This is a preview of the 110.5 km (68.7 miles) loop (La Boucle) course of 2010 Trail Verbier St-Bernard, which I'll be running on Saturday - and probably a good part of Sunday too. TVSB will be the longest race I've ever done, road or trail.
The start will be 5 AM in Verbier, and you'll have to back there by 1 PM on Sunday. 32 hours may seem like plenty of time for this, but the course is designed to be extremely tough.
First, there's 6,904 meters (22,651 ft) of cumulative ascent and descent. Second, there will be snow. And third, there's not too much oxygen as the highest peak is 2,714 meters (8,904 ft) above sea level and the four other mountains along the route are not much lower than that.
There are four cutoff stations along the route, which you will have to leave before the following times:
Sembrancher (26.7 km), 11:30 AM (Saturday)
La Fouly (48.5 km), 5:00 PM (Saturday)
Bourg St. Pierre (76.4 km), 2:00 AM (Sunday)
Lourtier (98.9 km), 9:00 AM (Sunday).
Most of the course is in Switzerland, except a 3K section that allows us to briefly visit Italy. The 15K trail between Champex and La Fouly is the same as in Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in August, only the direction is opposite.
There are 1,050 entrants, but most of them (693) will run La Traversée, ie. the last 61 km of the course. 357 runners have chosen the whole La Boucle (loop). Most of them (134) are in my VH1 category (men 40-49). Last year, when TVSB was organised for the first time on a slightly shorter 105K course, there were 500 runners altogether.
The obligatory gear which each competitor must carry all the way includes the following:
a backpack
1 liter water reserve
a food reserve (not specified in more detail)
2 lights with spare batteries
a rescue blanket
a whistle
elastic adhesive tape
a water- and weatherproof jacket
a long-sleeve sweater
long pants or tights
a pair of gloves
your bib and chip
poles (not obligatory, but if you plan to use any sort of sticks at any point, then you are required to carry them all the way with you - they will be marked before the start).
There will be ten refreshment stations with drinks and food along the way. At 48 km in La Fouly you can also get access to whatever stuff you have left in your personal bag before the start.
Why do I want to finish TVSB? I simply need it to qualify for UTMB 2011 lottery. That's the No. 1 ultra trail race in Europe, and there are always way too many applicants. So even with this it won't be by no means certain. If I don't get selected, I'll have a better chance to try again for 2012, as the points acquired will be valid for two years and those who have lost in a previous lottery will have some sort of priority the next year I think.
The weather is reported to be sunny or partially cloudy with surprises like thunderstorms. Looks like a fun weekend to me!
Michael 'The Fruitarian' Arnstein eventually dropped out because of hamstring issues, but his WS100 race report is an interesting read anyway. We learn most from our mistakes and failures, right?
In the video interview below The Fruitarian denies taking any supplements whatsoever (at the end, go to 9 mins). However in the race report, he talks about salt supplements all the time, and mentions taking them on a regular basis when training. Something here does not add up. It's none of my business, but this is probably something he could improve.
A couple of Fruitarian's running buddies did better: Oz Pearlman finished in 19:53 (27th/Men) and Jamil Coury finished also earned his silver buckle with 21:41 (47th/Men).
Check out this video of their 1000lbs fruit and veg stash in Squaw Valley.
2010 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run winner Geoff Roes (34) showed Anton Krupicka (26) and Kilian Jornet (22) that you can't beat experience. The trio ran together most of the way, although the two youngsters managed to escape with a little gap around halfway. Roes patiently waited in third position until their wheels came off, and took the lead towards the end.
Roes went on to finish strong with a new course record 15:05:04, smashing Scott Jurek's 15:36:37 set in 2004. Also the second-place finisher Krupicka beat the old course record with 15:13:53.
Best European Jornet came in third with 16:04:49, beating Nick Clark by a minute and change. Second European Ian Sharman came in 8th with 17:26:19.
First woman to arrive at Auburn finish line was Tracey Garneau with 19:01:55.
Roes has never lost a 100-miler since his his ultrarunning career began in 2006 and is known for setting a new course record in almost every race he enters.
Some experts estimated that a course record would not be possible this year due to excessive snow. However in his last blog posting before the race Roes wrote: "the more snow the better". The posting was titled "Liking the way things are going".
Roes will get another chance to race with Jornet in August, when they both will participate in Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Jornet wasn't able to win his first race in America. It will be interesting to see how Roes will do in his first race in Europe.
Who is this modest 22-year-old guy? Well, he has won Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in two previous years, he is a ski mountaineer most of the year, and he runs for happiness. Find out more in the video bio below.
Kilian got interviewed in Squaw Valley yesterday, before his first race in America.
Kilian loves mountains; check out this training video shot in Pyrenees a fortnight ago. Kilian ran coast to coast from Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean in eight days - just for fun, but it's a new record for sure.
There will be a live webcast during the race. Kilian's bib is 35.
Other interesting runners to follow include twice-in-a-row winner Hal Koerner (M1); Geoff Roes who has never lost a 100-miler (11); Miwok 100K 2010 winner Anton Krupicka (18); Michael 'Fruitarian' Arnstein who attempts to complete his first 100-miler with nothing but fruits and vegs (79); a fellow blogger Will Cooper (140); and another young European Ian Sharman (407).
