Ever since I found out about the existence of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), I've been fascinated by that race. It must have been around 2014, when I accidentally saw a series on YouTube about this ultra trail. Initially I thought this was about a race done in several stages, but it turned out that the 170 kilometers and 10000 altimeters was to be covered in 1 single activity. After my first marathon in Antwerp, I carefully dipped my toe into ultra trail running, and after a few years I climbed up to the distance of 100 kilometers.
Many people want to run a 170 km loop
The UTMB is known to be very popular. Yes that's right, many people want to run a loop of 170 kilometers around Mont Blanc. Before you can participate effectively, you must demonstrate that you have already successfully completed a number of long trails. In the summer of 2020 I wanted to take my chance on a trail of more than 100 kilometers for the first time. The organization of the UTMB also provides trail races of other distances. Anything from 30 to 300! kilometers is covered. The TDS (short for 'Sur les traces des Ducs de Savoie') was the least popular of the whole series, with a distance of 145 kilometers and a dizzying 9000 meters of altitude. If I wanted to get a taste of the atmosphere during the UTMB week, and see if I could handle such a challenge at all, this race was the perfect 'little sister of'.
The TDS is also often completely sold out, which means that a lottery system is used for registration. I was very pleased when on January 9, 2020 an email came in from the organization...
We all know by now how 2020 has turned out due to COVID in terms of events. At first there was some hope because the sports event will take place completely outdoors, but it turned out to be unrealistic to bring so many people together while the healthcare system was groaning under the corona crisis. The edition for that year and the entire UTMB week were unfortunately cancelled.
On to the 2021 edition then. For those who were lucky enough to be drawn from the lottery, that place was also provided for 2021. Fortunately, I was able to reschedule it in my year, and from January I started training hard for it. I had set the goal for myself to run 100,000 vertical meters that year. This would provide me with strong legs that are ready for the many long and steep trails. Tuesday 24 August was the start of my 145 kilometers in the Italian and French Alps. Covid pasports, test results and mouth masks were still held in place. The start also would be in different waves. At 3.30 pm our starting shot was given, and with about 500 runners we were released onto the trails as the 3rd wave. Not the mass start I had seen countless times on YouTube, but impressive nonetheless. The music of Pirates of the Caribbean boomed from the speakers and soon we were climbing through the narrow streets of Courmayeur towards the first big climb.
A warm-up of 1200 meters of climbing gently pulled the string of runners apart, and I tried not to lose time at the first aid station. We arrived in a beautiful landscape, which I recognized from a few years ago. Lac Combal and the climb further to the first real col were breathtaking. This is why I love ultra mountain trails so much: you get to see so many landscapes that others would take a week to see. Night began to fall, and the temperature plummeted. I stayed in a T-shirt for a while, but when it started to rain lightly I decided to put on my raincoat. The road was still long and taking care of yourself is the key to success during ultra running.
...that's the way to outrun runners without running faster...
A long and easily accessible descent was the reward for the many climbing. I let gravity do its work and relaxed into the descent. Col du petit St Bernard brought us into France and then the real descent started with switch backs towards Bourg St Maurice. There was a large aid station there, and I took the time to prepare for the next piece. In the meantime it had already become dark, but there was a lot of atmosphere and activity, and there was no question of great fatigue yet. I downed a warm pasta, tasteless rice and some fruit. Refilled my water and grabbed an energy bar before leaving the busy sports hall. Being able to pass efficiently through these sometimes hectic aid stations is the way to overtake other participants without having to run faster. The climb of climbs started: 1924 vertical meters over 11 kilometers. The beam of my headlight on the trail was my company for the next few hours. I took my time getting into a rhythm, and marveled that after an hour of constant climbing I was barely a third into the climb. I did not turn down a much too expensive lemonade above Fort de la Platte. I had clearly underestimated this slope, and that must have been the best €5 spent on a can of soda. The technical part further on brought some variety, and I was almost without water or food in the meantime. Shortly after the high point of the race was another aid station I was counting on...
My watch indicated that we were almost at the highest point, and a little further on I saw a group of lights that seemed to stop. Behind me I saw a string of headlights hundreds of meters zigzagging up the mountain. A beautiful sight that showed how far the field is spread out so far into the race. Once we arrived at the group, it turned out that we came to a difficult passage, and that only a few runners were allowed through. So we had to wait a little while, and everyone kept their position. Anyone who thought to pass was whistled back by other trail runners. I left my watch and GPS tracking running, as my goal was to maintain around 6km/hr, with aid stations and stops included.
5 minutes of waiting became 10, and we couldn't move much. I started to get cold and put on an extra coat. When 20 minutes turned into half an hour, the cold really seeped in. It was after midnight and the drops clinging to the grass were slowly transforming into glistening ice crystals. I wiggled my toes from bitingly cold to just plain cold in vain. My feet and shoes were wet from the previous rain. The wet feet reminded me of the many night marches I had done in the army during my training. Another problem began to arise. The long string of climbing headlights had also come up by now, and where there were maybe a good 40 people when I arrived, the group now really started to grow.
The entire single trail was now full, and those who really didn't get warmed up could continue to a small campfire of the organization. Sitting down was choosing cold, damp and not very comfortable, staying standing was the less bad choice of the two as far as I'm concerned.
A volunteer from the organization came by and gave some extra explanation. A little further down the Passeur de Pralognan, a runner had fallen and needed treatment. From where we stood the col seemed only 200 meters away, and the accident must have happened earlier on the other side during the descent. At the front of the race, things are a bit more serious competition wise, and there is faster running over difficult and technical terrain. All this together with the bad weather conditions and the night made for an extra challenge. In dribs and drabs, runners were allowed through. They could start the technical part under extra supervision, but this was not nearly enough to relieve the large waiting masses. It was clear that this situation could not last. Some time later, word came through that the race had been 'neutralized'. The medical helicopter was no longer available due to the incident, and safety could not be sufficiently guaranteed. In practical terms, this meant that anyone who had not yet passed the Passeur de Pralognan had to turn around and return to Bourg St. Maurice via the same long descent. Climbing over technical terrain is always easier than descending, so we were faced with a tough job. An hour after the decision there was still little movement, and a short but slightly technical passage lower on the singletrack was the culprit.
The advantage of the long wait was that we could see the sunrise from the highest point in the race. The headlamps could be stowed away in the meantime and only now it became clear what beautiful but rugged environment we had already been in. The early morning light was nothing short of phenomenal, and the landscape looked like a scene from 'Lord of the rings'. We had to wait patiently before the sun would finally start to warm our cold feet and body. After a difficult start, the string of runners got moving beyond the difficult part, which also contributed to the warming up.
After the hours of waiting I was mentally completely checked out of the race, and I was not really looking forward to taking on this monster descent. The organization usually ensures that the steep parts are climbed in such a way that the descents are more manageable, but now there was nothing else to do. I had already consumed my last water during the night, and I couldn't get more than a few drops out of the softflasks. The half of the energy bar I had tucked away in Bourg St. Maurice was now the only thing that would give me the energy to descend for the next few hours. This was a mistake that I would later learn from. First walking, later running did I came closer to Fort de la Platte. The beautiful sunrise and the clouds in the valley made the descent a bit more bearable. From the fort the real steep descent with the many switchbacks started. My upper legs had already become seriously stiff from the cold and the kilometers, but relief would only come after bridging the last 1000 vertical meters. I tried to refocus and push the pain to the background. The faster down, the sooner I could finally recharge myself. The energy in my body had been depleted for a long time, so it was relying on grit and character to get down.
At 9.30 am I finally stumbled into the aid station in Bourg St. Maurice. It had already undergone a complete metamorphosis. Where there were still plenty of tables, benches and food during the night, the large hall was now almost completely empty. There was 1 more table in the corner, and there I finally got the chance to refill my empty stomach and energy. Sparkling water and a dry piece of baguette with local cheese should do for now. It tasted heavenly! My wife and 2 daughters were on their way to pick me up, and we started the new day together with croissants and coffee. With that my 2nd attempt of the TDS trail was over. Good news: everyone who dropped out early will automatically have the chance to participate in the 2022 edition.
Only after the passing of the night did it become clear how tragic the accident had been. The Czech runner who fell past the Passeur de Pralognon died of his injuries a little later. At the start of the UTMB on Friday, a minute of silence was held in his memory. Although I don't know the runner personally, I felt connected to him. After all, we share the same love for the mountains and trails as so many others. As Reinhold Messner says: 'Mountains are not fair or unfair, they are just dangerous'. A strong reminder to celebrate life, every day!
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