One Giant ultra… (Part 5)

Running out of Time... My stopwatch stopped at 99:59:59

Section 5

I followed some roads, missed a turn, but luckily didn’t go too far and got back on course. I had to focus. Eventually we started a climb. It was dark and the climb was fairly steep with steps. Another runner had joined me and it made things a little easier. Hold on. Where were the markers? I checked and my garmin looked right. My new friend said the next turn had the marker. It was his mountain and he did the marking. He had also built the steps, planted the grass and was pointing out sights on the way up. He just directed me up the hill, telling me there were only a few more switchbacks to the top. I was so tired. My friend told me I didn’t really have to go to the top. It was optional since the race route turned a while back. I wanted to see the top of his mountain, but I could use the extra time and saw someone else coming down. Maybe I should save the time and visit the peak another time, I turned around… The person coming down called out. “Are you OK?” I mumbled something about being in the race and was… hold on… my friend vanished as reality took hold. There was no friend. I had been about to turn around and go the wrong direction and follow a hallucination. I really needed sleep. After almost 100hrs of being awake I was losing my sense of reality. The aid station volunteer had walked down to me and walked me into the next stop. An elderly lady looked at me with a concerned face… and told me in broken English “you need bed”. I didn’t hesitate and said yes. I set my alarm for a 45-minute sleep. I didn’t have much time since I was still close to cut-offs. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Two hours later the elderly lady woke us up and said there was a bus that could take us back coming in a few hours and there wasn’t really time to make it to the next valley, and she was making breakfast.

Shit. I had overslept. I was more than an hour behind the unofficial cut-off. I threw my gear on and refilled my pack. I quickly asked the other volunteer if I had time, but was told it was “not possible to make it across the valley in time for the official cut-off”. Not again... that was what I get for sleeping. But maybe the sleep had given me the energy to make up the time. This was the third time I’d been told “not possible”. Again I ignored the possible and went for it. Now it was a race. 130miles in I was going to have to run. Really really run. And the next section still had plenty of climbing. I didn’t know but I just ran and hiked with everything I had. I told myself I wouldn’t give up. I would fight until the final cut-off. I felt like I was running a 10km. Sweat was pouring off me, even in the cold of the night. The sleep had helped, but I was burning through my energy at a dangerous rate. When I had time I would deal with that. But for now it was all I had. Eventually I made the peak. Daylight broke for the fifth time. I stopped and breathed for a minute, took a picture. This could be my last peak.

Thinking this was my last peak

A wave of sadness flowed over me, but I fought back the tears. I needed to be able to see well, I didn’t have time to cry. I turned my video camera on and ran down the hill as fast as I could safely. I kept running and fast hiking. After a while I saw a building, it looked like a rifugio. Was this it? Was this when I would find out if it was over or not? I had lost my map and I didn’t know the cut-offs. I approached the building then passed it… it wasn’t it. I pushed harder and entered a village. Maybe this was it. I stopped for a second to fill some water, just in case it was further. I didn’t want to run out of water again. I came round a corner and saw a marker on the door of a building. I entered and ran up the stairs. I asked.. did I make it? Did I still have time? The volunteer wrote my number down. I asked again. Is there still time? He said next cut-off was St Jacque at 2pm, about one-and-a-half hours away. It was about 8am. I had plenty of time. Again I had done it. I was back in the game. What I was told would take five to six hours I had done in three. Never believe something is “not possible” until you have tired. I took about 15 minutes to refuel before heading out. I was at St Jacque in less than two hours. Now I was two hours ahead of the cut-off. They had cake here. I love cake and ate a lot of it and took more with me. I didn’t waste any time. I knew this race could throw anything at me. Fuelled on cake and a total of almost four hours sleep I thought maybe I would be done soon. I only had about 100km to go. It was 10am Thursday, four days after I had started. It would be great if I was done before Friday night. 30 hours for 100km seemed possible.

Running through mountain villages

I climbed up from St Jacque. I was invincible. I had made the cut-off. Maybe I was last, I was pretty sure I was. But I didn’t care. For the first time I felt I could do this. And at this rate I would actually get to the next life station during the day. I was treated to great views and called Erin to request pizza and let her know my schedule. I made good time up and down the hill and tried not to waste any time at the referoes. At 4pm I rolled into Cretaz, life station five, five hours ahead of the cut-off. I just had to keep this effort up and I would be done in no time. Now I even had time to sleep. I started eating. I even managed to beat Erin to the life station this time. She arrived a few mins later and I had some mashed potato. She wasn’t able to get pizza, which seemed a little strange since we were in Italy. My food was pasta and mashed potato. I also got some chips and other snacks before heading off for some sleep. I lay down and tried to sleep. I wasn’t tired. I just wanted to get this done. I was still pumped for pushing so hard and making the cut-offs. Two hours was enough of a break and I got up and ready to go. Angela was considering dropping - we had run a while together. Luckily she talked to a doctor and they taped her knees up. We headed out together for the next section.