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RACEKIT - OUR EXPERIENCE
Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc - UTMB
The only reason I got to the finish line, was because I had such a miserable time. There was no WAY I was going to pull out, as I knew I'd have to return the following year to complete unfinished business.
The UTMB is a 100-mile run from Chamonix in France, through Courmayeur in Italty and Champex in Switzerland, back to Chamonix. It's 158km with 8,500m of climb.
I got to Courmayeur in 14hrs, but then developed a kidney infection (and with only one kidney anyway, it wasn't a happy time). The climbs were incredible (incredibly hard) and the scenery fantastic, but much of the route was run in darkness, as the race started at 7pm on the Friday night. I completed the race in 38hrs 47mins, which meant that I ran through two nights - not recommended. By Saturday afternoon, it started to rain - and rain - and rain. I wore all my waterproofs and fleece at one point, and was thoroughly miserable by the time I reached Champex. However, after an hour's sleep and a bit of food, I was off (still in the rain) towards the finish. As usual (and I've never been able to work out why this happens), I managed to speed up over the final couple of hours, although I forgot how French courses always have a sting in their tail, and the 'undulations' round the back of Chamonix went on forever.
The organisation was first-class and there was loads of support from the locals. The terrain was a mix of trails, grassy paths and tracks - and all runnable. Some muddy areas provided amusement, and I was glad I had poles. I think the weather was uncharacteristically bad in 2006; I know it was really hot the following year - my sort of climate!
An epic adventure - but one I'm not going to repeat!