The North face Ultra–tour.
The Course: 163km (about 100 miles) with 8,900m of ascent over several mountains and cols around
Mont Blanc. It looked like an awful lot on the map!
My (Karen) race preparation was going swimmingly well until the week after we walked round the route,
one of my blisters went very painful with shooting pains going up my legs, it took a few days to get rid of
the pain, then my body gave up on me. I had picked up some horrible tummy bug, it put me off food for
the whole of the two weeks running up to the event, with stomach cramps and rapid toilet visits!!! This
did not fill me with confidence; I lost a lot of weight (about ½ a stone) which was not what I was planning
as a pre-race food fest and gorge up to give me some energy!!!
Still I decided to start on an empty stomach. The atmosphere was going to help me, in fact there was so
many people lining the start route we had to fight through all the crowds to get to the start line.
(Team Run Like a Girl - Catherine Crowther (now Litherland), Karen McDonald and Alex Langdon)
There were 2,315 starters and most of them had trekking poles sticking out from their rucksacks so it
was a bit of a survival of the fittest for about ½ an hour while we all listened (not) to the commentators
telling us a load of info we couldn’t understand, we cheered anyway!!! All we wanted to do was get this
thing started, it had been nine months since we’d decided to do this race and they were holding us up!!!
Suddenly it was time to go and we slowly crawled to the start line, dodging poles, waving at the
cameras and getting very emotional at all the shouts from the very supportive crowd. Wow we were on
our way.
As we ran through Chamonix, the crowds roared, clapped and shouted “alley les filles”, which is
apparently French for “go girls”!!! (although I suspect it is spelt wrongly but is said like this – allie lay fi).
We were famous; they all shouted our names, and it felt great (our race numbers had our names printed
on so everyone could shout out as though they knew us!).
As we ran down the valley towards Les Houches (about 5 miles) I started dropping back from the girls, it
was hard to stay with them in the crowds of runners so I blamed that. But really my mind was already
thinking “I can’t do this, I feel so tired, like I’ve got no energy, why was I not able to eat before the race?”
Of course the girls were great and waited for me and we all got into Les Houches and had some water
and tried to eat something. The food thing wasn’t working for all of us at this point as we all felt really
sick going up the first hill to Croix de la Charme (about 800m of climb). I decided it was just something
that would go away and ploughed on; we overtook some mates and then got overtaken by others, all of
us shouting encouragement. The crowds were still roaring, and cheering and encouraging 3 girls on, we
must have been a bit of a novelty as they all seemed to love seeing girls out there!. (We found out later
that there were only about 300 girls in the event, so we were a rare sight amongst the crowds of
runners). As we neared the top of the first hill we got caught on camera by another mate in the crowd,
this pushed us on and it felt great to be in this race.
Going down the first hill towards St Gervais felt good to start with, but as the girls got further ahead, it
made me panic. My thoughts were starting to get negative as I knew I hadn’t eaten enough to have the
energy to keep up with Alex and Catherine. We had vowed to stay together unless one or two of us
were dragging behind or dropped out. I started to think that I should ask them to go on. My legs felt
trashed by the time I found them in St Gervais (only 12 miles into the race!). Catherine found me and
got me water and food and we all set off again. The crowds were fantastic again and this cheered me
up and we went well up the valley but as we got to the next up hill (Croix Bonhomme) I slowed right
down again. I felt sick every time I ate or drank so stopped eating. The girls waited at the top of the hill
and again at the Bonhomme Hut (27 miles in). I told them to go on without me as I was holding them
back, they told me to stop being stupid and get down the mountain! I did, but they soon caught me up
and overtook me in such a great running style it made me even worse. The downhill was tough,
technical and slippery which did not help my wobbly legs. I got into Les Chapieux (31 miles) feed station
in a right state and couldn’t see the girls so I thought they’d carried on, this cheered me up cos I thought
at least they’d finish now, instead of waiting for me all the time. I then found them waiting for me after
the food tent, this made me even happier and I was in tears just thanking them silently for waiting for
me. There was a big fire at this check point to warm us up, it worked. We set off again with renewed
vigour and a belly full of watery, salty, noodle soup (the only food I could keep down me). The girls were
still going amazingly strongly and I soon lost sight of them. Of course I caught them up whenever they
waited for me and I still kept telling them to leave me and get to the finish! They didn’t.
By the top of the 4th big hill (Arete Mont Farve at 42 miles), after 16 hours of running, crying, crawling,
dragging and falling over we came to a decision, we would all split up and just try and run our own
races. Catherine was going really strongly, overtaking people only to have them all file passed her again
whilst waiting for me (that must have been hard to deal with). Alex was also going strongly but not quite
as well as Catherine but felt that she was going better than me. So we all had a big hug and I waved the
two of them off. They sped off down the hill in excellent running style, not only was I impressed but so
were all the blokes they overtook, it was great to watch. I plodded on after them, trying to run in a far
less stylish manner.
The weather was getting very hot now and I was trying to remember all the corners, hills and other
features on the run in to Courmeyeur, but it was a lot further than I remembered and my body felt awful.
Of course I put on a brave face with a huge smile and a sort of jog every time I saw an event
photographer (the girls saw the photos later and decided that I had actually been faking the tiredness
and I had run all the way!!). I just like cameras!!!
I stumbled into Courmeyeur (47 miles & 3,882m of climb done) feeling a bit out of it and very emotional
as I thought that now the cut off times were closing down on me and I wouldn’t make it to the end. I
found another mate in Courmeyeur (Mick) who suggested a leg massage, this sounded like heaven! It
was pure heaven, which could only have improved if the two girls massaging each leg had been
gorgeous men! Yep I had one on each leg and having crawled to the table and lay there in tears
(emotional person me!) I bounced off it feeling great! I stuffed some more watery noodle soup down my
neck (this was the stuff now, I loved it!), changed my clothes from my drop bag and set off up the hill in
the heat of the day.
The climb up to Col de Bernarde (half way) was long, hot, steep and hell. My legs started burning from
the oil left on by the massage, which must have also had some deep heat type of lotion in it too, as it felt
like I was on fire. All I could think of was if I got sunburnt as well as wobbly legs I wouldn’t be able to sit
down for a week! Of course we had organised that only one of us (Run Like a Girl) would have the
suntan cream in the drop bag at Courmeyeur – it wasn’t me!! When I reached the hut and feed station at
the top I found some water to wash my legs and then pleaded for some suntan cream off two very
accommodating English guys. Thank goodness for them. I was now going to avoid blisters all over the
back of my legs. I also asked them about cut offs and how quick they thought I needed to go to make
them, they had done it the year before and said I was fine at this speed, phew!
Well that was ok if I hadn’t then slowed down to an even slower crawl across the plateau. I spent the
next 6 hours or so going through a range of emotions from “great I’m going to make it” to “oh god I’m
gonna give up, I can’t keep going” (this one made me cry lots which doesn’t help with the breathing!) to
“maybe I could keep going till they time me out” but then thoughts such as “if I give up now I can get a
nights sleep” “if I keep going till I get timed out I’ll have no sleep for another night as it will be spent at a
checkpoint waiting for a bus”, eventually I decided that there was so many friends and family watching
this chip of mine get to each checkpoint on the website, I would be letting them all down if I didn’t carry
on till at least I got timed out. I made the next check point with half an hour to spare, this sent me into a
downward spiral again, until a French bloke told me not to be so stupid, of course I’d make it now. He
told me to get to the top of the next hill (Col du Ferret 60 miles) by 9.30 pm and it would be all fine then.
I decided I would have to make it by 8.30pm to give me a better chance of making the next cut off. I set
off with a watery noodle soup filling and sped up the hill to reach the top by 8.10pm. Oh my god I was
going to make it. What a boost that was – I ran down the next hill at speed with such a weight lifted off
my shoulders. I was not going to let anyone down, I was going to finish. I knew it.
At the next feed station I found my self taping up every toe as the run down the hill had destroyed them
and every toe was blistered. Typical! I didn’t care cos I was going to finish and I was happy and I’d
caught the two English suntan cream guys up again. I was flying! I chatted with them on a road section
for a while, then sped off again in such high spirits, it was great. The watery noodle soup was working I
loved this race now (it had only taken about 30 hours to get into this state of happiness or was it
delirium!!!)
The hill up to Champex in Switzerland was hell. I’d fallen off my happy legs again, still I’d managed to
stuff a couple of yoghurt and chocolate coated coffee beans down my neck. That would have to see me
through the next night as they tasted horrid!!! Everything tasted horrid.
I had a bit of a surprise near the Champex feed station (75 miles) as Mark my boyfriend turned up to
meet me (he’d pulled out at Courmeyeur), I couldn’t believe it, he seemed very happy for me and told
me that at least I’d beaten him! He said the girls had gone through about 2 hours ago and were still
going strong. He tried to feed me but it all tasted foul. We tried to do something with my blisters, this
didn’t work, they were agony. He shoved me out of the food tent at 2.30am (on my orders!!!) and I cried
all the way along the road cos he’d met me there, I was so happy, I was still going to make it!!!
The next hill was a baddy, big, steep, and technical so I just trained my head torch onto a girls feet in
front and followed her and her partner up the whole of the Bovine hill. Just before the top we came out
of the trees and they stepped aside, obviously I was a complete pain in the arse following them that
closely, but it worked, they got me to the top! (82 miles) I was now on a role, I had some water from the
drink station and then powered off overtaking loads of people who were now fading fast, this just
spurred me on faster! By the time I’d got to Trient (just before the last big climb) I was going really well
(85 miles). The sun had risen and I found a nice French bloke (with a lovely Lycra clad bum) to power
up the hill behind. What more could I want?
The last big downhill took us in to Valorcine (90 miles), I could hardly walk now as my feet were feeling
like someone had taken a large mallet and smashed it against my feet for about 39 hours! Still at least it
took the pain away from the blisters and leg ache!
The next uphill (small compared to all the other massive hills) was covered in grass and all I wanted to
do was take my shoes off and walk in cool wet grass and dangle them in the bubbling stream next to the
path. I didn’t I just powered up the hill on a complete high, chatting with all the people that I passed cos I
could! (pass them that is!).
By the time I got to Argentiere I was thinking that the next 6 miles was probably going to take about
another 2 hours at this pace so I quickened my pace and after one more sit down to take my shoes off
to rub the bruises from the hammer bashing I started to run.
It felt awful but by about 3 miles to go I started to ignore the pain and at about 2 miles to go I was at a
full on run when suddenly I saw Spyke (another mate).
(My interpretation of a full run after 98 miles)
He’d come out to meet me and take photos, this spurred me on and I got faster and faster. I couldn’t
stop getting faster, this was the best I’d ever run in my life, this was my sprint finish and I was loving it.
The entire crowd was shouting my name and I was trying not to cry. I got to the edge of town and the
crowds were shouting and cheering and I got faster, then I saw Kath, another mate, she lead me
through the streets to the bit where all the banners lead you into the finish.
I was sprinting so hard down the final 100m, all I could see was the finish line and a photographer (this helped!) and all I could hear was Alex and Catherine shouting my name. I’d done it. It took me 43 hours
and 13 minutes.
I had finished the toughest race of my life and I’d finished in style, and I got the T-Shirt.
Wow.
Team Run Like a Girl hugged and cried and laughed and hugged some more.
None of us could now walk. Catherine and Alex had finished just an hour and three quarters in front of
me and together. We all felt very proud of ourselves. We’d done it!
Since we’ve been back, both Catherine and Alex have decided they want to do it again to get a better
time. I have decided I will never attempt it again! I will find something else to challenge me and get a
new T-Shirt. It is a great event and well worth training for, the atmosphere definitely carries you round it.
Alex and Catherine were 49th and 50th female back and I was 63rd. I was just under half way through the
field at 1151st overall. (Only about 1400 people finished the event though.)
You won't believe this but catherine and Alex have entered the Tour again for 2008 and I (Karen) have stuck
to my word of never doing it again and am entered for the slightly shorter race called the CCC which this year they have extended to about 66 miles. So Run Like a Girl are back for 2008.
