Month: September 2022

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How to make a proper checkpoint for your next ultramarathon

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How to make a proper checkpoint for your next ultramarathon

Do you have a support team for your next ultramarathon? Here's what you need for a successful race and a 'full' Check-Point.

The support team and a checkpoint just for you are the essential elements that can make the difference between a good result and a great result. A checkpoint just for you for an ultramarathon requires extra planning, but 10 minutes of pre-race planning can improve your result by up to half an hour for a 100km race that takes between 15 and 25 hours. Plus, you have an excuse to meet up with a loved one during the race who will put a big smile on your face during the toughest times. 

I’ve been running ultramarathons for more than 10 years and every race is an opportunity to improve my checkpoint and the routine I develop in the few minutes I spend in the hydration station. The best ultramarathoners spend a total of between 10 and 20 minutes in all the checkpoints of a 20-hour, 170-kilometre race like the UTMB.

The photo in the article is from the 2021 National Ultramarathon Championships where I finished 3rd, but everyone admired my checkpoint and Maria’s agility to set it up in minutes and give me just what I needed. If you’ll read to the end, I’ll tell you a tip on how to install it perfectly every time. 

Rule #1. Before you read the next few lines, the main rule is that your checkpoint is installed before you get to it. It has often happened that athletes get to the place where the checkpoint should be and it was not installed and the athlete wasted time. The idea is to do whatever it takes to gain time, not to waste time and linger in the cp.

Rule #2.The support team should have your flasks of water, isotonic, ready for both the checkpoint and the next leg of the course before you get to them. It is a mistake to spend time in the checkpoint just for this. 

What have I prepared in the checkpoint?

(As in the photo)

1. It is important that all gels (bars, baby food, etc.) stay on an envelope/pouch, so that when you leave the checkpoint it is empty and all nutrition is stuffed into your jacket pockets. This is your assurance that you’ve got what you need for the next section – leave that area empty.

2.Hydration for the next section, in flasks. As with nutrition, it’s essential to take everything you’ve planned with you. Even if your vest feels heavy after you leave the checkpoint, don’t spill water, because you’ll need it. It’s clear that you have a clearer mind when planning than during the competition, so trust what you’ve set beforehand. I generally put 500ml of water in a flask + 500ml water + isotonic or Maurten 160 in another flask.

3.Electrolyte tablets. The first thing I do when I get into CP is take 1-2 electrolyte pills like this one (SaltStick).

4.Hydration from checkpoint / 4.1 – Plain water / 4.2 – Mineral water / 4.3 – Isotonic / 4.4 Orange juice (in the last few ultramarathons I gave this up because it gave me insulin spikes, gave me energy, but then I quit).

5. Wet towel, cold – for wiping on neck/face/hands/feet (preferably in that order).

6. Salty cravings casserole – for salty cravings.

7. Fruit to eat at checkpoint, only if I have a craving.

8. Liquid Cravings – liquid stuff I’ve had in training and possibly crave during the competition. 8.1 – applesauce, 8.2 – ginger beer, 8.3 – mango smothie, raspberry.

9. Simple carbs – Coke, Red Bull. Useful for the 2nd part of the competition, when often the nutrition plan needs to be adapted. Still you need calories to keep you going; for me at Istria 100 miles these were the solution after nothing else worked.

10. Extra pair of running shoes, with clean socks – if you need a refresher for your feet or if you’ve blistered.

11. Extra gear/sunglasses for the next section in the strong sun. I advise you to always have a spare t-shirt, a light coloured hat that protects you from high temperatures. During an ultramarathon you should look for comfort. Change if you’re sweaty, put on an extra layer if you’re cold. Use the check-point as a point where you restart your equipment and motivation.

12. Cold spray for legs or other muscle groups. Apply it at a distance of 20-25 centimetres, otherwise you’ll feel the burn.

EXTRA (ce nu se vede în fotografie, pentru că am adăugat după acel concurs):

  1.  A small bag of salty cravings (Tuc crackers, small pretzels, salty pretzels).
  2. A small bag of soft fruit (mango, melon, apricots, etc).
  3. Ice – in a heat insulated bag. It’s very useful for warm weather, to put in your trousers, jacket pockets to cool down. it’s great to keep your drinks cold.
  4. Bread, breadsticks. They go great with Coke.
  5. Ginger shot – useful for times when you’re throwing up and need to change the sweet/dry taste in your mouth.
  6. A phone/timer on to time your CP time.

USEFUL for the support team

  1. Cutlery
  2. Pans of various sizes
  3. Notebook/pencil
  4. 2-3 bottles
  5. GPS track on watch and route map in google maps
  6. Thick clothes
  7. Tape and marker to write on flasks containing

Routine in each checkpoint

Time spent at checkpoints can make a difference. You can finish a 100 km race 25-30 minutes faster just from the time you save at checkpoints. At the same time, checkpoints can get you back on your feet after a difficult moment during the race. However, you don’t have to linger at the checkpoints, but don’t rush either. Only stay extra minutes if you’re feeling tired and feel you need to hydrate and eat better.

I remember at UTMB 2022, at mile 100 I had the lowest point of the race in terms of energy. I knew Arnouvaz was coming up, a checkpoint where I find soup, water and what I need for the next few kilometres. I knew it was a long way to the finish and allowed myself to spend 4 minutes in this CP, where I hydrated better and ate soup with Tuc biscuits.  I did well, as there was a long climb ahead, and the extra 2 minutes of rest put me back on my feet. 

Here’s what you need to do for an effective checkpoint routine::

  1.  Before 1-2 kilometres before you reach CP, mentally review what you will do at that checkpoint.
  2. Before entering a check-point, make sure you drink all the fluids in the flasks you have with you. If you’ve planned your run well, you won’t have much to drink. Don’t throw water away, drink it instead.
  3. Pocket (or you can even hold) your empty packs until you reach the CP. Throw them at the feet of the support team.
  4. Before you enter the CP, hold out your hand and let the support team guide you to where they’ve set up your table; they should pull you by the hand to your designated spot.
  5. The support team should put a wet towel around your neck to cool you down.
  6. Let your support team know how you are feeling, what problems you have had.
  7. When you arrive, start a watch, time how long you stay in CP.
  8. Drink 300-350ml of water in CP with 1-2 electrolyte pills.
  9. Put your nutrition from the envelope (#1 in photo) (gels, bars, etc.) in your pockets for the next section.
  10. Continue to drink/eat to your heart’s content, but don’t overdo it, as you will vomit. I choose to eat a warm, salty soup with TUC crackers in it.
  11. Don’t linger in CP unless you need to.

The person who decides to help you at a checkpoint will have a different but equally intense journey, almost the same as you. He will worry about you, he will worry about whether you will (and will) make it to the checkpoint on time. It will sleep on the run, it will drive between different locations. There’s no need to be angry at the support team, as they want your best and that’s why they’re helping you.

Keep in mind that mistakes can happen during a race, but don’t let that demotivate you. A.D.A.P.T your plan to your needs and continue the race with a positive attitude, eventually you can make use of what the organisers have prepared for you at the checkpoints, in case the support team fails to follow the plan.

Tips & tricks: for a perfect checkpoint, I recommend setting it up with the support team the day before the race and taking a photo of it. The support person will know how to set it up based on that photo, and you won’t be surprised by a different arrangement of items. 

Robert Hajnal

Robert Hajnal

Sunt om de munte și am o viziune clară despre ce vreau să fac în viața mea. Îmi imaginez o lume în care fiecare om face sport și își pune pe primul loc sănătatea. Locul 2 UTMB in 2018, 862 ITRA points.

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UTMB roller-coaster

The emotions and experience of TrailRunning Academy athlete Valentin Bălănescu during the 170 km of the UTMB.

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UTMB roller-coaster

UTMB

The emotions and experience of TrailRunning Academy athlete Valentin Bălănescu during the 170 km of the UTMB.

Article written and lived by:
Valentin Bălănescu

It’s Friday, 26.08.2022, 5.53pm, and after the pre-race moments of presenting the favourites and encouraging the participants, the famous Place du Triangle de l’Amitie in Chamonix has gone quiet. 

It is a profound silence, in a square that a few seconds ago was clapping its hands in jerky unison, a shift from one extreme to another, from agony to ecstasy, as all ultra races are. After a few seconds, the silence is shyly broken, one note at a time by Vangelis and his Conquest of Paradise, the official anthem of the UTMB. 

You can feel the energy of the song permeating the sea of runners. It’s the moment when I realise I’m HERE. This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of for 5 years. The moment I’ve planned for, trained for, injured for, recovered for, woken up early or slept late for, run dozens, hundreds, thousands of miles for, watched documentaries, read books, magazines, analyses for, it’s finally here! 

Start- Valentin Balanescu – UTMB

The road ends here! Or is it just the beginning?

I close my eyes and feel the vibration of the market, the growing impatience given by the adrenaline of the moment, and the images of the MIUT DNF in April, the last ultra race I participated in, flash through my mind. 

I’m not afraid of the 171km to come, but even as my mind is challenging me, I feel motivated and eager for the adventure that is about to begin. Then I see myself still in the square crossing the finish line, hand in hand with the kids as I promised them. 

Ultra has taught me that any doubt, the mind’s attempt to test your resolve, can be defeated by positive counterexamples. I am reassured and convinced that all will be well. 

Robert’s words come back to me:

“you’ll see that it will be just fine, if you don’t make any serious mistakes”. 

That would mean that in 36 hours I’d be back at the finish with the kids by my hand.

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10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Gooooooooo! I’m somewhere between the last ones, on the church stairs, and from the steps, I can see the first ones breaking into a run. 

The crowd starts to move slowly, at about the pace of entering the subway at Pipera, Bucharest Metro Station, in the evening around 6 pm when everyone finishes work. After about 3 minutes they get to the start line, but it’s another 100 meters or so of walking due to the crowds.

There are only about 2800 runners at the start.

After crossing the start line the atmosphere is incredible, people are crowded on the sidelines, cheering us on and making an atmosphere I’ve never encountered before even in a football stadium. The whole of Chamonix is at the start, in the square where the route coasts and then strings along the centre to the exit of the town. When the cordon ends, I look at the clock and we’re already at km 1.54.

Déjà the early jitters have passed, I turn off the GoPro and concentrate on what I have to do. The first 8 km to Les Houches are flat and I do them in 54 minutes. Les Houches, just like Chamonix is celebrating, the whole town is along the route, with trumpets, vuvuzelas, music. Everyone is cheering us on and you have to be very strong to stick to the plan, as the atmosphere can steal you away immediately and you don’t realise when you’ve hit the gas.

Le delevert- Valentin Balanescu – UTMB

The start is as planned: easy, with the main aim that after 50 km I’ll be fresh and from there I’ll gradually increase the pace.

Even if the HR is a bit high, around 165, it’s normal considering that I didn’t warm up and I’ll definitely lower it on the next climb. 

From the climb, behind, you can see the whole valley and Les Houches, over which darkness is starting to settle slightly.

I’m in the middle of a never-ending Indian line that doesn’t seem to end either in front of me or behind me. The pace is steady, and the pace has slowed, so I can enjoy the incredible views around me: the white peaks of Mont Blanc, the reddish patches that the sun leaves on the crest at sunset, and the infinite greenery among which the path makes its way. 

I focus on nutrition and hydration, which over many races have given me problems. I am aware that if they go well, then the race is 95% assured. 

At Saint – Gervais, at the end of the first half marathon, I arrive in 3 hours 35, and I am super fresh. I walk economically, without pushing at all. All good.

First half marathon check, 7 to go!

Then an easy climb to Les Contamines. At least, it looked that way from the race profile, as I don’t know the first 81 km to Courmayeur. So I got the information about the route from the descriptions of friends who have already done the race or from youtube videos where I analyzed the specifics of the route. 

In reality no surprises, so I arrive at CP at km 32 after 5:25, easily covered. In CP they have noodle soup. I try it with bread and cheese: love it at the first bite. Although I’ve never eaten soups through competitions before, it fits very well and the last piece of the nutrition puzzle has just been found.

Besides from here to the end, the nutrition will be simple but precise: on the route – I alternate gels with either Snickers or Lidl’s chia and fruit puree, and in CPs: noodle soup, bread, cheese, oranges, watermelon. 

Meanwhile outside it has darkened, and the trail is very clearly visible from the fireflies ahead aka runners’ foreheads. 

The silence of the mountain is broken only by those walking in groups and chatting amongst themselves.

As the nutrition is going well and the reflex is already formed about every 30-40 minutes I eat and about every 10-15 minutes I take a sip of water, I can enjoy the clear sky full of stars. 

I’m not sleepy at all, although the hours pass one after the other so I don’t resort to caffeinated gels and, at Robert’s advice, I also stay away from Coke. 

After Les Contamines we pass through a park that looks like an amusement park and end up in an LED-lit Hoka tunnel.

I’m a little weirded out that I’m not in the mood to turn on my GoPro, but on the other hand I feel the moment giving me wings: #FlyHumanFly and the peace slowly increases until the climb begins and I temper myself. 

Next comes the climb to Col du Bonhomme, which is veeeeryyy loooong. It starts to light up and in the valley, you can see the long line of hundreds of headlamps. It’s the perfect time for a mountaintop breakfast and a breathtaking view. I sit on a boulder at the edge of the path, take out my sandwich, and watch the sunrise millimeter by millimeter behind the mountaintop as the column of runners passes me by.

There’s the stillness of the mountain, broken only by the murmur of rushing water in the valley, and all the pressure I’ve been feeling all week has vanished as if by magic. 

Imagine there’s no past, no future too! 

Although in CPs I move against the clock, now it feels like I would never leave the place, even though I’ve finished eating and don’t feel tired either. On the contrary, I feel the energy and once I get going I effortlessly overtake, one by one, a bunch of runners to the Col de la Seigne.

The view is dreamy and I don’t even know when I cross Col de la Seigne, Lac Combal, Arete du Mont-Favre, Checrout – Maison Vieille. I’m on schedule and everything is going better than I would have hoped.

 

Although it’s half of the competition I don’t know, everything went perfectly.

The first challenge comes on the last part of the descent to Courmayeur, when you enter the forest and for about 3km run on a trail where your feet sink into the dust. As you run quite hard the dust is kicked up into the air and you can hardly breathe. My eyes, lips, and throat are starting to sting from the dust which I think has even gotten into my bloodstream. It’s also gone through my gaiters into my shoes and although before this stretch I thought there was no point in changing shoes, now the dilemma has been solved.

In Courmayeur, Marius is waiting for me on a street that I can hear from a hundred meters away cheering me on as he sees me.

He runs with me to the entrance of the CP where I clap hands with the kids and forget about the dust that had just ruined my zen earlier. Ramona, my wife, helps me grab the drop bag, and refills the gels and smoothies for the second half. She cools me with my cold spray, I change my shirt and shoes and in between shakes I finish my protein shake and eat the noodle soup she brought me. 

I feel like I’m at Formula 1 and hurrying onward. 

I say goodbye to the support team on the way out and head off through the already burning sun towards Bertone. It’s probably around 25-27 degrees but with no shade, I’m melting. Luckily there’s a fountain on the way where we all rush to cool off. I get straight under the tap, wet my cap, and pour 3 glasses of water over my head. Restart!

The climb to Bertone is, due to the heat, the hardest of the competition, but I tackle it at a measured and steady pace. I don’t speed up, but I won’t stop either. 

Near Bertone, a group of tourists is watching the race live on their phones and I make the announcement: Kilian crosses the finish line and has set a record: he is the first to go under 20 hours. Blanchard is due to show up in a few minutes, he’s also entered Chamonix. I ask them about Robert and they tell me he’s 10th. 

Great, he was down in 11th and he’s in the top 10. He’s got time to move up 1-2 places 

Up at Bertone I find a bunch of runners stretched out in the 2 tents that keep the sun out. I eat 2 pieces of oranges, fill the flasks with water and move on. It’s a hot day all the way to Arnouvaz. From time to time the path climbs along the mountain and enters shady areas: a blessing! You just want to sit your butt on a rock and wait until the evening to go further. But I’m on plan and it would be a shame not to keep up the pace given that apart from the discomfort created by the heatwave, which I’m treating with lots of fluids, the rest is going better than I could have hoped.

I pass through Bonatti and Arnouvaz in the same scenario. The climb to Grand Col Ferret, the border between Italy and Switzerland, begins and the scenario changes. It’s shady and as we climb to the top the wind starts to blow harder and harder. Fog also appears on the horizon, so it’s time to activate the sheet. 

It’s déjà vu from last year’s CCC 100km race when we encountered the same kind of weather.

From here the descent to La Fouly begins, my favourite part where last year at the CCC I committed by pressing the accelerator pedal too hard. I learned my lesson and planned to be thoughtful, to run to my heart’s pace: no higher than 140 bpm. 

The kilometres go by one by one and after La Peule everything changes: the second race starts. A stone slips out from under my left leg and I feel the ligament stretch and an instinctive warmth engulfs it.

 

I stop, it doesn’t seem to be that serious, I can stomp and it doesn’t feel like anything serious. I move on. But as time goes by the pain slowly but surely increases. 

On the ascent to Champex-Lake it starts to hurt with every step I take. I realise that the goal has changed from sticking to the plan of finishing in 36 hours to finishing in a maximum of 46 and a half hours which is the time limit. I grit my teeth and think that I have almost 18 hours left for the remaining 45 kilometres. In Champex I don’t stay long, I’m afraid of getting cold and aggravated, plus I don’t have to, nutrition is still going well, I fill the flasks, drink soup on the go and eat 2 quarts of oranges.

Next up is the climb to La Giete which is quite steep. Last year this stretch to the end gave me the biggest problems, when the nutrition didn’t work and I was sick. Now the situation is different, so on the climb I walk steadily up to the bearable limit of pain, but without taking breaks. The problems come after Giete, where the descent is steep and the pain is unbearable because I can’t flex my left leg at all. I walk slowly, like a snail, using my sticks as crutches and making room for everyone who seems to fly past me.

From time to time I alternate the way I step on my left foot, trying as much as possible not to flex: either I step on my heels, lean on the sticks, or step sideways, putting my right foot forward and then my left without bending it.

An ultra race is a lot like a human life: it puts you in front of a lot of weights, it moves you like a carousel from ecstasy to agony and back again. There are times when a minute feels like a day and a day feels like a minute. Now it knocks you down being sure that you have reached the limit of your resources so that you immediately feel fresher than before the start. To be able to see through such a challenge it is important to be self-aware, to learn your reactions and know how to manage them so that you keep thoughts of quitting at bay.

Right now I’m in such a situation. 

Every step tells me to give up, that the pain is too much, that it’s not worth the risk, that time is flying and I’m moving slower than a snail and more than likely I won’t make it and in the best case I’ll finish after the cut-off and risk my health to boot.

To succeed in such a situation it is essential to understand that it is the mind that limits us. In the spirit of self-preservation, it is the one that creates all the scenarios in our heads to make us give up. But for every situation, ultra teaches you that there are solutions. 

To quiet the mind you have to prove it wrong, so I focus on everything that’s going right and debunk each counter-argument in turn : nutrition is excellence, I’ve never felt better than I do now. Even if my leg hurts I move forward and have found solutions to menage it as much as possible. Even though there are about 40 kilometres to go, only about 15 are downhill. Well, haven’t I done 15 kilometres of rough riding? Of course I have! Anyway the main goal from the beginning was to finish the race, so it’s ok even if the time one drops.

 Then I promised the kids we’d cross the finish line by hand and I’m going to keep my word.

Finish – Valentin Balanescu – UTMB

So they go mile after mile, hour after hour.

 I leave Trient and Les Tseppes behind and approach Valorcine. (Kilometre 156) Here, on the interminable descent, which seems like an eternity, it seems to me that time flies by too fast and I don’t move forward at all. It’s that feeling where it seems like an hour passes in a minute standing still. It’s the most difficult moment of the race because the idea that I’m not going to make it is creeping in deeper and deeper. I only have one more climb of almost 1000m and one more descent of that much in almost 20 kilometres and it’s already almost 09.00 in the morning, which means I have another 7 and a half hours. It seems like a lot for less than a half marathon but at the speed I’m moving on the descent it seems like a second.

The phone rings. 

It’s Ramona and she tells me she’s waiting for me and Marius in the CP. My first thought is that they are waiting for me in Chamonix and I tell them not to wait for me as I will be late. She tells me that she sees me on the app and I have to be in CP in 3 minutes and that they are in Valorcine. I can feel my spirits rising and the feeling is that I’m picking up the pace although I think it’s just a feeling, more than likely. After a few minutes I reach the CP and I hear Marius from a distance squeezing enough to wake up the last sleepy person in all of Valorcine : Valiiiiii, Come on Vaallliiiiiii! Until the capaaaat!

In the CP Mariu brings me a coffee (the only one I drank in the whole contest) and Ramo takes care of the leg which is the size of my boot. It even seems to be out of place from how it’s inflated. The cold spray plus the anti-inflammatories seem over about 10 minutes to take effect. 

Their encouragement has lifted my spirits and I’m determined to see it through. After Valorcine there are about 2-3 miles of flat false going well and it seems the leg is better, the pain is subsiding. The road curves away from the path along the asphalt and ahead I see Marius and Ramo waiting for me again. They accompany me about 500 metres to where the Col de Montets is. The 5 minutes with them have lifted my spirits even more so I tackle the climb full of enthusiasm. Even though my watch is dead, I climb pretty well even though the sun is already up and halfway melting. 

No matter, spirits are high and much easier than I imagined a few hours before I reach the top. Up there the sun is beating down, but the path is full of cheering tourists and even if the pains seem to be coming back slowly I reach Tete aux Vents. It’s 12:15 and here I’m sure I’ll make it to the finish: I still have 4 hours and a quarter for 10 kilometres.

By the end I’m definitely going to be the one with all the time in the world to finish. Luckily it takes me less than two hours, although a bunch of runners pass by me cheering me on and congratulating me for not giving up. Halfway down the road I pass the tables of La Floria terrace where I get a round of applause from people relaxing over a beer and among the cheers I hear a “Hai Romania! 

From here the line of spectators starts again, in groups of 50 metres at a time, cheering us on and congratulating us on our performance: Courage! Come on! Come on! Four kilometres!

When I get into town, I call Ramo and tell her that we have entered Chamonix. She tells me she’s waiting for me at Ultra Village, and the kids are waiting for me near the end so we can cross the finish line together. 

The last kilometre I probably won’t soon forget. It’s the essence of this race I’ve dreamed of for 5 years: on the one hand the pain I felt with every step, on the other the cheers of hundreds of people cheering me on from the sidelines, the joy of seeing the children again who jumped into my arms about 100 metres before the finish and with whom I crossed the finish line by hand, and the feeling of finishing the dream I started 44 hours and 16 minutes ago.

The turtle race has ended! Until the next one.

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UTMB roller-coaster

The emotions and experience of TrailRunning Academy athlete Valentin Bălănescu during the 170 km of the UTMB.

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The 10 Magnificent of the UTMB 2022 Podium

The 10 Magnificents of the

I had the chance to share the UTMB 2022 podium with 10 of the best endurance athletes in the world. Here's how I met them, how they competed and my thoughts on them.

Article lived and written by:

Robert Hajnal

Robert Hajnal

I arrived 2 minutes before the time set by the organisers. At 4 p.m. they asked us to be in the tent to the right of the stage, one hour before the award ceremony. For this edition I am one of the first 10 runners to cross the finish line

It’s a dream rekindled and (re)fulfilled, which I worked on for another 4 years after my 2nd place in 2018. At the time I thought I would give up running but it made me want to come back at least one more time. I had years where I deepened the lessons offered by ultramarathoning, suffered from dehydration in 2019, too little training in 2021 and in 2022 I was back in my best ultra form since I started. Experienced and trained enough to put in a good showing.

In the awards tent it was a shock to see the best runners on the planet, Kilian, Mathieu, Tom Jim, Zach, , Benat, Arthur, Jonas, Thibaut in the same place for the first time. The fact that I was in that tent, at that moment, with the same intention, to get on the podium was such a momentous event that it would be sad to pass it by without writing about the experience. I think every one of the 2765+ runners that were at the start would love to spend a minute in that tent, to ask each of them at least one question.

So much went through my head that I didn’t share much with any of them but I get a wave of gratitude and goosebumps thinking I was there with them. 

10. Thibaut GARRIVIER

On a cold and wet November day in 2021 I was between Pico Ruivo and Pico Arreiro on the Madeira Island Ultra Trail. This trail is one of the most beautiful running trails in the world. However, as beautiful as it is technical. It’s a continuous show of steep rocks and uneven steps that are burning your feet and turning your stomach upside down if you run too hard.

I was in the MIUT race, at kilometre 72 and I did something I don’t often do during a race: I looked back. 

Not a kilometre in, I see a runner walking up the uneven steps with giant strides, leaning forward, almost hunched over by the incline. I felt hunted. Running with his hands on his knees, he caught up with me within 10 minutes. Me alongside him, I seemed to stand still. I took a step to the side and was amazed at his strength, the strength and intensity of the effort and how well he handled it. His breathing was ragged, but he didn’t seem to mind that. If I had been his prey, I certainly wouldn’t have escaped with my life.

I was inwardly glad he was on a shorter run, watched in awe as he advanced through the high cliffs as if he were some kind of mountain spiderman.

The athlete who had overtaken me was Thibaut, and he was to win the 70-kilometre race at MIUT. Pau Capell had come second. Two months earlier he had won the CCC with a course record, one of the revelations of the UTMB that year. 

This year he came 10th in the UTMB, his first 100-mile race. He suffered for more than 12 hours because he couldn’t eat or drink water, adjusting his pace to close the loop and reach the finish. It took a lot of mental strength, a lot of concentration to accomplish this seemingly trivial task of putting one foot in front of the other.

In the tent, I get up from my comfy chair to congratulate him and shake his hand for his resilience during the competition. It’s hard to quantify suffering in an ultramarathon, but I think out of the top 10 Thibaut suffered the most to get to the finish line. 

@Thibaut, I would have loved to hear more about your race and the suffering it went through like a hot knife through butter. 

8. Jonas RUSSI 

Photo Copy: Peigneevertical

After finishing a competition I like to have at least one beer. That’s what I did at the UTMB. I was wondering, what other athletes do that? I didn’t even get that thought out of my head when Maria tells me that Jonas Russi is looking for me to talk to me. I knew he finished ahead of me but I didn’t associate his face with his name. 

I was at the back of the start/finish gate when he came up to me with a big smile, happy that the race was over, a beer in his hand and confessed that he ran with me in mind on the last stretch, he was afraid I would catch him. That’s what he did at Lavaredo too, two months ago. I wasn’t overtaking him on either race but I’m glad to see someone at the finish with whom I can toast a glass of beer. 

Jonas is one of the most sociable and charismatic people I have ever met. He has custom Italian but I see he does his postings in German. In the tent of those who were going to take the podium he is the link, the person who asks the most questions, to everyone and congratulates everyone. He’s annoyingly charismatic and had just finished 8th in the world’s most popular mountain running race. You could see the contentment and happiness on his face. A year ago Jonas had come 2nd in TORX, it seems August-September is when Jonas counts his trophies.

@Jonas, I’d love to have a few beers and share our stories accumulated so far in the ultramarathons. I wonder who would fall under the table first?

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7. Arthur JOYEUX BOUILLON

On the ascent from Cural das Freiras to Pico Ruivo, at the first MIUT I attended, I met Arthur for the first time. He had started the race a bit hard and told me to overtake him as I had a better pace. It was 2019 and we were both at our first competitions outside our country. We were both going to finish in the top 10. Since then Arthur came 3rd at TDS in 2021 and kept dreaming of the UTMB. I watched him from the shadows as I do with many runners and was proud of his progress. He seemed to be getting more and more experienced and would use his knowledge in this UTMB.

Three days before the race we met at an Altra team meeting and with a smile on his face, in a sweet French accented English he wished me all the best at the race.

He is a cheerful and charismatic nature but during the race you shouldn’t be fooled by the gentleness in his eyes. At the UTMB he ran an excellent, seemingly flawless race that earned him a well-deserved 7th place. I’m sure Arthur won’t stop here and will dream as boldly as ever. 

@Arthur, surely our paths will cross again from now on. Remain unscathed and your progress will be assured.

6. Benat MARMISSOLLE

Madeira is not only the nice place where I got engaged to Maria but also the place where I met most of the really good runners. A paradise of love and running.

Benat set off for MIUT 2021 with the intention of winning the race. About a month, before MIUT he had come 3rd in the Diagonal des Fou on Reunion Island. That gave him enough self-confidence to have this crazy thought.

At MIUT he ran more than 60 kilometers with Hannes Namberger who was to win the race but probably from accumulated fatigue and too little water on the longest climb of the race left him weak, losing a few places in the ranking.  Then I overtook him too only because I knew the route very well and saved my strength for the last stretch.

At the awards in MIUT, I exchanged a few words with Benat and he confessed that he still doesn’t have a sponsor and that he made a lot of sacrifices for the last two races. 

At the UTMB he overtook me almost at the 100th kilometre when I had a moment of weakness. Somehow he made up for Madeira. I told myself I had enough time to catch up and overtake him. I didn’t manage to do that as he ran great until the end of the race. He was 21 seconds short of stealing Zach Miller’s spot and moving into the top 5. 

@Benat, thanks for showing me that you have to treat racing with attitude and have a crazy plan from the start, keep a steady pace until the end and no name is big enough to be overtaken. In my eyes you have become one of the gods. 

5. Zach MILLER

In 2016 at my first CCC, Zach Miller won the race, I finished 8th. I was looking forward to opening day to go with him and the other top 10 runners on the podium. Zach chose not to come to the awards but to cheer on his fellow UTMB runners from the states. Then David Laney came in 3rd place. He deserved it.

I wanted my podium photo with him from 6 years ago. I saw him, Tim Tollefson and David on Rue du Dr Paccard, main street of Chamonix standing around a bottle of clear liquid (I still don’t know if it was water or vodka) and claimed my photo.

At the time, I saw the  top 3 runners as being in a different league. Being made out of a different material, it seemed. Now, the fact that we’ve all been through the same suffering, that we’ve gritted our teeth, that we’ve had close times, makes me think we’re all made of the same stuff: resilience and a strong stomach.

After the awards, I took a break and confessed that I missed him on the CCC podium and urged him to write more often, that he does this as well as he runs. 

@Zach, so many people have told me that you and I are alike, both in running style and face. How do you feel about that?

4. Jim WALMSLEY

In the tent I see that Jim is free for a second. I have a suitable open liner to open a conversation with him. 

Are you learning French faster than you expected? How are you doing with their language since you moved to France?

In a shy, surprised voice, perhaps because I don’t ask him about running, he replies that he understands beginner-level conversations between two people only that context is very important. In a conversation he finds it hard to reproduce words. In short, he does well at the store and the bakery.

Maybe when Jim is fluent in French he will win the UTMB, maybe winning the UTMB doesn’t depend on how well trained you are but how well your roots are embedded in the francophone culture. Then, running the loop around Mont Blanc will feel as natural as going for a baguette and a pain au chocolat post-run.

He certainly has every chance of winning an edition of the UTMB, he has what it takes, ambition, intelligence, mental strength. He’s only one of the best runners in the world, what the hell.  I’d like to think we also have a few things in common like passion for running, sacrifice, military background. 

@Jim, I hope you meant what you said when you invited me for a few days to come visit, run the hills behind your house and then try to order pastries in French, because I’m going to visit you. By the way, you are welcome to visit Romania, the community here will welcome you with open arms. We have good coffee, craft beer and Ergo’s floor at the house is free. 

3. Thomas EVANS

Tom has improved my running world since first contact. He expanded my universe by showing me the mindset of an endurance athlete. He showed me that I needed to transform from a running romantic into an athlete. That a runner is only as good as their training routines. It transformed me from the first run to the last line “I would love to do another training camp together”. Tom has this power over me to influence me positively, to motivate me and to inspire me. 

I remember our training sessions in 2018 with such freshness in my mind, but more than that, it was the discussions over dinner.

What do you want to revive with running? Why do you do all these things so well? I asked him after a few days when I had worked up my courage. 

Of course we were training for the world championships but I knew there was more to it. In short he confessed to me that he wanted to be the most versatile runner, “any surface, any distance” To win Western States, UTMB, to qualify for the marathon Olympics, to win the MDS against the Moroccans. 

The next day I ran between mile 42 and 52 of the World Championship course. It was a flat and uphill course. On the climbs Tom seemed to continue his easy run started in warm-up, going seemingly effortlessly. My flies were burning and I was trying to breathe even through my ears. I went down to the asphalt and did my personal best for 5 kilometres. Running alongside him I realised that this man can achieve all his dreams, that he was not at all bold in his goals as he seems born for it. His efficiency in running is obvious. Even Maria told me after the UTMB how light Tom was running, at mile 152. 

@Tom I’m grateful for your faith in me in 2018, in the running camp, but also before the start of the UTMB when you told me I don’t dream enough, I’m not bold and a top 10 I can easily. Often during the race your words have fueled my glycogen reserves.  

Do you have a training camp spot in mind for 2023? Count me in!

2. Mathieu BLANCHARD

After the UTMB, a few hours after things had settled down and I understood how each athlete in the top 10 competed, I sent a single message congratulating one athlete. “Amazing performance Mathieu, amazing” . I knew M.B. would reply to me, he’s done it every time so far. 

He doesn’t know that, Mathieu I met for the first time in 2019 between Bonatti and the descent of Arnuvaz . He had a moustache and a brisk pace. After the run I logged onto Strava Flyby to see who I had passed. I’ve had him in my sights ever since and always see what he’s up to.  Mathieu progressed steadily, and in the meantime became a celebrity competing in the survivor. 

His feat of running the UTMB loop in under 20 hours is impressive. His result tells me that I can do it too, I just need to “steal” the recipe from him. 

I feel closest to Mathieu as an athlete. We haven’t been running since we were little kids, we started 10 years ago, we had a top 3 at UTMB (now he has two), our running career started after we signed with a main sponsor. 

@Mathieu, I know you’ll be reading this, let me in on the secret to a sub-20 hour UTMB. Thanks for showing us it can be done. Please tell me where to find you for those runs we were supposed to do in Chamonix.

1. Kilian JORNET

Kilian is the one that will come up in every conversation with your running friends. He changed the game of mountain running.  He has changed the game not just through this race but through everything he has done throughout his time in the sport, from getting 3 pairs of Salomon running shoes to now. I don’t know if he set out to do that, but he did. I’m not saying he’s close to a godlike figure but running might split in two for now. Before Kilian and after Kilian. 

 

Kilian currently has 1.3 million followers on instagram and in one form or another I think he has changed the lives of over a million runners, including mine. 

 

9-10 years ago, early in my running career, I had a phase where I was reading every book that was connected to running. Among them were The Ultramarathoner – Dean Karnazes, Eat & Run – Scott Jurek and Kilian’s Run or Die. Now I’m within 10 feet of him, having run the same route and about to stand on the same podium.  Ten years ago I was impressed with everything he does through running, now I like to think we have that in common. In the tent, I could ask him almost anything, thank him and congratulate him on everything he has done. I didn’t as I didn’t want to seem like too big a fan. Although I am. 

I often ask this question to friends “If you could invite someone to dinner, anyone in the world, who would you invite and what would you ask them?” These days the answer from me would be Kilian.  I’m grateful to life and to the moment that I’ve gotten to this point. I didn’t ask him anything because I’d have to take him out to dinner every night for a week to answer all my questions. 

@Kilian, if you’re reading this article, would it be weird if I knocked on your door in Norway and took you out to dinner at a nice place close to home (whatever you mean by that) for a story and to sign my books that have been sitting in my library giving me inspiration for so long?

1. Dl Stan Turcu

The finish of the UTMB is an extremely exciting thing. In 2018 I had instant tears before the finish line. The thought went through my head that anything is possible and no dream is bold enough. That I had fulfilled a dream I had dreamed of since crossing the finish line of my first ultramarathon

This year I wanted to cross the finish line as quickly as possible, satisfied with a good result and a good place. I didn’t have time to get excited. I saved the tears for later. 

The next day, around the same time I crossed the finish line, the winner of the 70+ category, Mr Stan Turcu, was due to cross the finish line. At 74, Mr Turcu did the loop around Mont Blanc in 44 hours 59 minutes and 48 seconds. I was also at his finish line. When he went to get his finisher’s vest I managed to hug him and then I was overcome with emotions and tears.

I got to know Mr Stan better at a workshop, Running School, in Bucharest when he told us more about his dream of finishing the UTMB. I was fascinated by his ambition and determination. We were of different ages but had the same dream. 

Since then Mr Stan has been training, planning, dreaming about this race and sitting down more confidently at the start of the competition. He ran, hydrated and ate to close the loop in the time limit, but he did much better than that. 

If the top athletes showed us that the limits are in our heads Mr Stan showed us that it’s never too late to start something and see it through. It’s enough to dream, prepare and execute a plan made in years of training. 

@Mr Stan Turcu, thank you for giving us this moment and this example. I dared to transpose myself over 40 and tell myself that I will want to do this at your age. 

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I ran to Cluj for the Wizz Marathon

Article written and lived by 

Rotărescu Nicolae Romeo

I ran to Cluj for the Wizz Marathon

I never thought I would end up having a road marathon, the Wizz Marathon, as a training session for an ultramarathon.

Today is a sunny September Sunday. I’m walking to the start of my second marathon road race and the fifth marathon I’ve run on this surface. I set out to run in training mode, long run, medium to fast tempo, considering that in just six days I will be starting my first +100km Ultra. Until today, before any race, my nerves would get the better of me a few days beforehand and I’d be anxious especially during the night.

This time knowing that it was going to be a simple training run I was able to be more relaxed and get enough sleep in the last few days. Somehow I’m intrigued by the peace of mind I have, will I mobilize myself to be able to handle such a race?

 

I haven’t done much running on asphalt lately, I’ve done most of my volume on the trail and I’m a little skeptical about my ability to sustain the pace the asphalt and flat surface demands of you. I’ve had a few tempo runs in the last few weeks though that have run roughly within parameters so I figure it’s important to enjoy the race, the runners on the trail, the beauty of Cluj-Napoca and the spectators in Cluj who are always there for the runners and support them warmly. 

 I already arrive on the course and see two volunteers scrambling for a “U” loop. They greet me and I answer them and ask if they are cold. They tell me they are waiting for the sun to come up because it’s cold. 

Other runners are also heading to Cluj Arena, where the start is at 8:30. The energy is good and the enthusiasm is present in everyone. I grab a water from a stall and head to my warm-up area. Twenty minutes later I’m warmed up and fitted for the start. The announcer invites us to the start area and from the back of the column I set off full of good energy on the course.

It starts off slower than last year, which I am happy about. I’m not a speed runner, I’m a steady and stubborn turtle, but a “speed runner” I never was and I don’t know if I ever will be again. I aim to run at a heart rate around 140bpm and I want to keep that as steady as possible. This marathon is also being run by my friend from Baia Mare, who turned 62 this year. He has been running 14km in the park every morning since he was 50. Day after day, year after year. He has also run a half marathon and thought until last week that he would also run a half marathon at Wizz AIR. But whoever signed him up seems to have mistakenly signed him up for the marathon. Before the race we talked and he was excited for his first marathon. 

It’s a big thing to do at his age. I admire him for his discipline but also for his courage. The marathon is a worthwhile experience at any age.

  The course is 21km and is run twice. It’s a slow and challenging route. It has 14 “U” turns and is done twice; so every mile you have to slow down, take the turn safely, and then push to get back into tempo. For me, who treats the race as a workout, it’s the ideal route, for those who run the race with full dedication it’s super exhausting. No matter how good a marathoner you are I think it’s impossible to run in a time under two hours and fifteen minutes. And here I’m talking about the best marathoners in the world. 

  The world is good, runners are enjoying the race, people are chatting, cheering each other on, volunteers and spectators are vocal and supporting us with South American warmth. I see Sorin constantly because he allows me the route and I cheer him on every time. So does he and he gives me energy. 

There are other runners I know; I do the same with them. I like to encourage during a race because I love their positive reaction and that gives me strength too.

The run goes smoothly until mile thirty. I’m steady and my heart rate stays within parameters. I hydrate at every point and fuel on schedule. From here the sun starts to burn. I don’t know how many degrees it is but suddenly it seems like everyone is looking for shade. More and more people are running bare-chested, a sign that it’s a general feeling. And the half marathoners, who started two hours later but also the cross country runners who started recently, are looking for shade. 

  My watch shows a pulse of 156 so I slow down and wait for the pulse to drop. I’m feeling very hot. I do a few miles much slower and barely get my pulse down to 140bpm. It’s like at low speed everything is harder. I don’t know what to do! Should I try to up the tempo to make it easier or go for the pulse? I think that in six days I have an ultra waiting for me and decide to stick around. On a U-turn a runner in front of me, past fifty slips and falls. He hasn’t slowed down enough and this happens when fatigue is already taking its toll. He gets up and signals that he’s okay and starts walking. I reach him and ask if I can help him somehow. He tells me he’s relatively fine and that there’s nothing I can do to help him. I thought I’d stay by his side and support him until he gets back into rhythm. He tells me he’s fine so I walk away. 

The miles go by more slowly at a leisurely pace. Nea Sorin asks me if we have much further and I tell him there’s only five kilometres to go. 

  It’s getting hotter and harder to run at low heart rate because I’m slowing down more and more. I decide to pick up the pace but my body doesn’t seem to be listening. Somehow it refuses the commands. I wonder what I’ll do next week at +100k if it’s hard right now. “Niculai, get your head in the game, pull yourself together and let’s go!”. It’s the voice that’s berating me from the back of my mind. I grab another gel and two more glasses of isotonic and remember my training runs. I tell myself to give it a go, and I seem to manage to climb. But after five hundred metres I sink back into the easy run. And, stubborn as I am, I give it another go. This time it works. 

 I do the last kilometres at almost the same pace as at the beginning. I don’t look at my heart rate anymore because it doesn’t matter. I’ll soon finish and enjoy the feeling of the finish. I increase the pace more and more and get closer to the stadium. I pass more marathon runners but also more half marathon runners. The stadium feels better. I almost finish in the sprint and am happy to get the finisher’s medal.

  I keep moving and running very slowly to get my heart rate down and get my recovery right. I’m happy! I have finished a marathon again. I look at the result and see that I was six minutes faster than last year. Then I fought with myself and gave it my maximum. Today I enjoyed the course, I also suffered but I did better. Nea Sorin also finished the race with an honourable time.

  I am grateful and fulfilled. I never thought I would end up having a road marathon as a training session. I can’t wait for the Crazy Wolf Ultramarathon to see what it has in store for me. Every race has its own story and lesson to offer. Endurance running is an amalgam of joy, suffering, meditation, agony and ecstasy! 

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UTMB roller-coaster

The emotions and experience of TrailRunning Academy athlete Valentin Bălănescu during the 170 km of the UTMB.