Official 2019 Western States 100 Live Discussion Thread

Most stud runners in the top 10. From Walmsley to Matt Daniels to Stephen Kersh. These are legit talents regardless of surface and distance. This is not your father’s ultrarunning. Not all fast track or road guys are gonna be great 100 milers, but it can only help you to be fast over shorter distances. It’s already happened that the 100k and under scene is dominated by post-collegians. Clearly, in the case of Western, that’s the case, but there were still a couple of ultra specialists in the top 10. I wonder if this will soon be a thing of the past.

Good weather and a 14:09. That might be the best time for a long while, have to wait until interviews to see if it was a full effort. Breaking 14 might need east africans just like breaking 2.

Goucher Needles wrote:

It’s already happened that the 100k and under scene is dominated by post-collegians. Clearly, in the case of Western, that’s the case, but there were still a couple of ultra specialists in the top 10. I wonder if this will soon be a thing of the past.

If by ultra specialists you mean people who can't even run a 2:30 marathon, lol yes that will be a thing of the past. ultra is finally getting some real talent.

Bad Wigins wrote:

why is nobody discussing PED's? Surely there are PED's for ultra running that should get talked about when records are broken.

Is that really what the sport has come down to for you? Everytime there is a fast performance of any kind we need to talk about PEDs? If that's all you think about watching a race then where is the enjoyment?

And why the apostrophe?

Another Record was broken!

Old as dirt record.

Congrats!

https://twitter.com/iRunFar/status/1145216463956873216

mealy-mouthed wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

why is nobody discussing PED's? Surely there are PED's for ultra running that should get talked about when records are broken.

Is that really what the sport has come down to for you? Everytime there is a fast performance of any kind we need to talk about PEDs? If that's all you think about watching a race then where is the enjoyment?

And why the apostrophe?

dude is just trolling, relax

Meanwhile injured Tony was jetted in, now hanging around (does some sightseeing on his bike as well) at the La Sportiva race expo at the Lavaredo Ultra handing out tips on shoes and how to “race” ultras to dorks chasing down the newest gadgets. Nice vacation!

Oh and I just saw Sage got his arse kicked yet again at the Marathon du Mont Blanc. He was flown in as well and treated like one of the big ones, it is just that he is not at all and every Euro mountain farmer (who also works hard and runs for fun) can beat him going up the hills on any distance in the Alps. This ain’t running 50 miles on flat grounds.

Really annoying to see what happened to the scene (compared to only 5 yrs ago) runners like him still get boosted/supported/brought over despite ongoing mediocre results (or none at all, as in Tony’s case).

So great for Jim, who has been bashed often, but apparently things have changed, how funny (and typical)...

You are absolutely right. This time Walmsley raced like a champ and hammered down another nice CR.

And if that is true what you are saying about Anton K and Sage C, it's pretty pathetic.

But hey that's the world we live in. Full of posers and wannabees who get celebrated for no good reason. This includes Camille Herron who needed to drop out because she could not stand the fact that she would finish in the mid ranks.

weather FTW wrote:

If by ultra specialists you mean people who can't even run a 2:30 marathon, lol yes that will be a thing of the past. ultra is finally getting some real talent.

This is funny. Walmsley has never run a 2:30 Marathon ever.

Just looking at the facts wrote:

weather FTW wrote:

If by ultra specialists you mean people who can't even run a 2:30 marathon, lol yes that will be a thing of the past. ultra is finally getting some real talent.

This is funny. Walmsley has never run a 2:30 Marathon ever.

2:30 marathon pace- 5:45

Jim Walsmey 50 mile world best pace- 5:48

You are a moran.

Still plenty of runners still at it. They may not get a buckle, but it is an accomplishment just to finish this non ‘thon.

Interested to here the post race interviews. Wonder if Jim and Jared think a sub 14 is possible for either in similar excellent weather conditions.

T.M.A.D.H.A.S.F.N.E.

Haha! It's a pathetic comedy show. These "STARS" could use a reality check.

Anton Krupicka, being what he used to be (he's now a HAS BEEN) would have been a nice edition the 2019 WS 100. I can see him battling out with Jimbo. Now Krupicka gets paid to do nothing but ride a bike across Colorado and Nebraska. Why? Is the the new generation of athletes? He's an Instagram athlete just like some girls claim to be models...Models on Instagram! GTFO!

Virutal reality is fake. wrote:

Anton Krupicka, being what he used to be (he's now a HAS BEEN) would have been a nice edition the 2019 WS 100. I can see him battling out with Jimbo. Now Krupicka gets paid to do nothing but ride a bike across Colorado and Nebraska. Why? Is the the new generation of athletes? He's an Instagram athlete just like some girls claim to be models...Models on Instagram! GTFO!

It's been a DECADE (2010 anyone?) since Tarzan, I mean Tony, has been relevant at 100M. Even in his prime then he could have only challenged Jim on the initial climb out of Squaw, then lights out. At best he would have finished somewhere in the latter half of the top ten yesterday, back with all those other names you can't remember right now without looking. Times have changed...

weather FTW wrote:

Goucher Needles wrote:

It’s already happened that the 100k and under scene is dominated by post-collegians. Clearly, in the case of Western, that’s the case, but there were still a couple of ultra specialists in the top 10. I wonder if this will soon be a thing of the past.

If by ultra specialists you mean people who can't even run a 2:30 marathon, lol yes that will be a thing of the past. ultra is finally getting some real talent.

There always have been sub 2:30 ultrarunners. Yiannis Kouros was one of them. Don Ritchie another one (2:17ish I believe) he made 100 milers fast before they got invented by some lame horses at Western States.

More myth busting here

I think Western should change from having the top ten automatically return, to the top three. The current policy discourages racing IMHO. You shouldn’t get to automatically return by finishing two hours behind the winner.

YMMV wrote:

Yeah that’s right wrote:

Serious question. Has Dawaulter ever raced a road race? Curious to know what her time would be in an M or HM.

I doubt it. Her best event seems to be 200 miles on trails (maybe further?).

Not in years, and not anything remotely relevant to what she's doing now. The closest metric you have to work off of is her former American 24 hour record of 159.XX miles. That roughly extrapolates to mid low 2:40s for the marathon. She also has the 3rd fastest time at WS (her time last year was just a few min slower than Clare's winning time this year, and was in much hotter conditions). Ellie Greenwood and Ann Trason were (are?) both high 2:30s marathon talents. With long focused training (which will never happen) she could perhaps break 2:40.

reelwhiz wrote:

Fun Fact: Jim and Jared live in the same house!

Jared has made quite the jump this year after taking down Zach Miller at JFK50 and then slaying a fast Lake Sonoma time.

But what is his 5k or marathon personal best?

Many people, such as Jared, have no 5000m or standard distance race times a) that they've ever raced or b) if they have, then ones that they trained and peaked for like they did for longer distances. His ultra results (JFK, Sonoma, and WS of this year) suggest a marathon time of somewhere south of 2:20, but how south / precisely how his climbing and descending ability would translate to steady pavement pounding isn't easy guesswork.

say it ain't so wrote:

Could it be that Courtney is also overrated?

Not really. I would say the hype around her is often misstated, but she is one of the most versatile ultrarunners on the planet, who has produced world class results on runnable trails, mountain trails, 24 hrs, and multidays (the trail 200s she's run as well as the Big Backyard Ultra). Her worst 24 hr once she established herself as elite (mid low 14X miles) was still, if memory serves, (marginally) more than Ann Trason ran in 24 hours.

The few other such versatile runners that come to mind (several men) are what I would call national class talent, and Courtney can be competitive with them at those respective events.