UTMB: The last 5 miles

Last night Jez Bragg and Lizzy Hawker made it a double win for the UK in the revised shortened version of two races that began on Saturday morning in Courmayeur. Im not going to call it the UTMB like the race organisers are here because it was nothing like it (90km not 166km). That isn't to take anything away from this new route, it was still undoubtedly an incredibly hard run. The reasons for me not being there for it have been posted below. About 1300 runners started from a combined total of 1000+ TDS and 2300 UTMB runners. Many of the top guys and girls were missing but that shouldn't detract from two awesome performances from Britains best. Jez covered the course in 10:33 and Lizzy in about an hour more than that.

This morning many of the runners were still coming in more than 24 hours after the start. Exactly as I did last year I ran backwards up the course to the last major aid station at the ski lift La Flegere, about a 2700ft climb in 7km, and came back down into town along the route the UTMB usually takes to the finish. The trails here are incredible. The views they afford & their condition as they meander in and out of woodland to open ski slopes and back make running here an absolute joy. The time genuinely just flies and up is as great as coming down. 

Back home tomorrow and some decisions to be made about what comes next. Having thought I was going to be out of commission with stiff & sore legs for 10 days after this weekend its a small bonus I guess to have got 2 decent training runs in and preparation can begin for the next adventure. 

Short video of the views form the La Flegere. With views of Mont Blanc like this all the way around the course its not hard to see why so many people want to come here and run this race. 

And this is probably the funniest thing I've seen for a while

http://www.morecowbelloriginal.com/