Author/Researcher Looking for Inspiring Trail Running Stories from Women

Dr. Alison Boudreau recently contacted me for a new book project, asking if I "knew any women with great trail running stories". Um, yeah...about a few thousand!!!

Below are some details about what she is looking for - be sure to contact her directly if you are interested.

Thx, SD

(from Ali)

My research re: women marathoners was just published in an academic journal, and I am now writing a book re: inspirational trail runner stories (details below). My book features international women trail runners (USA, South Africa, etc.), from half marathon to 100+ milers (first timers to experienced 100-milers), ranging from 18 to 70+ years old.

Thanks for your consideration, and happy trails :)

Ali

--------------------
BOOK DETAILS:

Has trail running changed your life? Have you perceived a positive impact on relationships or community? Has your courage or strength of mind inspired others? Did you preserve through fears, setback s or obstacles? Are you willing to explore and describe your experience to me? I am interested in how your personal and professional life has changed as a result of trail running.

The current popular literature focuses on the technical aspects of road marathoning. First-timers apply new training schedules and nutritional advice, as elite athletes gain speed and improve performance. Over time, road runners may grow weary of aches and pains caused by years of pounding on concrete. They may also view their slower times as a benefit to achieving longer distances on softer, more forgiving surfaces.

Inspirational stories are often shared by Runners? World magazine. For instance, novice and elite athletes have done road races while fighting cancer, being blind or deaf, running with a prosthetic limb, or overcoming odds. However, who are the heroes and inspirational folks in our trail running community?

This book will capture the heart and soul of distance trail running. What does it feel like to run hours in nature, especially in the dark? Why do you run? What benefits do you get from trail running and not road running? For ultra runners, do you hit the wall like road marathoners? What is it like to depend on a crew or pacer? How do you mentally get through 50-100 miles?

Inspirational stories of long-distance trail runners will be collected, told in their own words. Descriptions may include experiences of their first trail race, most memorable training day or race, overcoming personal challenges, and life lessons learned. Runners will be young and old, first-timers and experts, fit and overweight, famous and everyday heroes achieving extraordinary feats.

This book has evolved from my academic research on female marathon runners, regarding their self-discovery and life-changing experiences with endurance exercise.

Does this sound like you or someone you know?

- Primarily a trail runner or ultra runner (who may occasionally run on roads);

- Believes trail running has had a positive impact on your job, home, or community;

- Finished two or more distance events (at least one 26.2 miles road marathon, and one 13.1 miles or further trail race);

- Can describe (in person or by phone) a specific example of how distance trail running changed your life (i.e., related to stress, decisions, relationships); and

- Can schedule one tape-recorded interview (1.5 hours or less), give feedback of draft story edits, and provide a brief bio and running photo.

If you answered ?yes? to all of the above criteria, please respond to accept this invitation to participate by emailing the researcher (myself) at CoachAlison [at]  comcast.net .

Note: If you have a story already written, that's great! Otherwise, we can schedule an phone interview (1.5 hours or less) for taping. A transcription will be emailed to you for approval. The story will be keep entirely in your voice to fully capture your own personal experience.

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/11/authorresearcher-looking-for-inspiring.html

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Running news recap: A different perspective on the Troy Turkey Trot

The Runners Blog: written for runners of all strides. Nothing illustrates this concept better than the recent discussion regarding the 5K Troy Turkey Trot. As the comments demonstrated, runners had different expectations for the race, and some were disappointed by their experience. Others suggested the disappointed runners find running fulfillment elsewhere. But, my favorite turkey trot article this week [...]

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/running/running-news-recap-a-different-perspective-on-the-troy-turkey-trot/4643/

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Featured on Endurance Geeks Website

I have recently received the honor of being the featured athlete on my coach's Client Spotlight page of  his website!

This for me is a great honor in many ways.

First and foremost because I have not been one to think that what I have done so far is worthy of comparison to the achievements and accomplishments of those tremendous athletes around me.

I thank my coach, Barry Baird for thinking that I am worthy of this honor.  I will do everything in my power to make you proud.

Source: http://www.triathlonat55.com/2010/07/featured-on-endurance-geeks-website.html

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Neal Gorman Sets New Record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning

(My apologies for missing this story in September - pretty amazing!)

When arriving in 2nd place at the Wasatch 100 on September 15, 2010, DC's Neal Gorman set a new record of 74:54:16 for the fastest completion time of the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, four tough 100-mile runs in one season. His time was just four minutes faster than Joe Kulak's extraordinary performance in 2003, considered by many to be record that would stand for decades.

Here were Neal's finish times:

Western States 100 - 18:14 (13th)
Vermont 100 - 16:33 (2nd)
Leadville 100 - 18:47 (4th)
Wasatch 100 - 21:19 (2nd)


(Neal Gorman after his WS100 finish;
one of many fascinating photos in Larry Gassan's post-race profiles)

Pretty amazing. Despite being almost 90 minutes slower than Kulak's time at Vermont, he made up time in the hills. Congrats, Neal!

- SD

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/10/neal-gorman-sets-new-record-for-grand.html

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Preliminary Stats - Team USA Takes Silver at World Mountain Running Championship


The World Mountain Running Championship is happening live in Slovenia right now, where Team USA is taking on the best in the world. From what I can pull from Twitter (you can follow here), it looks like Team USA did well:

Senior Men - Joe Gray (10th), Max King (16th), Tommy Manning (18th), Eric Blake (26th), Ricky Gates (52nd), Chris Lundstrom (60th) helped bring home the team silver medal, with Eritria taking the gold and Italy taking the bronze.

Senior Women - Kirsten Pierce (12th), Brandy Erholtz, and Megan Lund scored 4th for Team USA.

(UPDATE)

Official press release:


U.S. Mountain Running Team Wins Silver at World Championships

Kamnik, Slovenia ---- At today?s World Mountain Running Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia, the U.S. Men tallied 71 points to take the silver medal with their best team finish to date.
The U.S. has sent a men?s team to the mountain running championships (until 2009 known as the World Mountain Running Trophy) since 1990. In the past three uphill years (the course alternates between uphill terrain in even-numbered years and up/down terrain in odd-numbered years), the team has scored 102 points in 2004 to place eighth, 113 points in 2006 to place fifth, 76 points in 2008 to take the bronze medal.

?The bronze medal was so exciting because it was our first medal,? said five-time team member Rickey Gates (2006-2010) who finished in 52nd position with a time of 1:04:03, ?The silver is exciting and shows that we?re stepping it up. Americans are seeing that mountain running is a ?real? sport and internationally, people will consider USA a threat from her on out and this is really exciting for our program.?

The men?s race was held over a 12 kilometer course with more than 4,200 feet of vertical gain. The route started in a wide, grassy meadow and quickly merged into a paved and level roadway for the next kilometer. The terrain changed to a gravel road and started to climb. For the next 10.5 kilometers, the course varied from steep, rocky terrain through both forest and wide open spaces. There was one descent of 300? on this mostly uphill course.

Max King who finished in 16th timed in 1:00:50 as the second Team USA scoring team member behind Joe Gray who was 10th timed in 59:27, said, ?This (course) makes road running look like a walk in the park. Today I tried to just maintain on the steep parts. I had a 10 meter lead on the field in the first kilometer, then I started to get caught which I knew would happen. I figured I?d go out fast on the road section because I wanted to have some space once the terrain got steeper.

?It was a pretty good race for me. I feel like my hill running was a lot stronger than three months ago. When we turned the last corner (about 50 meters from the finish) I thought, ?I got him? (referring to the Italian runner and former World Champion Marco DeGasperi).? King stayed with DeGasperi stride for stride then passed him with 10 meters to go. ?That was about as good as I could have raced today.?

Third scoring member of Team USA Tommy Manning who finished 18th with a time of 1:01:09, loved the course. ?I?m totally in shock. I thought I was in 40th, then someone on course said 18th. I had a goal of finishing in the top 25 and thought that would be unrealistic. I crushed it so I feel awesome. More importantly, if we medal I?ll be happy for like seven years!?

Eric Blake rounded out the scoring finishing in fourth position for Team USA in 27th position with a time of 1:02:04. ?Personally I wasn?t feeling very good in the race. I was just grinding up the course. I knew I was the fourth for USA at about 10k to go and that we had a good chance to medal. Knowing that the three guys in front of me were running really good races was an extra incentive ? a real motivator.?

Said Chris Lundstrom, 59th overall timed in 1:04:34, ?It was great to be exposed to a higher level of mountain running competition. It was a really intense race. I got out in good position, but lost quite a few places on the steeper sections in the middle of the course. I certainly learned a lot about mountain running.?

USA was the first women?s team to finish all four athletes over the 8.5 kilometer course. In spite of this solid finish for the team, the women were a bit disappointed. ?It wasn?t the result I was looking for, for myself or the team. Individually, each of us had a top-ten potential so I really thought the gold medal was a realistic goal for us,? said second scoring member for the U.S. team Brandy Erholtz, who finished in 15th position with a time of 53:57.

Adds top U.S. scorer Kristin Price who finished in 12th place timed in 53:19, ?I want our team to be medal winners and now I have more of a desire to come back to the World Championships.?
Megan Lund finished in 21st position with a time of 54:44. ?I was pretty confident (leading up to the race) that we were going to win. I think the competition was heightened this year. In terms of my own race, I was disappointed. I had a bad start and it took me some time to get back in the race.?

Erholtz saw positive aspects in the team?s effort saying, ?We really worked as a team. Nicole (Hunt ? the final scorer for team USA in 17th position with a time of 54:08), and I see-sawed on the course. She would lead, then I would lead. We pushed and encouraged each other all the way up the trail.?

When asked to compare the course at the USA 10km Trail Championships which Price won in 2009, to the Worlds course she said, ?They wouldn?t compare. This course was much more brutal, the climbs were longer, steeper, and just more intense.?

The total elevation gain was 1035 meters for the woman and included some rocky and technical single track trail, as well as open meadows, dirt paths, and even a few descents.

?I excel on the steeps,? said Price, ?If it had been all up, it would have been more of a course for me. I was definitely surprised to run as hard and fast as I did on the downhill section at about the 4k mark. I was seventh or eighth at that point. Changing gears to an immediate uphill was tough. I got passed by a few girls. When I got to the final 2k which included some level terrain, I was just trying to maintain my position.?

Erholtz reflected about her race and said, ?The start area was really tight and because I was on the front of the line for our team, I knew I had to get a really good position for the other girls. It was the right decision to go out fast and when I look back on my race, I don?t think I?d have done anything differently.?

Austria?s Andrea Mayr won the race with a time of 49:30. Italy won the women?s team title with a score of 17, followed by Switzerland with 21 points, and Russia with 36 points. Team USA scored 44 to take the fourth team position, and fifth-place finisher Czech Republic posted a score of 59.

After falling at the start of the junior women?s 4.5 kilometer race course at the World Mountain Running Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia, junior U.S. team member Hannah Jumper got up and continued on the race course already several minutes back from the leaders. Finishing the race was a testament to Jumper?s strength and determination, both mental and physical.
Her teammates Hannah Valenzuela and Laura Beresford finished in 18th and 41st positions respectively which gave the U.S. junior women a 13th place finish among the 17 teams. Valenzuela was timed in 27:31, Beresford in 30:06, and Jumper in 36:27.

Yasmine Can,Turkey, won the junior women?s race with a time of 24:04. The team competition was won by Turkey who finished one-two in the competition.

The U.S. Junior men all finished within one and a half minutes of one another led by Chase Caulkins who finished in 27th place with a time of 51:09 over the 8.5k course that boasted 1035 meters of vertical gain. Cody Wells finished in 32nd position with a time of 51:37, Chris York was timed in 51:57 for 37th position while Paul Petersen finished in 52:40 for 41st position.
The junior men were 9th out of 19 teams.

?I went out a bit fast,? said Caulkins, ?I was in the top five until the cathedral (at about 2k). I had a good race overall and really liked the second half of the course.?

Petersen commented on the course saying, ?The first four k was my favorite, anything going up was great for me.?

York said, ?I have no regrets, I felt like I had a real solid race.?

Wells said, ?I pretty much held my place the whole time, right around 30th. I wish I could have gone a little faster up higher. Having not seen the course, I couldn?t tell where the top was, and with the fog, it was impossible to see.?

The junior men?s race was won by Yossief T. Andemichael, Eritrea, with a time of 42:30, more than three minutes ahead of the second place finisher Ridvan Bozkurt of Turkey who led the Turkish team to a gold-medal finish.

Full results available http://www.timingljubljana.si/baze/20100905-VelikaPlanina.pdf

Next year?s World Mountain Running Championships will be held on an up/down loop course in Albania on September 11.

Members of the 2010 U.S. Mountain Running Team:
Eric Blake, 31, New Britain, CT
Rickey Gates, 29, Woody Creek, CO
Joe Gray, 26, Lakewood, WA
Max King, 30, Bend, OR
Chris Lundstrom, 34, Minneapolis, MN
Tommy Manning, 34, Colorado Springs, CO
Brandy Erholtz, 33, Bailey, CO
Nicole Hunt, 40, Deer Lodge, MT
Megan Lund, 26, Basalt, CO
Kristin Price, 28, Raleigh, NC
Chase Caulkins, 18, Ketchum, ID
Paul Petersen, 18, Broomfield, CO
Cody Wells, 19, Snowflake, AZ
Chris York, 19, White Post, VA
Laura Beresford, 18, Dana Point, CA
Hannah Jumper, 17, Chattanooga, TN
Hannah Valenzuela, 17, Apple Valley, CA
##

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/09/preliminary-stats-team-usa-takes-silver.html

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A wrap-up of awesome gear ? just in time to wrap up for Christmas!

I feel very fortunate and grateful to be a member of the LaSportiva Mountain Running Team. Aside from being in the company of some of the best mountain runners in the sport, I was provided with a selection of gear from LaSportiva and some fantastic associate sponsors. Personally, I raced about 700 miles this year [...]

Source: http://mountainrun.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/a-wrap-up-of-awesome-gear-%e2%80%a6-just-in-time-to-wrap-up-for-christmas/

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Fast Fun at the 2010 XTerra Trail Run National Championships

Last Saturday, I had the great pleasure of joining 650 trail running fanatics for the party known as the 2010 XTerra Trail Running National Championships in Bend, OR. This was the third running of the event, and was the biggest XTerra championship to date, with runners from over 30 states coming to check out the fast and furious trails up and down the Deschutes River. Bend, OR, played the perfect host, dishing out great running weather, a variety of post-race activities, and enough fast runners to keep things lively in every age group from 7 to 75+. What a fantastic time!

Sophie (my four-year-old) and I flew up to meet my Dad and step-Mom, and we were happy to hear that Dad brought his Inov-8 X-Talons, unable to resist the calling of a 13.99 mile romp through the woods. Sophie had her sights set on the kids obstacle course, as well as the Bend Fall Festival going on downtown that promised pony rides and face painting. Sophie is all about XTerra, having started a collection of kids medals and memories to last a lifetime.

(Dad and me at the start)

(Hanging with Lars)

The weather on race morning was just right - cool, cloudy, and a hint of rain to keep the dust levels low. We gathered at the start with Washington trail runner Lars Larson, local fast guy Sean Meissner, ultra world champ Kami Semick, XTerra star Derek Schultz, and Fujio Miyachi from Japan, and commented on how the number of gazelles warming up in the parking lot suggested a fast race this year. Two-time defending champ Max King was back, as was defending Women's champion (and 2010 5k national champion) Lauren Fleshman. They both had plenty of competition, known and unknown, and were here to take this seriously.

(I catch up with Sean at the start as Lauren gets her race face on)

(Max King is ready to roll!)

(Defending champion Lauren Fleshman)

I was feeling pretty good during the warm up, although a bit tired from the two-a-day Ironman training that has become the staple for the October 9th showdown in Hawaii. How do these Ironmen do it?!? In the last month, I've fallen asleep at a stoplight, woken from a swimming dream to freestyle stroke right off onto the floor, and gone up one jacket size from lats that look like I'm smuggling a manta ray. Guess it's time to see if all this cross-training helps the trail running! My Dad, Larry Dunlap, was fresh off a foot injury, but had a good base of fitness from running, hiking, and cycling through the summer like only a retired guy can do. We gave each other a good luck hug and readied for the start.

(Leaving Old Mill and heading down the river)

When the cannon went OFF, we instinctively got the hell out of there and tore through the Old Mill District to the first section of bike path. I cruised along with Sean Meissner, Fujio Miyachi, and Mike Olsen and settled into a 6 min/mile rhythm. Up ahead, there were already two packs of runners, with Max King running 5th or so in the first pack, and Lauren Fleshman tucked behind Michele Suszek like a track-trained hunter in the second pack. We crossed the bridge and hit the first section of dirt, and everyone spread out before the single track.



I remembered from last year not to get too crazy until I hit Haul Road (mile 3), so I bid adieu to Sean and the gang as they tore it up and over the roller coaster hills along the river. About a dozen more passed me in this section, but I was able to turn it up once we got to the flat section of Haul Road and pull them back in. I pulled up behind Fujio and Dylan Johnson, a wicked-fast 16-year old up from Dripping Spring, TX. They kept the pace fast - right about 5:50 min/miles - but the front packs were still putting time into us at a crazy rate.


(Indya Bull, hitting the single track)

(Enjoying the switchbacks!)

(Fujio and Dylan pace up the fire roads...)


(...then hit the single track)

Mary Colburn from Culver City, CA, joined our little pack as we peeled off the dirt roads and into some more technical single track (mile 5). Fujio and Dylan were amazing, never losing time, and the rest of us just tried to keep up as they hopped through the brush and lava rocks. Once there was a longer section, Mike Olsen, Mary, and I would let our strides open up and reel them in. The sportsmanship was top notch, and everyone was happy to trade off to keep the pace high.

(Mary Colburn leads Mike Olsen up the lava road)

(nature at it's best)

(Sean Dunlap sets the pace up front...go Team Dunlap!)

We cruised along the top of a rocky ridge (a new section from last year) before diving down a chute and heading back along the river (mile 7). Mike Olsen found a whole new gear and I swore I heard the Roadrunner "meep! meep!" as he left us in a dust cloud. Dylan and I paired up to try and keep him in sight, trading off the lead over the last climb into the lava fields. Before long, we were back on Haul Road (mile 10), covering the first 10 miles in 62 minutes. Wow! This course is seriously fast.

(Dylan races down the single track)


(The very lively aid station volunteers)

A sprinkle of rain kept us cool, as costumed volunteers handed us one last gulp of fuel to push through this fast section. I got excited about using these long straightaways to bank some time and maybe, just maybe, average a 6 min/mile pace for the whole race. I did my best to work my arms as much as I could - those manta ray lats must be good for something! I pushed it up to 5:40 min/miles to bank some time for the upcoming switchbacks, and found myself alone as I trucked down to the river.

(Rachel Edelson heads down the river)

(Max King hits the turbocharger)

(Arnauld Decarsin, in from France, cruises along the river)

I pulled in one more runner along the last, fairly flat section, and charged the last mile in 5:30. It sure felt good to go fast! I crossed the finish in 1:28:14 for 23rd, considerably faster than last year, but not nearly fast enough to get a spot on the podium. Alas! I guess XTerra is officially a place for the Fast People. No worries though - it was so much fun!

(Victory #2 for Lauren Fleshman)

I did a cool down run with Mary (who got 3rd woman overall) and Sean Meissner (18th, and easily the best trail/road rash of the day), as we contemplated the incredibly fast times of Max King (1st again in 1:15:57) and Lauren Fleshman (1st woman, 10th overall, 1:24:24) and a field that required a sub-6 minute mile pace just to crack the Top 20. If anyone thought XTerra was a secret before, it ain't a secret no more!

(Sean shows off his souvenir)

(Don Hildebrand repeats his win in the 75+ age group)

I returned to the finish to try and catch a photo of my Dad, but he was already done! His 1:52:44 was good enough to win his age group and keep up the Dunlap name (Sean Dunlap from North Carolina also had an impressive 1:33:00). As I closed in to get a photo of him on the podium, some super-master runners next to me just shook their heads, saying how the next guy was over 20 minutes back. It was so cool to say, "yep...that's my Dad!". I couldn't have been more proud, and immediately filled his heads with thoughts of the XTerra World Championship in Hawaii in December. The awards ceremony was great fun, particularly when 7-year-old Zoe Allen got up to receive a special award for finishing the whole 13.99 mile race in 3:03, exclaiming "it's so much fun!". We will certainly be seeing her on the trails again!

(Zoe Allen, -year-old rock star!)

(Dad tops the podium!)

(Fujio and Max pose with a friend)

We spent the afternoon smiling our way through the Bend Fall Festival, giving Sophie her fair share of face painting, pony rides, and petting zoos. This is such a great summer town! I headed out the next morning for a casual long run, and soon found another race in progress, the Bigfoot 10k, with many of the same faces from the day before (and Max King winning, natch). They live the good life up here, that's for sure.

(Sophie the silver kitty)

(XTerra is easily the most kid friendly race around)

A big THANKS to the XTerra family for another top notch race (you can see more photos, including many I stole for the above, here). Nobody puts on a show quite like these guys, and if you haven't tried it, I highly suggest going big and sticking Nationals or Worlds on your calendar before they become qualifier-only events. I know I will be back for sure.

- SD

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/09/fast-fun-at-2010-xterra-trail-run.html

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