Patagoniacs

alive ... and stop at Courmayeur

Do not have a lot of time to write about it but in few words :
Stop in Courmayeur after 77 km.
Will write more about the debrief in the next weeks, after the rush of work ...

Ultra Trail the North Face : D day - 8

8 days !.
In 8 days, at 18h30, we'll be more than 2000 on the line for the race Chamonix- Chamonix. More than 160 km.
First time for me, and many questions in the head. Feeling that I am not ready at all. Wondering if I should walk fast only, or run, walk, sleep ? My friend is quite sure that if the weather is ok we will end the loop. I have some doubts.
Many different options before the race for the last days of training. One thing is sure : It is not now that I will change my real performance. So sleeping, drinking a lot of water, keep running a little bit, preparing the equipment, are the next steps.

UTMB 2006 - A report in English

For those looking for an English report about the full race in 2006, here is one

And for those who want to support a just cause, go there and give some money to support this action.

Weather forecasts for the UTMB

Picture posted by my run mate, from the Alps ...
Last year, the weather for the Courmayeur Champex Chamonix race was great, and we thought that if it had rained we would have died ...
For the moment, summer in the Alps is not well installed, I hope that for the end of August, in 3 weeks now, the sun will be there for at least 46 hours, just during the race. I cannot imagine climbing the "Bovine" part under the rain, and during the night ... It just looks impossible.

Sentence of the day : "Rendez-vous" in 3 weeks !

This morning, while running on the 25 humps in Fontainebleau woods, I met a lot of runners. Well, more exactly, "trailers". Almost 20 people (a group of 8 people, a father and his kid, a group of 3, another group of 3, a lonesome runner). Some of them had UTMB T-shirts, so I asked them if they are going to Chamonix in 3 weeks. All of them (yes all of them), said yes.
So, as I met most of them twice on the trails, we exchanged some words and what stroke me is the smiles they all had on their faces. They were all really happy to go to the UTMB. Lucky ones, who managed to register on time. This morning was an "avant-gout" of the race, with its friendly spirit and new people to meet.

W-4 for the UTMB

Still 4 weeks till the GO for the CCC (Courmayeur- Champex- Chamonix) and the UTMB. Articles in UFO, in Endurance trail, about the best ways to train before the trail, with Vincent Delabarre saying that it's good to have some sessions of 6 to 7 hours of run in one day ...
Well, they are right, for sure, but what I feel now is that it's too late to prepare the body, and the best way to be ready is to feel free like a kid jumping in the air, smiling. And just remember, it's only for fun !
I just concentrate my mind on the right equipment, ready to face rain, snow (?), sun (nice patag hats for this), and a good smile on the face. Will try the equipment in the next weeks, to fine tune all this.
I'll make a post about what I've tested (mainly patagonia tshirts, capilene, hardshell, and briefs, Salomon for the feet, and home made legs).