Trail Verbier / St Bernard 2011: The 2 feet in the Ultra!

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That's it: I'm FINISHER Trail Verbier St-Bernard 2011, a ride of 110km and 7000m of vertical loop in the canton of Valais in Switzerland our friends!

Return on an amazing weekend that we owe largely to the team COLUMBIA who met us at Verbier :

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Friday, July 1, 2011

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I get Benoit in Grenoble, little emotion I have ever seen while we regularly correspond by mail and saw only 30 minutes from my house. We will run our first set of Ultra over 100km in the mountains, it is necessary that the current flows ... It will go really well! The journey will seem relatively short while chatting about our common passion

Benoit is the web designer online sales MisterCompression.com (compression sales and retention for the sport), I suggest you take a ride on his website full of advice for buying your sleeves, shorts ...

We arrive at Verbier after a stint in front of the glacier of Mont Blanc (this turn this will come later, we must first 5 points of the loop necessary ... in fact Verbier 4, I have already accumulated 3 ... ).

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We collect our race numbers after checking the equipment required in our bags ... does not laugh us and it adds a little pressure!

=> The pressure (a beer) here is the fact, before the rest of the group will arrive around 18:30.

We celebrate our reunion around a welcome drink offered by the organization of Trail Verbier before the eventual winners of the race presented to us.

I finally met Doune ( the runner Chablais ) but then Djailla , Vincent Wanarun, Cecile Bertin ( running in the feminine ) ... beautiful people!

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I see Yinyin since the Eco Trail de Paris

Not to mention Lucile agency which handles the communication of Columbia's partner Taillefer Team Trail which offers the weekend!

We turn next to the Pasta Party under the tent of the starting line, some time past that will be immortalized by Djailla (thank you for the photos):

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We return to base camp of Chablais, Fabrice became my physical me horny in the ankle with a strapping of Kinesio-taping which will hold the whole race! Good job buddy

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We went to bed around 23:00 for a 3:15 wake up to ...!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

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We take during breakfast at 3:15 am, ca stings the eyes! Renaud Rouanet (Team Lafuma) and Thomas St Girons (Asics Team) share our table, we papotons few minutes with them, Renaud end of the third loop while Thomas abandon ...

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Fabrice Djailla and joined us to witness the start of the loop, huge! They will also have a big day with Team Columbia to run right to left to cover the event ...

We are about 300 at the start, it is 5:00 when the shot rang out, let's go for 15 to 30 hours of racing for all competitors!

Video by Fabrice departure:

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Croix de Coeur at 06:44 local time / 1:43:55 race / 131st

We begin with a climb on the Col de la Croix de Coeur (2400) almost to the 1000D + fresh without fontal as the sun rises slowly. With Benoit we just quietly follow the long single file without a strength.

The sunrise is just gorgeous, the mountains are discovered, panorama!

We find Fabrice, and Lucile Djailla to refuel. They enjoyed a second breakfast at the restaurant Marlenaz this time! It's quite nice to finally be hurt?

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"Fabrice has eyes that sparkle, we sense that he wants to join us!" When I see the animal gunned down, I know I bouclerais the loop together with him, for him ... there are unmistakable signs not. His 2011 season was spoiled by an injury to the idiot but he comes to the end. This victory will be hers!

I would think much to that time when I would be later in the drive ... it will boost me!

The Levron / 8:12 / 3:12:01 / 139th

We then descend about 700d-small climb on the Col du lein (1668m). descend into the plain we reach Levron 1:30 later. Meanwhile I had to pause technique but Benoit waited for me to supply cool yes

Sembrancher / 8:56 / 3:56:20 / 134th

Descent Sembrancher always accompanied by Ben, nothing to report except the weather, joy and good humor of volunteers and cake supplies!

Champex / 10:17 / 5:16:46 / 109th

We regrimpons of Champex (1473m), Benoit will now run on trails already known since the Fouly Champex we cover part of the CCC (UTMB also ...).

The trail in the woods is really nice and fresh, you can see many sculptures carved on the trunks of conifers animal (marmot, chamois, wild boar ...) it's nice to be back born in born with "dumb"!

Fouly / 12:29 / 7:29:18 / 102nd

We arrive at 2:30 Fouly after the start of the Crossing (61km 4000m Ascent '). Yinyin, Doune, Cecile, Vincent and his friend are now left on time despite having missed the shuttle from Verbier!

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The serious stuff starts, I left a few minutes before the Benoit ravito where we recovered a bag for the exchange of ... voila traveled about 50km, 60km he remains with the biggest vertical drop!

Pass Window / 15:45 / 10:45:17 / 112th

I will start to stall at the foot of the Col de window, in the heat, I resisted evil. I start slowing the pace. Benoit quickly joined me and beyond me quietly ...

Gd St Bernard / 16:24 / 11:24:02 / 109th

I'll bite the bullet to the top before taking a good broth and pasta in my neck renquinquer Window. I leave refreshed towards the St Bernard Pass before switching to Bourg St Pierre. I met Benoit ravito, so I did too broke!

The neck is beautiful here are some pictures taken by amateurs of place perched in the middle of nowhere:

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Bourg St Pierre S-19: 28 / S-20: 04 / 2:27:34 p.m. / 102nd

The descent to Bourg St Pierre will be laborious I can no longer run, I go too much hassle in the scree descent of evil!

To top it all, ensues a long flat section along a dam nice ... but long very long! That is what happens ...

After 3 hours of easy to 2:30 galley, I arrive at Bourg St Pierre and it's the last time I would see Benoit before the arrival tomorrow morning ...

I take a long break of 30 'to eat: even when it is 19:30, my biological clock I recall.

Cooked ham, pasta, sausage ... that's salty! At this point I took a gel and an energy bar in 14h race .. I swear! Besides that I already drank three liters of broth pasta, 5 or 6 slices of ham, salami, gruyere ... there are days like that (thankfully there was broth ravitos at all ...).

A volunteer saw my crestfallen face (I am white like an aspirin) and offers me a massage on the floor ... ahem ... go yes! Sorry honey but I could not resist

Finally I would have a massage of the calves ... I perked .. and finally I believe at that time!

I leave at 20:05 to end this terrible journey.

Hut Thousand S-22: 58 / 5:57:47 p.m. / 100th

The sunset on Mont Blanc is great, I forget a little difficult especially since I am lucky to have my little woman on the phone that comforts me and encourages me Lexel ... well call me and Fabrice I announced my arrival for tomorrow morning, "my guys we'll have to get up to join me! "I know he will be there

The ascent to the hut Thousand ends in the night because I get up there to 23h with frozen fingers (long live the gloves first prize). I take a little broth and hear the helicopter coming? A person in the rise is hypothermic ...

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Sunday, July 3, 2011

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Lourtier / 1:43 / 8:42:38 p.m. / 92nd

I decide not to stay in the tent, the temperature outside is almost 0 ° C according to a volunteer! I decided to run a part of the descent that the body no longer responds ... I get there until half way back down again below about 2000m.

There is more wind I warmed phew! I go down on Lourtier last major resupply before arrival. I am an Austrian company who talk with in English. He ran the Cro Magnon it makes me feel good ... menfin there I really wanted to go to bed!

The photo below shows a map of "Tour Combins" with few crossings (step 6, 1 and 2) through which the loop Verbier - St Bernard to get an idea of the race:

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Lime / 4:27 / 11:26:41 p.m. / 94th

This is Lourtier I joined the top100 of racing with the high drop on Bourg St Pierre, then climb on the Col de Mille at night ... I learn by Taz the devil and his magical SMS

I do not even remember the head of supply in this village, I'm in a parallel world. It is 2am and there is a 4km climb but above 1300m in altitude! A vertical kilometer what??!

We are four runners in poor supply, I expect two of them start to follow them and immerse myself in their cadence:

We will ride for 2 hours, I would find it very correct after 100km in the legs!

Verbier D-06: 22 99 25:22:03

I take one last cup of stock, warms my Aupers a campfire, ca clip also, we are at 2200m, it is 4:30 in the morning ... there is 6km of downhill running. I can not run then 3km \ h grand max I would arrive at 6:30 ...

5:30 am, I call Fabrice who sleep and told me he does not have a car to collect damages ... I use it to wake my wife I reassured "I get my angel ... well ... it's not in Grenoble will be another marathon at the finish ... "I think she should not really understanding what is happening from the arms of Morpheus: ahaha:

Fabrizio at 6:00 reminds me "Wait for me, I get to stop! "

at 6:10 I'm in Verbier, no Runonline , I walk very slowly ... it finally arrived five minutes before the gong! It is together that we spend online, huge!

I finished in 99th place on 269 starters in 25h22 (link loop results Verbier St Bernard 2011 )

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I keep the rest of the beautiful day on Sunday for another article "COLUMBIA meeting" ...

I go to bed, very few recup his last time with a baby at 39.2 degree fever :: evil:

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The two videos of the 2011 edition:

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