Kendal Mountain Film Festival 2013

Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix

So with the fatigue fading from my legs and new skin growing on my feet its time to have a look back at my experiences at The North Face sponsored CCC. I arrived late in Chamonix with only an hour of registration left so I stuffed some kit in my race bag and headed off. The queue facing me stretched out the door and a time of two hours was being quoted! A sneaky short cut for CCC runners was opened up and the rest of the process was fairly painless.

However one problem with my late registration was there was only space left on the early Cormayeur buses and so without any breakfast and still with 3.5 hours till the start I was to be found wandering around Chamonix in the half light. Courmayeur was just waking up as we came out of the tunnel into the light of a stunning morning. I quickly forced down two continental breakfasts at the ice rink, taped up my feet which still contained a couple of holes from the Lakeland 100 and wandered off to enjoy the building atmosphere

The start was spectacular and emotional with the national anthems of France, Switzeland and Italy been sung loudly by hundreds of runners before the volume swelled for the iconic Vangelis Conquest of Paradise, unarguably the best start to a race I've been involved in

After nearly being taken out by a stray kerb in the town centre I settled into a good climbing rhythm for a 1300m effort towards the Tete de la Tronche.Within an hour I found myself stuck in a long crocodile of runners snaking my way along single track where oppurtunities to overtake were few and far between. This did stop many of us from going out too fast but I only made an average of 4kmh to the first check point. The short downhills were the worst where I wasted a lot of energy hanging back and braking behind slower moving runners. For me this is the worst part of huge events such as the UTMB but this was a small niggle on a stunning day to be out running in the mountains

We'd seen the camera helicopter chasing the leaders along the ridge and once on the descent to the Refuge Bertone we were able to revel in some amazing ridge top running. the temperature was rising as we turned back east towards Switzerland and the second big climb of the day. I picked a good steady pace up the Grand Col Ferret and began to make up some positions. Once on the other side I let myself go and had a blast on the awesome long and flowing descent to La Fouly. I was beginning to see a pattern with my running. I was faster than the majority of runners around me on the climbs and steeper more technical downhills but felt like I ground to a halt on flat or gently downhill sections. The perils of living and training in the Lake District?

Mentally the long leg down the valley was always going to challenge me so I stocked up on cheese and salami sandwiches and some form of fudge that was like rocket fuel. I managed to keep a comfortable pace and only made one wrong turn - too busy tweeting! The short hill up to Champex (which is always longer than than it should be!) went well and I tucked into a big bowl of pasta chased down with plenty of flat coke happy that I'd clawed back to a sub twenty hour schedule for the first time.

I'd opted not to use a dropbag and use only what I could carry or pick up from the checkpoints so after some more rocket fuel fudge I was soon on my way into the gathering gloom. My blistered heels from my last hundred now came back to haunt me despite being well taped and padded. Concentrating on running with a forefoot strike helped with pain management but is pretty tricky in a pair of cushioned Raptors!

In the darkness I began to overtake plenty of runners in duvet jackets, wooly hats and gloves. In contrast I was still sweating in just a t-shirt but these occurrences happened so regularly I began to question my own sensations believing I was feverish or hypothermic!

The second half of the CCC really just consists of three big climbs and descents. I'd last passed this way in 1993 while walking the TMB with a huge rucksack and my memories were somewhat hazy. The first climb over Bovine was a struggle with bouts of nausea slowing my pace. However in typical ultra fashion it all came good for the second climb to Catogne at 2027m which I felt like I cruised over. In even more typical ultra fashion the wheels came off very soon after and my energy levels bottomed out just before Vallorcine. Looking back I'd become fixated on my watch and neglected my food intake telling myself I'd recover quickly with some proper food at the marquee below. I almost blew it here and despite stuffing my face I was running on empty and suffering desperately from nausea on the easy climb up to Col de Montets. Above me a line of stars were moving in a long line, zig zagging their way up at an impossible angle - the infamous climb to the Tete Aux Vents. I'd managed every other climb without stopping but half way up this wee monster a bout of nausea and dizziness put me on the ground. I forced a Powerbar down my neck and amazingly within 15 minutes was buzzing again climbing well and making up a few of the places I'd lost.

The traverse to La Flegere was unrelenting and the checkpoint came just in time. Hot sweet tea gave me a boost for the 800m descent to Chamonix. My heels really made themselves heard on this and my slow hobble was passed by a few runners but the legs were still strong and as the sun hit the summit of Mont Blanc I managed a good sprint finish to the iconic UTMB arch.

My time of 21:50:21 was slower than I'd hoped for but the vast majority of runners I spoke to said the same thing. The heat of the first day had sapped folks strength and made the night a struggle in keeping going. My recovery has been pretty swift with my legs hardly suffering in the following days. Not usually being a fan of the heat I was very pleased with my performance on the first day. However nausea has been a feature of my previous few races and some more work is needed to come up with a better strategy. Finally my feet were my biggest weakness. A long standing problem with blisters and callousness on the outside of my heels severely restricted my descending pace later in the race. This issue can be traced right back to Ten Tors as a 13 year old! In this event it was the pressure of the edge of the callous pressing into already damaged tissue that was causing the pain. New shoes and some TLC for my feet would seem to be the order of the day.

Running for two nights!

24 hours after the elite UTMB runners came home hundreds of runners were still streaming across the finish line in Chamonix, many of whom had been running for two nights. Every competitor has a story to tell and a large and noisy crowd gave them all a heroes welcome.
As one competitor staggered across the finish line, bent almost double in fatigue and pain, his wife was heard to exclaim loudly "You're never doing anything like this again!"

 

 

 

 

 

Tweeting on the go from the 2013 CCC.

• Back in the mountains :) Mont Blanc making an appearance above Chamonix

  

•  #CCC registration complete. Race no 6769. Off to enjoy the buzz in Chamonix & eat copious amounts of pizza :) 

•  Stunning sunrise in Courmayeur. Perfect conditions for the #UTMB #CCC 75mins till we're go go go!

• The start line. 100km to Chamonix with a mere 6000m of ascent :)

• Two familiar faces from the Lakes! @collisonkim @oliblom Last I'll see of these 2 racing snakes!

•  30 mins before the #CCC start & @oliblom gets a spot kit check! Sure it will all go back in!

•  1900 people lined up in Courmayeur ready to race :) #CCC13 20 mins till the 1st wave of 3

 

•  #CCC13 runners stream up the 1st big hill dwarfed by Mont Blanc

•  The #CCC crocodile starting to spread out. Awesome ridge top running in the sunshine :) 

 

•  3 hrs of running on the #CCC13 & the start's still in sight! 1st water stop overlooking Courmayeur

 

•  I've run through Refuge Bertone and I'm now in position 950 after 03:19:32

•  I've run through Refuge Bonatti and I'm now in position 940 after 04:33:19

•  Ticking along nicely in the heat of the day. #CCC13 Not far to the Swiss border but 2nd big climb coming up... ..

 

• I've run through Arnuva and I'm now in position 888 after 05:29:47

•  I've run through Grand Col Ferret and I'm now in position 821 after 06:51:26

•  Goodbye Italy! It's been a pleasant few hours. Over the Col du Ferret :) #CCC13 Doooooooownhill...

 

•  I've run through La Fouly and I'm now in position 719 after 08:19:15.

•  Swiss mountain air agreeing with me #CCC13 Good leg down to Le Fouly 40km. ETA sub 20 for 1st time :)

•  I've run through Champex-Lac and I'm now in position 590 after 10:30:10. 

•   Feeding time at the zoo! Pasta party at Champex 54km. Half hour till the torches come out

 

•  I've run through Bovine and I'm now in position 554 after 12:45:00

•  Night nav's easy! 1000s of these high viz numbers guiding everyone around the #CCC & #UTMB courses

 

•  I've run through Trient and I'm now in position 503 after 14:03:17

•  I've run through Vallorcine and I'm now in position 468 after 16:51:18

•  Final climb done & the lights of Chamonix spread out below. Still a long descent but the #CCC end is in sight

•  I've run through La Flégère and I'm now in position 486 after 20:12:26 

 

• Job done :) #CCC IN 21:50. Just in time for breakfast at the hotel! Sure @jezbragg will do the #UTMB quicker! 

 

•  Scores on the doors #CCC 497th from 1900 starters in 21:50 @oliblom 198th in 18:49 & @collisonkim 13:41 for 11th!!!! 

 

•  I have just finished the CCC®, in position 501 after running 21:50:21.

Chamonix - a town ready to race

 Mont Blanc makes a brief appearance

 Jacques Balmat & Michel Paccard checking out The North Face Base Camp!

 Registered and ready to run!

 Checking out the finish line. Not heard any Vangelis yet!

Jez Bragg - back for his favorite race!

 

The North Face athlete Jez Bragg is no stranger to the UTMB. A win in 2010 put his name in the history books and he's back this year to continue his special relationship with the event. His running hit the news earlier in 2013 when he ran the length of New Zealand. The 3054km Te Araroa trail took him just 53 days. His latest blog entry details his recovery from this epic and the challenge of learning to run and race again. Jez kindly took time out of his final preparations in Chamonix to answer a few questions. Best of luck and blue skys to the whole Bragg team!

What's your history with the UTMB?

I ran my first UTMB race back in 2005 and I've been hooked ever since. It has a unique course, a unique atmosphere and a unique level of difficulty! The UTMB course holds some my fondest trail racing memories - notably a win on the shortened course in 2010 - and also some of my worst memories - like having to withdraw from the race in 2011 after suffering a chest infection. I love it every I time I step foot on the course, whether it be in training or during the race. Sunrise after a tough night running through rain and snow in 2011 was very special.

What's your favorite section of the course?

The section from Refuge Bertone to Refuge Bonatti is always amazing, although it will be in the dark this year with the earlier start time. The cruisy descent from the top of the Grand Col all the way down to Praz du Fort is also pretty cool. The trick is being in a position to really run those latter sections well to achieve a solid finish time.

What are your top 3 bits of advice for first timers?

(i) Run your own race - don't get carried away with the razzmatazz of the start and go off too quickly.

(ii) Plan your nutrition carefully. The food on the aid stations is different to what the Brits might be used to - so I plan to have my own food available along the way.

(iii) Save yourself for the second half. Many people drop at Cormayeur - there's plenty of fast running to be enjoyed beyond there - so keep something back/ left in the tank.

It's very sociable at the back of the field! Is there much talking among the elite competitors?

Not really to be honest. Quite often there is a language barrier, but everyone's usually working too hard, or too focused, to speak. 

Do you have any mental strategy for digging yourself out of the inevitable holes/lows?

Peaks and troughs. You will go through spells of feeling rough, but if you can get yourself through the other side, invariably there will be a high to be enjoyed on the other side. Also think about why you may have slumped? Low blood sugars, dehydrated, feeling sorry for yourself...? Then correct it!

What's your key piece of TNF kit for this race?

Stormy Trail jacket and pants - super lightweight and packable, but incredibly protective in wet weather. 

Are you a fan of technology - iPods, HR monitors, GPS watches etc?

Mmmm. Yes and no. I will be taking an iPod shuffle with me this year to help get me through the rough spells, and also a my Garmin Fenix to help with speed, pacing and monitoring altitude. I try not to be too reliant on technology but it has to be done in part.

What's your key nutrition for races like the UTMB?

A mixture of gels, flapjacks, chocolate, rice pudding, and probably the odd expedition type meal (dehydrated) if I can stomach it.

Will your New Zealand experiences help your racing?

I hope so - certainly mentally! This is my first competitive long race since the expedition and I'm excited to see how my recovery and training has gone. I'm feeling very positive after a great summer of training, but in reality I won't know until I'm half way round. I definitely learned a lot about myself in NZ, both mentally and physically, and I will always be able to draw strength from those experiences.