Could Rupp Beat Walmsley at Western States 100 Mile

bumper wrote:

I have no doubt that if Rupp had some experience and specific training he could destroy a lot of ultra records, but it would probably take him a few years. The idea that Rupp is not mentally tough enough is nonsense. This is a guy that has competed at the highest levels from high school to the Olympics.

I think it’s great that we are seeing some faster guys like Walmsley in the ultra scene. It ultras are ever added to the Olympics it would really encourage a lot more fast athletes to take a crack.

It isn't clear if he would dominate. It might turn out that he just isn't good at running for 12+ hours and eating on the go. But yeah mental toughness isn't going to be an issue. You have to be a hobby jogger to think that running longer requires more toughness than running fast. If you do either of them right, the suffering is just as bad:)

Until there starts being decent . money in Ultras, the question will always be there of what would happen if the A class marathoners (guys sub 2:06) or even B (sub 2:09) guys tried. Odds are most of them would do ok but not great but a lot of people have the assumption that if you had enough of them running, you would find the couple that equally as good at the long distances and they would rewrite the record books. Look at what happened to the marathon when people stopped trying to run fast 5k/10ks and instead focused on the marathon.

I wonder what Max King thinks about how easy it would be for Rupp or say a 2:12 mary guy to take JW down at WS100. Or to take down KJ at UTMB or Hardrock.

Could? Well, sure! Would? Easily? Hell no!

All the BS about no one cares about ultras yet the guy with the most coverage heading into the Oly trials was an ultrarunner.

#makingaliving #allcomers #whereyouat?

nutrition wrote:

While distance running is still distance running, Ultras force you to have to deal with nutrition whereas no other distance running really does. For those that haven't run an ultra and say 8-9 minute pace sounds like an all day pace, it is until you throw in eating and fighting off nausea. 20 minute miles sound slow too until you are sick to your stomach going up some 45% grade mountain while it's 90F degrees.

I don't know why Rupp couldn't figure out nutrition and hydration like anyone else running ultras. Walmsley isn't crushing the competition at WS because he has figured out nutrition better than anyone or because he is better than every else at technical downhills (there are not many on that course).

He is crushing people because he is a 2:12/2:13 guy racing a bunch of 2:20 - 2:30 guys. When Walmsley starting winning ultras people were saying what made him special is that he has speed that few other ultra runners have. And that is true. But you can’t have it both ways. If Walmsley’s speed sets him apart from other ultra runners, then guys with 2:06 speed will have an advantage over 2:15 runners – of course, they will still need to get up the learning curve with all of the other challenges unique to a 100 mile trail race.

I doubt if we will see world class marathoners running ultras any time soon though. The money is just not there and a 100-mile run just takes too much to recover from when running at the highest level.

That's not how it works. Just because you are faster in a shorter distance does not mean you are faster in a longer distance. If that would be true all 10k track runners would be great in Marathons but they aren't.

Also Walmsley is now a official 2:15 Marathoner, not 2:12/2:13.

And again, it's easy to talk about a sport you have never done.

Provided he asks for a TUE for Prozac, as his mentor...

Watch Walmsley's wheels come off wrote:

Walmsley is just lucky that Rupp won't show up at Comrades this year.

But he might in the next couple of years. To try what his buddy Alberto did in 1994.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20814114/may-30-the-most-amazing-day-may-31-1994-when-alberto-salazar-won-comrades/

Provided he asks for a TUE for Prozac, as his mentor...

S. Canaday wrote:

Rojo,

Western states is not a “technical”

Trail ultra! (In the realm of MUT

And what guys like Kilian Jornet does!)

. It is actually considered one of the “least-technical trail” races out there.

I’d bet there is a very high correlation between Road marathon times and the ability to do well at trail ultras on pretty smooth trails like WS100. Its all just distance running when the trails are mostly runnable and and there isnt that much climbing in the mountains. And for the record UTMB isnt “technical” either...but it has a crap ton more climbing than WS100. Its why 2:30 marathon guys can win there and 2:18 guys like Tim Tollefson can get top 3 consistently.

Do you think we see more sub 2:15 guys start to take a go @ races like WS now in the next decade? I'd love to see the potential lingering out there. You still need to tackle this race again, it's waiting for ya!

It's interesting to note that many think someone like Rupp or any world class athlete might be incapable of studying what's necessary in terms of training, equipment and fuelling for a race longer than a marathon.

It's not difficult to make plans and train for them, you just need a bit of luck on the day for it all to click because the problems amplify as the distance increases and mistakes early on can become massive.

I don't think someone like Rupp would race WS100 or whatever without knowing what he's doing to a degree.

If nobody's seen it before, Nathan Flear a UK ultra runner who spends time in Kenya tried to put together an ultra team fairly recently and blogged about it which is an interesting read on mentality and motivation.

http://www.nathanflear.co.uk/2019/02/09/kenyan-ultra-runners-the-beginning/

who's walmsey?

baller in the house wrote:

Coconino Cowboy wrote:

No way. Jim is the best athlete of his generation, Rupp is a one event wonder. I'm outraged you even put the Nike athlete in the same conversation as the great Jim Walmsley.

He has olympic medals in 10k and marathon, right?

What am I missing?

I think you're missing the sarcasm.

Nope wrote:

It's interesting to note that many think someone like Rupp or any world class athlete might be incapable of studying what's necessary in terms of training, equipment and fuelling for a race longer than a marathon.

It's not difficult to make plans and train for them, you just need a bit of luck on the day for it all to click because the problems amplify as the distance increases and mistakes early on can become massive.

I don't think someone like Rupp would race WS100 or whatever without knowing what he's doing to a degree.

If nobody's seen it before, Nathan Flear a UK ultra runner who spends time in Kenya tried to put together an ultra team fairly recently and blogged about it which is an interesting read on mentality and motivation.

http://www.nathanflear.co.uk/2019/02/09/kenyan-ultra-runners-the-beginning/

That was a fun read but it ends just when it is about to get interesting. We have a bunch of b grade talent who trained for a bit but we never get to see them race. Granted that guy seemed really underfunded, but would it be that hard to get a half dozen 210 guys together, train for 4-6 months and then see what they can do at say a 50 miler or 100k? Start with baby steps. Heck wouldn’t comrades be just about perfect?

Go Longer wrote:

Could? Well, sure! Would? Easily? Hell no!

All the BS about no one cares about ultras yet the guy with the most coverage heading into the Oly trials was an ultrarunner.

#makingaliving #allcomers #whereyouat?

You do realize Hoka paid for those interviews, don't you?