My Race report on last Saturdays Cortina Trail including Garmin data. The Dolomites, an Introduction The Dolomite Mountains are a part of the Alps located in the north east of Italy. They are unique in their shape and form presenting as towers of rock reaching beyond 3,000 metres and surrounded by alpine meadows. I have visited this part of Italy many times before, exploring the area and staying in the high mountain refuges (rifugio) that allows one remain at a high altitude. The Cortina Trail is a trail marathon 47km in length with 2,650 metres of climb. It starts and finishes in the Italian town of Cortina DAmpezzo taking a course through the surrounding mountains. I hiked this area in 2008 so knew what scenic delights were in store; the chance to revisit whilst combining it with trail running was an opportunity impossible to miss. The Race The day arrived at last. Not much sleep; I was up at 5 and got ready. The weather was not as bad as I feared. Cloudy, warm but no rain. Breakfast was available in the hotel, I had some fruit and a double expresso (this was breaking with my usual pre marathon routine). I was staying in the town of San Vito di Cadore a twenty minute drive from Cortina. In Cortina I found a park near the Ice rink; perfect. Great buzz at the start line; hard to believe I was actually there having spent so much time thinking about it and seeing clips on the Internet. An Ennio Morricone tune played just before the off. I stayed at the back which was a mistake as the trail path was narrow thus very congested and so the pace of the back markers was imposed on me making for a very slow first few miles. With a total positive elevation of 2,650 metres; the initial climb of 500m didnt feel too bad and was through forest. I met an English guy on this stretch; I left him on the first downhill section of 250m (bit rude of me). There was a lot of snow in the mountains this year and as a result there was plenty of melt water feeding the various tributaries coming off the mountains. The course required us to ford a couple of these; I wasnt quite sure what was going on when I saw people taking off their runners before walking through the water!! I would love to see them run an IMRA race. Needless to say I kept my runners on, got wet feet and a very pleasant cool down from the icy water. There was a water station at the 16km mark (Malga Travenanzes). So far I had resisted the temptation to use my trail poles, it was now time to get them out. The altitude was effecting my ability to go as fast as normal so putting my arms to use helped take the strain. The next climb was the longest, 800m to Forc Col dei Bois, it didnt feel too bad and was very comfortable for me, I passed a good number of runners. I power walked almost all the uphill sections and ran the flat and downhills. There were a few supporters half way along this ascent; one of them was offering coke cola to anyone that wanted it. I gladly accepted; never normally drink the stuff, however its great for giving a boost in the mountains. Next was a 300m descent which led to the first feed station (Rif Col Gallina) and an amazing array of food on offer. A variety of cheeses, sausage, melba toast, chocolate spread,jam, tarts with various fillings, red bull, coke cola, electrolyte drink and water. I hung around longer than I should taking a couple of photos, FBing & texting (had promised to keep family and friends up to date). A 400m climb next & tea on offer at Rifigio Averau the highest point on the course at 2,413 metres (complete white out so no views of surrounding peaks); stunning views on the way up. After a short downhill section there was a 5k undulating but technical section. In fact from this point forward the rest of course proved tricky going underfoot therefore slowing progress. At the higher altitudes the course passed across snow fields which required care in crossing. At Passo Giau we came upon the second feed station and more cheese, bananas, fruit cocktail, chocolate, coke, red bull and BEER!!! I had read a couple race reports mentioning the fact that the Italians offer beer as a refreshment; I had also read that some runners find it robs your energy so apart from one swig I resisted the temptation. At about 4k out from the second feed station came the next climb which was brutally steep but I felt fine going up and once at the top of the pass was immediately able to run down the other side. I slipped on a muddy section around this point; I thought I had broken my ring finger however it was just bruised and sprained. From this point to the end it was all downhill, just over 1,000m of it. I made good time for the parts of this section where the going was easy ; the last feed station (Rifugio Croda da Lago) had more beer and great music. With 13 kilometers to go the course went through a very tough forest section which was crazily steep and treacherous . I fell again and had a good roll around in some mud also managing to further tweak the same damaged finger. The last few miles were tough despite being downhill; in hindsight I think I eased off too much on the fueling as I came towards the end (the reason for saying this is in the days that followed my recovery has been fast without much DOMS). I managed to muster up the traditional sprint finish across the finish line. It is hard to describe how I felt. It took me over 8 hours to finish (moving time of just over 7 hours) so not brilliant. I know that if ran it again I wouldnt waste the same amount of time at the feed stations etc. As a result of starting near the back I passed a lot of runners during the race but was passed by very few runners myself. My final placing was 396th of 749 finishers. Obligatory Equipment (required to be carried at all times) Hydration Vest/ camel pac with at least one litre of liquid. Survival blanket Whistle Windcheater (anorak) suitable for bad weather in high mountain areas Long sleeved top Capri pants Cap, hat or bandana Gloves Drinking cup/ water bottle Suitalble shoes Other Equipment Used & Lessons Learnt For this race I used poles from about mile 8; in my opinion these are of great help to the legs on the uphills and on technical downhill sections in preventing falls. There is a trade off however; they without doubt slow pace, the reason I suspect so few of the elites use them. Also of great benefit was the compression clothing I used; muscle soreness in the ensuing days has been almost absent which is a little freakish. Hopefully this is also partly down to improved fitness. I carried salt capsules with me and took one approximately every 90 minutes; I did not suffer muscle cramp at any point. An important point to make for this race that makes it different to others I have completed was the altitude (low point 1,200m, high point 2,400m). It had a major effect on my ability to put in sustained periods of hard running uphill. Even on the downhill and flat sections I experienced a particular kind of fatigue not felt before that required me to modulate my speed. connect.garmin/activity/531300830
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:14:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015