Saturday, November 1, 2014

Talking Honestly About Ultrarunning

One thing we don't do enough of in ultrarunning is talk honestly about some issues facing the "sport." For the most part, the collective view is one of unicorns and rainbows. That's one reason why I really enjoy the Elevation Trail podcast. It's great to see Tim and Gary back, after a pretty long hiatus, with an awesome new podcast about "grilled cheese-gate" at the Arrowhead 135 race and other matters. In this latest show, Gary is truly in rare form, which is saying a lot.

While I sometimes disagree with what Tim and Gary say on their podcast and occasionally their takes even piss me off, Elevation Trail does a great job of stirring the pot and making you think--with lots of good humor interspersed. I have often looked at the "sport" with rose-colored glasses but in the past few months I've come to see that we have some issues in ultrarunning and it's great to see a few of us calling them out. If all you did was listen to the "mainstream" endurance-related podcast shows, you might find what Tim and Gary say to be a bit edgy.

Anyway, go to iTunes and download the new anti-establishment ET show or listen to it via the link above. I personally really enjoyed it, but maybe that's because I'm a bit disgruntled with the "sport" these days. So, if your head is in the clouds or deep in the sand, it's time to get real.

Parting shot: Pumped to make this top 100 list for best running blogs!

1 comment:

  1. ET is one of my favorite podcasts on the net. I've only listened to a little bit of the latest episode, but am looking forward to hearing the rest tomorrow at work.

    I know they brought up Ultrasignup's new format and it triggered a line of thinking I've been having lately. At best, on a great day, I'm a middle of the pack runner. Saying that, I'm baffled by the amount of people upset by them listing DNF's. I've also been reading some responses to AJW's comments regarding counting DNF's as failures and people taking offense to that as well.

    I was completely baffled to learn that people would DNF to not hurt their ultrasignup ranking. Really? I guess being new to ultra running I'm a bit naive and wet behind the ear. Saying that, I think people need to get over themselves. If you tow the starting line and do not finish the race, you failed during that race. Doesn't mean you didn't learn anything or can't turn it into a positive, but as far as the race goes and finishing you failed.

    Sorry for the tangent and rant.

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