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Ultra Trail - Tour du Mont Blanc
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http://www.ultratrailmb.com/documents/road_book_2006_english_part_1.pdf
http://www.ultratrailmb.com/documents/road_book_2006_english_part_2.pdf
http://www.ultratrailmb.com/documents/road_book_2006_english_part_3.pdf
http://www.ultratrailmb.com/documents/road_book_2006_english_part_4.pdf
http://www.ultratrailmb.com/documents/road_book_2006_english_part_5.pdf
Main changes are:
* climb above the Col de Voza and back down to St Gervais before going uphill again towards Les Contamines
* final bit using the north Balcony instead of the south (make it easier)
* we'll have a wrist chip AND a chip in the bib number - some control points will be automated
* less food/drink station (have a look at the map)
During the race, you won't really need the road book. A water resistant summary sheet with time limits, overall map and route profile will be provided with the bib number.
The 2007 UTMB roadbook is now available in English on the official website.
The reference to the Little Red Riding Hood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood) probably means that you can't escape the controls.
The route into Vallorcine now takes the 'old' (i.e. 2006) route, rather than the new route they were going to trial this year. Something about a mountain bike track being built. see www.ultratrailmb for a new route map.
Personally, I think the original route that they're reverting to is a _tiny_ bit easier. it takes a slightly steadier downhill course with good running potential.
Who else is doing this? (either UTMB or CCC)
I'm in the CCC, and heading out this weekend for a training run on part of the course.
try here:
http://live.ultratrailmb.com/tabPassageEntete.php
or here:
http://live.ultratrailmb.com/
www.ultratrailmb.com click on 'follow the race live'
Did you do it?
just noticed that a friend of mine was 2nd Brit home and 36th overall (Trevor Hughes) in 26hrs 51mins - scrawny little git!!!! he has some inside training experience though - he's lived in Cham for about the last 10 years...
must e-mail him my congrats
well for me at least it was an epic but since my endurance training consisted of 145m along a canal perhaps my legs were taken by surprise.
It was probably the hardest 'run' i've ever done & definitely the prettiest. the ascents are so long and the descents generally so steep that there isn't much opportunity for extended running.
Despite strong advice to the contrary I think I still probably set off too fast and by 25m was being sick. By les Chapieux I was very demoralised (and still being sick) but took some time to revaluate my expectations and decided a finish was a must (even if only just inside the deadlines) just so I didn't have to come back again.
As a result I took things easier through the day, joined up with a couple of other Brits, whose company helped tremendously, and just slogged it out. by the 2nd evening I was a lot better and by the last day was actually feeling quite good. the finish was brilliant and I even downed a can of beer without being sick - which is unusual for me at the end of an ultra.
At least I now don't have to go back but the pain in my brain already seems to be fading faster than the pain in my legs!
well stuck to the task in hand despite the sickness - maybe the effects of running at higher than normal altitude??? even Cham is at 1000m and you can feel light headed running there...
Yes, the weather was very good a bit hot during the day especially on the ascent after Courmayeur but it was quite warm at night too.
Wish I could put my problems down to altitude but you shouldn't really start feeling the effects of altitude till about 10,000' and even the G Col Ferret is only about 8250' 00' so no, I think it was just me!
where do you get that from??? most will feel the effects of exercise at anything above 1000m and above 2000m it is very noticeable...........unless they are well acclimatised and have trained at those levels for some time
I'm not saying that was the cause of yours as you may tolerate altitude better than many but for most its the case and as your sickness wore off as the race went by, I would think that altitude did play a part as you would be acclimatising better the longer time passed
will look into that but my experience of altitiude comes from climbing rather than running. In my climbing experience acclimatisation usually takes days rather than hours too. I would also have thought that acclimatisatin on the race would also be less easy because you are spending so little time at altitude before returning to the valley base.
I have felt dizziness on hotel stairs in Quito (10,000') but never really struggled with breathlessness till about 12,000' personally & headaches at about 16,000'.
Been up to just over 19,000' a couple of times. once it had little effect (good acclimatisation possibly) and the other it gave me a throbbing headache for hours.
I guess its not easy to differentiate general breathlessness because of the size of the ascent / general exertion from the effects of altitude though because both will play a part
where I have noticed breathlessness more markedly is in ski touring which is a pretty aerobic exercise and, as you climb more rapidly on skis than walking, when you get over 2500m you do notice how heavy and rapid your breathing is - I would think doing the Utratrail would be similar in effect as you're even more aerobic.....
I would also think that the majority of the quicker guys at Ultratrail live in the mountains so are naturally more acclimatised to workin at those levels so don't suffer so much.......
also - one of the side effects of altitude sickness is vomiting.........in fact this is often one of the 1st signs along with the banging headache.........when I fist climbed Mt Blanc I was amazed at the sheer number of sick spots in the snow - all colours as well!!
Photos are up. here's mine
And here's Stuart's