GORE-TEX Footwear Transalpine Race
A Slip at The Finish
Fredrik Ölmqvist (Salomon Trail Runners) / 04.09.2006
Adam’s email began; Please excuse anz "z"s where "y"s should be, this is a German kezboard. Fredrik is sitting here laughing, but it could be the painkillers doing their work. He has a broken hand, bz the waz. [Ed. I took the rest of the z’s out!]
Today we started in Steeg and finished in St. Anton, a distance of 28.15k with 1,704 meters total elevation gain.
The run began with a gradual climb on pavement for approximately 8k, then changed to forest track (what we call Jeep road in the States) for another three kilometres and then, after the first aid station, the track switched to single track and ascended a very steep climb for another 5k, where Fredrik's team (with Stefani Jackenthal) was the first mixed team at the top.
From there, the route followed a ridge at about 2,300 meters above sea level for another 10k, topping out on snow at 2,400, and descending dramatically down to St. Anton. It was on the descent that Fredrik fell as he and Stefani were making a surge toward the finish line, trying to make up for some lost ground on the technical traverse.
The fall came when three teams, racing for second place, had come together with one kilometre to go. Fredrik's team was catching the third team at the same time as that team was catching second and the teams were trading places on sharp switchbacks. That is when a slip on some gravel caused Fredrik to go down and land on his hand. Incidentally, Stefani also fell when she turned to see what happened to her team mate.
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