Day 8 to the finish

So here we are, the start of the eighth and last day of the 2010 Gore-Tex Transalpine Run. There has been an incredibly high attrition rate in the race, with there being only about 160 of the original 280 teams left in the race. Given that everyone knows what the race is about, and it was fully booked four months ago, it just demonstrates how tough the race has been. However, judging by the amount of medical tape covering most competitors legs, maybe it's not so surprising. There was a carnival atmosphere for the 8.00 start. We started with a 12km slow ascent into the rising sun, along a bike path towards the Dolomites and our last big climb. We adopted our prudent walk/jog strategy.

The first drink station at 12km was reached after 1hr 30mins, set beside a beautiful mountain lake.

We knew the last hill was about to start...but we had the psychological boost of passing the 25km to go marker, little more than a half marathon.

We were accompanied for a good stretch of this climb by a herd of cattle. They were very friendly, and seemed to enjoy the jog along the path, although their cowbells were pretty noisy!

The scenery was returning to classic Dolomites, with white rock peaks towering above us.

That's where we were off to as the climbing continued...

...with no let up, but the gradient just continuing to increase.

Looking back down the valley we had come up provided another beautiful alpine view.

We finally reached the top of the ascent and were greeted with a full panoramic view, for which no picture can provide justice, but here's an inkling...the three peaks are known as the Drei Zinnen, or Three Peaks (the one on the left is Little Peak, the one in the middle is Big Peak and the one on the right is Western Peak - I'm sure they could find some more original names!) and are the most famous peaks in the Dolomites, if not the Alps.

Despite the view, we did actually have a final 2km of ascending before we finally got to the top of our last ascent in the race. Boy were we pleased.

We were now off on our last 12 km of descent to the finish line at Sexten. The first marker was the 10km to go marker, just 6 miles left! It shouldn't take long, especially as it's all downhill.

However, tired legs and some sore muscles did not hasten our fastest descent, although we knew that everyone was suffering, and most more than us, so we continued to be faster than most around us on this descent, and the scenery remained awesome.

Finally, the finishing town of Sexten came into view.

We passed the 5, 4, 3, 2km to go markers and took our final picture during the race at 1km to go.

Finally we made it across the line, with a great cheer home on the finishing straight. Here are two very relieved and worn out runners. I had felt exhausted over the final 5km, and while Chris had suffered earlier on the descent with a calf muscle telling him he'd done enough, he was now finding the pace to get to the finish.

On the line, we raised the Union Jack above our heads and we received our finisher's medals. That is definitely a medal to savour for a long time.

You can also quite clearly see the bears with big grins on their faces. They had made it too! It was now time to party, with Smoothies (as always) and some beer and Champagne, which had been out of our diets for far too long.

Our position on day 8 was 27th in the Master's Category in a time of 4Hr 40mins (the winning time was 2Hr 48mins today!). This gave our total time over the 8 days of 47Hours 36 mins on the trails, leaving us 96th overall and 29th in the Master Category - significantly better than either of us had expected.

We have raised 26,000 Euros so far (I use Euros as I am in Europe as I write this and the locals understand it!). We are delighted by the support we have received and the money still keeps coming in.

We saw Uta, the race organiser at the finish and she was delighted by the amount of charitable fundraising we have achieved. She even gave us a hug!

I must also say how essential for me was my daily physio massage. It lasted between 20 and 40 minutes (longer if we finished earlier and I could get to the massage team when they were still quiet!). My calves got tighter during the weak, especially the left one. My right ITB (muscle from knee to hip) was tight throughout, and the muscles down either sides of the shin on both legs became more sore as the week wore on. The team did a great job in holding me together and easing the sore muscles each day.

The worst moment was when, on the penultimate day, the physio was working on my left calf (the normally painful one) and I said, "Oh, that's better, it's not painful any more." She replied "I am just warming the muscle. I haven't started yet!" She was right and it was still painful, in fact more so than on other days. She may have just been proving the point though!

Here's the whole team, with my main phsio's being the first and second on the left and second and third from the right. We are now off to the finishing party and a few more beers no doubt!

I will write another blog tomorrow to reflect on the race and have some pictures of tonight's party.

Day Seven - One day left!

What a way to spend a 27th Wedding Anniversary! we awoke at 4.30 to get to breakfast at a nearby hotel at 5.00. Two hours before the start to allow the food to digest. Important, but blooming early! For me it is then my daily early morning trip to the medical tent. As you can see, a pretty busy place at 6.00, with most runners needing strapping applied to some part of the legs/feet. No gory disgusting pictures for you today though, you'll be delighted to know. The start is always marked with the playing of one of two rock songs titled 'Keep on Running' or 'Highway to Hell'. It gets the runners woken up, with everyone clapping to the beat. it's then off behind the race director's motor bike, with the gazelle's vanishing off at the front at breakneck speed, while we set off at a more snail-like pace. Today's stage was a full marathon distance (42.2km) taking in two high mountain ascents and descents, giving a total ascent/descent of 2,000m. The first check point was after 12km and a gentle 350m climb along a wooded valley, with a cut off time of 2 Hr at the checkpoint. We adopted the tried and tested walk/jog philosophy again. The slightest incline taken at a strong power walk pace. This strategy allows us to rest different muscle groups and save energy for later. We would need it! The scenery was spectacular, with the pale rocks of the Dolomites rising out of the valley floor.

We made the drink station in 1Hr 30 mins, well inside the cut-off, but still feeling fresh (well sort of after 250km of trails in the last 5 days!).

After the first refuelling, we started the first big climb of 900m over the next 8km.

600m of that climb was to come in the first 2km, averaging just shy of a 1:3! However, as we ascended, we had a great view back at the valley we had run up, with the sun slowly climbing to warm us up. This climb was barbaric, but we both felt strong and did not lose distance to the other competitors. Maybe we had finally beaten our nemesis of slow climbing? This picture was taken with the camera angled up, so you may get some sense of its steepness.

The climb continued, with nobody able to run and the thighs starting to burn (again).

Once over the initial ascent, we were onto a plateau across the Dolomites, with fabulous scenery all around us. We were able to jog the flatter and downhill bits, although we were still climbing to the highest point of the day at 2,400m.

This was a truly tough endurance marathon, and our earlier prudence was now paying us back as we started passing other teams who had started out fast. We regularly reminded each other that early speed doesn't matter, it's getting to the finish line in Sexten that counts.

On we went, with us taking pictures for other teams, and them returning the compliment:

Up the final part of the first ascent were our two medical runners, always there to provide some cheerful support.

The vistas over the Dolomites remained awe inspiring and allowed us to forget the pains throughout our bodies as we felt like ants in this great wilderness.

Once over the top, we were faced with a steep descent of 900m over 4.5km , the start of which was down a precipitous slippery rocky slope with fixed chains to hold onto so you didn't fall off.

It was then down to a spectacular mountain lake. This picture looking back up at the descent we had just completed.

The lake (at 1,500m) marked the second drink station at the 27km mark, with an official cut-off of 6 hours. We made it in 4 hours, so no problems with the timing, although we were feeling the distance. Nevertheless, we knew that everyone was suffering and we had to push on.

The trail led round the lake and up the next tough ascent to a height of 2,200m. This was almost mountaineering and took us along a narrow ledge above the lake.

Once over the top, we were confronted with a scree slope to descend to the third drink station at 34km (7Hr cut-off). The scree slope was great, with runners visible miles down the bottom as we all zig zagged down its face, slipping and sliding as we went.

After the third stop, it was 8km to the finish in Neiderdorf. However, while flat, it was mainly on tarmac. Everyone agreed that this was the hardest part of the day, with the hot tarmac causing all sorts of problems for runners feet and muscles as it has no give for knackered bodies.

We ran past an old army wartime army camp and along a cycle path to the finish.

The finish has our Master of Ceremonies on the microphone (on the left in the photo), announcing each team's finish, and always telling the masses that we have raised 25,000 Euro's for St Peter's Hospice.

As soon as we finish, it's off to the Smoothie man (Albert) in the Buff tent (he's the one on the right).

The other person we must mention is the Race Director, Wolfie. He does a great job organising the event, and is seen at various points throughout the course, making his way along on his scrambler bike. He sounds exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Only one day left now. That has only one mountain to cross and 1,300m of ascent and 1,100m of descent to the finish line. It is also a wonderfully short 33km.

Bring it on!

Day Six

We started today in an alpine town at the top of a long valley, Sand in Taufers. Before I describe the run, let me tell you about our accommodation last night. An enormous sports hall, with lots of gymnastic mats for us to lay below our camping style mattresses.

We had a 7.00 start, so would need to be up by 5.00, so we were all turned in by 10.00 with the lights off and the snorers getting started.

It had been a very wet evening, with massive downpours and new snow on the peaks. We discovered that the roof of this spectacular new sports hall leaked in a few places (Chris's, not mine!) which led to a little rearrangement of sleepers.

However, at 10.30, a local rock band drummer decided it was time to start practicing underneath the hall. This did not make for a good atmosphere amongst the sleepers, but it was 30 minutes before he finally succumbed to a few sharp tongues, since he had locked himself inside a room and put his earphones on! Very understanding of him.

Today's stage started with a very flat 20km, then went up 1,400 metres over the next 12km before the final 1,100 metre descent over 8km into St Vigil. A total of 40km.

A lot of runners did not like the flat half marathon start, since it was almost all on a quiet tarmac road, so not many pictures, since there wasn't a lot to see. We also ran through a few more industrial towns, adding to the boredom of the route. Chris and I ran the whole way, taking exactly 2 hours to cover the half marathon. Not bad after a cumulative 200km over the last 5 days. However it really was quite boring for us, and many runners far preferred the mountains and softer trails on their tired legs. Indeed, we learned from one of the medics on the trail that there was a high drop out rate today. We saw some very tired legs, with seized up calves trying to run straight legged on the tarmac.

As for my foot, the medics had done a great job on it last night, squirting some red liquid into it and saying it may sting overnight. You know if a medic says that it will be far worse, so they gave me some pain killers to take when the pain started. Staggeringly, it never did, so I never took the painkillers and my foot gave me no problem at all, all day. However I had picked up a cold bug, which made the climb far harder. After 20km, we were off the tarmac and the climbing began. An average gradient of 1:9 for 12 km, with small bits at a vicious 1:1, generally closer to the top where there's less oxygen. We started with a more gentle climb into woods. We arrived at the second drink stop at 23km after 2Hr 30 mins. Again a wonderfully stocked station with all the goodies laid out for the runners. Cold water or High 5 energy drink, hot soup, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced oranges, apples, water melon, bananas, cut up energy bars and energy gels if nothing else tickled your fancy. The hot favourite with all runners remains the water melon.

Then it was off up the Kronplatz, a famous ski area that peaks at 2,275 metres. This was a long slog and I really didn't feel great on the ascent, plodding slowly ever upwards with the click clack sound of the other runner's poles on the track. Chris meanwhile was having a good day, but could see I was struggling and stayed with me to add psychological support. Emma's morning quote proved entirely appropriate again: 'Ask yourself "Can I give more?" The answer is usually "Yes!" It also made me think of all those brave sufferers and their families that St Peter's Hospice support and that gave me the incentive to Keep on Running. I had to get over this hill.

We must have been overtaken by about 50 people on the ascent, but we knew we would be quick again on the descent. Something to look forward to.

We could see the peak from 2km away, and the particularly vicious final ascent to the right of the building at the top in this picture.

We finally reached the top after 2Hr 40mins of climbing, 4.5km/hr compared to the earlier speed of 10km/hr on the flat.

There was a large bell at the top, but we didn't have time to sightsee and find out more about it!

There were two medics at the top who helped me apply a little preventative strapping to my forefoot, to stop blisters developing. They are two guys who have competed in the transalp for the last two years, but who now complete the whole event on foot as mobile medics, walking the whole 310km with the runners, but with much larger medical packs on their backs.

We then had the descent, steeper and off road for the first 3 km, with the final 5km on tarmac. I counted that we passed 58 runners on that descent, making up for the losses on the ascent.

We reached the finish in 5Hr 32mins(Overall winning time 3Hr 48mins!), so the final 8km took 40mins, taking account of my foot strapping, so a speed of 12km/hr. We learned we had finished 29th in category and are now lying 32nd in the Masters. A great result given my uphill plod!

We are back in a gym in this very pretty mountain village tonight. Hopefully without drummers!

Tomorrow we face a two peak run, the first peak at 2,380m and the second at 2,194m, with a valley of 1,500m in between. A total ascent and descent of 2,000 metres. The good bit for us is that the descents are both technical single track, playing to our strengths. The total distance is 42km, so a full marathon, ending in Niederdorf in the Italian Dolomites, with only one day to go after that!

A little more about the medical support. We have four medics walking the trail with us, as mentioned above. There are also four mountain biking medics, using very impressive Scott Spark Carbon framed bikes with top range DT Swiss components. I would guess about £3,000 retail price. Here's one of their ambulances:

There are also a further four scrambler motor bikes which travel the mountain tracks and we find at drink stations and at the tops of mountains. They must enjoy a great time!

There is then a fully equipped van at the finish line, with marquee covering three camping style beds and six camping style deckchairs for administering first aid, generally to legs and feet!

After a shower and my daily massage (which I find essential for muscle recovery) I wandered back up to the medical tent for another look at that pesky blister. This is the first day that I had been able to run pain free on it, and it made a huge difference on the descent. However it really does look foul. The last picture today is not for the feint hearted, so don't look down if you get queezy easily. However, do bear in mind that it is no longer painful and it now looks far worse than it is. Also the red stuff is NOT blood, but the skin hardener that they squirt onto the fresh skin to toughen it up and you can see in the syringe on the left. It has not stopped me running, unlike the many and various ailments other runners have suffered.

Chris took this picture and insisted that I included it in the blog, so here goes!

Day 4 - Half way there

Before I start, I must thank this gentleman for his portrait. I asked him to take a picture of Chris and me when climbing the Hahnenkamm. Unfortunately he had the camera the wrong way round!! With my feet bound up, we made it to the start. Our performance yesterday having promoted us to the 'B' category. There are 75 competitors in our category. 1 to 10 start with the elite runners in the 'A' start. 11 to 40 start in 'B', with everyone else in 'C'. So we were pleased to be promoted, now lying in 36th position. I should add that Chris's cap is well travelled, hence the dangling thread. I must also add that is was raining lightly, hence the waterproofs.

The stage involved the first 35km going uphill, some steep, some gentle. However, with my feet needing to get comfortable and Chris's calves needing to warm up, we adopted a walk/jog strategy. Walking for 50m then running for 100m. This strategy was to prove beneficial later in the stage, but was tough to see so many people passing to start with.

After some tedious running along/beside roads, we went up some forest tracks beside a massive waterfall in a National Park. It was quite spectacular and took our minds off the aching muscles.

That was the first steep climb, taking us from 877m at the start of the stage to about 1,400m. We then entered a long alpine valley where the trail rose gently to 1,800m. That's where everyone adopts the walk/jog strategy. The slightest incline becomes a walk, with the downhills being a run using gravity to help. It's mainly the elite runners who would run the whole way, and good luck to them!

The mountains are spectacular, although most of the highest peaks were hidden behind the clouds.

We finally arrived at the end of the valley, to be confronted by a large glacier. The runners were sent down to the bridge and up the side of the mountain on the right, with it's peak lost in the clouds. We had 1,000m to climb, peaking at 2,700m.

The climb was steep and our lungs were bursting in their search for oxygen. Quads and calves were also screaming as the climb continued ever upwards.

A steady stream of slow moving 'runners' could be seen up the trail, and yes the small dots high up are also runners.

It was good to look down and see there were lots of runners behind us too.

We then had some excitement when about 500m from the top. A team of Spanish ladies were ahead of us, with the leader pulling the second runner up the mountain. However, the pressure proved too much for the second runner and she collapsed on the trail in front of us. She looked very pale, was vomiting and in a very bad way. A group of runners stopped to help in a fairly precarious spot, just after the last picture was taken. We covered her with warm clothing and emergency blankets. We then shouted SOS to runners up the mountain to send down emergency help. She was helped off the mountain and I saw her later looking much brighter and healthier.

However, the rescue did bring home the challenge that we were taking on and that you do have to communicate how you feel to your partner. Chris and I are always checking that the other is OK, since each of us goes through stronger and weaker phases each day. We also run closely together, while others seem to run on ahead and wait for 10 minutes for their partner (actually against the regulations!), but that strategy would be psychologically tough on the weaker runner at that time, so we stick together to provide support and encouragement.

We were by now well into snow, some quite deep, although Chris avoided getting lost in another snowdrift!

After nearly 6 hours of climbing and 35km of trail, we reached the peak, where it was raining, windy and cold. We had all our tops, hats and gloves on, so after a couple of pictures, we were on our way down.

However, there was just time for me to put my Nailsea Running Club shirt on, for a great shot in the clouds at 2,700m. Is that a challenge for NRC runners - who can wear the NRC colours at the highest altitude, whilst racing! Anyone for the Everest marathon?

The snow was deep on the descent, with us sliding on our backsides down some parts. It was quicker and safer than running.

As we came off the peak, we had a mini drink station serving hot energy drink. A most welcome and friendly stop. The guy on the left is Leonard (or Lion Heart as he liked to be known!) who we met a few times today and he shouted encouragement as we made our way up the mountain.

When we made it through the clouds, we saw the valley below. We looked forward to a 4km technical descent - our forte, where we must have passed 40 teams and our earlier energy saving strategy paying dividends.

At the valley bottom, the view back up was similarly inspiring. We had come down the stream on the left from the clouds.

We arrived in Prettau after 7Hr 25mins on the trails, coming in 41st in class, but only dropping one place in the overall classification, so we can look forward to another 'B' category start. The winning time was about 4Hr 20mins.

After a quick shower, it was off to the medics to put my foot back together again. It had survived the day pretty well, but I will spare you the view the medics had!

Tomorrow is a much shorter day of about 29km with 1,500m of ascent and 2,000m of descent, so a downhill stage to look forward to.