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Posted by Grant on 11. May 2010 17:43
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Christian "the Ibex" Schneider (pictured above on the right with his Italian co-winner) added to his collection of race victories with a first place finish at the Abbots Way ultra in Italy last weekend. 5,500 meters of elevation gain and 125 km (77 miles) of distance should take you longer than 15 hours, but not in Christian's case. He raced under the "Untamed Switzerland" name and really did us proud in Italy!
While I was on holiday in Italy sampling olive oil and eating fresh pasta (just 3 euros for a plate of antipasti in Florence!), the Ibex was also in the neighborhood -- but grinding out his trail running victory on a wet, rocky, and sometimes treacherous route. Here is a graphic showing the Abbots Way course across Tuscany:
The Ibex relayed to me a bit about his race, and I think the 2 highlights are:
- Christian didn't realize the race had relay and stage race divisions, and with a mass start for all divisions he found the early race pace very quick (set by people running a 30 km leg of a relay, for example!). He fought to hang with the leaders and imagine his surprise when his running pack stopped at an aid station to let their teammates continue running on with fresh legs! If you know Christian, and his combination of determination and freakish running capacity, this must have been quite a moment of realization.
- His race pace slowed a bit after the feverish first third of the race, and an Italian runner eventually caught up to him. The two of them had a big lead on third place, and after discussing the fact that there was no prize money on the line, opted to cross the finish line together after the 15 hour mark. Third place would finish nearly a full hour behind those two!
Here's a photo of Christian "the Ibex" at the finish line of our Untamed Switzerland event (Stage 2 in Scuol); he's in the middle with another speed demon Staffan Kallback to the left, and Maya Meyer to the right:
Congratulations to Christian and thanks for representing Untamed Adventure so well in Europe!
For his next adventure, the Ibex will be traveling through Eastern Europe and Western Asia (Himalayas and eventually India) with his backpack and an ultralight camp stove. Seriously. 4 months "off the grid" and seeing some more of the world's amazing places. I tried to give him a satellite tracking beacon so we could monitor his journey, but his response was "no, Grant, you know those beacons are too heavy." Best of luck, Christian!