Happy Tuesday, trail friends. As we settle into the slowdown of the holidays, we keep our finger on the pulse of the race scene, but we also look forward to curling up with a good read in front of the fireplace.
Christopher McDougall's first book, "Born to Run," was a breakout bestseller, and changed running forever. This month, McDougall published, "Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide," and we got a different kind of running legend to review it for us. In the DFL, we try to convince ourselves that running in nasty weather is fun, while Mark Macy continues to inspire. And finally — we are now offering UltraSignup gift cards!
Happy holidays, y'all!
- Matt Hart
THE WEEKEND COOL DOWN
In the Snowy Mountains between Sydney and Melbourne, Hayden Hawks captures the inaugural Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100k win (📸: 1), while Adrian Macdonald and Sarah Ludowici (📸:3) cruise from snow paths to lake side trails in Jindabyne, to become 100-mile champions. And Swiss athlete Rémi Bonnet credits his trail running legs for the win at ISMF's first weekend of World Cup skimo racing in Ponte di Legno, Italy (📸:2).
Every now and then a book comes along that not only informs but also tells such a great story that it proves to change the direction of an industry and, in this case, a sport. The impact of Christopher McDougall's 2009 book cannot be overstated. "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen," caused a wholesale rethink on running shoe design and inspired countless people to hit the trails. McDougall's latest offering, "Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide," was published on December 6 and explains how to get out and "run free." This week we employ another running legend, Buzz Burrell, to review McDougall's latest book.
We heard you. The wait is finally over...Introducing UltraSignup Gift Cards! Click here or the button below to begin sharing the joy of racing with your friends and family!
🧌 Research des Géants: Scientists have been studying the effects of running the Tor des Gèants nearly as long as the event has been taking place. Here is a cumulative look at what, exactly, is happening to your body during this grand 206-mile adventure.
🕺 Men in Tights: It's hard to find the right tights for winter runs. We feel your pain. Let mountain athlete extraordinaire, Craig Randall, guide you to the best options in this roundup review.
🍰 Holiday Treat: Real Athlete Diets founder Kelly Newlon and Western States champion Stephanie Howe PhD, have joined forces to bring you unique and exciting recipes in their monthly Trail Sisters column — Nourish. ➡️ Holiday Rice Crispy Treats.
DFL (DEAD FREAKIN' LAST)
🏃 Not Convinced?: "I like to do this. This is fun." 👆
🧠 Can Running Keep Alzheimer’s at Bay?: You'd be hard pressed to find a more inspiring pair of endurance athletes than the father and son team of Mark and Travis Macy. In 2018, Mark was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, an incurable and terminal illness. He's already inspired a generation of endurance athletes with his grit, and now he's showing us how running can treat illness. ❤️
🐦 Tweet of the Week: "In my return to training, I’ve realized why people think running is very hard. It’s because running is very hard." ~ @sabrinablittle
🎥 Video of the Week: If you dilly dally it might just take you six hours to run 10 miles... 🤣 ~ @JeffreyBinney
-3.png?upscale=true&width=346&upscale=true&name=Weekend%20Cooldown%20-%203%20Across(21)-3.png)
-3.png?upscale=true&width=346&upscale=true&name=Weekend%20Cooldown%20-%203%20Across(22)-3.png)
(19).png?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Weekly%20News%20Email%20(700%20%C3%97%20300%20px)(19).png)
