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Posted by Grant on 1. February 2011 20:21
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We had 18 brave souls out on the
CRUX Winter Ultra course (including the 2
photographers who met the runners halfway, at the 29 km mark, at Hulftegpass), and it was an excellent day of endurance across the Züri Oberland! After an hour or two, I settled in with a pack of 3 other guys (Mark, Ben, and Oliver) and we slowly made our way along the icy and snowy course.
Some of the photos are amazing, so visit the gallery from the day over at Flickr at
http://bit.ly/h7j5XB. There are some stunning pictures of the
ice and snow, and the mountains around Schnebelhorn once we eventually broke clear of the
clouds!
I should recognize those who completed the full CRUX
course, and their finishing times:
- Second: Francois Lederer (8 hours 6 minutes) -- Pic of Francois on the course http://bit.ly/dNuFFF
- Third: Paolo Monticolo (8 hours 6 minutes 30 seconds) -- Pic of Paolo on the course
http://bit.ly/g9lLvS
- Fourth & Fifth: Christoph Allemann and his buddy Milan (9 hours 20 minutes)
- Honorable Mention: Jeff Grant came very close, but he accidentally cut-off a significant portion near the
finish (although his total distance was surely more than the 54 km advertised),
so no official time for him
Following the marked Züri Oberland trail was not easy, as the region is a web of paths and roads leading in all directions. Add in the snow factor, and it was amusing to try and find the right way at times. The maps we provided were accurate and certainly sufficient, but everyone took a few detours. Staffan's total distance, based on his GPS track, had 59 km while the official route is set at 54 km!
As for how I fared personally, my cohort of 3 other guys spent 8 hours 30 minutes on the course and took a cut-off near the final 10 km to ensure we made it to the finish in time to get pizza and not totally alienate our families (some of which were waiting at the finish line for hours already!). Our total distance came to 43 km; hard to believe 8+ hours for 43 km, but the fresh snow had us walking for long stretches and we determined to walk the ascents after the first few hours.
The trail was literally a cave through snow and ice at times (as the photo above attests), and I experienced such a rich variety of snowy conditions that I have new appreciation for those arctic cultures who have 100s of words to define the types of snow. When we broke through to the mountain summits, the scenery was spectacular and made for a very fulfilling experience.
A few remarks about my equipment:
- After years of winter endurance events, I've got a pretty good handle on layering and what to bring. The game is foremost about keeping from sweating through your base layer, or else you'll get into a spiral of cold that makes that base layer nearly useless. I did 50% of the run with just my Marmot base layer from Untamed Switzerland 2010 (such a nice piece of gear!), and alternated on/off with a wool hat when things got windy.
- My old GoLite windshirt wasn't necessary for me, but it did help Oliver out a great deal as he did sweat through his base layer in the first couple hours of the run. The windshirt it so light and versatile, it has a home in my pack nearly every time I go out.
- I needed my Kahtoola microspikes for about 75% of the run. They are quick to take on/off, which was crucial as our route frequently connected through villages with small paved sections.
- For nutrition, I ate 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 1 energy gel, and a package of Cliff Blox that Fiola gave me when she took the 29km bailout at Hulftegpass (thanks Fiola!). I was ravenous when we stopped running, and I did have many Cliff bars in my pack just in case, but it's amazing how much fuel a single PB & J contains!
All in all, a very memorable run through the Swiss winter!