Team Geared Up

CHICAGO (Team Geared Up) - Some ultra running links for this week:

• Tips for Ultra Running Beginners. If you have completed a marathon and feel like you want to go further? Welcome to the ultra world, read the quick tips on this article and kick off your training!
• Alternatives to Expensive Energy Snacks and Drinks. Interesting article from the Stone Research Foundation Symposium (June 2005) with a recap on key points for athletes to follow as far as energy supplements is concerned and emphasizing the fact that no fancy/expensive energy product will improve your endurance or performance.
• Webtogs: New On-line Store Launches. Webtogs is a new UK e-commerce site on the outdoor clothing and footwear arena. Founded by James Balmain and Shopgenie / Kelkoo UK founder Philip Wilkinson, the retailer will offer products from Keen, Mountain Equipment, Merrell, and Berghaus among others. Check out the original post for a discount!
• Gordy Ainsleigh. From Wikipedia, the amazing story of the dean of trail ultra running.
  

  H. Gordon Ainsleigh, DC (b. 1947), better known as Gordy Ainsleigh, is a California based chiropractor and pioneer of the 100 mile trail ultramarathon, a form of extreme long-distance trail running.
  In 1974, Ainsleigh was the first to run the course of the Western States Endurance Run. At the time, the trail was used only by horses participating in the 24-hour Western States Trail Ride. When his horse went lame prior to the race, Ainsleigh decided he would run the torturous 100 miles (160 km) of mountain trail from the Squaw Valley Ski Resort to Auburn, California, rather than look for another horse to ride. Ainsleigh completed the ‘equestrian race’, without a horse, in 23 hours and 47 minutes. This was the beginning of the Western States Endurance Run, and the beginning of the modern sport of ultradistance trail running.

• The Great Marathon Boom of 100 Years Ago. An excerpt from Don Allison’s upcoming book, “Magic in the Streets: How the 1976 New York Marathon Changed Running”, an interesting look at the early 20th century New York culture and the first running boom.
• MultiMarathon, 15 Marathons in 15 Days Across the Desert. Quoting from the site: “MultiMarathon is a unique physical challenge involving a team of runners supporting each other in a quest to complete a minimum daily marathon distance over a number of consecutive days.
  The first MultiMarathon event will take place on 5th May 2009 over a 15 day period when 5 dedicated athletes will attempt for the first time ever to run 640km across the Simpson Desert from the geographical center of Australia in the NT to Birdsville in QLD and raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.”

-Ed-
More running news at trailrunningsoul.com
(Image credit: FartherFaster, on Wikipedia)