All articles tagged with #ultrarunning
A 60-year-old Michigan ultrarunner, Elaine Stypula, collapsed and died during the Hardrock Hundred, a 102.5-mile race in Colorado, just three hours after the start. The race, known for its challenging high-altitude passes, saw emergency responders attempt resuscitation, but she was pronounced dead at 10:27 a.m. The event organizers expressed their condolences and offered grief counseling to the community.
British ultrarunner Jasmin Paris becomes the first woman to finish the grueling Barkley Marathons, completing the 100-mile race in Tennessee with only 99 seconds to spare within the 60-hour cut-off time, joining just four other finishers in the race's history. The race, known for its extreme difficulty, features a course with five loops totaling approximately 100 miles and a climb and descent of 54,200 feet, with no aid stations except for water at two locations.
To successfully DNF your next ultra, consume fewer calories than recommended, skip pre-run fuel, skip meals, and avoid hydration. However, these practices can increase injury risk, decrease performance, and lead to serious health consequences. It's best to create an endurance fueling plan based on your body frame size, the goal race, and the terrain, and to get help from a sports dietitian if needed. Regular fluid loss testing combined with sodium sweat concentration testing is recommended to figure out your own hydration requirements.
Ultrarunner Joasia Zakrzewski has been disqualified from a 50-mile race in England's northwest after using a car to complete part of the course. The runner, who initially finished third, apologized for her actions and said she made a "massive error." The race director said the runner had gained an "unsporting, competitive advantage" and the matter has been passed to regulatory bodies. Mel Sykes has since been awarded third place in the women's category, but said the incident "completely takes the piss out of the race organizers, fellow competitors and fair sport."
Aurélien Sanchez becomes the first Frenchman and 16th competitor to complete all five loops of the Barkley Marathons, one of the hardest foot races in the world with a 99% dropout rate. The race, held annually in Tennessee, consists of five loops of around 20 miles each, with no phones, GPS trackers, course markings or aid stations. Sanchez slept for only 15 minutes in the three days and two nights he was on the course and fueled himself mainly with cheeseburgers. The race exposes a runner's weaknesses like few others.
Ultrarunner and author Andy Jones-Wilkins suggests three possible rule changes for ultrarunning, inspired by recent changes in baseball. These include implementing an aid station clock, limiting crew contact, and setting common gear specification limits. While unlikely to happen, these changes could level the playing field and make the sport more competitive.