Outstanding!

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve Wednesday morning 5:17 AM. Plan on a little over one hour at a moderate pace. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive North of Glendale Avenue. We had 20 runners last week so don't miss out on a great morning.
Outstanding weekend for the Three Lady Amigos. Rachel, Liz and Lisa O ventured out of town to run the Shadow of the Giants 50 K near Yosemite National Park. Rachel and Lisa get runners of the week for completing their first Ultra Marathon. Offical times aren't posted but by the look of the photos everyone was very happy.

Huge announcement on Cosmas' blog site with a very important poll, check it out here: http://azspeedgoat.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-speedgoat.html#comments

See everyone Wednesday morning!

Quick WMRC Shadow Of Giants 50K Report

WMRC has two more first time Ultra Marathon finishers. Rachel Jones and Lisa Osinga completed the Shadow of the Giants 50K in Northern California today. Veteran Ultra Runner Lizzy Girl ran with Rachel the hole way for a time of 7:11:00. Rumor has it they ran the 2nd half 49 minutes faster than the first. Lisa ended up being sick all last night, still toed the start and finished!!! Stay tuned for more details!

Jemez 50 Foot Injury? Really? No Way!

WMRC Hardrock Training

WMRC 5/27

Come join us for an easy 1:04 trail run in the Phx Mtn Preserve. Meet at the top lot of Sq Pk Dr. at 5:16 am.

Runner of the week. Since no one did anything of note this weekend except for Arron, Honey and Andrew doing 7 hrs in Flag on Sun. Runner of the week goes once again to Blue Dog. He destroyed the Honey loop course record for canines in temps over 83 degrees at 2:27. Blue dog was so tired he had to be lifted into the car to go home. Once into the friendly confines of his pool he was refreshed and ready to play ball again. He later dominated another dog friendly bbq at his friend slick's house. Go Blue!

See you all tomorrow. Maybe as I possibly have a broken foot.

Cosmas Jemez 50 Race Report

Check out Mark's Jemez 50 mile mountain run Race Report here: http://azspeedgoat.blogspot.com/2009/05/jemez-50-miler-523.html

Lets Call It A Jemez 50 Recovery Run

Hello all, reminder we are on for a group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve Wednesday morning 5:17 AM. Meet at the very top parking lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale Ave and past the main trailhead of Piestewa Peak. Plan on a little over one hour. We had 19 runners last week. Plenty of trail available for more. Wake-up calls available upon request.

Lots of runner sightings over the weekend. We had three amigos in New Mexico; a team running the canyon; a confirmed Bourque sighting in the preserve; and a two man team crossing paths with THE four person group on trail 100.

The WMRC Runner of the week: Jamil Coury followed up his Zane Grey win with a 3rd overall finish at the Jemez Mountain 50 mile trail race. 9:54:02. Jemez has become a training run for Hardrock 100 participants because of its steep climbs and descent. Also completing Jemez and training for Hardrock was Andrew Heard who finished 15th 11:13:52 and Mark Cosmas who has determined the only way to fix his injured knee is train like hell (“It popped during the run and now it works!!”) finished 40th 12:50:44.

Lastly check out the cool Ultra Running video that Joe G forwarded. It has some of the current stars and notable locations of the Ultra Running World:

UltraRunning from Matt Hart on Vimeo.

Quick WMRC Jemez 50 report

The 3 amigos finished and had a good day Saturday at the Jemez Mountain 50 mile trail run. Jamil Coury is still on a roll. Finished 3rd overall with a time of 9:54:02. Andrew and Mark ran comfortably and finished 15th and 40th; 11:13:52 and 12:50:44 respectively. More details forthcoming.

Wednesday Morning Run Reminder for 5/13/09

Reminder: We are on for a group trail run Wednesday Morning (tomorrow) 5:14 AM in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive (past Piestewa Peak trailhead). Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. The days are hot but the mornings are beautiful. Don’t miss out. Runner of the week: Yes, he is an original WMRC’er. Yes, he is reclusive. Yes, he has been call Mr. Snuffleupagus. Yes, he is still running. Congratulations to Art Bourque for his 5:33:00 time at the Bear Mountain 50K in upper New York. Bear Mountain is part of the North Face Endurance Challenge and is touted as the most difficult 50K and 50 mile race east of the Mississippi River. Art overcame lots of rain, mud and rocks to finish 5th overall. Art, you have to show up Wednesday for your reward:)

Props to Honey and Kirk who did a quick trip to the Canyon and did a R2R2R. They took bright angel/NK both ways and said it was very hot and they were worked. Honey is going back again this weekend for another round of punshipment.

Good luck to Cosmas, Heard, and Jamil Coury who are running the Jemez 50 mile race this weekend in the Mountains of New Mexico.

Born To Run in Tempe

If you missed Christopher McDougall's talk this morning on his new
book on ultrarunning entitled Born to Run, please join us tonight for
a more formal talk and slide show in Tempe at Changing Hands
Bookstore. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and Chris
will be signing them.

Saturday, May 9 @ 5:00 p.m. --
Changing Hands, 6428 S. McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283.
(McClintock & Guadalupe)

Here is a synopsis of the book from Amazon.com:

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

More info: http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Athletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303/

Wednesday Run Reminder for 5/6/09

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Reminder: We are on for a group trail run tomorrow morning 5:17 AM. Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive North of Glendale Ave. Plan on a little over one hour. A great trail run with a sunrise. Don’t miss out. Runner of the Week: Last week it was ROW runner up. This week it’s top ROW. 7 days after finishing the Zane Grey 50 mile trail race Candice continues to impress with a 1st place finish in her age group at the Whiskey Row Marathon on Saturday. Other notable Whiskey participants: Rachel Jones 2nd in age group; Nick Coury 6th overall (1st in age group); Nathan ½ marathon participant.

A belated congratulations to Dave Cauthon for his great Boston Marathon Run April 19th. Check out his race report in the comments section of this post.

Bonus Coverage: For your triathlon fix. Congrats to Latvaaho (who seems to get farther away ultra runs) on his 32nd overall finish at Wild Flower Tri in California. That is a great finish in a huge field. McCarville finished 12th in has age group. Randy Ohlinger finished only 7 min back form Kirk. Great job you three. We’ll see you back on the trails.

Saturday Reminder: Don’t forget to come out for an hour run Saturday morning and meet the author of the just released book “Born to Run”. Meet at Dreamy Draw Park Parking lot (Northern Ave and SR-51) 7:00 AM.