The Church of the Blue Dome » Hike

Looking For A Rhythm

Geoff — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:29:00 +0000

The past month has been a strange one for me in terms of running. I've run on some amazing trails all over the world: Alaska; The Yukon; Banff; Colorado; and France, to name a few. With all this travel though it's been very hard to get into any kind of consistent rhythm with my running. I don't think I've had any stretch in the past month in which I've run more than 6 days in a row and my total time and mileage has been way down due to all the days off. Add to this the fact that the one race that I was supposed to run in this time got cancelled 3 hours into the event and it's safe to say that it's been anything but a typical month of running for me. I've enjoyed this time for sure, but I am very ready now to get back into a more steady stretch of running. I got back here to Colorado 5 days ago thinking that I would jump right into this rhythm but I have been a bit sick this whole week so it's been necessary for me to take it slow because of that. Finally now I think I am feeling healthy and have no big travel plans anytime in the near future. I'm looking forward to getting back into hitting the mountain trails everyday and being out for 20+ hours and 100+ miles a week. I miss it a bit.

The 2010 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in Pictures

Bryon Powell — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:07 +0000

Last month I traveled to Chamonix, France to cover the 2010 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. What followed was not at all what anyone expected. I’ve previously tried to convey the week’s event through written articles as well as in interviews with many of the top athletes. I’ve now posted a photo album on iRunFar’s Facebook page that visually chronicles the week’s events. I’m no professional photographer, but I think they’ll give you a feel for what transpired. Below is a taste of the 85 photos in the above-linked album.

Sebastien Chaigneau consoling Tsuyoshi Kaburaki after the cancellation of UTMB 2010.

Geoff Roes phoning his parents to let them know the 2010 UTMB is canceled.

Geoff Roes, Nicolas Mermoud, and Kilian Jornet transforming disappointment into possibility.

Hope, in the form of Sebastien Chaigneau, Jez Bragg, and Lizzie Hawker restarting the 2010 UTMB.

Vincent Delebarre entering Arnuva during the 2010 UTMB.

Only tangentially related to the race, I snapped this picture en route to the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard.

Mike Wolfe in fourth place entering Forclaz late in the race.

Dawa Sherpa giving five to a young fan in Vallorcine.

Mike Wolfe finishing second at the 2010 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc.

Lizzie Hawker, Jez Bragg, Scott Jurek, and Sebastien Chaigneau after the 2010 UTMB.

Geoff Roes with an "American Burger" from the Midnight Express in Chamonix.

My moment of self-indulgence during the UTMB trip? An unplanned run up to the Refuge du Plan de l'Aiguille.

La Sportiva Mountain Cup Giveaway Grand Prize

Bryon Powell — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:00:43 +0000

A few weeks after theLa Sportiva Mountain Cup’s running wrapped up at Taos Ski Valley, we’re going to wrap up our coverage by announcing two final winners in out slew of giveaways. We’ve already given away 9 pairs of La Sportiva mountain running shoes and an entry into one of this year’s Mountain Cup races. Below are the final winner of a single pair of La Sportiva shoes and the grand prize winner.

First off, Bob Willcox of Colorado Springs wins a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites. (iRF Crosslite review) Bob, go hit the trails before the snow flies… or, with the Crosslites, even after it does!

… and the grand prize winner of three pairs of La Sportiva trail running shoes, a free entry into one 2011 La Sportiva Mountain Cup race, and a bunch of La Sportiva swag is Patrick of Denver, Colorado! Patrick, may you enjoy the rest of your trail time in 2010 and on into 2011 decked out in La Sportiva.

That’s it for iRunFar’s 2010 La Sportiva Mountain Cup coverage. We hope you enjoyed it!

La Sportiva Mountain Cup Schedule

My New Running Pack Mistress: Terra Nova Laser 20L Review

Meghan Hicks — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:00:54 +0000

Call me a traitor, an adulteress, as I probably deserve it. In 2009, I raced the Marathon des Sables in an Inov-8 Race Pro 22, and I loved every minute of my week in the desert with that pack. When I returned home, I wrote a glowing pack review, professing my undying love for and commitment to it. I concluded my article with the following remark, “I’m elated to say that I’ll be returning to the 2010 Marathon des Sables, and I look forward to racing in an Inov-8 backpack.”

*awkward pause*

I took the Terra Nova Laser 20L pack with me to the 2010 Marathon des Sables and I don’t regret it one bit.

*ducks, swerves, looks away*

If you’re still here, I hope you’ll stick around long enough to hear me out. First and foremost, I haven’t retired my beloved Inov-8 pack. In fact, since its inaugural voyage to the Sahara Desert, it has spent time fastpacking in Canyonlands National Park, on a winter hut-to-hut-to-hut Yosemite National Park snowshoe trip, and it just went with me on a fastpack along the crest of the Sierra Nevada. My Inov-8 Race Pro 22, proudly hanging front and center in my gear closet, was simply repurposed.

Second, I learned at my maiden MdS voyage that I brought with me too much crap. To be competitive at a race in which you carry all of your stuff on your back for 150 miles means you have to bring with you as little as possible. When I did the math on what was coming with me in 2010, I reasoned that I needed something smaller than a 22-liter pack, and that I needed something in the uber-ultralight category.

That was when a press release for the Terra Nova 20L pack landed in iRunFar’s email inbox and, shortly thereafter, into my hands. Lust at first sight, I felt. I wanted it. I had to take it with me to the Sahara Desert this year. Luckily, Terra Nova obliged a pack sample with which I could fall in fast love.

Pack Description and Specifications
The Laser 20L has one main storage compartment with a built-in back panel sleeve for perhaps a skinny sleeping pad or hydration bladder. One accesses the main compartment via a sturdy (for this pack) front zipper, which eliminates the extra weight of the material of an open top as well as a top flap and its clasps. On the outside of the main compartment are two mesh stow pockets with great stretching range and a small pocket with the most minute of zippers. Two small compression cords on the front allow you to regulate the main compartment’s size and further support the goods of the mesh stow pockets.

The back panel, shoulder straps, and waist belt have an added layer of mesh for a bit of padding and moisture transfer. On each side of the waist belt lies one of two mesh bottle pockets controlled at their tops with mini-compression cords. Two zippered storage pockets make their home on the front of the waist belt. The pack possesses a lightly stretchy, adjustable sternum strap with an included emergency whistle. All of this, according to the manufacturer, weighs in at 328 grams (11.6 ounces)!

Training and Racing with the Pack
I was scared to death of this pack’s small size when it came out of the box, so my first training runs with it were ensconced in trepidation, not head-over-heels love nor even one-run lust. Slowly, surely, after a number of training runs, I grew more comfortable with the pack, appreciating its short torso and widely adjustable waist belt for my body’s little frame. The weight rode well, right where it’s supposed to in the smallest part of my waist, with very little bounce.

The author training with the Terra Nova Laser 20L.

I began to modify the heck out of the Terra Nova Laser 20L pack to make it most applicable to me. Under modification, it not only survived but also thrived, and this is what sealed the love deal. My first modification was to add shoulder strap bottle holders. I had success last year with Inov-8’s bottle holders, and they, too, fit well on the shoulder straps of this pack. In the 10 days or so before leaving for MdS, the Laser 20L experienced heavy modification for the purpose of making the pack even lighter. (If you’re interested in these gritty details, check out my “Appendix for the Backpack Geeks” below.).

The Laser 20L served me real well in the desert, and I came home feeling as in love with it as I was over the Inov-8 Race Pro 22 last year. As with any piece of gear that gets used long and/or hard, however, I discovered small difficulties in the use of this pack. First and foremost, the shoulder straps could use some reinforcement to make them a bit stiffer, as they currently buckle into narrower straps. (In corresponding with Terra Nova, they’ve not previously heard of this issue. They further noted, “we have tried to get the best fit and comfort for the lowest weight which is a bit of a balance and may not be right for all.”) Second, I experienced partial failure at the location where the sternum strap connects with the shoulder straps, so this also needs some reinforcement. (Terra Nova reports that they’ve corrected this problem.) The hip pockets are made of nylon with no stretch, and I’d love to see them made of mesh for easier zipping and greater carrying capacity.

What I’m trying to say here is that I’ve come to dearly love this pack in the time I’ve so far had with it. Though wonderful, it isn’t perfect, but, then again, none of us are and someone still manages to love each of us. If you plan to be a fast Marathon des Sables runner, or you’d like a heckuva day or overnight pack, this is the real deal. Uber-ultralight and well-constructed, I’m proud to call it this year’s new running pack mistress.

Call for Questions and Comments
As always, we’d love to hear feedback from others who have used this or similar packs. Also, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions about the pack.

Appendix for the Backpack Geeks

Manufacturer’s published weights:
Terra Nova Laser 20L, 328 grams .
Inov-8 shoulder strap water bottle holder, no specified weight from Inov-8.

My pre-modification weights:
Terra Nova Laser 20L, 330 grams .
Inov-8 shoulder strap water bottle holder, 42 grams.

My post-modification weights:
Terra Nova Laser 20L, 279 grams .
Inov-8 shoulder strap water bottle holder, 36 grams.

Weight-saving modifications I made to the Laser 20L:

I cut all straps to my size, including 2 shoulder straps, 1 waist strap, and 1 sternum strap.
I cut off 1 reflective strip on the pack’s front.
I removed 1 of the mesh stow pockets and the small zipper pocket on the pack’s front.
I removed the sleeping pad/hydration bladder sleeve inside the main compartment.
I removed 1 of the hip belt’s mesh water bottle pockets.

Weight-saving modifications I made to each bottle holder:

I trimmed unused Velcro.
I cut off a tag inside the holder.
I cut off the compression strap and 2 small loops that held it.
I cut off pulls for adding/removing bottles.

Mike Wolfe, 2010 UTMB 2nd Place & Top American, Interviewed

Bryon Powell — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:26 +0000

We caught up with American Mike Wolfe in Chamonix shortly after his second place finish at the 2010 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. In the interview, Mike discusses what it feels like to place well at the “restart” UTMB. He also gives a full blow-by-blow on his experience in the first attempt at UTMB ’10, his Friday evening after the cancellation, including a 3 hour hike, and his run at the second UTMB. Mike also talks about what it’s like to be relatively unknown at a race and the advantage that provides.

Mike Wolfe also talks about what his experience as an American at the Ultra-Trail du Mont Mont Blanc. He touches on the special mountain culture of the area, how he’d like the American ultrarunning scene to grow, and how every American ultrarunner should run UTMB at least once. He also talks about using trekking poles in the race, the differences between American and UTMB aid stations, the ease of being an English-speaker racing in non-English speaking countries.

The North Face Endurance Challenge Championships Filling Fast!

Bryon Powell — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:16:50 +0000

Heading into its fourth year, The North Face Endurance Challenge Championships GORE-TEX 50 Mile Race has grown to become the premiere 50 mile race in the US. With such a distinction, as well as $30,000 with $10,000/$4,000/$1,000 going to both the top three men and top three women, the race now fills quite quickly. We’ve learned the race is very close to being full. If you want to sign up for December 4 championship race, do so immediately. That includes you, elites, as there will not be extra slots reserved for last minute entry! However, there will be a waitlist when the race does reach true capacity.

Assuming that the GORE-TEX 50 Mile championship fills in the next few days or sooner than later, there will still be five slots available for entry into the race. The top man and woman at both the September 18th 50-mile race in Madison, Wisconsin and the October 16th 50-mile race in Atlanta, Georgia will each earn $1,000 and a spot in December’s race. In addition, iRunFar.com will be giving away one entry into the San Francisco championship race, as well as a sweet gear prize pack, in the near future. Stay tuned!

If you don’t get into the 50 mile championship race, but still want to challenge yourself on Marin Headlands trails near San Francisco that weekend, there’s now a full weekend’s worth of exciting trail racing. On Saturday, December 4, The North Face will also host a 50k, a marathon, a marathon relay, and a kid’s run. For those hoping to wrap up their season with a shorter race, there will be a half marathon, a 10k, a 5k and another kid’s run on Sunday, December 5. After covering the 50 mile race on Saturday, iRunFar’s Bryon Powell will be running one of Sunday’s shorter races.

Call for Comments
Will you be running any of the upcoming The North Face Endurance Challenge races in Madison, Wisconsin; Atlanta, Georgia; or San Francisco, California?

Only 361 Days…

Geoff — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:14:00 +0000

... Until UTMB next year.

Only 361 Days…

Geoff — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:14:00 +0000

... Until UTMB next year.

Lizzie Hawker, 2010 UTMB Champion, Video Interview

Bryon Powell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:44:03 +0000

Lizzie Hawker won the 2010 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. The victory was a record third win and she’s done it in only four visits to the race. (She finished second to Krissy Moehl in 2009.) In the interview, Lizzie talks about her running background, about winning her first mountain race – the 2005 UTMB, what makes UTMB so special, her experience with the multi-part 2010 UTMB, and her upcoming race schedule, including the 100k world championships, The North Face Endurance Challenge Championships, and possibly The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning.

Jez Bragg, 2010 UTMB Champion, Interviewed

Bryon Powell — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:55 +0000

Jez Bragg is the “unexpected” (per his words) 2010 UTMB champion. As he mentioned in our pre-race interview, he’d never put together a good race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. Well, all that was lacking in those previous race was there for this year’s revised race. In the interview Bragg shares his experience in Friday’s canceled race, Saturday’s revised race, and the confusing interim period with a focus on Saturday’s official UTMB.