This week has been amazing … and it ain’t over yet!
2.2k into the race tomorrow, runners will past the trusty 120k (three quarters) sign. From then on, so much can happen!
The men’s race is exactly how we thought it would go: Josh shines in sprints, while Rob’s experience pays off on trails, and the dark horse is close enough to count. The women’s race did not go how we expected; our pre-race favourite Val made a heartbreaking decision to withdraw, while Robyn made a last-minute decision to enter and has won five of six Stages.
Here are some racing stories we are following for tomorrow:
- 16 rookies still in the competition, half of which are running their first marathon!
- 4 runners going for their 9th Ultimate – Jack K., Maureen P., Mark M., Vicki Z.!
- First 70+ finish by Ken B. A.!
- Mark I.’s 100th marathon!
- Rob B. going for an unprecedented 5th consecutive win! (Bob J. has 5 career wins.)
- H+P’s 52nd Relay team and 6th consecutive win. Rarebits’ third (and fastest) year. Runners’ Choice has put in relay teams every single year since relay started!
Follow along
Race start 7:30 a.m. Follow along @ENDURrun and for half splits.
Top story
Won't be finishing @ENDURrun been plagued all week with a tight sore right calf. Today it really went on me and I don't want to risk a rupture. Disappointed but still filled with gratitude only a short 10 months ago I went under the knife and I've come back fighting.
— J Bolts (@JoshBolton) August 18, 2019
Josh sustained a calf injury in training this month, and is going to exercise caution so as not to end up like Kevin Durant’s 2020 season. It’s a bummer for everyone but Josh has been a great addition to the ENDURrun community and we wish him the best.
Closest battles
Christian B has 2:09 lead over Nick B
Catherine D has 7s lead over Jack K
Rebecca K has 28s lead over Mitch W and 58s lead over Vicki Z (Rebecca is 3rd, Vicki is 4th)
Savvas F has 33s lead over Patrick K
Caroline S-B has 2:47 lead over Mike C
Mike C has 2:02 lead over Merlin F
Denis A has 1:23 lead over Patrick R
Chris L has 50s lead over Michael K and 1:40 lead over Robert B
Susan M has 35s lead over William S
In all, 30 of the 50 competitors are within 5 minutes of someone else.
Relay
H+P Women’s A has 1:16 lead over H+P Men’s B
H+P Men’s C has 17s lead over Runners’ Choice Ramblers and 3:15 lead over H+P Women’s B
Looking ahead
To go sub-10 hours, Rob would need to run 2:29:30 or faster. The marathon record is 2:32:42. The fastest Rob has done on this course was 2:36:36 in 2017.
The women’s marathon record is 3:08:54. Robyn is currently 7:35 behind the female masters record and would have to run a 3:09:03 or faster to break Joanne Bink’s record from 2007.
Relay
H+P Men’s A is 1:01 behind the relay record; will need a 2:51:34 or faster from Aidan to set the record, which is 11:05:19
H+P Women’s A is 11:15 ahead of the female relay record; will need a 3:36 from Robyn to set the record
H+P Masters Men A is 11:06 ahead of the masters relay record; will need a 3:25 from Dave to set the record
PB Pace
Rob B is 6 seconds behind his best Ultimate (2017), will need to run 2:36:29 or faster tomorrow
Robin R-C is 4:01 behind his best Ultimate (2015) will need to run 2:52:32 or faster tomorrow
Aidan R is on pace for a significant Ultimate PB; a 3:27 could be enough, but last year he ran a 2:54 at the end of the week and he’s been faster than 2018 every day this week.
Ian G has built up quite a cushion for himself. A 3:42 marathon would give him a PB for the week; last year his marathon was a 3:20 and he has been besting his 2018 times all week.
Robyn C has beat her 2018 times by small margins every day, but they add up to a lead of about 5 minutes over her cumulative time. A 3:16:38 or faster will give her a PB on the week.
Jack K continues to have his best week since 2009. A marathon of 3:39 or faster would allow that to stay true.
Rebecca K has had a strong week, with PBs on 4 stages so far. A 3:37:58 would give her a PB on the week; in 2018 she finished with a 3:28 marathon.
A 3:53:30 would allow Savvas F to have his fastest Ultimate since 2013.
Merlin F ran another ENDURrun best today and is 4:48 ahead of his best Ultimate. He needs to run 3:50:27 or faster tomorrow.
Denis A is having a terrific week, running faster than he has since 2011. A 3:29:42 or faster would give him an Ultimate PB, but a 4:20 would be enough to make this his second fastest Ultimate.
Nikki W has had an excellent week, especially on the trails, and can best her 2018 Ultimate by running 3:56:13 or faster tomorrow.
Chris L is on pace for a significant Ultimate best. All he needs is a 4:32, and last year he ended the week with a 4:08.
Ronald I will surpass his 2018 Ultimate time by running 4:33 or faster tomorrow.
Will S is an incredible 2:05:39 ahead of his best Ultimate right now; finishing within the 6 hour time limit would be more than enough to give him a PB on the week, but I think we can expect much more than that from Will tomorrow!
Mark I needs a 4:29 or faster for an ENDURrun PB; last year he ended the week with a 4:06.
Maureen P will have her fastest ENDURrun since 2014 if she can run 4:52 or better tomorrow.
A 4:43:21 will allow Sara B to achieve her fastest Ultimate since 2012