Training for ATY is done. No more will help. Just staying loose.
Here is my seeded contender list for this year’s 48-hour Across the Years. It is interesting to see that the top contenders are all over 50 years old. It is an old-man’s event. I think to be a contender to win this year, you have to have the ability to run a sub-22-hour 100-miler, and able to run a 110-mile 24-hour. Most of the contenders will be starting on day two. I will be starting on day one and need to post a big number to mess with their heads. Here’s the top contenders.
1. Me (age 53) – Yep pretty bad picking yourself to win, but that keeps the pressure on me to dig in. In my favor, I have the experience of two previous years at ATY, and the 48-hour win last year with 187 miles. I know what it takes to reach 200 miles. My training has been good these past couple months. I have the fastest 100-mile PR in the field (19:46) and the highest PR for 24-hours (116 miles).
2. Matt Watts (age 55) – Matt could put up a HUGE number. His height and stride is perfectly made for fixed time races. He has good ATY experience and won the 24-hour men’s division last year with 112 miles. He is steady and never takes long breaks. He isn’t speedy, will never run faster than 9:30 pace, but he is very efficient. I’ve run together with Matt for many miles. When he power-walks, I have to run. On the downside, Matt tends to DNF often, but I expect him to go the full 48 hours. He said he hopes to have a running gear at least for the first 40 hours, which for him is the ability to turn 11-12 minute miles. Last year he started walking every step at mile 75. Matt will start on day two, so he will have an advantage of seeing what I can do.
3. Leon Rothstein (age 54) – At NorthCoast 24-hour in September, which is the premier fixed-time race in the country, he finished a respectable 16th with 112 miles. His PR is 116 miles. This will be his 10th fix-timed race, so he has a ton of experience doing them. He will start on Day one with me.
4. Kermit Cuff (age 53). He has a ton of experience including a Badwater finish this year in 33:31. In 2009, he beat me by an hour at Moab 100. He has good fixed-time experienced with a 111-mile PR for 24 hours last year. He’s a steady runner. He will start on day two.
5. Randy Ellis (age 59) – Randy finished a strong 3rd last year with 163 miles. So he has good experience and has a 24-hour PR of 112 miles. He’s 59, so age could be slowing him down, but I bet on his experience. He also will start on day two.
6. Jamie Huneycutt (age 53) – Look for Jamie to win the female division. Last year she finished the 48-hour run in 4th overall with 155 miles. In 2008 she finished with 160 miles. She has a ton of experience in fixed-time races and has good speed. She will start on day two.
7. Tom Jackson (age 51) – Tom is a good friend. He married the sister of my best friend from high school. Tom has beat me in several 100s. He has good speed but doesn’t go out fast. We ran the Plain 100 together for the first 40 miles or so until he crumbled on a massive climb. I waited but finally went on ahead. He continued on but DNFed during the night because he got lost. He ran a good Western States 100 a couple years ago. This is his first fixed-time race attempt and he jumped right into the 48-hour event after watching me do it on-line last year. He’s a busy doctor, so at times doesn’t have enough training.
8. Luis Miral (age 37). He’s a youngster, so a wild-card. He has speed, an 8:03 50-mile two months ago and a 21:10 100-mile last year. He lacks experience but could figure this out. Look for him to keep pace with me for quite awhile on day one.
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