GORE-TEX Footwear Transalpine Race
Uphill and On Our Way
Fredrik Ölmqvist (Salomon Trail Runners) / 04.09.2006
Obersdorf (813 m) - Steeg (1124 m), distance 28,9 km, elevation +1496 m, - 1185 m
Steeg, Austria. Guten tag!
The first stage is over and it feels good. The Alps are lovely, absolutely spectacular, and we had a beautiful day with sunny, warm weather. Sure, the legs hurt, and the back. I'm not used to using poles, but then I rarely run with a 3kg backpack!
Camera, water, energy bars, rain clothes, and more mandatory gear like gloves, first aid, tape, survival blanket, extra sweater etc. makes up some weight. Also I’m running in a mixed team with Stefani Jackenthal, an avid runner from New York, and as part of our race strategy we decided that I would carry her equipment as well.
She ran with a bottle-holder around her waist. A good move I think, as this way we can move faster together. I'm more used to running in hilly terrain and normally feel strong in the mountains.
And we did move quite well. We arrived as the first mixed team at the first food & water supply. Until then it was fairly flat and the trails were smooth. But then it changed, getting steeper and trickier. We were now on the first of many steep, rocky alpine trails, more suitable for trekking than running.
At the end of the climb of the first mountain (1973 m) we had fallen back to 6th in the mixed class. There was some snow at the top. Just a little. The first downhill section was really difficult. Running technical mountain trails you really need to watch where you put your feet. It's so easy to sprain an ankle. The race is long, 8 days, so it's crucial to be careful. We want to finish in the Italian village of Latsch next Saturday, passing classic ski resorts like St. Anton and Ischgl on the way.
SleepMonsters
