Happy Tuesday, trail friends. Welcome back to the only newsletter on the internet still written by a human and not ChatGPT (please excuse any errors).
A couple weeks ago we looked at the history of the 50K. This week, in a crowdsourced ode to the 50K some of our sport’s most inspiring athletes—Jenny Jurek and Joe Gray among them—tell us why they love the 31-mile race. In the DFL, we hear the best anti-running rant of all time.
– Matt Hart
THE WEEKEND COOL DOWN
Courtney Dauwalter was named UltraRunning Magazine’s UltraRunner of the Year for the fourth consecutive time! She is just that good. On the men’s side, after winning Western States in his first attempt at the 100-mile distance, Adam Peterman takes home the men’s UROY.
In FKT News: Andrea Sansone’s Nolan’s 14 and Jack Kuenzle’s Bob Graham Round were selected as the FKTs of the Year.
Want more racing? Check out these upcoming events still open for registration.
For a lot of runners, the 50K is the first ultramarathon distance they run. It’s longer than a marathon (by about five miles), but it’s not so long that it feels unattainable. At the starting line of a 50K, you’ll find everyone from weekend warriors to elite athletes—it’s the kind of race that breaks down barriers and invites everyone to the party. We called up four runners—some who’ve just finished their first 50K, others who have run many—to ask: What do you love about the 50K?
Want to trail run from Chamonix, France around Mont Blanc, or through Italy’s Dolomites, or maybe a Grand Traverse of Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland? Our partner,Run the Alpscan take you there.
Run with a licensed, expert guide, or go self-guided on a schedule that works for you.
Want to race? Take part in one of a dozen famous Alps trail races, through Run the Alps’ race partner program.
See trip dates and availability right now at Run the Alps.
? Freetrail Expansion: Last week, Dylan Bowman’s team announced a new coaching service, called Freetrail Experts, that puts them in the coaching game with a stellar list of advisors for hire.
⏱️ One Watch to Rule Them All? Say what you will about the price of the Enduro 2 from Garmin, but we think that solar charging is a big deal. A watch that increases battery power while you are out running means you’ll have the only watch that lasts the entire hut trip, while everyone else’s dies (true story). DC Rainmaker took one for a lap on the UTMB course and did his typical deep dive.
❣️ Can We Talk About Your Recovery Drink?: Does cycling have a drinking problem? Does running? Need more on why we should all rethink our relationship with booze? Stanford’s Andrew Huberman did a comprehensive podcast on it too.
? Pros Unite! Professional and elite trail runners have organized themselves into a new organization called the Pro Trail Runners Association. As Kilian puts it, they intend to “keep the fair play in the competitions, with more antidoping controls, to ensure that the preservation of the landscapes and ecosystems we use is a priority, and that the rights of runners are respected, with equality and equity of opportunities for all.”
? The Need for Speed: The most miles run by a woman in 12 hours is now 94.8 miles (7:35 minute miles!). That’s the new time set at the 2023 Spartanion race by Polish athlete Dominika Stelmach, surpassing Camille Herron’s previous record of 92.6 miles.
? Tweet of the Week. Jonathan Levitt asks ChatGPT how endurance athletes should think about sponsorship. The results are shocking.
.png?upscale=true&width=346&upscale=true&name=Weekend%20Cooldown%20-%203%20Across(38).png)
.png?upscale=true&width=346&upscale=true&name=Weekend%20Cooldown%20-%203%20Across(40).png)
.png?upscale=true&width=346&upscale=true&name=Weekend%20Cooldown%20-%203%20Across(39).png)
(29).png?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Weekly%20News%20Email%20(700%20%C3%97%20300%20px)(29).png)
