Week 48

November 28, 2023

Historical photo of the Honolulu Marathon, on race course. Hulu girls > Wellesley Scream Tunnel

The Waikiki Mile: In the early 1990s, during the Honolulu Marathon weekend, middle distance runners darted down the streets of Waikiki for some - regardless of the time - insane prize purses (upwards of $20,000/winner). This wasn’t just your run of the mill 1600m road race; it was formatted as a “Chase.” The female pro runners had a head start, and then the professional males tried to catch them. Prize money was structured around winnings, but also around where females and males stacked against each other across the finish line. After the race became financially unsustainable and went on hiatus, it was brought back in 2016. Drawing international professional runners globally, and featuring an out-and-back course (with a hairpin turn), this event is here to stay. If you can’t make it to Waikiki, you can always sign up for the VIRTUAL Merrie Mile - complete with race shirt and finisher medal.

This Week’s Deals:

  • Backcountry’s Secret Website: Backcountry is a solid website to find deals on outdoor/adventure goods and apparel. We just discovered their sister website - Steep & Cheap, and let’s just say…our front porch is going to look like Christmas morning in about 5 days. Find some SOLID deals on gear you didn’t know you needed, but always want.

  • Garmin Watch: 40% OFF a Garmin Instinct

  • Tri Gift Guide: If you’re like us, when somebody asks you what you want for the holidays, suddenly, everything you’ve ever wanted in the past year just poof disappears from your brain. This guide will jumpstart your mind into working.

  • Reduced Zwift Memberships: Zwift has lowered their annual and monthly membership fees. If you’re a Midwesterner and fat biking outside isn’t in the cards, now’s the perfect time to sign up for Zwift and ride indoors.

👇Watch a Cadence-recommended Vid: On Running Shoes have taken the world by storm. They’re what Hoka was 5 years ago - but we’d say, arguably, they’re growing faster. Watch how a former IM professional triathlete created one of the most successful shoe brands (in probably the shortest amount of time TBH), totally bootstrapped.

Tweet of the Week: Finish Line Clock vs. XC Runner

Race Results of the Week

Tidbits

✅USATF Financial Fiasco: USA Track & Field is technically a non-profit organization, according to their IRS filings. So why does the CEO, Max Siegel, have a $1.3 million salary while the entire organization lost $6.7 million.

✅Ferrari of Bikes: From the country that brought you Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Prada; Italian bike manufacturer 3T unveils a “genre-blurring aero gravel bike with mountain bike tires and gearing.” We can’t decide if this thing is ugly AF, or if it’s the next hot designer bike.

✅TBT #EpicFail: We’ve been following the TriBike Transport saga out of sheer horror - it’s not getting better, let’s just say that. IM is funding TBT ops for IM-events, but those aren’t the only events that TBT services. For athletes that have used the TriBike Transport service, with events not tied to IRONMAN, their bikes are stuck in limbo - and probably a shipping container, until the bill gets paid. If you’ve got $300k sittin’ around - you can bail your bike out.

✅Closing Bell: Mary Cain is…ringing the NASDAQ Closing Bell? Cain, who founded the non-profit, Atalanta, visited the NASDAQ MarketSite and rang the Closing Bell. Atalanta is a non-profit that focuses on empowering both professional athletes and underserved athletes. Pretty cool.

🏃Bucket List Recs

Big training week behind ya and want to add something to your bucket list? Need something to kick your butt into high gear? Check out our endurance bucket list recs below and sign up for something you’ll probably regret when you’re doing a 20 mile training run in August in the Midwest.

  • Japan. That’s it, just ALL of Japan: Japan is very rarely on top of an American’s bucket list vacation spot; but it should be. With beautiful seasonality, undulating topography and stunning landmarks, it’s the perfect location for a “fit”cation. Combine some epic fitness/adventure feats, with the cultural immersion of Japan’s cuisine, history and way of life, you’ve got an unforgettable trip of a lifetime.

  • Iceman: Iceman is a crowd favorite in the Midwest; in chilly (read: frigid) Traverse City, Michigan, join 5000 of your closest buds and race MTBs. This is still a locally-owned event, but has all the bells & whistles that the Big Guys do; an expo, free beer and solid athlete swag.

  • Siberian Ice Marathon: On the topic of cold races, the Siberian Ice Marathon is for those runners that want to freeze their a*s off and have a valid excuse to visit Russia. Disclaimer: the entire website is in Russian, and we used Google Translate, so tread lightly.

  • Simien Mountain Trek: Visit Ethiopia and explore the Simien Mountains. This isn’t a DIY adventure; we recommend working with a local guide to escort you on this trip. With a guide, they are mostly full-service, so you just show up with your clothing and they take care of the rest!

Performance Of The Week(end): FKT (Fastest Known Turkey) ~ Molly Seidel

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