The 2011 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

So goes the cliched saying: A picture is worth a thousand words. And it definitely stands true for a race of epic proportions where the atmosphere, the scenery and the pain leave you speechless.

The 2011 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc is a race that cannot be defined by characters on a page. The sheer scale of the mountains, the emotions felt when seeing the sunrise after 8 hours of racing, the taste of chicken noodle soup after 30 hours of non-stop moving cannot be quantified. In this spirit then, I will be brief with words and leave you to look at the pictures!

1 hour pre-race, I am making final adjustments to my race pack. Outside it is pouring with rain:

The Centre Sportif where we had to drop off our drop-bags. In the background you can see almost 2300 yellow bags:

On the streets of Chamonix, on the way to the race start. In the background imagine drums beating and the faint tunes of Vangelis' "Conquest of Paradise" song to inspire the runners:

Behind the start line, runners waiting in the rain:

Dawn breaking in the mountains, bringing into view the hundreds of runners along the trail:

Mountain views on the trail to Col du Bonhomme at 43km:

I survived the first big climb of the race, the Refuge Croix du bonhomme behind me:

Descending from the mountain pass, the snow recedes leaving green alpine grass. The trails are rolling and technical and from memory this was a really beautiful section to run!

The top of the second big climb of the race, 2516m at the Col de la Seigne, the conditions akin to the Arctic:

A green valley and Lac Combal barely visible through the mist:

The checkpoint at Lac Combal (1970m) behind me, the weather sunny and warm, lifting my spirits:

Courmayeur below me, the "half-way" point of sorts were I would stop for 20 minutes to change my socks and shirt and enjoy a good bowl of pasta:

Climbing up to Refuge Bertoni at 1989m:

Climbing up to the Grand Col Ferret (2537m), the highest point of the race arriving at 99km into the race! My legs at this point were beginning to resemble flat batteries, and yet step after step I climbed higher!

The tiny yellow North Face tent in the mountain pass. Here the wind was icy and my fingers turned bright red and swollen like Italian sausages:

At the aid station in Trient, one more big badass climb ahead of me:

Enjoying a big bowl of chicken noodle soup:

"Do I really have to climb 800m more after already having covered 140km?"

Last climb done, extremely relieved, and descending to Vallorcine from where I had 17km left:

Leaving Vallorcine:

Final 1km to run through the town of Chamonix, the hardest 1km of my life!

Photo courtesy of Runar Gilberg.

Finish line:

Sheer contentment!
Photo Courtesy of Lars Gilberg.

“Margaretha! Welcome! Australia!” Catherine Poletti, the Race Director, stood with arms wide open and gave me a warm embrace. I crossed the line in 10^th place female and well under my dream time of 36 hours. I was also the first Australian female to enter the top 10 since the race started in 1993. More importantly though, I crossed the line a stronger person, a woman that had been tested by the brutal wilderness of the Alps and survived with a huge smile on her face.

A huge thanks to the support of my parents for never faltering in their belief in me, My coach Jen Segger for preparing me, pushing me and giving me the tools to "crush" the trails, North Shore Athletics for their amazing product knowlege and support, and to all my friends across the world who never left my side on the trails!

Final jaunt in the Canadian wilderness: Grouse Mt to Hanes Valley

The best way to say goodbye to a country you have come to love deeply? Disappear into it's wilderness for a last day of hiking, running, snow sliding, slippery river crossings, stings and scratches, deep mist and laughs with a group of my toughest, most inspiring friends!

The destination: Mostly unknown...but in the general direction of a secret trail to the top of Grouse Mountain and then descending through the Hanes Valley and out to Lynn Headwaters.

The secret trail:

Deep in to the forest we go:

Across the summit of Grouse Mt., snow stubborn despite it being the end of summer:

A steep, slippery descent:

Nicola, Peter and Jenni taking a small break, Hanes valley behind:

Jumping down across the rocks into Hanes Valley:

Goodbye Canada, I will miss you and your wilderness!

Comfortably Numb 25km trail race (x2)

Described as epic, phenomenal, Whistler's best, the Comfortably Numb 25km trail runs from the Wedge Mountain parking lot, heading west toward Spruce Grove park on the outer fringe of Whistler village. Awesome. It has everything you would want from a technical single-track trail: gentle switch backs that take you up to just over 1000m elevation, beautiful open rock plateaus that mess with your mind as you run loops around, and around, and around...then you get dropped off rock faces, down technical chutes of trail, and finally through beautiful lush forest that always smells fresh.

Comfortably Numb is the trail race that has it all. So why not do it twice?

The idea started over a tasty seafood risotto cooked by Vancouver's Nicola Gildersleeve, aka "long-sleeves", an awesome lady that has pushed me on our weekly runs and adventures. We had been deciding how to fit in a long weekend run (in my lead up to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) and also race Comfortably Numb. "Why not just run from the finish to the start of the race and then do the race as well back to the finish?" Yes!

Race morning, 5.45am, crisp clear morning, Nicola and I start our run to the race start:

"Physically demanding?"

Nicola making a quick call to double check which way the trail goes: Left or Right?

What a morning to be out on the trails:

At the start line with Cathy, a local Physiotherapist and legendary for her consumption of 8 gels and 15 salt tablets during this race to stop cramping (she smashed the race):

With Nicola, restocking water:

The start:

At the only aid station, having a wrap. Thanks to the North Shore Athletics race organizers who hiked in 12k to man this remote outpost of help and hydration:

Halfway for some, 3/4 of the way for others...

Nicola and I started in the morning together and ended up finishing together as well. She jarred her ankle badly 7km into the race and I found her at the only aid station munching on salty chips. We ended up running the rest of the way together. At one point she commented to me "geez I feel so held back by my ankle, I just want to go faster." I think I grunted something to her, but inside I was thinking "I am at my maximum and could not go faster if I wanted." Nevertheless, running with Nicola, even if not at her best pace, pushed me to go harder than if I had been running by myself. Sometimes, running with a better runner is humbling to one's ego, but if you can move beyond that then you may just find yourself being challenged to work harder and become better as well.

I finished in 6:10 hours and gained 3165m of elevation in total. What a great day of running:

Post race party at the Whistler Brewhouse: