The Five Fingers are in!!!

Our shipment of Vibram Five Fingers are in as of today, 8/17/2010!! The Five Fingers are serving as the leading minimalist shoe, (is shoe a good term?), and are currently one of the top selling shoes in the country. The versatility of this "toes free," system, serves as a great foot strengthening tool, that can be used for running, light trekking, hiking, fitness and water sports. If you have an interest in the Vibram Five Fingers, come an in and give them a go before they walk out on their own!!

Sincerely - The Auburn Running Company Crew

New Balance and Anton at Auburn Running Company 6/24

Join us at the store this Thursday June 24th from 5pm - 7pm to meet ultra runner Anton Krupicka and see new unreleased New Balance shoes.

Representatives from New Balance will have the unreleased MT101 (update to the MT100) and other new offerings in their lineup on hand. Come out and get a sneak peak at what's to come.

Anton, who gained entry into this year's Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run with a decisive win at the Miwok 100k will be at the store en route to Squaw Valley. Come out and say hello and wish him luck.

Munchies and pre-race jitters provided.

A Massanutten 100 Race Report

Dan Barger was kind enough to send over this write up of his win at the Massanutten 100 Race Report. Nice looking shirt Dan! Look for him to have a great run at Western States in June.

My most recent result at the Massanutten 100 started not on Saturday May 15^th at 5:00am but actually over a year ago in mid January at the HURT 100 2009 in Hawaii. The Hawaiian experience left me motivated. The 2^nd place to Geoff Roes left me a bit hollow (Geoff went on in 09 to notch many 100 mile wins and course records and ultimately the Ultra Runner of the year) I was a couple hours not minutes behind but yet my run yielded the 4^th fastest time in ten years of the race, still I felt empty. Later in the year, after some training, The Plain 100 in Washington came along with 2^nd place finish, both the winner and I broke the course record by over and hour. These two runs ultimately had a hand in the Massanutten 100. I was fiercely motivated to get a handle on my uncanny ability to let possible wins slip away. These opportunities come around more infrequently than I would like but when they do it is a tough gel to swallow. I had run twice before in Virginia but at the much calmer Old Dominion 100. The Massanutten 100 takes place in the Front Royal area, deep with the history of our civil conflicts and the rocks, ahh the rocks. They grow the rocks different in that area of the US and more of them. The race runs generally in a figure eight pattern with the southern most loop measuring about 20 miles. The hills are not all that massive between 1300 and 1800 feet in height but there are allot of them and evenly distributed throughout the course all the way to the end.

The 180 runners hit the trail section about 3.5 miles into the day, the rocks helped ease us all into the day and for me, a rev limiter of sorts. Hitting our crews at 12 miles (Edinburg Gap) brought everyone to the first long section (20 miles) without crews. Uneventfully arriving at Elizabeth Furnace (33 miles) allowed us to turn back to the South. With four major climbs behind all the runners were thoroughly warmed up by this point. The crystal clear skies were heating up, ultimately to about 80 degrees but the humidity was not an issue. At Veach gap (41 miles) all the runners had a long 9+ mile section, half way through aid station personnel had indicated that there would be an unmanned aid station in five miles, this was not to be and most runners suffered a bit through this dry ridge section. With a mild setback and tanking up on fluids at the 50 mile point I departed on the second half of the race, it was 1:14pm.

A fellow ultra friend of mine Karl Metzler who had won the year prior told me that because they were running the course in a slightly different order i.e. the last 30 miles was now the first, he felt it would allow for easier going late in the race. As I eased into the last 30 miles like and old man eases into a warm tub of water I remembered what he had said and figured he must have been talking about some other race. The hills were consistent the last 30, tough. Regardless of weather you are at the front, in the middle or at the back the last 30, flat or hilly always require some extra concentration and effort.

As dark began to fall I took a few minutes to watch the sun set while I was perched high on a rocky ridge, I thought about all the runners making their way along different parts of the trail and what a fantastic day it had been. With a little luck and a few more hours I should be able to put the cherry on top of what has been a fine day.

There was not a second that went by without my mind repeating over and over in my head, watch your foot placement, my peripheral vision overwork for the day constantly picking out where to step, the continuous monitoring of the bodies metabolic levels in an effort to maintain the very fine edge that is often traveled along with hydration and blood sugar. As I made my way to the top of the last climb at 97 miles (Jawbone) I took a few minutes to chat with two runners making their way to the visitors center and carefully picked my way down the rock strewn and leaf covered trail to the dirt road which would lead me to the finish line. Runners would filter in all day trying to make the 36 hour time limit. In the end it was “Magic” for all who toed the start line. Good on ya.

In Adventure

Dan Barger

New resident of Auburn, Ca.

100 Miles to 40

We are pleased to announce the arrival of the new film "100 Miles to 40" This new Western States Documentary from Vulture Video chronicles the journey of one determined rookie as she travels from Squaw Valley to Auburn during the 2009 event. Follow her every step of the way as she overcomes many obstacles before and during the event to eventually claim the coveted cougar buckle. Never before seen interviews from Western States veterans, great soundtrack, and spectacular footage from start to finish. Available at the Western States Store.

Stevens Trail

Do you have a tendency to get into a rut on the routes you run? For me I have a staple run that I call "around the block". If I tell the Mrs I'm running around the block she knows I'll be gone for an hour and a half or so (more if I stop to socialize at the shop on the way home). For me running my standard routes isn't tedious, but comfortable. Be that as it may when I do branch out from my standard runs and do something less familiar I usually find myself thinking, "I should do this more often". That's certainly the case with the Stevens Trail in Colfax. Years ago when I lived within a few miles of it I discovered the trail and enjoyed it. My first couple times I turned around just a short way down the trail when I reached the waterfall area. I was amazed at how steep the trail was and couldn't imagine continuing the full 4 1/2 miles to the river as the sign at the top stated. When I did finally push past the upper section I found the lower 2/3 of the trail to be much more gradual and beautiful.

the lower Stevens trail gradually wends its way down hill

I've found myself driving down the hill from Truckee after working the last few weeks and have been stopping off once a week or so to run the Stevens Trail. It has seen a slide recently and the spring growth is crowding the trail in parts but is still easily passable and as beautiful as ever. Now that the days are growing longer I'm even getting back to the top before it gets dark. The wild flowers are blooming, everything is green and the trail is in great shape.

So, if you haven't run it lately or have never been, head to the Stevens Trail and run. There's a description and map here if you'd like to check it out before you go. Let us know what you think and what your other favorite trails are.

Matt

Cheers!

Twiet and Chops (pacer) toast ice cream at Buzzard's Cove aid station

Congratulations to all who ran the American River 50 last weekend. It was a great day out there with near ideal weather and trail conditions. Full results are here. Geoff Roes took his mountain hundred miler experience and showed that he can lay it out on a fast course with very little elevation gain. Andy Henshaw came back to life to pass Max King and seize second place after dealing with cramps 35 miles into the day.

Andy Henshaw running into Buzzard's Cove

On the women's side Tracy Garneau took first furthering the northern domination followed by Pam Smith in second and Auburn's own Anne Hitchcock in third.

Anne Hitchcock smiles her way along the trail

Shop Run Saturday 4/10

Good luck to June and all those running American River 50 tomorrow. Look for Connor and friends under the ARC pop up at last gasp as well as Matt, Aaron, Aurora, Jim and Carey at Buzzards Cove. We'll have ice cream and we'll see if Twiet is the first customer again this year.

For those not running from Sacramento to Auburn tomorrow join Bob and company at the shop at 8am for a run in the canyon. We'll head down the States trail to No Hands Bridge. This way we won't interfere with AR 50. We plan to head back the same way so be ready for some climbing. Hope to see you there.