A limited wish list...¨
This isn't really bucket list of races so much as a list of some of the top races that a) I want to do (or at least think I want to do when I'm having a really good run, then wonder about it during a hard race) for several reasons I mention below (atmosphere, landscape,...) and b) that put real fear in me - not so much the fear of being utterly crushed (and DNFing), but the fear of finding no answer to why I am doing this, the fear of having to dig so deep it feels like I'm in the mines of Moria waking up the Balrog. Because that's what I really fear and often tell myself I don't like, and why am I doing this, and is it all necessary and isn't something wrong with me?... But that's the whole point, right? That's what feeds the soul and makes you look on life (and live it) as an adventure...
So here it is, my bucket fear list of dreamy ambitions...
I like to separate ultras into several categories which I think are challenging in different ways physically and mentally. Also, I have eliminated some that I'm pretty sure I will just never have the desire to spend the time or money on (e.g. any race in Antarctica). Then there are some I'd probably love to do but most likely would never have the time or money so I'm not even mentioning them (although I have listed 6 & 7 below, not to mention multi-stage races...). And finally there are probably a few races I haven't heard about (yet)...
Otherwise my criteria for selection here are:
- race atmosphere (beautiful landscape or some other element that makes the race atmosphere unique, and this has to include a limited number of participants);
- nature of the challenge (not just difficult, but distance, environment, non-stop or multi-stage, location...);
- aura (some are "legendary" for a reason - as long as they're not an over-crowded circus event like the UTMB...)
The UTMB is therefore not on my list because it does not fully qualify for any of the three criteria. There are now several 100+ mile mountain races with equivalent elevation that make them as tough or tougher than the UTMB; its aura is tainted by its very commercial bent; and the race atmosphere is ruined, for me, by the sheer number of people. I personally have no desire to line up with 2200 people in Chamonix...
I've also eliminated Badwater, mainly because it cost about $10'000 dollars, between airfare, food and lodging, not just for myself but crew also...
I've also eliminated Badwater, mainly because it cost about $10'000 dollars, between airfare, food and lodging, not just for myself but crew also...
Non-stop races
2.
I'll start with a 12h and perhaps 24h the following year... Yes, someone (a ultra loon who ran the Spartathlon in sandals) told me: "12h? That's like doing the half-marathon instead of the full..." Point taken - I'll go for the half first. 12h DONE. Great experience, wasn't as transcendal as I'd hoped. Was feeling gung-ho about doing 24h afterwards, but as the weeks slip by, not so sure. But I think that I will have to go "full circle" at some point. 24h is still definitely "fear factor".
24h sort of DONE at 24h de La Balme. I ran at intended pace for just over 9h, logging 67km at midnight, then I started up again at 7.30am and ran another 3h for about 20km, then decided I wanted to spend rest of day with the family. So I didn't really get the 24h experience, but was pleased that I did go out again after stopping for 7 hours... Tempted to do it again.
3.
4.
5. Ultr'ardèche / Ultra Balaton / Nove Colli: Having realized that even qualifying for the Spartathlon may well be beyond my capabilities - let alone running it -, but still with a desire to do some of the beautiful and low-key 200+km races out there (and with a chance to qualify for the Spartathlon!), one (or preferably all) of these one definitely deserves a place on my list as among the more fear-inspiring non-stop "road" races out there..
7. Hardrock 100 or Angeles Crest 100 or Fat Dog - it would be great to experience a North American race in different mountain... Still, quite remote possibilities right now as they would require a lot of vacation time and money...
8. TransArabia, UTPB (Ultra Trail de la Plage Blanche) or other Desert Run - I was ok with the heat in the MDS (where it peaked at 52° in 2000) but I don't know if that's still the case - so these are on this list for the sheer beauty of the location - and the heat/self-sufficiency fear factor.
Multi-day ultras
This I separate out from 'multi-stage', since the clock keeps ticking, and also from non-stop races since it definitely require some sleep (I have done a 42-hour race without actually sleeping - well, a 20mn nap - but I couldn't do the ones below without sleeping for sure; the Swiss Irontrail sits right on the edge: multi-day but minimal sleep, none for the top contenders.) On the one hand, I really want to go into that mind-space of just plugging away for 5 or 6 days... On the other hand, not sure I want to face the sleep deprivation - I only had a taste of it at the Swiss Irontrail, and it was daunting. Then again, this is my fear list...Tor des Géants/Swisspeaks: 330km or 360km and 24,000+ meters of elevation - talk about a mindfuck!...
Transpyrenea: same comment, same appeal, but even more attractive, not so much because it's longer (but if you going to go for the multi-day non-stop, why not push to nearly 500km?!) but because it's the Pyrénées, a mountain range I have not yet had the fortune to run in...
The Spine: a maybe due to the consistent cold climate, though the Spine Challenge is a maybe simply because who could resist running in the Pennines? And again, like the Tor, a week that must effect some internal profound changes... Then again, there is, apparently, the Summer version...
6633 Arctic Ultra: 380 miles (or even 120) on the Arctic circle in February? The ultimate... But much like Badwater, most likely forever beyond my budget (time and money) - before even considering the challenge itself. But I put it out there, just in case, as the ultimate ultra to aspire to...
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