Tag / Trail Running

Although i’ve never been there in winter, i feel that every visit to Chamonix makes me love the place a little bit more. After first visiting to take part in the Mont Blanc Cross Race i was excited to head back there to watch the winners of the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) come into town. The UTMB is revered by runners world wide as the race you want to win. This year was no exception with the worlds elite runners descending on Chamonix to tackle the 170km race with 9500m ascent to look forward to.

I managed to take advantage of the race delay (the start had been postponed on Friday as torrential rain and thunderstorms were in town) by going on a trail run up to the Montenvers train station up at 2,000m. By the time i made it back into town word was out that Kilian Jornet had stretched a lead and was due in town within the hour. Kilian has become somewhat of a sensation in the trail running world with all of his feats closely followed, and documented by Salomon in their tv show Kilian’s Quest.

Jornet came home after 20hrs 36mins, 9 minutes ahead of his teammate Iker Karrera who himself arrived 10 minutes before 3rd place runner Sebastien Chaigneau. After 170kms racing the top three were only separated by 19 minutes. Crazy stuff.

It was definitely an inspiring site to see and it got my mind thinking about the event next year – albeit the smaller version that runs earlier in the week alongside the UTMB. These are races which require qualifying for so a Autumn race in the UK is something i’d have to do should i fancy a chance at it. Trail running is definitely the latest “in” sport with major brands putting lots into its development. I’ll be there hoping to photograph and take part in this great sport as it progresses upwards.

Here’s a couple of shots – Kilian coming home to a winners reception and the sun setting down on Mont Blanc. Until next year…..

There is a well known saying that what goes up, must come down. With most of my outdoor activities (like hiking in the backcountry or being on a road bike) an uphill slog is always rewarded with some downhill motion. It’s often what keeps me going.

This weekend though I took part in a race that went against all of this logic. With this race the reality is, what goes up must continue to go up and up and up and up and up until you finally reach the finish. It was The Mont Blanc Cross Race, a 23km uphill race which was held last weekend with temperatures hovering around the 30 degree mark and not a cloud in the sky.

I’ve know that I’d be running it for sometime now and have been training on and off for the last few months. Luckily for me I’d done a lot of my initial training in Colorado (at a height of 3,000m) which I’m certain helped with the elevation as I experienced no altitude problems during the race. Altitude is one thing but the ascent involved was another thing entirely.

The UK is relatively flat and where I’m based is even flatter. Cheshire has precisely zero hills, a recipe that doesn’t bode well for hill training. The race itself climbed 1,500m in elevation meaning I’d have more vertical gain than the tallest mountain in the UK (Ben Nevis).

The race itself set off at quite a steady pace as we made it into the first refreshment post at 13kms after 75 minutes of running. With the run now heading up and above the treeline and getting progressively steeper the pace slowed and I made it to the second refreshment stop high above the valley floor at 2hr24mins and with only 5kms to go I was feeling ok.

That’s where everything stopped. Everything from 18kms up until the finish became a blur as I started to experience leg cramps in my calves that made every move agony. At one stage we had to descend an iron stair/ladder set that reduced me to tears. Step by step I carried on as more and more people overtook me as the incline became so steep that it was more of a competitive walking race than running.

Finally, approaching the summit of the climb loomed the finish which resembled a mountain stage of the Tour De France with hundreds of people willing you across the line. “Allez, allez, allez!” It was one of the more surreal moments of this year, that’s for sure.

As for myself, I was greeted with a smile and the words, “Come on Tim, you’ve only got a hundred metres left! Go, go!” There was no heroic mad dash for the line – in reality that last 100m probably took me 3 minutes to complete but regardless I was ecstatic to finish after 3hrs 22mins.

If I can figure out dealing with cramps better then I think I could return next year and knock 15 minutes off my time but for now 532 place out of 1400 starters still puts me in a happy place.

And as for the relevance to this blog? Well I actually ran with my camera on me capturing a couple of moments along the way. Yes it was long, yes it was painful but would I do it again? Absolutely.

7.30am warm up around the track in Chamonix

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This summer I’m entered into the Mont Blanc trail race over in Chamonix. The course covers 14 miles with the majority of the race being uphill and at altitude. During the season I’ve been training as much as I can often running through the snow after a day on the hill. A few days ago I was passing through Glenwood Springs and took advantage of the towns surrounding trailheads to run one of the toughest and most beautiful running routes I’ve ever done. For the first time ever I ran with a camera so you can check out some of the views along the way.

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