Ryne Melcher

About Ryne Melcher

 
Date of Birth:
January 29th, 1979

Place of Birth:
back seat of a cab

Current Home town:
North Vancouver, BC

Primary Race Distance:
50km & 50 Mile

Other hobbies or sports:
coaching, traveling and thinking about updating my blog

What MHW/ Montrail gear and clothing is in your quiver for a typical day at/ on the trail?
The Masochist is a proven shoe on a multitude of terrains. The Rogue Racer is a go to shoe for tempo, track runs and the Badwater is rapidly becoming a staple in the rotation. Very responsive, lightweight and actually very protective on some more technical stuff.

Mountain Hardwear gear is the Way2Cool tops and Refueler Shorts. I try to avoid wearing spandex/tights so despite MHW making some great ones I avoid ‘em unless it’s super cold (below 25F).

The Apparition Jacket is a great outer layer although I’m super stoked to try the Ghost Whisperer Jacket as well. The Effusion jacket works great on those colder days and of course every run should have a Nitrous Jacket waiting for you at the end!

How were you introduced to your sport?
Long story short in Grade 10 I was bagging off Spanish Class and skimming through the Guinness Book of Records. I came across that there were running records for 24hr, 48hr, 1000km etc and they looked easy to beat. So what else would a teenager who runs a fast 5000 meter (15 minutes) do? Make an attempt to break this Yiannis Kouros guys record. He can’t even average 8 miles an hour! I had a connection to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and decided to double it as a fundraiser. My training plan was about as dumb as you could possibly make it. From a long run of 5 miles I jumped to 30 miles. Then 75 miles. Then a 24-hour training run. Six months later at the actual event (on a 235 meter indoor concrete track no less) I ran 25 Hours to raise money for the Make-A-Wish. I knew Yiannis was a stud and I was a moron for even thinking I could break his record. In 25-hours I covered about 115 miles. A good chunk of those in the first 16 hours. Then I cried… a lot!

My high school XC Coach, Ian Atkinson, rallied local ultra runners to come out and help pace, coach, support me and I learned all about the ultra world from the likes of Giles Malet, Jim Moses, Chris Wytyczak and Ron Gehl. I completed the run, raised just shy of $20,000 for the MAW Foundation and started doing ultra races. My 3rd ultra I qualified for the Canadian National 100k Team at Age 17 and have been hooked ever since!

What inspires you?
Seeing all different shapes, sizes and abilities on the trail giving it their all.

Which athletes or other individuals have been your biggest source of inspiration?
Joe Cleary, Odino Soligo, Monica Scholz, David Horton

What advice would you give to newcomers to (your sport) today?
Enjoy the journey of everything about the sport. The training, the race and the camaraderie. The journey will have highs and lows and both are rewarding and learning experiences. Find a group in your community to connect with and train. I was blessed to have numerous people around me when I started and I learned so much valuable information from those around me

What’s your favorite pre race meal?
Beer. Or if I’m in a dry county pasta, pizza, salad will suffice.

What the first thing you look forward to doing after a long run / race?
Catching up with old friends at the finish area and meeting new friends. Oh, and of course having a beer!

How do you balance your training schedule with your “real” job?
Well, it’s getting harder and harder! My real job is actually running related. I created running clinics at Kintec and we had about 1200 people go through a clinic in the last 14 months. Most are beginners so there are lots of talks and runs with those groups but it is amazing to see the transformation of people and share the joy they have from going from the couch to running a 5k or 10k a few months later.

Do you have any pre-race/ pre-competition rituals?
I usually rock out to some Mariah Carey followed by a Cher medley…dead serious. After that’s out of the way getting a little warm up jog in and the usual pre race banter with fellow runners

In 10 years I hope to be…
10 years younger.

Six-word bio –
Really, really, really, ridiculously good looking…

When singing karaoke, what song do you sing to bring down the house?
It’s Raining Men

What music gets you fired up?
The Killers, Band of Horses, Coldplay, Blink 182, Eminem

If you were a super hero, who would you be?
Charlie Sheen

 

Career Highlights

  • Youngest Person to Finish 100 ultras (2005) at Age 26 years, 9 months.
  • Youngest Person to Finish 150 ultras (2012) at Age 33 years, 48 days
  • 2011 Mt Si 50 Mile course record - 5:54:15 (was the Canadian National Trail 50 Mile Record at the time, it’s since been broken by Adam Campbell)
  • 7 time Canadian National Team Member
  • 2004 USA 50 Mile National Championship Bronze Medalist

Other Notable Achievements:

  • Avon Trail (110km) Speed Record (co-held with Clark Zealand & Monica Scholz) – 14h35m
  • Course Record at Carl Touchstone 50k in Mississippi (3h34m)
  • Course Record at Mt Si 50 Miler (5h54m)
  • Course Record at Sulphur Springs 50 Miler (6h26m)
  • Most wins by a Canadian in a year – 9 (2005)
  • 3h13m 50k Personal Record (road) 3h16m 50k Personal Record (trail)

 

Races

2012 Race Plans:

  • April 22, Mt. Si 50 miler, Snoqualme, WA * Could make Canadian Team for World Trail Champs 2012
  • May 12, Canadian 50 mile trail Champ, Elk/Beaver 50 miler, Canada
  • May 27, Rocky Mountain Double Marathon, Laramie, WY
  • June 23, Western States 100, Squaw Valley, CA *Pacing for Ellie Greemwood
  • July 28, White River, Crystal Mountain, WA
  • September 9, IAU World 24 Hour Championships, Katowice, Poland
  • September 29, Run for the Toad 50km, Paris, Ontario
  • November 17, JFK 50, Washington DC

2011/2012 Race Results

  • 2012 – February, Hagg Lake 50k
  • March, Way Too Cool 50k
  • March, Chuckanut 50k – Youngest to complete 100 ultras
  • 2011 – July, IAU World Trail Challenge – DNF
  • September, Commonwealth Trail Champs
  • October, Run for the Toad 50k