A series of people, faces and experiences from the 2012 UTMB.
Starting at 1900 in Chamonix the race took a shorter route of 100k and remained in France covering 6000m+ of vertical gain on a very wet, snowy and cold night. These images tell the story of 15 hours following the race.
HPM Challenge are taking four disabled athletes to the Paralympic Games in London running an ultra-marathon of 239 km over a series of days.
Starting in Lille they are making the journey to London to arrive this coming weekend for the Paralympic Games.
Niandi Carmont is running and escorting/ supporting with Yves Barbreau and Gloria Nasr to help raise funds. You can go to the Facebook page HERE and ‘Like’. Please offer any support you can.
Less than 2 hours from Milan Bergamo airport and nestled in the peaks of Val Masino, every other year a race takes place. A race so severe, so difficult and so demanding that it has a restricted field of just 100.
The Trofeo Kima was established to honor the memory of mountain guide Perangelo Marchetti affectionately known as ‘Kima”. I can think of no better way to honor a mountain guide.
The race, 50km long and covering some 7 mountains passes is part of the Ultra Skyrunning series and is billed as ‘the one’. Starting in Filorea the race goes in an anti-clockwise direction. Preda Rossa at 1940m, Rifugio Ponti 2559m, Roma 2894m, Bivaccio Kima 2894m and Cameraccio 2950m and this is just the first full ascent and the highest point of the course.
Kilian Jornet ran the race for the first time in 2010 after UTMB was cut short due to bad weather. Desperate not to waist his training and a weekend he headed over to Italy from Chamonix and the next day, along with Heras tackled what he know calls an iconic race. Setting a new course record of 6:19:03 in the process.
The night before the race electrical storms entered the Val Masino and a deluge of rain fell making many wonder as we lay in bed if the race would actually go ahead. Morning came and with it a new day. Dry weather and an improving sky confirmed that the race could go ahead but with a 30 min delay.
Once underway Kilian Jornet soon made clear his intentions leading from Tom Owens, Andy Symonds, Franco Sancassani (3rd place 2007), Philipp Reiter and Michel Lanne.
In the ladies race Emelie Forsberg and Nuria Picas raced neck and neck with Emanuela Brizio (2008 and 2010 winner) chasing behind. Forsberg pushed ahead and at Cameraccio 2950m she took the lead and the prize money for the first lady to the highest point of the course.
At Camerozzo 2765m a super technical section in what already is a very technical race, Kilian descending by the chains securely bolted to the wall and had a lead of nearly 10 mins over Tom Owens.
Nuria Picas and taken the lead here and was looking super strong. Behind Emelie Forsberg and Emanuela Brizio now raced neck and neck.
In the men’s race Michel Lanne chased Francis Sancassani now in 3rd. Several minutes behind Andy Symonds and Philipp Reiter chased together.
Kilian used all his mountain skills and ran into the finish to win comfortably in 6:28. Tom Owens pulled of an impressive 2nd place after (in his words) a disappointing Sierre Zinal just two weeks ago to cross the line in 6:39. He said as he finished:
“Wow, so hard, so technical… an incredible race, you can’t describe what that course is like”.
Francis Sancassani sealed the men’s podium in 6:45.
Nuria Picas ran a wonderful race to finish first in a new Course Record of 7:36:21 some 10 mins faster than the previous best. Emelie Forsberg had to move up a gear in the final km’s to win a well earned second place in 7:46 from Emanuela Brizio who was just seconds behind.
I have witnessed many races and the Trofeo Kima stands out as the most incredible, the most beautiful and the most frightening I have ever seen. It’s an incredible race and with just 100 entries every other year it is one race that should make it to all ultra runners bucket list. It is a fitting tribute to KIMA.
Seconds after crossing the finish line at the 2012 Skyrunning Sierre Zinal Marco de Gasperi spoke to Talk Ultra. You can hear the elation in his voice. An incredible win and an incredible battle. Congratulations Marco !
Listen to the audio HERE
Talk Ultra HERE
Monday 16th July and once again runners will be lining up to face the heat of Death Valley.
2012 for me is an interesting year for the race, we are seeing the old guard toe the line: Marshall Ullrich (aged 61), Pam Reed (aged 51) and Dean Karnazes (aged 49) all notable starters. Oswaldo Lopez (aged 40) will be hoping to cross the line in first place but the person to watch will be 100 mile man of the moment, Mike Morton (aged 40).
He has a reputation at the moment of not only winning all the ‘100’s’ he enters but also winning them quickly. Typically around the 13 hour mark!
Until Timmy Olson came along and smashed all Western States records into oblivion, Mike Morton’s previous record at WS set in 1997 was considered to be the ‘best’ Western States time even though Geoff Roes set a faster time.
You may or may not know that Mike Morton disappeared from the running scene for years, 14 to be exact. Problems with injury, a re focus on life priorities and ‘911’ all had a major impacts on his decisions. Talk Ultra caught up with Mike Morton in episode 7 and you may like to listen HERE or on iTunes
Needless to say, Mike Morton toeing the line at Badwater is an exciting prospect. I for one am really eager to see how he tackles this race. Will he respect the heat and the distance or will he run in his ‘unique’ way, running hard and hoping to survive?
I can’t help but think it will be a combination of the two – a respect for what is without doubt a tough and incredible challenge but I also think that he will push himself as hard as he possibly thinks he can in the hope that he not only wins the race but wins it in a time that sets a new benchmark.
It would be rude not to conclude this preview of Badwater without mentioning Arthur Webb – we had Arthur on Talk Ultra episode 10 as a ’15 min of Fame’ when we interviewed Scott Jurek – Arthur is heading out to Badwater, once again to hopefully complete the race for the 15th time! Yes, the 15th time aged 70 years – incredible. I wish you all the very best Arthur!
You can read up on Badwater HERE
They will have a webcast that you can follow HERE and results will be available HERE
Timothy Olson – Western States 2012
…sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
Fairy tales do come true; they do!
Timothy Allen Olson was a drunk and a drug taker. Not content with whom he was as a person; he sought a false confidence offered to him by his friends in booze and illegal substances.
As he says, it was easy for him to enjoy this ‘new me’. But it was a false life. A life that made him unhappy and a life that he felt was going to lead in only one direction… even ending up in jail and on probation didn’t wake him up to the reality of life.
Living in a depressed state he told me of the downward spiral and how one day, stood in the shower crying he decided he wanted to end his life. He’s not proud of it. In actual fact he now thinks the opposite. He says:
“It makes me real sad to think of that now considering when I have so much to live for”
This moment helped define the person he has now become! Feeling a need to prove the world wrong and of course himself, Timothy decided to stop being weak and to start living!
He started to run daily. In time the alcohol and drugs disappeared and the endorphin fix that running gave him became a lifesaver. Free from the addictions and substances that had potentially ruined his life, Timothy looked for new purpose. He started coaching track and cross country at a local High School. He made running fun for them and in the process of doing so, he found a new life.
With college over he went on a road trip. He lived a simple life running trails with his new buddy, a small dog and although ultra running was something he was not aware of, he knew that he wanted to be out in the open, running and taking in the beautiful Western vistas.
Turns out that coffee played an instrumental change in his whole new existence… or should I say the lady serving the coffee. Timothy knew that Krista was the one for him. He plucked up the courage to ask her out on a date. It didn’t take long for both of them to realize that they had found ‘the one’.
With a baby due in August, Timothy and Krista have a full and wonderful life ahead of them. As they decorate the baby’s room in preparation for the arrival, they have been writing favorite quotes on the wall. A favorite of Timothy’s is from Alice In Wonderland:
“…sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
It would seem that after storming to victory at the iconic 2012 Western States 100 mile Endurance Run in a course record time of 14:46 that Timothy Allen Olson, his wife Krista and the new unborn baby really do have the confirmation that fairy tales can come true!
You can listen to a full interview with Timothy Allen Olson on Talk Ultra episode 12 via:
Fancy a weekend of trail running in the English Lakes?
Join a group of 24 like minded people for fun on the trails. Geared for all abilities and certainly a great opportunity for those new to trail running to take part in the confidence that you will have company and support for the whole weekend.
This will be an informative and fun weekend with group meals and a talk/ film planned for the Saturday evening.
Dates for arrival are Friday 21st September with departure Sunday 23rd September.
Based in Grasmere, we will be staying at Thornley How hostel and we will take over the ‘whole’ premises. We will have ample facilities for parking and if travelling by train, Windermere station is not far away.
Price per person is £125 pp and includes 2 nights accommodation, breakfast & dinner for both days and guides for the whole weekend.
More details and booking HERE
News has just come in that Stephane Brosse has fallen to a his death while attempting to cross Mont Blanc with Kilian Jornet.
Details are not clear of this tragedy at this moment. This is taken from Endurancemag:
Stéphane Brosse died today from a 600 meter fall after a snow cornice broke on aiguille d’Argentière. He was attempting the crossing of the Mont-Blanc massif with Kilian Jornet. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.
Kilian has only recently provided detail of his new long term project “Summits of my Life’ and this crossing is part of that project.
Taken from Kilians Facebook page, this post was made 11 hours ago:
They had a well earned night and start again at 6 a.m to finish their way to Champex village.
Expected timing:
Taken from the Millet website, here is an outline of Stephanes career:
Competitions:
Winner of the Pierra-Menta : 2001, 2005 and 2006
Winner of the Patrouille des Glaciers : 2004 and 2006
Winner at Trofeo Mezzalama : 2005
World champion in individual 2002
World champion in relay 2004
World champion in team 2006
Records:
Mont Blanc in ski (Chamonix – Mont Blanc – Chamonix) in 5 ¼ hours in 2003
Chamonix – Zermatt (church to church) in 21:11 hours
Crossing of Belledone by the summits (Chamrousse – Col du Lucheron) in 16:40 hours in 2010
Steep slope:
Opening of the Crossing of the Diots, Aravis 2008
Chain Devoluy range 2009
Chain Armet range 2009
1st ski descent without belay of the Nant Blanc (Aiguille Verte) Mont Blanc range in 2009
Our thoughts go out to Stephane’s family, friends, Kilian Jornet and the related community on this very sad day.
UPDATE 18:23 17th June GMT
Press release by Kilian –
“We regret that during the attempted crossing of Mont Blanc and Stéphane Brosse Kilian took place this morning Stéphane lost their lives due to an unfortunate accident. Kilian is physically well, and in these difficult times, is devoting all his energies to support the family of Stephane and friends. In the coming days will be issued an official statement. Thank you for your understanding and support right now. Kilian team”
Great footage and story telling of one tough marathon at Zegama in the Pyrenees.
IAN CORLESS 