Ultra Trail - Tour du Mont Blanc

[Deleted User]

Training not goingas well as it could, but not going badly either.

After 10 weeks ofrunning this year it is provingmore difficult to build up,stillI have 16 weeks or thereabouts andamconfident about making it.

I am hitting cham on the monday and will spend the week trying the trails you have recommended. This is all booked.

If I have to pull out of the event, then I will still have a great week out there me thinks.

Hopefully do some scrambilng out there as well - havet done any climbing so I will need to find areas that dont require any rope work.

However I am thinking starting a climbing course so I might arrange an activity day for after the event. (I am in Cham for about 11 days!)

fat buddha

there are some scrambling areas but not quite the same as the UK. most would frighten the crap out of UK scramblers and tend to be used by confident climbers who don't use ropes. they are steeper, longer and gnarlier.

maybe best bet is to head off to the Bureau des Guides - office not far from the Tourist Office in the centre of town and ask them for suggestions.

there are some good training areas for climbing - the one at Les Pelerins is just outside town and is very popular and has climbs of varying grades and is well bolted. again ask at the BdG about a course to get started.

best of luck with the training

[Deleted User]

cheers FB

a logistacl question about cham (I havent found a guidebook with any decent info), but are all the lifts and access to trails in easy access (walk or tram or something) from the centre or do I need to be looking to hire a car or mountain bike or something whilst I'm out there.

All the guideboks on cham that I have seen focus on the trails themsleves and not the town!

Although I assuming the tourist office will be my first port of call after dumping my bags at the hotel

fat buddha

of the ones open in summer - 2 are near the town centre - Aiguille du Midi (the BIG one) and Brevent (this is a bit of a hike up a steep hill for about 400m). Flegere (les Praz), Belvedere (les Houches), Lognan (Argentiere) and Charamillon (La Tour) are all out of town. There is a regular valley bus service and you can get lift passes which includes the bus gratis. Also the Montenvere train goes from the town centre up to the Mer du Glace.

And finally you can get the Mont Blanc Express train which has stops at most major locations (fab train ride if you want to take a chill out day and go over to Martigny in Switzerland - at one point it becomes a cog railway when it gets vey steep and some of the views into the gorges makes your bum pucker a bit!)

There are a couple of places to hire mountain bikes so shouldn't be any probs there.

All info is in the TO anyway - but also log onto www.chamonix.com or www.chamonix.net (English site) for more info.

If you need any info - send me an e-mail - I have been going to Cham for about 20 years so I know it pretty well.

[Deleted User]

Cheers FB

A veritable weath of information.

John Cunnane

Caspar - are you still considering doing this event? I have done six 100 mile LDWA events and the idea of doing a "Hundred" around Mont Blanc - although one with twice the ascent of a typical LDWA 100 such as last May's Exmoor Hundred - is absolutely spellbinding. The organisation seems, from the info on the event website, really good and the availability of cut-off points at 70km & 112km has led me to decide definitely to give it a go.I intend to get out to Chamonix in advance and, as I always do for LDWA Hundreds, I mean to reccy the whole route in advance over about 6/7 days. I have entered and got my medical certificate. I am hoping that the whole enterprise can be achieved by booking a cheap flight to Geneva and getting accommodation around the route when I arrive at the destination for the day. I just hope that this is achievable and that the place isn't booked up in advance when I arrive around the 16th/17th August. Any thoughts? John.

fat buddha

JC - Caspar is indeed doing it as I saw him yesterday at the Bewl 15 and handed over some bumf on Chamonix to him. I shall mail him and tell him that you are doing it in case he doesn't see this although I guess he will.

a word of caution on accomodation - book it now - don't just turn up! Cham in August is extremely busy and beds are at a premium so you may have difficulties getting something on the spot. Go online to www.chamonix.com and follow links for accomodation.

[Deleted User]

JC
I am doing the event, not sure how I will do or if I will make the full distance as I have had six months on and off injuries so I am not in half the shape I was supposed to be.

I am stubborn though so will definialey be on the starting line(unless something bad happens before) and take each mile as they come.

Got a heavy 6 weeks of training now and then a little taper.

I am arriving on Monday afternoon (the missus arrives on the thursday) to acclimatise and am staying until the following tuesday.

Amstaying at Hotel le touring (or something like that) you can find them on chamonix.net and seem reasonable priced.

As FB says the wholeof cham is very busy at that time soaccomodation may be difficult so book now.

Where are you based?

John Cunnane

FB and Caspar, many thanks for the advice. PS I live in Pontypridd, South Wales. J.

[Deleted User]

mmm
my name is listed next to Dean KARNAZES in the mist

cant decide whether this bodes well or not?

John how is your training getting on?
Have you booked accomodation?

John Cunnane

Caspar, I'm sorry I didn't see your last message until just now; I haven't been visiting the RW website for some weeks as I was busy sorting out work problems and preparing to go to Chamonix. Taking your & FB's advice I spent time searching out accommodation (got a brilliant gite d'etape, La Tapia, only 14.50 euros per night), did my recce in 6 days, 4 days rest, then the event - 1579 entrants, 1188 got to Courmayeur (70km) or better, 420 finished back to Chamonix, I managed 384th in 42hrs 55mns 55secs)- marvellous organisation, superb event - thoroughly to be recommended; I'll be back in 2005.Didn't see your name on the last lists of entrants - did you join the event after? J.

[Deleted User]

Amazing well done

I pulled out in August as I was woefully undertrained - due to on off injuries all yuear.

I did try to pick it up during July and Aug but never got in my strde.

I was out there though and did a lot of training and reconnaitred the event for next (or 2006) year


I propbab;y saw you stumble (I was one of the lucky ones drinking hot chocolate in the sun)

So did you partake of the beer at the finish line?

Also what did you receive as a finisher - we saw lots of tshirts and fleeces but didnt see anyone with both. Also was there a medal?

What was the toughest part of the course?
Did you do it non stop - or did you rest at a checkpoint?
How cold was it at night?
How difficult was the navigation?

fat buddha

well done John - just to finish the Ultratrail is a huge acheievement and as only 25% you did brilliantly.........

....tell you what, do a report of the event and e-mail it off to Sean Fishpool for inclusion on the RW web...........they are happy to take reports on unusual running events (have done 2 for them now). I'm sure a lot of ultra-runners would love to read of this event which is one of the toughest in Europe. if you need any advice on this - mail me.

caspar - you have mail

[Deleted User]

i never get mail

fat buddha

that's 'cos your are sad and lonely ed

[Deleted User]

duly noted.

fat buddha

ed - you have mail....

[Deleted User]

ed you dont have mail

[Deleted User]

..for some reason hotmail decided you were junk mail fb.

i wonder why.....

fat buddha

must have been the content... LOL!!

[Deleted User]

there was content?

[Deleted User]

fb uses special invisisble ink

fat buddha

invisible even.........

[Deleted User]

thats the one

John Cunnane

Caspar & FB, thanks for your responses. The cold beer at the end was brilliant, and as I found an empty seat right next to the lady who was dispensing it, I was well positioned to blag a second beer after a respectable interval. They gave everyone who entered a T - shirt, and for the Chamonix finishers they had a special sweat - shirt with "Finisher" sewn into the logos - it is a wicking sweatshirt, not cotton, which is very practical for events and a quality memento. No medal, but they sent a copy of Le Dauphine Libere newspaper with all the results inside a few days after the event, which was a nice and unexpected touch. There were several very tough parts of the course. The most frustrating and awkward was the Sentier des Gardes, which came after Tre-le-Champ and the Col des Montets, after Vallorcine, basically the last 11k of the event. This was a nightmare of uneven surfaces, huge roots, large rocks and boulders, and never - ending ascent followed by awkward descent followed by fresh,yet-higher ascent, all this just near the end of the event when an easier finale would have been gratefully received....... especially with the state my feet were in at the time, trashed with enormous painful blisters everywhere! The second memorably difficult section was Bovine at night. This was a very steep route with constant switchbacks, technically very awkward with ups and downs over rocks, down into and up out of shallow streams.This section and the Sentier des Gardes area bit awkward to manage without trekking poles, which most of the competitors were using but which I didn't have. I have always thought of them as a tool for slow not fast walkers or runners,being heavy to lug around and having little to commend them. On some descents, too, they were being used to give people a firmer grip on rather slippery and steep surfaces, most notably the descent to Les Chappieux from the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, and the very tricky drop to Trient from the path out of the Col de la Forclaz. It was vital to make full use of the checkpoints, which were very well stocked with refreshments. The main mistake I made was not making sure I had my water bottles filled coming out of Les Chappieux. On the climb up to the Col de la Seigne, I realised I was short of liquid, and I was obliged to take frequent rests on the way up, relief only coming at the Elisabetta refreshment stopwhere ample water (and Coca Cola, surprisingly welcome) were available. Mostly the event was not cold, as we were all walking pretty quickly and the temperatures were quite warm, even hot in Italy, during the day. My main memory of being frozen alive was immediately coming out of Les Chappieux at about 4.45 a.m., from a very warm building straight into sub-zero temperatures, and realising that I had to walk very Quickly indeed on the uphill track towards La Ville des Glaciers, if I was ever to get warm again. Luckily, as the first hints of daylight started to appear over the Col de la Seigne, it began to get positively warm on the climb, then hot on the way down into Italy. Incredibly, I found that the entire route was brilliantly waymarked with tape and fluorescent markers all the way round - the maps were not needed! The organisation was fantastic - the only downside was that I found the main stopping points very crowded and I never got to see a "podologue" because the queues were always impossibly long. But I have no complaint about the event, which was an experience not to be missed. FB, I wouldn't know how or where to start doing an article as you suggest - perhaps you could advise? Cheers, J.

fat buddha

John

well done matey - that Sentier des Gardes route is a right bugger to walk let alone to race - it just seems to go on up and up until you get to the Lac des Cheserys.....

as for a report - just write it as you did it - from start to finish. include your feelings, the highpoints, the lowpoints, your mental state, the funny stuff (if there was any!), your feelings after you finished. think of it like a story - what would you want to read if it was written by someone else. if you want, you can mail one to me so I can comment.

once again - well done

[Deleted User]

John,

Excellent effort in getting all the way round. I'm thinking about this event myself next year and wondered how it compared to an LDWA 100. I've never done one myself but have done things like Fellsman and Trailwalker.

Were you able to walk all the way or did you do any running on the downhills and flats?

Cheers

fat buddha

uw - before JC replies I will give my input - not from running it but I know the area well...

flats?? errrmmm.....you'll be lucky - it has 10000m of up and down
is 122miles
is a continuous running race not a LD walk
peeps run the downhills - and the uphills (if they can)
goes over passes nearly 3000m high so altitude acclimitisation will be an issue
weather can be brutal in the Alps

otherwise - The Tour du Mont Blanc is a great route.....

[Deleted User]

FB,

Yes, I've done a fair bit of climbing around Chamonix and also done TMB so I know the route.

"Continuous running race"?? Wow - I've never met anyone who can run 122 miles non stop including 8000m + of ascent. I'm obviously out of my league.

fat buddha

uw - put the race into context - winning time was 21h 6mn 18s. you know the TMB - that is some almighty time to do that in - most people take at least 10 DAYS to walk it......