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utmb on eurosport now.
Just got back from my first CCC,what an event,too bad about the weather and subsequent route changes,particularly tough on UTMB participants.As for clothing,there were several wrapped in blankets in the cattle shed on Bovine,so the addition to kit list was a wise one,after all it is a high mountain event.I had merino long sleeve,a light fleece and waterproof,nice and warm! Had an interesting descent,overtaken by 3 cows,complete with bells chimeing all the way down to the valley.
Legs went awol after Argentiere and dropped lots of time and places in the v3 category,even so was very pleased with result.
Well done to all you guys on finishing your particular event.
Dave
My UTMB race report available here:
http://www.ilkleyharriers.co.uk/news...ssets/utmb.pdf
You don't always get what you want! Adaptability is the key. ;):D
Good read. Thanks for the report. I will probably never do a race like that, but just having the opportunity and ability is a wonderful thing.
Nobody can control the weather, or what other people do, so I completely agree - in life, you can only control yourself to make the best of whatever comes your way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MorganW
Enjoyed that Morgan,good result-well done.
I really enjoyed reading your write-up Morgan - inspiration for a new ultra runner - and well done in the race
Paul
Great race report Morgan. I was one of the many cheering you on at the finish. You looked like you could have carried on a good few more miles when you passed the Bistrot Des Sport 2-300 metres from the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorganW
An enjoyable read Morgan, thanks for putting the link up. I'm not sure how many years the full UTMB course has been run but it isn't many - I have no idea if that is due to bad luck with the conditions or just normal alpine weather.
Colin
It has Only been run twice since being extended in 2008 to include tete au vent and la Flagere. The 2008 race was very hot, and the 2009 race was fairly ideal conditions. 2010 was significantly shortened after starting and some lead runners reaching Les Contamines, to carry on the next morning from Coumayuer and take the approximate course of the CCC. 2011 was redirected just before Bovine because an earlier storm (which forced the race to start at 11pm) had destroyed the CP near the top of Bovine. The race then went to martignes Before picking up the normal route then from col de motets following the old unextended course lower along the valley to Chamomix. Then you have this years bad luck. Hopefully next year will be the 3rd time for the proper course!Quote:
Originally Posted by sw04
Just got back from the jollies which included a trip to Chamonix, mrs C did the UTMB, although slightly disappointed with the shortened course she still managed to come in 690th in sub 19 hrs, over the moon. :thumbup:
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:Quote:
Originally Posted by crumblydown
We wondered how Mrs C had got on. Well done from us too :thumbup:Quote:
Originally Posted by crumblydown
Good account Morgan - the bitter disappointment of that 11am text rerouting the race impacted me just the same, I should have heeded Brian Melia's advice (expect the unexpected) a bit more closely! We finished within a couple of minutes of each other and like you i was feeling the strongest of the race (took c.300 from Les Houches) - as Arnie would say ... I'll be back!!
Thanks for the various kind comments about my finish and the report.Quote:
Originally Posted by dogrunner
I've been reflecting further on the sequence of events, to understand why I was in such a bad place just hours before the start.
My report highlights 3 key attributes to do these things: adaptability, patience and humility.
My dip occurred because of my own hubris. After all the miles of training and preparation, I felt that I was entitled to run the classic route of 100 miles. It was my due.
My humility temporarily deserted me, and partly my patience too (though this is normally a quality I expect to have to deliver during the race.)
I had briefly forgotten that these are the mountains and that they essentially decide whether we can run or not. We should cherish and be thankful for every race we run, even if the rules are changed on us at the last minute.
I shall try not to make the same mistake again.
Well said, Morgan. I too did the race and had mixed emotions as I wanted to race the full route but also I could see how low down the valley the snow line was getting. This was my first night race ultra and I quite enjoyed it as we were running into the light rather than into the dark. The conditions were hard but you are right in saying the organisation made the correct call. Not sure I will be back next year as there are so many other racces out there but heartlily recommend all the races or just going to the area to enjoy the trails and soak up the atmosphere.
A message from the UTMB organisers:
Friday August 31st, 19:00. Christopher Columbus’ fleet leaves to make its assault on Mont-Blanc, but this year, it is going to leave discouraging memories in the Place du Triangle de l'Amitié
Friday, August 31, 2012, 19 h 15. We are forced to admit that the trailer/ runner we saw in the first edition in 2003, is no longer the same. The runners have multiplied exponentially and not always in the best way. To celebrate this 10th edition, the legendary departure area was covered with garbage. It was littered with trash bags and old newspapers in which runners used to protect themselves from the rain before the start (but then what are their jackets for??) There were plastic bottles for optimal hydration at the start that were easily thrown away when no longer needed. It was like we were on the Champs-Élysées, minutes after the start of the Paris Marathon.
And unfortunately, that was only the beginning: we have more evidence from runners, shocked to see so many tubes of gels and packaging strewn on the trails. It seems as if it has become normal to rely on others to clean up after oneself.
Shameless... During the summer, reports from volunteers, hikers, hut keepers, runners and locals from the pays du Mont-Blanc multiplied. Guilty as charged! Each one backs up the other, the accusations getting more precise, growing, with blame upon us. We are wondering, now more than ever, what the is meaning of this festival that we organize?
Has the ultra-runner become a pig with no manners?
There was a group who stopped during a night reconnaissance on the balcony of a hut. They were laughing and joking but also disturbing people who were sleeping quietly in the refuge. The runners had booked a place with another hut, but they did not stop because they were faster than expected. These runners became angry at the hut keeper, when he said “there is no space for you here. ” This response was not was not what they wanted to hear after arriving late, exhausted after running all day. But this is no excuse for their lack of respect for the hut keepers and the circumstances of not having booked the hut and the hut being full.
A flame flickers. The new generation of trailer becomes unable to stop for 30 seconds to talk to a hiker. Slow walkers are asked bluntly to push out of the way on course, to let the fast runners, extreme men, those seemingly superior who sacrifice everything for months to reach their Grail ... selfishness. Or how to dispose of sublime values in a pit.
Unfortunately, the list is much longer than the few instructive examples. Key stakeholders are not unconcerned. Yet we are all concerned, all guilty, all responsible to allow the emergence of such behaviors.
Two weeks after the arrival, we find the facts, nothing more. We are trying to figure out how to respond to this. We note with sadness, and some anger as well. But we also know that we are still among the fire that brought us together. We can be happy blow out our ten candles, but this one, we don’t want to let blow out.
And on a more positive note:
Internal conquest
Once again the weather conditions around Mont Blanc at the end of August proved to be particularly difficult. If you lined up at the start of one of the The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® races this year you should know that it was a real challenge and one that you should be proud of.
Never two without three
In 2010, the races were cancelled or interrupted, with a restart of the UTMB® from Courmayeur the following day, due to diluvial rainfall rendering the mountain impracticable for a pack of runners.
In 2011, a storm forced us to modify the route of the TDSTM, the CCC® and the PTLTM and to delay the start of the UTMB® which, for the first time for this race, took place in very cold conditions, with snow.
In 2012, we managed to run the TDSTM but with a very high rate of runners abandoning the race, then the CCC® by avoiding two delicate passages but with a night which was both wet and glacial at Bovine. The UTMB ® suffered from bad weather, and we had to once again think about the best solution to offer an ULTRA feasible to all the runners who were enrolled. 2482 trailers started the UTMB ®, with knowledge of the altered the course and weather conditions; only 20 chose not to start.
A sleepless night
Throughout the night before the UTMB®, we envisaged several solutions which all avoided the Grand Col Ferret, which was too dangerous. We opted for a route in France, which allowed the runners to start from, and arrive at, the mythical arch in the Place du Triangle de l’Amitie.
Why? Because we could not offer a route without way-markers in place, without refreshment posts ready with volunteers, with out security measures complete with staff and the necessary materials, without the race sweepers….Because we could not reschedule the volunteers hours by more than 10 hours. Because the route maintained allowed those who ran it to glimpse the difficulty of the weather conditions as soon as they approached 2000m. Because even if individually you have the physical capacity and knowledge of the mountains to succeed on your own, it is quite another matter when 2500 runners are facing the same obstacles. If you were at the start, you know that it was a true UTMB®. If on the contrary you were not able to run the race, you have missed a veritable UTMB®.
Victory of the spirit
The UTMB® was created in 2003 by runners, mountain dwellers, slightly utopian, with the idea of making accessible a fantastic journey in one of the most beautiful massifs in the world. For this 10th year, in 2012, the creators are still the same, always present, with the same love for the original spirit and the same wish to mark the four events with their adventurous characters. But equally we still maintain the same intransigence.
The mountain is not a sand-pit, the mountain surpasses us, and we must listen to it when it sends out such obvious signs as it has done these last three years. Trail-runners who lined up at the start in 2012 were, in our minds, a lot more courageous than those who lined up for the race in very good weather conditions like we had in 2008 or 2009… Difficult weather, route in a complete mess, markers destroyed, heavy skies…altogether enough to make one give up and stay indoors, in the warm, for the day.
All the same you decided to give it a go, you knew how to keep your sense of humour, you adapted yourselves, improvised, stayed obstinate, kept your mind focussed and maintained your spirit. The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®, has beautiful routes to discover, but above all it is an internal conquest. Whether you were a Finisher or not this year, you passed the exam brilliantly.
Great shame to read of the problems with litter and general lack of manners on the trail, would have thought that most trail runners were more in tune with nature and the outdoors so as not to behave like that..........almost thought they were going to say it wasn't going to be run again !
The piece reporting poor behaviour suggests there will be a response.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaks
Descending into St Gervais the guy in front of me dropped a gel packet. I saw him drop it from all of 3 metres away. I picked it up, caught him up and passed it back to him. He denied point blank it was his and just chucked it on the road. Just goes to show there are wankers even in trail races in the mountains.
Very depressing.
Maybe time to move to quieter, less famous races.
Some friends of mine speak highly of this in early July, La Montagn'Hard (St Nicolas de Véroce, 74)Quote:
Originally Posted by MorganW
http://montagnhard.free.fr/2012/inde...=accueil&page=
Three races:
103k with 8600m ascent
60k with 5000m ascent
37k with 3200m ascent.
200 runners max. in the 103k race. Entries open in January I think.
Am I just being incredibly thick or have they just bumped up the points for completing the CCC to 3 from (what I thought it was) 2 ? If so that entitles me to apply for next years UTMB !!!! Dilemma - do I go for that with low probability of getting in or go for what had been my Plan A and apply for the TDS which seems to attract less of a feeding frenzy ? Three months till applications open to make up my mind :confused:
Thanks Feet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Feet in the Cowclaps
All suggestions gratefully received.
Morgan
It has been 3 points for a CCC completion for at least the previous 2 years. Even in 2010 when I was stopped at Vallorcine after 82 kms of the full course, I was awarded 3 points.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob the Dog
If I were you, I would go for the TdS. A little more "British" in terms of the course, beautiful scenery all the way and a very tough challenge all together.
And being the first race, less chance of being screwed up by any bad weather in the sense that the resources and flexibility to deploy them may well be available to deliver the full course.
And you'll get 4 points for a completion which when added to your 3 from 2012 will give you 7 for UTMB 2014, unless the rules change again.
Looks like a course change resulted in 109.8 kms and 9,000 metres of climb. :w00t:Quote:
Originally Posted by Feet in the Cowclaps
No wonder it's a 4 pointer for UTMB qualification.
All very sound advice and reinforces what my natural inclinations were telling me. Just need to get an entry, stay fit and train hard for another 49 weeks and hope my 50 years plus body is willingQuote:
Originally Posted by MorganW
Morgan,
Thanks for that write up - incredibly insightful... I hope to get in the UTMB next year - I should as I am pre-entered after not getting in last year (and having the 7 points). Though on hearing that the event got dramatically rerouted I wondered how I would have felt if that had happened to me - your thoughts of not running it were there, but trying to salvage something from the experience having got out there would have been important AND who knows the mistery course could be the best option... I think you made a GOOD CALL. I had hoped to do a good Fellsman this year... but picked up a nasty injury in the HPM which meant I only started running the weak before the event and had lost huge amounts of fitness... I still started with unrealistic expectations and when I got sick towards the end sacked it off with 10 miles to go... the whole thing was so different from what I had wanted it to be... but then I really regretted giving up and wishing I hadn't started it; I certainly lacked all your three points: adaptability, patience and humility! Are you going to go for it next year? Thinking ahead if there was a group of us out there and the same thing happened again BUT with an improving forecast maybe you could run it self supported in a single push a couple of days later?
Cheers,
Anyone considering UTMB should have a look at the Tor des Geants, we found it after missing out on the UTMB lottery and it was a splendid trip. Twice the distance & three times the climb, only 600 runners (mostly real hardcases, not litter-dropping tourists), brilliant organisation and VERY friendly locals....what more could you want?
I wont be taking up my UTMB place next year, there is a huge choice of great races out there.
Oh I think it will be.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob the Dog
I'm not far behind you.
Good shout.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Master
I am very, very tempted by TdG.
Feels like a natural progression as well as a great deal of fun.
Watch this space. :D
SimonQuote:
Originally Posted by simon cox
Insightful? Maybe. You get a little smarter the more of these stupid races you do I think.
After the bollocking issued by the race organisers (and I know Michel Poletti a bit and he's a relaxed type and not one to over-react) the whole thing is feeling a bit tainted at the moment, and I'm feeling like I should look at some other events.
I'm also really keen to volunteer to help at the UTMB races at some stage.
As The Master notes, there are a lot of great races out there, especially in Europe.
A few people talked about binning the UTMB and doing a solo trip, not least Krissy Moehl, the ladies record holder. That would have been an adventure. But having paid the cash, there is strong incentive to take what's on offer.
Lots to think about!
I have followed this thread since my entry for CCC was accepted.I found everyones comments and advice really useful,many thanks.I found the event to be really friendly and well organised.I was really disappointed to read the latest newsletter from the organisers.It's always the case that a few spoil things for the majority.I think the organisers deserve our support so I shall try to drag the older bones(64) next year around next if selected.Which event? Thats real food for thought,theres enough points in the bag for any of them!Probably try to improve on 961,legs willing!
Dave
Morgan,
I guess the problem is if it is our big focus for the year not doing the TMB route would be disappointing. I am currently working out my goals for next year - one would be the Ramsay Round having done the PB and BG - but he UTMB would probably be my biggest goal - though I will also probably try and get into the Western States again... The Laveredo Ultra also sounds awesome - having climbed in the Tre Cima doing that would be special.
Cheers,
I was looking at the Laveredo Ultra Trail as well, might make a good UTMB/CCC alternative, and reasonably priced too.Quote:
Originally Posted by simon cox
Americans and the UTMB.
http://www.irunfar.com/2012/09/new-c...-del-vent.html
I did the Laveredo this year and would highly recommend it. Great route, quite runnable in places also rougher than expected. Its very different than UTMB, as the UTMB takes over the whole Cham valley, where this was happening in the background in Cortina, probably cause the race is quite new (at this distance anyway). Race starts very late on Friday night which is a pain but it means arriving at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo when the sun is coming out, which is cool. Last 30km are very tough with lots of up and downs; perfect for fell runners. The last decent to Cortina is excellent too. Only downside was after finishing there wasn't anywhere to sit out of the sun (it was 35 degrees ) and they only had Yakult, red bull or energy drink all that were warm!
It was a great holiday and I'll definitely go back, also it's easy to get into as it didn't fill up this year.
Great to have the race DVD finally.
I keep saying it; both the TDS and the PTL look like fantastic events.
Still time to complete the full set. ;)