by Kevin Pates

Thirty-eight students in a crowd of more than 200 were honored at the Marshall, Proctor, Hermantown banquet. The event honors seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their class for their academic career. Jurek, 34, was at the podium four days after running a 100-kilometer race in Sausalito, Calif. His message to the students anticipating graduation was to be prepared for more than just the conventional road ahead. Continue reading ‘Jurek in Duluth’

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Before Sean Workowsi can hit the trail, he has to finish his day job as an attorney at Frith, Anderson and Peake. Most of us probably hit the couch when we get off, but not this guy. He gets in the car and heads off to the Appalachian Trail to train anywhere from one to six hours a day.

“The Appalachian Trail is great for training because there is a lot of up and down,” says Workowski. Continue reading ‘Roanoke man prepares for 100-mile race’

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“Concentrate! You’re alone but you’re not finished. You’re alone because you earned it. You can do this and they can’t. You are one tough bastard. Say that over again and say it slow. Say it one word at a time. You, are, one, tough, bastard. I love these moments of congratulation. You are a stupid sod. Just keep running and save the back patting for later.” -Frank Murphy, A Cold Clear Day: the inner thoughts of Buddy Edelen en route to winning the 1964 Olympic Marathon Trials

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Dan A. Nelson

The route, according to the official literature, includes “insane views of Mount Baker and the North Cascades to the east. The views of the San Juan Islands to the west, Canadian [mountains] to the north, plus the vast Skagit Valley to the south are not half bad, either. Elevations bounce between 200 and 2,500 feet, but do not include any huge, sustained climbs. Traverses of broken ridgeline require nimble feet while highly technical sections demand mountain goat skills. “Unfortunately for folks who like to plod slowly along on a backpacking adventure, the literature in this case isn’t a hikers’ guidebook, but rather the Endurance Challenge race pamphlet, and the description is that of the Bellingham-area race course. Continue reading ‘There’s a reason this race near Bellingham is called the Endurance Challenge’

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More than 350 runners and walkers will take to the high ground of the Yorkshire Dales this weekend to tackle one of the most challenging long-distance events in the country. The Fellsman (it’s dropped its ‘Hike’ sobriquet) involves 100km (62 miles) of running or walking across almost every sizeable hill in the Dales national park. More than 3,350m (11,000ft) of ascent are involved in a route that can take more than 24 hours non-stop walking to complete.

Last year’s victor and ten-times winner Mark Hartell told grough he will be challenging for the Fellsman Axe trophy again. If he succeeds, he will enter the record books for the most wins of the gruelling event. The super-long-distance expert and instigator of the Vasque Ultra Running Championships says he will face stiff competition this year. Continue reading ‘‘Frisky’ Hartell ready for Fellsman challenge’

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by Kathie Portie

Running a marathon wears down the muscles in the body. Because of that, paying attention to nutrition—what fuels the body—is as important as planning the workout, according to Dr. Yvette Rooks, team physician for the Baltimore Ravens professional football team. The body tears down the muscles during extreme exertion. “Post race (and long run training) meals need to include protein to start the healing process,” Rooks says. “You need to get the appropriate amount of protein and fats to heal and rebuild your muscles.” Continue reading ‘Fueling the Running Machine’

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by Nancy Clark, MS, RD

If you are an endurance athlete who is fearful of “hitting the wall,” listen up: proper fueling before your marathon, triathlon, century bike ride or other competitive endurance events can make the difference between agony and ecstacy! If you plan to compete for longer than 90 minutes, you want to maximize the amount of glycogen stored in your muscles because poorly fueled muscles are associated with needless fatigue. The more glycogen, the more endurance (potentially). While the typical athlete has about 80 to 120 mmol glycogen/kg muscle, a carbo-loaded athlete can have about 200 mmol. This is enough to improve endurance by about 2 to 3%, to say nothing of make the event more enjoyable. Continue reading ‘Carbo-loading for Endurance Athletes’

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“Do you think we were supposed to turn back there?” -Skip Eastman at Mackenzie River 50
“If you see a fork in the road, take it!” -Yogi Berra

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VAIL, Colo. - (Business Wire) Mountain Games™, the largest outdoor adventure sports festival, announced today that Teva® (a division of Deckers Outdoor Corporation, NASDAQ: DECK) has signed a five-year title sponsorship deal. Teva, which has been a key partner in the first six years of the Mountain Games, has renewed its commitment to the games through 2012. SoBe, Bear Naked Trail Mix and Pabst Blue Ribbon have also joined to sponsor the 2008 Mountain Games. Continue reading ‘Teva Signs Five-Year Title Sponsorship Deal with the Mountain Games’

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