The realization I am getting older as a runner hit me when I saw a race t-shirt in my closet that was well over 10 years old. How had I become one of those runners with race swag from ancient times? I guess that’s a stark reality once you hit your mid-40s. Many of you reading this are in your 50s or older, but at the start of a group training run this past spring, my buddy Pat asked if I noticed anything. Yes, Pat, we’re old.
We all feel that we grew up in the best era ever, whether it happens to be our taste in music or clothing. I will always be listening to Pearl Jam, The Verve and Smashing Pumpkins, but I’ll also remain stuck with the feeling that 2009-12 was the best racing era ever. Here is what it was like to run ultras back in 2010.
It’s easy to embrace progress and the future, but let’s not forget to go back and revisit the history of this amazing sport every once in a while.
Shoes
Step aside Hoka and Adidas Terrex. The cool kids of 2010 were wearing Montrail or Pearl Izumi. Montrail was known for its Hardrock and Continental Divide models, both of which resembled bomb-proof hiking shoes – the opposite of light and nimble. I’m shocked the Montrail models “only” weighed 13 oz versus the current 9.8 oz of the Hoka Speedgoat 6 – they looked like substantial bricks that would weather the toughest 100-mile course many times over. They were durable and reliable and oh-so-not carbon-plated. If you weren’t wearing Montrail, you were likely wearing the Pearl Izumi N1s. At the time, Pearl Izumi’s were niche and cool, worn by the likes of Darcy Piceu, Timothy Olson and Joe Uhan.
Gear
Trail runners love their gear, and this was no different in 2010. Soft flasks were non-existent, and Salomon vests were in their infancy. Either you rocked a Nathan pack with a bladder or you were old-school cool, à la Geoff Roes, and double-fisted a couple of handhelds. North American races didn’t have mandatory gear lists in 2010, so no one would question your decision to run 100 miles in the mountains with two small bottles, a couple of gels stuffed in your pocket and maybe a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer jacket (a rather nice but glorified plastic bag) tied around your waist. A visor was sufficient to keep the sun out of your eyes. There’s a good chance you weren’t carrying a cell phone, as Strava was a newer platform for cyclists, flip phones didn’t allow for scenic mountain selfies (a new concept) and GPS watches were just gaining traction – those fancy new gadgets had a battery life so short that I used to wear a Timex watch as back up.
Nutrition
Running nutrition was developing, but still a niche market. Thankfully, we’d progressed from jaw-breaking Powerbars with brands such as Clif, Hammer and CarboPro that were popular at the time. But there was less science behind fueling, and we certainly weren’t at the stage of understanding the need for 100 grams of carbs (or more) per hour.
Races
There was no need to sign up for races months in advance. Western States was already in high demand and North Americans were starting to trickle over to Chamonix every August, but many races opened their registration three or four months before race day, and day-of race entry for local races, payable in cash, wasn’t uncommon. I almost hate to break it to many new ultrarunners, but in 2011 there was a 10% chance of getting into Western States on your first try and it was only in 2010 that the “two-time lottery loser” rule was abolished (a rule that guaranteed entry on your third year of trying if you were unsuccessful in the prior two).
If you were a fortunate speedster (hopefully getting free shoes and gels thrown your way), the Golden Tickets of the day were at the Montrail Ultra Cup races – the majority of those qualifying events were 50-milers, and all were within the US. Other big name competitive races that year were California’s Leona Divide, the TNF 50-miler in San Francisco, Zane Grey in Arizona and Miwok 100k in Marin County, California. The Grand Slam of 100s (completing Western States, Vermont, Leadville and Wasatch all in one summer) was also in its heyday.
Top Athletes
Move over Instagram and TikTok, 2010 was the blogging era. If you wanted a following, or just liked rambling on about your running, athletes would start a blog and write detailed training and race reports online. These were multi-page essays bordering on novellas. Strava didn’t have enough users for stalking, and iRunFar.com was in its infancy (the first race they covered was the TNF 50-miler in 2009). Personal blogs were how we learned about races, picked up training tips and compared notes with competitors. Podcasts such as Trail Runner Nation, Talk Ultra and Ultrarunner Podcast were just beginning, but the number of running podcasts was small enough that it was easy to devour the latest on ultrarunning idols (Nikki Kimball, Hal Koerner, Dave Mackey, Krissy Moehl, Geoff Roes, Kami Semick, etc.) in your preferred medium.
The year 2010 will always hold a special place in my heart, just like looking back on 2024 will be remembered fondly by new ultrarunners. It’s easy to embrace progress and the future, but let’s not forget to go back and revisit the history of this amazing sport every once in a while.