Funny how the mind works.
One minute I am surfing YouTube looking at random shit and the next I am freaking riveted by this film here:
Is that beautiful/spectacular/incredibly hard/makes-you-feel-like-you-could-reach-out-and-touch-heaven/all of the above? Oh. My. Fucking. God.
Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (or UTMB for short) is pretty much the unofficial world championship or trail running. Like any prestigious race you can't just sign up, buy a plane ticket and die of exhaustion and/or hypothermia, you need to qualify. Probably a good thing.
This is a MASSIVE event. Just like professional cycling, they have helicopters following the leaders around the mountains:
The more I watch the more I realize there are a lot of athletes in this event that are not elite. Which is really cool. And I'm seeing lots of things you just never see in the ultra events in the states. Like trekking poles. And backpacks. Makes sense though, here you in the mountains and these peaks are the real thing.
The logistics? Staggering. Taking proper care of yourself?
And what if the weather sucks? Tough luck.
- 166 km long
- 9500 m of elevation gain
- start time - 18:30
- fastest time - around 21:30
- cutoff - 46:00
For mortals this means you are most likely running through two nights. Ouch.
Check out the course. I will continue to dream. Who knows, I was looking for something to do on the year of my 50th birthday. :)
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