Untamed Switzerland
After my frenetic spamming of Twitter and Facebook last weekend during Untamed Switzerland, I present below, in slightly more than 160 characters, the more measured and reflective look at the event. It's replete with links to other write ups, photos, videos and maps, in keeping with the nature of such a Web 2.0 competition.
Here be Dragons
Adventure Racing is very much unchartered territory for me. As the lovely intro and bio indicates, I've done a fair amount of triathlon now, since about 2006, and built up my endurance to a point where I know I can more or less keep going all day. However, Untamed CH is a 3 day multi stage adventure race, so the whole doing it all day, then getting up again and doing it again, and then again, was slightly daunting. Thankfully, multi stage indicates that you get to stop at the end of each day and sleep, as opposed to the non stop style of event where you just carry on going until you drop (which is what the Untamed Adventure New England version is).
I met the organiser of the event, Grant, through a friend, and my eventual race partner, back in November 2009, when I participated in a one day event around Zurich. It was a fun mix of trail running and orienteering, and completely different from triathlons or run races - much more mentally stimulating during the race. I went snowshoeing with him in December, and spurred on by his encouragement of both Mark and I, entered Untamed CH. I was quite happy to enter as part of a team, as my practical experience in high alpine environments is limited, and this promised to be well off the beaten track and very much self supported. Mark is a Brit who has lived out here on and off for the best part of a decade, and has a fair amount of back country experience both here and in Canada, including avalanche awareness training. As the rookies in the event, we thought it was a good idea not to go it alone and have someone else around in case of problems - a decision that, despite nothing really going wrong, we both took comfort from later on.
For those of you wondering, the team name was happenstance. I solicited for team names, and one of the suggestions was "Curry and chips", from Mark. As soon as Grant's wife knew that Mark and I were entering, she suggested "Chips and Curry". Grant saw this as a sign and unilaterally registered us. The offer was always open to change to something aspirational such as "Shackleton" or "Hilary", but we thought that was a little presumptuous. Curry and chips seemed much more indicative of the type of race we were likely to have.
The event took place this year in the south east Swiss Alps, in the Canton of Graubünden, using the town of Pontresina as a base. We stayed at the Youth Hostel, which, being Swiss, was the equivalent of a good 3 star hotel (not withstanding the showers on the other side of the corridor).
Mark and I arrived after work on Thursday night, which bearing in mind the 3:45 rail journey, was quite late. Received Day 1's maps (one at 1:25,000 and two orienteering sections at 1:10,0000), our checkpoint sheet and a handy plotter. The checkpoint sheet lists 19 checkpoints (CP's), of varying points values, using the 6 digit Eastings and Northings of the UTM system. Hurrah for doing Geography at school. Thursday evening was spent plotting the points onto the map as best one can (relative scales mean it's difficult to mark a point on a 1:25,000 at less than a 10m by 10m area), and contemplating point/route choices. Our starting assumption was that we were probably not going to be able to clear the course (i.e. pick up all the checkpoints), based on knowing the speed and endurance of some of the other competitors (bordering on the superhuman, including a 25th place in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc). Elevation was also going to play a large role in speed and distance that could be covered. With that in mind, we planned out our best case route, and noted two "exit points" where we could cut distance short if time was against us. We also set a turn back time, at 4 hours: Day 1 would be a 9 hours cut-off, with an extended 7km leg to the finish, so were allowing 4 out, 4 back, plus an hour to do 7km.
DAY 1: Pontresina-St Moritz-Hotel Roseg
There is an overview map showing the location of the CP's in the Adventure World Magazine Day 1 Update, and the live race tracking Stage on the Untamed CH home page shows optimal routes at a more detailed level (it will hopefully be updated with team's individual routes some time in the next week). Broadly, the route involved a short, sharp climb from 1,770m to 2,305m to warm up, then a descending traverse down past St Moritz town to the furthest checkpoints, turn around and run through St Moritz town, around the lake, looping back out and round to Pontresina, and then a long slog to the Hotel Roseg for the finish and food.
Mark and I started well, adhering to the Ultra Runner's mantra of "start slow, and then go slower". We were the last up to CP1
but had fun doing so
I was very glad of the measured start, as I was feeling pretty awful. I'd had a rough week, travelling back from the UK on Tuesday, spending two rushed days trying to buy last minute items, pack and squeezing in end of quarter work, and was feeling tired before we even started. I'd also had far too much to eat over Easter in the UK and was feeling incredibly bloated (Mark suffered the inevitable consequences). The first hour was not much fun, until my body started behaving, and the stunning scenery worked it's magic.
After CP1, Grant accompanied us down the mountain to our second CP (5? maybe), interviewing us along the way. Grant was posting throughout the day, and combined with the live GPS tracking from Spot, it made for a very Web 2.0 event. We bumbled our way through the first few checkpoints, getting used to the maps, shifting gear around and figuring out just how far a km felt like in the snow. We made it out to our "furthest CP", and resisted the temptation to "just go a little further" and pick up the two outliers. We trundled back into St Moritz at lake level, and found the CP in town, before heading off to the lake. About this time, probably 5 hours in, I started loosing energy again, and the nagging headache I'd woken up with came back to haunt me. I was struggling to maintain a good jogging pace, and grateful for every excuse to stop and look at the map. I scoffed more PowerBar Ride Shots, Clif Bar and mini Baby Bell's, but when you feel low on energy it's already too late really. Luckily, the northernmost three CP's were easy terrain, and the weather held sunny and wind free, making it easier to find a rhythm again. We ploughed on, and jog/walked back into Pontresina (walk any uphill’s, jog the downhill’s, flats to be jogged with short walks. There aren't really many flat bits in the Alps). Grant met us in town again, with some water (I'd gone through my 3 litres), and we cracked on with the 7km to the finish. This was a grim section, along a muddy track that gradually ascended 200m over the route. The sun started dipping behind the mountains, and the "walk" was much more pronounced than the run. Overall, it probably took us 90-105 minutes to do the stretch, and we were both glad when it finished with Fondue at Hotel Roseg
After the fondue, and a cheeky Kirsch, we were ferried back to Ponteresina. Unpack, repack, shower, hydrate, sleep!
Summary of Day 1: c. 27km, 1,300m, 17 of 19 CP's cleared (20/23 pts), "Windy".
DAY 2: Scuol Tarasp-Sent-Piz Munschun
I've been to Scuol Tarasp before, in about 2004. It's a lovely mountainside town, in a deep valley, with a river gorge roaring below (the River Inn), with vertiginous mountains towering on either side hedging out Italy and Austria. Reminds me of Lancre. Not what one would consider ideal running territory. Thankfully, I was feeling a new man on Saturday morning after 8 hours of sleep and a bunch of energy drinks before breakfast.
We received the maps and CP's for day 2 on the train (hour and twenty minute ride). Day two looked to be high mileage, starting at a lower elevation and getting up higher. Big course. Once again, Grant showed his evil mastery in route planning, with those checkpoints that were off the obvious route naturally worth more points. We planned an anti-clockwise route, taking in all the points north of the river, but leaving out the south side (a sacrifice of 6 points).
The race began en masse with a helter skelter pelter down the hill in town to the bridge. The wrong bridge for everyone as it turned out, with the race leaders taking a bridge too near, and the rest of us not wanting a bridge at all. After throwing off the shackles of our ovine navigation, we proceeded to find the CP in town "with a wooden carving of an animal above the fountain. What is the animal?".
My biology may not be up to much, but neither were the carver's skills. I still maintain it could have been any of a marmot, meerkat, mongoose, gopher, weasel, stoat, ermine, marten, otter or beaver. Luckily, Grant was on hand to film us again, so there was no doubt of us having found the CP. We carried on from Scuol to Sent full of beans, vim and vigour
From Sent, it was a steep climb up to CP's 6 and 7.
We bumped into two other solo competitors here, and were still being shadowed by Grant, so when it came to decision time at CP 7, there was lots of checking to see what everyone was going to do. Unbeknown to us at the time, this really was a critical decision point. There were two ways to go: Climb another 300m up, and take a high trail round to CP8. Or, drop down about 50-100m, cut around the face of the bluff, and follow a gully back up to CP8. Having all left snowshoes behind to save on weight, We universally choose the lower route. It involved a short bushwhack ("shortcut off trail") down to the trail, which wasn't visible from where we were...
What followed was an extremely frustrating, exhausting and at times sketchy 2-3hours (I rather lost track of time). The low trail never materialised, and we faced a series of gullies and ridges cutting down an increasingly steep slope. The gullies were filled with snow, and at times, a stream underneath the snow, and the ridges were lumpy rock and grass tussocks (which would have rendered snowshoeing impossible as well, some small comfort). We crawled round the bluff until we could see the CP, over the other side of a valley, and after several hours made the decision to try and cut back to the high track. The video here shows Grant's route back to the track, and the stark contrast between sinking to our waists, and the motorway that was the track. In total, 3 other racers attempted the low route. 2 turned back, and one went all the way down and up a long way behind us. We toughed it out and made it to CP8, passing a clockwise racer on the way. He commented that the view of us from across the valley climbing up the slope was true adventure racing stuff. I think the biggest compliment came from Grant, who said in passing that "you guys got lemons, but made lemonade".
We switched back up a pistebasher track from CP8 (this was well into ski territory here), and jogged down to CP9, which was "how many picnic tables on the terrace". I had a surreal moment of standing in the middle of the terrace as bemused skiers taking their after lunch coffees watched the madman spinning round and round trying to count the 22 picnic tables. At CP10, we bumped into some spectators, and found out that we were, unlike we our assumption, ahead of the teams going the same way round as we were after our epic slog. This put a real spring in our step, and we blitzed down the hillside to Ptui, Ftan and down to the river, covering the km in huge strides. We bumped into another racer down at gorge level, as we were debating whether to try for a CP over the river. In the end, we decided no, as slight rises were now sapping energy, and we headed in to Scuol again and the train station, arriving 15 minutes before cut off, promptly wolfing a burger and (non alcoholic) beer at the station. None of the others who had attempted the same route as had picked up all the CP's on the north side, and one of the racers (Jager from Holland) was 11 minutes late in, for a penalty of 3 points (1 point per 5 minutes or part thereof late). Suddenly, we were in competition with a racer who had been at the top of the table, and in 5th place.
Grant's blog from Day 2
Adventure World Magazine Day 2 Update
Summary of Day 2: c.25km, 2,000m climb, 13 of 16 CP's cleared (21/27 pts), "You take the low road and I'll take the high, and I'll be in Scuolland before ye"
DAY 3: Bernina Pass-Poschiavo
I had trouble sleeping from day 2 to 3, and was quite keyed up for day 3. As opposed to just finishing, we now had a close competitor to make sure we stayed out in front of (we were 1 point ahead). Physically, I was feeling a bit sore, a couple of chafed toes from snowshoes, and blisters on my thumbs from poling so much, but other than that pretty good.
Day 3 started up high, at the top of the Bernina Pass by the Lago Bianco. We'd received maps and plotted points the night before, and it was a 20 minute ride to the top of the pass. The weather in the Pontresina valley was snowing, but as we got up high, it cleared to bright sun. The temperatures were definitely chilly, below zero at the pass with a whistling wind. Briefing was short and in the toilets to stay warm, before a mass start.
The first 10km or so was a series of fast downhill switchbacks following the road. There was lots of cutting across the apices of bends, and we made a good call avoiding one "shortcut" that ended in a cliff drop. Our close competitor did not, and we left him behind in short order. We knocked off the first 5 CP's relatively quickly, sliding around on the gravel like snow and skinning knuckles. We then poked our noses into the high valley, to pick up some of the CP's (but not all). This involved "postholing", a technical term which as far as I can tell means "sinking to your knees or further in deep snow because you didn't bring snowshoes again".
Once we were out of the valley, it was a high traverse on "old smugglers routes", on the NW facing side of the valley. Snow was still deep here, and the tracks were minimal, so it was hard going. You could run, but frequently, the snow would give way and you'd suddenly find yourself up to your knees (a recipe for twisted ankles and knees). We slogged round for what to me seemed like far too long, crossing several frozen snow slides very carefully. I hit a grumpy patch where I was sick of the snow, and kept asking Mark which checkpoint we were going for. When I asked for the 5th time, he threatened to pole me if I asked again, so I swallowed some Ibuprofen, ride shots and baby bells and told him not to talk to me for 20 minutes. Sure enough, 20 minutes later I'd regained some humanity, and we began to descend. At this point, we realised we were actually going to finish this thing within about 2 hours, and started buzzing again.
The last 4 or 5 CP's passed quickly, as the snow gave way to meadows and hard packed trails. We descended to San Carlo on the valley floor, and began the jog into Poschiavo, shedding layers as we went. Poschiavo is very nearly Italy (they speak Italian) and the difference in climate was palpable. We jogged along the stream into town, and picked up the last CP in the town square where the other racers were already finished
We were cheered through the square, much to the locals Sunday afternoon bemusement, bought our tickets back as proof of finish time, and strolled back to sink into chairs on the Plaza with a large, alcoholic, beer and a ham and cheese sandwich. Finito!
Adventure World Magazine Day 3 Update
Summary of Day 3: c.30km, 1,300m climb, 15 of 18 CP's cleared (22/27 pts), "I feel the need, the need for speed"
We held onto our 5th place on the final day, increasing our lead by a couple of points. Our placing overall was determined by a few factors - on the one hand, neither of us are yet fit or strong enough to consistently run up big climbs, so we can't compete with the race leaders (unless they make a mistake). On the other hand, we seem to be quite strong and can keep on truckin’ (perhaps the team element helps there). We also made some good route planning choices ahead of time, and our Day 2 unforeseen difficulties en route were made up for by some good calls on Day 3. Finally, we had as fast a downhill speed as anyone out there, and faster than several.
Overall, I was extremely pleased to finish where we did in the rankings (our aim was not to come last!), and in such good shape (a mildly twisted knee, some grazes, blisters on the thumbs and sore Achilles tendons). The terrain we raced through was unbelievable, and I really felt like we were out in the wilds of the high alps. I'm actually kind of proud that, as complete rookies to this, we didn't get lost, run out of food or water, and never felt underequipped (the reverse almost). We were safe competitors the whole way round, were never late in and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The courses we raced were well thought out, with the mental challenge of optimising your route a real part of the competition, and allowed for multiple choices along the way. I loved the cheekiness of several of the checkpoints, tempting and challenging you to add just another couple of klicks to get those points. Most of the time, the kilometres flew by under our feet, distracted by the alpine views or the CP planning. The only time they dragged was when I felt my energy flagging and had to fuel up, which luckily we were equipped for.
Kit wise, my obsessive list making paid off. I was never wanting for anything, and aside from the initial morning little shock at how much the pack weighed with 3 litres of water, it was surprisingly comfortable and stable (Deuter Speedlite 20 Tip: Take the stiffening back hoop out, the ends were right on my kidneys at first). I would guess that the poles made up for at least the additional weight, and probably more (tip: always wear gloves, unless your hands are like leather). My new Inov8 Roclite 315's performed brilliantly and felt light on my feet after 3 days. Clif Bars and PowerBar Ride shots appear to be my fuel of choice on the go, and agreed with my digestive tract (and I don't like sandwiches. I carried one for 2 days, sniffed it several times, and chucked it). I just need to remember to eat more regularly, before I run out of energy. The YakTrax Pro's were a boon on packed snow and ice, enabling us to go much quicker than otherwise. I loved my 2XU compression tights - I had no calf or thigh muscle ache the whole time, and no, I am not going to scientifically benchmark that by doing it again without tights. Plus, they're really cool because they have a big X on the side so I feel like an X-man. A Buff is really handy against cold and sun alike too.
So, will I be doing more Adventure Racing? I think so. The variety of the races is fantastic. Races like road marathons can almost be mentally dull, and I can't imagine doing one that I've already done again. The opportunity to get out in the wilds, sometimes to places that very few other people will ever go to, is challenging and rewarding. Switzerland is of course the ideal place to do such things, and I intend to take full advantage of it. I love the idea of combining the disciplines, and the traditional other modes of transport are kayaking, mountain biking and rope work, which just sounds even better. So, I'll be back next year for Untamed Switzerland 2011, and in the meantime, keeping my eye out for other events.
Grant's post race quick thoughts
The live map will be updated within a week or two to show routes taken by each team.
There is a full set on Flickr of photos and videos from the race.
Here be Dragons
Adventure Racing is very much unchartered territory for me. As the lovely intro and bio indicates, I've done a fair amount of triathlon now, since about 2006, and built up my endurance to a point where I know I can more or less keep going all day. However, Untamed CH is a 3 day multi stage adventure race, so the whole doing it all day, then getting up again and doing it again, and then again, was slightly daunting. Thankfully, multi stage indicates that you get to stop at the end of each day and sleep, as opposed to the non stop style of event where you just carry on going until you drop (which is what the Untamed Adventure New England version is).
I met the organiser of the event, Grant, through a friend, and my eventual race partner, back in November 2009, when I participated in a one day event around Zurich. It was a fun mix of trail running and orienteering, and completely different from triathlons or run races - much more mentally stimulating during the race. I went snowshoeing with him in December, and spurred on by his encouragement of both Mark and I, entered Untamed CH. I was quite happy to enter as part of a team, as my practical experience in high alpine environments is limited, and this promised to be well off the beaten track and very much self supported. Mark is a Brit who has lived out here on and off for the best part of a decade, and has a fair amount of back country experience both here and in Canada, including avalanche awareness training. As the rookies in the event, we thought it was a good idea not to go it alone and have someone else around in case of problems - a decision that, despite nothing really going wrong, we both took comfort from later on.
For those of you wondering, the team name was happenstance. I solicited for team names, and one of the suggestions was "Curry and chips", from Mark. As soon as Grant's wife knew that Mark and I were entering, she suggested "Chips and Curry". Grant saw this as a sign and unilaterally registered us. The offer was always open to change to something aspirational such as "Shackleton" or "Hilary", but we thought that was a little presumptuous. Curry and chips seemed much more indicative of the type of race we were likely to have.
The event took place this year in the south east Swiss Alps, in the Canton of Graubünden, using the town of Pontresina as a base. We stayed at the Youth Hostel, which, being Swiss, was the equivalent of a good 3 star hotel (not withstanding the showers on the other side of the corridor).
Mark and I arrived after work on Thursday night, which bearing in mind the 3:45 rail journey, was quite late. Received Day 1's maps (one at 1:25,000 and two orienteering sections at 1:10,0000), our checkpoint sheet and a handy plotter. The checkpoint sheet lists 19 checkpoints (CP's), of varying points values, using the 6 digit Eastings and Northings of the UTM system. Hurrah for doing Geography at school. Thursday evening was spent plotting the points onto the map as best one can (relative scales mean it's difficult to mark a point on a 1:25,000 at less than a 10m by 10m area), and contemplating point/route choices. Our starting assumption was that we were probably not going to be able to clear the course (i.e. pick up all the checkpoints), based on knowing the speed and endurance of some of the other competitors (bordering on the superhuman, including a 25th place in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc). Elevation was also going to play a large role in speed and distance that could be covered. With that in mind, we planned out our best case route, and noted two "exit points" where we could cut distance short if time was against us. We also set a turn back time, at 4 hours: Day 1 would be a 9 hours cut-off, with an extended 7km leg to the finish, so were allowing 4 out, 4 back, plus an hour to do 7km.
DAY 1: Pontresina-St Moritz-Hotel Roseg
There is an overview map showing the location of the CP's in the Adventure World Magazine Day 1 Update, and the live race tracking Stage on the Untamed CH home page shows optimal routes at a more detailed level (it will hopefully be updated with team's individual routes some time in the next week). Broadly, the route involved a short, sharp climb from 1,770m to 2,305m to warm up, then a descending traverse down past St Moritz town to the furthest checkpoints, turn around and run through St Moritz town, around the lake, looping back out and round to Pontresina, and then a long slog to the Hotel Roseg for the finish and food.
Mark and I started well, adhering to the Ultra Runner's mantra of "start slow, and then go slower". We were the last up to CP1
but had fun doing so
I was very glad of the measured start, as I was feeling pretty awful. I'd had a rough week, travelling back from the UK on Tuesday, spending two rushed days trying to buy last minute items, pack and squeezing in end of quarter work, and was feeling tired before we even started. I'd also had far too much to eat over Easter in the UK and was feeling incredibly bloated (Mark suffered the inevitable consequences). The first hour was not much fun, until my body started behaving, and the stunning scenery worked it's magic.
After CP1, Grant accompanied us down the mountain to our second CP (5? maybe), interviewing us along the way. Grant was posting throughout the day, and combined with the live GPS tracking from Spot, it made for a very Web 2.0 event. We bumbled our way through the first few checkpoints, getting used to the maps, shifting gear around and figuring out just how far a km felt like in the snow. We made it out to our "furthest CP", and resisted the temptation to "just go a little further" and pick up the two outliers. We trundled back into St Moritz at lake level, and found the CP in town, before heading off to the lake. About this time, probably 5 hours in, I started loosing energy again, and the nagging headache I'd woken up with came back to haunt me. I was struggling to maintain a good jogging pace, and grateful for every excuse to stop and look at the map. I scoffed more PowerBar Ride Shots, Clif Bar and mini Baby Bell's, but when you feel low on energy it's already too late really. Luckily, the northernmost three CP's were easy terrain, and the weather held sunny and wind free, making it easier to find a rhythm again. We ploughed on, and jog/walked back into Pontresina (walk any uphill’s, jog the downhill’s, flats to be jogged with short walks. There aren't really many flat bits in the Alps). Grant met us in town again, with some water (I'd gone through my 3 litres), and we cracked on with the 7km to the finish. This was a grim section, along a muddy track that gradually ascended 200m over the route. The sun started dipping behind the mountains, and the "walk" was much more pronounced than the run. Overall, it probably took us 90-105 minutes to do the stretch, and we were both glad when it finished with Fondue at Hotel Roseg
After the fondue, and a cheeky Kirsch, we were ferried back to Ponteresina. Unpack, repack, shower, hydrate, sleep!
Summary of Day 1: c. 27km, 1,300m, 17 of 19 CP's cleared (20/23 pts), "Windy".
DAY 2: Scuol Tarasp-Sent-Piz Munschun
I've been to Scuol Tarasp before, in about 2004. It's a lovely mountainside town, in a deep valley, with a river gorge roaring below (the River Inn), with vertiginous mountains towering on either side hedging out Italy and Austria. Reminds me of Lancre. Not what one would consider ideal running territory. Thankfully, I was feeling a new man on Saturday morning after 8 hours of sleep and a bunch of energy drinks before breakfast.
We received the maps and CP's for day 2 on the train (hour and twenty minute ride). Day two looked to be high mileage, starting at a lower elevation and getting up higher. Big course. Once again, Grant showed his evil mastery in route planning, with those checkpoints that were off the obvious route naturally worth more points. We planned an anti-clockwise route, taking in all the points north of the river, but leaving out the south side (a sacrifice of 6 points).
The race began en masse with a helter skelter pelter down the hill in town to the bridge. The wrong bridge for everyone as it turned out, with the race leaders taking a bridge too near, and the rest of us not wanting a bridge at all. After throwing off the shackles of our ovine navigation, we proceeded to find the CP in town "with a wooden carving of an animal above the fountain. What is the animal?".
My biology may not be up to much, but neither were the carver's skills. I still maintain it could have been any of a marmot, meerkat, mongoose, gopher, weasel, stoat, ermine, marten, otter or beaver. Luckily, Grant was on hand to film us again, so there was no doubt of us having found the CP. We carried on from Scuol to Sent full of beans, vim and vigour
From Sent, it was a steep climb up to CP's 6 and 7.
We bumped into two other solo competitors here, and were still being shadowed by Grant, so when it came to decision time at CP 7, there was lots of checking to see what everyone was going to do. Unbeknown to us at the time, this really was a critical decision point. There were two ways to go: Climb another 300m up, and take a high trail round to CP8. Or, drop down about 50-100m, cut around the face of the bluff, and follow a gully back up to CP8. Having all left snowshoes behind to save on weight, We universally choose the lower route. It involved a short bushwhack ("shortcut off trail") down to the trail, which wasn't visible from where we were...
What followed was an extremely frustrating, exhausting and at times sketchy 2-3hours (I rather lost track of time). The low trail never materialised, and we faced a series of gullies and ridges cutting down an increasingly steep slope. The gullies were filled with snow, and at times, a stream underneath the snow, and the ridges were lumpy rock and grass tussocks (which would have rendered snowshoeing impossible as well, some small comfort). We crawled round the bluff until we could see the CP, over the other side of a valley, and after several hours made the decision to try and cut back to the high track. The video here shows Grant's route back to the track, and the stark contrast between sinking to our waists, and the motorway that was the track. In total, 3 other racers attempted the low route. 2 turned back, and one went all the way down and up a long way behind us. We toughed it out and made it to CP8, passing a clockwise racer on the way. He commented that the view of us from across the valley climbing up the slope was true adventure racing stuff. I think the biggest compliment came from Grant, who said in passing that "you guys got lemons, but made lemonade".
We switched back up a pistebasher track from CP8 (this was well into ski territory here), and jogged down to CP9, which was "how many picnic tables on the terrace". I had a surreal moment of standing in the middle of the terrace as bemused skiers taking their after lunch coffees watched the madman spinning round and round trying to count the 22 picnic tables. At CP10, we bumped into some spectators, and found out that we were, unlike we our assumption, ahead of the teams going the same way round as we were after our epic slog. This put a real spring in our step, and we blitzed down the hillside to Ptui, Ftan and down to the river, covering the km in huge strides. We bumped into another racer down at gorge level, as we were debating whether to try for a CP over the river. In the end, we decided no, as slight rises were now sapping energy, and we headed in to Scuol again and the train station, arriving 15 minutes before cut off, promptly wolfing a burger and (non alcoholic) beer at the station. None of the others who had attempted the same route as had picked up all the CP's on the north side, and one of the racers (Jager from Holland) was 11 minutes late in, for a penalty of 3 points (1 point per 5 minutes or part thereof late). Suddenly, we were in competition with a racer who had been at the top of the table, and in 5th place.
Grant's blog from Day 2
Adventure World Magazine Day 2 Update
Summary of Day 2: c.25km, 2,000m climb, 13 of 16 CP's cleared (21/27 pts), "You take the low road and I'll take the high, and I'll be in Scuolland before ye"
DAY 3: Bernina Pass-Poschiavo
I had trouble sleeping from day 2 to 3, and was quite keyed up for day 3. As opposed to just finishing, we now had a close competitor to make sure we stayed out in front of (we were 1 point ahead). Physically, I was feeling a bit sore, a couple of chafed toes from snowshoes, and blisters on my thumbs from poling so much, but other than that pretty good.
Day 3 started up high, at the top of the Bernina Pass by the Lago Bianco. We'd received maps and plotted points the night before, and it was a 20 minute ride to the top of the pass. The weather in the Pontresina valley was snowing, but as we got up high, it cleared to bright sun. The temperatures were definitely chilly, below zero at the pass with a whistling wind. Briefing was short and in the toilets to stay warm, before a mass start.
The first 10km or so was a series of fast downhill switchbacks following the road. There was lots of cutting across the apices of bends, and we made a good call avoiding one "shortcut" that ended in a cliff drop. Our close competitor did not, and we left him behind in short order. We knocked off the first 5 CP's relatively quickly, sliding around on the gravel like snow and skinning knuckles. We then poked our noses into the high valley, to pick up some of the CP's (but not all). This involved "postholing", a technical term which as far as I can tell means "sinking to your knees or further in deep snow because you didn't bring snowshoes again".
Once we were out of the valley, it was a high traverse on "old smugglers routes", on the NW facing side of the valley. Snow was still deep here, and the tracks were minimal, so it was hard going. You could run, but frequently, the snow would give way and you'd suddenly find yourself up to your knees (a recipe for twisted ankles and knees). We slogged round for what to me seemed like far too long, crossing several frozen snow slides very carefully. I hit a grumpy patch where I was sick of the snow, and kept asking Mark which checkpoint we were going for. When I asked for the 5th time, he threatened to pole me if I asked again, so I swallowed some Ibuprofen, ride shots and baby bells and told him not to talk to me for 20 minutes. Sure enough, 20 minutes later I'd regained some humanity, and we began to descend. At this point, we realised we were actually going to finish this thing within about 2 hours, and started buzzing again.
The last 4 or 5 CP's passed quickly, as the snow gave way to meadows and hard packed trails. We descended to San Carlo on the valley floor, and began the jog into Poschiavo, shedding layers as we went. Poschiavo is very nearly Italy (they speak Italian) and the difference in climate was palpable. We jogged along the stream into town, and picked up the last CP in the town square where the other racers were already finished
We were cheered through the square, much to the locals Sunday afternoon bemusement, bought our tickets back as proof of finish time, and strolled back to sink into chairs on the Plaza with a large, alcoholic, beer and a ham and cheese sandwich. Finito!
Adventure World Magazine Day 3 Update
Summary of Day 3: c.30km, 1,300m climb, 15 of 18 CP's cleared (22/27 pts), "I feel the need, the need for speed"
We held onto our 5th place on the final day, increasing our lead by a couple of points. Our placing overall was determined by a few factors - on the one hand, neither of us are yet fit or strong enough to consistently run up big climbs, so we can't compete with the race leaders (unless they make a mistake). On the other hand, we seem to be quite strong and can keep on truckin’ (perhaps the team element helps there). We also made some good route planning choices ahead of time, and our Day 2 unforeseen difficulties en route were made up for by some good calls on Day 3. Finally, we had as fast a downhill speed as anyone out there, and faster than several.
Overall, I was extremely pleased to finish where we did in the rankings (our aim was not to come last!), and in such good shape (a mildly twisted knee, some grazes, blisters on the thumbs and sore Achilles tendons). The terrain we raced through was unbelievable, and I really felt like we were out in the wilds of the high alps. I'm actually kind of proud that, as complete rookies to this, we didn't get lost, run out of food or water, and never felt underequipped (the reverse almost). We were safe competitors the whole way round, were never late in and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The courses we raced were well thought out, with the mental challenge of optimising your route a real part of the competition, and allowed for multiple choices along the way. I loved the cheekiness of several of the checkpoints, tempting and challenging you to add just another couple of klicks to get those points. Most of the time, the kilometres flew by under our feet, distracted by the alpine views or the CP planning. The only time they dragged was when I felt my energy flagging and had to fuel up, which luckily we were equipped for.
Kit wise, my obsessive list making paid off. I was never wanting for anything, and aside from the initial morning little shock at how much the pack weighed with 3 litres of water, it was surprisingly comfortable and stable (Deuter Speedlite 20 Tip: Take the stiffening back hoop out, the ends were right on my kidneys at first). I would guess that the poles made up for at least the additional weight, and probably more (tip: always wear gloves, unless your hands are like leather). My new Inov8 Roclite 315's performed brilliantly and felt light on my feet after 3 days. Clif Bars and PowerBar Ride shots appear to be my fuel of choice on the go, and agreed with my digestive tract (and I don't like sandwiches. I carried one for 2 days, sniffed it several times, and chucked it). I just need to remember to eat more regularly, before I run out of energy. The YakTrax Pro's were a boon on packed snow and ice, enabling us to go much quicker than otherwise. I loved my 2XU compression tights - I had no calf or thigh muscle ache the whole time, and no, I am not going to scientifically benchmark that by doing it again without tights. Plus, they're really cool because they have a big X on the side so I feel like an X-man. A Buff is really handy against cold and sun alike too.
So, will I be doing more Adventure Racing? I think so. The variety of the races is fantastic. Races like road marathons can almost be mentally dull, and I can't imagine doing one that I've already done again. The opportunity to get out in the wilds, sometimes to places that very few other people will ever go to, is challenging and rewarding. Switzerland is of course the ideal place to do such things, and I intend to take full advantage of it. I love the idea of combining the disciplines, and the traditional other modes of transport are kayaking, mountain biking and rope work, which just sounds even better. So, I'll be back next year for Untamed Switzerland 2011, and in the meantime, keeping my eye out for other events.
Grant's post race quick thoughts
The live map will be updated within a week or two to show routes taken by each team.
There is a full set on Flickr of photos and videos from the race.