Notes from the goat

There is no exact science to pacing but here are some the tips we have learned. It all started a long time ago when old friend Dan O’Connor paced to my first 100 mile finish, the Wasatch 100. He was motivating, pushed the pace and keep me moving, as I’ve had other pacers who were just happy to walk and talk with me. Here are some keys points to think about:

• Know your runners abilities
• Motivate your runner at all times
• Be aware of your runners goals, keep track of his splits and remind him frequently what pace they are on.
• Monitor their water and food intake, be sure they are ahead of their needs.
• Pay attention to their pit stop plan before you enter each aid station.
• Most important the aid station is a pit stop, not a rest stop along the highway. Your runner must race down time as well, this will translate to a faster finish.
• Run in front of your runner, stay ahead and keep them running if they can.
• Evaluate their strengths such as can they run better downhill, uphill or the flats, once you determine this push your runner through those sections.
• Most of all, as long as your runner is not injured, get them to the finish!

If you fellow goats have any good info, leave a comment, Bahaha two scrapes!

My Hardrock 100 splits were fast enough the last 35 miles  my wife and kids missed the finish, thanks for the photo !!!

Posted by Christian Murdock

Scott Mason of Heber City, Utah., runs the final stretch of the race toward the rock. The 101 mile course served up 66,000 combined vertical. Feeling tough?

Hats off to long time training partner and friend Karl Meltzer , Karl had to call it quits for the AT record due to injuries, 20 scrapes for the man…….

The mighty Vitesse has been around for ever, if you like a shoe with a lot of cushion and protection you must give these a try! We run in the rugged Wasatch Range where you need a big toe box for the long technical downhills. The Vitesse has a anti roll lug that will keep you from rolling your ankles in the rockiest of terrain. This extra bit of confidence can go a long way when running a 100 miler! If you want to bomb the scree fields with happy feet, strap on the Vitesse for a ride!

Our Price: $89.95
Buy from Backcountry

Yes the closet  finish ever took place last weekend in Virginia at the Massanutten 100, Todd Walker held off Keith Knipiling to finish just ahead of him buy  a couple minutes. This was a true test of will for both runners as they were almost together at the last aid station heading towards the finish. On the other hand the women’s race was won by Amy Sproston runner for the Wasatch Speed Goat Mountain Racing Team. She won by almost three hours and had one of the fastest women finishes ever at the rockiest course around.

Nice run Amy!!

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It turns out that the Thetan aliens who created and put us on earth might have been onto something when they designed our feet. An article in New York Magazine makes some interesting points regarding the relationship between shoes and physiological problems. The basic argument is that you walk and run in a way that puts less stress on your heels and joints when you aren’t using heavily padded shoes, so a better alternative to triple-fat Nike Shox might be a pair of these Vibram FiveFingers. The FiveFingers provide protection from hypodermic needles on the sidewalk and offer a little protection if you have to kick in a basement window, but they don’t provide any of the support of normal shoes.

Imagine running a 100 miler in these things? Your toes would swell and the shoe would not come off!

CamelBak will end up looking like the smartest guys in the room with their non-BPA bottles if the Canadian government tags the Nalgenes as a toxic chemical. Some undercover scientist leaked to the press that the Canadian government is prepared to let the world know that camping and baby bottles are slowly poisoning them. How many years of poisoning have you expreienced?

The public and industry will have 60 days to comment on the designation once it is released, setting into motion a two-year process that could lead to a partial or complete ban on food-related uses of plastics made using B.P.A.

When they say “public” they mean Canada, but I stopped using my Nalgene years ago—to dangerous. Now I just use it as an ashtray.

Choose your hydration products with caution!

via NY Times

Thr first ever blog sponorered trail running team is up and running. Scott from Wasatchspeedgoat.com put together 17 runners from all over the country! This gang is a group of seasoned trail runners who dedicate their whole life to the sport, running anywhere from 6 - 100 ultramarathons a year! The team is supported by several sponsors:

Natahn Packs, First endurance, Nuun, Petzl, Nordic Track, Backcountry.com and Wasatchspeedgoat.com.

We are not a shoe company or a retailer, we are the runners who drive the sport!

Stay tuned for updates on the team and their race reports!

• Fit: Excellent. The shoe fit me very well (slightly bigger than “normal”) and feels very smooth. It has good breathability. The shoe features an ergonomically-designed footbed that looks a bit weird at first but really does not bother your feet.
• Toughness: Very Good. The bottom of the shoe is very well protected with new “snake-plate” technology.
• Flexibility: Excellent. The Rucky Chuckies are very flexible, unlike some of the other TNF running shoes.
• Side-to-side Stability: Very Good. The shoes felt extremely comfortable and allowed me to move over tough terrain effortlessly.
• Grip: Very good. Not super aggressive, but plenty to get the job done, especially on rocky terrain.
• Switchback Handling: Very Good. I had to stop and tighten the shoes very tight to handle some of the extreme downhills (so my toes would not hit the front of the shoes) and without an integrated lacing system this restricted my feet a little bit.
• Weight: Excellent. This is the shoes’ best feature! They are really very light for a trail running shoe. I almost did not feel any difference with my road shoes. I found some of the othe on the heavy side.
• Price: OK. At $109.95!
• Overall: This is a great and surprisingly light shoe for almost all trail conditions and can even be used on the road if needed.

You can purchase the Rucky Chuckies Trail Shoe right now for (MSRP109.95) !

Living in the mountains makes it really tough to drive to work! I used to commute 37 miles one way which would take up to two hours drive time, that’s because Park City, Utah is an over developed mining town. The whole area is being built up with second homes and golf courses, and we have so much water here? I have decided to remove my carbon spewing car off the grid and work from my tough shed! Thanks to the online retailer Backcountry.com they offered me a remote job from my house, sweet!

Now my commute is from the house to the shed ! The shed idea I got from Toko Wax and Skate Ski Olympian Ian Harvey. He and I coach our daughters soccer team and Ian runs the entire North American Division for Toko out of his tough shed, that is some green thinking!

wasatchspeedgoat.com;

committed to promoting human powered, sustainable recreation.

Trail running is about to get a first hand view of the suffering and joy the Hardrock 100 hands out! This year I will be running in a Go Pro Head Cam during sections like Virginia’s Pass, Start, Finish and a couple others. This will give you a great perspective of the views we see and the snarly terrain in the San Juan Mountains!

It will be fun to see me unravel as the days moves on until the joy hits with a couple miles to go!

Wasatch Speed Goat