Prologue
For a long time, I was interested in visiting the northern part of Spain, and especially the Pyrenees. As I did some research I found this race. The introduction was exciting, and so I decided to register.
Last long run before the race
The run on Schöckl one day after I arrived in Austria. Two weeks after the run I was sick. Lost a lot of weight. Images are shocking.
Race day and before
Trip to Canfranc on September 7 2023. It is a small ski city at the border of Spain and France. We flew from Vienna to Barcelona, and with the high-speed train we travelled to Zaragoza. From there we rented a car and drove to Canfranc.
The race started on Saturday September 9, at 9:00 am.
The initial uphill to La Moleta (2572 m). It was a 7 km uphill section with almost 1400 m of elevation gain. It went smoothly.
After reaching the peak and starting the technical downhill it hit me that I’m racing in a mountain race. Due to many things happening in my life I was not super prepared mentally for the race.
The technical downhill took us to Ibón de Iserias. Ibón means small mountain lake in Aragonese dialect of Spanish.
The second peak Larraca (2277 m). I was feeling very good until this point. I passed many people on this ascent. I was feeling confident.
The downhill from here was following the ski lift. Not technical at all. In the end of the downhill we reached to an asphalt section (around 2 km).
Next, we started the tedious ascent to the third peak, Tuca Blanca (2240). The uphill to this peak was very demanding to me. I was trying to keep the pace; however, I was already feeling that I am tired, and I am hitting the limit. And the technical terrain was not helping.
From Tuca Blanca another technical downhill section started. I was very slow in this section, and many people passed me here.
The last deadly uphill to Collado Estiviellas (2080 m). From the last highest point 5 kilometers of extreme serpentine way. Easy to run but frustrating.
The whole trip was like a dream. Experiencing the mountains in my favorite country.
During the race I felt the tiredness from the GGUT race, and the sickness in the last two weeks.
This trip and the race were just an introduction to the beautiful world of Pyrenees. I am confident I will have much more trips to these mountains.
Time: 7:47:35
Ranking: 40/312 (Males 37/277)
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