Latest news with #ultrarunning
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I sang Dolly Parton to win 100-mile ultra-marathon'
A Scottish ultra-runner finished so far ahead in a 100-mile race that she was already home by the time the rest of the field crossed the line. Anna Rutherford ran the inaugural Rat Race between Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland and Edinburgh Castle in 17 hours and 23 minutes – more than two hours ahead of the closest male competitor. The mother-of-three told how she sang Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 to keep herself going during the race and diverted to check if a man flat on his back on a golf course was ok. However, the lawyer, 43, still managed to finish fast enough that she was driven back home to Peebles by her parents when the other 600 competitors arrived in the early hours of Sunday. Anna, originally from Milngavie, near Glasgow, began the race in the grounds of Bamburgh Castle at about 07:00 on Saturday and crossed the finish line just after 00:30 on Sunday. The route followed the east coast through Berwickshire, the Borders and East Lothian before reaching the finish at the Ross Bandstand in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens. Stock cubes help runner smash 212-mile route record First woman completes one of world's toughest races Anna said she only overtook the man leading the race before her about half-way through, meaning she ran the final 50 miles by herself and finished two hours ahead of the fist male and five ahead of the first female. She said she took to singing Dolly Parton's country hit as she ran up the Royal Mile towards the finish, before heading home to sleep. "I was singing 9 to 5 running up the Royal Mile and everyone was singing along with me," she told BBC Scotland News. "Because the race finished in Princes Street Gardens, you couldn't make a lot of noise, so I collected my medal and my parents had waited at the finish line for me. "It was beyond my wildest dreams to run 100 miles in that time. But I just went home and went straight to bed." At one point, while she was passing a golf course near Gullane in East Lothian, Anna spotted a man lying on his back and went to check on him. "He said he was just 'looking at the stars' so I had to crack on," she said. Anna said she went through an intense training period leading up to the race, which led to a hospital visit after she began experiencing headaches and feeling faint. She said she was running about 120 miles (193km) a week at the height of her training schedule. Stock cubes, pretzels and Paris Anna previously shattered the women's record for running the Southern Upland Way in 2021, completing the 212-mile course from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath in 62 hours and 34 minutes. Back then, she credited eating stock cubes provided by a support van with helping her to complete the cross-country route. This time, she said she mixed stock powder with pretzels and took on gels and hydration at 10-mile stopping points along the route. However, she managed to miss one feeding point, where she had stashed some hydration gels and a note of support from her son. She said she took inspiration from hero and Barkley Marathon finisher, Jasmine Paris, to overcome the mental blocks on the run. She said: "It doesn't matter what the distance is, about 70 or 80% of the way through, it is going to feel really hard because you've done the hardest bit, you are getting tired, but there is still a long way to go. "In a way, I just embraced it. There's a lot of really, really good ultra-runners out there, who talk about the psychology of getting into this pain cave and just knowing that and almost looking forward to it. "Someone like Jasmine Paris, her saying 'just watch me' before she did the Barkley Marathons, I found that very humbling." Anna also praised the organisers, Rat Race Adventures, for creating female-specific provisions at each of the stopping point. She said she hoped her race could help prove that women can "close the gap" when it comes to endurance sport. "I'm 43, I'm perimenopausal, I'm on HRT, that massively affects your hormones and that has a massive impact," she said. "I got my period on Friday and I was very aware that I was wearing light-coloured leggings, but at every checkpoint, they had female-specific toilets with sanitary products. "I think it just shows women do these things too. Women are not just little men. They have their own specific needs, but they were being catered to and I really loved that."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Scottish runner finishes ultra-marathon two hours ahead of competitors
A Scottish ultra-runner finished so far ahead in a 100-mile race that she was already home by the time the rest of the field crossed the Rutherford ran the inaugural Rat Race between Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland and Edinburgh Castle in 17 hours and 23 minutes – more than two hours ahead of the closest male mother-of-three told how she sang Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 to keep herself going during the race and diverted to check if a man flat on his back on a golf course was the lawyer, 43, still managed to finish fast enough that she was driven back home to Peebles by her parents when the other 600 competitors arrived in the early hours of Sunday. Anna, originally from Milngavie, near Glasgow, began the race in the grounds of Bamburgh Castle at about 07:00 on Saturday and crossed the finish line just after 00:30 on route followed the east coast through Berwickshire, the Borders and East Lothian before reaching the finish at the Ross Bandstand in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens. Anna said she only overtook the man leading the race before her about half-way through, meaning she ran the final 50 miles by herself and finished two hours ahead of the fist male and five ahead of the first said she took to singing Dolly Parton's country hit as she ran up the Royal Mile towards the finish, before heading home to sleep."I was singing 9 to 5 running up the Royal Mile and everyone was singing along with me," she told BBC Scotland News."Because the race finished in Princes Street Gardens, you couldn't make a lot of noise, so I collected my medal and my parents had waited at the finish line for me."It was beyond my wildest dreams to run 100 miles in that time. But I just went home and went straight to bed." At one point, while she was passing a golf course near Gullane in East Lothian, Anna spotted a man lying on his back and went to check on him."He said he was just 'looking at the stars' so I had to crack on," she said she went through an intense training period leading up to the race, which led to a hospital visit after she began experiencing headaches and feeling said she was running about 120 miles (193km) a week at the height of her training schedule. Stock cubes, pretzels and Paris Anna previously shattered the women's record for running the Southern Upland Way in 2021, completing the 212-mile course from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath in 62 hours and 34 then, she credited eating stock cubes provided by a support van with helping her to complete the cross-country time, she said she mixed stock powder with pretzels and took on gels and hydration at 10-mile stopping points along the she managed to miss one feeding point, where she had stashed some hydration gels and a note of support from her said she took inspiration from hero and Barkley Marathon finisher, Jasmine Paris, to overcome the mental blocks on the said: "It doesn't matter what the distance is, about 70 or 80% of the way through, it is going to feel really hard because you've done the hardest bit, you are getting tired, but there is still a long way to go."In a way, I just embraced it. There's a lot of really, really good ultra-runners out there, who talk about the psychology of getting into this pain cave and just knowing that and almost looking forward to it."Someone like Jasmine Paris, her saying 'just watch me' before she did the Barkley Marathons, I found that very humbling." Anna also praised the organisers, Rat Race Adventures, for creating female-specific provisions at each of the stopping said she hoped her race could help prove that women can "close the gap" when it comes to endurance sport."I'm 43, I'm perimenopausal, I'm on HRT, that massively affects your hormones and that has a massive impact," she said."I got my period on Friday and I was very aware that I was wearing light-coloured leggings, but at every checkpoint, they had female-specific toilets with sanitary products."I think it just shows women do these things too. Women are not just little men. They have their own specific needs, but they were being catered to and I really loved that."
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Woman ultra runner collapses and dies three hours into 100-mile endurance race in Colorado
A female ultra runner from Michigan collapsed and died on a high mountain trail just three hours into an 102.5-mile endurance race in the Colorado Mountains on Friday. Elaine Stypula, a 60-year-old family law attorney, was taking part in the the Hardrock 100, and passed out near Gold Lake on the Little Giant Trail at around 9am, said San Juan County Sheriff's Office. The race's safety team attempted to perform CPR on the runner, before deputies, Silverton Medical Rescue and a Flight for Life helicopter team arrived and took over resuscitation efforts. The medical rescue team hiked a quarter of a mile up a 'steep, rugged, remote trail' to reach Stypula, but she was pronounced dead at 10.27am, according to deputies. Her cause of death has not yet been ascertained. Her daughter Anna wrote on Instagram: 'I struggle to post this as I am a wreck. My beautiful, vibrant mom unexpectedly passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words.' Anna described her mom as 'her best friend.' Stypula was said to have been a 'highly experienced ultra runner' who had competed in more than 100 long distance events, according to Gear Junkie. 'Silverton Medical Rescue is fortunate to have a team of skilled rescue professionals. We support the community, our visitors and each other even on the most difficult calls,' said Michael Burton, Incident Commander of the SAR call for Silverton Medical Rescue. The intense event kicked off at 6am on Friday, where competitors are given two days to complete the course through Lake City, Ouray, Telluride and Ophir before returning to Silverton. According to the Hardrock 100 website, the total elevation change is 66,394ft, and the highest point of the course is the Handies Peak summit at 14,048ft. 'The Hardrock 100 Endurance Race has been exceptional in organization and safety throughout the years and an excellent partner to our community,' said Tyler George Director of the Silverton Medical Rescue. Event organizers wrote in a statement: 'We are deeply saddened to share that a beloved member of our Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run family has passed away during this year's event. 'Our hearts are with their family, friends, and fellow runners as we grieve this tremendous loss. 'We are committed to caring for runners, crews, volunteers, and all members of our community through the event's duration and beyond.' The Hardrock 100 organizers said more information would be available following the completion of the race on Sunday. 'I want to extend my condolences to the family, friends and community of Elaine Stypula,'said Keri Metzler of the San Juan County Coroner's Office in an updated release.
South China Morning Post
02-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
How women can conquer endurance sports with female-specific training
When journalists Lily Canter, a contributor to the South China Morning Post, and Emma Wilkinson started running together in ultra races – ones that take six hours or more to finish – in 2020, they noticed that there were few women. Those women that did take part, though, did remarkably well. When the pair started to look into it, they realised this was true for other endurance sports, too. In their new book Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport, they delve into the science of sporting performance to explore the differences between the sexes. They ask questions like: could fat stores and muscle type give women an edge over men in ultra distances? And what roles do pace, preparation and motherhood play? Speaking to elite athletes and scientists, they reveal the largely unknown past of female endurance. The book introduces poverty-stricken Greek mother Stamata Revithi, who sneaked into the 1896 Athens Olympics marathon; 1980s swimming pioneer Lynne Cox – who crossed the world's coldest oceans in just a swimsuit; and Jasmin Paris, a British veterinarian who ran almost non-stop to win a 268-mile (431km) mountain race, the 2019 Montane Winter Spine Race along the Pennine Way in the UK – while breastfeeding.
South China Morning Post
02-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Where Hong Kong ultrarunner Wong Ho-chung loves eating, when not training
Ultrarunner Wong Ho-chung will run 500km (311 miles) over five days in Iceland starting July 18 as part of his Project Endless initiative. He spoke to Andrew Sun. I like eating in cha chaan tengs, mainly because it is quick and convenient. As an athlete, you have to be very efficient with your time. I have to train a lot and, when I am not working out, I just want to sleep and rest. That is why I usually like to eat very fast. For visitors, I would take them to an area called Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan, in the New Territories. The neighbourhood has many interesting small shops selling street food and snacks. I like to get my egg waffles there from Mammy Pancake (many locations, including Shop 16A, G/F, Cheong Wah Building, 289-301 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan). Also in the area is a fish restaurant I like called Fish 3 Fish (30 Lo Tak Court, Tsuen Wan. Tel: 8114 3549). I enjoy all kinds of fish dishes there, especially the fried fish. Mammy Pancake serves egg waffles in various locations across Hong Kong. Photo: Jojo Yuen I also like the sweet tofu fa pudding at Ah Yuk Tofu Pudding (Shop 5B, G/F, Cheong Tai Building, 6 Tsuen Hing Path, Tsuen Wan. Tel: 2718 8198). For sushi, I often do take away from Sakura (Shop 4B, G/F, Cheong Tai Building, 8 Tsuen Hing Path, Tsuen Wan).
