News on Youtube Nov 2 2018

The Western States Endurance run is one of the oldest and most legendary races in the world.

Anything can happen: from 1st place to 'did not fisnish', it's all possible.

Total distance is 100 miles with 5000m uphill and 8000m downhill.

My name is Florian Neuschwander. I am 37 years old and I'm an ultra marathon runner.

Why do I run? It's a passion of mine, ever since I was struck with the running bug

I have always needed it. It's part of my life. Without running, nothing would work for me.

I realised early on that long distance running was right for me. I have done a few ultras in the past

notably the Wings for Life World Run which I won twice in Germany; one in Darmstadt and then Munich. I also won the Sean O'Brian100k in Malibu in February. It was fun.

The Western States is definitely the next level. It's a whole new challenge for me.

I see myself as a rookie, I have zero experience in attempting my first 100 miler.

Of course, these are super experienced 100-mile runners who have 10 or more races in their legs

So I have no idea what to expect. The guys know what they are doing,

as they are the elite in the world and it will not be easy for me to keep up with them. I'm curious to see how it goes.

Western States ist das Epizentrum des Ultrarunnings

It´s just such a unique event and the community is such a part of the event, like you do Western States once and it´s in your blood, you just want to keep coming back.

And on top of it, it´s one of the most competitive ultra-trail races in the world.

There are different challenges on the way, early it's altitude and the rocky trail and the steepness, in the middle it´s really steep and then in the end it´s a little flatter, but that´s when everyone is the most tiered.

It really forces people to push their body well beyond what they generally think is possible.

I was in first place at the top of Escarpment. I did not plan on leading, but I can't do powerhiking, so my only choice was to jog up. I just did my thing and it felt good.

At the top I felt relaxed and then Jim Walmsley, Erik Clavery and Francoise D'Haene overtook me, we high-fived, I said "Go for it guys!". I then settled into my rhythm.

Western States kind of started out as my first big ultra that I want to take a swing at, especially at the 100-Mile distance and so far it´s just still on the bucket list.

Waiting to finish even well I would say.

If just one of these magical days is happening. I feel as ready as I have ever been. So, I think it will be a good day today.

I fell twice… that was shit

At Duncan Canyon Stop everything was ok. After 40km it all felt good, then the shit hit the fan!

I started to stumble where it started to get more technical. This is not my strongest area.

At KM 50 the first thought it was all over. But somehow with the help of my crew and thinking of the family back home I thought: "hey, you've not come all this way to give up, that's not me. I have to go on!"

Between Duncan Canyon and Robinson Flat the going was tough, I just hiked and then crashed five times. The battery seemed to be flat but now it's back again... keep going, KEEP GOING FLO!

Yeah, I have a lot of experience in ultra-trail. But here it´s totally different. That´s why I am here. That´s why it´s the biggest challenge for me and I think there are some other runners are really well-prepared, they know how to run in the heat. They know how to run in this kind of trail and not me.

For your first 100-miler, I think the biggest challenge is to achieve it and to finish it.

I keep going. I just cried between Robinson Flat and here. You don't even know how fast you can catch up again. Sun Screen on the arms please

Ahh cold – you need to be cold!

I am now 9 hours and 40 minutes in. The longest I have ever done was 9 hours and 15 minutes. I have never been running for this long.

Neuschwander is biting the dust. I am so done. YES!

Preparation for the Western States actually began in October, November with a lot of altitude and long winter runs which I don't normally do.

Here I am on the Feldberg and my face is frozen. Man it's cold! I can't feel my right butt cheek anymore. I can barely talk. What is going on here?

The Taunus is where I do most of my running, but the Alps are very different to the Western States.

To finish a 100 mile race you need to go out and train a lot

but it must still be fun. A combination of hard training and fun is important.

Faster faster faster faster... duck your head

Downhill Baby

The Loon

It's not the heat that really bothers me, it's actually ok. The brutal part are the downhills in the canyons.

Man, that destroys your thighs and they hurt so much!

I hate f**king downhills!

Flo, I'm telling you the guys up at the front don't look any better

I'm still going.. saving energy

man, it's so tough. You can't even imagine.

I don't even remember what I'm doing here, I got paranoid. I even thought a Quokka would come and attack me from behind. I got really scared.

Reaching my pacesetter Mo at about 100km was great. We high-fived and then he got me motivated again.

You made up time. Even though you feel like you're slowing down, you can still catch up.

Do you want a Red Bull? Ice under the cap is good. Got that already. Im still here.

I think I have enough.

Hey, what are you doing?

We still have 60km to go with a 1,500m climb. The terrain will favour Flo and he can make up some places.

We are currently in 25th place but if he continues to run hard and I continue to push him I think we could make the top 10.

The toughest part of Western States is definitely the heat. It´s just brutal. It gets so hot in the canyon.

The best way to describe it, is kind of turn your oven on and go and sit in your oven for a couple of hours. That´s what it´s like and you have to try and run and run 100 Miles. It´s really tough.

I told you we were going to come back and get you. Let´s go get that German!

This is where a lot of people meet and it feels quite familiar. You meet people on track that you know somehow and talk briefly, if you manage to past someone it also motivates you. This is what makes ultrarunning special.

Jim Walmsley is the absolute best here. It's amazing how he can just fly over the whole trail.

It was definitely a bit of magic out there.

As I was going I just felt momentum kind of building and I was clipping a couple of minutes here and there off of every split. And they start adding up eventually and before, you know it, I gave myself a shot and was able to bring it home in close.

No one else can run this time. Only Jim himself can improve on it.

It´s a super special moment and I feel like it gives me a little peace with the race right now.

I cried and cried. I stopped five times. Mo helped pushed me on. My kneecaps feel like they are going to pop out. This has been the longest hiking day of my life.

The hardest thing I've ever done. Man, I'm going to push through!

I never thought a race as long as this would come down to mental strength. In the end, it's the head that decides.

I wanted to look good in those last 300 metres.

It's been the toughest run I have ever done. Just finishing has been a success for me.

Even Jim Walmsley who just destroyed the course on his third attempt had two really tough races here.

For Flo to come out here and start of strong and have the race that he did. He had a really hard time out there, that´s where we really grow as human beings.

You can see that in people's eyes when they cross the line. You know, that they know something about themselves that the rest of us might not, or we haven´t really explored.

For more infomation >> The World's Oldest Endurance Race | Western States 100 - Duration: 18:55.

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Top 10 Cities To Live In The United States For 2018 - Duration: 12:03.

Top 10 Cities To Live In The United States For 2018.

Generally speaking, living in the United States Of America is a dream come true for many.

Not just the immigrants that have moved from all parts of the world, but the locals as

well.

However, like it is with all things, some parts of America are just better than others.

While picking a city to spend the rest of your lives in can be quite difficult your

choices just got easier.

We've listed out the top 10 cities to live in the United States.

1: Austin, Texas.

With its spectacular weather, inviting people, and Texan charm Austin makes the cut for the

best cities to live in America.

More than 50 new residents arrive on a daily basis for a fresh start in the city.

What you might not know is that Austin was known as the Silicon Hills due to a large

number of venture capital investments that happened here during the 90's. Austin also

has an exciting music scene with some of the country's best music festivals taking place

in the state.

2: Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ann Arbor is an excellent city especially if you are thinking of starting a family.

It has some of the best schools in the system.

With a population of just over 116,000 people, you enjoy a relaxed lifestyle while still

enjoying all the benefits of a great society.

3: Rochester, Minnesota.

Rochester has a population of just over 110,000 people and the city ensures to take care of

each of them wonderfully.

The city is well planned and managed by the highly competent city officials.

The school systems are some of the best in the country and the high quality of life make

it an excellent destination to put your root in and settle down.

4: Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The high quality of life Colorado Springs has to offer can compete with the best in

the world.

With Aspen and Vail's ski-resorts within driving distance, you get several excellent

holiday destinations close by.

In fact, Colorado Springs is quite a tourist destination for its own park system.

5: Naperville, Illinois.

Naperville has an excellent housing and school system.

While it's nightlife leaves much to be desired, it ranks highly in the safety aspect.

Naperville also has a highly diverse range of people living happily in close proximity.

6: Des Moines, Iowa.

Des Moines is now being recognized as one of the most 'hip' cities in all of United

States.

It has taken to the millennial culture with aplomb and several locally owned bars and

restaurants are giving it a cool vibe.

A city that people of all ages would love to call home.

7: Olympia, Washington.

Olympia has several natural as well as man-made structural wonders for its residents and tourists

alike to enjoy.

The capital of Washington state is also one of the safest cities in all of America.

The housing is perhaps a tad bit too expensive, but the utilities are top notch.

8: Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Amidst the Ozark mountains lies the famous University of Arkansas which calls Fayetteville

home.

Several multinational corporations such as Walmart and Tyson Foods have set up their

headquarters in nearby towns which really helped Fayetteville the status it has accrued

today.

While the University of Arkansas has always been renowned several other top-notch public

school have been built since.

9: Portland, Oregon.

With a slogan like 'Keep Portland Weird,' there are some surprising sights to see in

this beautiful city.

It is more than just a collection of offbeat shops and events.

There are plenty of jobs available with most of them coming from the tech sector and companies

like Nike, Intel, and several others have their headquarters just outside city limits.

10: Huntsville, Alabama.

'Sweet Home Alabama', is sung truer in Huntsville than in any other city.

Ever since NASA first set up camp in the 1960's Huntsville has been experiencing a renaissance

of sorts with several other tech companies wanting to set up shop close to the space

giants.

This has led to better investments, more jobs and a higher quality of life.

For more infomation >> Top 10 Cities To Live In The United States For 2018 - Duration: 12:03.

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In Georgia and other key midterm states, fears persist over potential voter suppression - Duration: 4:05.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Amid record-breaking early voting this midterm season, concerns of voter

suppression, and who has the right to vote, are at the center of some of the country's

most contested races.

Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports on what new voting restrictions mean

for voters in some key contests.

LISA DESJARDINS: In Georgia, record-breaking early voting has more than doubled compared

to this time in 2014, soaring in both Democratic and Republican strongholds, as the state's

hotly contested race for governor is locked in a virtual tie and, at the center of the

race, a contentious fight for who gets to cast ballots.

STACEY ABRAMS (D), Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate: I have an opponent who is a remarkable architect

of voter suppression.

My mission is to tell folks, he doesn't matter.

You do.

LISA DESJARDINS: Former Democratic State Representative Stacey Abrams is the first black woman in

the country to be nominated for governor by either party.

She's criticized voting policies implemented by her Republican opponent, Georgia's current

secretary of state, Brian Kemp.

BRIAN KEMP (R), Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate: She's encouraging illegals to go out and vote

for her.

LISA DESJARDINS: Kemp, a strong ally of the Trump administration, says that Abrams' organizers

have encouraged voter fraud and have failed to properly register others.

Kemp has faced backlash after his office tried to close seven of nine polling places in a

predominately poor black county in Southwest Georgia this summer.

His office has also canceled over 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012, and recently

put on hold some 53,000 voter applications, citing the state's exact match rules.

That says an application can be invalidated if it doesn't exactly match information on

a person's driver license.

Georgia's population is 32 percent black.

The Associated Press reports that black voters make up 70 percent of the applications currently

on hold by Kemp's office.

Kemp dismisses allegations of voter suppression as outrageous.

BRIAN KEMP: And this farce about voter suppression and people being held up from being on the

rolls from being able to vote is absolutely not true.

Anyone who meets the requirements that's on the pending list, all they have to do is do

the same thing that you and I at home have to do.

Go to your polling location, show your government I.D., and you can vote.

LISA DESJARDINS: At a private event last month, Kemp voiced skepticism about the high number

of absentee ballot requests among Democratic voters.

"Rolling Stone" magazine obtained audio of his remarks.

BRIAN KEMP: They have just an unprecedented number of that, which is something that continues

to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote, which they

absolutely can, and mail those ballots in.

We got to have heavy turnout to offset that.

LISA DESJARDINS: Abrams says minority voters are bearing the brunt of Kemp's policies.

STACEY ABRAMS: Voter suppression isn't only about blocking the vote.

It's also about creating an atmosphere of fear, making people worried that their votes

won't count.

LISA DESJARDINS: It is a debate in several election hot spots this year.

In North Dakota's high-profile U.S. Senate race, a Native American tribe is suing to

block a new voter I.D. law passed by the Republican-controlled statehouse.

The Spirit Lake Tribe says the measure disenfranchises voters who live on reservations, many of whom

don't have official addresses on their I.D.'s, or don't have an identification card at all.

Meanwhile, in Kansas, officials in the majority Hispanic Dodge City moved the area's only

polling place outside city limits.

And, in Texas, Arizona, Florida and other states, election officials have closed hundreds

of polling sites and enacted stricter voter I.D. laws over the past few years.

This election, the polls and voting itself are on the ballot.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Lisa Desjardins.