Becoming the first American woman to win the Sierre Zinal mountain race in Switzerland made Megan Lund-Lizotte a household name in the trail world. She is no slouch on the roads though. She is a 2x Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and recently added 2011 USA Trail Marathon Champion to the list of her accomplishments.
 
Runners Feed: Take us through a typical day of your life
Megan Lund-Lizotte: In the summer, I usually run first thing in the morning, but Colorado winters are cold so I mostly run in the middle of the day when it’s warmer. I get up, drink a few cups of coffee, eat some toast and check my email. I then usually work on training plans for my clients (I’m an online running coach). However, if I’m meeting with clients on-site, I will do my workout beforehand so I can utilize my energy wisely and take advantage of my client’s workout as a shake-out or recovery run. Continue reading.

From the Trails to the Trials: Max King talks about his curious path to the 2012 Olympic trials marathon
Just as all of the other Olympic trials marathon qualifiers started their run up to this week’s race, mine started four years ago.

It’s the path I took that could be considered somewhat out of the ordinary for many of the other elite racers in the field. My first race after the last Olympic trials in 2008 was a 50K … a week later. I was in great steeplechase shape even though my race at Hayward Field didn’t reflect that. I was not in 50K shape, nor did I know how to run one “correctly”, knew nothing about ultra race nutrition, and did not know how my body would react to running 31 miles. But it was that race that shaped the next four years of training.

I’ve always like trails and mountains, and the idea that a person can run incredible distances across land that hasn’t been touched by the mechanized world. Continue reading.
 
 
Left: Max King, en route to finishing 39th at last year’s world cross country championships in Spain.

 
Team Montrail Athlete, Amy Sproston, crushed it this past Saturday in Virginia at the Hellgate 100k. 1st place for women’s and 4th overall… and broke Krissy Moehl’s 2006 course record by 37 minutes.

Amy’s Pre-Race Report, Crazy Enough for Hellgate:
Hellgate calls itself a 100K, although everyone except Horton, seem willing to admit that it’s actually 66 miles. Starting at midnight (or rather 12:01 a.m. on Saturday) in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia the second Friday of December, it almost guarantees to be a suffer-fest and a race where no 100K PR will ever be set. To celebrate my 5 year anniversary as an ultrarunner, I’m finally just crazy enough to see for myself what it is about Hellgate that causes everyone to complain so, yet return to the source of the agony, again and again. Whether I’m tough enough to endure Hellgate is a question yet to be answered. Oregon has made me a bit soft, I’m afraid. – She’s certainly proved her strength!
 

Words from other runners:

Davis Ploskonka
It has been said that the Hellgate 100K is a “special” race, for a number of reasons. It was certainly a “special” race for me this year. And here’s why . . As you may know, I’ve dedicated this past fall to “redemption” in races that I’ve failed in falls past. First The Ring, where I still didn’t finish, but made it further than my previous attempt.

Nicole Knutson
It was challenging, beautiful, nicely marked, and nicely groomed (well, for what was able to be groomed). Where I went wrong (in case you were wondering) – sleep. I have never tried to run more than a couple miles on a treadmill after staying up all day (the few lack-luster naps at Camp Bethel didn’t do much for me).

Carrie Lombardo
No matter how you think about it, it’s always a gamble…any race…any time…something can take you out of the game. For me, I know my weaknesses, all night, sleep deprivation, and always my mind. From the beginning of the Beast, right at Holiday Lake, I started picking everyone’s brains about being up 2 nights at GS100 and used all I could of those techniques at Hellgate. I carried a big can of Red Bull in my pack, I had a mantra for the dark hours, and one for the daylight hours. Luckily, as I had started 2 Hellgates, the last 2 years, I knew what to expect in starting the race, so I was relaxed. I knew what to pack, I was however coached in how much time to think about changing before actually changing, haha. It is a bit of a wait from the end of the prerace briefing until it’s time to drive to the start.

Jennifer Nichols
I’m sitting here on sunday afternoon with fat, blistered feet, sore achilles in both legs, wondering what would be the best way to describe this amazing journey I was fortunate enough to go on. It’s really almost a surreal experience to be able to sit here and say “I’m a hellgate finisher.”. Hellgate 100k in my mind was always the ZENITH of any of the ultras on the east coast. It’s where VERY TOUGH ultrarunners test their metal against the elements, rocky leaf covered trails and 14,000ft of vertical climbing over 66.6 miles.

Dakota Jones was runner up to Mike Wolfe at the 2011 The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships. In this interview iRunFar chats about how his race unfolded, what he did to prepare for the race, why he’ll race less frequently next year, and why Hardrock and UTMB will likely be on his 2012 schedule. Bonus guest appearance by the Dakota Jones Fan Club. Check it out here.

Ellie Greenwood ran to a strong second place at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships. Listen along as she talks about her race on Saturday, banging up her toe, taking a break from training, the highlights of her 2012 schedule, and whether she’s got a chance of breaking Ann Trason’s Western States course record.

Here’s some amazing footage from the race with Mike Wolfe, Dakota Jones battling it out to the end:

 
With Lithia Loop serving as the U.S. trail marathon championship for the third straight year, competitive runners again lined up to race the dirt roads and trails around the Ashland watershed, even if they were sometimes snow-covered. On an snowy/icy course Megan Lund-Lizotte was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 3:03:46. . Lund-Lizotte’s time is the race’s second-fastest ever, trailing only Susannah Beck’s 3:00:29 course record in the race’s inaugural year. Kremer, who has announced that she also will seek a berth on the 2012 U.S. Mountain Running Team, was second in 3:05:34. Bend’s Stephanie Howe was a competitive third in 3:09:27. More info here.
 
A quick interview with the Trail Marathon Champ:
 
What are your thoughts surrounding the race?
This is the first time running this race. I felt really strong for the most part and pleased I was able to execute my race strategy just as I had planned. I went out hard on the climb (first 10 miles) and was able to create a big enough gap that no one would be within striking distance the rest of the race… and that is exactly how it unfolded. Stevie Kremer (2nd women) ran 2 strides behind me for the first 5 miles and then I broke away and focused on increasing my lead for the rest of the race. Uphill running is my strength of all aspects of running so I knew if I could take a commanding lead on the ascent I would be able to win. This is my first national title so I’m pretty stoked!

Goals for this race?
My goal going into this race was to win and break the course record. I managed to win (and snag my first USA national title), however I was misinformed on the course record. The website states that it was 3:08:42 when in fact it’s actually 3:00::29. So, I thought I had broken it by almost 5 minutes, when in fact I was actually still 3 minutes away. I do think I could have been really close to breaking the real record had we not had blizzard conditions and an icy course.

How many people usually enter this particular race?
Around 150, this year was a record turnout of 192.

What were the weather conditions like?
Snowy/icy course for the majority of the ascent and pelting snow. However, the last 6 miles where dry and clear–great variety of tough conditions!

What food supplies did you use for fuel during the race?
I took about half of an Espresso Clif Shot at mile 16 and washed it down with some snow I scraped off the course (all my water spilled out of the cup I grabbed at the aid station so I had to get resourceful!).

Pre-race meal?
The night before I had smoked mozzarella & basil pasta for dinner…I don’t have a typical/superstitious meal…I just eat what sounds good! For breakfast before the race, I always have oatmeal mixed with some Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (need some fat for those longer races) and a strong cup of coffee. I actually ended up making my instant oatmeal with coffee because the hotel I was staying at forgot to set out hot water for tea (there were cups and tea bags everywhere but no water!), so I used coffee instead! Needless to say, I was super jittery after I ate, but maybe that was the extra jolt I needed to pull out the win!

Highlights from the race?
Firstly, the course was beautiful! Even though it snowed half of the race, the scenery was awesome! At about mile 18 I started feeling bad…not only was I physically tired, I was mentally stressed because I wasn’t sure how big my lead was and if the girl in 2nd was gaining on me. I just kept telling myself that I was only in control of my own race and that if I just kept running as fast as I could, that’s all I could ask of myself. I just kept telling myself how bad I wanted to win and that got me through the next two miles. Once I hit mile 22 I knew I was gonna win and promised myself no one was going to catch me. It’s always rewarding to experience something the way you had hoped it would come to fruition.

Shoe choice?
I am also (like Max) running in the Rogue Racer and wore that shoe in the race. It was the perfect option for this race because the conditions were snowy and icy the majority of the race. The shoes responded really well and I didn’t experience much slipping while running fast–good quality to have in a shoe when you’re racing on snow-covered frozen ground!

Learn more about Megan in the following interview, All in the Family (Megan Lund-Lizotte comes from a family of distance runners)

 
Hiroki Ishikawa took 2nd place in Spain’s 80km Ultimafrontera 160. Recently, Spain is becoming known for its strong trail runners. Hiroki also commented that this race was merely research and will adjust his conditioning for the next race, the Red Rock 50 mile in Santa Barbara in late November. He wore Montrail Bajadas during the race.

A little about the Ultimafrontera 160:
The popularity of the international multi-day stage race Al Andalus Ultimate Trail, which draws some of the world’s best Ultra stage-racers to the southern Poniente de Granada, helped inspire the development of a race in the northern part of the region. The Poniente de Granada is known as the Last Frontier of Moorish Iberia, historically referred to as Al Andalus. The Christian conquest of these lands in the 1480’s saw the fall of the Nazarine Kingdom of Granada, and consequent fall of Muslim domination in the Iberian Peninsular. The Ultima Frontera 160 route takes you through a number of the fortified towns which made up this final line of defense.

 
Montefrio, in the Parapanda Mountains, was a natural frontier of the Nazarine Kingdom. In June 1486, it became the final conquest in the whole territory, leading to the definitive victory of the Catholic Kings over Islam. Some of the castle and its battlements remain, as well as the cistern and some stretches of wall. This is the furthest north the race goes. CP3 (48km/128km), at Hotel La Enrea, will have hot food and drink available. Drop-bags will be available at CP3 (48km/128km).

 
This time, rather than a staged race in hot, desert-like conditions, it was a weekend of ultra events, for those who enjoy single stage ultras. Races included a 50km, for those looking to make the step from marathon to ultra, an 80km, and 160km (80km loop two times), which equals 100 miles, a distance very popular in the USA. Upon completion, the 80km distance earns 2 points, and the 160km earns 4 points, towards Europe’s famous Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, which requires that competitors have previous experience with extreme running.

Congratulations Hiroki for the amazing second place finish!

First race out of the gate since WS100, Luanne Park was the first female to cross the line in the 30k and 4th overall at Whiskeytown.

 
A few words from Luanne:
 
Mostly, it was GREAT to be racing again, no matter the place and time and all that other stuff. Like I have been saying, “I may have been dead, but I’m not buried yet.” I still have a few good miles left in me.
Scared for Quad on November 26th. Yesterday’s race had over 4,000 ft of gain in 19 miles, Quad Dipsea has 9,000 in 28 miles. Lots of training to do. Thanks for the support Montrail!
– Luanne Park