Author: iancorless

Karl ‘Speedgoat’ Meltzer – “Made To Be Broken Movie” on the Appalachian Trail

Last September, Red Bull athlete and ultrarunner Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer finally captured his white whale when on his third attempt in eight years, he set a new Appalachian Trail thru-hike speed record with a time of 45 days 22 hours and 38 minutes. Now, the story behind the trek from Mt. Katahdin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Ga., is told in the new documentary “Karl Meltzer: Made To Be Broken” which will debut on Red Bull TV and can be streamed for free beginning April 13.

The 42-minute documentary captures the ups and downs of Meltzer’s world record run, from injuries and sleep deprivation to the challenges faced by his close-knit crew, which included his father, wife and former Appalachian Trail record holder, Scott Jurek.

Read the story HERE

Listen to the Podcast and Karl talking in-depth about the ‘AT’ HERE

Read the full 45-day journey as it happened HERE

“The trail challenges people. It has changed a lot of people’s lives and visions of what they can do and what they can’t do,” Meltzer proclaims in the film’s opening minutes. “The A.T. is the hardest, most iconic trail in the United States, and I’ve always been drawn back to it.”

The Appalachian Trail runs from Maine to Georgia stretching 2,190 miles through 14 states. It is roughly the distance between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as the crow flies. A thru-hiker will experience 464,500 feet of elevation change, or 16 climbs of Mt. Everest. Thousands of people attempt an Appalachian Trail thru-hike every year, yet only one in four hikers finish the journey, and they typically take five to seven months to complete the entire trail, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

For more information on the project visit www.redbull.com/atrun.

A favourite photograph from Transvulcania La Palma

Ian Corless
+44 772 581 3457
iancorless@mac.com

Twitter: @iancorless @talkultra @hokaoneoneuk
Blog: http://www.iancorless.com
Coaching, Training & Experiences: http://www.runwildrunfree.co.uk
Podcast: Talk Ultra available on iTunes or http://www.talkultra.com Hoka One One run shoes: http://www.hokaoneoneuk.co.uk
Photography: http://www.iancorlessphotography.co.uk

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‘Slip Sliding Away’

It’s not often you get to see and experience the full perspective of a race. Watching the preparation, looking behind the scenes, understanding strategies, decisions and equipment choices.

I have just been fortunate enough to spend the last 10 days at two races; the Transvulcania La Palma in the Canaries and the Zegama race in the Pyrenees.

What was notable about these two races was the runners. Both races had arguably some of the best runners from the trail, ultra and mountain running scene. Both races also offered great contrast. The Transvulcania race was run in hot temperatures over some 50 miles. The Zegama race was marathon distance and took place in cold, wet and even some snow at the top of the mountains.

So, why the post?

Well, Zegama revealed many weaknesses and ultimately bad decisions by runners that seriously affected the ability at which they could perform. Yes! Even at the top of the sport, poor choices can be made.

What should you consider when racing?
1. What terrain will I be running on
2. What will the conditions be like
3. What variables do I need to consider
4. What clothing options will I need and shoe choices
5. Will I need ‘mandatory’ kit to race
6. Race day temperatures and variables
7. Will I need to be self sufficient or will they have feed stations
8. What pace will I run and how long can I expect the event to take
9. Best case scenario
10. Worse case scenario

The above questions are all completely relevant when undertaking any event. Certainly, the longer the event takes or the higher the event goes then the above list has even more relevance.

Assuming that your training is done. You have prepared meticulously and arrived at the race in the best form possible, why ruin it by making decisions or should I say, making a lack of decisions that will ultimately result in a below par performance or even worse, a DNF.

Zegama

As a reference point I am going to use the Zegama race. We arrived in the Pyrenees on Thursday two days before the race. Weather conditions were chilly and wet. On Thursday we attended press conferences, looked at the course and went out for a short 10k run covering a small section of the race route. I was with Mike Wolfe, Nick Clark, Ian Sharman and Marcus Warner. So, as you will note… Mike Wolfe was 2nd at 2011 Western States and Nick Clark was 3rd. Need I say more… Two very experienced ultra runners at the top of the game. We discussed the terrain on the run, the footing, the fact that it would be possible to run quick and as Mike and Nick said, this part of the course was Douche Grade meaning that it was easy. I guess they were right. This part of the course was downhill single track trail and a mix of rock, mud and grass. Mentally the guys made a decision that this was a quick and easy section.

The next day I ran the same section of course but this time went to the summit some 12k away and approximately a 1000m high. This time I was with Serge who is an R&D guy with Salomon. I was also joined by Marcus. Notably the previous night we had had thunder, lightening and torrential rain. A low lying mist covered the course making visibility a little poor but not problematic. The terrain was considerably muddier and much more slippery than the previous day. As we covered the course we discussed sections, looked at possible problems, discussed the weather, discussed temperatures, discussed footwear and then at the summit noted how cold it was. As we did all this I took photographs of sections.

That evening I saw Serge sit with Salomon Team Manager, Greg Vollet and Kilian Jornet and he talked them through step by step what we had done. He mentioned temperatures and he discussed shoes and made recommendations. Imperative. This information was then related to each runner within the team and they than had a team meeting. The information was relayed back to all the runners, clothing for the race was discussed, strategies for feeding/ nutrition planned and they then went to sleep armed with the required knowledge for the race.

By contrast, I showed my images to the other runners and by this I primarily mean the Americans. I relayed that it was potentially chilly on the tops particular if it was constant rain. I also mentioned that it was technical in places with rocks, mud, loose leaves and potential other hazards.

That night it never stopped raining…. Harder and harder. The following morning was considerably colder and snow was forecast for the summits. I had gone to the 7k checkpoint some 2 hours in advance of the race and relayed back by phone that it was cold and wet. At the 7k point the trail was a mud bath and slippery.

As the race unfolded and as I looked on at the, it was apparent that it was going to be a tough day, the front runners slipped away on the terrain. Of course good technique reduced some issues and good shoe choice also made a big difference. But it was apparent that a lack of technique and more importantly the wrong shoes could mean the difference between performing and surviving.

At the summits light snow was falling and then at the final summit a 13k decent lay ahead. Waiting near the last section of trail with just 2 km to the finish I watched runners appear. Firstly Kilian bouncing along like a mountain goat, then Hernando, Tom Owen and the first American, Mike Wolfe. It was a surprise to see Mike as pre expectations had touted Max King as a potential winner. Then Max King arrived not looking happy at all. One by one the Americans arrived and ran past me. As Joe Grant passed I asked how he felt. ‘Not good’ the reply.

Post race talk was about the terrain, the difficulty and more importantly the ability to run or survive the final descent. Although wet and although snow was falling at the summit, few runners said they had got really cold. Certainly the compulsory jacket had helped here! What was apparent though was the inability for many to stay upright.

Nick Clark said I had no grip
Joe Grant said ‘not sure road flats was a good idea…’
Mike Wolfe said ‘I had the wrong shoes’
Max King said ‘I was completely un prepared’
Lauren Jeska said ‘I am just not good on downhills, I couldn’t keep upright’ (importantly, Lauren was leading the women’s race and lost a podium place on the 13k decent, Emelie Forsberg was over 13 min behind Lauren at the top of the last climb but went past her and took 3rd place)
Ian Sharman wrote in his blog ‘It was fun to see what the Skyrunning guys do and to see really European-style races with huge amounts of vert and more technical running than back in the US. In fact, the mud, rain and snow of Zegama made me feel like I was on a fell run in northern England…just wish I’d had some fell shoes with me.’

I have to ask the question what preparation pre race was undertaken to make sure that nothing was left to chance?

It is appropriate here to make one or two defences.

A) The American contingent may very well have struggled with luggage/ baggage allowance that restricted the option to bring multiple shoes (I usually think running first and then bring what will fit after that)
B) Sponsored athletes may very well have not had a shoe available from the sponsors range for the conditions (not much you can do about this BUT Mike Wolfe can use any shoe he wishes as can Joe Grant)
C) Extreme weather that created out of the ordinary conditions (always expect the worst)

So although I provide some defence, between the lines I am sure you can read that ultimately they have no defence… School boy errors that could so easily be rectified. I liken the lack of prep to a new or novice runner.

Prep
Prep
Prep

These guys and girls can run, no doubt but it’s no good being one of the best if you throw it all away by doing a Paul Simon by that i mean, slip sliding away!

Zegama Race Summary. ISF Skyrunning

In contrast to the 2011 Zegama race of blistering sun and blue skies, the 2012 race was undertaken in torrential rain and cold temperatures.

The 0900 start in Zegama Sq was a chilly one as runners struggled to keep warm.

But start they did for what was going to be a tough day. The course is a classic marathon distance but has an elevation of 5400m. That makes for one tough race. What had been a slippery course in the previous 2 days became a very slippery and potentially dangerous course on race day for the inexperienced. Runners post race explained how they found it very difficult to keep upright. In particular the long final descent of some 13k.

British born Nick Clark who placed 3rd at Western States and then 3rd at Hardrock some two weeks apart in 2011 said ‘that is one proper mountain race, it was extremely slippery and the rocky sections became treacherous because of the mud left by other runners’.

Joe Grant basically said ‘I made completely the wrong shoe choice… Road flats were not a good idea :-)’ obviously a hint of irony, but Joe says that ‘I just didn’t have any other shoes!’ of course Joe ran Transvulcania La Palma – hot and dry conditions! Joe hadn’t anticipated such tough conditions as last years race was run in 30+ degrees.

In contrast I spoke to third placed lady, Emilie Forsberg post race and she said ‘I loved the conditions, I didn’t find it too slippery and I didn’t get cold’ when I told her that 2nd place was just in front of her at the finish she said ‘I wish I had known, I would have given it everything I had… I think I ran too hard at the beginning… I was at my limit at the end’.

It was certainly a tough day. Some pre race favourites suffered, in particular Max King. He came to the race focused and ready to take the race to Jornet, Hernando and Owen. On the day though it was not his day. When I saw him with just 2k to go he looked cold. Post race he said ‘I just wasn’t prepared for that. The terrain, the technical aspects, the weather’.

Kilian however was in his element. Pre race during an interview I asked him how he felt post Transvulcania La Palma. He said ‘I feel good, I am recovered and I am looking forward to the race’ when I mentioned the conditions, he said ‘I would like it cold and wet’. He got his wish! Seeing Kilian run down the trail like a bouncing mountain goat is so impressive. His ability as a skier is reflected in his running as he bounces from left foot to right.

At 7km into the race a group of about 20 runners pushed hard on the muddy and slippery climb from Otzaurte to Ultzama. Kilian, Hernando and Tom Owen locked together at the front with Max King not far behind.

In the ladies, Oihana was leading Nuria Picas, Emelie Forsberg and Zhanna Vokueva. The most impressive of these runners was Emelie, she climbed almost like a cross county skier, feet apart pointing out and pushing hard up the climb.

The climb to Aratz saw the runners string out and Hernando and Jornet battle against each other. Conditions at the race summits became very difficult with snow falling and cold temperatures.

Despite the weather, supporters still came onto the course and offer support. A sea of umbrellas and gore tex protecting from the spectators from the elements.

British lady Lauren Jeska put a pre race plan in action and started to work through the female field. Pushing hard on the rocky sections which she loves and then she took the lead on the ridge between Aizkorri and Aitxuri. She said the decent from the summit was just crazy… So steep and so slippery. At the feed at Urbia she was well in the lead but says after the race that she started to struggle. On the final long decent she could not keep upright and the lead that she had built disappeared finally relinquishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. She said ‘I love rocks and I love the climbs but that final 13k decent of mud was a nightmare, I couldn’t keep upright’ obviously disappointed not to make the podium, she still had a great result for 4th.

Kilian now had taken the lead putting some 2 minutes into Hernando with Owen in 3rd place. It remained this way right to the finish, Kilian pushing hard and just missing the course record by 2 minutes.

Great photo of Kilian HERE courtesy of the race on Flickr.

In the ladies race, Oihana took the lead away from Jeska and pushed hard for victory. Behind, Picas and Forsberg reeled in Jeska too and placed 2nd and 3rd.

This race followed on from the Transvulcania La Palma and had a stacked field with Mike Wolfe, Joe Grant, Nick Clark, Ian Sharman, Max King, Nikki Kimball and others taking part. Mike Wolfe placed the best in 13th place it was an introduction into a new type of running for them all.

Mike Wolfe went on to say ‘It was incredible. Just a tough tough race. We can perform on these courses but we would need to be more specific with our training’.

Another year over and the 2011 first places are repeated with Kilian And Oihana. I can’t wait for 2013… I wonder what the weather brings?

Less cloud, MORE SKY maybe.

Race Results HERE

Zegama – Aizkorri pre race report

Zegama offers a race over the classic marathon distance and has an elevation gain of 2736m and a total ascent and decent of 5472m. It takes place on the Aratz Massif and the Sierra del Aizikorri and covers the four largest peaks in Euskadi.

Renowned as one of the most popular events on the Skyrunner World Series calendar. As per usual the event attracts some of the best runners worldwide. I have just spent the last four days with Max King from the USA and Marco de Gasperi from Italy. Both champions.

It would appear that Marco is carrying and injury and therefore this leaves the door open for Max King who on what I have seen this week is in a perfect position to take the rewards that Zegama will offer. Chatting with him he says that ‘I see the main competition to be Tom Owen and of course Kilian Jornet but I am not sure who else is racing’. He goes on to say ‘ you gotta treat the course like a 50k and a super hard 50k at that’

Kilian placed 3rd at Transvulcania in his first race back after a long ski season. He collapsed on the finish line with exhaustion. Normally you would exclude anyone who finished such a long race in this condition to then race a super tough race just a week later. But this is Kilian. His recovery is superb and his talent is without question.

Many of the runners that took part in the Skyrunning ultra ‘Transvulcania La Palma’ are also heading out to the Basque Country. It would be fair to say that all of them are lacking fresh legs… Certainly Dakota Jones and Anna Frost (if she races) will not be up at the front. They plan to soak up the atmosphere! My potential tip from the American contingent would be Mike Wolfe or should I say ‘Wolfeman’ as he is affectionately known. He didn’t have the race he wanted Transvulcania and this may motivate him. He said in La Palma ‘ yeah, I had an off day at Transvulcania but I hope to race well at Zegama, it may just be too short for me’

Another American hopeful is Nick Clarke. Nick is without doubt a lover of vertical, he didn’t race in La Palma so will be fresh for 5000+ meters of ascent and decent. He is fiercely competitive and is two back to back raves in 2011 at Western States and Hardrock show how strong he is getting 3rd place in both just 2 weeks apart.

Anna Frost, winner at Transvulcania is still undecided if she will take part. She prepared meticulously for her race in La Palma, smashed the course record by 1hr 45m and an effort like that requires recovering from… Certainly if she takes part it will not be with the object of winning the race. However, Nikki Kimball who placed 3rd at the same race is super ready to race and she said, and I quote ‘I’m gonna kick ass. I’m gonna race as hard as I can’. Nikki without doubt can’t be ruled out. She’s a great competitor and she seems to have a new lease of life at the moment.

It’s going to be a great race and with this being so close to the Transvulcania La Palma it helps make sure that the profile of our sport is kept high. The success and the reputation of Zegama are mainly down to three factors; the gruelling course, the stunning natural beauty and the massive participation of both runners and spectators.

On a final note we have had word this week that the Zegama course has had 1m of snow on it. This may very well may prove decisive on Saturday.

Less cloud. MORE SKY

less cloud MORE SKY

2012 signifies a key moment in time for Skyrunning. Some 20 years ago, Marino Giacometti introduced a series of races to the world. In 1992 the first circuit was introduced. In the Alps on Adamello, Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc (summit) and then to Nepal for a race to Everest base camp at 5,200m altitude.

Over the years many mountains have been raced upon and many records have been broken, currently 23!

In 2008 it became a Federation, the ISF, International Skyrunning Federation. Currently the ISF has some 20 member countries and 3 associate members.

In an effort to continue delivering quality events and meeting the needs and goals of its participants, the industry and the sport, Skyrunning has evolved and that evolution has resulted at this significant moment in time, May 2012.

We are at the Transvulcania La Palma on the island of La Palma in the Canaries. Skyrunning have brought together one of the greatest ultra running fields ever, runners such as Kilian Jornet, Dakota Jones, Geoff Roes, Mike Wolfe, Erik Clavery, Sebastien Chaigneau, Joe Grant, D’Arcy Africa, Nikki Kimball, Anna Frost, Andy Symonds, Iker Karrera and so many more…

Yes, we ant to see a great race over what has been universally agreed as a ‘stunning course’ but Skyrunning also have another objective… With the race over and Dakota Jones crowned men’s champion and Anna Frost crowned ladies champion, a three day conference has been assembled to discuss the future of Skyrunning. It’s a key moment in time as not only is the Federation accepting that they need to move forward but they are also accepting that to move forward they need to listen to and discuss what the athletes, journalists, team managers and sponsors want. It’s refreshing to have such a forward thinking approach.

The conference ‘less cloud MORE SKY’ took place over three afternoons.

Day one showed all participants the history of Skyrunning. How it began, key moments, an introduction to the key athletes, a talk by ‘Sky Doc’ on the physical demands the sport places on its athletes and we also had some great video footage of races and events from the past.
Day two concentrated on media and in particular how social media can dictate how the sports future is made or broken. Athletes and journalists alike openly discussed how social media such as Facebook and Twitter are used to help get a message across to a media hungry public. Next day, a week later or even a month later is no longer acceptable for ‘News’. We want the news NOW and we expect it… It has it’s pros and it has it’s cons!
Day three I guess was the most important day. Although all participants had an opportunity to interact on the previous two days, day three discussed how the sport would progress and how the series would unfold. It was a great debate and all parties really did bring something to the table making Skyrunning look at its series of events, the locations that they use and how they can develop the sport so that European and non European runners have the opportunity to race on a level playing field.

Of course at this stage it was a point of discussion and the ISF now need to go away and discuss and bring together all that has been discussed over the last three days and formulate a plan for the future. It’s no easy task but I feel confident that in the hands of Marino Giacometti and Lauri Van Houten that the future of the sport is in safe hands. They are passionate about what they do, what they offer and they understand that although the sport needs to progress to the demands of the public, the participants and the sponsors they also know that they must not loose the roots of the sport and what makes it great.

With the inclusion of ‘Vertical’ and ‘Ultra’ circuits to the already very successful Skyrunner World Series the sport has exciting times ahead…

It is now important that we as athletes now work hard to ensure that our future in the sport is one of harmony, cohesion and importantly, as Marino and Lauri said, ‘in the spirit of the sport’ so that it’s future is secure.

We will face new challenges, new horizons and we must go to our respective home countries and/or federations and ensure that we remove the cloud so that we can all see MORE SKY!

Notes:

The ISF new formula world series offers a distance for every runner with three stand alone circuits and a combined title. Twenty spectacular races available across the world. Skyrunning offers more titles, more prize money and without a doubt, more kilometres and more altitude.

ISF MEMBER COUNTRIES
Andorra, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, USA, and Venezuala.

Skyrunning Contacts
Skyrunning
info@skrunning.com

2012 CALENDAR
SKYRUNNER WORLD SERIES
Spain – Maraton Alpina Zegama-Aizikorri May 20
Italy – Giir Di Mont Skymarathon July 29
Switzerland – Course De Sierre-Zinal Aug 12
USA – Pikes Peak Marathon Aug 19
Malaysia – Mount Kinabulu Climbathon Oct 14

VERTICAL KILOMETER SERIES
Russia – Elbrus May 7
Greece – Gerania June 10
Italy – Dolomites Jul 20
Switzerland – Le KM vertical de Fully, Valais Oct 20
Spain – Puig Campana, Valencia Nov 11

SKYRACE SERIES
Russia – Elbrus May 9
Greece – Goura Coninth May 27
Italy – Dolomites Jul 22
UK – Snowdon Jul 21
France – Marathon Du Montcalm Aug 18

ULTRA SKYMARATHON
Spain – Transvulcania La Palma May 12
USA – Speedgoat 50k, Utah Jul 28
Italy – Trofeo Kima, Sondrio Aug 26
Spain – Cavalls de Vent, Pyrenees Sep 29
France – La Course des Templiers, Millau Oct 28

2012 SKY GAMES
RIBAGORZA ROMANICA, PYRENEES, SPAIN. JUNE 29 to JULY 8

Transvulcania La Palma Race Report

Transvulcania La Palma – International Skyrunning Federation

May 12th 2012

It was billed as the race of the decade and the 2012 Transvulcania La Palma race did not disappoint.

The International Skyrunning Federation had assembled one of the best mens field ever. It was a who’s who of ultra running; Kilian Jornet, Iker Karrera, Andy Symonds, Geoff Roes, Dakota Jones, Rickey Gates, Sebastien Chaigneau, Mike Wolfe, Francoise D’Haene, Casbeth Nemeth and in the women’s race, Anna Frost, Nikki Kimball, Darcy Africa, Corinne Favre and Nuria Picas.

From the perspective of an ultra running fan and a journalist, this was a race to be involved in. The first race held in 2009 had a main objective, to use the hiking paths that linked the island and fulfill the needs of the ever growing demand for long distance events. Starting at the Faro de Fuencaliente (lighthouse) the course follows the GR131/ GR130 route going up the Ruta des los Volcanes in the Cumber Nature Park making a total distance of 83km and a total elevation of 8525m. It borders the Caldera de Taburiente National Park and goes down to Puerto dee Tazacorte before rising up slightly to the finish in Los Llanos de Aridane.

The race literally climbs some 53km fro sea level reaching the highest point on the course at 2426m and then drops down to sea level with a decent that the runners literally explained as ‘crazy’! The terrain is volcanic with black loose ash that moves under the feet, rutted and rocky terrain and of course the heat.

Leaving the start in pitch black at 0600hrs a stream of white headlamps moved towards the lighthouse, turned left and then headed up single track leaving a glow of flashing red lights in its wake. The early morning temperatures already gave us a sign that a hot day lay ahead.

Kilian Jornet, Dakota Jones, Andy Symonds made the initial running pushing up the trail. In the ladies race Anna Frost headed first up the trail and set a pace that showed she meant business.

The course climbed up from sea level to Las Deseadas and then dropped down to Refugio De El Pilar and then slowly climbed its way up to the high point of the course at Roque De Los Muchachos before a drop of some 20km to Tazacorte and the final kick in the tail to Los Llanos.

Kilian and Dakota forged ahead on the trail followed by Andy Symonds. Behind them Francoise D’Haene, Iker Karrera chased but the two guys up front looked strong.

In the women’s race Anna Frost, ‘Frosty’ as she is affectionately known pushed ahead at a pace that was leaving the other women in her wake but also most of the men. She was pursued by Nuria Picas, Nikki Kimball, Darcy Africa and Corinne Favre.

In the mens race, some pre race favourites were not having a great day, Mike Wolfe said after the race that ‘it just wasn’t happening’ but he did hold on for 14th overall . Geoff Roes said that he ‘felt like he was running in marshmallow’ and Sebastien Chaigneau complained of lower back pain and stomach issues. The latter two dropped from the race at Roque de los Muchachos.

Ultimately, Frosty dominated the women’s race and broke the course record by an incredible 1hr 45mins to record a time of 8:11:30. Her run and effort also secured her a place of 13th overall ahead of notable names such as Mike Wolfe, Ian Sharman, Gustavo Reyes and Csaba Nemeth. Second and third went to Nuria Picas in 8:51:59 and Nikki Kimball in 9:10:00 respectively. Nikki was stoked by her run saying that it was the first run in 4 years that she had gone without knee pain. The emotion was clear to see in her eyes.

The mens race eventually became a real nail biter. At the highest point of the race we had a perfect long distance view allowing us to see the runners approach from kilometers away. It was incredible to watch as first Kilian appeared and then Dakota locked head to head, foot strike to foot strike in battle. Snaking up and down the trail they approached us, went through the feed and left but then suddenly Andy Symonds from the UK was in sight closing the gap. At the summit he told us ‘I feel good, lets bring it on’. He left with arms outstretched like a plane and jumped gazelle like on to the tough and technical decent to Tazacorte.

Waiting at the finish for the arrival of the runners it was party time. The whole town was out. It was like a stage finish of the The Tour de France or a section of the London Marathon course.

News came in that Andy Symonds had caught both Kilian and Andy on the decent and gone past them… apparently Kilian had followed and Dakota said after the race that he thought that was it and that ‘well, third will be good’.

But in Tazacorte Kilian was in trouble, maybe struggling from the heat, maybe struggling from dehydration or maybe just not on form after months of skiing. Andy was now in battle with Dakota but as he said immediately after the race ‘I just wasn’t strong enough, Dakota pulled away and I couldn’t keep up’. Dakota crossed the line in 6:59:07 smashing the old course record set in 2011 by Miguel Heras of 7:32:12.

Andy arrived just 90 seconds later in 7:00:34 and Kilian arrived in 7:09:53. As he crossed the line his legs went from underneath him and he lay flat with exhaustion. Medics rushed to his aid and the crowd started to chant “Kilian, Kilian, Kilian” it was quite a moment and one that emphasized the importance of Kilian not only to the running community but to Spain alone. He later re emerged to speak to the crowd and assured them he was okay and thanked them for the support. He is a true ambassador.

Was the Transvulcania La Palma the race of the decade? Well from where I was on the course and at the finish, it sure was! However, I do think it is a start of a new era in ultra running and I can only hope that what I witnessed on the Island of La Palma will be repeated time and time again. It’s a day and a race `I will never forget. Incredible. But in just a few days time we will be in Zegama… lets see what unfolds in the Pyrenees.

Mens Results

Dakota Jones – Montrail – 6:59:07
Andy Symonds – Salomon – 7:00:34
Kilian Jornet – salomon – 7:09:53
Francoise D’Haene – salomon – 7:23:40
Iker Karrera – Salomon – 7:38:58

Women’s Results

Anna Frost – Salomon – 8:11:30
Nuria Picas – Icebug – 8:51:59
Nikki Kimball – The North Face – 9:10:00
Darcy Africa – Pearl Izumi – 9:17:35
Uxue Azpeitia – 9:21:11

Transvulcania La Palma – Day 2

The day has been a whirlwind of media frenzy… just imagine it, a race that has been on the calendar for several years suddenly is transformed by Skyrunning with an invitation to the worlds best ultra runners. The race is literally a who is who of ultra running and funnily enough, even some runners are out in the Canaries and are not racing; Anton Krupicka being one of them!

This morning, Marcus Warner from Ultra168 and myself went out for an hours run. This was after just literally a few hours sleep and long long days of travelling, meetings, press conferences and photo shoots.

At 0900 we returned back to the hotel to meet up for a group run. As planned, the run assembled… Kilian Jornet, Sebastien Chaigneau, Andy Symonds, Anna Frost and the list goes on. What an opportunity. Run with the best and luckily they had an 80k the next day, so, the pace was manageable. Everybody had a camera, film crews everywhere, cars following us and then you had people like myself sprinting up the road to take photos and then sprinting to catch up.

What impresses me is the media personality that is Kilian. So generous of his time, so media savvy and a great ambassador. He is just coming off the ski season and I guess he may well not be run fit but nobody is discussing that. His talent is without question.

But the other impressive thing is the Salomon machine behind him, Greg Vollet team manager is a consummate professional. Understated, quiet, thoughtful but a great tactician. The support that the other Salomon staff bring is also incredible. It makes the other sponsored runners and teams seem almost like amateurs and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. Salomon are forging a new direction for the sport and are leading the way. The product development, constant tweaking to equipment and understanding the needs of each runner is inspiring to watch… you see hand grips being adjusted to fit by product development guy, Serge Chapuis. You also see new clothing being distributed to the runners for the race – featherweight windproof jackets that weigh 3oz’s. They get tested on the trail, the runners feedback, it gets tweaked and adjusted and then at some point it hits the shelves.

In comparison I bumped into Anton Krupicka, Geoff Roes, Joe Grant, Mike Wolfe and Dakota Jones in a group outside the press room at 11am. They have all just slept for 12 hours after long travelling days. They are relaxed and casual. On the suggestion of Bryon Powell from iRunFar we hold an impromptu round table with Bryon, Marcus and myself asking questions – you can listen to this here

This group of Americans are the established hierarchy of ultra running and they ‘just want to run’. They are very much free spirits who love each others company, who love running the trail and love running in new places. But they have no backing at the race… they are self sufficient and adapting to new surroundings. They are relaxed and unworried. We press them about the future of running and how it will change. They all acknowledge that change is coming and that the sport is getting bigger. Certainly they can see that Skyrunning are pushing a new frontier… they quite rightly say that although the Transvulcania La Palma is being pushed as the race of the decade, they also say; yep! this is one incredible field but so is Western States this year, then UTMB… however, the Transvulcania has the most stacked field I have seen for some time and the media frenzy reflects this!

A group photo taken at midday posted to Facebook took minutes and minutes to ‘tag’ it had so many ‘names’ in it.

An afternoon of relaxation by the runners was compensated for by the media room being a frantic place of editing, writing, Tweeting and Facebooking. This is the world we live in now. We can get the news and the stories out pretty much immediately, well, almost immediately! The wifi at the hotel is under serious stress and what should take 5 mins can take an hour. It’s frustrating but the patient and determined profit.

I actually managed to edit and put together a last minute podcast to give the listeners and the curious an opportunity to hear what the American contingent had to say pre race. Yes the audio may not be perfect but that isn’t the point… between us, and by us I mean Bryon Powell, Marcus Warner and James Hallett from GoTrail means that we have come together to cover the english speaking segment of the World – Marcus representing Australia, Bryon America, James South Africa and obviously myself for the UK. It’s a great step and one I have loved being involved in.

This collaboration will become even more important for tomorrow, race day! It turns out that it is impossible to cover the whole race as the course is so demanding. Apparently it can take 2-3 hours to reach the high point! Therefore we have split ourselves over the course to bring together our feeds and provide a feed of how the race unfolds.

Finally, in the early evening, Greg Vollet from Salomon assembled his runners and gave them a motivational talk with audio/ video demonstration. From the side lines the American runners looked on with mixed emotions. For them it is just running but I also think they also had some envy of what the Salomon runners received and the attention that they receive. Nikki Kimball certainly wouldn’t mind that level of attention.

I could go on and say how we had a good laugh at how Anton and Geoff took the mickey out of Anna Frost on how heavy her ‘fuel belt’ was… or I could try to explain how Anton gets 10 gels, a space blanket and 500ml bottle in those little shorts that he wears.

Enjoy the race!

Transvulcania Press Release

TRANSVULCANIA. ANTICIPATION RUNNING SKY-HIGH
– two days to the race of the century

Transvulcania Ultra Marathon, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain – May 12, 2012

La Palma, May 10, 2012
The Transvulcania Ultra Marathon nears and months of anticipation will come to an end on May 12 on the Spanish island of La Palma where the world’s ultra running legends will gather for what looks like being the race of thecentury.

Anticipation and speculation, because never before has such a deep élite field lined up at an ultra. On race day, follow the race live on our Facebook page!

The entry list reads like a who’s who of ultra running, with top European and American legends among the favourites. Hotly tipped are Spain’s Iker Karera, (last year’s winner with Miguel Heras) and superstar Kilian Jornet, straight out of a winning ski-mountaineering season and looking stronger than ever. Britain’s Andy Symonds is looking good for the podium and so is Frenchman Sebastien Chaigneau, after winning the Transgrancaria earlier this year.

The strong American contingent is headed by Mike Wolfe, Goeff Roes and Dakota Jones. British “ex pats” living in the US are Joe Grant and Ian Sharman, each offering different qualities: Grant with a mountain background and Sharman blessed with speed….Anton Krupicka’s insistent shin problem and Rickey Gates’ hamstring injury will probably mean they won’t be in racing shape.

The women’s outright favourite is New Zealand’s Anna “Frosty” Frost, who has been on the island training for weeks and is in good shape. Look out too for IAU Trail World Champion Maud Gobert and Corinne Favre, past Skyrunning World Champion, both from France; Americans Darcy Africa, 2011 Hard-Rock 100; Nikki Kimball, 3rd 2011Western States 100 and 2007 TNF Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®; Kasia Zajac from Poland, Zugspitz Super Trail 2011. Spain’s Monica Aguilera last year’s winner, will be competing again in this super strong women’s field. Her time last year: 10h0’. The men’s time to beat 7h32’ by Miguel Heras.

The mammoth line-up continues with top French runners: François D’Haëne, Thomas Lorblanchet, Yann Curien.; Csaba Németh, Hungary; Florent Troillet, Switzerland; Gustavo Reyes, Argentina; Giuliano Cavallo, Italy; Philipp Reiter, Germany.

The strong international team participation includes major industry players:
Adidas, Arc’teryx, Asics, Montrail, New Balance, Pearl Izumi, Platinum Sigvaris, Salomon, The North Face.

The 500 runners from 22 nations face a daunting 8,525m ascent and descent over the 83 km course which starts at sea level on the Atlantic coast and travels along the island’s backbone to the summit of the volcano at 2,423m before descending back to the sea and finishing in the town of Los Llanos where the streets will be lined with the applause of thousands of spectators.

From sea to sky, the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon perfectly embodies the skyrunning philosophy and unquestionably represents one of the most spectacular of the 20 races on the 2012 Skyrunner® World Series.

Follow the race live on our Facebook page on Saturday! See http://www.skyrunning.com and Twitterr for race report. Race website http://www.transvulcania.com

Transvulcania – Day 1

I suppose really this is day two as I travelled to Birmingham via train on Wednesday for an overnight stop at the airport. Not something I really wanted to do but a 0600 departure didn’t really leave me much choice. A couple of glasses certainly helped with a good five hours sleep and then the early rise.
Travelling to the island of Las Palmas is actually an ultra in itself. Being a small island, not many flights go to and from the island. When you take into account that 500+ people will be making the journey for the weekend of May 12th to take part or watch the ‘showdown’ as I like to call it and you realise that a direct flight just isn’t going to happen. Anything but.
Departing Birmingham at 0600 I arrive in Amsterdam 0800 to then make a quick transfer to a different terminal for a KLM flight to Madrid. Luckily these two flights meant that my luggage would be forwarded on. Always a little nervous of this but I am pleased to say that my baggage popped out on the belts in arrivals at Madrid.
Out of the airport I then had to check in, go through security and pick up an Iberia flight for Tenerife. A real lack of information in Terminal 2 at Madrid meant questions had to be asked and lucky I did… Turns out my next flight was Terminal 4, a bus drive away! I had time but it was added stress. Check in was stress free thank goodness and security was smooth. Took me a while to find my gate, it would appear that Madrid don’t like to sign things too well.
At the gate I was looking out for Marcus Warner from Ultra168 in Australia. He had flown through the night via London and was picking up the same two flights as me to the island. We had tentatively arranged a meet up. Not knowing each what each other look like the potential not to meet up was possible, however, it soon became apparent that we found each other straight away… Marcus was wearing head to toe Salomon gear and a Suunto Ambit on his wrist. I was wearing Hoka’s, an Endurancelife Team t shirt and a pair of sport glasses on my head. We stood out!
The journey now should be pretty straight forward we thought but unfortunately at Tenerife we needed to collect our bags and re check in for the last leg to Las Palma. This shouldn’t have been a problem but sitting on the runway at Madrid for thirty mins didn’t help our cause.
We made the twin prop flight to La Palma with time to spare. As we approached we had a real sense of what this island is like… Pretty small and basically hilly with one serious mountain in the middle.
The journey from the airport to our hotel took some 60 min and was basically driving up for 40 min and driving down for 20 min. Our destination a super hotel complex.
Marcus and myself arrived at 1850 and we had a press conference at 1900. That is the quickest check in, shower and change I have ever had! We had a quick catch up with Anna Frost and then attended the press conference. All plans have been laid out for the next few days.
Tomorrow morning, Marcus, Bryon Powell and myself will meet up with the runners for a pre race jog at 9am. This could be painful… I can’t help but think that Kilian and the rest of the runners going at a nice steady pre race pace may still very well be too quick for me but hey! I will tell you about that tomorrow.