6 miles on the Tayalet this AM. I started slow, but then a guy passed me. It sort of woke me up so I tucked in about 5 meters behind him and it got me moving a little bit. He cut off after a mile or so, but it was enough of a mental boost to keep me floating and keep this run from being a slog.
Tipped off by Tony, the competitive bios for Pikes have gone up. The Ascent is crazy loaded all of a sudden. I am going to have to eyeball that for a bit! Macias tops the prediction list with a 2:03, but right behind him are some tough contenders - Eberly, King, Aish, Siemers, Guiterrez, Gates, Maksimov, Tribbia, Manning, Ginesta, Martinez, Gall. WOW. Aish is rumored to have done a training run where he was on target for a sub 2 hour ascent before getting off course. Macias demonstrated altitude strength with a solid win at Evans earlier this year. And of course, Rickey has mountain experience and the MW this year, with Manning just behind him. I guess Glen Randall could still register as a prior race winner - so this thing is LOADED.
Tip of the hat to race registrar Carpenter for listing the qualifying time of the athlete on the entry lists. Makes it a little easier to determine what the person is getting in on (are they a 70 minute half marathoner, or a 3:10 marathoner predicting a 2:40 ascent).
On the Marathon side Daryn P appears to be the heavy favorite at current, as Matt is rumored to be taking the day off from racing. I'd then go with Boettcher behind him. There are competitive entries of Scott, Cool - but Hanson seems to be the most trail experienced of that lot.
Listening to this concert this AM. "Like a desert needs water, give me back my preacher's daughter."
I ran with Alex Nichols for a bit yesterday - who, btw, needs to be mentioned with the others. (120-mile weeks with the fastest Kenyans in the world cannot hurt one's cause) He was also impressed with the sudden stackedness of the field.
ReplyDeleteBad news re: Maksimow. Stress fracture. :(
Ginesta is doubling.
I also LOVE the new entry time page - so simple to sift out the BS from the BA.
Good call on Nichols.
ReplyDeleteI have to do a bit of research, but I think the most any one year has had under 2:30 was 12 - and that was last year (with folks getting lost at Bottomless Pit). It seems at least here that "record" will fall.
I don't see MC's record falling though. That might be my man crush coming out though.
MCs record may depend on what the barometric pressure is that day, right? ;)
ReplyDelete2h01m is stout, but what we've learned in the last few years watching Kilian Journet, Geoff Roes, Karl Meltzer, Dave Mackey, Nick Clark, Jennifer Pharr Davis, etc. is that everyone is beatable and any record can be broken.
Nothing against Aish, but when you don't know the course, I don't know how you could say that you were on course record pace.
ReplyDeleteExact same thought as JM above RE: course record pace.
ReplyDeleteMarathon looks to be wide open. Two-man race between Parker and Jordi far as I can tell. I predict they will be the only two below 4, but I also predict that JV finally has his breakout race and finishes third.
Max King is supposedly running Sierre-Zinal the weekend before the Ascent - maybe plans have changed, but no reason he doesn't do both, I guess. But, yeah, that is a super-stacked field. Awesome stuff. Bummed to be missing the festivities.
JM- Yeah.
ReplyDeleteFriggin' GZ trying to get me in trouble again.
And on King, he's supposed to start TransRockies...the day after PPA too.
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked for a list, but it seems that TransRockies will be loaded too.
Max King / Andy Martin
Tom Owens / Ricky Lightfoot
Ryan Hafer / Mario Mendoza
Alex Nicols / Peter Maksimow
Mike Smith / Jason Wolfe
That's just off the top of my head from what I've heard. Not sure if Hafer and/or Maksimow will be healthy.
Ah - now I get it Patrick.
ReplyDeleteI heard something through the grapevine that Aish got to A-frame in some crazy time, that was supposedly on record pace. I agree that a lot can happen above treeline and so it did not happen ...
I can't wait for that day when JV does bust it and I do hope it is here.
PPM will feel a little empty if the MC rumours are true. I will miss stepping out of his way as he floats down that mountain (and I'm barely to treeline). I believe Randall is also racing Sierre-Zinal.
ReplyDeleteYes, Randall is slated for S-Z. Rickey Gates running TransRockies too with that girl from NZ.
ReplyDeleteFinally a competitive field at Transrockies. Should be interesting.
Re: Aish--his road/track palmares are laudably stout (Max and Uli are probably the only other dudes on the North American scene who could compare), but I'm the "well known trail runner" in this interview, and after seeing Mike's forays into the trail scene this year, well, I'm feeling at least as confident about which side of the bet I'm on as when Mike and I had our initial brew-fueled discussion of the sport last fall. All in all, though, major props to Mike for sticking his nose in it and mixing up his racing surfaces/terrain.
ReplyDeleteI'm picking Macias in 2:07...?
Sad that the PPM looks to be the JV race this year, converse to what a respectable mountain racing aesthetic should dictate. I agree with Nick, a duel btwn Jordi and Daryn in the 3:48-52 range.
Found the TransRockies start list. It lists individuals and doesn't pair team members up.
ReplyDeleteSo, after the men listed above, I see -
Women -
Ashley Arnold / Cynthia Arnold
Nikki Kimball / Tracy Garneau (?)
Mixed -
Rachel Cieslewicz /
Devon Crosby-Helms / Nathan Yanko
Anna Frost / Rickey Gates
Amy Golumbia /
Dave James, Jill Perry, and Briana Torres (McMillan girl) are all also listed. I have no idea what teams though.
Frost seems a bit off this year. Golumbia is a Canadian mountain runner.
Devon and Nate racing together? Sounds like a good way to kill a relationship. Pretty sure my wife would divorce me after the first day :)
ReplyDeleteNate dragged Devon all over the san juans at hardrock and they survived, so who knows ;-)
ReplyDeleteNick, you really should just race Pikes. I, on the other hand, will happily use your travel arrangements and entry to utmb. I do accents really well and could just wear all my Pearl clothing I own. No one would know the difference. Until about 5 minutes into the race.
I'm going with Tony on the Macias pick. By the way, when are you, Tony, cleared to start meandering around the trails?
For what it is worth - I checked on this last year and I think that found that only two guys EVER have debuted with a sub 2:10. It was very rare air. One was Randall last year.
ReplyDeleteLots of guys have come to the hill with big aspirations and big resumes and have not done that. Not saying that Macias can't pull that off, but that is a lot of history to consider, with some legends coming to the hill (Porter, Carpenter, Waique) in that history.
Good point Tony on the marathon becoming the JV race. That sort of has been the trend over the last couple of years ... which appears to be a change from the 80s when actually the ascent times in the marathon were faster than the outright ascent times.
Other sub 2:10 debut was Waquie at the age of 30, with a 2:05 ... http://www.skyrunner.com/search/find.asp?Last=WAQUIE&Mi=%20&First=AL
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that Gall - who won the BTMR this year - also ran the marathon in 1997 (I feel stupid thinking that was not long ago, but can do the math that was 14 years ago). 2:23 up and 3:51 RT then.
Patrick,
ReplyDeleteThere are never any disagreements at TransRockies...
got pikes on the calendar for next year, sounds like an unbelievably fun/challenging event. the closest 14'r to me is Mt Shasta (~3hr drive) and with the TH beginning at 6,800' and topping out at 14,126', seems like the most logical place to run/hike in prep.
ReplyDeleteJacob - those elevation differences are almost exactly what exists at Pikes. Not sure I could bear a six hour RT to train, but an occasional session would probably be hugely beneficial. Are you thinking the marathon or the ascent?
ReplyDeletegetting the full experience in the marathon sounds most appealing. hoping to come out a week or more beforehand and hook-up with different folks, see more of Colorado.
ReplyDeleteAs Tony and Nick say, the PPM will be the "JV" race this year!! Muhahahahaaaa, look out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the vote of confidence Nick. 3rd might be a bit of a stretch, but I plan to give it my best. Now if I could only pick a pair of shoes to wear out of my huge selection....
Also thinking about shoes. Currently thinking it will be a newer pair of racer STs.
ReplyDelete