Trailrunning News 2010 #7 Sept. Coming Soon

Trailrunning News 2010 #7 Sept Coming Soon… Bribie Beach Bash - Sun 3 Oct - entry on the day, info http://geoffsruns.com/ Bunyaville 6k - Sat 9 Oct - ...
Author: Ruth Whitehead
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Trailrunning News 2010 #7 Sept Coming Soon… Bribie Beach Bash - Sun 3 Oct - entry on the day, info http://geoffsruns.com/ Bunyaville 6k - Sat 9 Oct - 4.30pm entry on day $5, info http://runtrails.org Spiny Cray Ultra (Cairns) - Sun 17 Oct - entry http://adventuresportnq.info/events/trail-running/spiny-cray-ultra Lamington Classic - 23/24 October - full, email [email protected] for waitlist Bribie Beach Bash - Sun 3 Oct – Various distances This friendly run is a top way to see in summer, running along the beach and grabbing a swim afterward. Highly recommeded. The start is north st Woorim Bribie Is (surf side) and there are seven distances - 46k, Marathon, Half Marathon, 15k, 10k, 6k, 3k. The first 100 competitors receive a free special 10year T shirt, except 3k competitors they receive a free water bottle. Supporting the Endeavour Foundation of Qld. Entry and information: http://geoffsruns.com/ Bunyaville - Sat 9 October 4.30pm – 6km This event is run informally, as a come-and-try-it opportunity for trail running, since Bunyaville State Forest is so accessible. The course is relatively easy and a good introduction to Brisbane central’s most accessible trails. With Bunyaville such a well located short run, we plan to offer three runs at the end of 2010, one each month through October to December as a “summer series”, as a reminder to keep us training through the hot season. This is a short come-and-try-it trails event, so bring along a road running friend. Its free to TRAQ members and $5 otherwise, paid on the day (no need to pre-enter). Bunyaville State Forest is the closest decent trails to Brisbane, so if you haven’t been there yet, come and have a look. The 4.30pm start on Saturday is ideal for summer - you can still do your long run in the morning and come along to loosen up. Further information, start location etc at http://runtrails.org Spiny Cray Ultra, Cairns – 17 October The inaugural Cairns Road Runners Spiny Cray Ultra will be held on 17 October, 2010. The event start and finishes at the Julatten ‘Highlander Tavern’. The Spiny Cray Ultra webpage info has been updated, check it out at http://adventuresportnq.info/events/trail-running/spiny-cray-ultra. Registration is open, get in early only 80 spots left to fill DERM permit conditions! Link for entry: http://adventuresportnq.info/events/trail-running/spiny-cray-ultra Mapleton Social Run - Sat 6 Nov The Mapleton run listed in the TRAQ calendar is a social/training run, a chance to explore a new area with company. There are options for an 18km loop at the north of the Great Walk, and also an 8km out and back option to see the views but without the climb - so there's something for everyone. There is no cost for this one, just turn up on the day at the Mapleton's central carpark beside the lilyponds at 8am.

Rainbow Beach - Weekend of 13/14 Nov There will be training/social running weekend at Rainbow Beach on the 13-14 November to investigate the new trails of the Great Walk.These look really interesting, with an inland forested foot-only trail avoiding all the cars on the beach and including a stop-off/swim at Poona Lake. Those intending to come can contact Ian at [email protected] for more information - you will need to arrange their own accommodation - there is a great campground, including cabin options. More next month... Lamington to Chinghee National Park run-through 27-28 November Interested in trying a bit of fast-packing through somewhat overgrown and unmaintained trails along the main range west of Lamington national park? Email [email protected] if this sounds like your idea of a top weekend... Lamington Classic Update Yes its full - so if you've entered but can't now make, please email [email protected] so someone from the waitlist can make their arrangements in time. An email will go out tonight to entrants advising who has added what extras, how to book for the meal or bunkhouse if you forgot, weekend arrangements etc. Can't wait! Egg Rock Run Report

A great day was had by all, with some fitter types heading right out to Ships Stern and return, and the rest of us just going as far as lookout before heading down to Numinbah. In retrospect, for those following our footsteps and looking for a new loop run, we'd recommend starting at Binna Burra and doing the Bellbird trail loop, then connecting up by doing the Caves circuit - this includes the best of all worlds. I'd forgotten how nice that section on the Bellbird trail below the cliffs is - classic rock-lined historic trails. Thanks to Leigh, Ian, Stephen, Jennifer, Rob, Christine and Connie for making it a fun day in the bush, and to Greg and Sue for helping with the setup.

New Conondale Great Walk - Free Maps This top new Great Walk is really accessible from Brisbane, either for day runs, overnight fastpacking or a four day bushwalk. Three free maps will be posted out to the first three emails to info@runtrails with the name of the well-known waterfall on the Great Walk route - either of two possible answers is good enough (the maps might take a week to get to you because your editor is off camping for a week at Kroombit Tops and Carnia). Glasshouse Trails Series Wrap-up for 2010

The Glasshouse Trails series has wrapped up for 2010, with the final event held on 11-12th September being our 21st year. As always the September Glasshouse Mountains event includes the really big distances, with 100 miles and 100km courses on offer Saturday, as well as 50km, 30km and 12km options on Sunday. There are various starts for the different races to include a range of natural features in each course. First off on their long journey were the hundred mile and hundred kilometer entrants, 42 and 39 entrants respectively leaving Beerburrum State School at 5.30am on Saturday. Next away was the 50km course with 42 entrants, at 6.30am. On Sunday the 30km course, with 55 runners, left at 6am from the cryptically named Checkpoint 4, a well known spot for Glasshouse regulars, and the 12km course (68 runners, pictured) started at a more civilised 8am from the Lookout. For the first time both the 100km and 50km were won outright by women, with Caroline Pivetta winning the 100km in 11.03 and Peggy MacQueen first home in the 50 km in 4.29. In another novel finish, Dave Coombs and Nigel Waddington crossed the line together to share honours in the feature 100 mile race, with Pam Muston first women home also in a paired finish for fifth overall with Chris Watson in 21.52. Those friendly finishes with support right up to the line fit in well with the whole Glasshouse scene, which is about having plenty of support out on the aid stations to get entrants through the inevitable ups and downs of such a long race. Nigel Waddington received the Ian Javes Award for male Glasshouse Series Winner over 2010. Nigel won the 50 mile event outright in May and tied with Dave Coombs in the 100 mile. Peggy Macqueen was the female winner of the Glasshouse Series and received the June Canavan Award. Finally a special mention to Bill Thompson, who completed the 100 mile course (pic, right) two weeks after being the only Aussie to finish this year's Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc! Professionally taken pictures from the event can also be purchased: Inquiries to Helga Dalla, Award Winning Photographer, Buddina Ph: 0416 221 004 www.g3photography.com.au If you want to order your Glasshouse t-shirt, here is the link: https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?ID=2128

Comments from the Coolrunning Glasshouse 100 forum... Thanks for your support, the 3G girls Tania, Sarah and myself (Helga) love capturing you all out on the trails...so inspiring, I hope that we manage to spur you all on even if just a little when you see us out on the trails. Due to limited space on G3's website we could only put 4 images up of each runner, in particular 100km and 100mile. If you want to view all your images just shoot Helga an email: [email protected] and I will email you a PDF proof sheet of all your images to view. Congratulations on your efforts, you guys are amazing. === Great weekend! Really happy to have completed my first 100 miler. Main goal was to finish being my debut at this distance. I ran with several runners throughout the event but most of the first half with Brick who I was really glad to see had a fantastic second half and finished in an awesome time, congrats Kev! (just keep swimming) I then ran at least the last 40km with Horrie which was great, he was so encouraging and we ended up working together which worked out well for both of us. Belinda, Rob and Tim were so helpful at the checkpoints, thanks guys! === The most amazing checkpoints in this race, just brilliant. It was like a never ending buffet of the best food by far of any event I have ever done. I was a bit dissappionted to have missed the presentations. I made an effort to get up and get dressed and come down for the bbq and presentations which were to be on at 12 noon and turned up at 11:45am to find they were already over. === I have never seen checkpoints that well stocked! Sincere gratitude to the lovely people (especially the gentleman in the suit who kindly filled my manky pack) who spend hours looking after all of us. I did find the heat a little much, pity we can't book the weather like we can the run weekend. One of the great things about trail events is the people you get to chat with along the way and to Kato, Marina, Mary, Ang and Sandon, thanks for the company at the varying stages and sincere apologies to Mary and Ang who were greeted by my arse pointing skyward, sticking out of a mud bog, as they entered a section heading back to 5! Took me awhile to extricate myself and I didn't particularly enjoy the extra kgs of muddy clay I picked up for the remainder of the race but hey! At least it provided a laugh. Think I might have to come back for another of these next year (runs, not bogs), I'd like to see this 100k course everyone is on about! === A big thanks to Ian and all the volunteers out there for the weekend. Wow what a tough course. I had never done a trail run before so didn't know what to expect and had never run further than a marathon. I can't believe how many tough hills there were, I did much more walking than I expected to do. I was only in the 50k and am in awe of those in the 100k and and 100miles, you are so strong (physically and mentally) to keep going for that long. I'm going to have to take stock of where I am before I contemplate going longer. I had visions of running the 100miles next year but I struggled in the 50km so how would I get on doing more than three times the distance.First I think I would slow down. I was really worried about getting lost on the course so I ran too fast to stay with other people. Well you guessed it, I got lost at about the 9km mark, I missed the left turn and saw a white ribbon about 10m down the wrong track so ended up doing 2-3km extra. I made another rookie mistake and ran far too hard to try and make up the time I had lost, silly boy, when will I ever learn. The trail between 5 & 6 was so hard I got such a shock and ended up pretty broken around the 30km mark. It was survival at that point and I pretty much ran / walked the rest of the way. I am still hobbling a bit now and going through all the what-if's in my head. I finished in 5hrs 27mins and am really happy that I acheived my goal of finishing the 50k depiste all the setbacks and rough patches. I guess if it's too easy it's not worth doing it. === Had a fantastic weekend. I was so impressed with the great hospitality and friendship that exists within the Glasshouse family. This was my first visit to the area and hope to be back before too long. Really enjoyed meeting some Queensland Coolrunners including UCB and Bloodnut, Rob & Nicky for the first time. During the run I met up with Simon, son of Bill Thompson, at the 5km mark and ran with him for the next 24 hours and had a fantastic day. Nice area, great support at the checkpoints, excellent company. Isn't it something to travel so far from home and still see so many familiar faces? It was great to see Bluebell's smiling face at various checkpoints along the way. Simon and I finished in 25:05, equal 15th, so very happy with that. Many thanks to Ian and his team for putting such a good, well conducted event.

"Couch Potota" Effect Lingers On One month of "slobbing it" has weight gain effects that can last for years, research has shown. Scientists asked volunteers to gorge on fast food and be less active for four weeks, expecting them to put on weight but then return to their normal size. Instead, after a promising start to their weight loss efforts, the participants kept getting bigger. After two and a half years they were still more than three kilos heavier than when the study began. A comparison "control" group who did not change their lifestyle showed no similar increase in weight. "The long-term difference in body weight in the intervention and control groups suggests that there is an extended effect on fat mass after a short period of large food consumption and minimal exercise," said study leader Asa Enersson, from Linkoping University in Sweden. The aim of the research was to study the longterm effects of sedentary "couch potato" lifestyles. Eighteen volunteers with an average age of 26 were asked to spend a month eating at least two fast-food meals a day to boost their calorie intake by 70%. At the same time they had to reduce their activity levels to no more than 5,000 steps a day, as measured by a pedometer. Over the four-week period the participants gained an average of 6.4 kilos. Most of the extra weight was lost six months later when they had returned to their normal eating and exercise habits. But the positive trend was short-lived. One year on the group's average weight was 1.5 kilos higher than at the start. After two and a half years their weight gain had risen to 3.1 kilos. The findings were published in the online journal Nutrition & Metabolism. They indicate that even a short period of over-eating and lack of exercise can change a person's physiology, making it harder to lose weight and stay slim. "The change of fat mass was larger than expected when compared to the controls," said Ms Enersson. "It suggests that even short-term behavioural changes may have prolonged effects on health." Souce: Public Library of Science Biology Hordes shatter serenity of Mount Fuji

IT is hailed by many as the world's most beautiful mountain, the subject of countless paintings and poems and a universally recognised symbol of Japan. Mount Fuji, however, is being overwhelmed by a tsunami of rubbish and human ordure generated by uncontrolled numbers of visitors. So crowded are its paths during the peak season that the thousands of climbers who tackle the 3660m snow-dusted volcano are frequently reduced to a shuffling column, with a shortage of toilets along the route generating hour-long queues. The problem has become so severe that local authorities are considering imposing a fee to reduce the number of climbers and offset the cost of removing their litter and waste. Lovers of Mount Fuji complain that the hundreds of thousands of visitors are ruining the atmosphere of the mountain, which is sacred in the Shinto religion. ``The original tranquillity has been lost,'' said Osamu Nakamura, the proprietor of a mountain lodge on the slopes of Mount Fuji. ``People climbing here talk very loudly, emit strange noises and play their radios very loud, and so on. This goes on virtually 24 hours a day and destroys the peace.'' The more difficult routes challenge even experienced mountaineers but the easier trails can be hiked by any reasonably fit adult. Most people make the six-hour climb overnight to arrive at the peak in time to see the sunrise. A decade ago 200,000 people a year made the attempt but recently numbers have surged. In 2008 there were 430,000 climbers, most of them from July to August, and this year has already set new records. Part of the reason for this is an improvement in facilities, including mountain lodges and toilets -- although the rise in visitors has quickly outstripped capacity.

Feature Article: Drama at Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc Record as it happened, from various live forums... A number of Aussies were over for what is the biggest and best trail ultra in the world, but it wasn't to be for most of them. Among them was Brisbane's own Bill Thompson, 67 years young and spending three weeks acclimatising for the event by camping round the alps in his new $40 tent - read on... “Breaking news, the 8th running of the UTMB is stopped at Les Contamines... Challenging weather at Col de la Seigne (rain, cold and fog) on top of the removal by thugs of the trail marking are making the course conditions too precarious. The organisation team prefer stopping the run and bring back the 2300 participants to Chamonix in good health. A press conference will be held at 11pm. We will communicate when we have more information. In the mean time, our teams are trying to console dozens of runners in tears, extremely disappointed after months of training but trying to put this into perspective as safety is priceless. The UTMB organisation team have witnessed mud slides at the Col de La Seigne and preferred stopping the 2300 participants further down as a safety measure. The weather conditions are deplorable with a very strong wind at Col du Bonhomme. More information in a few minutes during the official press conference. The sad events of 2009 during the Grand Raid of the Mercantour (in the mountains at the back of Nice) where 3 people lost their life are on everyone's mind and people here in Chamonix praise the courage of such a decision. Snow expected on Sunday or Monday on the Mont-Blanc above 2000m. Coolrunning posts: 1. Bill just rang in on the famous mobile. 4 hours into race and its been cancelled due to an enormous land slide. 2,300 people to bus back to the start, logistics are enormous. No one knows what they will do with all these people fired up for the challenge. Bucketing with rain and cold. Hasnt a clue where, when and how they will get on the bus! Very disappointing. Ben out there crewing, Bill not sure how he will find you and if you know its been cancelled. Some where at the start some time! 2. Bill has had a great holiday but hard work hauling his heavy pack around the Mt and getting fit. Had a fall with the pack on a flat piece of track and hurt his right knee. but seems to have healed OK now. Amazed at the transport system back to town. Wild raspberries and blue berrie.Ate too many blueberries and suffered later. His stomach has been wobbly since. Ok today. Very steep and pack hauling. Hope all is well your end. Hes back here on Thursday morning. Love and energy .Jane 3. Apparently new start at 10am from Courmayeur for the UTMB and TDS participants. Only 1500 numbers available though. More on the reasons for cancellation: During a press conference held on Saturday, August 28th at 1 am, Catherine Poletti, race director explained the motivations which led to the decision to stop the "The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont- Blanc (UTMB). We stopped the UTMB for security reasons. Weather forecasts predicted heavy rain until Saturday morning and a significant risk of fog. A lot of wind and snow at around 7,500 ft were also announced." (...) We stopped the race at the Contamines to avoid to let 2300 runners in the mountain, risking to loose some of them." (...) We also stated that markers have been removed from their emplacements at the Bonhomme pass until the Chapieux, the most mountainous part where it's easy to be lost. We mobilized an helicopter to drop new markers to setup the itinary again, but the weather remaining unfavorable does not allow us to continue." (...)

Pictures from UTMB in better weather last year…

"We are now trying to find a solution to not penalize runners who have traveled thousands of kilometers to run here." (...) The TDS (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie) will probably not be run, since the sectors are still under bad weather conditions." "We found solutions to fetch the 2300 runners, mobilizing buses and trains to carry the participants to Chamonix. We also opened facilities and provided blankets for people without any accommodation. For now the CCC and the PTL are going well despite a few changes of itineraries for some teams." (?) Online forums… Since this press conference, everything moved very quickly. The TDS did not start, the CCC has been neutralized, then finally stopped, and at 4 am on Saturday, about 900 runners were to be repatriated from Trient (27 km from the finish) and Vallorcine (18 km from the finnish) by a special 55-seat buses service line. An hypothesis has been advanced to organize a new event for runners wishing to run a replacement race. It is highly unlikely as weather conditions remain uncertain at this time. Exciting UTMB Cancelled… or Not? We’re afraid all the news that we have regarding the UTMB right now is quite cloudy. First, as you may know (if you follow iRunFar on Twitter), it’s rained on and off in Chamonix the past day, sometimes quite heavily. As a result, a combination of mudslides at Col de la Seigne and inclement weather forced race officials to cancel the race three hours into the event. (Not many trail runners outside of Europe may know it, but three runners died of hypothermia at the Raid du Mercantour adventure race in the French Alps last year.) Second, as of eight hours after the cancellation, there have been more rumors than substance regarding possible replacement events. Below we discuss the race, the cancellation, and the contingency plans. The Race… Ok, back to the beginning of the story. The race start was as emotional as they get. The UTMB folks really know how to set a mood. Such attempts are uncommon in American trail races. Those races we’ve seen attempt it around the world have fallen short of UTMB’s standard. Sure, that might not be everyone’s thing, but it’s something to experience at least once. After the runners hit the course, the rains started. The top runners arrival at the first aid station, Les Houches (4.9 miles/7.9 km), coincided with heavens opening up. Fortunately, it wasn’t all that cold. As might be expected, Kilian Jornet was out in the lead, but the top ten men were all still within a few minutes. Lizzie Hawker was the only woman we saw come through. The town of Saint Gervais hosts UTMB’s third aid station at mile 13.2/km 21.3. It was rocking! We saw a brass band working the crowd, which entered into song whenever the band stopped playing. All the runners we’ve

talked to love about it, love running through the town for what felt like a mile, as the course runs an out and back to the aid station at the heart of town. The lead runners hit Saint Gervais during a break in the rain. Again, Kilian was in the lead, this time in the company of Pascal Giguet. Miguel Heras and Nicolas Mermoud were but a minute back. Mike Wolfe and Geoff Roes were the top Americans through the aid station five minutes back in sixth and seventh. Lizzie Hawker was smoking. She came into the town with Scott Jurek and Karl Meltzer in toe. The next woman, Néré Martinez-Urruzola didn’t come in for another for another 12 minutes. Tracy Garneau, another minute back, was the only other woman within 20 minutes of Lizzie. Ah, and then there was Les Contamines at mile 19.3/km 31.1. Kilian yet again ran through the aid station in first, though Miguel and Pascal were hanging tight. The pair were 30 and 40 seconds back, respectively. Five minutes back, Geoff Roes and Mike Wolfe came out of the aid station together in fourth and fifth. This were things get odd. The Cancellation We briefly followed Geoff and Mike as they exited the aid station. They first noted that some runners seemed to have gotten lost…. no big deal that happens. Then they dropped the curious bombshell, some person or persons in the aid station told them that the race was temporarily canceled and that they needed to stay in the aid station. Not seeing Kilian, Miguel, or Pascal still in the aid station, they decided to keep going unless someone blocked their way. No one did and they kept on running. They were the final runners to leave the aid station. No one left the aid station for a bit and that got us poking around. The first rumors were of a temporary cancellation. As more elite runners came in without any exiting, the rumors turned to total cancellation or possibly a resumption of the race further down the course past the mudslide at Col de la Seigne. Some runners changed into dry clothes or ate up while others walked around in disbelief. More than a few became emotional. They’d spent six months or a year training all leading up to this day… and a decision that was not theirs ended it. That is not at all to imply that anyone was upset with the race organizers for doing so. We did not here a single runner say so much. All respected that safety is paramount and that no race directors wish to unnecessarily cancel a race. Those directors likely work longer and harder on the event than the runners. Eventually, the 50-100 runners that reached Les Contamines found rides back to Chamonix or otherwise wandered off more or less as they pleased. There was enough space for all. On the other hand, there were 2,200 or so runners that never made it past Saint Gervais. The final result was runners packing like sardines into trains that run from Saint Gervais to Chamonix. The Night of Many Contingency Plans While in Les Contamines, Hoka OneOne president Nicolas Mermoud quickly came up with driving to the TDS (Traces des Ducs de Savoie), a UTMB sister race, that started in 90 minutes at Courmayeur, which is 45 minutes away through the Mont Blanc tunnel. He had a few convinced a few to follow along with his plan… until Kilian started recruiting folks to run the Sky Running Marathon World Championships in Italy on Sunday. Kilian quickly convinced Nicholas and Geoff to run in Italy, as well. Not long thereafter, we found ourselves at Nicolas’s house, as he lives in Les Contamines, in the company of Kilian Jornet, Geoff Roes, Karl Meltzer, some friends, including some of the Salomon coverage crew. It wasn’t long until Geoff had convinced Karl to run the marathon. Meanwhile, Kilian had convinced World Trail Running champion Thomas Lorblanchet to come, as well. After a quick phone call by Kilian, the runners were into the Sky Race! After some pasta and good times, the group dispersed a bit after midnight. Once back in Chamonix it was time for a beer. Out at the bar, a runner received a text from the race organization… a replacement CCC (98 km UTMB sister race) was being held the next morning, just be on the bus at 6:30 am! We received a completely independent phone call from a reliable source telling us the same news. We believed it. In addition, it turns out that unbeknown to us, there’d also been a UTMB press conference saying that the organization was looking into start an event at Courmayeur, CCC’s starting point, and that an official announcement would be made in an hour or two.

That hour or two passed and a decision was made: No decision would be announced until 9 am local time. Per The North Face, at that time the race organizers “will inform runners if there is a chance to continue the race.” The Conclusion? We know that many UTMB runners never got the first text message regarding the CCC replacement race. We also suspect that most were asleep when the announcement of the 9 am final announcement was made. We don’t know what the final decision will be, how many runners will learn about it (many will welcome a long night’s sleep), and how many will choose to take part in a replacement option. Anyway, stay tuned. If there’s a replacement race, we’ll certainly mention it on Twitter, but might not have time to update the website. Call for Comments, and Comments How would you feel about such a cancellation? What would you want to be the solution? Might you take part in a replacement race? Source: http://www.irunfar.com/2010/08/exciting-utmb-cancelled-or-not.html The 2010 edition of the UTMB had created so much espectiv gathered a shelf ever seen. La meteo s'annonçait dure, de la pluie et du froid en altitude, mais c'est pas aussi ça la montagne? The weather would be a rough, rain and cold at altitude, but also it is not the mountain? La montagne n'est pas que du soleil, des champs verts, des fleurs et des vaches. The mountain is not only sun, green fields, flowers and cows. Mais c'est aussi des roches, des orages, de la neige...c'est ça qui crée l'esprit montagnard. But it also rocks, storms, snow ... that's what creates the mountain spirit. On est de plus en plus loin de cet esprit, et même si les courses prennent le nom de course de "montagne" on ne la voit jamais. It is increasingly far from that spirit, even if the races are called racing "mountain" we never see. Des courses de plus en plus roulantes, de la suppression des parties techniques car sont "dangereuses" des annulations des la première goute de pluie...On est des montagnards et pas des athlètes! Races increasingly wheel, eliminating the technical parts are as "dangerous" cancellations of the first drop of rain ... We're not athletes and mountaineers! On a encore la chance que courses comme l'Ultratrail d'Andorre ou Zegama Aizkorri sont capables de respecter les coureurs et laisser aux coureurs de décider jusqu'au ou ils sont capables par ses connaissances et sa technique d'arriver. There is still a chance that races like Andorra or Ultratrail Zegama Aizkorri are able to meet the runners and riders to decide to leave or until they are capable, through his knowledge and technique to arrive. I've read several forums in French and found interesting arguments: A doctor working for the organisation was at the France/Italy border check point when the worst of the weather hit. He described the conditions as extreme for summer. Very strong wind, cold, fog, heavy rain, small mud slides : recipe for disaster. He had all the mountain gear and couldn't stay more than 5 minutes outside of the refuge/hut. He was quite pleased that none of the 2300 participants had been sent to his station. "It would have been pure madness to go on". Keep in mind that the subject is quite sensitive in France as 3 people died in 2009 from cold exposure (on a trail run in the mountains at the back of Nice) as the decision to close the trail was taken just a bit too late. They went through the check point just before the weather turned nasty. They were tired by a day on the tracks, had only light clothing, not enough food and they got caught by the snow and wind. They also made the mistake to leave the trail. Kilian was slammed by his harsh comments when he said that the organisation did not respect the runners and that real mountain trail runners cope with tough conditions. Others wrote that real mountaineers respect what the mountain throws at them especially the weather conditions : safety first. The organisation explained that it is much easier to cancel the event than to stop it. They had to work overnight to transport everyone back to Chamonix and then to Courmayeur for the ones who wanted/could start the shortened UTMB. Finding a plan B route would have meant many more km and on the road. The UTMB did not have the authorisations to send 2300 people on the French and Italian roads. Source: Ironfrog on Coolrunning

UTMB Replacement/Resumption in Place Runners are getting on buses now to go to Courmayeur. Runner have the option of running the CCC (Courmayeur Champex Chamonix) 98 kilometer (61 mile) race as a replacement for yesterday’s canceled Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. Not sure who’s gonna show up, but we’ll be covering the race again on Twitter. (iRunFar Twitter feed) From the elite field, we know that Geoff Roes and Tracy Garneau will not be restarting. For the Americans following, I know that at the least Helen Cospolich, Mike Wolff, Scott Mason, Cory Johnson, and Erich Peitzsch are running. UK fans, Lizzie Hawker and Jez Bragg are in. From France, Sebastien Chaigneau will be representing. We’re pretty darn sure that Karl Meltzer and Nicholas Mermoud will be there. More runners we’ve learned of: Julien Chorier, Samuel Bonaudo, Fernanda Maciel & Néré Martinez Urruzola. Alternative for elite runners Unfavourable conditions at the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc leading to the cancellation of this mega event Friday night, opened up an exciting scenario for Sunday’s Ultra SkyMarathon® World Championship start line in northern Italy. Disappointed by the UTMB organisers’ decision, Kilian Jornet, two-time winner and reigning skyrunning world champion, pointed the car east and headed for the Kima Trophy Ultra SkyMarathon®, one of the world’s most technically demanding and gruelling events. Jornet was accompanied by a group of the world’s finest ultra runners, including team-mate Miguel Heras (third in Zegama, Spain at the season’s first Skyrunner® World Series race), France’s Thomas Lorblanchet, 2009 world trail running champion, America’s Geoff Roes, second at the recent Western States 100 and Karl Metzler, 29 time winner of the over 100 mile distance. This first-ever Ultra SkyMarathon® open world title is assigned every four years by the International Skyrunning Federation which selected this legendary venue, featuring a 49.5 kilometre-long course, with a breathtaking 7,600 metres ascent and descent over seven difficult passes - all over 2,500m, reaching a top altitude of 2,950m. The men’s record on this course stands at 6h43’29” and the women’s time is 7h59’08”. Heading the women’s field will be reigning skyrunning world champion, Italy’s Emanuela Brizio and past world champion, Corinne Favre from France. The outcome of Sunday’s spectacular Ultra SkyMarathon® with its enlarged cast of world-class runners will be closely watched. And the finale... Well the much touted clash between the americans and Killian didn't happen, with only Killian starting the skyrunning event and winning easily. Of course this sort of single-day mountain race is his speciality, but he does seem to be clearly a cut above the top american runners. He placed a reasonably close fourth in his first Western States this year, while none of the americans has a credible finish at Mont Blanc yet. And our own Bill? Well Bill did make it to the replacement event, becoming the only Aussie to finish this year, and backed it up with the 100 miles at Glasshouse just two weeks later. Well done Bill! picture, right, from video of start on revised course.. The last word, from Bill in Singapore via Coolrunning Just a short note. Will put in more when home for those who are interested. If you were confused in Aus then it was worse in Chamonix.. For the record, I didn't get any text messages. I travelled with a Moroccan for a fair bit on Friday night and he got a message from a friend about 9pm that he thought the race was cancelled. We just laughed it off at the time. Sure enough it was and I ended up camped with many hundreds of others in the gym.

My morrocan friend told me about 5am that he had heard we may be able to have another run in a few hours. I thanked him and told him I was too stuffed = got pretty cold. At about 7 I wandered over to the start to hand in electronic tag and get back the 20 eoros. They didn't have any money and told me to come back at ten. They told me about a possible alternative run = buit nothing was certain. So I went back to the assmbly point to see if Jan was around. Several buses had already left so he might have alreadyt left , so I got on a bus as it was an opportunity to see the famous tunnel. When we popped out the other side it was a brilliant day. I sat around watching the strat crowd grow and the sun did its job. I had all my gear, well almost all, my thermals had got lost somewhere, so I thought it would be stupid not to start and see how things went. No sleep, no breakfast. Fely good as soon as we were on the move and managed toget a good feed at the 3rd checkpoint. So I sort of got in by accident. Met up with Jan for a few beers after the event band he was spitting chips = no messages oj his phone either. He had a shower and a good nights sleep but only found out about the run 10 mins after the start. Cheers Bill Want more on UTMB? An excellent 3 part doco in English on 2008 race: http://4-seasons.tv/en/film/ultra-trail-du-mont-blanc-part-1 Unsubscribing to the Newsletter If you would like to stop receiving emails from the Trail Running Association of Queensland, reply to [email protected] with Unsubscribe in the subject line. Similarly if you wish to change the email we send to, for example from work to home, email to info@runtrails with EmailChange in the subject line. Picture of the day – Race The Planet, Gobi Desert