A well-written summary by Alex Rienzie of Michelino’s Controversial Grand Teton FKT run, the gross overreach by the National Park Service and the role Fastest Known Time played in all this:

The FKT site sometimes lists details for routes. Other times, route nuances are spread word-of-mouth amongst athletes. Some routes mandate specific trails. Others measure the fastest trip from point A to point B, deferring specifics to the athletes.

This has been my gripe with this story too. Climbers achieve a record by being fastest from point A to B. Many routes on the Fastest Known Time website are similarly structured, like this one had been before the controversy. For the National Park Service to single Michelino Sunseri’s run out and threaten legal action is complete bonkers.

COROS announces the new PACE Pro:

With a blazing 1500-nit AMOLED display, massive battery life, and double the processing power of the iconic PACE 3, the COROS PACE Pro delivers unmatched performance for athletes committed to pushing their limits.

These AMOLED displays are becoming the norm without sacrificing battery life – this is a good thing.

Here’s what DC Rainmaker has to say about it:

 …for the first time in its history, COROS is trying to compete directly price-wise, with their competitors.
…
the Pace Pro, priced at $349/399EUR is the closest the company has ever come to matching their competitors on features and pricing.

Is this a sign of COROS maturing and having established itself in the market that they can change strategy?

One super interesting tidbit from the box the watch ships with:

The second difference is the lack of charging cable, and instead, a charging keyring adapter. COROS has played around with such an adapter in the past, and 3rd parties have made one for other companies including Garmin and Apple. Essentially, you take your own USB-C cable and stick it in the end of the keyring adapter, and boom, you’ve got a charging cable. COROS says if you can’t find a USB cable of your own, what rock are you living under, they’ll happily send you one.

I’m sitting on a half-written article bemoaning the current state of charging cables for GPS watches. I cannot understand why watch companies don’t ship with better cables and especially why they haven’t switched with USB-C cables. I’ve been traveling quite a bit this year and have found that my watch is reason why I still need to travel with a USB-A adapter. It’s dumb. It’s 2024, high time to change this. Well, COROS seems to have found a great solution here. Rather than shipping a full charging cable they just ship a small adapter that any USB-C cable can connect to. This is brilliant, and I really hope the other watch makers (hello Suunto!) will copy this right away. And let’s hope fix their charger altogether, because this is overpriced garbage.

But to leave this article in on a high note: The Suunto Race S is now available in titanium. Which is very nice indeed (still with the same dumb charger though).
 

Massive news for the short distance trail circuit partnering up with my favorite shoe brand:

Through this partnership, La Sportiva and the Cirque Series will deliver an enhanced experience for runners and outdoor enthusiasts through exclusive on-site activations, athlete appearances, gear demos, and product giveaways at each event.

Amazing.

This is a bit of a different post here on Electric Cable Car. As news organizations around the country have failed to find their spines, inspired by their billionaire owner’s cowardice, I have been thinking a lot about the role of Electric Cable Car and what I am trying to do here. The focus of this blog is mountains, and trails, and running. This would easily allow me to avoid taking a stand and avoid becoming “all political on here”. (As if that is somehow a bad thing. As if we actually have the luxury to avoid any of this.) So I’ve been sitting here thinking and wondering if there’s something worth writing about that’s not just parroting others. Something that’s fitting for this blog and fitting for who I am as a person, and human being.

In general I’m a positive guy. One could call me an optimist. I try to approach business decisions, big life decisions, even small decision with of a positive spirit. I rather hesitate and slow down than let negative emotions rush my judgement. I think overall this has served me well so far.

So, how about voting, should I apply the same principles here?

I’m German and I want to frame my answer to this question by sharing two interlinked events that shaped my worldview in a fundamental way.

• The first: Germany was defeated in World War 2. And thank fucking god for that. Where would I be? What would Germany be like today? What would have happened to the world if the Allies wouldn’t have come together and collectively recognized the evil that was Hitler’s reign? Would we still have humankind if the Allies wouldn’t have decided that the right thing to do was to focus on this one single issue. Going to war meant sacrificing much else in order to put a stop to this evil empire and its ugly and destructive world views and even more cruel and inhume actions. Of course, I wasn’t alive back then but growing up I was acutely aware of the actions of my grandparents. In school and in popular culture one could barely escape the heritage Germany was shouldered with and takes very serious still today. WE did this. THIS happened in our country.
• And this brings me to my second point: As a teenager I was taught that I do play a role in this. I’m not responsible for the past, but for my actions in the present. What I speak, how I think and how who I vote for affects others and can affect the course of history. I wasn’t filled with fear but with a sense of responsibility. “Wehret den Anfängen” we call it in Germany. “Resist the beginnings”. This call to action was impressed on my throughout my youth. What it means is a responsibility Germans own, encouraged even from the highest leaders of the land that can be summarized as: “This (what happened in World War 2) can NEVER EVER happen again on our watch.

Today, and the here and now

I’ve heard the phrase that voting isn’t a wishlist submitted to Santa Clause but rather a game of chess. You position your players for decisions in the future. This is correct, but somewhat abstract. I want to submit another phrase: Voting is War. Sounds too strong? Maybe. I grew up hating war, avoided military service in Germany and declared I was a pacifist. As the optimist I claimed to be earlier, this phrase sounds dark and negative. Who wants to go to war, voluntarily? War is bad, always. But. What if war comes to you? What if you have no choice in the matter and your hand is forced? Do you fight? Do you prioritize survival to protect the people around you? Do you do the right thing in a moment like this? There are countless stories, depicted in movies that tell the heroics of people doing the right thing when faced with the unfathomable. We see ourselves being these people that instinctively know how to do the right thing.

This is that moment

What we’re faced with in this country and in almost every western country is that fascists have taken the mic, bankrolled by obscene amount of dark money and an army of online trolls, and they are waging war. The words they speak, the lies they spew, the friends they keep and enemies they declare, and the visions of a world they portrait. This is war. A war against democracy, against civil liberties and the rule of law, against individual autonomy and the freedoms so many before us have fought and died for.

In some ways my ‘Wehret den Anfängen’ example isn’t even relevant anymore. That was meant for 2015 when that orange fascist walked down the escalator of his tower. Back then I was told to not be hysterical and that he would mellow out and become presidential. That IT couldn’t happen in this country because of the systems we have in place. The balance of power and the laws, and all that stuff that didn’t work at all. Now it’s 2024 and we’re still fighting this evil menace and it’s worse than ever before. At least they don’t hide anything anymore. There’s no amount of sane-washing the media can do with these latest rallies, these hateful speeches speeches, and these angry antics by billionaire edge lords.

War has come to our doors and it wears a fascist hat. Our action is therefore simple. Punch the nazi and vote to defeat the fascists. While we still have elections were this might still be a nonviolent tool to defeat the enemy.

There are no alternatives

• We could argue over the dumb reality here in the US that effectively forces a two party system.
• We could balance the books and look at every issue and see how the candidates and the parties they represent compare.
• We could debate the nuances of the various policies proposed.

But none of this matters. We’re at war. Wartime is no time for nuance. The task is simple, the choice is clear. The way this country has chosen to setup its system and the way things have taken shape we’re in a situation where only one person can prevent absolute and utter disaster. That person has to be elected to succeed and voting for Kamala Harris is the only task asked of each and every one of us. No need to go to literal war. No need to literally take up arms. Just take your constitutional right seriously and vote. Stand in line, fill out that ballot, send it in, but, whatever it takes, fucking vote. It’s our only chance and our last one.

I didn’t see myself ever in a place of comparing any life situation to a war. And god forbid I never want to be in one where bombs and bullets fly. I don’t do it lightly. But the situation we’re in is different. War has been brought to our doorsteps and it’s up to us to respond. What will you do?

I hope, for all of us, that I can return to my regular content soon.

Via The Daily, HOKA just can’t stop growing:

Hoka Sends Sales Surging at Deckers Brands in Second Quarter
Net sales at Hoka grew by more than 34% and Teva returned to growth in the second quarter ending Sept. 30.

That headline wrote itself.

Of note:

Hoka is focused on growing brand awareness in international markets, and international revenue growth outpaced growth in the U.S., Caroti said.

Why that international expansion of the UTMB World Series is so important to HOKA and other sponsors. Similarly: Golden Trail Series’s expansion into China.

Via LinkedIn (no official announcement has been posted on the events website):

The Mont-Blanc Marathon and New Balance join forces for the next 5 years.

New Balance’s commitment to running is deeply rooted in its heritage. Since 1906, the brand has been developing innovative, high-quality products designed to meet the diverse needs of runners.

The Mont-Blanc Marathon is one of the most prestigious trail running events in the world with its 8 emblematic races bringing together nearly 10,000 trail runners (children, young people, elites, amateurs). Forerunner of mountain races, with the 1st edition of the Cross du Mont-Blanc in 1979.

This didn’t take long. Less than a month after the announcement was made that Salomon was parting ways with the historic event in Chamonix the Mont-Blanc Marathon has already a new title sponsor secured. And it’s ‘New Balance’. Who had that brand on their bingo card? I mean, I guess New Balance has trail shoes? And I guess it makes sense that a brand that is NOT YET established in trail to take on a sponsorship to get their name out. Salomon clearly is a known quantity in the Chamonix valley and they don’t really need to brand exposure at the event. New Balance on the other hand with US$6.5 billion in revenue for 2023 according to Wikipedia has the size and cash to get their name established in the trail running space. And what better place to do it than in the ultimate place for trail running: Chamonix, and at one of the largest trail races in the world.

It’s also worth noting that Bruno Laroque is the Senior Marketing Director EMEA, New Balance and has previously worked for Salomon.

A follow up post on yesterday’s update on Näak’s VC funding round:

We went on Dragons’ Den Season 13 hoping to make a deal with one of the panel members. We were asking for $200,000 in exchange for 15% of our business. The Dragons got the chance to try our energy bars, and we received positive feedback on the taste of our product. In the end, we received an offer from Arlene Dickinson for $200,000 in exchange for 25% of our company, and we accepted the deal.

That was back in 2018, I believe.

This investment of just $200K, in Canadian Dollars no less, isn’t much. But clearly was enough of a splash to get them to open the door to the UTMB partnership.

As a side note: I finally learned what Näak stands for:

So we created Näak Ultra Energy Bars, the Nutrition for Athletes and Adventurers who run Kilometers.

I always thought it was a play on the word ‘snack’, but the Canadians squeezing the word ‘Kilometers’ into their brand name is fantastic.

Finally! I’m excited to unveil a brand new sitewide search feature on Electric Cable Car with DuckDuckGo. On the bottom of every page you will find a search bar where you can search through the entire catalogue of any article ever written here on Electric Cable Car. Heads up: the results will display at DuckDuckGo.com, the search engine of my choice.

Hope you like it and find it useful. And do let me know if you encounter any bugs.

Another massive event in the UTMB World Series. Ultra-Trail Ninghai in the East China mountains attracted over 4,500 racers to compete. The podiums were almost an exclusive Chinese affair with the exception of Sunmaya Budha from Nepal and Eszter Csillag from Hungary claiming the first and second spot in the women’s race of the 50K.

For full results visit the UTMB website, below the top runners by race:

100K (106KM – 3 Stones)

Women:

1. Fuzhao Xiang – China – 11:27:23
2. Anna Li – China – 12:01:24
3. lingjie chi – China – 12:22:13

Men:

1. Guangfu Meng – China – 10:05:00
2. Ji Duo – China – 10:12:10
3. GUIDU QIN – China – 10:23:49

50K (60KM – 2 Stones)

Women:

1. Sunmaya Budha – Nepal – 05:40:03
2. Eszter Csillag – Hungary – 06:05:37
3. Ruifang Zhou – China – 06:10:19

Men:

1. TAO LUO – China – 04:54:58
2. JIANJIAN YANG – China – 04:57:01
3. BangLin Fan – China – 05:04:19

20K (25KM – 1 Stone)

Women:

1. yuan jin – China – 02:06:22
2. Minfei Dong – China – 02:15:55
3. XUEFANG DING – China – 02:24:43

Men:

1. yuedu shiye – China – 01:47:37
2. juci geng – China – 01:56:09
3. XIN LI – China – 01:56:26

Below are the numbers broken down by distance and gender:

• 100K Starters: 1197. DNF: 365 + Finishers: 832. Women 160 (19%), Men 672 (81%).
• 50K Starters: 1583. DNF: 179 + Finishers: 1406. Women 395 (28%), Men 1011 (72%).
• 20K Starters: 1721. DNF: 22 + Finishers: 1700. Women 704 (41%), Men 995 (59%).

China’s Ultra-Trail Ninghai by UTMB saw a total 4,501 starters and 3,938 finishers. 1,259 (32%) women and 2,678 (68%) men reached the finish line and earned themselves their respective stones and an UTMB index (or directly punched their ticket to the Finals in Chamonix for 2025).

Next up, another doubleheader on the opposite ends of Europe: Mallorca by UTMB on the beloved Spanish vacation island in the Mediterranean is happening from October 30 to November 3 and the famous and brutal Kullamannen by UTMB on November 1-2.

In the hubbub leading up to UTMB I completely had missed this announcement:

Näak, pioneering leader in sustainable sports nutrition, announced today the raise of $5 million through a Series A funding round.

This explains so much. Näak seemingly came out of nowhere and is now literally everywhere. This growth has to be fueled with investment money and not just off of sales of stroopwafels.

Is this the first “new outdoor business” that has received this kind of funding? And made it public?

Kate Robertson and Tiffany Montgomery for The Daily:

Dick’s Sporting Goods’ foray into the outdoor market is shrinking, at least for now, according to multiple brand executives who sell to the outdoor-focused Public Lands chain.

Dick’s has told those brands that it plans to close five of its eight Public Lands stores, and convert those former Public Lands stores into other banners, including potentially its experiential House of Sport concept, which has been a hit with shoppers since it launched in 2021.

These stores were opened with much fanfare a few years ago and looked pretty cool. Many of the big brands, The North Face, Patagonia, etc. signed on as key launch partners. Dicks opened them far away from the PNW which is REI land so I never had the chance to actually visit any of them to actually experience what they felt like.

Is that a win for REI? Or are these big box stores carrying a little bit of everything an old system waiting to be overhauled? I was just up in Whistler and saw EVO had taken over several of the small shops renting/selling bikes and other stuff one needs on the mountain. Is that the future? Smaller shops, smaller assortment, but closer to the actual trailhead and with a more intimate atmosphere?

Episode 319 with Jessie McAuley:

Canadian multi-sport athlete Jessie McAuley, repping Arc’teryx, joins the show to talk about his journey from competitive mountain bike racing in his youth to finding skimo racing for his winter adventures and trail racing for the summer. As if that’s not enough Jessie still finds time to bike and climb and goes on long adventure runs in the coastal mountains in British Columbia. This seems to works for the Squamish resident who came in 3rd at this year’s Mount Marathon in Seward Alaska and who’s getting ready for another busy season of skimo races here in North America and over in Europe.

LINKS

• Jessie McAuley’s website: Ocean to Alpine Media
• Jessie McAuley on Instagram
• Beast of Big Creek
• Cover shot by Cayman Waughtel

Yesterday we were wondering who the outfit was Vacation Races sold their business of events around the world are, today we’re getting the answer. In an email sent to (presumably) past runners (I raced Vacation Races Zion 100 a few years ago) they introduce themselves and clear up a few questions:

VR isn’t going anywhere. It’s a brand within the Motiv family, benefiting from the expertise, operations, and network Motiv has built over the years while still retaining everything that makes Vacation Races special. We will work hand-in-hand to support local partners, care for the passionate participants, operate in an environmentally and eco-friendly manner, and stay true to the mission, vision, and values that have made the VR events what they are today. We’re excited to continue providing unforgettable experiences and to ensure that VR remains as beloved as ever.

And to answer the question who Motiv Sports actually is:

At Motiv, we’re runners, too, and we’re proud of our history of supporting partners and communities around the world, from the Challenge Family Triathlons to the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach and San Francisco’s iconic Bay to Breakers. This partnership between Motiv and Vacation Races makes perfect sense: it brings together two passionate and experienced brands, each offering something unique to the running community.

After Ironman’s partnership with UTMB this seems to be another triathlon events management group that is moving into the trail running space.

Announced not on their news blog or their media newsroom on their website but on Facebook:

As of this week, Vacation Races has been acquired by Motiv Sports/Y11 Sports & Media. After 12 incredible years, it is time for VR to enter a new era with improved management, more resources, and a fresh look for the future.

The post is signed by the original owners of Vacation Races but no info is give on who Motiv Sports/Y11 Sports & Media are. And no link to a website for more information.

Digging through the internet I found the website of Y 11:

Y11 is a diversified sport and media investment house, working with founders and their brands to maximise potential and reach collective goals.

Here’s what this private Equity firm has to say about their investment into the endurance sport sector:

We take heritage IP races and marathons and bring them into a bigger brand, “Challenge”. This is likely going to go beyond triathlon to represent a whole community of likeminded endurance and wellbeing participants. This will be a world-class brand and B2C business, if it uses the right skills and tech.

A online search for Motiv Sports takes me to the Motiv Group with the mission:

We are the vehicle that connects brands to audiences
at the point of passion.
Striving for the best, from start to finish.
We place the local community first, our event partners second and ourselves, a distant third.

I guess this feels like a typical story of VR “selling out” their races and community to cashing in on the success they’ve built over the years. But maybe I shall reserve my judgment until I see the official announcement by the buyer of this IP as they call it… or these running events, rather.

The founders of Vacation Races have moved on and are off doing this now.

The race that almost wasn’t. Threatened by wildfire the team only received green light a few days before the event. Courses were rerouted, even the start/finish line area was moved from downtown Big Bear across the lake. I’m glad they were able to still hold the event, although the altered course looked suboptimal, which is of course understandable given the conditions. I’d rather than a modified course after I put in all the training than get my race completely cancelled.

Belgian Dentist Karel Sabbe of PCT and ACT fame, running for On Running, ran the 50K and came in 6th. Was he there to collect stones?

For full results visit the UTMB website, below the top runners by race:

100M – (159.3KM – 4 Stones)

Women:

Kristina Chang – USA – 21:15:24
Coral Buitenhuis – Canada – 21:29:51
Kate Butcher – Canada – 22:14:23

Men:

Sam Wood – USA – 18:24:08
Mike Lavery – USA – 18:27:19
Cordis Hall – USA – 18:31:33

100K – (98.8 KM – 3 Stones)

Women:

1. Michelle Buncke – USA – 09:21:08
2. Priscilla Forgie – Canada – 09:45:02
3. Lindsay Allison – USA – 09:50:46

Men:

1. Nick Hirdt – USA – 08:25:39
2. Gordon Gianniny – USA – 08:38:44
3. Hector Rodriguez – Mexico – 08:41:31

50K – (50 KM – 2 Stones)

Women:

1. Helen Mino Faukner – USA – 04:13:09
2. Klaire Rhodes – USA – 04:18:44
3. Kristin Johnson – USA – 04:28:12

Men:

1. Ryan Becker – USA – 03:30:56
2. Jordan Clay – Great Britain – 03:35:22
3. Dylan Humberger – USA – 03:50:42

20K – (23.1 KM – 1 Stones)

Women:

1. Emily Clarke- USA – 01:53:11
2. Ellie Swemba Grimmer – USA – 02:19:52
3. Lorena De Luna Saucedo – Mexico – 02:28:35

Men:

1. Brandon Miller – Canada – 01:37:12
2. Mckennon Woltman – USA – 01:48:25
3. Matthew Walker – USA – 01:48:28

Below are the numbers broken down by distance and gender:

• 100M STARTERS: 299. DNF: 89 + FINISHERS: 210. Women: 37 (18%), Men: 173 (82%).
• 100K STARTERS: 320. DNF: 36 + FINISHERS: 285. Women: 61 (22%), Men: 223 (78%).
• 50K STARTERS: 533. DNF: 16 + FINISHERS: 517. Women: 144 (28%), Men: 373 (72%).
• 20K STARTERS: 280. DNF: 4 + FINISHERS: 276. Women: 109 (39%), Men: 167 (61%).
• 10K STARTERS: 78. DNF: 0 + FINISHERS: 78. Women: 54 (69%), Men: 24 (31%).

Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB saw a total 1,510 starters and 1,366 finishers. 405 (30%) women and 960 (70%) men reached the finish line and (expect the 10K runners) earned themselves their respective stones and an UTMB index (or directly punched their ticket to the Finals in Chamonix for 2025).

in 2025 Kodiak will be the North American Major – will be super interesting to see how these numbers will change and how this will affect Canyons (the previous NA Major) next year.

Next up on UTMB World Series Calendar we’ll travel to West Gate, China for Ultra-Trail Ninghai (17-20 Oct).

Rickey Gates is at it again. This time offering an absolute amazing, and slightly insane trip for this coming summer:

The Pacific Northwest boasts some of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world and we, as trail runners, have the ability to go deeper into these lands and experience them on a level worthy of their charm. With such vast distances between these gems, to visit them is a logistical and endurance feat in and of itself which is what makes Bus Run Bus such a tempting challenge. 

The bus route starts in San Francisco and ends in Seattle. For folks looking for an epic trip stopping at incredible places for runs, this is it. What an idea, fantastic, and yes, slightly nutty too.

More celebrity sightings today. Zoë Rom has her on the Trailhead podcast:

Zoë interviews Randi Zuckerberg (yes, that Zuckerberg!) about how she went from running a half marathon, to signing up for the Cocodona 250 in a year. Plus, they dive into what it means to go all in on your passions, and advice for athletes balancing training with busy lives.

She stacked up quite an impressive list of events on UltraSignup too.

Via Reddit, but linked here directly to the US’s Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland’s Facebook page with the entry:

My 34 mile run through red canyons and soft sands of Canyon De Chelly — the petroglyphs and ancestral houses made me reflect on the strength of Indigenous people. I’m proud and thankful that our running tradition has endured through the generations.

Inspiring.

Adam Ruggiero for GearJunkie:

Minnesota-based footwear maker Vasque will cease all operations, the brand confirmed to GearJunkie today. A subsidiary of Red Wing Shoe Company, Vasque began making hiking-focused shoes and boots 60 years ago — a market that, at the time, was just emerging among American consumers.

I wonder if Vasque would’ve ventured into the trail running space it would’ve had a chance to survive?

A fundraiser for the Old Fort Strong Fund in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene:

The Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival is 6/12/24hr trail run and mountain bike ride on the trails that encompass Camp Grier, right in the backyard of Old Fort, NC on December 7th, 2024.  The weekend will have a festival atmosphere with multiple vendors, live music, and. special guest speakers across the trail running and mountain bike world.  Full schedule will be sent out soon.

If you’re in the area: sign up and join Sally McRae, Anton Krupicka, Hailey Moore, John Kelly and Gordan Wadsworth. There’s a virtual option too, and you can donate directly as well.