Nuns, Bruce at Hardrock & Snow King Shots

lisa is back safe and sound in driggs now. she's accomplished some astonishing things in the last couple of weeks and the stories are just amazing. i like this shot. lisa said "sister marybeth doesn't like water and now she only drinks nuun."

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i just had to post this photo of nuun ultrarunner bruce grant finishing the hardrock 100. you have to kiss the rock in silverton, colorado when you finish. nuun was his only source of electrolytes the whole race - he drank 35 tablets! awesome. check out his blog for his race report.

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these other two are from a 20 mile run up and out snow king in jackson yesterday. wild flowers are going off!

pure bliss
eric taft - eric thanks for showing me some new trails!

News From My Ultra World

set a goal and pursue it relentlessly.

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in the news:

• my oh my - kyle skaggs crushed the hardrock 100 course record jurek set last year running 23hr 23min on quite possibly the hardest 100 mile course on earth. durango herald article, results & olga's great photo album
  ** massive congrats to nuun ultrarunner bruce grant for 14th place in 35hr 03min! (photo on right) & roch horton 12th in 34hr 20min!



• badwater 135 miler through death valley started this morning
  -lisa smith-batchen finished part 1 of her 810 by running from las vegas to badwater (updates). right now she's running badwater and will summit mount whitney at the end! good luck lisa!
  -i'm cheering for my DART-nuun teammate jen segger to win badwater! she is tough as nails - you can do it jen!
  ...and i can't leave out our dreamchasers ultrarunning camp champ - bob becker - go bob go!



• the tour de france has been tons of fun to watch... and only one doper caught so far! how stupid are you manuel beltran? come on.
  


• a couple of weeks ago... after our double up teton pass we hit the river for a leg soak then pica's in wilson for some fantastic mexican food. it didn't take long before the jackson buzz made it's way to our table and we heard about what jimmy chin had just pulled off solo. dood is bad ass. jimmy if you ever want a partner give a brotha a call.

Three Things

1. the lottery for hardrock is tomorrow feb 3nd - wish me luck! i'll need it with another abismal 17% chance of getting in.
   
   
2. montrail just launched the updated website... go check out the streak! i'm supposed to get some of these 9.5oz trail deamonds in the mail any day now! oh boy.
   
   
3. nuun is coming out with a new flavor in april called Orange+Ginger* (*just a hint)

Hot and Excited

this is why i'm excited ~ because 2008 is going to be HUGE (and i rarely bother with capitol letters)

• 3 Days of Syllamo - my first race of the season march 14, 15, 16. it's a 3 day staged ultra in the ozark mountains.
  day 1 - 50 km
  day 2 - 50 miles
  day 3 - 25 km
  
  this one seemed like a dream a few months ago when ultrarunner and bad ass ty draney asked me to race with him. ty paced me at my first 100 miler, the grand teton 100 in september. we became fast friends on the trail. some things worked out and i just booked my flight march 13 to rock little rock! ty and i will run each day together as a team, no further than 100 feet apart. i wonder if we can use tow ropes adventure racing style?
  
  
• hardrock 100 entry is in the mail. enough said on that one.
  


• appalachian trail record - fellow new hampshire native karl meltzer is going to try and break the 47 days, 13 hours, 31 minute record from maine to georgia (2175 miles). i will be running the 281 miles of rough appalachian trail that runs through maine with karl starting around august 5th. that means 47 miles a day for 6 days. karl said "you'll get to run home to new hampshire with me!". sweet... this will be an unreal experience.

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this is why, this is why, this is why i'm hot ~ quite possibly the worst rap lyrics ever written

because of my new montrail highlanders - tell me these aren't hot?! this is my '08 race shoe.

Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run Entry

my entry into the hardest 100 miler on the planet is now in the mail - 33,000ft of climbing over 100 miles with an average elevation of 11,000ft.. as my buddy colin likes to say - "bring it".

2008 Western States 100 Endurance Run Lottery

i will not be getting one of these buckles this year. the western states 100 lottery was saturday and i did not get in. i have mixed emotions about this. for years as an adventure racer i used to dream of focusing on running and seeing how i could do in the biggest ultras, against the best out there. in my observations of the ultra scene the biggest stage seems to be western states 100 and the hardest race seems to be the hardrock 100 (with it's 32,000 feet of gain). they start accepting applications for hardrock on january 1... and i want in!

honestly the terrain and rediculousness of hardrock is more suited to my current skills.. and i know i'll enjoy the training for this more than i would for training for western states. now if the lottery gods will allow me entry! wish me luck.. i'll need it.

Who Will Win Hardrock? - Cast a Vote

also here is a good read: Sports Illustrated "Are They All Dirty?". i'm sorry to say it, and i wish it weren't true. lance armstrong probably cheated.

just uploaded this video of ty draney winning the big horn 50 miler too!