media_artricles :: 2015

Running through the mountains

So far so good. The gradient eases, surely the top is near. They are still climbing, even if slightly. This must be a flat top pass. The clouds block the panoramic vista of snow-capped peaks in all directions.

The Swiss Alps has 48 peaks over 4,000 metres and a few of them are in Canton Valais; like Weissmies 4,017 metres and Logginhorn 4,010 metres. It may have been possible to see the highest mountain in Canton Valais and Switzerland: Monte Rosa (Dufourspitze), 4,634 metres.

Eventually, after 23 kilometres of climbing, they reach the highest point, Bistinen Pass at 2,417 metres. To put this in perspective, there are no mountains in Trinidad above 940 metres (El Cerro del Aripo) and the permafrost starts at 2,600 metres.

The wind picks up on the other side. The clouds soon disperse. Snow-packed crevices can be seen on the lower slopes. The 15-kilometre drop to the valley below is only interrupted by a “flat” mountain meadow.

The runners’ quads are screaming; that’s all they have for brakes. The sun is out in all its glory now. A few more ups and downs. At last the finish line in Ried-Brig (altitude 918 metres).

First order of business is to recover and get the legs ready for next morning’s Reid-Brig to Gondo return. Tomorrow’s course has some “climbs from hell” and technical descents. In the dry mountain air and the breeze, wet trail sneakers dry within three hours.

Looking out from Ried-Brig, one can see the main town (Brig) in the valley below, snow-capped peaks and a high mountain village below a glacier. There is also a layer of cloud between the ice field and the village. Soon that cloud descends through the village, obscuring the houses and surrounding fields. In the Alps there are still high mountain villages where there is no motor vehicle access.

There is a continuous pealing of bells in the evening and again in the morning. It seems to be a Swiss tradition. Unverified reasons suggest the bells peal on Saturday evenings to remind those in the mountain meadows that the next morning is Sunday and on Sunday morning the ringing announces that Sunday is here.

There is a staggered start with the fastest six male and female runners heading off one at a time a few minutes apart, then the rest of the field.

Almost immediately, within 500 metres, the sharp climb out of Ried-Brig starts. Soon the village disappears as the runners climb through the conifers. The incessant rain is back.

Alpine goats huddle against a rock face to keep warm and glance across at the athletes; likely wondering why people run in the rain. Soon the runners are among the clouds and out of the rain.

Today’s run is characterised by a series of ups and downs; up steep mountain sides, down treacherous descents and across knife-edged ridges to get from mountain to mountain. There is one particular ascent that is feared and respected by those who have an intimate knowledge of the climb.

Some farmers ring their grazing plots with electric fences to prevent the cows from straying. The route crosses these plots. Signage directs trail users on the proper way to open gates without getting a nasty jolt.

Lum Young comes up to a short fence and thought it quicker to step over. Tired legs brush the electric wire and he gets a few volts. The runner behind is wiser and opens the gate as directed.

The runners cross Simplon Pass, 2,005 metres, the highest point for the day. This pass has been a corridor through the Alps from “ever since”. History is written by the victor but mountain folks must have been using this pass long before Roman legions invaded Switzerland (Rhaeta) and France (Gaul) around 58BC. They run past the eight-metre-high Stone Eagle, that famous Simplon World War II landmark.

At 30 kilometres, they encounter a very steep climb—and long. Is this the climb? The sun is out now. The climb seems never-ending. Forget the hamstrings. Keep putting one foot in front the other in a steady rhythm. Do not look up, do not look down. Keep climbing! At last the top. Just as well, it is only a 3.5 kilometre ascent.

The climbs thereafter are not killers but the descents are tricky. The return of the rain means one has to be careful not to break a bone racing down slope.

Soon the Gondo finish line is mere metres away; not even the rain could dampen the satisfaction from completing the weekend challenge of two alpine marathons in two days.

—Part one of this article appeared on January 8.

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