Initially when I signed up for UTMB last fall I figured I would go at it alone without a crew and the race doesn’t allow pacers.  A couple of weeks prior to the event Benita from Patagonia called and emailed to let me know that she would be in Chamonix and would love to help crew.  I really couldn’t believe my luck.  Benita actually crewed me with my Mom at Leadville in 2005 and to have her here for this would be a huge help.  Then two nights before the race fellow Patagonia Ambassador Zoe Hart (Alpine) offered to team up with Benita.  Her knowing the area, she lives in Chamonix, and adding her experience with endurance with her enthusiasm to learn more about the running scene I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.  And these girls rocked!  I was a little nervous for them having to do these mega drives, through the night through three different countries to meet up with me, but they were there, ready to go, smiles on and super on top of all of the rules (only one person could “handle” me), and super attentive to whatever I needed.  I felt like we made a great team and the three of us is what made for such a great end result, I really believe that.

With so many people on course and having an awesome crew to look forward to the night went by pretty quickly.  I remember coming into Saint-Gervais (21km) about two hours into the race and weaving through the masses to finally find my crew front and center at the first spot they could be.  They helped me restock my pack with lights and food for the next four hours till I got to see them again, and while trying to do so a local media had his microphone in my face asking questions.  It was kind of funny as I kept talking with the girls and answering his questions and also asking the girls questions.  The terrain stayed pretty mellow till Notre Dame Gorge (35km) and it was at this point I finally pulled out my trekking poles (tip from Topher) for the first major climb up to Croix du Bonhomme.  Justin from Patagonia was there filming and it was nice to see another familiar face.  Descending into Les Champieux my light went out.  I figured that having left my batteries in the pack since Western must have drained them.  It is a technical, long descent and I was thankful for the backup light they made us carry.  Just as I took my pack off to pull out the back up was when the light went out, so I had a quiet moment fumbling around in my pack to find the spare, the stars were out and I could see where I was headed, so I wasn’t too worried.  Arriving in Les Champieux there was a Headlamp Assistance booth that Petzl provided and I grabbed three batteries.  While I ate and restocked Benita was able to swap out the batteries and I was good to go again.  Thankfully it was only the batteries that were the problem, my fault.  The Icon rocked the rest of the night.


The next time I saw my crew was in Courmayeur (78km), another 4 hours down the trail.  We saw a couple of solid climbs and a long switchback filled descent in that time.  I caught up to Topher on that descent and we made our way down into town and through the cobblestone streets together.  He was having a rough patch and was hinting at dropping out.  I think it was perfect timing that we met up there because I was able to remind him of the comment he’d made while training, that he should do what it takes to finish this race.  UTMB is pretty special to him and he is one of few to have as many finishes (now 6 of 7).  In Courmayeur he was able to reset his goal and his head back on track to make the loop to back to Chamonix.  For me, Courmayeur was a time to eat.  I was super hungry for some real food and enjoyed the soup and pasta they had waiting for us.  The girls filled me in on the stats from the race and I was looking forward to the sun coming up in a couple of hours.


I realize this report is getting long and I’m actually trying to keep it brief, but this was such a special event it is hard to cut out too much.  What I am failing to mention is the beauty of this region.  I guess it goes without saying that these mountains are spectacular and the race does a fantastic job of taking the runners right through the heart of the beauty, adding in some of the more difficult climbs and descents the area has to offer, and in achieving those ascents therefore being rewarded with spectacular views.  The descents drop you into these cute towns and villages filled with people that are so incredibly excited to see you running, you pass along the cobble streets, there are race markers tagged on window sills and mailboxes.  The contrast from being out in “it” and then passing through towns with people dining in street-side restaurants makes for a surreal experience.


It was on the climb out of Courmayeur that I caught Lizzy.  She was in the first aid station - Refuge Bertone (82km).  Topher joined us as I was leaving the aid station.  I knew I was yet ready to race, but for the time I was moving better than her so I went on ahead.  I told her that I had seen her splits and knew that she would come on strong again.  This section was by far my favorite.  The course rolls along around 2000 meters and is absolutely beautiful.  For me the sun was rising and created all sorts of beautiful light on the vegetation and surrounding massive peaks.  The rolling terrain was a lot of fun and at 50 miles I still had some legs to be able to enjoy.  By the time I saw my crew again in Arnuva (94km) Lizzy had caught and passed me again saying that she imagined we would leap frog again soon.  Hindsight, it was smart of me to just continue to run my own race, but in the moment I was a little bummed at myself for not feeling ready to go yet and I think it showed when I saw my crew.  It was here that a North Face team member that was crewing passed along a message from Nikki Kimball to just keep smiling.  It was wonderful.  Wonderful to be reminded of all of the people at home who were also cheering me on.


Climbing up the Grand Col Ferret to the highest point on the course was a grueling effort.  The fog and cold were rolling in, the views were non-existent, it was still relatively early in the morning and it was hard to make out the trail.  Justin was about half way up filming and I enjoyed his tired chatter as he walked with the camera.  Not feeling to spunky myself I just kept plugging away.  On the descent my poles were so cold that I had to break them down and put them back in my pack as I couldn’t hang onto them in my hand.  It was a 17km descent into Praz de Fort and another short climb up to Champex-Lac (123km) before I saw my crew again. 

It had been a rough morning, my head was not looking forward to the next 30 miles that I thought would take 10 more hours and I was hungry.  I caught Joe Grant on the way into the aid station, he seemed a bit bummed to have been walking for a while (Courmayeur) and was thinking about pulling.  I tried to talk him into finishing and even told his Mom at the aid station to not let him drop.  He told me that Lizzy had just passed two minutes prior.  I was surprised.  Here I thought I’d been moving slow, but I guess the good thing was that I just kept on moving.  I remember begging for a sandwich on my way in to the station once I could hear my crews cheers.  And was excited to now have Jason from Green Magma on board with the girls pumping me full of all kinds of encouragement.  Again I stuffed my face with pasta and a sandwich and Benita and Jason walked me out of the aid station.  I asked between mouthfuls, “so what place am I?”  Benita said, well you are first woman.  I didn’t realize that Lizzy was still sitting in the aid station.  I looked at my chart and suddenly 30 miles seemed doable, 3 climbs, I could race that (at least that is what went through my head) and I think I dropped the bowl of pasta I was eating (hopefully handed it to Benita) and started running.  I ran every step I could of the next 30 miles and cranked on the poles during those three climbs. 

My iPod was blaring in my ear and I ran scared.  Every aid station became a faster and faster transition.  The girls started meeting me and running in and out with me.  It was exciting and the most fight I think I have ever felt for a race win.  I could go on about those three climbs; they are spectacular, super tough and rewarding in their views.  I will note that at the top of Bovine (a super boulder, high-step filled climb I encounter 6 massive steer right on the trail, they wore huge bells which reminded me of my prize when I ran the race in 2003.  I moved passed slowly and quietly hoped to not spook them.  I was glad we had previewed the last two climbs because I had no headspace to enjoy the views during the event.  The thing that stands out to me most about those three climbs was my draw on energy from my crew and people back home.  My mind was filled with the words that Benita, Zoe and Jason were encouraging me with and I kept thinking about the time change and where different people in my life were at that moment.  I thought about the crew lining up at the Cascade Crest start and all of the energy that group of runners had.  Those thoughts and drawing on that energy is what got me into Chamonix.


At the last aid station where I saw crew, Vallorcine (148km) they told me that I was 14 minutes ahead of course record place.  Somewhere in those previous kilometers I had made up about an hour (because I was about 30-45 minutes behind pace all day).  As I made my way up the final climb, I did the math and realized that if I could continue to take off time I could also go under 25 hours.  It was a push and I drew hard on the folks back home to make it up to La Flegere (159km). 

So that was the race for me, but the event didn’t stop there.  First after a short interview at the finish line I was pulled up into the control room for drug testing.  Fortunately Benita and Zoe were still full of energy and they joined me.  Lizzy finished while I was still waiting to pee, as well as Scott and Joe.  Lizzy was brought up to the control room as well, so we got to congratulate each other and talk a brief bit.  After two liters of fluid and a lot of translation, I finally pee’d and we got to leave.  We went down to congratulate Scott, meet up with the Patagonia crew and eventually made our way back to the house for showers, pizza and a tiny bit of sleep.  My brain was flying so I called and texted some friends back home to share the news.  Of course the Ma was one of them.  She already knew and had been updating her Facebook page.  It was good to hear her voice.

On the final descent a photographer was running down with me, taking shots and then running by to position himself for more.  I was looking over my shoulder wondering if Lizzy would be right there and tried to focus past the pain in my knees (patella) to achieve what only a few hours ago I had thought impossible.  It wasn’t until I hit the pavement of Chamonix that I let myself believe that I could really do it.  That reality overwhelmed me and I started laughing and crying at the same time.  The only witness was the photographer and instead of snapping another shot, he instead put his hand out for a hi-five.  It was probably the coolest thing he could have done.  I had about 8 minutes to make it through town and I started sprinting, well at least it felt like I was.  Poles in hand, I weaved through town and realized I didn’t really know how far it was.  Dawa Sherpa (the male winner from 2003) joined me for a stretch and just before I made the final turn to see that finish line he patted me on the back.  I made the bend and couldn’t believe my eyes.  The finishers’ shoot was lined with 6-8 people deep on either side, hands outstretched to give hi-fives, tons of cameras and a whole crew of people waiting for me just on the other side of the line.  There are a couple of photos from that final stretch, in all of them I think I have a total spaz face, but it is the true emotion and excitement that I felt. 

photo: Henry Iddon

photo: Jean Celle

photo: Jean Celle

photo: Henry Iddon

Scott, Jason and I headed back out around 7am that morning to go cheer Miss JU on to the finish. We saw her through Vallorcine and then briefly at Col des Montets.  It was fun to be back out on the course watching runners moving along to finish those final miles.  Knowing that they were thinking about that final climb and finally making there way on to the streets of Chamonix once again.  When Jenny came down the hill we got a huge wave from her and we could see her speed up to come down to say hello to her fans.  We walked into the aid station with her and the Spainards she’d met up with and offered her more food for her final miles.  Jenny-buddy helped talked me into signing up for this race and in a way we each had our own adventure, but I also felt that we had a bond by choosing to go to that race together and to finish.  I thought about her each time I pulled out my race chart, and wondered what it would be like when she went through the same area.  She ran with amazing persistence and finished one of the toughest 100 milers out there (only her second ever).  I was just as psyched to watch her cross the line!

The enthusiasm for sport and athletes in France is incredible.  There were interviews, a press conference, photos, autographs... The crowd at the awards ceremony literally blew my mind.  I kept commenting to Lizzy that I couldn’t believe how many people were there.  The whole thing is an incredible experience.


This is a long post and there are many points that I still want to include... a few...

In addition to JU and I we had a team of Patagonia Ambassadors running in the race - John Stamstad finished in great form. Patagonia sent over a film crew to capture our experience.  There will be a short film up on the Tin Shed sometime this fall.  A team from Green Magma was out in force cheering on their runners.  The UK Vasque Distributor with a passionate photographer Henry Iddon met me multiple times along the way capturing a ton of shots that will be popping up in some publications.   Vasque also had athletes from multiple countries.  Ken finished in the top ten and Hiroko was the 14th female.

I imagine more stories will come and I still plan to post a gear list, but that is going to have to wait till I return from Bend.  Life doesn’t stop, in fact I feel it is moving faster.  All good of course.  Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far.

Green Magma Team, Vasque Team, Patagonia Team

PHOTOS from Chamonix and the race on Picassa