It’s just
400+ competitors who love running (or glorified hiking) and the mountains, most
of whom camp out next to the starting site the night before, and a 4am kick-off
by the side of a lake. I finished the race last after 28h15mn – but with a
greater than 50% drop-out rate (54% this year) and the fact that I’ve seldom
had to dig so deep to finish, yet at the same time enjoying almost the entire
time the full challenge of it, I think it is the finish of which I am the most
proud. And it just felt great to forget about targeted training, planning, worrying months ahead of time... just go with the flow.
And reconnect with that great feeling and belief that I can finish anything.
And reconnect with that great feeling and belief that I can finish anything.
Flashback a few months…
After
tearing my left calf muscle towards the end of January, I saw my hopes of
competing in the 100-mile race, which I’d set my sights on since DNFing the
UT4M and which was taking place mid-April, evaporate. Based on stuff I’d read
on the internet, I figured I’d back to running within a few weeks, and boldly
signed up for the Ultra Trail du Beaufortain, a 105km and 6’400m of elevation (66
miles and 22’000 feet). It was a race I’d considered right after the UT4M when,
in a slump, I decided that 100 miles and 33’000 feet was just too far. I
figured I could complete the Beaufortain in 20-24 hours, at the most a few
hours more than when I quite the UT4M (I should call it the UT2M considering I
only managed to complete 2 of the 4 mountain ranges).
Anyway, the
race was already booked full and I was on the waiting list. When the doctor
told me a few days later that I actually had a very severe tear and not to
consider anything until autumn and certainly not an ultra, I was somewhat
relieved. When my Achilles tendon inflamed shortly after resuming my training
end March, side-lining me again for another few weeks (and I was lucky), I’d
pretty much forgotten about it and was now focused on getting back to training
injury-free in time for the Ironman end August and hopefully a 100km road race
end September.
Finally
the curse seemed over and things started to fall into place. I finished June
(and work) with a great week of running and biking – and at 6am on July 1,
waiting in the airport with the family on our way to Spain for a 10-day
holiday, I received an email from François, the race director of the
Beaufortain trail, that I had been pulled off the waiting list, and would I
like to do it?
Sure I
wanted to, but was it sensible? I had the perfect build-up with 3 weeks to go
in which to taper, but the build-up was part of a training plan for my 100k end
September, not for an ultra in 3 weeks. If I finished, it would be my longest
non-stop race in 15 years…
Training
log:
January: 125 miles of running, 1.5 miles of swimming
February: 0 miles of running, 10 miles of swimming
March: 50 miles of running/walking/hiking, 35 miles
of biking, 5 miles of swimming
April: 13 miles of running, 157 miles of biking, 3.5
miles of swimming
May: 78 miles of running, 276 miles of biking, 5.5
miles of swimming
June: 164 miles of running, 234 miles of biking,
4.5 miles of swimming
Thing is, I
felt ready because most of my running
in the past two months had been high intensity - a a lot of tempo runs and some interval
training, which was quite a first for me, particularly in such a structured and
consistent manner. None of my long runs had been longer than 2h40, but these
had usually been preceded the day before by an intense 1h30 workout – not to
mention that I really felt that the biking, as much as I couldn’t get used to
it, had really boosted my overall endurance.
But in any case these are just figures and
rationality thought. The decision to compete would be irrational and emotional.
On the one hand I felt like I had nothing to lose since on paper I was not
prepared so who could fault me for not finishing? However, that’s a rather
pathetic mind set for an ultra, and besides I had DNFed my last two major
ultras and I knew that mentally I would have a hard time getting over it.
It didn’t
take me long to accept, however. I loved the whole idea of it, the sense of
improvisation and just taking life as it comes. My plans for the 100-miler had
gone out the window due to injury, how could I not accept this new lesson
simply to accept things and not always try to plan, plan, plan. It reminded me
of my participation in my first Marathon des Sables in 2000, only a year after
picking up running, and with only a marathon in November 1999 under my belt
before the event (4h38mn!) in which I pinched my sciatic nerve and couldn’t
train until early February 2000.
And I knew
I couldn’t DNF. I recaptured my “quitting isn’t an option” mind set. I’d gotten
rid of my guilt trips at being away from home. I felt ready and, above all,
excited.
It all
falls into place
In Spain I
found some anti-chafing cream to prep my feet, but apart from that I had to
wing it. I did some running of course, and it was all fun along the beach. I
found a room about a 12-minute drive from the starting point for the
evening/night before, and when I got home I bought a new power-breakfast mix
that didn’t require cooking and could be eating 30mn before the race –
important when the start is at 4am.
The
heatwave we’d been experiencing for the past few weeks didn’t seem to show any
signs of abating. It was 97°F the day before and the temperature didn’t seem to
drop off at night when I got to bed at 7pm (and no air conditioning). I
probably didn’t really get to sleep until 10-11pm, as I did some reading and
TV-watching with some bouts of dropping off, and was awake despite my best
intentions before 2am. Still, I’d slept well the nights before (contrary to
UT4M) and I considered this quite well rested for a pre-race night and such an
early start.
I started
at the back but quickly passed a few people on the 2-mile paved
approach to the first climb. Not a huge number of people – I don’t go out too fast, but neither do I slow down as
much as I probably should be maintain a more consistent pace over the race… The
first climb is massive (and fortunately the longest): almost 5’000 feet in 6
miles, quickly followed by another thousand feet. Mentally actually not that
bad I found as it levelled off briefly every thousand feet or so which gave some respite.
The heat
was a bit stifling for 4am (23°C/74°F) as we started the climb. But as dawn
broke and we realized that the sky was actually cloudy and now, above 6’000
feet, the weather had cooled considerably.
This climb
and the vaguely flat single track that followed would be pretty much the
easiest part of the race. But it was still rocky and gnarly and I kept twisting
my ankles. This reminded me why I wanted to go back to road running! After very
technical sections of the UT4M, I’d thought “no more!” Why I thought the
Beaufortain would be a good idea. I think I was blinded by the distance and
elevation which seemed the ideal challenge last year… And the scenery: and
this, certainly was not disappointing! More incredible than anything I’d seen
on other alpine races.
But inevitably
in this first descent another ankle twist made me drop on my left knee,
slamming the shins into the rocks. Nice and bloody, but at least the pain of
impact subsided after a few seconds and there didn’t seem to be any lasting
damage.
I arrived
at the first check point at Les Arolles in 3h44. As I was hoping (rather than
actually aiming) for a 20-24 hour finish, I was expecting to come in between
3h15 and 4h, so I was smack in the middle. I didn’t spend too much time here
and headed off after topping up the water in my bottles (but not the back pouch
since the weather was cooler than expected). At this point I was in 274th
place (bib number 274!), and this wouldn’t change much for the rest of the race
– I would just slip further and further to the back as more and more people
dropped out.