Headlines

🏃 Kenya owns St. Patrick’s Day: At the 39th annual Los Angeles Marathon, defending champ Stacey Ndeewa and Doninic Ngewno took the women’s and men’s win with finishing times of 2:25:28 and 2:11:00, respectively. Both dedicated their wins to their late countryman Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder who died earlier this year. [Endurance]

🚴 Beginner’s Luck?: Torbjorn “Toby” Andre Røed won the Mid South gravel race in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 11th annual race, saw the Norwegian win a sprint finish after logging 100 miles. Griffin Easter was second, followed by John Borstelmann. On the women’s side, Lauren De Crescenzo grabbed the W followed by Jenna Rinehart and Caroline Wreszin. De Crescenzo set a new best mark for women with a time of 4:47:42, 7:21 faster than 2023. [Cycling News]

🏃 Outdoors in Oregon: Along the Oregon coast at the Siuslaw Dunes Trail Run (50k), Mario Mendoza Jr. ran the fastest time in course history, 4:12:34, cruising to victory while Kelsey McGill won in a time of 6:07:03. [Ultra Running]

Meanwhile

🚴 Life Time Grand Prix adds Chase Wark: With an impressive 2P finish at Gravel Worlds in 2023 and a strong start to 2024 with a victory at Rock Cobbler and a 2P at Valley of Tears behind Keegan Swenson, the talented 27-year-old from Minnesota, secured a spot in the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix lineup. [ChasetheBiker]

🚴 10 Year Deal 🤯: Mathieu van der Poel, the current UCI Road and Cyclocross World Champion, with 163 victories between road, cyclocross, and mountain biking since 2017 has signed a mega-10 year deal that commits Van der Poel to the German bike brand until the end of 2034. The Dutchman is targeting the gold medal in mountain biking at the Paris Olympic Games this summer. [velo]

🏃 A Record for Everything: Josef Šálek of Czechia breaks the world record for fastest barefoot half marathon run on ice. The new Guinness World Record holder clocked in at 1:50:42 breaking the previous record of 2:16:34 set by Dutch runner Wim ‘The Iceman’ Hof in 2007. Šálek is no rookie when it comes to world records as he also owns …wait for it… the record for holding the longest plank which was for 9:38:47, besting the previous record by more than eight minutes. [Runner’s World]

🏊🚴🏃 Calling it a career: After 20 years, Sarah Crowley has decided to hang up the swimsuit, bike, and trainers. The 41-year-old Australian, finished on the podium twice at the Ironman World Championship; and has more than 35 professional podiums to her name. [tri247]

Deals and Steals

💸💸💸 XX1 Eagle DUB SL Crankset – Boost: Currently $387 (originally $554) or 30% off, the 170mm, 34T crankset is the lightest XX1 crankset ever produced by SRAM. Perfect for anyone racing and obsessed with every gram.

💸 Specialized Body Geometry SL Footbeds: Sometimes it is the small things but to me, you can never go wrong with comfort. Now at $29 (originally $39) I’ve put these footbeds through the ringer with every pair of cycling shoes I own. They’re a complete game changer and you’ll never experience foot numbness or discomfort again.

💸💸 21oz CamelBak Podium Chill Insulated Bike Water Bottle: Summer is coming and if you don’t own insulated bottles for your training, I don’t know what the heck you’re even doing. Currently 44% off at just $9, you cannot beat this deal so grab a few.

💸💸💸 Smith Forefront 2 MIPS Bike Helmet: In the market for a new brain saver, look no further. Smith has a huge sale on their MIPS mountain bike helmet that doesn’t only look great but offers up superior ventilation. Grab one at 55% off, currently for $100 (originally $250).

The Rewatchables

Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.

#17 – To finish the Barkley Marathons – The story of Karel Sabbe who has never finished the renowned TN race. With one more attempt in him, Sabbe obsesses over completing the race and being only the 17th finisher, but will he? This is an unprecedented look into the psyche of Sabbe in his attempt to finish the legendary Barkley Marathons.

Mid South Gravel Full Unedited Footage: Through the eyes of Drew Dillman’s GoPro, watch as he attacks The Mid South in Sweetwater, OK this past weekend.

I Am Who I Thought I Am: The Wild Horse 200 is a 200 mile ultra marathon set where participants have 120 hours (5 days) to complete a 200 mile/30,000 feet of climbing trail run across the stunning mountains of South Wales. The longest it has taken someone to complete the course is 116 hours.