Thanks again for your support. I thought I would just send you a quick note to let you know how I got on…….
It was the toughest race I have ever done – not so much the distance but more because of the constant steep ascents and descents. Some of the climbs were 6 miles long and to a height of 2500m. To put that into perspective Snowdon is 1085m to the summit and Ben Nevis is 1344m to the summit. There were 10 of these mountains to get up and, more to the point, of course 10 to run down – this was the more painful part!They were not easy paths up – often constant climbing up boulders/rocks etc, with 4 of them being done in the pitch black of night, and on the first night in thick fog. The only consolation in doing them at night is that you can’t see the vertical drops off the sides of the trail – for a vertigo sufferer this is important!
The scary bits were the running & jumping down very steep technical descents on wet slippery rocks in the middle of the night and in thick fog – trying not to turn an ankle as I was still only at around 20miles – a long way to limp if I had gone over!The hardest part was the last mountain at about 100miles climbing to 2130m at 1am on Sunday Morning. Out of calories, and with no sleep since getting up on Friday morning, I was a little knackered. With the benefit of a few jelly babies and a couple of energy Gels the problem was fixed and it was on to the last section towards Chamonix.
I got back to Chamonix in the early hours of Sunday morning and Julie and the kids came out to see me into town and across the finish line. A field of 2382 runners started which included the elite in Endurance running including Killian Journet (The Hussain Bolt of Ultra distance events), Vincent Delebarre, Liz Hawker, Marco Olmo and Dawa Sherpa, all current, past or multiple world champions. Everyone had to qualify to take part so it was a tough field with most runners having done the race before. Even so many didn’t make it. I got round in 33hours 39mins coming 211 overall. I got to run across the finish line with Jason, Harry and Grant on his crutches!On the way round and at the end I said never again but as the memory of the pain subsides I am thinking that I can beat 33 hours so who knows.
No real damage done so I’m back in training and looking forward to the next race in a couple of weeks.Once again a massive thank you for your generosity and support – I used it as motivation before and during the race and the Pepper Foundation has benefitted from your kindness.
Kind regardsPete
Mad about running or simply mad!
Most people tell me it’s the later but I’m always up for a challenge. The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is one of the most gruelling running races inEurope. It is an individual, 104 mile one-stage race, with 9400m of ascent, at an altitude ranging between 1012m and 2537m, over 10 high mountain passes and along the beautiful valleys surrounding Mont Blanc. The course passes through, France, Italy and Switzerland and the 2200 competitors from over 40 different nations have a maximum of 46 hours to complete the course round the base of the highest peak inWestern Europe.
Not wanting to miss an opportunity to support a great cause I am running this race to support the Pepper Foundation which play a vital role in providing nursing support for children with cancer and their families.
I hope that you will agree that it’s a cause worth supporting and donate what you can. I will keep you updated on training and preparation – the long training runs are longer than normal and I always welcome company if anyone fancies it!
Thanks for visiting my page and thanks for donating!
Pete
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Pepper Foundation gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
