UTMB
Report by Paul Walker
This race is one of the most prestigious ultra marathons in the world and the UTMB is one of 7 races held over a 1 week period at the end of August. More than 10,000 runners take part in the races.
The UTMB race started off for me at 6 pm Friday, as the final wave of runners set off from Chamonix in the French Alps along a route that covers over 105 miles with a total ascent of over 10,000 meters, over high altitude mountain passes, passing into Switzerland, Italy, Switzerland and back into France around the Mont Blanc Mountain range.
A lot of RR know me and the journey I’ve been on: 12 months ago I was undergoing treatment for cancer from which I got the all clear this February, then having to train from scratch to build up strength and stamina, so for me to do this race was a big deal.
The race this year started in waves. The first wave being the expected faster runners, including around 150 elites who line up in the centre of Chamonix (there’s a high wire walker above the start line and rousing music building the ambience) so I am totally immersed in the atmosphere along with 2000 plus runners.
The race starts leaving the streets of Chamonix along lovely forest trails to the first few checkpoints and then the first of many climbs kicks in. We travel along the Trail Du Mont Blanc route anti clockwise, winners are expected to finish around 21 hours, I have up to 46.5 hours to complete the race, this means 2 nights in the dark. The high summits were extremely cold at night, with winds blowing off glaciers I could feel the sub zero freezing on my face. As soon as the sun rose above the mountains it soon got hot. The first night took me out of France and Switzerland and into Italy.
I got to half way point at Courmayeur at the hottest part of the day. I knew I was starting to have stomach issues, I tried various foods, noodle soup, pasta, snack bars most I couldn’t keep down. I resorted to eating bananas, oranges, dry biscuits, Coca Cola and water and this continued until the end. I had great help from around 75 miles on from Ian Oldham and Caroline Graham, they were waiting for me at Champex Lac (Swiss) and they helped me down more bananas and tempting food stuffs along with loaded expresso coffee. I tried for a sleep – no chance due to competitors noise and close proximity but I had renewed vigour. I had 30 miles to go with most hard climbs completed. The espresso gave me fresh wings and I was flying for the next 10 miles and over taking felt so good. Then the sun rose on another hot day. The last mountain I had heard was awful, it was! Big rocks, clambering tree roots, I knew I had the race cracked I could see Chamonix in the valley below me. A horrid descent gave way to a runable 5 km ending running back through the streets of Chamonix with high fives, aller aller aller and music and commentary. As I approached the finish line overwhelming emotion hit me. I can see Ian, we high five at the finish I see Caroline and another fellow runner and his son.
The climbs and descents are long and high but the scenery spectacular. The reward is a race T shirt and gilet, which I have worn for the last week with pride.