Hey runners, in today's newsletter, the trail world is still buzzing from Western States, and one of the wildest fueling ideas in years is finally hitting the market.
We've got a deeper look at Jenn Lichter, the quiet 30-year-old from Missoula who has won every race she has entered for the past two years and is suddenly the most talked-about trail runner in the world after smashing the Western States course record in her first-ever 100-miler. Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel also finished her first 100, crossing the line in 24 hours and 29 minutes after severe chafing, fueling mistakes, and a hypothermia scare before dawn. And a Polish runner nicknamed Forrest Gump, 27-year-old Tomasz Sobania, just ran 50 marathons in 49 days, finishing in Times Square a full day ahead of schedule and breaking a 20-year-old record set by Dean Karnazes.
On the gear front, Santamadre, the Spanish nutrition brand behind Yomif Kejelcha's 1:59 marathon debut in London, is bringing its lactate gel to market and arguing that lactate may be the next major frontier in endurance fueling.
And as always, we round things out with the practical stuff: 11 motivation tips that actually hold up through training highs and lows, how many days off you really need after a half marathon, and five hill sprint workouts to build explosive speed.
Jessy Carveth
Senior News Editor, Marathon Handbook
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The Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist crossed the line at Western States in 24 hours and 29 minutes after severe chafing, fueling mistakes, and a hypothermia scare before dawn.
The Kayano has been the gold standard in stability shoes for over 30 years — and v33 just dropped at Road Runner Sports.
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Tomasz Sobania, 27, crossed his final finish line in Times Square on Saturday, a full day ahead of schedule, eclipsing the 2006 mark set by Dean Karnazes.
A profile of the 30-year-old from Missoula who has won every race she's entered for the past two years — and is suddenly the most talked-about trail runner in the world.
Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth break down the wild weekend at the Western States 100 where Vincent Bouillard became the first man under 14 hours and Jen Lichter took down Courtney Dauwalter's course record in her 100-mile debut.
Plus: new Backyard Ultra world records out of Russia, the first-ever marathon held inside an IKEA store, the IOC's new $10,000 athlete grant program, and Tokyo Marathon's record-breaking $170,000 prize purse and expanded field.
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