It started a bit rough in Courmayeur. I ended up far back in the start field before the gun went, and it was queue-walking all the way up to the first summit. My motivation dropped a bit already then, and at the same time I think the altitude got to me a little after 5-6 hours in the highest parts of the course. My stomach wasn't working, and the hamstring I had been struggling with in the run-up to the race wasn't working very well either. Pounding down several thousand metres of descent with a bloated stomach, ovulation and a half-full bladder wasn't great either, and I felt it limited my running and flow much more than I would have liked. Thoughts of giving up showed up several times, already early in the race.
- Race
- CCC by UTMB · Chamonix · 101 km · 6 000 m elevation gain
- Result
- 44th woman · 165th overall of 2 127 · 14:53:48
- See also
- All results
Then we got a bit further down, and reached the first crewed checkpoint in Champex-Lac. The crew chief was waiting there with food and drink to top up, and it didn't take long before things loosened up. After that I struggled most on the steepest climbs and descents, but found a good rhythm with easy running on the slightly gentler tops. As the weather turned to cloud, rain and wind, my body also felt lighter, and I was overjoyed at every checkpoint and a catch-up in Trient and Vallorcine. The final push was dark, wet and cold, but the happiness was extra big crossing the finish line in Chamonix. It really was teamwork, and I am incredibly grateful to have a steady crew chief.
I reached my goal of sub 15 hours, and I'm pleased, but I'm still left with a feeling that I didn't get to use everything I had. Weeks and months of preparation, lots of impressions after the whole UTMB week, maybe a few too many km in the legs the week before the start, and new experiences with both alpine trails and altitude. Mostly I'm just glad to be done, but incredibly grateful to have had the chance of direct qualification for an international race on this scale. The women's field in CCC was also absolutely insanely strong this year! Inspiring!
Now the air has gone out of the balloon, and I'm looking forward to normal everyday life and, in time, turning my focus to the next race.