Drymax has been very, very fortunate to associated with Elite Ultrarunner Jamie Donaldson for a three years now. In that short amount of time she has evolved from an exceptional runner to one of the finest ultra athletes of all time. Her training regiment is unmatched as are her accomplishments with 2010 being another year of extraordinary performances.
Going into 2010, Jamie was already the two-time defending Badwater Women's Champion and record holder, USATF 200,000 Meter Track Record Holder, a multiple race winner and course record holder. In a world of hype Jamie quietly and humbly dominated the field in multiple races. It was alot to live up to, what is so incredible is that she surpassed many of her 2009 accomplishments.
Known for turning in regular 200 mile training weeks up and down Mt Evans and Pikes Peak, Donaldson knew that there tougher challenges from not only courses but competitors in the coming year. Her focus was again on Badwater and the races leading up to that event were going to serve to build a base for that mission.
She lead off the year with a short 38.5 mile warm up at the Ghost Town 38.5 Mile, taking 2nd female.
She followed her Ghost Town performance with a strong 2nd place at the Rocky Raccoon 100 (behind fellow Drymax athlete Liza Howard) turning in an impressive time of 16:54 almost equaling her 2009 winning time of 16:51.
Jamie then went far, an extra 18 miles to make it interesting. She dominated the men and women in the Lost 118 Mile Race in Florida with an insane overall course record time of 18 hrs 36 minutes. That is a pace of 9 minutes 27 seconds for 118 miles!!!
Then came the Philadelphia 100 Mile Race. Jamie threw down the gauntlet again with a 1st Overall, Course Record of an amazing 14:58:23 ONE OF the fastest 100 mile times ever by a female with a stunning 8:59 per mile pace.
To shake things up a bit Jamie popped up to Wyoming for the Rocky Mountain Double Marathon where she earned 1st female, 3rd overall course record of 8:07. This shorter distance victory really shows the range of a very talented runner who once won the Denver Marathon.
Jamie was then off to Europe for the 24 Hour World Championships in Italy. Unfortunately, due to a stomach issue, Jamie didn't live up to her own lofty expectations. She still turned in a gutsy 120.61 mile performance.
Now to focus on her primary goal, to come back and win her third women's title at Badwater against what can arguably be considered the deepest, fastest women's field ever at the event. Jamie, again ran her own race and by mile 42 she had taken command of this epic event. At times, she was even within challenging for the overall lead. At the end she shattered her own record by 35 minutes, finishing in a time of 26 hrs, 16 min, 12 sec, a pace of 11 minutes 40.4 seconds through 130 degree heat and 13,000 ft of elevation change over four hours ahead of 2nd place woman. 3rd overall, she was only 1 hr, 32 min behind the overall winner. Jamie now owns the fastest three female times at this event 2008 - 26:51:33, 2009 - 27:20:18, 2010 26:16:12.
Not able to compete at Leadville, Jamie rested a bit and came back strong at Javelina Jundred event in Arizona. On very little training, Jamie challenged again for the overall win only to come up a bit short taking 2nd overall, 1st female with a course record time of 17 hrs, 11 min.
A month later Jamie traveled to Texas for her final race of 2010, the 24 Hr Ultracentric race. The course was a bit more challenging that anticipated, but Jamie pushed on with the help and encouragement of her crew to post another overall win and a strong 136.98 mile performance on a tough course.
Beyond Jamie's performances is her character. Many fellow competitors can contribute numerous stories of Jamie waiting at the finish line for hours on end to greet friends and fans as they finish their own epic adventures. I have personally been with Jamie when she finished a huge race and she wanted to go back on the course to cheer on fellow runners who were literally 20 hours behind her because of her love of the sport and the value she puts on friendship and friendly, respectful competition.
Most know that Drymax is a very small operation with limited resources, so we are exceedingly thankful for all of the elite and avid competitors who choose to compete and train with our socks. We are especially honored to have Jamie competing with Drymax as her primary sponsor and as our team captain for the last two years. We can hardly wait to see what Jamie has in mind for 2011!!!
