Hong Kong 100
Tarawera Ultra
Sixfoot Track
Buffalo Stampede Grand Slam
Ultra Trail Australia
Mt Solitary Ultra (my only DNF so far, due to an ankle sprain) :(
The next one promised to be very special - I had been looking forward to it for soooo long and its one that had been on my bucket list for a while. Let's take a look at The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail (simply shortened to LUT from now on)!
The Course
The LUT consists of an arduous 120km over 5,800m elevation in the region of the Dolomites, Italy. The course profile suggested that probably this would be the toughest race so far this year (the distance alone would certainly make it the longest):
The Plan
1. Gear:
Surprisingly, there was not a huge mandatory gear list for this race, so I planned on going with a lighter, smaller pack. Also, I had badly sprained an ankle at Mt Solitary Ultra on the lead up to this race, so I decided to go with La Sportiva Bushido for my shoes as they are probably the most stable shoe I've ever tried (however not really suited to this sort of distance). Clothing would be the same as usual as I really cannot fault the Salomon shirts and Compressport Trail Shorts. One thing I did think about was the use of poles - I have never used them before, haven't really planned to but word is everyone uses them in this race, so i took some for my support crew to have on hand (Black Diamond Distance).
Pack: Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 8
Clothing: Salomon S-lab shirt, Compressport Trail shorts
Shoes: La Sportiva Bushido
Rain Jacket: Inov8 Stormshell 150
2. Nutrition:
Back to nectarines for support crew food, and went with Overstims, Hammer Gel plus some high concentrate energy drinks that I found in the Italian sport stores (but I forget the actual name). Again, I would use Tailwind, but I'm finding that I use this as more supplementary nutrition, rather than a sole fuel source. My awesome support crew (May) took a pic of her superbly arranged support pack which shows the nutrition options very nicely.
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| The exceptionally organised support pack |
3. Race Strategy:
I wasn't sure how I would handle the climbs on this one - as I've mentioned repeatedly before, being a city dweller I don't get to train much on the hills. So the plan was to start very conservative and save some energy for the climbs. Most importantly though I simply wanted to relax enjoy this one for its beautiful scenery.
The Race
It's a real experience in itself to start a race at 11pm! People were out in droves, both runners and supporters (most of which were coming out of bars at that time). The start line atmosphere was great - probably the best of any race I have done so far. I had arrived about 2 hours before the start so thought I would grab a quick bite to eat and then find a place in the line up. This proved to be a mistake, as even though I lined up 45 minutes before start time, the crowd was already massive to the point where I could not even try to push in near the front. I ended up quite near the back which was frustrating and meant i would have to try getting around an awful lot of people.
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| Stuck amongst the sea of people at the start |
Luckily, the start was quite wide and open so overtaking was easy - however it did mean that I was starting out faster than I would have liked, since I didn't want to get stuck in a traffic jam at any single trail. I spent the next 10k basically overtaking hundreds of people, so arriving at the first check point (Ospitale, 16km) I was well ahead of schedule. This first section had seemed nice and gentle though - the climb wasn't too steep and the descent was fast.
The next section involved a bit of walking as the climb was a little steeper, and the descent was also a little trickier, so I could feel the strain on my quads already as I descended into CP2 - Federavecchia at 34km.
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| Enjoying the night section |
Feeling pretty good after a brief rest, and wolfing down some food, I left CP2, and began the climb up to Rifugio Auronzo, which is where the most impressive sights were supposed to be. As I reached the halfway point of this huge climb, the light began to appear and it was sweet relief to be able to take off my headlamp and be safe in the knowledge that (barring any serious problems) I wouldn't see any more darkness. It was a long and arduous ascent, but nearing the top - the fatigue was forgotten as it was simply breathtaking. We were above the clouds, and the mountains were just glorious.
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| Above the clouds at Tres Cime Lavaredo |
This area is the highlight of the course and with good reason - its absolutely spectacular. I actually felt sorry for the front runners who would have come through in low light (or even darkness) and not seen this amazing sight.
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| Truly dwarfed by nature ( yes that's me on the right, yes I know i'm tiny anyway) |
I was so taken aback by it all, I stopped to have a chat and also a few pics with May here - I could have stayed for hours just admiring the view.
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| Having fun at Rifugio Auronzo |
When I finally decided to leave, all the tiredness from the climb seemed to have been completely erased and it felt like I was starting the race again. The course wound around the Tres Cime Di Lavaredo (the large rock formation perched on top of the mountain) on some rockey/stoney track and it was an amazing section of the race. When the descent eventually came, I was sorry to be heading down, but the race had to go on....
The aformentioned descent was of average steepness, not too damaging - but this meant that it took forever to get back down. I started to struggle a little at this point because it just seemed like hours that I was running downhill - and what started as a nice descent turned into a relentless pounding of the legs. Because of the toll that took, I had subconsciously started to heel strike quite hard (to slow myself down), and this would have some further impact later on...
After some not especially pleasant grinding uphill I arrived at the next CP, Cimabanche at 66km. It was a relief to get to the checkpoint, see May, get some nice fruit and refuel.
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| Welcome refueling at Cimabanche (and still smiling) |
I perked up a lot after this - the next section was another climb followed by another descent (as most sections generally are), but it was an easier one both up and down, and also incredibly scenic. However, there were 3 issues on this section:
1) I took a bit of a bad fall
2) I managed to roll my bad ankle yet again
3) I had started to get a little hotspot on my left heel
None of these were disastrous, but just meant I had to go more carefully from that point on and looking back it certainly cost me a lot of time. Nevertheless I arrived at CP4 Malga Ra Stua (about 76km) in pretty high spirits.
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| Coming into Malga Ra Stua |
It was here that I realised how much I was enjoying this race. Usually at this point of an ultra I would have had a few "down" periods and maybe the pain would be getting to me, but May said I was still smiling and it was so true I was having a ball out there. The next huge climb was coming up - but I was looking forward to it!
I lost probably the most time on this climb though for several reasons:
- It was getting very hot (and this would definitely be a factor in the remainder of the race).
- A few technical bits came before which i had to take VERY slowly due to my fragile ankle
- We joined the Cortina trail runners so there was some congestion
- I wasn't 100% sure I was on the right trail - I didn't actually know the 2 races would converge so I thought I had missed a turn and started hanging around at certain points to see if any other ultra runners came by.
I pushed on though - the sun was practically baking me, and the hotspot on my heel was developing into a blister so I would have to take care of it at the next CP - Rif Col Gallina (94km), another beautiful spot!
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| A bit of blister patching at Rif Col Gallina (but STILL smiling) |
Again, I was still smiling and still so happy to be there - how could I be depressed in such a stunning place! :)
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| The CPs were pretty much all this beautiful |
The climb up to Rif Averau following this CP was sooooo tough. It was now way too hot, and so exposed it was so draining. It felt like I took forever to get up here and by the time I arrived at Passo Giau (about 101km) I was literally cooked. But again, it was sooooo beautiful! This place is incredible everywhere just takes your breath away, and the whole journey and arrival at this CP was just amazing, and it really does take your mind off the pain and fatigue.
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| Still happy after 100kms |
Plus, I also had the mental breakthrough of passing the 100km mark, so I was now on countdown mode - not far to go now, and only one more serious climb! :)
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| Passo Giau - another stunning area |
The last climb was relatively short, but boy was it steep! I had to stop about 3 times during this ascent as I was getting very low on energy, but only for 30 seconds or so and soon I was at the top. Now it was all downhill from here! I was starting to flag though - the course was again, so exposed, we were high up and the sun was relentless - I felt like I was frying. The heat got to me a lot up here and I started to slow down quite rapidly. On reaching the last CP - Croda De Lago I wanted nothing more than an ice cold shower - I had to settle for a hat full of ice water, which provided some relief for about 5 minutes.
The final descent was uneventful - but a little slow as I had to be careful with my ankle (it was slippery and a little technical with lots of exposed tree roots etc), but eventually I hit the road again which would lead back to Cortina. Some supporters had set up a cold shower about 2 km from the finish and this was just about the best thing ever! After this, I could hear the cowbells and cheers from the finish and before I knew it, I was running back down the main street in Cortina. It was amazing - lots of people there to cheer and May was waiting with a cold beer, which was even better than the shower! I crossed the finish line 16 hours and 40 minutes after starting (55th place), and it had been a sweet time indeed!
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| Beer finish - perfect. |
Summary and Event Review
The race went well - I had a time of around 15 hours in mind and possibly top 40. However i didn't factor in my ankle and the excessive heat so overall I was very happy with the time and placing and really can't complain. All the gear I used, plus nutrition worked very well without any issues. I do wonder about the use of poles for this one - even though I didn't use them, I would say 90% of people did. I'm still refusing to buckle at this time though. :)
What sticks out most in my mind is the fact that for 99% of the time I had a smile on my face. There was no cursing, no wanting it to be over, or nausea that usually comes during an ultra. Even during the bad sections I stayed positive and enjoyed the day. This is a very special race indeed, and I would love to come back next year (with some SPF50 sunscreen). I have yet to experience UTMB and that is supposed to be spectacular but this course is just stunning - it's impeccably organised, the markings are 100% and the CPs are well stocked and have a lot of supporters. I cannot recommend this race enough.
The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail Course Ratings (out of 5):
Toughness: 4
Yes it is tough - especially the climbs in the final 20-30kms. They look so small compared to some of the others but they are very steep and very hard. Overall, it's stunning good looks cover up the nasty bits, but they are definitely there!
Runnability: 3.5
There's a lot of climbing yes, but there is surprisingly, also a lot of room to accelerate a little.
Fun Factor: 5
If you don't smile during this race you you are simply dead inside (or you don't like mountains - in which case why would you be doing this race).
TOOPP rating (Toys Out Of Pram Potential): 4
I found the last few climbs deceptively tough - they look small on the elevation chart, but with the hot sun and previous 100km in the legs they are steep and very unforgiving. As I've previously mentioned though, if you just take the time to stop and look around you when things aren't going your way, I think the scenery should win you over.
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