Talk ultra

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 – 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.

Transvulcania is here!

I have been waiting for this trip to come around… when I was asked to go to the Canaries and report on this race, little did I know at the early stages that this race would be so ‘stacked’. It is easier to say who won’t be at the race!

The course is a brute. It has some 8500m of climbing and ascent over 83km’s on trail and tracks within a volcanic setting. Based on La Palma the race will pretty much take over the whole island.

So who will be toeing the line?

The ultra king and I guess pre race favourite Kilian Jornet heads up the elite field but don’t get me wrong. Nothing will be guaranteed in this race. Previous UTMB winners Iker Karrera and Seb Chaigneau will be next to the Spaniard. From America we have a who’s who of ultra running with Mike Wolfe, Geoff Roes, Anton Krupicka, Dakota Jones and Ricky Gates. From the UK we have Andy Symonds. All these guys excel in the mountains and in addition to this premier list we have the female contingent that includes Anna Frost, Darcy Africa, Kasia Zajac, Nikki Kimball and Maud Gobert.

It really is a stellar field and it is set up to be ‘the race of the year’!

Last years winner, Miguel Heras, set a stunning course record in a shade over 7.5 hours, his time was 7:32:13. With this line up pushing each other, will the CR go?

In addition to the elite field some 500 other runners will line up against the best of the best to do battle over a course that will test each runners legs to the limit. Starting at sea level the high point of the race is 2423m at the Islands Volcano. Covering a total ascent and decent of 8500m the race will finish at sea level in the town of Los Llanos.

This will be a race to watch and follow.

Follow on http://www.skyrunning.com and check out the race website at http://www.transvulcania.com. The Twitter feed may also be a great source of information, go here

Endurancelife Weekend – Flete

Imagine a weekend on the southern coast at the Flete estate near Plymouth. Open fields, a bunch of endurance addicts, evening lectures, a camp fire, plenty of food, some sun, yes, some sun!

Endurancelife for the second year once again arranged a superb weekend. They even managed to secure some dry weather amidst a very wet April and early May. Ironic that parts of the UK are in a drought.

Based on the Flete estate, the surroundings are superb. Stunning coastline, sandy beaches, quiet inlets and of course the opportunity to camp on site. The weekend is a mix of events all geared at fulfilling new desires, testing new boundaries or fulfilling the needs of the dedicated.

I arrived on Friday via train with Niandi. Lacking a car at the moment made logistics a little awkward, so we managed to find some cheap accommodation in Plymouth and along with ELA ambassador James Adams we shared a hire car for the weekend. The plus side for us was that we had a warm bed for the evenings but I can’t help but think we missed out on some of the fun.

We arrived on Saturday at event HQ just in time to see the ‘Raid’ get underway. A multi discipline event that involves mountain biking, running and kayaking. Being the dedicated endurance athletes that we are, Niandi, James and myself got a Laver bread sandwich and coffee and relaxed on the grass. Laver bread was a new one on me, made from seaweed you wouldn’t expect it to be too tasty but it sure was. Especially when you add a fried egg, some mushrooms and spinach. Oh I do love sport as it does allow you to indulge in endurance eating too.

Neil Bryant arrived and asked if we had planned to take part in the Aquatrail. A swim, run, swim run and so on event. James did go through the comical process of trying a wet suit on but thought better of it and with the exception of Neil we decided that spectating would be the best option. Not before we had another Laver bread though first…

Late afternoon, what looked like a bunch of tall seals lined up on the beach ready to do battle with cold water and trail running. As they entered the water you could hear a few screams as the cold took the breath away. Out to a buoy and back to the beach they then ran off around the coastline taking in two more swims and run sections to eventually return back to the start point and repeat the process a couple more times. For nearly everyone this was an introduction to Aquatrail and although they had been told that it would involve 2k of swimming and 10k of running I don’t think many had anticipated how hard the event would be. Certainly as they came out of the water at the end of lap one the cold water was having an effect but many battled on with cold hands and feet to a successful completion of the first Aquatrail.

Back at camp we sat around the fire and listened to stories and music. A wonderfully chilled hour as the sun started to disappear on the horizon.

With darkness the first evening of Live More Lectures started. Stories of crossing Oceans rowing, climbing to the summit of Mt Everest and running the Bob Graham Round in the English Lakes. Stories to inspire and motivate. The three of us left the camp close to midnight not leaving much opportunity for sleep before the early Sunday start to take part in the Coastal Trail Series.

Niandi and myself ran the marathon and teammates Oliver Sinclair, Neil Bryant and James Adams ran the ultra. Having run nearly all the Coastal Series, Flete is the one race I hadn’t run so I was interested to see what lay in store. From the off, the eventual winner flew off at break neck pace and never eased up. We only saw him again at about 5k into the race when all the front runners missed a left turn due to a misplaced course marker (very unusual). The early miles had a couple of tough climbs but then the middle section had some great single track. At checkpoint 2 I dibbed in with my Sportident and ran straight off leaving my two running partners. Slowly opening up a gap I remained in 2nd place right to the end to take a very satisfying 2nd place. However, the top 3 place was not that easy to come by! the final 6-8 miles of the Flete course are pretty darn tough. The climbs are vertical and seriously hurt the calf muscles and hamstrings. Over the final climb and on the run in to the finish we had a river crossing which was just what the legs needed. All that cold water on tired muscles. Perfect. In the Ultra, Oli was second and Neil 3rd making a good haul of the top places for the Endurancelife Team.

The sun was out and recovery for the next few hours was paramount. Of course that meant some chill time by the fire, another laver bread and plenty of fluid… no, I was good, no alcohol. Well, not until later when I treated myself to a glass of red!

The evening lectures soon came around and we kicked off with tales of going to the North Pole. Our final talk of the evening was by Deborah Searle who had achieved stunning feats by rowing solo some 10 years ago. In the middle was me! Yes, me!

When I had been asked to talk I was left with a dilemma. I felt that in comparison to rowing the Atlanic, climbing Everest or going to the North Pole my achievements were insignificant. But I have one strength, I feel that I am an ordinary person who could inspire other ordinary people to also achieve and push boundaries in a simple way. Since the passing of my Dad in 2009 I had never spoken in public about my 8 marathons in 8 days that had become such a test at a very trying time. So, putting myself under the pressure of literally breaking down in tears in front of a packed room I put some demons to rest in my talk. I managed not to break down (just about) and I hope that I got across a simple story of running that anyone could undertake.

It was a brilliant weekend. Both Niandi and myself had a great time and it was such a pleasure to mix with some great friends, make new friends and soak up the south coast.

As per usual, the Endurancelife crew but on another super slick event with the whole team being so helpful. I would like to give some special thanks to Kate for all the help prior to the weekend and on the weekend.

See you all next year

EcoTrail de Paris 2012

Another year and another EcoTrail. Since 2008 I have been in and out of Paris on a regular basis. Niandi, although South African born is a Parisian at heart and after living in the City for 20 years she considers it her home! I personally love the place. It’s my favourite City. No doubt!

In 2008 the EcoTrail de Paris was originated. I missed the first edition but 2009 was my introduction to the event. What could be better, 50 miles of trails, beautiful forests, stunning views and of course, the best finish line in any race. A night time run up to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. It’s magical.
In my first year I ran with Niandi wanting to enjoy the experience together. Although I had a tough day I loved it.

In 2010 I went back with friends and ran quicker, in 2011 I went back again and ran quicker. Each time I missed my own target of sub 8 hours.

This year, although my training had not been perfect I hoped would be my year. As it turned out, it wasn’t. Not by a long shot…..

The EcoTrail has developed considerably over the five years of its life and they now offer a 30k, 50k and 80k option. The races start outside the centre of Paris and you basically run into the city with a final 10k along the Seine and an ascent to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower for the 80k runners at the finish. The course is predominantly trail through woods, forests and trails. You have a few villages to pass through and few road sections but ultimately it is wonderful off road trail.

Temperatures in Paris shot up to the mid 20’s when I arrived on the Friday. On Saturday, race day, with a midday start we knew it was going to be a tough one. The previous day I had discussed with Jean Charles the Race Director, about the feed stations. In previous years they had the first feed and 14 miles and the second at 31 miles…. A long way! JC informed me that they had added an extra feed station to fill the gap! Good, it was needed and particularly with the weather forecast.

On race day, the sun beat through our hotel window at 7am. It was going to be hot. We made our way leisurely to the start allowing for plenty of time. With such weather it was no problem to be out in the open air relaxing on the grass. We had an opportunity to meet up with French friends; Huguette, Katel, Jean Pierre and I also met up with Emre Tok from Turkey.

At midday we started. It’s always congested initially as 2000 runners head out to the trails. I controlled my effort wanting to slowly move up the field without exerting too much energy. My target was to run 8 min miles on the flat and power the hills. Within 8 miles I had moved up the field and was running in clear space with small groups of runners. The heat was beating down but I felt good. Relaxed even!

The first feed seemed to come quickly. I filled two 500 ml bottles and probably had about 500 ml left in my bladder. I grabbed food and walked out of the station taking 3-5 mins to eat while still making progress on the course.

I was now much more in isolation with just handfuls of runners here and there. Twenty miles came and I was suddenly feeling not too great. I was getting some spasm in my legs, particularly calfs and I was starting to feel just not 100%. Nausea was making feel light Heade and I was getting some double vision. I couldn’t understand it? I had drunk over 2 litres of electrolyte drink at this point. Surely I couldn’t be dehydrated. The previous night I had had some bad headaches late at night. I was beginning to think that maybe I had picked up a bug.

From here on in it just got worse and worse. Headaches, tightness in my chest, my throat ‘closing’ not allowing me to drink. The climbs became purgatory and the flat sections just ridiculous. I was jog/ walking and could do no more. Runners started to come past me and it was becoming survival. Not really what I wanted….

I though of JC telling me that they had added a feed station and I thought, I just need to get to that! I went through the marathon in 4 hours, so, I was sort of on my 8 hour pace but I just knew that unless I got energy, hydration and somehow had a remarkable recovery, this was not my day…. The feed finally came but it was at 30 miles!!! Yes, some 16 miles after the first. It turned out NOT to be a feed station but just a water point.

I have only ever quit one other race and that was because of a hernia! The process of handing my number in at the second feed in the EcoTrail was an easy one! I was in bits. No broken! I had no mental strength and no determination to push myself to the end. I wouldn’t say I am the ‘best’ at suffering but I can do it. Today was not one of those days.

The feeling of complete emptiness is one that I never wish to experience again. Double vision, a dried up tight throat that made it difficult to swallow, sickness and this tightness in my chest that did have me a little concerned. I thought of Dean Karnazes saying that you should always try to finish but sometimes a DNF is okay when those initials mean Did Nothing Fatal!

It may sound extreme but I have never quite had a run experience like it.

The EcoTrail is a race I love. Paris is a place I love. I still have wonderful memories and although 2012 edition of the EcoTrail is not the story I wanted, it is still a story and one that we can all learn from! Ultimately, it’s ONLY RUNNING. Running is an enhancement of my life, a passion, an enjoyment, an opportunity to mix and bond with similar people. Saturday became purgatory and I never want running to become that! I accept good and bad days, I accept the will and determination required to complete an ultra but ultimately for me I must have the overall sensation of enjoyment. I was not enjoying Saturday!

With my number handed in, other runners began to drop like flies. Looking back, I don’t think I had a bug. I’m pretty sure I had a combination of several things but more importantly my race came to an end through dehydration! I have always needed plenty of liquid and importantly salt. Although by that 30 mile point I had consumed 2.5 Lts of Electrolyte, it wasn’t enough.

In addition to all the above, my build up to EcoTrail was not perfect. Don’t get me wrong, no excuses. The day was the day! But I have been burning the candle at both ends with extremely long and stressful work hours, reduced training and little sleep. I guess ultimately something has to give! A hot day, 50 miles of trails and I guess not being 100% contributed in what was on the day, an easy decision.

Of course, the day after is always the tough one. As I walk around Paris and see ‘finisher T shirts’ everywhere you think to yourself, was I just weak! Could I have carried on? I guess the answer is yes. Would I have achieved anything? Well, other than another finish, no. Best to take in the views, eat and drink! Why not…

I wanted to look at the big picture and in the coming two months I have a stacked calendar. To pull out and hopefully speed up the recovery process will mean that I can be back fighting sooner rather than later.

This coming weekend I have a 50k recce in the English Lakes on the Lakeland 50/100 route, two weeks after that I am heading to Turkey to report on the first edition of the Iznik Ultra and participate in the 60k. The weekend after that I have London Marathon which I hope will be ‘just fun’ and then the week after that I will be in Scotland for the Highland Fling; another tough 50 miler. Again at the Highland Fling I will be working/ running, so, the pressure is off. I will just be a participant, but, 50 miles is still 50 miles even if you try to take it easy.

So, another great weekend in Paris and of course I have the opportunity to go back to the race and try to put the record straight next year!!!

All experiences are valid, even the bad ones!

Talk Ultra Episode 5 MDS special

I have just finished editing and finally published Episode 5 of Talk Ultra, a Marathon des Sables special.

Why am I posting?

Well, to be honest, I am really proud of what Ian Sharman and myself have achieved in ‘just’ five episodes! Don’t get me wrong. The show isn’t perfect. But the MDS show in particular combines many aspects that I wouldn’t have thought possible so early in a new podcast.

Our show includes 7 interviews in total. Why 7? Well, we have a ‘Meltzer Moment’ with Speedgoat Karl, we have the audio between Ian Sharman and myself and then on top of this we have 5 separate interviews.

From a listeners perspective it is difficult to understand what goes into the process of producing a show. Believe me, it is time consuming, technical, sleep depriving but ultimately rewarding.

I believe in podcast terms we have broken some new ground with episode 5. What is key, is the inclusion of 2 French interviews. I wanted Talk Ultra to be global and certainly introducing this aspect to the show certainly helps. Technically it is a difficult process. I am very fortunate for this episode that my partner, Niandi is fluent in French.

So, how did we do it? Take a breath…. Here goes!

Firstly, we arrange the interview. Obvious I guess but this is not always straight forward. We are often working across different time zones and languages. With the interview in place and a time set aside, the preparation begins. This usually involves an hour or maybe even two preparing questions, doing research and then generating a ‘show notes’ document. This helps me, or Niandi in this case have a structure and a direction for the interview.

The interview takes place and the ‘conversation’ is recorded in my studio via several pieces of software. Calls are made at my end using Skype. Ideally we prefer to call landlines as this usually provides better sound, however, sometimes we need to phone mobiles. For our MDS special, we called Patrick Bauer on his mobile.

After the interview I have an audio stream that I then ‘split’. The audio is converted to ‘mono’ and then the edit process begins. This is a tidy up process removing ambient noise, improving sound, removing mistakes and tightening up the audio so that it sounds as best as possible in the show! Normally the process would stop here, the file would be saved as an Mp3 and then I would ‘add’ this audio to my ‘final edit’ when putting the show together.

For our French interviews, this process was magnified by several 100%. Of course, we had an interview, but it was in French. So, we play the audio back, Niandi translates and I write the English dialogue. When this process is completed, I then write a script to coincide with my questions.
With a script sorted, we then repeat the process and record audio between Niandi and myself. I ask the questions in English, Niandi answers in English. Armed with a new recoding file I then merge this with the original French interview. A complicated process! I remove Niandi’s French questions and replace with my English ones. I then drop the sound level of the French audio and over dub Niandi’s English answers in line with the French response. At the end we have a new Mp3 file that hopefully gives a feel of the original interview and provides an insight that may not have otherwise been available.

I appreciate that the finished result may not be perfect! If I was critical I would say that it lacks the ‘interaction’ that you would get with a normal interview. But it’s a start and one that I am happy with!
I feel that with episode 5 we have broken some new ground and I would appreciate any constructive comments.

You can listen to Talk Ultra on iTunes, at talkultra.com or via Libsyn.

Now then, with another show done, I need to go and run…..

Many thanks for your ongoing support of me and Talk Ultra.

Ian

Hoka One One 2012 s/s update

Wow – all my stock arrived last week while I was in Lanzarote. Over 40 pairs of bright Hoka One One supreme running shoes. With pre-orders and orders that arrived in early March, I now only have 5 pairs left! Yes, 5 pairs left. I am awaiting another delivery this week, but as I mentioned previously, Hoka One One stock is now very low throughout the shoe range. I will update the ‘Shop’ on my site with new colour ways and available sizes.

In brief the following are available in ‘selected’ sizes:

Bondi B – citrus/silver/grey UK7 through to UK12 – only 2 pairs of 12’s left

Bondi B – white/black/citrus UK7.5 to UK11.5 – and 2 pairs of UK12.5 – no 12’s left

Bondi B – anthracite/orange/white UK 7.5 to UK13 (no 12’s) Bondi B – ladies shoe UK5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8.5 but only 1 or 2 pairs in each size

Stinson B – blue/silver/orange UK7.5 to UK13 Stinson B – white/silver/citrus UK7.5 to UK12

Stinson B Evo – citrus/black/cyan UK5.5 to UK11.5

Stinson B Evo – anthracite/citrus/black UK8 to UK12.5 – no 11.5’s

Stinson B Evo – ladies UK5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5

Mafate 2 – citrus/anthracite/white UK8 to UK11.5

Mafate 2 – anthracite/white/orange UK7.5, no 8, 8.5 to UK11.5, no 12 and 1 pair of UK12.5

Talk Ultra

Episode 2 of Talk Ultra is now available via http://www.talkultra.com or from iTunes.

iTunes

Libsyn

This is an action packed show and at 2hours 19mins will be perfect for your long runs. The show includes an interview with ultra legend Gordy Ainsleigh. Gordy is the creator of the iconic Western States 100 mile race and in out interview he tells us about what it was like to run the race in the early 70’s and how the race has progressed.

We also have a chat with Hal Koerner – Hal won the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile race and we get his feedback on the race and his performance.

We have a Meltzer Moment with ‘Speedgoat’ Karl Meltzer. Karl also discusses his run at Rocky Raccoon and gives us his ‘Good, Bad & Ugly’ from the ultra world.

Phil Essam discusses the Tipton 100 in Ultralegends and in our 15 minutes of Fame we have Billy Isherwood. Billy took part in the Atacama Desert Race by racing the planet after a life of drug and alcohol abuse. It is an inspiring story and one that you can read about in his book Dead Man Running.

In addition to the above we bring you news and reviews from around the ultra world.

Episode 3 will be available on February 24th.

Hoka One One 2012 due to arrive March

HOKA ONE ONE

Introduction:

Hoka One One was the brainchild of Jean Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. Both very experienced adventure racers and runners. Nicolas Mermoud has placed very highly at UTMB.

They set themselves an objective. To create a shoe that reduced fatigue, impact and muscle strain. Hoka One One was born.

Sponsored Athletes include: Dave Mackey (ultra runner of the year), Christophe Le Saux, Ludovic Pommeret, Maud Combarieu and Karl Meltzer (31 100 mile wins)

The Technology behind the shoe:

The sole is oversized up to 2.5x a conventional run shoe and therefore offers outstanding impact resistance. It ensures a natural stride and IMPORTANTLY they only have 4mm drop from heel to toe. They are therefore very much inline with the barefoot philosophies of natural foot strike and mid to forefoot running. In addition, the shoe eradicates any harshness from the terrain, allowing you to ‘run over’ obstacles. A good analogy would be the difference between a no suspension mountain bike and one with full suspension.

Within the shoe, your foot sits within a ‘bucket’ that is recessed into the sole. Not only does this offer a precision foot strike but it also offers great stability.

Despite looks, the shoes are incredibly light. They defy gravity. The combination of lightweight and great cushioning reduce stress and fatigue. The shoe adapts and moulds to the terrain allowing you to ‘run through’ the most difficult terrain.

A unique addition to the shoe is a ‘rolling’ sole. This helps deliver superior underfoot performance allowing your foot to ‘rock’ forward. Try them downhill…. You will fly! The rocker sole propels you forward.

The increased footprint of some 35% bigger than a conventional road shoe offers increased stability. The wider base compensates for the height of the sole making every foot strike a confident one.

Throughout the range of Hoka One One shoes, grip changes with each model. The Bondi B road shoe has less grip and traction to allow for speed, the Stinson B (was Combo XT) mixes between the Mafate trail shoe and Bondi B and provides a shoe that works well on either road or trail. The Mafate is designed for severe off road running and the newly modified Mafate 2 has a new upper and increased grip. The new shoe in the Hoka range is the Stinson Evo. This shoe has all the benefits of increased foot platform and cushioning but has been re-worked into a shoe that offers a race fit. It has a breathable upper, speed lacing, increased grip and reduced weight; it is an out and out race shoe!

Statistics:

Less Impact – Increase contact with the ground by some 45% and less impact by 20-33%

On the flat a reduction of energy consumption by -3 to 5% (oxygen+lactate blood measurement+running mechanical properties)

Uphill -8 to 18% decreased energy consumption

Downhill -15 to 20% reduced shock impact

Conclusion – Better performance for less effort and increased protection

The Shoes:

Bondi B – Road shoe

Bondi B by Hoka One One 2012

Bondi B is a high performance road shoe suited to marathon runners, triathletes and ultra runners. Bondi B absorbs impact, shocks and reduces fatigue. It has 2x EVA volume and a 50% rocker profile. It has a 20mm recessed bucket situated within the midsole and provides support and control as and when required.

Stinson Evo – Trail

Stinson Evo/ Stinson B Evo by Hoka One One 2012

Stinson Evo is designed for absolute racing performance. It is the flagship of the Hoka One One 2012 range. It has a new outsole with EVA lugs to improve on weight. The surface profile has been altered to provide enhanced grip on mud and wet rocks. In addition, this grip provides superior uphill traction. The upper has been optimized to provide a precise racing fit with improved forefoot hold that balances weight and support. It has a quick lace system for rapid adjustment and the new upper has improved breathability. Revisions to the mid sole include a contoured sidewall which help reduce weight and it has a 25mm recessed midsole. The shoe has a 50% rocker profile, 2x2x EVA and recessed foot bucket.

Mafate 2 – Trail

Mafate 2 by Hoka One One

Mafate 2 is designed for tough terrain. It is designed around grip and support. The outsole has been overhauled over previous Mafate models and has a 4.5mm lug profile to offer superior grip. The upper has also been reworked to offer a precision fit and with a 30mm bucket within the midsole this provides a level of hold second to none. Lacing over previous models has also been adapted by adding an additional lacing loop allowing the runner to obtain a tighter fit if required. The shoe has 2.5xEVA and a 50% rocker profile. In addition, the Mafate 2 has a 35% wider foot platform over conventional trail shoes allowing you to ‘run through’ tough terrain.

Stinson B – Road & Trail

Stinson B by Hoka One One

The Stinson B, previously Combo XT (I am awaiting new imagery of the Stinson B, this is a 2011 model) is designed as a go anywhere shoe. It combines aspects of the Bondi B and Mafate. It has a 2.5x EVA and 50% rocker profile and has a tread pattern that is suitable for road and light trail. However, if the trail is hard, dry and rocky, this shoe realty does excel. It has a soft cushioned upper, a wider fit and it reinforces comfort without compromising support or stability. It has a 30mm recessed bucket and offers supreme protection.

In action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH91KFK7ABE

Stock & Ordering:

2012 stock is due to arrive March 5^th to 12^th and is available from www.hokaoneoneuk.co.uk

Analysis and Use:

Mafate by Hoka One One

First time impressions of the Hoka One One sometimes mean that potential users can’t get beyond the look of the shoe! Yes they are different and Hoka One One does not try to hide the fact. In fact, the contrary, they use strong bold colours that attract your eyes and your initial reaction on seeing them for the first time is ‘what the hell are they?’

Mafate Waterproof by Hoka One One

I had the same reaction. I saw them in a French Trail Race in 2010. A real tough mountainous event and in first place came through this lightweight athlete bouncing along and a pair of brightly coloured shoes. I took a second look…. and then a third and then a fourth look. I laughed to myself. But then I thought about it… hold on, this guy is in first place!

I stored the memory and then I saw them at another race, then I saw four or five pairs. I decided it was time to investigate and purchased a pair! Within 1 week I was sold… I was never going back!

Hoka One One at UTMB 2011

I started with the Bondi B. I purchased them on a Friday. Walked in them all day Saturday and then ran a road marathon on the Sunday. It was liberating! I bounced along with an effortless glide and energy return from a shoe that I hadn’t felt before. As the miles ticked by I noticed considerably less fatigue, a notable reduction in impact and the key factor was that I found that they made me want to mid/ forefoot strike. I would say the only noticeable change I made to my gait and stride was that I took shorter steps and increased my cadence.

Not long after I purchased the Mafate for trail running. Believe me, if you are running on rutted, hard and rocky terrain the Hoka One One are the full suspension mountain bike of the run world. What was obstacles became just glitches that I could run through the terrain without worry… downhill the shoes excelled taking away the harshness of the terrain and allowing a comfort level never experienced when running downhill before. At the end of a race or training, fatigue and ‘doms’ were reduced significantly allowing for faster recuperation and an ability to train at a higher level on repeated days.

Time to Fly - Hoka One One

Observers would look at the shoes and in this barefoot/minimalist market would laugh! However, they missed the point…. Hoka One One only has a 4mm drop from heel to toe making this a real mid to forefoot shoe. A low differential is key for enabling runners to land in a ‘natural’ way. The difference with Hoka One One is the cushioning. All other manufacturers obtain a low differential by reducing cushioning; not Hoka One One. They offer all the benefits of a minimalist approach but with superior cushioning and comfort. It has now been confirmed in many aspects of the natural run movement that Hoka One One are inline with the philosophies of a more natural run style.

So, back in the UK I wanted to purchase the shoes! Mmmm stumbling block. Due to the uniqueness of the shoe, obtaining and shoes in the UK was extremely limited. So, as the saying goes of ‘putting your money where your mouth is’ I did just that and I started to sell the shoe.

In the final 6 months of 2011 and certainly in early 2012 I have noticed an increased awareness and acceptance of what Hoka One One can offer.

All I can say is, if you don’t like the looks, get over it! Once you put them on and run in them, you won’t mind. They are an experience to behold…

Stinson B by Hoka One One

Time doesn’t stand still…

Well, the launch of Talk Ultra happened on Friday 27th Jan and one week later we have had over 5500 downloads.

Needless to say, both Ian and myself are completely blown away with the response.

This though is just the start. It has taken me months of work to get the show released, but now it is released we have to go through the process every two weeks.

Episode 1 had a few editing issues that I was aware of but we didnt have the software to solve them! Or should I say the combination of knowledge and software… To this end I spent 20 hours yesterday going through some new software and bringing my knowledge base to the correct level. My editing now has gone a little slower as it takes a while to get used to the shortcuts and to edit intuitively. The good news is though we have some significant sound improvements over episode 1.

Don’t get me wrong. Episode 1 was very satisfying but those little errors do irritate. I want the production levels to be the best!

This week we have topped the iTunes charts for sports and recreation podcasts and have had a top 10 placing in ALL podcast. Impressive and very satisfying.

Moving forward we have some great interviews coming up. Last night I interviewed David Horton, 1am for me – 8pm for him. Podcasting brings a whole new level of ‘endurance’ to ultra. Not only do I need to run long, I also seem to sleep less. C’est la vie… David Horton is a legend and his interview will be in episode 4.

In episode 2 we have the creator of Western States 100 miler, Gordy Ainsleigh. Gordy is a real character and has some great stories to tell. Boy can he talk….. 😉

Episode 3 will have New Zealand runner Anna Frost. Anna had a fantastic season in 2011 and over the winter months has been doing some really impressive challenges. Sponsored by Salomon, she is part of one of the top ultra teams. They have a very impressive line up in Sandes, Jornet and Heras amongst others.

Importantly, all our shows have Speedgoat Karl Meltzer doing a ‘Meltzer Moment’. Karl has won 31 100 mile races in his career and he is still at the top of his game. We have given Karl a free reign and in each show he will talk about the Good, Bad & Ugly of the ultra world.

Eventually, I will get to write up about some of my recent racing and training.

Look forward lot your feedback on Talk Ultra.

Keep running….. ian