Articles by John Medinger
Welcome to the Three Dot Lounge, where we ruminate on all things Western States and focus on quirky statistics and geeky trivia. . . At Western States, the weather is always the number one topic of conversation. This...
Courtney Dauwalter and Adam Peterman are the North American UltraRunners of the Year (UROY) for 2022. It’s Dauwalter’s fourth consecutive UROY, dating back to 2018 (there was no award for 2020). She joins Scott Jurek a...
Far too often, we look at champions as if they are made from a sinewy type of steel. When they win, it is because they are far different than any of us – more talented, mentally tougher and physically stronger, filled...
The votes are in! Jim Walmsley of Flagstaff, Arizona, and Courtney Dauwalter of Leadville, Colorado, have repeated as North American UltraRunners of the Year. For Walmsley, it is the fifth straight time for this honor...
“Well. That was sadistic.” Those were the first words out of Kristian Howell’s mouth after he finished second in the inaugural Lake Sonoma 100K. The race series postponement to Labor Day weekend brought out mid-summer...
Kuni Yamagata was the oldest runner to finish Western States this year at age 68. Let’s Wander Photography Welcome to the Three Dot Lounge, where we annually list our deep thoughts, cheap shots and bon...
The 1980s: In the Beginning April 1981: Ronald Reagan had just been inaugurated to his first term as president, James Michener’s The Covenant topped the New York Times best seller list, and Hall and Oates had the nu...
2020. I think it’s safe to say that none of us have ever experienced a year quite like this one. I think it’s also safe to say that all of us hope that we never will have to experience another year like it again. Lik...
With virtually all races canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we “organized” a FatAss 50K for runners to celebrate on the day that Western States would have been run. Completely tongue-in-cheek, we called it the “Not Exactly Western States FatAss 50K,” (or NEWS 50K) run entirely on the Arizona Trail just north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
With virtually all springtime races canceled due to COVID-19, my wife and I ruminated about what races would look like when the restrictions were lifted. “Hey, we could do something like that! Just make everyone run solo.” With that, we hatched the concept of the MayDay! Solo 50K, to be run Fat Ass style on May 1 in Sedona, Arizona.
Jim Walmsley and Ellie Greenwood are the North American Ultrarunners of the Decade for 2010-2019.Greenwood, who was Ultrarunner of the Year three times (2011, 2012 and 2014) edged out Courtney Dauwalter, Kaci Lickteig an...
The votes are in: Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter have repeated as North American Ultrarunners of the Year. For Walmsley, it is the fourth straight year of this honor, matching Tom Johnson (1994-1997) as the only man...
The votes are in and Jim Walmsley has a three-peat, while Courtney Dauwalter moved to the top of the women’s rankings from second place in 2017. The women’s voting was nearly unanimous, with Courtney nabbing 37 first-pla...
More than anything, what separates Western States from most other 100-milers is the pre-race buzz. Hype. There’s lots of it. The Squaw Valley village is full of runners, pacers, crew, spectators, volunteers, media, sponsors, and various other hangers on. The energy level – and entrant’s anxiety levels – increases as race week goes on. By Friday, it’s so electric you can feel it.
John Morelock, whose writing graced the pages of UltraRunning for more than six years, died on February 5. He was diagnosed with a rare and incurable abdominal cancer in November, and succumbed three months later. He was 74.
Sadly, we must report that that Ruth Anderson died on February 27. She was 86 and had suffered from Alzheimers the past few years. Her husband John died just two…
If you pull out the DVD from the 1986 Western States 100, there’s a shot of winner Chuck Jones descending toward the Rucky Chucky river crossing. He looks straight into the camera and says, “I love runnin’.”
Unbreakable: The Western States 100, a film released in December by JourneyFilm, tells the story of the 2010 Western States, which featured a highly anticipated battle between four of the…