Looking back, Moving forward – Skyrunning

Posted on November 22, 2012 by talkultra

Looking back over the 2012 skyrunning season, it was, to say the least, an intensive year. It was a year of major transition from the past format of main races and trials, to the introduction of the Ultra distance and separate circuits. The transition was complicated and not without difficulties but it paved the way for a completely revised 2013 format.

The start. Ultra Cavalls del Vent. ©ISF

The season saw triumph and tragedy, great champions, bright young stars, new races and spectacular locations.

At the beginning of the season in May, the introduction of the Ultra Series wrote a new page in skyrunning history. The Transvulcania Ultra Marathon not only perfectly embodied skyrunning’s “sea to sky” concept, but had probably the deepest field of world class runners to date, including American legends like Anton Krupicka, Geoff Roes, Rickey Gates, Mike Wolfe Joe Grant and 21year-old Dakota Jones who went on to win the race. Dakota, Tony and Joe came back for more…

Nuria Picas, winner Kima Trophy. ©ISF

The more gruelling courses typical of European skyrunning have almost surprisingly gone down well with the American runners, giving us the conviction to keep it “tough and technical“ rather than provide a watered-down version to appeal to a wider public – something to look forward to on the other side of the Atlantic next year together with a selection of the best that Europe has to offer…and our first 100-miler.

The 2012 SkyMarathon^® Ultra Series has represented the first and most important encounter among top European and American Ultra runners with a level so high that all the mens’ race records in the Series were broken! Legendary ultra runners competing in the Series (apart from those mentioned above) include: Kilian Jornet, Ikker Karera, Andy Symonds, Dawa Sherpa, Francois D’Haene, Erik Clavery, Seb Chaigneau and among the women: Nuria Picas, Anna Frost, Lizzy Hawker, Maud Gobert, Darcy Africa, and Nikki Kimball.

Kilian Jornet the sport’s top star, yet again gave a command performance taking not only the World Series combined title, but also the Ultra Series title, totalling seven outright victories and two third positions in all three disciplines. 2011 World Series champion Luis Alberto Hernando placed second and Britain’s Tom Owens moved steadily up the ranking to take third position. Ultra Series’ runner-up was Andy Symonds and Germany’s Philipp Reiter placed third.

Emelie Forsberg, Nuria Picas, Anna Frost. Ultra Cavalls winners. ©ISF It’s in the women’s field that the most rapid revolution lies however. Young, talented runners with no skyrunning history debut and rise to glory in just one season and, note, women are finishing in the top ten overall, closing the gender gap. Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg is one of these ladies. Twenty-five years-old, she ran her first skyrunning race just this year and in only one season conquered the World Series combined title in a field stacked with highly competitive Spanish runners like Nuria Picas, Blanca Maria Serrano and Nuria Dominguez.

Nuria Picas has finally shown that talent and determination go a long way by winning some of the toughest races on the Series. She finished second after Forsberg in the World Series combined ranking and won the Ultra Series outright. Anna Frost, after a superb start at the Transvulcania Ultra, was plagued by injury throughout the season but fought tenaciously for a second position in the Ultra ranking where Forsberg placed third.

Kilian Jornet & Tony Krupicka, 1st and 2nd at Cavalls. ©Ian Corless

Alongside Forsberg, another star was born: 23 year-old Italian, Silvia Serafini who, like Forsberg, began skyrunning just this year, testing her skills in all three disciplines to climb to third position in the world ranking.

Two world records highlighted the Vertical Kilometer^® Series on the gruelling course in Fully, Switzerland with1,000 metres elevation gain over just 1.9 km distance. The men’s record of 30’42” set by Italian Urban Zemmer is just a short step from climbing at 2,000 metres per hour – upwards! French runner Christel Dewalle set the women’s record in 36’48”. Overall Vertical Kilometer^® Series champions were Urban Zemmer and Spain’s Laura Orgué.

In 2012, prize money amounting to €140,000 (including the Series’ final prizes) was awarded to 148 athletes. The figures are still small for the huge effort and incredible performances involved, but as the sport grows, prize money will do like-wise. Complimentary accommodation, travel subsidies and promotion are more ways that a top runner can benefit – and so will the sponsor. Major industry players are now investing in trail running and many brands have top runners and teams participating in the Series. See Team ranking

Media coverage of skyrunning events reached new heights this year from print to websites, blogs and social media, to videos, podcasts and television on a global level. A big thanks goes to all those who followed the skyrunning heroes through thick and thin, in heat and cold and darkness, breaking news in real time and capturing high-flying emotions in images, text and videos.

Look out for the 2013 Skyrunner® World Series calendar to be announced next week. We’ll be focussing on new events and personalities, a worldwide ranking for runners and races, regulations and safety issues as well as the announcement of the 2013 European and 2014 World Championships.

Les TEMPLIERS race summary

Posted on October 29, 2012 by talkultra

After a light dusting of snow during the night, runners for the 18^th edition of La Course des Templiers had the prospect of a very cold day on the trails.

With a temperature range of -3-4 deg and a very strong wind, cold was going to be a major issue. On the start line runners assembled dressed for cold weather and believe me, they got it! Although the ambient temperature rose above 0 deg’s the general feel was considerably colder.

Stirring music, red flares and the runners left Millau at 0515 for 70+ km’s on trails.

Prior to the race we had a stacked field of runners but due to a string of late season injuries, several key runners were unable to run. Notably Leadville 100 winner Thomas Lorblanchet and Philipp Reiter. UTMB winner, Francois d’Haene although carrying a knee problem decided to make the start however dropped early in the race.

In the ladies race the notable drop before the race was Francesca Canepa who had started the Endurance Trail (102k) on Friday and stopped midway. For some reason she had planned to run ‘both’ races over the weekend! Anna Frost had been injured since Cavalls del Vent and was 50/50 but after having a short test run the day before. She ‘taped’ her legs considerably prior to the start and like the true competitor she toed the line see how things would go… after all, she was joint leader with Nuria Picas of the Ultra Skyrunning series and ‘Templiers’ would decide the champion.

The Race

Maud Gobert from France had set the early pace but she had been caught by Nuria Picas and passed. Emelie Forsberg and Lizzy Hawker chased. Frosty unfortunately never felt right in the early stages and she told me after the race;

“it was so cold and I just wasn’t performing as I should, it was a tough decision but a correct decision to pull out at the 22k check point before I did more damage”

Maud Gobert and Emelie Forsberg set the early pace followed by Lizzy Hawker. Nuria running from behind, caught Lizzy and passed her and then pursued the front-runners. Once Nuria caught them she pulled away taking Emelie with her. One has to say that if anybody deserved the ‘Champion’ title it is Nuria… she has consistently performed well throughout 2012 not only in the ultra series but Skymarathon and Vertical K. Nuria eventually pulled away from Emelie leaving her being pursued by Maud and Lizzy.

Between 22k and 35k Lizzy caught and passed Maud. Emelie Forsberg now chasing Nuria was caught by Lizzy who rallied. With Nuria crossing the line as race winner with a comfortable margin of almost 10 minutes, a race really was coming together for the 2^nd place. In the end it came down to a sprint finish with Emelie just pulling away from Lizzy to beat her by 9 seconds. Without doubt it was a ‘royal’ podium. Emelie was only recently crowned world Skyrunning champion at Kinabalu and Lizzy Hawker has just had a golden patch with three superb wins at the shortened UTMB, Run Rabbit Run 100 and Spartathlon.

Nuria Picas 7:16:58
Emelie Forsberg 7:26:15
Lizzy Hawker 7:26:24

The men’s race had a clear favourite with last year’s winner; Andy Symonds. However he had a race in front of him. Julien Rancon was an early protagonist and eventually forged ahead of the race with Fabien Antolinos, Miguel Heras and Andy Symonds in pursuit. Julien has had a very successful 2012 with 7 races and 7 victories but no race had been longer than 60k.

With just over 10k to go, Julien Rancon had a 45 seconds lead over Fabien Antolinos and 1 minute over Miguel Heras. As I waited at the finish news came in that Fabien Antolinos had dropped; a real shock at such a late stage of the race. This left the door open for Fabien Antolinos to surge away from Miguel Heras.

He crossed the line in an emotional state. Tears in his eyes… he had run Templiers only the previous year and placed 4^th. This was a sweet victory. Miguel Heras placed 2^nd just over 3 min later and put to bed a mixed season.

On the line Miguel said:

“I am happy with the placing. I ran a good race but Antolinos was better… It’s always nice to run well and todays course was very pleasurable”

Andy Symonds ran into the finish with a massive smile and took an opportunity to dive into a pool of mud just before the finish line much to the satisfaction of the ground. Andy has become very much a hero in France. His win last year at Templiers cemented this.

Fabien Antolinos 6:10:35
Miguel Heras 6:14:54
Andy Symonds 6:23:51

La Course des Templiers was the last race in the Ultra Skyrunning series and as such a final presentation was made. Kilian Jornet and Nuria Picas stood on the podium to receive the respective awards from ISF President Marino Giacometti. Two great champions!

Note:

To add to that magical ambiance, it helps to know that Nant was one of many points in a network of secret trails built by the Knights Templar, the monastic, international military order formed at the end of the First Crusade with the mandate of protecting Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. The Knights Templar, known for their architectural skills and fighting alongside Richard I were the first warrior monks and were prevalent in that part of France until their downfall in 1307.

The race route uses the secret paths of the Templars. It has included two long tunnels that had been used as shortcuts to beat enemies to strategic locations. The region has become a popular tourist attraction primarily due to the success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

Key points on the course are the old village of Peyreleau, Route Alleyral, St Jean des Balmes, Roquesaltes (a protected site and an usual stone structure with a protected arch), the old castle of Montmejan, old cobbled streets of La Roque Ste Marguerite and Massebiau that has an old bridge.

The course has key points on the course of difficulty:

Cotes de Carbassaa 473m+ at 3km
Cote de Peyreleau 450m+ at 22km
Cote de Pierrefiche 346m+ at 46km
Cote de Massebiau-Le Cade 461m+ at 61km

Les Templiers race coverage

Posted on October 26, 2012 by talkultra

Coverage for the 2012 ultra Skyrunning Les Templiers starts today with photos, tweets and facebook posts coming live from Millau.

Runners from around the world will arrive, register and prepare for Sunday’s race.

Race day coverage will start at approximately 4am and run all day. You can read a preview of the race HERE.

I will be covering key points of the race as follows:

Peyrelau – old village
Route Alleyrac – provides a view of Causse Noir it’s a technical spot
St Jean des Balmes/ La Rougarie
Roquesaltes – a protected sight with a giant stone arch
Montmejean – old castle
La Roque Ste Margurite – old cobbled streets witht he beginning of an ascent to Larzac
Massebiau – old bridge and descent to Larzac
La Pouncho D’ Agast – a highpoint view of Millau
La Grotte Du Hibou – the owls cave
Finish – Millau

Photographs will be tweeted live and uploaded to facebook as and when possible and images will be uploaded to my blog with a report and summary the evening after the race.

Please spread the word and encourage following the race. This is the final of the ultra World series. Kilian Jornet will be crowned champion but the ladies race is open… it’s going to be an exciting race!

A race preview from Skyrunning is available below:

Les Templiers pre-dawn start. ©Festival des Templiers

The final of the Skyrunner® Ultra Series raises the curtains on the 72 k Course des Templiers in Millau, France on October 28 with a larger-than-life start-line that has become the hallmark of skyrunning events.

Sunday’s race will pit the world’s top runners against each other and particularly the women’s field is set for battle with stars like Anna Frost, Nuria Picasand Emelie Forsberg competing for the Ultra Champion title. Maud Gobert, last year’s winner, will not only have to deal with the top three ranked runners but will face heavy-duty competition from Lizzy Hawker, Silvia Serafini and Francesca Canepa. The men’s title has, to all effects, already gone to Kilian Jornet who boasts 300 points – unattainable even if Andy Symonds wins.

Andy Symonds is of course a firm favourite for a repeat performance and other British runners feature strongly as podium contenders: Tom Owens, ranked 3^rd in the recent World Series final in Malaysia, will no doubt excel, while Terry Conway, forced to retire at the Ultra Cavalls del Vent, is ready for another shot at a big international event.

©Festival des Templiers

Spain’s Miguel Heras who, like Conway, was a victim to the weather at the last event, is a consistent top performer. Of the French runners competing in the Ultra Series, Francois d’Haene, fourth at Transvulcania and 6^th here last year is joined by Greg Vollet, while sadly Thomas Lorblanchet, second last year, and three-times race winner, is injured.

The end of the long racing season is taking its toll and counts several other notable absentees which include American Dakota Jones, Germany’s Philipp Reiter and Italy’s Giuliano Cavallo. (See Ultra Series ranking)

Look out for Stephanie Jimenez (France) and Fulvio Dapit (Italy), a husband-and-wife team but respectively Salomon and La Sportiva on the racing scene. Both are recent Ultra “converts” who are expected to perform well in this incredibly deep field which also includes past race winner, Nepal’sDawa Sherpa, together with a long list of first-rate French runners.

With such a dazzling line-up let’s not forget all the 2,500 competitors who will face a total 3,200 metres of ascent and ascent along 73 kilometres together with a forecast of… zero temperatures. The steep rocky course along the secret paths of the Templars promises to close the season in the best possible way where everything can only be described as “ultra”.

La Course des Templiers – Preview

Posted on October 22, 2012 by talkultra

The final race in the ultra Skyrunning series comes to an end this weekend in Millau, Southern France. The iconic ‘La Course des Templier’ has one of the best fields ever assembled for this race. The inclusion of Skyrunning certainly has made a difference.

The Great Race of the Knights Templar was founded in 1995 with a humanitarian purpose. To financially support an orphanage in Chad

Sighting the Leadville Trail 100 miler in the US as an influence, Odile and Gilles Bertrand decided to embark on this adventure in March 1995. The project was launched and a date was selected, the last Sunday of October.

But the format of 100 miles as at the Leadville race was considered too long and Odile and Bertrand decided to offer a more appealing distance of 65 km.

In October 1995 before the fortress of St. Eulalie de Cernon 500 runners assembled and the first edition was undertaken. La Course des Templiers gave birth to trail running in France. This first edition of Templiers was won by Patrick Fox and Corinne Favre.

Mens field

Andy Symonds the 2011 winner of Templiers knows the course extremely well and after a great 2^nd place at Transvulcania La Palma you can surely expect to see him up at the front. A top 3 placing is a distinct possibility and of course he may well get a consecutive win

Thomas Lorblanchet had a stunning win at Leadville 100 and has figured highly at other significant races in 2012. In particular Transvulcania La Palma and Salomon 4 Trails.

Miguel Heras is without doubt a top performer but he has had a mixed 2012 with injury. He dropped at Cavalls del Vent with hypothermia so he will be looking to put the record straight at Templiers. If he has a good day. Top 5.

Philipp Reiter has gone from strength to strength in 2012. A super talented young athlete with the ultra world ahead of him. In 2012 he has consistently performed at the highest level with wins and top 10 places in pretty much every event he has entered. I think Templiers won’t play to his strengths, having said that I would consider him to place in the top 10.

Terry Conway had his introduction to Skyrunning at Cavalls del Vent and fell victim to the foul weather. However, he knows what is required now and is just back from 2 weeks running in Italy. He has told me that he is ready for this race and he is ready to race!

Tom Owens is the UK’s most consistent performer at Skyrunning events in 2012 and this is reflected in his 3^rd place at the World title. He is without doubt a contender for the overall win at Templiers.

Francois d’Haene has had a great 2012 and with 4^th place at Transvulcania La Palma and the overall win at UTMB he will be coming to Templiers brimming with confidence.

Greg Vollet team manager at Salomon is a top quality athlete and this course will suit him. He has performed consistently well in 2012 and has had some great podium finishes. He is not as experienced at the ultra distance and he may very well just be running Templiers for fun…. You can’t rule him out!

Ladies Field

Lizzy Hawker is a late entry to the race and will without doubt raise heads within the female competition. Within the last 3 months she has had a stunning period of racing with a win at the shortened UTMB, a win at Run Rabbit Run 100 miler and then a win and third place overall at the iconic Spartathlon. Not only does this show incredible consistency but it also shows incredibile ability over a variety of distances and terrain.

Francesca Canepa was 2^nd behind Lizzy Hawker at UTMB and then just one week later went to the brutal Tour des Geants and won that race. Templiers may very well not be tough enough for her but she will figure.

Anna Frost needs no introduction. Always a top top performer but after her 2^nd place at Cavalls del Vent she has had some injury and therefore her performance at Templiers has question marks. If she is in form expect a top three.

Emelie Frosberg has performed and performed at the highest level in 2012. Templiers may very well not have enough vertical gain for her but that descent at the end will suit her abilities and if she is in contention expect he to open the throttle and potentially pull away.

Silvia Serafini is the newbie to the ultra series and this is only her second ultra. However, this race is not as demanding as other Skyrunning races and the ability to open up the engine and run quickly will suit her. She recently won the Royal Parks Ultra and placed highly at Kinabalu.

Nuria Picas is always in form and a fierce competitor. Always smiling, passionate about running she is a pleasure to watch. She has raced hard all year and after her win at Cavalls del Vent she said Templiers would be fun. Even Nuria having fun is a dominant force and I wouldn’t rule her out winning. However, the course is less technical and has less vertical gain than Nuria prefers.

Anne Valero is my outsider and placed well at the CCC in 2012. She runs well on the road and that combination of hill strength and road speed may very well see her pull something out of the bag at Templiers.

THE RACE

THE GREAT RACE OF THE TEMPLARS

. Distance: 72 km – altitude: 3200 m +
. Departure: 5:15 (note time change), Millau, Millau Plage road (attention, 1h 20 ‘night in the morning) and arrive in Millau, Millau Beach Road 1.2 km from city center
. 4 stations (Peyreleau, St André de Vézines, Pierrefiche, The Cade)
. Registration limited to 2500 runners

Sunday, the weather seems to be confirmed with a cold, dry and sunny day but temperatures may even be below zero at times.

Therefore the race organisers have stipulated that runners must have suitable equipment for the cold. However, no equipment is compulsory other than a space blanket.

If the cold continues recommendations are as follows: gloves are essential, also a head cover such as a buff. A light jacket is recommended for the start and long tights/leggings or long shorts short + long socks are a suitable compromise.

A weekend of racing – Festival de l’Endurance

The Templiers race is part of the Festival de l’Endurance. The main event takes place on Sunday, the Grande Course – THE GREAT RACE OF THE TEMPLARS is steep and rocky, so steep that the race organisers place ropes in many areas so that runners can ease their way through rough spots without falling.

The racing at Templiers starts on Friday and goes through to Sunday with a selection of races as follows:

FRIDAY

ENDURANCE TRAIL

. Time limit: 22 hours.

. Distance: 105 km – altitude: 4800 m +

THE TRAIL OF VIADUCT

. Distance: 26 km – altitude: 680 m +

SATURDAY

MARATHON CAUSSES

. Distance: 38 km – altitude: 1600 m +

MONNA LISA TRAIL.

. Distance: 26.5 km – altitude 1000 m +

KINDER TRAIL

. Distance: 1.5 km and 3 km for young

KD TRAIL – JUNIOR TRAIL

. Distance: 9 km – altitude: 300 m + (same course cadets and juniors)

THE Templar

. Distance: 9 km – altitude: 300 m +

VO2 TRAIL

. Distance: 19 km – altitude: 700 m +

SUNDAY

THE GREAT RACE OF THE TEMPLARS

NOTES

The race route uses the secret paths of the Templars which ncludes two long tunnels that had been used as shortcuts to beat enemies to strategic locations. The region has become a popular tourist attraction primarily due to the success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

FOLLOW the main race live on Twitter by ‘following’ @talkultra and ‘Like’ our Facebook page and see updates and images as the race unfolds HERE

Spartathlon Preview

Posted on September 28, 2012 by talkultra

Twenty fours hours ago I sat down to write just a brief preview of two other races that would be taking place this weekend for those who may not be following Cavalls del Vent (not sure why that would happen). Firstly, Spartathlon.

Spartathlon is due to start as I write this, 0700 Friday. I guess ‘the race’ that got us all running! It is iconic in the ultra world for many reasons. The distance at 153 miles needs no explanation… it’s a long way. Taking place pretty much all on uninspiring road they throw in a tough mountain at around the 100 mile mark just to mess you up a little more oh and then they have cut off times throughout the race that you must achieve if you want to keep going.

2012 represents the races 30th birthday of the race that is conducted in the footsteps of Pheidippides, the ancient Athenian runner. Pheidippides was sent to Sparta in 490 BC, before the battle of Marathon, to ask for help in the war led by the Greeks against the Persians. According to Herodotus, Pheidippides arrived in Sparta the day after his departure from Athens.

The race has iconic winners and I guess the most notable are Yiannis Kouros who still has the record of 20:25 and Scott Jurek who won the race three times.

Just over 350 will take part this year and they represent over 30 countries. Greece always has plenty of participants but the race is also iconic within Japan. Many of the contenders such as , Noto Kimi winner in 04/05, Akiko Sakamoto winner in 07 and then 4 years earlier in 03, Sumie Inagaki who won in 09 and finally Hiroko Okiyama who I guess is an outsider as she won the race some 12 years ago in 2000. Last years winner though, Szilvia Lubics from Hungary is returning. Notable 2012 entrant is Lizzy Hawker, I spoke to Lizzy several times in recent weeks and months and she is fired up for this iconic race. Her prep was going to be UTMB and then come to Spartathlon, but with UTMB being shortened (she won again) she decided to squeeze in the gap a 100 mile race (as you do) the Run Rabbit Run (which she won). Anybody else and you would think 100 miler just a few weeks before Spartathlon; crazy! But we are talking about Lizzy! Her main issue is a fall she took early in RRR in which she banged her knee seriously. Just a few days ago she sent me a message and I quote:

“Hi Ian, thanks so so much for your good wishes for Spartathlon!!!! I’m really grateful …. need a little bit of magic out there 🙂 knee improves every day, but will it be good enough? & the head & heart?!! enjoy Cavals, I’ll be thinking of you all there :). best, Lizzy”

Lizzy at 2012 UTMB

If Lizzy has a ‘Lizzy’ day then she will be incredible. No doubt. Her 100k and 24hr times are prove enough of what she can do. Another UK entrant, Claire Shelley may well figure well. She has won the Grand Union Canal race in the UK which is 145 miles running up and down the Canal systems of the Midlands (I still don’t understand why?)

The mens race will be a battle. I just wish Mike Morton was toeing the line… after his Badwater performance and his 24 hour record I would love to see what he could do here.

Ivan Cudin from Italy, returns to defend his title but notably Valmir Nunes from Brazil, winner in 01 returns. Valmir holds the CR at Badwater which Morton missed by 75 seconds in the 2012 edition. Markus Thalmann from Austria won in 03 and had great races in 04 and 05.

My money is on Cudin and Hawker… and you?

You can follow the race live HERE

The 2012 program is available as a PDF HERE

‘Get Ready’ S3 EP 10 – UTMB

Posted on September 11, 2012 by talkultra

Another great video from the ‘Get Ready‘ series of films that feature The North Face and possibly one of my favourite ultra runners of all time, Sebastian Chaigneau.

Seb running up Notre Dame de la Gorge

Seb is a great guy. He always has time to talk, chat, relax and give advice. We have actually a 60 minute interview with Seb ready to transcribe and and edit for Talk Ultra, so we must aim to get that out soon…

This film captures the 2012 The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc.

As you may know, I was at the race and managed to catch up with Francos D’haene, Lizzy Hawker and Mike Foote after the race. You can listen to the interviews HERE or HERE on iTunes.

Seb the day after the race keeping his eyes protected

I spoke with Seb after the race and he told me how his vision disappeared and how frightened he became. I’m glad to say he is recovering well.

Here is a great movie that captures the atmosphere of UTMB 2012.

Episode 17 Talk Ultra

Posted on September 7, 2012 by talkultra

Episode 17 is one seriously stacked show and somewhat a departure from our typical show format.

You can listen to Talk Ultra via the following methods

iTUNES LIBSYN WEBSITE MP3

I have been travelling to several races and therefore it would seem ridiculous to concentrate on just one interview when I can get soundbites from so many. In some respects, this is what Talk Ultra is all about. An audio magazine bringing you up to the minute chat as it happens within the ultra world.

The show is dominated by two races. The Skyrunning Trofeo Kima (report here) and of course The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc.

Trofeo Kima was a wonderful race and I had the honour to catch up with Kilian Jornet before the race.

After the race I chatted with Andy Symonds, Nuria Picas, Philipp Reiter and Emelie Forsberg.

I was at the UTMB at the invite of Vibram and as such I was following the race from a Vibram perspective. This allowed me to see the workings of a Pro Team from within.

In addition to this it also allowed me a great opportunity to chat with and discuss the race. In this weeks episode you can listen to four Vibram Trail Running Team members. The section of the show starts at : 00:56:10 (timings are approximate):

01:00:15 Francesca Canepa 2nd overall in the ladies race at UTMB 2012
01:11:15 Ronan Moalic 20th overall UTMB 2012
01:17:55 Beppe Marazzi
01:27:45 David Gatti

In addition to the above, you can read an article on Francesca Canepa HERE

You can also view a story in pictures of the UTMB from a Vibram perspective HERE

UTMB also allowed me an opportunity to catch up with 3rd place, Mike Foote, mens winner Francois D’Haene and ladies winner, Lizzy Hawker.

02:50:45 Francois D’Haene winner of the 2012 UTMB
02:54:30 Mike Foote 3rd place in the 2012 UTMB
02:58:30 Lizzy Hawker, 5th time winner of the UTMB and the queen of ultra running

Hope you enjoy the show !

Francesca Canepa – Vibram Trail Running Team

Posted on September 4, 2012 by talkultra

Francesca entering the feed station at Les Houche

Francesca Canepa may very well not be a name that you know. In fact, until the weekend I am pretty sure that unless you know your ultra and trail running very well you may have not even heard of her!

But after a stunning run, the 41 year old mother of two put some serious ultra running ladies in her wake when she finished second behind Lizzy Hawker at the 2012 edition of The North Face Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc.

Francesca is Italian born but now lives in Courmayer literally on the UTMB route. She only started running in 2010 but comes from a sporting background; an excellent ice skater and National level in snow boarding.

Her transformation from snow and ice to trail running is quite remarkable. In a very short period of time with the help of Prof Fabio Maragliati, she has won some impressive races:

Abbotsway Campionato Trail Lungo 120km 5500D+
Trail de Vulcain
Trail de L’huile Raidlights
Trail de Mirmande
Maratona Alpina Val Della Torre
Trail Cret de L’Oiseau de Beaujolais

At the Lavaredo Trail in June earlier this year, Francesca confirmed her potential with a win over the 120km course in the Dolomites. Her winning time of 15:58:02 relegated Fernanda Maciel (FRA) to 2^nd in 16:29:02 and Katia Fori (IT) 3^rd in 17:28:39.

Francesca was quoted as saying after the race:

‘I’m so excited with this result, not only for the fact I won the women’s category but also because I finished at 10th position in the overall ranking!’

Arguably at the 2012 UTMB she has moved up a notch. You don’t get on the podium at this iconic race without some hard running and a quality performance. When you look at some of the names behind Francesca, you begin to fully appreciate her outstanding achievement. Emma Roca (Spain) was 3^rd 61/2 mins in arrears, Rory Bosio (USA) was 4^th, Katia Fori from Italy 5^th, Amy Sproston USA 8^th, Meghan Arbogast USA 12^th and previous UTMB winner and course record holder, Krissy Moehl (USA) was 14^th over 2 hours behind her.

Believe it or not, speaking to Francesca after the race she told me that she is due to start the Tor des Geants this coming weekend. Now if you think UTMB is hard, wait till you look at the TDG; 330km with 24000m of positive incline.

“I will be on the start but I don’t know if I will finish. I am not sure if I will have recovered? It is 330km; I think if I continue the race it will be like training… I will sleep, eat… it will be a really slow race for me”

The race starts on the 9^th September and competitors have days to complete the course. To provide a sense of perspective, last years female winner was Anne Marie Gross. She managed to complete the tough 330km race in 91:28:21. To clarify, that is just under 4 days! Yes, 4 days.

I managed to catch up with Francesca for a short interview on the evening after the UTMB. She looked fresh and had a glowing smile. However, it was apparent that the race had taken its toll. She had that all too familiar ‘wobble’ to her walk.

You can listen to the interview HERE

What did you think about the revised UTMB route?

“In a 100km’s we need to be fast and I didn’t like this. I also didn’t know the new course. I had problems managing my race from a food and drink perspective”

Did you think you could beat Lizzy Hawker?

“I know that Lizzy is a world champ at 100k’s. I knew she was favorite. I prefer more climbing and this new course played into Lizzies favour”

Tell me about your strategy in the feed stations?

“It’s really important that I have my own food. Renato from Vibram looks after me. I usually don’t eat what I find at the pit stops…. I normally eat no solids. I drink. I like Sprite and I appreciate Yogurt for my stomach. Fruit is nice but UTMB it was too cold”

Perfect feed station strategy

Are you happy with 2^nd place?

“I am really happy with the second place. It’s my first UTMB, why would I not be happy!”

What do you think about the decision to reduce the course?

“I am sure it was a good decision. Security and safety is paramount”

Mentally did you find the new race route difficult? It was a loop course with a tough last climb?

“Yes the last climb was tough, I didn’t expect it. I also had no food or drink left. It was a challenge…. In regard to running a loop I don’t like this. Mentally it’s tough”

Did you appreciate what you had achieved with your second place?

“Yes I appreciated it! I appreciated the crowds, my children. It is a moment to remember”

Will you be back at UTMB next year?

“I need a little recovery but yes, I think I will be back”

Francesca Canepa is a name to watch. I think the Tor des Geants will be a tough test for her and with the proximity to UTMB may very well be just a little too much! After all, it is 330km.

Her next focus race is the Skyrunning event ‘Les Course de Templiers’, Francesca will line up with the Vibram Trail Running Team and once again see if she can dominate another impressive ladies field.

Saucony ProGrid Xodus 3.0 – Vibram

Francesca used the Saucony Pro Grid Xodus 3 with Vibram sole

UTMB 2012 quick review

Posted on September 1, 2012 by talkultra

Well, the rain came, the snow fell and the course was quite rightly considered too dangerous to send so many runners to potential harm. With rain forecast for all of the race evening, snow above 1600m and possible drifts with -5 temperatures the TNFUTMB organisation decided to cut short the route to 100k, keep it below a certain altitude and keep the whole race in France. Using a ‘sort of’ figure of 8 loop the runners would go out and come back on themselves primarily through Contamines and Les Houches and then finish as planned in Chamonix.

Of course this is not what any runner wanted to hear. All the money, all the time training and focussing on a target race for it all to be removed at the last minute. If this was the first time then we could all say ‘bad luck’! But unfortunately this is the fourth year in a row the race has had problems and although they cannot control the weather and I do believe they made the correct decision I can’t help but wonder why they can’t plan ahead and have a ‘safe’ longer route available as an option.

Certainly the lack of a longer route saw pre race favourites, Julian Chorier and Iker Karrera defect from the race. Juian heading to the GR20 and Iker doing a ‘flyer’ to make the start of the GoreTex Transalpine race at 2100hrs that very same day.

However, a very good field remained with Francois d’Haene, Jonas Buud, Mike Foote, Csaba Nemeth, Jez Bragg, Sebastian Chaigneau, Miguel Heras, Carlos Sa and Kaburaki amongst others ready to fight it out in the dark and wet.

In the ladies race pre race favourite, Lizzy Hawker looked ready and happy to run. Emma Rocca, Krissy Moehl, Amy Sproston, Rory Bosio, Francesca Canepa and Katia Fori all took to the start.

Lizzy Hawker set her table very early and never let up. I saw her at Notre Dame de Gorge and she was running a gradient others walked. She was pushing hard, so hard she never came out of the top 20 overall. Lizzy took a great win in 12:32:13 and was 16th overall. Following in second place was Francesca Canepa from Vibram. She ran a strong consistent race and took an excellent podium slot behind Lizzy in 13:17:01. Emma Rocca filled the vacant podium slot in 13:23:37.

Lizzy triumphant for a 5th time

In the mens race Francois d’Haene took the lead out of Contamines and slowly pulled away. My tip for the shortened race was Jonas Buud. I felt that 2:22 marathon speed and WR 100m time would play into his hands and allow him to runner quicker in the final stretches of the race. Not so! Francois finally finished with a 30 minute lead in 10:32:36 leaving Buud in 2nd with 11:03:19. Revelation of the race was super talented Mike Foote. He ran easy for 30k saying he was thinking of quitting. At 50k he felt much better and then just speeded up. In doing so he moved from way outside the top 10 and just kept picking runners off until he finished on the podium in 3rd in 11:19:00.

Francois on the climb Notre dame de Gorge

Notable drops was Seb Chaigneau who was lying in 4th place and with just 10k to go dropped due to problems with vision. Jez Bragg dropped early with stomach issues and Miguel Heras dropped too.

In the ladies I guess the big looser was Krissy Moehl but in real terms she has had a super crazy calendar and to perform at UTMB was unlikely.

RESULTS

MEN

François D’Haene 10:32:36
Jonas Buud 11:03:19
Mike Foote 11:19:00
Carlos Sa 11:22:39
Csaba Nemeth 11:37:18
Jean-Yves Rey 11:43:48
François Faivre 11:51:32
Arnaud Lejeune 11:53:17
Sébastien Buffard 11:57:47
Tsuyoshi Kaburaki 12:03:04

LADIES

Lizzy Hawker 12:32:13
Francesca Canepa 13:17:01
Emma Roca 13:23:37
Rory Bosio 13:43:10
Katia Fori 13:58:25
Magdalena Laczak 14:07:50
Fernanda Maciel 14:12:01
Amy Sproston 14:13:35
Emelie Lecomte 14:35:54
Nerea Martinez 14:58:59

View my photos Faces of UTMB here

Faces of UTMB

Posted on September 1, 2012 by talkultra

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.