With virtually all races canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we “organized” a FatAss 50K for runners to celebrate on the day that Western States would have been run. Completely …
Author
John Medinger
John Medinger
John Medinger is the former publisher of UltraRunning magazine and continues as correspondent at large. A retired investment banker, he had previously worked as a business development manager and as a chemical engineer. He holds degrees from Oregon State University and MIT. John took up running in 1974 and ran his first ultra in 1980. He has now completed more than 130 ultras – most of them in California, but also in places as diverse as New Zealand and Scotland. Never an elite runner, he was somewhat faster than average early in his career but now finds himself materially closer to the back of the pack. He is the founder of the Quad Dipsea, and also founded and continues to direct the Lake Sonoma 50. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Western States 100 since 1992. (Photo by akabill).
-
-
With virtually all springtime races canceled due to COVID-19, my wife and I ruminated about what races would look like when the restrictions were lifted. “Hey, we could do something …
-
More than anything, what separates Western States from most other 100-milers is the pre-race buzz. Hype. There’s lots of it. The Squaw Valley village is full of runners, pacers, crew, …
-
John Morelock, whose writing graced the pages of UltraRunning for more than six years, died on February 5. He was diagnosed with a rare and incurable abdominal cancer in November, …
-
Sadly, we must report that that Ruth Anderson died on February 27. She was 86 and had suffered from Alzheimers the past few years. Her husband John died just two …
-
If you pull out the DVD from the 1986 Western States 100, there’s a shot of winner Chuck Jones descending toward the Rucky Chucky river crossing. He looks straight into …
-
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana In developing a training program for Western States, it is instructive to look first at the reasons …
-
Unbreakable: The Western States 100, a film released in December by JourneyFilm, tells the story of the 2010 Western States, which featured a highly anticipated battle between four of the …
-
We’ve received much positive feedback for Gary Dudney’s “Beginner’s Corner” series over the past few months. Several new runners have asked for an even more basic introduction, some seemingly overwhelmed …