"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir

Tuesday 23 July 2013

"Where Earth meets Sky"


For those of you who don't know, I came to running from a climbing background. Over the past few years since taking running more seriously, my climbing has been limited to the summers' where I have spent out in the Alps carrying out 'Alpine climbing', encompassing rock, snow and ice climbing on/up to peaks.
I have never been drawn to difficult, technical routes in this environment, but I love the idea of covering easy, non-technical ground in a quick and lightweight approach. This was highlighted to me most when myself and a friend, Sammy, went up the Dome De Neige Des Ecrin in the French Alps at the end of our summer last year, taking as little as possible, moving as fast as possible, no lifts - a purist way of ascending a peak. This showed that with a bit of audacity, you could take a running approach to the bigger mountains.
Sunrise on the upper slopes of Dome de Neige des Ecrin
Me and Sammy on the Summit.
This is where Skyrunning comes in! - their vision and ethos of carrying out races in an alpine environment "where earth meets sky" is exactly what I have been looking for. Combining the disciplines of mountaineering and running makes perfect sense and is the ultimate way to enjoy the mountains (in my opinion!).
The Ice Trail Tarentaise was my introduction into this world and I was completely blown away by the course and just how fun it was to run at altitude, over snow covered mountains and passes, where I knew I would normally 'climb' with boots, crampons, axe etc. Boasting 5,000 metres of vertical ascent and descent over just 41 miles (of which 24miles+ on snow!) with large strectches above an altitude of 3000m - including an early ascent of the Grand Motte (3652m) -  I knew this would be an 'epic' experience!

I spent the few days in the run up (excuse the pun) to the race relaxing and doing a few short acclimatisation runs out on the mountains above Val D'isere.
Nice ridge to run along

Looking back over the ridge


Race morning started at 2am where I rolled out of bed and forced down my porridge and coffee before walking down through Val'd to the start-line in prep for a 4am departure. I felt excited going in to this race, having only completed the 114mile Ronda Dels Cims 3 weeks prior I knew I wasn't fully recovered. I had no expectations regarding performance and was just grateful to be given the opportunity by Lauri and Marino from Skyrunning to be at this race. My goal was to get round the route, enjoy the course and run as well as my body would allow.
Ready to go...

And they're off...

With 600+ other runners, I left Val'd and headed out near the front of the pack and through the quiet roads and onto the mountain trails that would take us up and over into Tignes before a monster of a climb up on to the summit of the Grand Motte (3652m).
I kept a comfortable pace and tried to conserve my energy as best I could as I began the climb up out of Tignes on the switch back piste run beneath the Grand Motte. This was a magical time in the race, as the sun was just rising, slowly lighting up the peaks around me. This was a great distraction from the effect of the altitude as I continued to gain height and move onto the snowy pistes and upper slopes of the mountain.
Despite the rising sun, it was still cold (-2c) and I made the decision to put on my Katoola Microspikes as soon as I hit the snow to aid in progression and maximise traction on the icey slopes.
The climb was steep in places, and I felt my lungs were working overtime as I drew nearer to the summit, a price I payed for not acclimatising fully, but all good suffering.



It felt amazing to be up so high on this tough course in running gear - Skyrunning is just incredible! To top it off the final section to the summit was a short section of rocky steps with ropes to assist your progress up (Via Ferrata i guess!).
The summit was spectacular and I took a moment to take in the panoramic views, picking out Mont Blanc and other distinctive peaks before getting down a GU gel and heading off the top via a series of steep icey slopes - I could see why running crampons were essential!
The next 20miles were tough, I felt nauseous and I was getting chest pains, a result of the altitude I presume?!
It was a mental course, so much snow and progression was slow, particularly as the day grew hotter and the snow became more slushy. I would be running along fine then, BOOM, I'd be waist deep in snow, having fallen through a weaker area! This process repeated itself a few times over the day and made some sections slower, but I loved every bit of it, such an brilliant experience!
The final ascent was on a scree slope and took the runners through a tunnel in the mountain and down a steep snow slope, around 200metres,  that you couldn't help but try to 'ski-run' and glissade down! (snow burn as a result)

The final 6 miles was a great single track trail that followed a crest of a ridge before dropping down to the finish in Val'd underneath the ski lifts.
Finish
I finished in just over 10hours and managed to come 19th overall, a position I was really pleased with considering my lack of recovery/acclimatisation etc. It was a true Skyrunning event, combining mountaineering and mountain running, which left me feeling as though I'd completed a 40mile alpine route, and craving more runs of this nature.
I have been overwhelmed this past month with the races I have done, the people I have met and the emotions I've experienced. I feel truely blessed to have been given these opportunities and look forward to the next few months' where I will be out in the Alps (from this Sunday) in preperation for my next race, the 206mile Tor Des Geants! http://www.tordesgeants.it/en 
A massive thank you to Lauri and Marino from Skyrunning for inviting me out to the Ice Trail, GU for giving me the energy to get round the race and my parents for their continual support!
Good times ahead for the summer...Watch this space;)

2 comments:

  1. Yes...

    'The more you shall honor Me,
    the more I shall bless you'
    -the Infant Jesus of Prague
    (<- Czech Republic, next to Russia)

    trustNjesus ALWAYS, bro,
    and wiseabove to Seventh-Heaven...
    cuzz the only other realm aint too cool.
    God bless your indelible souls.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes...

    'The more you shall honor Me,
    the more I shall bless you'
    -the Infant Jesus of Prague
    (<- Czech Republic, next to Russia)

    trustNjesus ALWAYS, bro,
    and wiseabove to Seventh-Heaven...
    cuzz the only other realm aint too cool.
    God bless your indelible souls.

    ReplyDelete