On Sunday 11 September 2022 I set of on the Tor Des Geants, finishing on Saturday 18th September. This was my ‘A’ race for the year with a goal of ‘just finish and enjoy it’
Background
First run in 2010 and developed by residents in the Aosta community of Northern Italy to promote their region. The Tor Des Geants (TDG) is a circular route, heading clockwise from Courmayeur taking the Alt Vista 2 along the southern side of the region, as far as Donnas, before returning along Alta Vista 1 along the northern leg.
According to Garmin (GPX) it was 349.3km with 30,879m of vertical elevation gain (and decent!)
There were 1,100 starters and 596 finishers (more of this later) – I came in 404 in elapsed time of 142h:58m. This means i Have to go back again to do a time under 130 hours…
The Front of the field
The Female race was won by Brit, Sabrina Verjee in a new course record time of 80h:19m for a 5th overall. The Male race was won by Swiss, Jonas Russi in 70h:31m
Once again, I was a bit further back. The main reasons for this (apart from talent) were that I slept a little more (I had about 12 hours sleep during the race), stopped for more ice cream and cake (cake x3, ice cream x5) and don’t do enough training above 2500m+ . By the way – they serve wine and beer in the aid stations… just saying.
This race is stunning! It is a humbling experience to be running in the high mountains as the sun goes down. With the peaks lit my moonlight under star filled skies. Or as the sun rises behind the Matterhorn – the experience is magical… just ask if you are interested.
There are 4 races as part of the TDG week. A 30km race. The 130km Tot Dret (I’ve run this twice), The ‘original’ 330 TDG and the new 450km Tor Des Glaciers.
Given the success of the https://www.womensrunning.com/training/why-you-should-write-a-race-report/ format – I’ve used it again here – for some reason the template doesn’t quite work, but its close enough!
The event: Tor Des Geants 330 (see below)
Where: Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy
How Long: I’m going with the Gpx file: 350km and 31,000m elevation gain.
When: Sunday 11th September to Saturday 17 September. The cut-off is 150 hours. You don’t have to be fast. You can walk the whole thing. You do have to be persistent (and not sleep much!).
Weather: Mostly it was beautiful, sunny and clear skies. We did have thunder and lightening (very scary) and on the last night there was a snow-storm. I managed to get over the final 3,000 col (scary again), but about 100 people didn’t. They were stuck in a mountain hut for hours, then had to walk back down and be bussed back to Courmayeur. First, they were all DNF’d but then a change of heart by the organisers allowed them a finish – having covered 320km of the route.
Course description and evaluation of event logistics – It’s single lap course! But is it a long and hilly lap!
Mentally, I broke the race down in to 7 x 50km sections, each ending in a ‘lifebase’ where you get to meet a drop bag full of wet, smelly kit. Lots of things you don’t need and some you do. It takes a lot of thought to pack for week in the mountains – from suncream to crampons. Fitted into one small bag. Lifebases also have showers and free massages. There are medics, and as the week progresses it gets a bit like M.A.S.H.
How you trained for the event – I trained mainly by going running. See previous race reports. Not crazy distances, but lots of go up hills. I also have my treadmill on blocks, so it does 24%. I walked up hill A LOT. It is surprising how quickly you get the physical adaptations. Getting good at walking up steep hills made my finish possible. You do run, but not all day.
Your gear and nutrition – I mainly wore shorts and t-shirt. Also, baselayer, synthetic down vest, fleece, synthetic jacket, waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, tights, 2 pairs of gloves a hat and buff – yes all at once – a snowstorm at 3,000m is cold! But, it was mostly shorts and t-shirt. I took 2x pairs of shoes but wore Altra Olympus for 90% pf the event.
I’m going with a separate paragraph for nutrition! DO NOT take 120 gels on this kind of run! Yes, I was jogging along with someone on day 1 who had that plan! Can you imagine! There is some interesting research and ides and gut training – you have to eat. I went about 35 hours on just soup (Brodo) – then my body decided to stop being so damn picky, and let me eat ANYTHING. Don’t forget the free beer – fluids and Carbs – what’s not to love!
Specific experiences (this might include)
Thoughts at every km – See the template doesn’t quite work! They were mostly positive thoughts. After 2 days you don’t get more tired and you sort of settle in to it. In the first 2 days you mind tries really hard to get you to find a reason to stop… there are a lot of reasons. Don’t listen to your mind!
Mantras you may have used – I don’t think it’s appropriate to repeat those here.. In my drop bag, along with the route card for each section and a “Lifebase Checklist” (essential when your brain goes foggy) I had written “Smile and Say Thank you!” : “Remember you love the mountains” : “Just go to the next checkpoint” – So I guess they are mantras.
Falls (if any—always entertaining) – I did discover on the first climb of the race that I had not fully recovered from my inner-ear infection. This coupled with sleep deprivation and STUPID ‘reactive’ headtorch that created a disco vibe (to go with my 90’s pop on the headphones – think ‘The Martian’) meant I walked like a drunkard at altitude – I honestly thought I might fall off the mountain and I did crawl a little bit (I stopped, because I was embarrassing myself). I didn’t actually fall over.
Conversations you’ve had with others – Some lovely chats with people from all around the world. Argentina, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The only problem is, I’m not sure they were all there at the time I was talking to them! From late afternoon on Day 2 I was stalked for about 150km by a 4 feet tall black squirrel, who just stared at me from the trees. Then on Thursday I picked up a nasty blister which HURT. On a long decent, my old friend from school jogged up behind me and made the excellent suggestion that it would be better if he took on the job of making my right leg work (the one with blisters), so that I could control the rest of my body. It really helped to divide the effort in this way – he agreed to stay along with me for the next day too, as he wasn’t too busy. He didn’t so much chat to me, just made suggestions that appeared in my head.
Conversations you’ve had with yourself – Nope – I’m never telling! Although I will use this spot to say that a large chunk of people had a crew to help them out. I think this would be great, as it would really cut down on having to think – buying ice cream and chips and swapping out kit. It might be a tough sell as a family holiday!
DNF experience (if applicable) OR Your finish and associated emotions – So many emotions. I finished. I enjoyed the experience – it was a holiday.
I can’t wait to go back and get a qualifying time for the Tor Des Glaciers – that’s sounds properly bonkers that race!
Your overall evaluation of the event – Amazing, Stunning, An adventure.