In May earlier this year I could not even walk normal and without pain. Physiotherapy from Pol Soria got me running again and soon after I decided I wanted to have a third try at completing the Ultra trail du Mont Blanc. The first step to get there is gathering qualifying points by completing Ultratrail races. After going through the list of available races that still allowed for subscription, juggling with dates to allow for at least some training if the progress of my injury would allow me to do so, I also decided that my way of training would not get me there and that I would need help. So somewhere mid July I receive my first training schedule from TecniRunner. They pushed me to my limits and into different directions of training and though hard, it really paid off, though I also know I still have many things to work on.
All three races were held at considerable distance from Barcelona, so Montse suggested we would go there the day before. Many thanks for making all the arrangements and for making the "trilogy" a very much shared experience!!!
So here we are. Third Ultra, and still the "must finish" tagged to it. Training went well but in the last week I had a cold and didn't do much training and didn't feel well. We stayed at a hotel in Oix that has the start of the race literally at its doorstep. After a good night's sleep I go down and have a good breakfast at 6am. Apparently the clean air in this remote area has good effects on my cold, since the symptoms were a lot less this morning. There is still lots of time untill the start at 8 o'clock. Around 7am I pick up my bibnumber, 45, and then go back to our room and start to get ready for the race. It is rather chilly outside so I put on my windstopper. The raceplan today is to go fast in the beginning to get as far as possible with daylight, because I expected the second half to have a lot of difficult stony paths which are a lot more easy to run/walk by daylight. Also I wanted to try and take my homemade gel every 45 minutes to learn how my stomach takes that. So far I only took some every 90 minutes or even less.
Around 7:30 I wake up Emma who said she wanted to make pictures when I left and then went down to pass the material check and then waited for the start while talking with Emma and having shot some photo's in the start area. At the sound of the church bells we get underway at 8 o'clock.
We are only 67 runners and the path in the beginning was wide so no queues and no pace problems at all today. After a while of more or less flat countryside running the first climb starts, though until kilometer 40 the climbs are short and easy.
In just a bit more than an hour I reach the first checkpoint.
Soon after we go higher up and the landscape and views are amazing.
45 minutes later I arrive at the second checkpoint. Since it is still cloudy and cold the stops are short, since I don't have to drink as much as when it is warm and sunny, so much less refilling and only quickly eating fruit, bread and biscuits and continue.
Amazing views of la Garrotxa
Autumn colours
After 3 hours and some minutes I arrive at the third checkpoint.
Sometimes feeling strong and going fast has its drawbacks too. Luckily doing 3 ultras in a row made me very keen on checking the last track marker and at some point I know that I lost my way and inmediately go back, having done only 200 meters extra. Others runners didn't see the change in direction either and indeed it is not the most clearly marked point, but soon we are on the right path and continue down. Soon after there is a second point with a sudden change of direction, but this time we notice it even faster and after no more doubts upto Checkpoint 4, Bolós. In spite of going down hill I am not going as fast as I thought I could. The paths are complicated and full of loose stones at stretches and that breaks the fast running pace.
Arriving at Beget, 40km
Clearly enjoying the run
I reach the checkpoint in Beget, 40km into the race, after some 5 hourse and 40 minutes. My family is waiting for me here and it is time to eat more and have a little break before continuing. Ofcourse I feel I have done 40km, but I am not tired and only when getting up I notice my muscle are a bit stiff during the first steps. I say goodbye to my family and head out for a 1000m climb.
Material check at the Control post in Beget
Bye, bye Beget, the last village for many many hours
Next up is a long climb to the highest peak of the race, the Comanegra. From here on until kilometer 83 the landscape is much more mountainous and steeper, and the paths are narrow and often covered with loose stones, a type of terrain I no longer worry about, but it does slow me down, most of all on the downhills.
Climbing up to Comanegra - Foto by Josep Maria Montaner
After 90 minutes of climbing I arrive at the next Checkpoint Coll del Boix. Most of the climb is done now, only as you can see in the pictures, the weather up there is very very foggy.
Arriving at Coll del Boix, it is getting foggy up here
The people at the checkpoint and some minutes later another person that comes walking downhill warn us that at the top it is rather chilly and also very slippery, so we have to be carefull and cautious up there. Soon I am surrounded by a thick fog and the higher up we go the stronger the wind and indeed it is time to put back on my windstopper that I had taken off hours ago.
The experience of walking and running here for me is very enjoyable, not easy, since it is indeed very slippery at some parts, but still, it is nature in its raw form and somehow that is something I can appreciate a lot.
The ridge we follow without any visual reference makes me think I reach the summit before we actually get there. So I made more pictures than necesarry, but it gives a good impression of the area. On one side a rather steep rocky part and on the other a sloping forest of enormous beech trees, that trapped the mist with their leaves and more or less caused rain underneath and a very very wet and slippery soil.
A "selfie" at the top of the Comanegra
The downhill was also long, steep and at points slippery, so all in all rather slow. When I finally get to the next checkpoint, 3 and a half hours after Beget I know that at most I would get to the highest point of the next climb with daylight. The long uphill and downhill make me feel tired, but still I don't stay too long here.
Talaixa, one of the many hermitages in the area
After eating, drinking and refilling I am quickly on my way again
At somepoint in the downhill we pass a house that is under construction. Here a group of runners passes me and one of them, Samuel, tells me their pace was just too fast and we start the next climb to Coll de Bassegoda together. We already shared the downhill to Beget earlier in the race so I knew he was a bit stronger than me in the downhill and he said I was better in uphill, so we started to alternate leading our pace according to that, meanwhile talking about running, family, life and from time to time just breathing in silence while the night was slowly creeping up on us changing the foggy forest into a place of scary fairytales.It is time to start using our headlamps. The fog takes away part of the visibility, but at least we can better see where we put down our feet. During this climb we start using Samuel's watch to measure how much longer it will take until the next checkpoint. Clearly a sign of fatigue, but we keep pushing and finally make our way up to the Checkpoint at Coll de Bassegoda. It is somewhat passed eight o'clock now and already completely dark. Since at the next point we will have our "life bags" we quickly continue after refilling.
Coll de Bassegoda
After another loose stone path downhill we reach a normal road that leads almost upto the next checkpoint. We could have run this part, but since we have one more climb to go and a long steep downhill afterwards we just walk at high pace to save some energy. At the next Checkpoint , Casalot, it is time for eating pasta and putting on a long sleeve shirt. They say it will be cold when we get to the next checkpoint. Samuel tries to make a phone call here, but just as my Whatsup messages are not being sent, he is not able to establish connection. Probably at the next checkpoint that will improve.
Casalot
The climb to Mare de Deu del Mont is a matter of stamina. We are both tired, so we talk less and just breath and push our bodies uphill. After reaching an intermediate highest point we can see the lights of where we have to go way up, but not too far. After a short downhill we reach the path that zig-zags uphill. Steep but doable and soon we are at this landmark that is worthwhile a visit if you are ever in the area. People from the organization indicate us we have to go around the main building and enter from the other side, in order to keep ingoing and outgoing runners separated. The Checkpoint is set up inside, so for a change we can warm up a bit, though it is not as cold as people told us it would be.
Here Samuel can make his phone call and I take some time for Whatsup messages. When leaving we are warned for the first part of the downhill, which is steep and wet and as such slippery.
Mare de Deu del Mont
Actually this is only a very short stretch and the rest of the downhill is much better doable than I expected. From time to time we cross the regular road and walk a few hundred meters on asphalt before continuing on narrow paths again. We both arrive at Checkpoint Beuda with sore feet, in my case most of all my right foot. It is just past one o'clock now and we still have quite a while to go. We take some time to take care of our feet and the prepare for the last stretch of the race. Two more checkpoints to go before arriving at Oix, and some 26 kilometers. At the end one more hill to conquer and that's it.
Beuda
When leaving Beuda, a group of 4 runners passes us jogging and soon after I suggest Samuel to try and jog a bit too. Actually this goes well for both, only very soon after we have to do a short climb and go back to walking again. From there on we will run at easy pace most of the downhill parts. Also because most of the paths are good to run on. Just before reaching the next Checkpoint at Tortellá we are back on asphalt again. Flat but also very hard surface, but certainly runnable. We hoped to have some bread with tomatoe, catalan style, here, but they tell us we have to run to the next aidstation for that. Since we are only 16km away now we soon leave and continue. 
Tortellá
At some points we have doubts whether there is a village up ahead. The
night is utterly silent, and no light of civilization is seen anywhere.
Only a million stars overhead and half a moon and some owl that breaks
the silence from time to time.
At the next checkpoint we find people sleeping next to a campfire while others attend us with whatever we need to make it to Oix. Indeed they have bread with tomatoe and we eat a view pieces and fill up liquids for the last time. And off we go, for the final 9km, with a not too steep climb and downhill between us and the finish. We still have the group of four runners just ahead of us, which helps us knowing where we go, since there headlamps clearly light up in the dark forest ahead of us. When we reach the highest point we catch up with 2 of the group of 4, one of them a woman, who is sitting on the ground and clearly not feeling to well. Stomach problems she says, mad and much wanting it all to be over. Somehow the exchange of words we have there makes here get up on her feet again and of we go. Samuel feels like running and down we go at good pace. At some point we have a first glimpse of Oix, clearly visible. Also, the headlamps of other runners indicate we are not going there straight away but around a valley in a long curve down. We alternate walking and running and reach Oix after 23h13m13s.
Montse and Jordi are there for pictures and sharing the moment of completing the first part of the quest for finishing UTMB, getting my qualifying points. Thanks a lot for being there!!
Thanks Samuel for running along the second part of the race. Good recovery and who knows we will meet again at some other ultra in the future!!!
The final aidstation serves us a delicous hamburger and more pasta!! We take time to eat and then say goodbye.. time to rest a bit.
Many thanks to the organization!! I very much enjoyed the race and the good atmosphere in all the aidstations.
