Introduction
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| Waiting for the start in Courmayeur |
The Ultra Trial Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) CCC is a 101Km ultra trail marathon held annually in
the Alps and has 6100m of ascent and descent. It is one of 4 races which make up the suite of UTMB races which are held during 1 week in August and are based in the French alpine town of Chamonix. The main event the UTMB is 168km long and completes a full circuit of the Mont Blanc massif following a similar route to the Tour du Mont Blanc footpath. The shorter CCC follows the last 101km of the UTMB route starting in Courmayeur, Italy passing though Champex, Switzerland and finishing in Chamonix hence the CCC name.
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| Courmayeur |
I’d come across the UTMB website and the CCC race
immediately caught my imagination, not least because my only previous visit to
the Alps had been a 2 week climbing trip based in Courmayeur. I wasn’t sure I
could do such an event and if I could I probably needed to complete the 2013
Lakeland 10 Peaks race first which I had already decided would be my main goal
for 2013. Besides you can’t just enter the CCC you need qualifying points from
other trail ultras and even then there’s a lottery for places. I might have
left it at that but I decided to look at the races which earned UTMB points and
I discovered that thanks to completing the Tour de Helvellyn and the Round
Rotherham 50 I already had the necessary 2 qualifying points. Should I enter?
Why not? I probably won’t get a place anyway. So I entered and several weeks
later an email arrived informing me I had been successful …..oh sh*t, I
thought.
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| Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) from the route leaving Courmayeur |
What follows is a brief account of a few of my experiences:
High Points
Dawn was not far off and I was high on the final climb of
the CCC, I paused to look down at the zigzag of head torch lights climbing the
trail below me, below them an occasional car headlight swept the Col Des
Montets where a line of head torches crossed the road to feed the snake
climbing the mountain. This was the last of 5 main climbs that make up a large
part of the CCC course, for the first time in around 20 hours I was climbing on
my own and as with the other 4 climbs I’d settled into a steady rhythm which I
felt I could sustain for as long as necessary but in the dark it was always
impossible to tell how long that would be. Earlier in the race I’d looked up
mountainsides at lights spiralling upwards and couldn’t tell where the head
torches finished and the stars began, all that was obvious was that it was a
long way up. Now I slowly plodded on conscious that the lights below were
getting further away and the lights above closer with every step, soon I was
overtaking other competitors and caught a few who had passed me lower down but
who were now slumped over walking poles or sat gasping for breath next to the
trail.
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| The only way is up! Climbing to the Tete De La Tronche. |
A few short sections of vertical rock were overcome with the aid of
permanently fixed timber steps and soon after the gradient began to ease. I
looked up and saw the sky was emerging from its inky blackness and the first
hint of dawn was visible to the east. Shortly afterwards the gradient had eased
enough to permit a steady jog and the light poured across the terrain slowly
bringing the awesome mountain scenery into view. I turned off my head torch and
looked across the Chamonix valley to the Chamonix Aiguilles and to Mont Blanc
whose summit was bathed in golden light. Above the summit an equally golden
crown of lenticular cloud sat radiant like a saint’s halo over the snow covered
upper slopes of Western Europe’s highest point.
This moment was all the more fantastic for the fact that it came only a
couple of hours after the most difficult time of my race.
Low Points
The night stages were always going to be the toughest having
to contend with lack of sleep and the previous 12 hours running. I’d expected a
race of ups and downs not just literally but physically and mentally and to
some degree this is what I experienced but the ups and downs were generally
undulations on a plateau of up. That is until I fell of the edge. The edge came
somewhere between Trient and Vallorcine and around 4:00 in the morning.
Physically I’d been deteriorating through out the night but that was to be
expected and mentally I’d just got on with it. As I approached Vallorcine I
knew I needed to refuel ,rehydrate and give myself a break, it’s hard to
explain, I didn’t feel like stopping or that I should quit but I did feel like
I’d just been run over by a bus and I needed to do something about it quickly.
Vallorcine came not a moment too soon; at the time I’d have said I felt tired
but otherwise OK.
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| Val ferret, Italy |
Thinking back I can’t really describe how I felt because all
I can remember is a sort of fussy feeling, an almost detached sense of being
through which something told me that I should sit down, eat, drink and sort
myself out. I don’t actually remember feeling sleepy rather that I could have
just stayed there doing nothing and carried on doing nothing for the rest of
eternity. Fortunately the part in side
of me that made me get up for a second helping of noodles and made me
eat the cake I didn’t really want and to fill the bottle I couldn’t really be
bothered to fill, thankfully, won through. Getting up to leave the check point
I must have looked grim as the official at the exit looked at me and said “courage,
courage!”
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| Leaving La Fouly, Switzerland |
Stepping outside I sorted my
pack and put on a light windproof for only the second time that night. I managed
a feigned cheery wave at a group of supporters gathered around a bonfire and
stepped forward into the dark once again. Each stop bought on muscular stiffness
which took longer to shake off as the race went on but within ten minutes I’d
warmed up and was walking briskly up a long incline towards the Col Des Montets.
Other competitors caught me and I raised the pace to keep up with them, after a
while I noticed that I was no longer fighting to keep up but that I was pulling
ahead and feeling better with every stride. I felt a warm flow of relief and
tension seemed to drain from me, I was on the last leg, back in France and
still 2 hours ahead of the cut off time. I almost felt like breaking into song
but refrained from fear of disqualification for unfair tactics.
End Points
I’d hoped and expected that the dawn would bring a lift both
mentally and physically as my body clock switched on but I hadn’t anticipated
the splendour of the moment and following a brief pause to take in the scene,
pack away the head torch and take on food and water I ran on no longer at a
shuffling jog but with a new spring in the legs and a second wind like I’ve never
had before. Nothing was going to stop me now I thought but almost immediately
cautioned myself as it was all too easy to trip and damage an ankle on the
rugged terrain. So I ran on passing a few other competitors nearly all walking
now and maintained a careful balance between concentration and just enjoying
the sheer delight of running through amazing mountain scenery.
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| Arriving at Arnuva |
The trail undulated traversing the rocky slopes below the Aiguilles
Rouge and arriving at the final check point and feed station I paused only long
enough to fill my water bottle and left to begin the joint jarring, muscle
wrenching descent into Chamonix. I didn’t know how long the descent would take
but having concluded I was going to finish comfortably within the 26 hour cut
off I now aimed at finishing in under 24 hours. The descent turned out to be
very runable and striking a balance between pace and care so as not to fall or
injure my aching calves and Achilles tendon I made good progress. A few runners
who also finished well and had stronger legs passed me on the way down but an
occasional glimpse though the trees to the valley floor told me it was getting
closer and I’d soon be seeing Chamonix.
Finally the trail emerged from the
forest and into the edge of the town, it was early but there were already plenty
of people about and everyone clapped or gave me a congratulatory “bravo “or “allez
allez!” Down the street I saw a Gendarme, seeing me he waved me towards him and
as I approached he stepped into the road halting the early morning traffic.
Waving me though the junction the Gendarme and two colleagues held the mounting
rush hour traffic at bay as a group of people clapped and cheered. I didn’t
know my position but right then, still 1 km from the finish, I felt like a
winner. As I drew nearer the town centre and the finish more and more people
stood and cheered or clapped as I ran past. A few more turns and I was in the
town centre which was already thronged with cheering spectators and there amongst
them was Jill. Marshalls shepherded me though the squares, past the statues and
finally up the finishing straight. To the sound of my name being called out
over the PA I almost sprinted for the line.
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| The Finish |
After shaking hands with the competitors who had finished
just before and after me I staggered grinning like an idiot towards Jill who
stood beaming and waiting with a warm top and a generous supply of hugs and praise.
I sat down on a nearby bench taking in
the moment and the atmosphere, within minutes I was overwhelmed by tiredness
and the desire to lie down and sleep battled with the desire to keep going and
enjoy the unique moment. Texts of support and now congratulations poured in and
I am most grateful to the one from Jason Bulley reminding me about the free
beer. I went and claimed my tin of Heineken and sat down at a café near the
finish to consume a breakfast of omelette and beer. It had been an amazing
experience and with no doubt the best race I have ever done.
I finished 671st from 1900 starters and 59th
in the male V2 class with a time of 23 hours 5 minutes and 46 seconds. The race
and my performance had exceeded my expectations and I’d set quite a high bar
for both, it really couldn’t have gone better. The excellent weather certainly
helped as did the advice and support of many friends but my biggest thank you go’s
to Jill who’s support before during and after the race was also of ultra
proportions.
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| Breakfast in Chamonix |
For more information visit the CCC Website.
Chris Brumby
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