Ultraks: My Review

Gornergrat (3,100 metres above sea level) - 13km into Ultraks
 

It's been almost 2 weeks now since I ran the Matterhorn Ultraks in Zermatt, Switzerland - one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth. I've recovered and had time to reflect on a race I will never forget. I say race - this was about survival; reaching the finish line in one piece, or at all!

It was very hard to prepare for Ultraks. 3,600 metres of ascent and descent across 46km was a challenge that was going to test my everything. So, a fortnight before Zermatt, I dragged my girlfriend, my brother, and his girlfriend camping to Wasdale in the Lake District to run up Scafell Pike - the tallest place we could drive to for a quick weekend away. At just shy of 1,000 metres high, I managed twice up and down - feeling slightly more confident by the end about the prospect of Sunnegga, Gornergrat, and Schwarzsee 14 days later. 

At the top of Skafell Pike - as you can see, the view was fantastic

When race day came I felt nervous. Probably more nervous about completing a race than any that I've done before. There, behind the starting line, I stood amongst the world's best sky runners - Kilian Journet, Emelie Forsberg, Luis Alberto Hernando, Phillip Reiter - it was easy to feel intimidated. 

It took me 8 km to settle down and to start enjoying the run, by which time I'd seen the sun rise over Sunnegga, after 600 metres of ascent, and experienced an incredible 65 minutes of running in the shadow of the Matterhorn. Words, and even photos, don't do justice to just how grand and stunning the scenery looked as I ran up through wooded trails and along the rocky tracks.

By 20 km, 2 of the 5 peaks had passed - Gorgergrat with the highest ascent of the day, surrounded by snow, ice and cheering spectators, many who'd taken the train from Zermatt to support us - but what followed almost floored me. The ascent up to Schwarzsee, a mere 700 metres, felt like it was vertical, and the 5km must have taken me almost an hour and 50 minutes. Feeling deflated, and knowing at this point that I still had 20km to go, a DNF felt like an attractive way out. And it may well have happened if it wasn't for my girlfriend at the peak, who'd secretly travelled there in the morning to cheer me on, and cheer me up!

From Schwarzsee, after a 5 minute break to eat and drink from the checkpoint, I made my way downhill towards the 30km mark. The funny thing about running up and down mountains across such a long distance is how much I came to look forward to the change in terrain. After 5 km uphill, with thighs screaming, I found myself longing for the downhills - and a chance to switch muscle groups. Several km later, and I found myself longing for the uphills (the relief didn't tend to last long!).

The final 10km of the race took in a checkpoint at Trift, and some meandering trails that passed a waterfall, and navigated around the edge of plunging valleys - with Zermatt visible in the distance. Seeing Zermatt was comforting, but still seemed so far away, even approaching the final few km! The crew at the final checkpoint were amazing, filling my bladder for me, passing food my way and offering up a massage. This kindness was incredibly motivating at such a late stage in the race, when my emotions were already taut.

Leaving Trift just as the rain started to fall, I knew it was 8km to home, and it went by fairly quickly in comparison to the race so far. A few choice songs on my iPod and I was able to pick up a little speed, helped by a drop of 700 metres over 3 km.

With the finish line in sight, and the rain falling heavily by now, my emotions were running almost as fast as my feet. I crossed the line, in the centre of Zermatt, after 7 hours and 50 minutes of running.

Ultraks, with it's beauty and it's devastating difficulty, will stick with me forever.

Meeting my idols

A final thanks once again to Men's Running, and Scott Running, for the entry into Ultraks. I would never have done this without their opportunity.