When Bryon and I first dreamt up this column back in October of 2011 we thought it would be fun to provide a forum for ultramarathon running that was the equivalent of those three-hour pre-game shows we see on TV during football season. We also thought it might be a good place for folks out there who really like to geek out on ultrarunning and love to over analyze even the most miniscule details about running, others, and life. Kind of a Bob Costas, George Sheehan, Mike Wallace forum all rolled into one trail running bundle.
Thus, AJW’s Taproom was born!
I also would like to think that the columns here in the Taproom contain a reasonable amount of somewhat intelligent discourse to entertain even the casual reader and I hope that the topics we cover here are at least as stimulating as a trip to the local pub.
So, with this as context, I would like to introduce the 2nd Annual AJW’s Taproom Year in Ultrarunning Rankings. (These are not scientific in any way and the criteria was made up entirely by me – they represent a selection of North American racers competing in events in the US and abroad. It, in no way, represents an exhaustive study nor does it pretend to be fully representative of all that occurred in 2012, so, take it or leave it. In addition, the selections in each category are not in any specific order):
Female Ultrarunner of the Year
- Darcy Africa
- Rory Bosio
- Ellie Greenwood
- Amy Sproston
Male Ultrarunner of the Year
- Mike Morton
- Timothy Olson
- Max King
- Dakota Jones
Female Race of the Year
Male Race of the Year
Female Surprise of the Year
- Amy Sproston
- Darcy Africa
Male Surprise of the Year
- Dakota Jones
- Sage Canaday
Female Rookie of the Year
- Emily Harrison
Male Rookie of the Year
- Sage Canaday
Until next week, bottoms up!
-AJW
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s beer of the week comes from Green Flash in San Diego. Their Palate Wrecker Hamilton’s Ale is a forceful beer that combines resiney hoppy bitterness with full-on ABV. Like the runners on the list above, this one should not taken lightly.
Call for Comments (from Bryon)
So which runners and which performances would you select in any or all of the above categories? And, if we broaden our horizons beyond North American road and trail ultrarunners and their races, which international ultrarunners and performances would you add to this list?
