1) Primary sport (s): Trail Ultrarunning
2) Team member since: 2010
3) City/state of residence: Allentown, PA
4) Occupation: High School Physics and Math Teacher
5) Goals for 2011: Run competitively at Western States 100, Grindstone 100, MMTR 50, Hellgate 100k, and include some local races.
6) Notable achievements/memories/PR’s in your sport: PR’d in the 5k and the 100 Mile distances in a one month span (July 2010). In 2010 PR’d and placed second overall on the following courses: Grindstone 100, MMT 100, MMTR 50, and Hellgate 100k.
7) Favorite inov-8 gear:
· Roclite 295 – all around excellent, versatile shoe for any distance, hugs the foot, incredible traction
· Roclite 315 – good protection, resilient mesh on upper makes shoe last forever
· Roclite 318 GTX – great protection, good shoe for winter months
· Also a fan of Debrisoc 40 & Wrag 30
8) List one thing others may not know about you: My interest in human endurance was sparked during an overnight point-to-point Boy Scout hike on the AT during the fall of 1987. We spent the night in DIY shelters and it was cold. I awoke to what I thought was morning, only to find the moon was shining brightly and we had another 9 hours until the sun rose!
9) Favorite energy drink/food: Nuun, water, gels, turkey and cheese wraps, sliced pears, Sri Lankan curry & IPA (post race/training)
10) Your favorite race and why? Grindstone 100 Miler – The course is awesome, long climbs, long descents, unique starting time = 6:00 PM, good people, cool race headquarters, diverse words of encouragement from spectators ranging from “looking strong!” to “don’t be a sissy!”
11) Advice to other athletes: Train consistently, but be flexible and be patient with yourself. Don’t get bummed when a workout doesn’t go as expected, but know that you are ultimately making progress towards your goal. Open up your mind to advice that friends and family may have about your training. It is amazing what they can sometimes see.
New team member Jamesina Simpson will be racing the flat and fast Aramco Houston Half-Marathon as part of the USA Half Marathon Championships. This race will give athletes a chance to preview the course for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon, which will be held on January 14, 2012. Another new team member, John Storkamp will be tackling the Arrowhead 135 this coming Monday in northern Minnesota. John is a two time winner in this grueling ultra challenge. Speaking of grueling, Dave James is taking on the 6 day Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica starting Sunday covering 225k - 250k. The terrain description on their website covers just about every type of surface except road.
1) Primary sport (s):
Offroad Triathlon, Xterra, Ultra Trail Marathon
2) Team member since:
2005
3) City/state of residence:
Asheville, NC
4) Occupation:
Electrical Engineer
5) Goals for 2011:
More Ultra Focus. JFK 50
6) Notable achievements/memories/PR’s in your sport: 2010 was pretty good to me. I had a few ultra podiums and a 3:46 50K PR. Offroad Triathlon is still my niche and I had a few wins but was never off the podium.
7) Favorite inov-8 gear:
No question: the Xtalon 212.
8) List one thing others may not know about you:
Facebook reveals all secrets. Look me up.
9) Favorite energy drink/food:
Honey Stinger Gels, NUUN and Vitamin I
10) Your favorite race and why?
Captain Thurmond’s Challenge. I like it because it was my first venture into multi-sport. I have had success lately, including a win, but have also finished dead last in my early tries. A great motivation to never give up.
11) Advice to other athletes:
Never give up, EVER.
1) Primary sport (s): Mountain/Trail/Road/Snowshoe
2) Team member since: 2010
3) City/state of residence: Holyoke, MA
4) Occupation: Graduate Student
5) Goals for 2011:
· To stay healthy and not put too much pressure on myself!
· Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day 10k
· 7 Sisters Trail Race
· Mt. Washington Road Race
· Cranmore Hill Climb
· Put in more miles on my bike
6) Notable achievements/memories/PR’s in your sport:
· 2007 & 2009 USATF-NE Mountain Series Champion
· 2008 & 2009 WMAC/Dion Snowshoe Series Champion
· 2010 WMAC Grand Tree Series Champion
· Coming back from a foot injury to win the 7 Sisters Trail Race (2010)
· 6th Place at Mt. Washington Road Race (2009)
· Meeting my husband while running at the Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke in 2004
7) Favorite inov-8 gear:
f-lite 230s
roclite 268s
flyroc 345s
8) List one thing others may not know about you:
I was the 1999 Grand Colleen of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade
9) Favorite energy drink/food:
Honey Stinger products, water, black coffee, bananas
10) Your favorite race and why?
The Cranmore Hill Climb. My husband and I have done it the past four years and each year is a new experience. It was at Cranmore in 2007 where we first started to get to know fellow “mountain goats.” Paul Kirsch does an amazing job organizing the event. The course is always a blast since I love up/down courses. I can’t wait for the 2011 edition!
11) Advice to other athletes:
Stay humble. Respect and listen to your body. Be patient with your training. Keep smiling!
| Goal Split | Actual Split | Goal Total | Actual Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47:00 | 47:20 | 47:00 | 47:20 |
| 41:30 | 40:54 | 1:28:30 | 1:28:14 |
| 44:30 | 44:01 | 2:13:00 | 2:12:15 |
| 32:30 | 32:55 | 2:45:30 | 2:45:10 |
| 42:30 | 42:35 | 3:28:00 | 3:27:45 |
| 59:30 | 1:00:27 | 4:27:30 | 4:28:12 |
1) Primary sport (s): Ultrarunning, trail running, snow shoe running
2) Team member since: 2010
3) City/state of residence: Westfield, MA (although I’m hoping to move soon!)
4) Occupation: Environmental Engineer and Manager (but I coach running on the side)
5) Goals for 2011: To continue to push myself and find new challenges. Of course, a few PRs would also be nice!
6) Notable achievements/memories/PR’s in your sport: A few of my proudest accomplishments: 2009 Grand Tree Trail Running Champion, 2010 WMAC Snowshoe Champion, overall podium finishes in the Peaks Snowshoe Marathon, Peaks Ultra Race, Lake Waramaug 50k, Bimbler’s Bluff 50k, outright winning the Hatfield Harvest 5k and Mother’s Day 6 hour race, and winning 10 ultra races in 2010. But, my favorite memories in the sports are the miles spent with friends, both training and racing. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to meet an amazing group of friends (and training buddies!) through running.
7) Favorite inov-8 gear: Easily the Roclite 268s. They are super versatile, and incredibly light/aggressive. I feel like I am wearing slippers, yet I can scale rock walls with them on.
8) List one thing others may not know about you: I know how to solve a rubik’s cube!
9) Favorite energy drink/food: It is constantly changing…except that I do always find a way to have a sip of beer during an ultra – it gives me strength! J I do enjoy the Honey Stingers (chews and gels), CarboPro, HEED, and GuBrew. But, watermelon during a hot summer ultra is also amazing!
10) Your favorite race and why? Any race that Andy Weinberg puts on (the Peaks races) – they are fun, challenging, and require mental strength to be successful. However, the MMD50k (which is a ‘non-race’) is up there – it’s crazy, you are handed a map at the starting line (which is at midnight) and you follow the map through the White Mountains…and 12 hours later you end up where you started, after hiking over more than 30 miles and at least a dozen 4,000 footers.
11) Advice to other athletes: Always respect the volunteers at races, and help out when you can! It takes an incredible amount of time and effort to put on a race – whether a small 3 mile snowshoe race or large ultra race. Make it a habit to thank the volunteers at the aid stations and along the course, volunteer to help out at a local race that you aren’t running at, or get involved in a race committee. Without selfless volunteers, our trail running community would not be what it is now. J Thank you to all of you who work hard and volunteer, which allows me the opportunity to enjoy the races I love!
Eric Charette and DeWayne Satterfield will be racing at the Mountain Mist 50k in Huntsville, Alabama. Mountain Mist is one of the more popular and tougher 50k's in the US. The course is mostly on rugged, rocky singletrack with 3526' of climb. This year looks to be a mudfest much like in 2010. This will be DeWayne's 17th running, he has completed all the previous 16 Mtn Mist 50k's thus far. Kevin Tilton will be wearing 2 hats at the Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble in North Conway, NH. Kevin is the RD and he might race as well on the 4 mile course which is part of the Granite State Snowshoe Series.
Great race video from the first day of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. If you look closely to the flurry of activity you can spot some Inov-8 shoes... Chelsey looks so innocent and harmless in her interview and skirt, but check out her ferocity once the race started. She is so intense at the transition areas.
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Peter Maksimow got 2nd OA (27:11) in the Frosty Frozen 5 Mile Race which was also the Colorado State Championship 5 Mile Race. Then 45 minutes later Peter was back out there racing the 10 miler and he grabbed 5th OA in 57:59. Peter wore the F-lite 230's for both races and also received a nice check for winning the 2010 Colorado Running Magazine Race Series last year. In snowshoe racing action, Jim Johnson and Amy Lane (pictured) kept up their winning ways by taking dual wins this weekend. They both won the Greylock Glen Snowshoe Race in Adams, MA on Saturday. Then they got top honors at the Brave the Blizzard Snowshoe Race in Guilderland, NY on Sunday. Jim has now won Brave the Blizzard 3 years in a row. Both of the races are roughly 4 miles in length. At the Feel Good Farm 5.2 Mile Snowshoe Race in Lyndeborough, NH. Kevin Tilton took 2nd OA and Ben Nephew got 3rd OA. Chris Reed was 8th OA in 1:03:14 at the Chilly Cheeks 7.2 Mile Trail Run. Chris wore the Roclite 318 GTX with the debrisoc and Kahtoola Microspikes. Yassine Diboun got the overall win at the Capital Peaks 34+ Miler in a strong 4:51. Jared Scott ran a speedy 1:08:20 good enough for 8th OA at the P.F. Changs Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
Took the Oroc 340's on a nice little trial. I usually take new shoes to a favorite spot (above) of mine to put shoes to the test. I wait for a nice wet day and take them to the above location. All sorts of terrain lay within this thick wooded area. I had some pre-concerns about the 340 due to the metal studs. I figured once you hit a large rock or something it would pose a problem with traction/grip.
Upper
The mesh upper offers athletes excellent breathability and range of motion. I noticed whenever I accelerated I had enough range of motion to really get good toe off power on the deep muddy sections. Another advantage to the mesh upper I have found is that it makes the shoe very easy to clean and keeps your feet nice and dry when running. The toe flap/rand protects the toe area and also extends to the medial and lateral sides of the heel. This came in handy on sections where the ground is so soft that when you step into it small rocks wedge out and pierce your foot. The Oroc 340 protects you really well in situations like these and you almost never feel rocks scratch or pierce the medial or lateral sides of your foot. I like the fact that the bottom of the upper/top of the midsole area feature a sturdy rand for more reasons than just rock protection and style, it also keeps water out of your shoe. Many shoes feature small toe flap/rand areas or rands that cover the front of the foot only. As you know having mesh immediately to the inside and outside of a rand does nothing to keep water out of your shoes so the 340 is definitely unique in that sense, especially in the Winter and during long training sessions.
Outsole
The rubber lugs on the 340 give you great traction on the mud and also due to their width they provide excellent grip on wet rock. The metal studs definitely come in handy when you hit a steep incline on a muddy trail. Another area the studs performed well on for me were on descents. I'm a little denser than the average runner I would say so when it comes to downhill's with sharp turns traction is everything. Tree stumps and wet logs laying on trails are a tall runners nightmare. The Oroc 340's lugs alone offer great traction, but when you jump onto logs/wood coming downhill at a fast clip you need more than just rubber lugs. The 340's metal studs help you dig into logs and wood so that you can really use your strength to push off or approach a stumpy area with confidence.
Another reason I love testing my shoes out here, nice clear water creek to clean off your shoes after you get nasty on the trail!
Peter Maksimow will double up on the racing for a second straight weekend. However this time he plans to race back to back on the same morning. He will run the Frosty's Frozen 5 mile & then the 10 Mile in Littleton, CO. Yassine Diboun will be at the Capital City Mega Fat Ass 34 miler this Saturday. This race is in the Capital State Forest in Olympia, WA. Chris Reed will be going sub-ultra for a change and racing the Chilly Cheeks 7.2 mile Trail Run in Reading, PA on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Jared Scott will be testing his speed at the P.F. Changs Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
1st Annual Harbison 50K Race Report by Mark Lundblad
January 8, 2011
The Harbison 50K is a new ultra in the Southeast in the Harbison State Forest near Columbia, SC. This area is a great trail running venue where one can run for miles in the woods and along the scenic Broad River, feeling like you are miles from civilization but in fact not too far from downtown.
I made the quick trek down with teammate Dwight Shuler and my wife, Anne Lundblad, to check out the area and to see how much fitness we all lost as a result of various holiday indulgences. Race morning was near perfect weather with temps low 30 and a good breeze, which matters little when in the woods. The course is two loops of approximately 15.8 miles per loop on a moderately technical, mostly single-track trail. There is about 2900’ of climb according to Dwight’s Suunto watch. The trail was very run-able but had lots of twists and turns.
The race began on a gravel road for about ¼ mile, allowing everybody get into position before hitting the trail. I found myself out front and I assumed the position of the one to be chased. The trail with its many twists and turns is conducive to catching many glimpses of the competition. Because of the switchbacks and turns, it was sometimes tough to determine whether you had a good lead or if someone was right behind you. I tried to push the pace and get out of sight of my competition in hopes they would think I was gone for good. Unfortunately for me this did not happen. I maintained what seemed to be about two-minute lead on Jim Sweeney for the entire first loop.
I tried to hit the second loop hard and gain some distance between myself and Jim but he would not cooperate. I went through the first aid station on the 2nd loop with the same split from my first loop, thinking that was a good sign as I had not slowed down. What I did not realize was that Jim was reeling me in quickly. He came up on me suddenly and I stepped to the side to let him go midway through the last loop. At that point I was pushing about as hard as I could and I still hoped to make a race of it but I did have my doubts. I managed to stay within a minute of Jim and I kept this up for the next few miles, which were the most technical and hilliest of the course.
My legs were not cooperating on the uphills but I was still able to push the flats and downs pretty well. At the final aid station with a little less than four miles to go, I caught up to Jim. The next mile was narrow hilly single-track and I knew the last couple miles would bring a wider forest road with less climbing. I bided my time and stayed on Jim’s heels until we crested the last steep hill and the trail opened up. Here I decided it was now or never so I made a hard push and kept the pedal down to the finish. It was good to finish strong and get the win in 4:11. Jim ran a great race, finishing close behind me in 4:14.
Inov-8 teammate and friend Dwight Shuler also ran a strong race and was 3rd OA in 4:48. The women’s race was not quite as dramatic. Anne took the lead at mile two and ran without competition, finishing in 5:03 and 6th overall. She was followed by Holly Klein, who finished in 6:00, and Ruth Kohlstall, who ran 6:03. It was a great day for Team Inov-8 and we all wore the X-talon 212’s.
The Harbison 50K is a deceivingly tough course, and the technical trails and many hills throughout the Harbison Forest proved much more difficult than many people anticipated. Despite this, there were several first-time ultramarathoners and lots of smiling faces afterwards. RD Dan Hartley and his crew of committed volunteers saw to it that runners were greeted with enthusiasm and that every need was anticipated. There were 93 starters and 73 finishers at the inaugural event, and I believe this race will become a “must do” on the ultra schedule for many runners next year.
Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic
3.2 miles
Salem, MA
1/8/11
I wasn’t even thinking of doing this race until a couple days ago when my CMS teammate Jim Pawlicki asked me if I was going. My initial plan was to head out to Pittsfield to race, but Salem is about half the drive, so as long as there was snow, it was hard to pass up. I won the race last year, and enjoyed the rolling course.
I had a few nice days of snowshoe running over the holiday break, which always makes me want to race. One of those days was at the Weston Ski Track, where Gavin tried out his new snowshoes. He did great in them, and even did a little running. We’ll be heading out for runs together pretty soon, and not ones where he is riding in his ski Chariot!
When I got to the parking lot this year, all I saw were two large green hills. I thought it might be open for golf. I was sure they were going to have a run a trail race, which was disappointing. Much to my surprise, Chris Dunn informed me that they managed to lay out a snowshoe course. After running the race, I’d have to say that it was the most impressive snowshoe course with so little snow I have ever seen. The first loop that we raced around twice was a bit rough due to frozen boot prints, but the main loop was great. I think they must have linked about 90% of the snow patches on the golf course. The Dungeon Rock Racing team was out there shoveling snow on bare spots earlier in the week, which I think classifies as way above and beyond.
My race at Salem started out too fast. I wanted to take it easy early on, but I also wanted to be able to easily pick my line on the first small loop that had several tight turns and plenty of boot holes. I moved past Steve Dowsett soon after the start, but he stayed right on me, so I couldn’t back off the pace and still stay in front. I tried to stay as relaxed as possible, but knew I was making things a bit hard on myself.
Once we completed the second lap of the first small loop, I was sure Steve was going to come after me on the more open main loop. As soon as I starting slowly pulling away on an open stretch of trail, I realized that he must be tired. However, putting some distance on Steve highlighted the fact that Jim was reeling him in, and probably gaining on me as well.
Despite wanting to back off the pace a bit, I just keep telling myself I needed to run the next section hard, and then I could relax. By 20 minutes into the race, the three of us were all ready for it to end. Despite running the end of the course during the warmup, I didn’t really recognize how close I was to the finish until the very end. The steepest hill on the course was right at 3 miles, but the last mile in general was the toughest.
I was spent at the finish, and it took Jim and I a little while to get our breathing under control enough to discuss the race. I could taste a faint trace of blood in my mouth, which is always a sign of a good effort. My time for the 3.2 mile course was 24:50, with Jim 35 seconds back, and Steve another 25 seconds behind Jim. The post race feed and prizes were great. The RD, Eileen Dunn, and the Dungeon Rock crew did a great job with the race as a whole, and many of the racers appreciated that the Dions were there renting snowshoes to those that wanted to try racing for the first time.
As always, I wore my 230’s, and had the stainless steel ice cleat in my Dion snowshoes. I tried the 212’s in my Dions last year, but I wasn’t as confident with the 212’s on rough snow compared to the 230’s. The 230’s fit great in the Dion’s, so I could focus on the trail and not worry about my snowshoes
A solid weekend of racing for Team Inov-8. Dave James got 2nd OA at the Bandera 100k (USATF 100k National Trail Championships) and broke the CR by a remarkable 43 minutes in 8:34. Dave wore the F-lite 230's and secured a spot at the WS 100 this Summer. Camille Herron likewise had a stellar performance and got 2nd OA at the Mississippi Blues Marathon with a blazing 2:41:26 time, just a few minutes off her marathon PR of 2:38 and a minute from 1st OA. Mark Lundblad (4:11) and Anne Lundblad (5:03) both took top honors at the Harbison 50k in Columbia, SC. Dwight Shuler ran a strong 3rd OA in 4:48. All 3 of us wore the X-talon 212's. Jim Johnson won the 5.4 mile Turner Trail Snowshoe Race in Pittsfield, MA in the F-lite 230's with a 42:31 winning time. Ben Nephew (pictured) won the Olde Salem Greene Snowshoe Race in Salem, MA in 24:39. Peter Maksimow doubled up this weekend and won the Pikes Peak Winter Series Race #1 (7 miler) in 44:07. Then on Sunday Peter went to race the Beaver Creek Snowshoe Adventure Series a 10k distance and he grabbed 2nd OA in 57:01. Peter wore the 190's on Saturday and the 230's with his snowshoes on Sunday.
New team members and some of us older ones are hitting the trails and roads again this weekend. Sabrina Moran will be racing at the Mid-Hudson River Running Club, Recover from the Holidays 50K in Staatsburg, NY. Sabrina was a former winner here in 2007. The course is 10 repeats of an out/back 5k course on hilly park roads. Camille Herron will be racing at the Mississippi Blues Marathon. This is the 2011 RRCA State Marathon Championship Race for Mississippi. Dave James will be down in southern TX at the Bandera 100k. This race is the USATF National 100k Trail Championships and the field is a strong one. The course is two 50k loops on mostly very scenic but rugged and rocky singletrack trail. In Columbia, SC we have 3 team members at the 1st Annual Harbison 50k. Mark Lundblad, Anne Lundblad and Dwight Shuler will take to the double looped, mostly technical, singletrack trails in Harbison State Forest.
Western Massachusetts Athletic Club Grand Tree Series 2010
http://runwmac.com/gt2010/gt10-races.html
Although the WMAC concluded a couple months ago, I’m finally getting around to writing an annual review of the 23 race trail series that is the most competitive trail series in the country. This past year was the 16th running of the Grand Tree, and it was a particularly notable year due to the depth of the competition. The overall rankings are based on your top 6 races. For each race, you get points proportional to your pace as a percentage of the winner's pace, with the winner getting 100 points. For example, a hypothetical runner at 75% of the winner's pace getting 75 points. Given the fact that there are 23 races of distances from 7 to 50 miles, the scores at the end of the season are not likely to be close, but they often are. Even when you have two runners who have won several separate races, the final standings are often decided by the few times they have raced each other. It has been remarkable to observe the increase in the number of inov-8 shoes at these races, and I think the feedback of many of these runners has led to the development of racing and training models that are ideal for New England trails.
To give you an idea of the depth of the series, there were 6 runners that won at least 2 races. Brian missed getting two wins by about 8 seconds.
1 Kevin Tilton M 28 2 100.00
2 David Herr M 45 6 100.00
3 Greg Hammett M 32 6 100.00
4 Jim Johnson M 33 9 100.00
5 Ross Krause M 30 10 100.00
6 Ben Nephew M 35 10 100.00
7 Brian Rusiecki M 32 8 99.93
In addition to Kevin, JJ, and myself running for Inov-8, Greg and Ross usually races in inov-8’s. It is very common to see the top three in a Grand Tree race all wearing inov-8’s.
As the number of series races increases, the scores usually spread out. This year, the scores are still very close when you consider scores from 4 races:
1 Ben Nephew M 35 10 99.98
2 Jim Johnson M 33 9 99.88
3 David Herr M 45 6 99.62
4 Brian Rusiecki M 32 8 99.33
In spite of having so many different races to run, none of the top four could put together four wins. I’ve had a couple years where I’ve gotten 6 wins. Despite being in better shape this year than my 6 win years, I was barely able to get three wins this year. It took two course records, including one 8 second win over Brian at the Greylock Half Marathon.
The final 6 race scores were still very close, with an off race here or there being the difference in many instances.
1 Ben Nephew M 35 10 99.86
2 Jim Johnson M 33 9 99.50
3 Brian Rusiecki M 32 8 97.73
4 David Herr M 45 6 96.46
5 Ross Krause M 30 10 96.03
6 Greg Hammett M 32 6 93.99
I wouldn’t have won the series without the course record at the Stone Cat 50 mile, which was the last race of the season. However, there are several other ways to explain the final scores. I lost 3 races to Kevin and JJ by a total of 38 seconds. If I had thrown in the towel in any of those races, JJ would have won the series. JJ had tough losses against Kevin, Greg, Brian, and Dave. Both JJ and Greg focused on road races this year, and it’s difficult to get in 6 solid Grand Tree races and PR at several distances on the roads. Dave and Greg had great years considering they only ran 6 GT races. Brian focuses on ultras, and sometimes is either training through a GT race, or is recovering from an ultra. The same is somewhat true for me, although I am more likely to choose a GT race over some of the local ultra races.
Although none of the top 6 are likely to qualify for the Olympics, everyone had at the very least a solid year of racing. I got my 50k PR down to 3:10. JJ ran a 2:30 marathon in the Spring, and a 2:27 in the fall, plus a sub 15 minute 15k (which was most problematic for me when we raced). Brian won a pile of ultras including the Pineland and Vermont 50 milers. Dave took 2 minutes off the course record at the Pisgah 50k, running much faster than the year he ran a 2:29 road marathon. Greg PR’d at every distance imaginable, from a 4:20 mile to a 1:11:00 half marathon. By the end of the year, he was the most consistently fast road racer on the 2nd best road racing team in New England (CMS). In addition to Ross’ 2 GT wins, he set big PR’s at most of the trail races. Although Kevin didn’t get in 6 races, he ran 31 minutes for 10k. Other race winners included Eric Blake, who is a several time member of the US mountain running team, and Andy McCarron, who ran a 2:27 marathon in the fall. Tommy Manning, who was 18th at the 2010 World Mountain Running Championships where the US team earned silver Medals, was only 3rd at the Cranmore Mountain race!
In terms of race times, there were course records at 7 of the 23 races, with a couple more close calls. Dave Herr’s races at Wapack and Pisgah were two of the most impressive, although there were several other extremely fast times.
For shoes, I probably learned more about race shoe selection this year than I have in a while. This was due to a combination of talking more with other runners about what works for them, and a good deal of personal testing.
For easy to moderately technical New England trails, the 230 is the choice of many runners. The extra traction of the 212’s or 190’s is appreciated in muddy conditions, but the 230’s are faster on most runable trails, and offer more protection from rocks and roots.
On technical trails where you need considerable protection from rocks and roots, the 285 is the weapon of choice. The Oroc 280’s have superior traction on most surfaces, but the 285’s are more versatile. The dobs on the 280’s are not ideal on trails with extensive rocky sections.
The 315’s and 310’s are both great ultra and training shoes, with the 310’s being more suited to those with wider forefeet. They are light enough for shorter races as well. For wet or wintry the weather, the 312 or 318 GTX keep your feet dry, warm, and happy.
I haven’t had a chance to test the new road shoes, but I’ve been very happy with both the 220 and 230’s in training runs of 20-22 miles and 50k races on the roads. The low heel of these shoes does require an acclimation period for some.
Amy Lane (pictured wearing the F-lite 230's) won the Gordy's First Race in Westfield, MA. A 5k rolling road course, where Amy notched a course record for the ladies, was also 3rd OA and set a PR for the 5k distance with a 19:07 clocking.
Peter Maksimow won the Rescue Run 10k in Colorado Springs. Icy, slick, snowy and 11 degrees, but he said the X-talon 190's performed amazingly, especially on the icy steep downhills. DeWayne Satterfield won the Recover from the Holidays 50km race with a time of 4:01:14. Team Inov-8 member Eric Charette is the RD for this race on a 3 mile looped cross country course in Huntsville, AL. Pictured is Eric giving DeWayne his award after the race.
