I had a quick run out with it over the weekend and look forward to strapping it on for this weekends 24 hour jaunt…..

I’ll keep you posted.

It turned out to be a great event though and i enjoyed my foray into the very niche world of orienteering.

Next up – a 24 hour race next weekend. Dear oh dear.

Here’s a couple of shots from the day.

Here’s a small selection of images i took that day.

England may feel a long way from the mountains in the alps, but the challenges that lay out in the trail still lead to some great days out in the country. With some amazing scenery and a stiff wind-chill it was a great experience checking out the Isle Of White for the first time.

Here’s a few shots from the Weekend.

Whether i liked it or not, it was true that there was some history behind this to back it all up. English schools have been competing in cross country style races since 1837 and on December the 6th 1867 there was the first ever National Championships, held on Wimbledon Common.

So it seemed only fair that this weekend i would head to the common, situated about 30 minutes outside of central London, to check out the mens race and see what it’s all about. This winter series league sees 9 London running clubs compete against each other and this was the first event of the series.

Starting on the outside of a football field and then heading off into the woods and beyond, it was interesting to see the shoe choice amongst everyone. There was no talk of Salomon competing against The North Face, or my choice –  Scott, but instead a host of very minimalist shoes with metal studs to cope with the muddy conditions.

With it being clubs competing against each other, some of the images were reminiscent of fell running shots from years gone by. It really was great to check out. Now i’m going to be in London for a little while and have joined one of these clubs called Hercules Wimbledon athletics club (Yellow and red stripe shirt). What they lack in mountains they make up for in passion and i’m really looking forward to donning the shirt and taking part in one of these races shortly.

Here’s another couple of images from the race:

On a parting note – i got completely and utterly lost on the common after the race. You can run all night with a map across open fells and not get lost, but then have to reach for the gps to get you out of a park…….

This shot was taken a few days before the race whilst hiking up to Flégère on a beautiful morning.

Lovely, isn’t it?

This image was taken in Chamonix a week after the race.

Notice the shorts, t-shirt and general happy look on the dogs.

This video, shot up at the the Grand Col Ferret was taken very much during the race.

Yes, once again the weather decided to play rough during the weekend of the race, something that is starting to become a regular occurrence during the UTMB weekend. It was not until a pre race visit to a local sweet store that we discovered that the weather tends to show its force anytime there is an event incorporating Mont Blanc in it. The lady informed us that for the Skiing Freeride World Tour and The Guides Festival it was also challenging conditions and i couldn’t agree with her more.

Working as a photographer for the Freeride World Tour, i was well aware of those conditions she talked of, and it reminded me of the same place 8 months earlier.

The finish line 8 months earlier – this day the Freeride World Tour was postponed due to too much snow….

So be it a strange coincidence, or some much bigger powers than us intervening on things, but i felt the full force as i lined up in Courmayeur dressed as if i was ready for battle – rather than for a running race.

At the start line with my sister who was in town for the week.

1,800 runners; on your marks, get set, go!

With the weather being on everyones minds i received the welcome text message in the morning explaining that the first and last climb will be removed from the course making it slightly less distance (somewhere between 86-90km, i think 86?) and just about 5,000m vertical gain. The key thing i was told straight from the start of the race is to try and make a quick start so that queueing up the first climb could be avoided. What i hadn’t been told was that my number was due off in a third wave and i would actually be starting a whole 20 minutes behind the first group. Queueing of course then ensued and i made slow progress up to the first checkpoint.

Having been forewarned about the temperatures up top it still took me aghast at how cold the wind was up on the Italian Val Ferret. A few weeks earlier i’d been complaining of the heat, whereas today progress was made as quickly as possible to try and avoid lowering the body temperature. During these 12kms of very runnable terrain, your eyes start to witness some of the frustrations of an event so big. With this race being classed as a “must do” by many runners it leads to major numbers being out on the course at all times. A few days earlier you may be out on a summit top by yourself but during race day there’s literally hundreds of people around you.

This frustration reached a peak at the Champex rest stop. Having ran about 45km and about to head out into the evening this stop is, for many, a chance to get some warm food into you to get your levels up. Being in the middle of the pack meant that it took me 45 minutes to get in and out, maybe even closer to an hour. So much queueing for food and pushing and bodies made it for not a great experience and something that tarnishes the race a little.

Having donned my headlamp at Champex it was now off into the evening and the lowering light levels. Just before hitting the first of the big evening climbs it was turned on, and remained that way until the batteries ran out in the middle of a dark forrest, whilst all alone, at around 5am. The night was tough, no doubting it. heavy rain up until about 1700m merged into heavy snow up to 2,000m. This snow brought about freezing temperatures and made forward progress a necessity to keep the risk of hypothermia at bay.

Reaching Bovine refuge in the middle of a snow storm was really something. It looked like i’d walked into a wartime shelter, such was the activity in that shed. Freezing people were wrapped in blankets, shivering hands and forlorn looking faces greeted me everywhere i looked. Arriving there i hastily grabbed some soup and tea whilst preparing to put on literally every item of clothing i had. with 3 layers on my lower body and 5 on my top it was time to get out there again, get moving and as quickly down to the valley as i could.

Speaking of clothing, this really was the race of the Gortex jacket. Mine came off for about 1hr at the start, but remained on for the rest of the race. The Scott Helium Active Shell never faltered and kept me in my little bubble the whole way. Nor could i have survived this race without my newly purchased gloves, a winter pair from The North Face. I almost started without such great gloves and i’m 100% sure i wouldn’t have finished without them. Life savers.

And what of the race? Well, at roughly the half way point i started to think i could actually make the distance and this turned to a cocky “i’m pretty sure i’ll have a beer when i finish” – quoted to my girlfriend Niki who was supporting me along the way (and arguably has a tougher job than us runners, having to drive through three countries waiting in the rain at all hours). I actually loved the conditions before nightfall – cool rain made for fast running in conditions that were very similar to UK conditions. When the night set in though and the cold took hold i found it a real struggle to keep speedy, as fatigue started to take hold on the big climbs up to Bovine and Catogne.

Fatigued or not, after 19hrs of running i was making my way to the outskirts of Chamonix. A 10 minute break trying to figure out where i was when my headlamps batteries ceased to work certainly slowed me down as my replacement torch barely lit the path, but i was soon enough entering into town for that iconic last kilometre to the finish line. Finishing at 5.46am might not seem the most social hour to come in, but i was still greeted by a great support as i ran through the streets thinking back to the long, long days running i’d just been through.

And the beer? It tasted horrible. 19hrs and 25mins of running had taken its toll and my stomach had not quite prepared for it!

6am beer.

Finishing this race really was great. As expected, the winter like conditions left as soon as it was finished and Chamonix returned to its beautiful summer colours. With a race that you put so much into there’s always going to be an after thought on whats next. After a week of relative rest with some cycling and hiking i’m very much ready for the next adventure.

The North Face have just uploaded their video race report on the UTMB, which ran alongside my race in the same week. A great video thats well worth ten minutes to view.

Having previously taken a look at the route map, i couldn’t believe a course that started out on fast road before making its way up to around 2,000m for the finish. I took advantage of a course that was easy to access by catching the train up to Wengen and hiking up the last 12kms of the course. My initial doubts were put to rest a little as the route itself is actually really runable – making its way gradually up the valley, until a sharp incline in the last 2 kms.

Having a vested interest in Scott Running, i came to the marathon hoping to cheer along there prize athlete Marco De Gasperi with the notion of winning etched on his mind. Unfortunately though he pulled up 10 minutes into the race with recurring knee pain which put an end to his day.

Even without him the talent up at the front of the field was really strong with Austrian Markus Hohenwarter coming in just under the 3hr mark in 2:59:42.

Considering it was a rest day for me, i still managed to walk 20 kms with 1,000m ascent. Ended the weekend happy but exhausted. Here’s a few shots from along the way.

Austrian Markus Hohenwarter starts to move away from Kenyan Tuei Hosea

Scott Athlete Marco Sturm making his way onto the steepest part of the course

A hot day greeted the athletes, but drinks posts were well stocked along the course

Czech athlete Thomas Ondracek grimaces at the hill that awaits

Such an epic setting for a race at the foot of the Eiger

A lone runner gets dwarfed by the surrounding peaks

Coming in for the final push

At the end of the climb, it levels out and reveals this beautiful little lake

The long awaited finish

I certainly had the taste for a triathlon in my mouth afterwards and i can see myself potentially towing the start line in the near future (thousands of euros of gear permitting). Until then, there’s bigger fish to fry……….

Racing wise, the Cortina trail threw up a nasty twist when after two weeks of coolish weather we were greeted by tremendous heat for the day itself. I had major difficulties with my stomach that day, being sick for the majority of the second half of the race which effectively wiped out any energy i had left in my legs. This hasn’t happened before or after, so i’m keeping my fingers crossed that the strains on my body wont affect my stomach next weekend over in the Alps.

The North Face put together a nice little race report from the event focusing on French runner Sebastien Chaigneau which you can check out below.

A week away now and a quick visit up to the Swiss resort of Villars today and tomorrow before heading to Lausanne Triathlon on Sunday morning. Onwards to Chamonix then to soak up the atmosphere, relax up at altitude, check out some of the retailers and look forward to the race on Friday.