North Face Endurance 50

The North Face Endurance 50 which takes place in San Francisco CA over the weekend of 4-5 Dec should be a spectacular race. The reasons for my enthusiasm is because of the folks taking part. Geoff Roes has been a constant source of inspiration to me in many ways, he blogs it how he sees it and he just loves to run. I have never met him but the honesty he conveys in his writing relates to all ultra runners I believe. He is also an astonishing athlete, he has broken more records than you could shake a stick at this year. Who will ever forget the WS 100 this year where he blew everyone out of the water. Geoff, way to go this year man.



This is a fantastic article by Justin Mock ahead of the race. It weighs the favourites in great detail and I really enjoyed reading it.

Anton Krupicka though is my favourite for the win. He is just on fire at the moment and after reading his blogs and the magnitude of the miles/altitude he logs on a weekly basis, including a recent 68 mile solo run, it would be foolish to bet against him. Anton, or Tony as he is known to his friends, is a pretty much the living embodiment of the runner most of us would love to be. Below is one of my favourite interviews with the man.



His CR at the 2010 White River 50 this year can only further bolster his chances at this race.



But anything can happen on race day and for (spectacularly average) runners like myself it is quite a joy to be able to follow the greats and live these races vicariously through them. Do not discount Uli Steidl either, a tremendous runner with a Marathon pb of 2;13 and an exceptional human being too.

It's a deep field and and promises to be a tremendous end of year race in what has been one of the greatest ultra running years ever. Thanks to all who continue to follow this great sport and the folks who keep it alive everyday.

See y'all round the bend.

Mally.