>As race day comes closer and closer, I find myself doing more and more exactly what every ultrarunner does-but-should-never-do before a race….read as many reports about said race as possible. Just as with Western States, I find two bad race reports for every good, three reports of hot, humid weather for every year of cool temps and overcast skies, etc….. I’ll leave the details out, but here’s a brief comparison of the two races:
Western States: limit of 370 runners (lottery) + allotted qualification spots
Old Dominion: ?? If there’s 50 starters we’ll say its a good year.
Western States: Cutoff: 30 hours
Old Dominion: Cutoff: 28 hours
Western States: Aid stations: 24
Old Dominion: Aid stations: 24
Western States: climb: 18,000 feet. descent: 22,000 feet
Old Dominion: climb: 14,000 feet. descent: 14,000 feet
Western States: Originated in 1974 (oldest 100 mile run)
Old Dominion: Originated in 1979 (2nd oldest 100 mile run)
Western States: Pacer? Yes, for ~45 miles (a little less if you’re moving faster)
Old Dominion: Pacer? A safety runner is allowed for 12 miles
Western States: Point to point course, starting in Squaw Valley and ending in Auburn, CA
Old Dominon: Start/finish at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock, VA
Western States: Finished in 28:09
Old Dominion: TBD 🙂
>More importantly, OD is local and there will be many familiar faces. I'd hit up some sauna training over the next few weeks so any surprise heat waves don't become problematic. Kick some ass out there (but not mine if I'm running, cool?).