Where did you stay?

A great Airbnb place in Crans Montana, Switzerland as part of a hotel complex. Indoor/outdoor pool, sauna, balcony with mountain views, open fire. What’s not to like!

How did you get to the location/race?

Flight to Geneva with views of Mont Blanc on the way in! Then a train along Lake Geneva and the novelty of a funicular train up to the village of Crans Montana!

Why did you decide to enter this race?

It was January 2024 when I picked “Wildstrubel by UTMB” (part of the UTMB series of races worldwide). A 70km trail ultra in Switzerland with 4600m+ elevation gain… I’d just learnt I hadn’t gotten a place in the UTMB Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc “main event” in Chamonix and was recovering from double hernia surgery in the depths of winter in Jersey, planning what my “A-race” and focus for 2024 would be. I picked Wildstrubel since the route looked stunning - the unique aqua blue of Swiss lakes with the clear, late summer skies and glacier capped Alps. It didn’t disappoint! But there were some unexpected surprises…

How was your training? Did you have a coach?

Cracking! Really pleased with how it’s been going this year. I’ve doubled down on my goal to become fitter than ever and enjoying seeing where this takes me I’d like to say a huge thank you to my run coach Tim Piggot of HP3 who has been there since the start of this journey in February 2024. Tim’s training plan has been right on point to prepare me for such a run, but I also love his holistic awareness, advice and focus on the other elements of life and ultra prep including: wellbeing, goal setting, altitude acclimation and S&C. My S&C coach / personal trainer Will Crawford has an infectious enthusiasm that makes training so enjoyable and I’d highly recommend him to anyone in Jersey too. I’ve seen great gains thanks to the support of them both.

How was the race organisation beforehand?

The UTMB organisers had a tough situation to deal with and handled it incredibly well in my view… 1.5 weeks out, the stable 20c and sunshine weather outlook changed to a forecast of heavy snow and an extreme drop in temperature - just for race day! I, like many other runners on social media, couldn’t believe it! UTMB have a mandatory kit list with an additional “hot weather” and “cold weather” kit that they can activate. Days out, the cold weather kit was activated. With a day to go - the route was also altered with the distance remaining the same but the total elevation gain being reduced by 1000m to keep us a little lower and less exposed to the forecast 30cm of snow and -15c wind chill on the passes. I felt a little disappointed that the elevation gain would be slightly less challenging, but also knew carrying the extra kit, managing the cold and underfoot conditions and keeping safe would be a unique enough challenge in itself.

Did you have a specific race strategy, and if so, did you stick to it or have to adapt during the race?

Despite having strategies, I’m a believer in the value of being adaptable in races - especially in ultra distances! There was quite a bottleneck on the early climbs, making it very difficult and often impossible to overtake. But I accepted that even though my effort was lower than expected in the early stages, I would later be able to unleash the pace and make up for it. I managed to do just that! My time was at the punchier end of what I had expected and although I had prepared to finish in the dark, it was a nice bonus not to have to crack out the head torch in the end! There were moments where I even thought sub 9hr was well achievable, only for another steep climb to sap loads of time (you look at distance very slowly ticking over on your watch whilst the minutes fly by on those climbs!). I finished in “just” over 10hrs, after attempting to come in just under with a sprint through the village, and was pretty chuffed! My fueling and hydration strategy was pretty on point. I had a light porridge breakfast hours before the race and a gel on the start line. I planned to then take something every 30mins and stuck to this at the start. Later in the race, this probably crept to every 45mins to 1hr - partly because it “felt right” but also because the trails were so technical that I had to pay full attention and didn’t want to stop to fuel and lose time or get cold. I skipped the first water station as it came quickly and I hadn’t consumed much water early in the race in the low effort bottlenecks. I drank less than I would normally, but that’s also not surprising given the cold.

Were there any unexpected challenges you faced during the race?

Yes! Blizzards, the cold and questions of “why am I doing this!?”

How did you manage to overcome those challenges?

The most acute challenge was that my hands got REALLY cold and pretty painful at one point! Fortunately this lasted for no more than 45mins, as I was able to manage it, and it didn’t directly affect my run. I guess the cause was a combination of tiredness, slight dampness, a quick stop at an aid station and a blizzard kicking in. To overcome this, I focused on keeping my core body warm and exercised my arms as I ran to get some more blood flow into my hands - and it did pass. If I were to race again with the same conditions and the benefit of hindsight, I’d start with hand warmers in each glove (I didn’t want to lose time faffing getting these out of my pack in the race). Ski gloves / mittens were another option I had pre race for extra warmth, but fueling, hydrating, etc is trickier “sans” fingers so I opted for gloves with fingers. A good friend said before the race “when you get to the pain cave, remember your ‘why’.” It was a tough start to 2024, and Wildstrubel represented much more than just the race itself. It represented the culmination of a focus for 8 months on training, strength and conditioning and, more fundamentally, my health and happiness. I realised “this was my chance!” An opportunity to deliver all of my training in what is just a fleeting moment of effort on race day. Where any associated pain or discomfort would be comparatively so short lived when measured against the 8 months of commitment I had put in. So I took the opportunity to dig deeper, to unleash some more pace, and “emptied the tank”!

What was the best bit?

My favourite moment was running through a pine forest that was beautifully dusted with snow - the trail a gentle, sweeping decent with no-one around me. In that moment, I was grateful for the fact that we had been thrown this unexpected weather. We wouldn’t have had the chance to run through this winter wonderland otherwise. I loved meeting and chatting with likeminded people - others who clearly love running but who also appreciate the outdoors, mountains and tend to share other common ground and values. Cue double espresso and aperol spritz race debriefs with snowy views of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc with new friends!

What was the worst bit?

The fleeting moments of questioning “why?!” and working to find a way to overcome those cold hands.

How were the crowds/supporters?

So good!! Lots of people supporting at the start line, which helped me to feel more excited than nervous. Especially impressive to see so many people out when the weather was so unexpectedly cold. Out on the trails, there were occasional pockets of support near villages. I loved how one made a “neooooowwww!” race car noise for me as I flew down a steep section of road The best aid station had some pumping tunes and volunteers who just knew how to help - taking your water bottle off you and asking what you needed.

What would you do differently next time?

Start further up the field / start line crowd to get ahead of the potential bottleneck. And, in such cold conditions, consider enclosed mittens and/or starting with hand warmers.

What advice would you give other runners doing this race?

Although you might expect the weather to be mild and clear at this time of year, the mountains are of course unpredictable. I’d say it’s therefore worth training for all sorts of different conditions and eventualities and being mentally prepared to be agile in the race lead up and on the day itself!

Would you recommend this race to other runners?

Absolutely! It’s a beautiful region of Switzerland and the town of Crans Montana is a nice base pre and post race with stunning mountain views. Being part of the UTMB series, the race gives you both a UTMB index and Running Stones (each stone giving you effectively a “ballot entry” towards UTMB races in Chamonix - one of, if not “the” pinnacle of ultra running).

How did you celebrate completing your race?

Sat by an open fire in the air bnb / hotel complex I was staying in! I was craving this (and a Gluhwein!) for most of the run I had a massage the following evening. And that coffee and aperol spritz with new friends!

What's next?

I’ve just competed in Jersey’s Autumn Trail Monkey 10km series. I love these races and seeing the great turn out and lots of running friends at the start line. I’m also in training for a return to Chiang Mai for a UTMB Major race in Thailand in December 2024. Last year I ran the Hmong 50km. This year I’m going for the Elephant 100km You get double UTMB Running Stones for this event. And, aside from the long flight, it’s an easy race to get to once there and affordable place to be. Chiang Mai is a great city pre and post race - I’d highly recommend it!

Any final thoughts?

It’s been quite a journey over the past few years since I got into trail and ultra running with lots of people to thank. I think we’re incredibly lucky in Jersey that there are so many trail races; and I’m very grateful to Paul Burrows of Trail Monkey for putting these on. I love being a member of Rock n Road Runners run club in Jersey. The Saturday trail runs and sharing of knowledge and experiences with friends in this club have helped to develop my confidence and ability in trail running. Cheers guys and see you on the trails