Happy Global Running Day!

Today is Global Running Day, and I was curious about the history of the day, so I did some digging online. It is always celebrated on the first Wednesday of June, and much to my surprise, this is the first sentence I read about the purpose of the day:

It aims to promote the joys and benefits of running while encouraging people of all fitness levels to lace up their shoes and hit the pavement. 

WHAT!! Ok, I added the highlighting and bold for emphasis, but why does Global Running Day have to be all about running the roads? Don’t get me wrong, I love the roads too, but the trails are my true home (the name of this newsletter is Vermont Trail and Gravel after all). Of course I am being a bit tongue in cheek, but seriously I do think a simple use of the word pavement in this type of main stream media info highlights that most don’t even know that trail running is a thing. Another confirmation that helping to spread the word about trail running through avenues such as this newsletter is a worthy pursuit. I did see that apparently there was a Global Trail Running Day in Sept of 2021 and 2022, but wasn’t able to find anything on a 2023 day. Maybe we should spearhead it!

3 Vermont Gravel Biking Events in June You Can’t Miss!

It’s graduation season, we’re beyond the Memorial Day Holiday and in my book, officially into summer. What does that mean in Vermont? Well a lot of things…sporadic heatwaves and frosts, garden planting and black flies (oh I loathe you block flies) and the gravel is graded, firm and speedy! With that in mind, there are some pretty awesome gravel biking events I wanted to highlight, should you feel inclined to check them out.

The Ranger, June 10-11, 2023, Tunbridge, Vermont

The Ranger is a gravel bike race and ride around the challenging dirt and class 4 roads of Tunbridge, Vermont. The Ranger offers multiple ride distances and a gravel-enduro format, so while it’s not a race, there’s competition available for those seeking it. Sunday’s ride options include a 5-mile family/Junior Ranger; an 18-mile course with a community no-drop group-ride option; a 42-mile gravel enduro; and a 62-mile gravel century.

VT Monster Gravel Grinder, June 17, 2023, Stratton Mountain Resort, VT

The VT Monster is a pounding ride on dirt and gravel roads that will loosen your fillings and crush your legs. There are some asphalt roads sprinkled in to let your body recover but each distance climbs over 120 feet per mile so that recovery will be fleeting. The Three Monsters have earned their names, and you’ll earn your IPA covering their distance. With race distances of 48 miles (called the Nano Monster), 78 miles (the Stalwart Sentinel) and 101 miles (the Astral Titan) this event looks sure to be packed with sweat and good times.

Central Vermont Cycling Tour, June 25, 2023, East Montpelier, Vermont

Mountain vistas backdrop farmers haying in the fields. White steepled churches, historic barns. Waterfalls and lakes. The scenery is unbroken. And you are free to concentrate on the beauty because it is a fully supported ride with convenient food stops, well marked courses, and nationally certified bike patrol on duty. All wrapping up with a hearty, homestyle, picnic dinner. This event is a fundraiser for the Cross Vermont Trail!

Bonus Gravel event info:

The Unbound Gravel series of races took place last weekend in Emporia, Kansas. The 200 mile edition of this race has come to be known as the unofficial superbowl of gravel racing. Vermont’s Ian Boswell, who has won this event in the past, represented our home state well, taking 5th place in an extremely stacked field. The front of this race was bonkers - Ian finished in 5th place but only 6 seconds behind 1st place. The total time separating the first 7 finishers was a whopping 8 seconds! Talk about a lead pack and sprint finish! Ted King, also from Vermont, took to the Unbound XL this year, a 350 mile beast of a course! While he didn’t end up finishing the race, he did share this video about his gear and thoughts leading up to the event.

One of the things Ted discusses in the video is the great 1x vs. 2x front chain ring debate. He actually switched up to a 1x setup for Unbound XL, and my new gravel bike is also a 1x. If this type of bike gear talk gets you excited like it does me, you might be interested in some of our gravel bike themed t-shirts in our OutdoorEndurance Etsy shop, like the one below.

Final Thoughts

A person in the running community who I have admired their work and work ethic is Seth James DeMoor. If you don’t know who Seth is, he is a runner, father, husband and YouTuber in the Denver area. His tagline on each video is “Seek Beauty, Work Hard and Love Each Other”. He has been creating daily videos for over 7 years, amassing over 2600 videos in that time, where he does shoe reviews, race recaps, daily running tips and much more. And he’s no slouch at competition either: in 2021 he won the Pikes Peak Marathon. The runner up that year? Adam Peterman. Yes, that Adam Peterman, winner of the 2021 JFK 50 miler, 2022 Canyons 100k, 2022 Western States 100 miler, and gold medal winner at the 2022 World Mountain Trail Running Championships.

Yesterday, Seth announced that he was ending his daily video uploads. He’ll still be around and posting videos at times, but not at the frequency he has. I can’t imagine the daily grind this must have become. I’m sure he would love it if we all showed him some gratitude and respect. His past videos remain a wealth or running knowledge.

And last but not least, the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships are happening right now in Innsbruck! 4 races are part of the multi-day event: Vertical, Trail Short, Trail Long and Mountain Classic. The Vertical event takes place today (Wednesday, June 7) with the progressively longer races taking place, one per day for the next 3 days.

Dan Curts of Hanover, NH and Eric LiPuma of Richmond, VT are both participating in the events. I believe Dan in the Trail Short and/or Vertical and Eric in the Mountain Classic, though the event website is quite difficult to navigate so I wasn’t able to find the final details there. iRunFar has some nice race previews on their website, such as this men’s 80k look.

That’s all for this week. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy the outdoors!

Ricky