Written by Michael Carraz - http://mickrunningliving.blogspot.ie

There is so much to tell that I am not sure where to start.
Well, in a nutshell and for you who don't want to go through the long version of the race report: the 80km (50miles) race was awesome.
I had a blast and finished in 16hrs13min. You may thing "oh gosh this is a very slow time for a 50 miler". Well I won't say it's fast but considering the terrain and the profile - not less than 6000m of elevation gain and another 6000m of elevation loss - this time suddenly sounds slightly more acceptable

I finished 116th out of 622 starters and 451 finishers. The route was technical from people's point of view who are used to European alpine terrain and VERY technical for the others. Flatlander's found it especially hard.
The weather was not too bad and although cold and rain was forecasted, we got lucky and had some sunshine most of the day, alongside decent temperatures.

Now for the ones who wanted the short version you can stop reading but make sure you check out the wonderful pictures. If you are interested in the ultra version then please continue reading.

We arrived to Chamonix on Thursday, the day before the race, after a smooth plane and car ride. My mum picked my wife and I at Geneva airport and then drove us to Chamonix. Chamonix was buzzing with tons of people in the street. There were tourists, climbers, hikers and of course loads of trail runners. The first thing we were concerned about was going to the race check in and get our bib so that once this out of the way, we would be able to relax.
After queuing for 30mins and getting our mandatory gears checked , we finally got our bib and were able to freely go from a expo booth to another. My mum took the opportunity to purchase a really nice buff. The Arc'teryx booth (Arc'teryx is a mountain equipment/clothing brand) was asking to guess the weight of one of their technical t-shirts and if you were in the right range (90 to 100g) the woman working at the booth was giving away some visor and caps. My wife and I both won one (after listening other people guessing the right weight) - it seemed like every runners was sharing the info with someone else as everybody was guessing the right weight. We found out  later that the visor and the caps were worth $40 each which made my day. Score!
After hanging out a bit more at the expo, we decided to go check in the flat. Because my mum was staying with us for 5 days, we rented an apartment rather than paying for 2 hotel rooms. Plus since we are quite picky with our food, the flat was providing us with the freedom to cook and eat whatever we fancied.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. We got our race gears ready, eat early, set an alarm for 2.30am and went to bed at 8.30pm thinking we would get some good sleep. How more wrong could have I been??
First, we could not fall asleep, which is pretty normal the night before a race, but then as we were both started to join morpheus arms, some very loud music started playing. Loud enough that the walls were vibrating. We tried to sleep through the noise but frankly it was just not going to happen.
We thought that some people were partying in one of the other apartment of the complex and did not get any sleep at all until the alarm rang at 2.30am. We actually found out the following night that we were right above a night club! - won't tell on this blog what my reaction was when I found out.

Race day. 4am - we are all lined up on (or shall I say packed up) at the start. Because we are so tired it's hard to really comprehend the task ahead of us, so we look around and everyone seems so 'ready'.
Everyone seems to have the latest piece of fancy gear or technical clothing and more importantly everybody seems relax. However, I know that everyone must be nervous. After all there is about 1500m of elevation gain in the first 7km!!
So the speakers start counting down, I kiss my wife and off we go, straight up. Very soon, I realise that I have made a terrible mistake by putting myself too far into the field. I am behind much slower runners than I and this is really frustrating.
I lose up to 15-20 mins in this 1st ascent because of traffic jam and in addition I use some precious energy to pass people who probably put themselves a bit too high in the field.
Anyway, beside this error, the first ascent to le Brevent is going well. I feel good controlling my breathing and my hydration.

Climbing in the snow

View on Mer de Glace

I don't stop at the 1st aid station, located shortly after the 1st peak, and carry on passing people. I think I must have passed about 50 to 70 competitors in this 1st downhill.
The first descent was not supposed to be overly technical even though quite steep in some part.  However, there is still lots of snow due to a late spring surge (unexpected at this time of the year). The snow is obviously forcing us to slow down...
I finally arrive in le chalet de la Flegere where the second aid station is. I stopped briefly to drink coke and refill my water bladder and continue my journey across the mountains. The ascent to le col des Montets is going well and I continue to catch runners. I feel good. I feel confident.
Retrospectively, perhaps I felt a little over-confident. As mentioned above, I make sure I am drinking plenty of fluid as I have had past experience of urinating blood when not drinking enough which makes my bladder hurts- and that is the last thing I want at that point in the race.
All this focus on drinking comes at a price though: I forget about eating. I mean I am grazing and when I arrived at Valorcine (3rd aid station) I eat a little but clearly not enough. But after 5h30mins of race I need more than just a few bites and I start the ascent of the col des Passets in calories deficit. Terrible mistake! This ascent is really steep and technical which requires not only strength but also focus. I have none of the above and I slowly get into a dreaded cardiac drift. I have to stop several time as I feel like I can't breathe, a bit like having asthma crisis or panic attack.

No need to say that all my previous hard work in catching up and passing runners is, at that point, getting undone fairly quickly. I can't stop myself counting them and getting demoralised.
Luckily, my mum is waiting for me at the top and I am looking forward to see her. When I finally arrived, she looked a bit worried. She says I look pale and asks me whether I am going to be able to finish the race. At this point I have no idea but I re-assure her and tell her that I have to and everything will be fine.
I take this opportunity to eat and I can now feel that I am hungry. She serves me tea with honey and I must say that the honey hits the spot straight away as I feel much better leaving my mum to take on the Loriaz loop before going back down to Vallorcine.
The descent is incredible. I stick with a French guy as we are moving at the same speed and we are catching up on loads of runners.

When we arrive back in Vallorcine I make sure I stop to refill my water bladder as well as loading on calories. There is another massive ascent with 1000m of elevation gain and the last thing I want is to bonk. Again.
After spending close to 10 mins in the aid station, I finally leave and start the ascension of the col des Posettes. It's a very long climb but not too steep (Alpine standard of course) so I keep it steady and try to keep my heart rate under control.
When I finally get on the other side of the mountain and start the descent toward Argentiere, I can feel my quads working hard and wonder whether they are going to last another two major climbs and associated descents.

At Argentiere I stop a few minutes to eat and drink some coke. I feel really good and start the ascent of la Trapette (700m+ of elevation) with determination and in a very good mood. I feel powerful and I have now no doubt about finishing this thing!
The descent to Les Bois - last village before returning to Chamonix - is a bit less joyful as I can feel my quads and feet weakenning at each step.
Les Bois is the last aid station providing food and drink and I make sure I stop several minutes, eating a soup before starting the las major climb of the day in direction of Montenvers.
The last ascent to Montenvers is the last push and my mum is waiting at the top. I take it easy as people tell me there is still 13k to go even though I feel like the finish line is only hundred of meters away - fantasy.
Anyway, when I finally reach the top my mum is waiting at the aid station and is almost surprised to see me coming so early (obviously the last time she saw me I was about to collapse from low blood sugar). The aid station workers are telling me that I have about 100m of ascent left and then it's all downhill until Chamonix. I feel good! I swallow a gel and get going with the objective to catch up a few runners until the finish line.

After running for about 15mins I look at my watch and see that I have climbed close to 200m of vertical. It's pretty rolling but it turns so much that I can never see the end. I caught up with some runners who are really pissed at this section and I am too. I feel angry and for a moment I consider going back to the aid station and tell this guy that it is not f*cking 100m of vert before the descent. When we finally reach what we think is the top, we find out that there is one or perhaps two more kilometres to go - that's when the girl before me just start crying. It's crazy what the mind can do to you when you have not been prepared for something. We all curse the aid station guy!
Two other runners and I are cheering her and tell her that it's almost over.

After 55mins of zigzaging and climbing I finally reach what is the start of the last descent. I have to switch between running and hiking as my quads and harmstrings are trashed.

And then after more than 16hrs I come into Chamonix. The last kilometre is through the town and everybody is cheering and clapping. It feels good. I feel proud of my achievement.
When I cross the finish line, I am bit disappointed that no one is here to celebrate with me - my mum is still on the course waiting for my wife.
I pick up my medal and my goodies and then sit down with a beer and a protein bar when a woman comes and ask if she can interview me. I say yes and she starts asking question - I feel like a champion - here is the link to the article

https://www.lepape-info.com/courses/80-km-du-mont-blanc-2013-bienvenue-dans-la-grande-famille-du-trail

 

This was an awesome experience. It's been almost a week now and I can't stop thinking about the next one. I just loved every moment in the mountain.
Luckily I have just booked another mountain race in August - Trail de L'Etendard 40miles and 4200m of vertical gain. It should be fun :)