I was planning on doing Red moss revolution hill race tonight but due to illness I’ve been kept on the sidelines no running – no nothing. I have been looking forward to this race more than most. It may seem a bit random, as there are loads of hill races and this is probably seen as one of the easier ones with 200 metres of ascent. But the reason I was looking forward to it is because I can see the hill the race uses from my desk in work! No exaggeration – I look up from my computer, out the window and there it is! The hill has been calling me ever since I moved desks a few months ago. Oh well maybe next year!
So 2 races I’ve been looking forward to reading about are arguably the 2 most prestigious ultras in Scotland and the USA. Last weekend it was the West Highland Way race in bonnie Scotland. In the history of the race, I don’t think there has ever been a more deserving winner. Ritchie Cunningham came 3rd last year recording the 4th fastest time ever. He just happened to be racing 2 other people that day who recorded the 2nd and 3rd fastest time ever. Meaning that had it been any other year apart from the year Jez Bragg set the record he would have won. So this year, in hot conditions, he goes and records the 6th fastest time ever and this time he comes first.
So what about the competition for Cunningham this year? The answer is some serious quality! When I looked at the results I didn’t even recognise second place Mark Godale. But after a quick google search (Assuming I’ve got the right Mark Godale!) turns out this is one seriously good American runner. Marathon PB of 2.38 and he completed the Burning River 100 miler in 16 hours 16 minutes. George Cairns, an experienced WHWer, came 3rd. Meanwhile race leader up until the 50 mile mark, Craig Stewart who also won the Highland Fling 53 mile race earlier this year was 4th. No doubt he’ll be back as if Ritchie and George’s results show experience seems to count for a lot as both of them have improved throughout the years and with his other ultra results it shows he is capable.
In the women’s race there was another incredible feet reached and like the men a highly competitive race. Kate Jenkins won the race for a 6th time. Second place was Donna Utakis who won the race in 2008. Third place was Jamie Aarons who as far as I can see is a newbie on WHW race scene but was 4th women in the Highland fling. Then you’ve got last year’s winner Sharon Law who came 4th. Other amazing stories include George Reid and Keith Hughes who set off 25 hours before the start from Fort William. They ran to Rowerdenan, slept for a bit, got a lift to the start and then completed the WHW race. Covering 168 miles in 53 hours! Then there is Jim Drummond who ran the race for the 12th time, equalling the most number of times anyone has run the race, joining Adrian Stott and Alan Kay. So all in all, a high class field and really for anyone to complete the course, never mind in those conditions is just awesome and I’m enjoying reading all the reports. But like all ultras, the real winners are the ones that have the guts to be on that start line in the first place; whether they finish or not.
Now on to Western states 100 mile endurance run which takes place this weekend in the Sierra Nevada hills in California. Some might say other ultras in America are bigger but for me it looks like WS has the edge. Especially when you see this year’s line up! It could go anyway but the 3 names that stand out, and could potentially get under 16 hours and maybe even Scott Jurek’s record are Killian Journet, Anton Krupicka and Geoff Roes. The most exciting thing about these 3, is that this is the first time any of them have raced each other and first time any of them have done WS. Here is a brief background to each:
Geoff Roes – Lives in the Alaskan mountains. Geoff has won every 100 miler race he has entered. This year he has done 2, 50 milers. One called the American River 50 coming first in 5 hours 50 minutes and the other being the Bear Mountain 50 miler which according to his blog he just ran ‘steady’ to finish first in 7 hours. - blog is Fumbling towards endurance (on my blogs I follow section).
Anton Krupicka – Lives in Boulder, Colorado so altitude shouldn’t be a problem. Anton has won every ultra race he has finished. He has won the Leadville 100 miler twice and DNF (did not finish) once. This year he did the Miwok 100k in just over 8 hours which is the 2nd fastest time ever recorded on that course. - blog is Riding the Wind (on my blogs I follow section).
Killian Journet – I think lives in Spain – he is Spanish! He has won the UTMB (Ultra trail mount blanc 100) for the last 2 years which is the biggest ultra event in Europe. Has a blog which can be found from Anton's blog but I can't read Spannish, d'oh!
All these guys live and breathe the mountains and with the randomness that comes with ultras, anyone could take this. These guys are obviously the favourites but there are others of course who could win it. Hal Koener has won Western States the last 2 years and there are always people I have never heard of. So his experience of the course may pay off. Also the leaders could easily burn each other out! Britain’s representative/contender would have been Jez Bragg who was 3rd last year. But unfortunately he is just back from injury so is having to pass up on his place and focus on UTMB instead.
The women's race is set to be just as exciting with a number of women capable of breaking 20 hours and many 19 hours. Nikki Kimball has won the race 3 times and came 4th last year and is probably the favourite as her PB at WS is 18.12. Tracey Garneau has never ran WS before but is an experienced ultra runner, running 6 hours 43 minutes in the American River 50 miler earlier this year. Anita Ortiz won the race last year in a time of 18.24. Beverly Anderson-Abbs was second last year and has a PB on the course of 19.16. Then of course there are loads of others who could be up and around the podium positions depending on how everyone's race goes.
I can’t wait to see how it pans out!
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