Ultramarathon Daily News | Fri, July 9

Canadian Running: Does running ultramarathon races make you smarter?

Adventure Journal: A guide to find used gear shops around the country. More more more!

iRunFar: Bob Becker is planning to become the oldest finisher of the Badwater 135 at seventy six years old.

Vol State is going on right now. Updates right this way. Bob Hearn (screwed*) is leading at 109 miles with Alan and Bev Abbs (both screwed), Greg Armstrong (crewed), Ray K and more all dragging themselves across the state of Tennessee.
*no crew.

Treeline Journal: Hardrock storylines to follow. Yes, watching the fellas battle it out will be cool, but the Sabrina/Courtney head to head gets me the most excited. I’ve never spoken to a runner with a stronger competitive drive than Sabrina, and I believe Courtney is a world class athlete, the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. How this will play out fascinates me.

Lots of chatter on the Twitter machine about the number of women in the pool for Hardrock. I don’t know who to believe anymore and can’t tell who’s more interested in the equity than the equality of the entrants list. I’m admittedly unable to get my head around the byzantine Hardrock entry process but also see the point that the same percentage of women were in the pool that eventually were decided for the race. Do I wish more women were in the race? Of course!
But it also doesn’t go unnoticed that many of the same people upset about the lack of female entrants into Hardrock also support allowing biological men into women’s races. Tough for me to square that one up.

Good news: Las Vegas just removed the ban on cannabis for boxers and MMA fighters, calling it not a performance enhancer. I’ve got my own opinion on cannabis and how it helps me perform better.

And more on the Richardson situation: Y’all are misreading the case. “It is asking the US to use its position of geopolitical importance and influence to force that an exemption be issued to serve our own immediate interests. That sort of action would not be fair to the global sports community and if another country attempted to influence that sort of immediate exemption, we, the US, would rightly view such a move as unjust and corrupt.“

Women’s Running/Burfoot: Will women ultramarathon runners surpass the best men? Interesting findings from a scientific perspective.

You want an interview where the guest smiles a lot and the interviewer is totally honest and free with the questions? Let a kid do it.

OK, OK…I’ll defend Dean’s influence and importance in the sport til I’m blue in the face, but headlines and stories like these make my head hurt and make me dislike the guy. Is there an editor on staff, or was this insane hyperbole intentional?

Willamette Week: Journalist attempts to find the food truck from which Shelby Houlihan allegedly bought the tainted burrito.
Kevin Beck: Nah, not so fast. That “investigation” was bogus and the running media is circling the wagon again.

Think paddleboard racing is boring? Then watch this incredible race from 2018.

SCMP: How to not twist an ankle while trail running.