Speed hiking competition

[Snowflea]

Not sure what this event is all about, but some of you speedier folks might want to look into this "speed hiking competition," the Herc Open, to be held at Vermont's Sugarbush Resort on August 11, 2007:

http://www.hercopen.com/index.php

Website says it's a 16-mile course with 2600 ft. of elevation gain & loss. They're offering A LOT of prize money (by normal footrace standards anyway)--6 deep in 2 different weight classes(!), over and under 60 kg/132 lbs.

There's a short course, 5 miles, also with prize money which is apparently yet to be determined.

Anybody else hear of this event??

I'd enter but, fortunately, will be playing in the Sierras in August.

(Mods--if you deem this post inappropriate, please delete and I apologize but thought it of interest to the VFTT community.)

 

[hikingfish]

AWE-SOME.

Fish

 

[albee]

I got the story on this event a couple months ago. It sounds interesting. Herc is coming out with a new powdered drink mix similar to Endurox or Gatorade, and they are putting up the most money for any mountain race in the US as their idea of kick-starting a marketing campaign. With the amount of money they are offering, they will likely get world-class mountain runners from Europe, Africa, and elsewhere. Should be fun to watch. They have not yet gotten permits to use the Long Trail for part of the race, and they don't plan on revealing the actual course until race day so that nobody gets an "advantage". There is also an interesting division of prize money... no male/female divisions, but instead a >132 lb division and a <132 lb division. Most elite male mountain runners are around 130 lbs anyway, so this effectively ensures that women will be shut out of the prize money.

On the other hand, I find the idea of a "speed hiking" competition absurd. This type of classification is intended to just dupe hikers into thinking that they could win money by hiking quickly and will simply deprive them of their (steep) entry fee. This is a mountain running race, and no matter how steep the course is, it will be won by people that run almost the whole way. My money is on Jonathan Wyatt if he decides to show up. Check it out if you are up for a challenge and feel like donating to their cause, but if you think you're a speedy hiker wait until you see how fast those elites hit the trail! Should be fun to watch.

 

[hikingfish]

I wasn't able to see how much they charged for registration. Does anyone know?

Fish

 

[spencer]

I think they should have a 250 lb class. I might do okay. I don't think I'd have many elite competitors...


Spencer

 

[una_dogger]

Cool! I'm interested! Thanks,Stinkyfeet.

 

[sapblatt]

They need a Clydesdale division - LarryD and I have been honing our skills for the slowest hiking competition.

 

[John K]

I think they should have a 250 lb class. I might do okay. I don't think I'd have many elite competitors...


Spencer

Hey I resemble that remark

 

[Snowflea]

Heehee

I'm thinkin' I could choose either category. A couple days of some serious carbo-loading & I'd easily be over the 132 mark...

Burp!

Piggie.Stinky

 

[Artex]

Interesting indeed. I'd consider it, but will be in Nova Scotia then. I do find it odd that an event like that is offering such a large purse.

 

[jrbren]

Not sure why they call it speed hiking and not a trail race. Is it the same deal as this, different location ?

http://www.jaychallenge.com/Html/Jaymountainmarathon.htm

(except his one avoids sensitive areas like the Jay summit, hercopen claims to go to 4000' meaning it runs over the Ellen and or Abe summits). I would hope they will cap the number of runners and/or keep the course out of sensitive areas.

IMHO I do not see how they cannot announce the course, don't they need to get approval for the course ? What advantage would one get if everyone knew the course ? Is this an orienteering event too (ie, adventure race)?

I have never merged my road running and hiking hobbies, maybe one year I will try the Jay half marathon, but like past years, I will be doing my vacation in late July early August this year and will not be around for Jay.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[albee]

This event was held last weekend and it had a decent-but-not-great turnout. I was surprised that it did not attract the international field that I had expected. That turned out to be a good thing, as 4 out of the top 5 finishers are teammates of mine on the Central Mass Striders, netting the 4 of them a total of $15,000! I was correct in that women were completely shut out of the prize money in the more lucrative long-course divisions. If you think you are a fast hiker, these guys were running anywhere from 7:50 to 9:20 minutes per mile on some of the steepest uphill and downhill terrain for any race in the US.

Results here

 

[RoySwkr]

So is the course map available now?

 

[albee]

It is on their website, but here is the link:

http://www.hercopen.com/longloop.pdf

6,600' gain over 15 miles, only actual summit was Lincoln Peak. Looks like they stayed off the Long Trail even though they crossed over it twice.

Hiking at a ski area just never feels quite right if you ask me - kinda like taking a bath in a pond.

 

[Mats Roing]

Hiking at a ski area just never feels quite right if you ask me - kinda like taking a bath in a pond.

...or camping in the parking lot.......by letting lose a couple of hundred runners in the woods I can see their point of beating up already beaten up commercial land......one of the advantages of winterhiking in the snow......less destruction and erosion......

 

[chinooktrail]

7:50 min Miles on hiking trails? Yowser.

I am lucky to do that on paved roads without roots and rocks!

(Or the treadmill!)

Good for them! Maybe I should get back into trail running...

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Pure speculation on my part, but perhaps part of the marketing confusion may be that some of the race is being held on USFS land, some of which is leased to the ski area. There may be restrictions on what types of races can be held, although I do know ski races occur in that area, particulary Sugarbush North (the old Glen Ellen).

 

[RoySwkr]

7:50 min Miles on hiking trails? Yowser.

I am lucky to do that on paved roads without roots and rocks!

From the map (thanks, Albee) the course was entirely on ski trails and service roads and did not use any hiking trails. One of the competitors will have to speak on the trail surface but I'd guess steep mud & grass.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

There aren't any trails on that side of the mountain range, Roy - I grew up just south of there, and later spent much of my working life about 45 minutes east. It's all either ski trails or access roads used by heavy equipment in summer and used as cruisers in winter.