustrious careers. And both are anticipating a “one and done” showing at the Olympics. Given how much the competition has improved in the last two decades, leading the race is a testament to the timelessness of their talents. 6 miles and 2,600 feet of elevation change separate them from the finish line. They are digging deep, implicitly understanding this moment to be the capstone of their careers..

First of all, in 2034 Walmsley will be already forgotten for a good 12 years.

And if he would make it that long he would still didn't know how to get nutrition in his body. So as in every other race he would crap out in hour 17.

It would work but, I see it as a Summer Games event. People love that sort of thing as a 100 mile running race captures the imagination of the normal TV watching fan. Now, it would not be shown live or in its entirety. I think that you would get a little hype package, live coverage of the start, and live coverage of the finish. The network would film a lot of the race and then edit it down to a 60-90 minute movie like presentation to show a few days later. This is similar to how Ironman gets covered - highlights, slo-mo shots of suffering, some human interest stuff centered on the dedication it takes, etc.

I'll go there...it will appeal to North American, Australasian, and European audiences more than the track or marathon. Trail athletes from those places are dominant in the sport and people would enjoy the vibe they bring. Like snowboarding, trail runners have some personality and a laid back "dirtbag" vibe. They are relatable because they look a little scruffy, like their beer and coffee (maybe some weed), and many work odd jobs or live out of their cars to realize their dreams. They are quite blue collar (no blue blood NCAA power program background or from a sketchy elite camp run by Italian doctors/Dutch agents). TV viewers will find them refreshing because they can speak in sentences more sophisticated than, "I feel good today and run very fast!" in broken English. Courtney Dauwalter would be marketing gold!

I agree with a Summer event. I see this as going two ways: 1. Either do some sort of extreme technical mountain race that's like only 15km-20km (like hard core cross country)...maybe even with obstacles and cliffs and mud pits etc (something where people fall and could hurt themselves on). Note: this isn't too different from a lot of those early "Sky Races" that Kilian is really good at. I've done race like these where there are cliffs you can fall and die on. No joke. 2. Go for "extreme endurance". Something like a Hardrock/Barkleys/Last man standing type of event of extreme endurance (so maybe even over 100-miles). People are running all night on sleep deprivation. They capture people puking and having total melt-downs. The drama of the crew trying to help their suffering runner over really long distances on a brutal course ensues. While a lot of MUT Runners in the US may seem to be "dirtbag" types, the elites ones usually aren't. I'd actually say they either come from upper middle class or rich families and have backgrounds in either track/road running or some "niche expensive sport" like ski mountaineering/cross country skiing/lacrosse/triathlon/mountain biking etc. In Europe a lot come from ski mountaineering or "orienteering" or cycling. There are a lot of barriers to entry in MUT Running at a high level (i.e. international traveling, high race entry fees, all the gear from hydration packs and headlamps and nutrition etc). It is much less "blue collar" than road running at the top level IMO. You better believe there is some doping going on as well.

Another vote for summer. I also think it should be 100k not 100m. Agree with others that it should be a gnarly course with river crossings, etc. and spectacular scenery. Adventure racing has done pretty well as tv entertainment so it seems like there is a lot of potential for creating compelling stories.

The other thing that is interesting to speculate about is the possibility of pulling more talent into the sport. In you are a 2:07 Kenyan or Ethiopian you won't make your country's Olympic team so why not give the ultra a shot? And what about some of the 2:12 - 2:15 US guys? Ultras have had limited attraction for top marathoners because of the lack of prize money but an Olympic medal in any event is still an Olympic medal.

It would limit the locations which could host the event due to geography.......unless you could construct a "mountain event" without the actually altitude. A short loop of steep grades, stairs, switch backs, rocks, etc.....

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

It would limit the locations which could host the event due to geography

Would it though? In the 2014 olympic games didn't they hold some events outside of the hosting city and they were going hold the Olympic marathon this year outside of Tokyo to make it a bit cooler. These are just 2 examples that came off the top of my head. If they were say hold the Olympics in Florida hypothetically, where it's flat as a pancake. Logistically how hard would it be to hold some mountain events in Georgia or North Carolina up in the Appalachian mountains?

Keep imagining bro cause it ain't happening.

Professional announcer: "and now they are still running up the mountain, and this one is in second, and that one is in fifth."

Whiny-voiced retired athlete expert commentator: "chirp, chirp, squeak, squeak"

Runningart2004 wrote:

It would limit the locations which could host the event due to geography.......unless you could construct a "mountain event" without the actually altitude. A short loop of steep grades, stairs, switch backs, rocks, etc.....

Alan

Yeah it wouldn’t be too hard to do in most places. Living in the Midwest, there are lots of very difficult ultra races with lots of elevation gain without any real mountains in the area.

It sounds fun. but that would exclude a lot of countries from organizing the olympics. How are The Netherlands and Belgium gonna be able to organize the olympics (for example)

I can't see it happening. At least not a 100 mile trail race. I could see either track or road or combination. Some type of last man standing event. More likely I could see a 50k non technical trail event. The logistics of every country being able to host a 100 mile mountainous race seems unlikely as many places wouldn't have a proper location inside their country and not to mention lots of races just have poor access to much of the course.

I love ultra running, but have you forgotten the 50km race walk last time at the games? It was simply to hot.

What I think is possible though is running 30k with a bagpack, obstacle course or with medicine ball

I think this is a great idea. As people said it could make for good TV with shots of people running in beautiful scenery (just watch the golden trail series coverage to see), plus its super rugged and impressive to the lay person. And t would not be that hard for olympic cities to find good locations for a long rugged trail race not too far away, just look at the recent/future summer olympic locations.

Barcelona - decent mountains nearby (e.g. Montseny Nat'l Park) or go all the way to the Pyranees for something real rugged

Atlanta - Blue Ridge/Smoky mountains

Sydney - Mountainous national parks less than 100 miles away

Beijing - Big mountains not far outside the city. Or do a course on the Great Wall!

London - less elevation nearby, but could do an awesome course in Wales

Rio - Mountainous jungle trails not far outside the city

Tokyo - race up and down Mt Fuji

Paris (2024) - similar to London w/less elevation nearby, but plenty of mountains in the country that aren't that far

Los Angeles (2028) - mountains right outside the city, or go to the Sequoias for something really epic

Zero spectator demand, zero broadcast network interest. Equestrian is boring enough and that finishes much sooner. Softball would be added back long before ultra running is ever considered.

There is no need for ultra distance. Olympics needs to drop track and road distance with the recent mechanical doping craze. How do we determine the world's best runner then? Races should be hard XC courses with varying terrain

I actually take back what I said earlier...there really is no need for a 100-mile distance. Besides the US and maybe the UK most countries don't really care about 161km (or 100 miles). UTMB just happens to be around 106 miles most year...but for most Euros (and the rest of the world outside the US), I think it would still draw the same crowd and admiration if it was only 92 miles or something. A 100km would actually make more sense as a standard "international" ultra distance event. But I agree it might be boring if there wasn't some "extreme element" ....so beautiful scenery, dangerous cliffs and mud pits and obstacles....and then throw in some drama around the aid stations or a way to track things (epic drone/helicopter shots), live updates etc. And you're right....basically mountain running (at least sub ultra mountain running) is essentially like cross country...but "extreme cross country". Add in some steep slopes and obstacles and people fall. They face plant in the mud. Maybe they cut open their knees and need stitches etc. That's why I pegged a shorter distance mountain race in the 30-80km realm. But I suppose it could be only like 15-20km and "hard core cross country". The other end of the spectrum would be super extreme endurance...so something like "last man standing" (like I wrote about earlier)...that could last days of course...and involve sleep deprivation and big meltdowns with bonking and puking and needing weird choices food at aid stations. If you've been mountain running in Europe you know the fans come out for this and there actually is a pretty good demand (think like Zegama or Sierre-Zinal or UTMB events). There is quite a bit of money to be made in MUT Running too.

San Diego Hobby Jogger wrote:

There is no need for ultra distance. Olympics needs to drop track and road distance with the recent mechanical doping craze. How do we determine the world's best runner then? Races should be hard XC courses with varying terrain

Not going to happen in the next 15 years, or even 50 years.

The USA probably has more trail 100s than any country on earth, likely more than the rest of the world combined. Judging from your Wasatch username you likely live in the USA and thus have a biased belief that trail 100s are big worldwide.

I do not know of any national/international governing bodies backing/recognizing any of the existing trail 100s.

USATF MUT does not support /recognize any trail 100's. I do not know of any trail 100s that are recognized as a national championship in another country.

Getting into the Olympics is sort of a political challenge, where you need worldwide participation, many governing bodies pushing for inclusion, and spectator interest. It also helps to have sponsorship interest.

There is not a lot of participation, let alone widespread participation in 75 counties, in trail 100s worldwide. You need widespread participation from places like Africa. Trail 100s are sort of a rich white man's sport, and you are not getting much participation by masses.

There is very little spectator interest.

There is not enough sponsorship $ backing a series of international events with prize money that could attract more worldwide participation, and perhaps spectator interest with sponsored TV coverage.

Do not compare trail 100s to any of the existing Oly sports, many of which were grandfathered in.