2024 Setbacks = 2025 Growth
REI halts* returns, from Kona to the NYC Marathon, a Vans Trail Shoe, the 10 best gravel races, banning influencers, and more...
👋 Good morning and happy Friday! Welcome to the Front Pack newsletter, your source for all things endurance. Click here for the full version.
If there is no accountability in life, what are we all actually doing?
One thing I love about our community is their willingness to challenge themselves and November is no different. Front Packers are committing to looking back at 2024 and being completely honest with themselves.
Setbacks as Growth is the months theme and I had to dig deep into not WHAT my individual setbacks were but for all of my failures, how do I handle them.
Ultimately, when I look back over the last year, setbacks are going to be a natural part of any journey. We all have them.
But for me. I am terrible at looking at the positives that come with the negatives. Instead of focusing on the this went well.. I’ll continually kick myself over the …this was bad. It’s a high performer, expecting perfection problem.
What I should do is take the lesson learned, quickly move on and grow from it.
It is, grace. I’m talking about, grace.
Giving myself grace in all my setbacks. Focusing on the positives that come with the negatives. Acknowledging the good and bad but not leaning to far into either. Learn how to move forward but also not let it eat me up.
As we inch closer to 2025, are you somebody wanting to begin focusing on things like accountability, goal setting, and more?
If so, join us on Tuesday, November 19 at 7pm CT / 5pm PT when we’ll discuss all our Setbacks as Growth opportunities. Time to dig deep.
Hope you had an amazing week and did something special.
Stay moving…✌🏼 - Scott
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Headlines
Top news, races and results you may or may not have been paying attention to…
From Kona to New York City: Is exactly what Cam Wurf did. The ageless 41-year-old who just finished 7th at the IM World Championship a few weeks back flew to the other side of the country and dropped a 2:36:22 marathon time, finishing 277th overall in a field of 55,523 starters. Maybe Mr. Wurf will chill out with a book or something. Read more…
A New Backyard Ultra Record: Megan Eckert ran 362 miles to set the new record. So what is a Backyard Ultra? It’s when competitors must circle a 4.16-mile course every hour for days on end. One by one, runners drop out until only one remains, and he or she is crowned champion. On October 19, the world’s best backyard ultrarunners met in Bell Buckle, Tennessee for the annual Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, which this year hosted the team world championships for the format (on even years the race serves as the individual world championships).
Scott Snell recorded the top distance this year, completing 366 miles in 88 hours. But the star of the event was Megan Eckert, who finished in second place. Her distance—362 miles during 87 hours—broke the previous women’s record by a whopping 51 miles (and 13 hours). Read more…
Meanwhile
Other happenings in the world of endurance
Matt Choi gets Banned: Regardless of your thoughts on influencers, they make videos people watch so naturally when one runs the New York City Marathon, he’s going to create a video around it. Well, “Internet Personality” Matt Choi who is famous for…running, was spanked by the NYRR organization and DQ’d and given a lifetime ban for having an e-bike (against the rules) on the marathon course, resulting in other runners not being able to freely get to aid stations and causing chaos. Choi, who lives in Austin apologized and said he’d accept the ban without appealing. Read more…
Connecting California to Canada: A local Tahoe mountain biker is leading the charge to build the 550-mile Sierra Camino Trail. “The Sierra Camino” will form the Sierra Nevada segment of the massive 5,000-mile Orogenesis Trail, which will eventually span from Cabo to Canada. Read more…
10 Must-Ride Gravel Events: Is the Life Time Grand Prix getting more folks into gravel? Whatever the cause, here is a list of the 10 must-ride races according to Bicycling mag. Old Man Winter Rally (Lyons, CO), The Mid South (Stillwater, OK), Whiskey Tango Fondo (Alabama Hills, CA), Gavista (Virginia), Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder (Bend, OR), SBT GRVL (CO), Kowtown Gravel (CO), Rebecca’s Private Idaho (Sun Valley, ID), Bovine Classic (Atascadero, CA) and The Spirit World (Patagonia, AZ). Read more…
Sir, you gotta pump the brakes: In an interview with SportsPro, The PTO CEO claimed, “in two to three years time the PTO T100 will be in the top 10 greatest sports entertainment products on this planet.” I mean, hefty claim on a short timeline. I think the PTO does a good job but damn, top 10! Maybe we start with building awareness for the sport and getting a broad media deal, homie. Read more…
REI halts returns: That is for the 0.02% of its members. The company noting that those members have abused the return policy and will no longer be allowed to return items starting Wednesday. Read more…
Battenkill Returns. Kind of: After an eight-year absence from the US road racing scene, a Battenkill road race marks a return as a "revitalized new event" on May 10, 2025 in Cambridge and Washington County in New York state. For 12 years the Tour of the Battenkill was a staple on the domestic racing calendar. Read more…
Drama in the pool: It’s been a while since we talking swimming but as a proud WVU alum, this story caught my attention. The University of Cincinnati decided to no show against WVU after a dispute took plavce over… which suits the teams would race in. WVU wanted technical racing suits, Cincinnati wanted ‘practice suits’ because they felt each team wearing technical suits would put them at a disadvantage. Hilarious drama ensued with WVU coaches and swimmers doing what people do, and by that, I mean being passive aggressive online. Read more…
ASICS Novablast 5 Reviewed: The shoe company just released their latest version of the highly cushioned daily trainer and it is a winner in the eyes of Road Trail Run who called it, fun and fast. Read more…
Editors’ choice bike tools: The best of 2024 lists continue to roll in. Today, let’s take a look at all the small gadgets. Pleasantly surprised to see the Feedback Sports Range Click Torque Wrench listed. I own that and it is spectacular. Read more…
Go Pro. Sure thing: Thinking you’re good enough to go pro in triathlon; well take a peak at the following which highlights three AG to Pro athletes (Laura Philipp, Nikki Bartlett, and Matt Hanson). Was it all training and volume or is there more to the story? Of course there is. Read more…
Behold. The Vans Trail Shoe: A buddy and I were talking about this and it’s pretty cool to see a shoe brand we grew up loving still evolving to the activities we like now, as old guys. To be determined but with the parent company being owned by The North Face and Altra, hopefully they’re all sharing technologies, the best materials, etc. Read more…
Training Tips
Because training is life
How to Run Fast with a Low Heart Rate: Uncover 10 of the biggest low heart rate training misconceptions.
Road Bike AND Gravel Bike - Can This Do Both?: Did BMC just create the first two-in-one bike?
Rewatchables
Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.
2025 Absa Cape Epic Route: I’ve long been obsessed with Cape Epic and looking ahead to 2025 is no different. Called the Tour de France of Mountain Biking, check out the full 8-day stage race route. Anyone participating or going?
DOLOMITES: Kilian Bron opens a new chapter, giving us his vision of mountain biking from the inside. DOLOMITES is about discovering a unique place in the world through the eyes of Kilian, his crew and the people they meet along the way.
Pilgrimage - The Story of the Hellenic Mountain Race: High above the Mediterranean islands and far from the bustle of Athens is a Greece you’ve likely never seen. This is the Greece of the Hellenic Mountain Race: An unsupported bike ride covering 883 kilometres and nearly 30,000 meters of elevation - enough climbing to scale Everest over three times.