Prologue
The Großglockner (3,798 m), is the highest peak of Austria. The mountain range containing the Großglockner, called the High Tauern (shared by Carinthia, Osttirol and Salzburg), is one of the Meccas of every mountain enthusiast in Austria. Therefore, a mountain running race in these mountains has also a special place in every mountain runner’s heart.
The Großglockner Ultratrail (GGUT), has 6 different distances (110 km, 84 km, 57 km, 37 km, 16 km) including one for the juniors.
This race was in my mind for years. However, due to many reasons I could not make it to take a decision to commit for it.
This year, with the structured planning that I started in January, I had to also plan the races for the rest of the year. As this race is arguably the most important mountain running event in Austria, it was impossible for me not to add it to my list. And this time, I did not have any excuses. I had enough time to plan my whole training and other non-training related things.
So, I marked the date in my calendar.
Preparing for the race included participating in a race in Slovenia in May, and doing long distance runs the weeks before the race. I was trying to also include runs in technical terrains, as it was part of the challenge of this race: alpine trails, with relatively long snow passages.
Last long run before the race
According to the unwritten rules of how to make a proper training plan for a race, one does the last hard and long effort three weeks before the race. This run is used to simulate the distance, and other important characteristics of the race (e.g., the elevation gain, technical difficulties etc.).
For this, I chose to go to the Hochschwab region. A beautiful mountain range in Styria, with the highest point, the Hochschwab peak (2277 m). The plan was to hike to a hut in the mountains, spend the night there and start the run early in the morning.
I booked a place at the Sonnschienhütte, a mountain hut located at the Sonnschienalm. This hut is accessible via a hike from the Grüner Lake, which is also easily accessible via public transportation from Graz. I hiked to the hut on Friday evening, and on Saturday at 6am I started my run.
The run included a visit to the Hochschwab peak, and from there continuing the same plateau and a descent to the valley, and again back to the hut. It was 35 km with roughly 2200 m of elevation gain. As I started early the weather was very pleasant. During this run I also tested new equipment that I bought for the race.
After the run and some hours of rest at the hut, I hiked back to the Grüner Lake, and came back to Graz. It was a quite long and tiring, but highly satisfying day.
Race day and before
The 55k route of the GGUT is logistically complicated. It starts in Kals am Großglockner, a mountain village located in Osttirol at the south side of the Großglocker mountains, and ends at the northern side, in Kaprun in Salzburg.
Kals am Großglockner is a village located at the elevation of 1324 m, and it is not straightforward to reach it via public transportation. On Thursday evening I arrived there.
I had enough time to make myself comfortable to the new environment and focus and calm down before the race. As the village is located relatively high from the sea level, it was a perfect place to sleep before a race which takes us as high as 2650 m.
On the race day I woke up at 6am. The race was supposed to start at 7:30am. I had enough time to get my bib number and have breakfast. As always, I prepared everything the night before, so that no brain functioning was required on that morning.
The race started right in front of the place that I was staying. After some meters of asphalt, the trail started. The first big uphill reached up to approximately 2550 m, where the Glorer hut is located. From there we reached a plateau, after which a rather technical downhill started until the Glocknerhaus, another mountain hut. From there a long uphill started, which took us to the highest point of the race (I was able to read up to 2670 m on my watch). Until this point I was feeling very comfortable, almost joyful. I was joking, laughing, sometimes even singing. However, troubles (mostly made up due to my own irrational thoughts) started after we reached to the highest point and started the first steep downhill with one short and one long snow sections. In the long snow section, it was practically impossible to run. For the last part of the rather very steep downhill, the mountain rescue team of Fusch (a village nearby) made steps in the snow, so that we could come down without injuring ourselves.
As the snow section ended, I knew that the technical and fun sections have ended. From this part of the race on, one must keep the endurance, fight against the heat and other complications caused by it, and just keep going on. And that is what I tried to do.
I put music, and just tried to focus on immediate next steps instead of the finish line. After some kilometers along the valley, in the last 15 km to the finish line, a deadly 700-800 m uphill started. I heard about this infamous uphill section from both runners who participated in this race in the previous years. So, I thought I was prepared for it. But it hits differently when I experience it for the first time.
I had to go through cramps, tiredness, fast loss of water with sweating, heavy legs... I could not imagine myself being able to run again after the uphill section is over. The only good thing was that I could see that I was keeping the pace with the other runners near me.
As I reached the end of the uphill section, I tried running again. Miraculously, I could run. The trail was not technical at all, which was a blessing for my heavy and slow legs.
Yes, I was back again. I was running like it was the beginning of the race. I was on a roll. I was passing people, wishing them all the best.
This euphoria went on until the last technical downhill section before the finish line arrived. Only 3 km were left. Technical downhill requires different leg movements than monotonic running on a flat terrain, and this triggers the cramps. This time the cramps were even more painful, which made me to slow down, and in the meantime some people passed me.
This fight with the cramps continued until I reached the last asphalt section before the finish line. In the last meters I was able to run again.
Reaching the finish line was very emotional to me. Finally, being able to successfully finish the most important race of the season in a healthy way, a race that was like a test to my abilities of moving fast in the mountains.
I was happy. Extremely satisfied. I spent long time in the finish line, observing my surroundings and reflecting on what I just experienced.
The night in the hotel was very painful, I did not take any painkillers with me, which on such occasions can be very helpful. Therefore, I had to go through a lot of pain in my legs while trying to sleep.
The next day I spent some time in Zell am See, had lunch, and took the train back to Graz.
Time: 7:54:24
Ranking: 31/410 (Males 28/325)
