Update wrote:
Didn't an ex Hanson's kid just smoke Max King at Chuckanut 50k this past weekend...granted King raced 2 weeks in a row, but that was his choice.
Eventually there will be so good guys running ultras that someone will say "There is no money in ultra running, I'm going back to marathoning!!!"
Ultras are evolving "Weekly" with new faces and new studs...hell Ellie Greenwood was supposed to be the outright best and her record just got smashed by 8 minutes on Chuckanut this weekend.
Yeah, Max lost, but he was pretty close most of the way and just lost touch near the end, a week after dominating 2:12 marathoner Uli Steidl's 50k record at another very competitive 50k by 9+ minutes. I once tried to race hard the week after a marathon PR, personally, and it didn't pan out super well, so I'm not surprised that Max lost.
I think Ellie is legitimately the best, but only at 50 miles+. Her marathon, while very impressive, is not world class, so it's not surprising that she's not 100% dominant at 50k.