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Rising to the Challenge

Neil Rhodes (Team Ultrafit) / 06.09.2006

[On his rest day our reporter Fredrik Olmqvist has been chatting to British racer Neil Rhodes, a writer for Ultrafit Magazine, about his experience and motivation for attempting the TransAlpine.]

I am sure that many of your readers will have carried out more extreme exercise than this, but I write this from the point of view of an averagely fit athlete.

The race is hard and I struggle to think of how I can explain what it’s like to take part. To understand what it is like, if you don’t live near a mountain, imagine climbing a staircase for 2 hours non stop, 2 steps at a time, that will give you a small idea of the energy required for one of the climbs in this race, and there are many.

Yesterday was the marathon stage, which was cruel, as the previous day had been an incredibly tough 37k stage over 2 difficult peaks. Add to this, terrain that requires 100% concentration and you have a demanding physical and mental challenge.

At the start of yesterday’s stage I knew I had quads but it was as though they were, "not available for use", er, "out to lunch". I "hit the wall" after 8hrs and a detour for getting lost, I felt physically sick and completely lacking energy. With much encouragement from my running partner, I made it to the feed station so I could rehydrate and complete the last 6k.

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