I first heard about Tor Des Geants a few years ago
after a friend of mine ran the race her first time. Over 200 miles through the Italian Alps and
days without sleep. How could I resist? I was lucky enough to get in through the lottery
on my first attempt. But I had no idea what I was really in for. What follows is just a brief look at my
experience at the race including all the ups and the downs on on my journey among the giants of the alps. After flying from Vancouver to Geneva, Switzerland I hopped on a bus to nearby Chamonix, France. I arrived just in time to catch the final
hours of UTMB, as runners made their way through town after having run 100 miles
around Mont Blanc. This was an incredible introduction to the
unique world of European trail running I couldn’t wait to see how my race would
compare next week in Courmayeur, Italy on the other side of the Mont Blanc massif,
just 20 km south-east. After a week in Chamonix, it was finally time
to make my way to Italy. "We just arrived in Courmayeur." "We took the tunnel from Chamonix." "And I'm just doing a bit of a shake-out run here to get the legs moving." "It's two days before the start of the race." "Tomorrow is check-in and then we start
Sunday at noon." My girlfriend Audrée had just joined me who
would be running Tot Dret, the 130 km distance of Tor Des Geants that begins just past the
half-way point in Gressoney and follows the same course back to Courmayeur. We spent a few hours after arriving up at
3,460 metres by taking the Skyway Monte Bianco a very cool gondola that rotates as it
ascends Mont Blanc, giving you amazing views of the Aosta Valley below. "Merino wool top, nordic tights, waterproof pants, waterproof jacket, down puffy." "I've got light gloves, warm gloves, two waterproof
over-gloves." "I've got about 45-hours of batteries." "Uh, I.D.?" "I.D., right!" Then it was time to prepare my race kit and
drop bags. "Drop bags for each aid station, spare puffies, spare clothes, spare hardshell, spare poles..." "I think I've got it all." And to make my way over to racer check-in and gear inspection at the nearby Courmayeur Sport Centre. I find these check-ins pretty exciting,
at least at first. But the novelty wore off pretty quickly. This process took quite some time as we made
our way through a series of line-ups first to get into the main hall then to go through the random gear check,
to get a bib a GPS tracker, and so on. I’ve gotta hand it to the organizers though
– they’re quite militant about the whole thing and I suppose there’s no more efficient way
to do this with close to 900 runners. "Yea, waterproof. Yep." "Okay. And crampons?" "Crampons.." That night was the race briefing and
pasta dinner. I stayed for the former, but ducked out for
the latter, as I knew we’d be eating the same pasta and tomato sauce for the next
5 days or so of the race. This was my last chance to load up on
pizza instead. Alright! We're done. That only took..
3.5 hours. After days of anticipation, following
months of training the morning of the race was finally here. I joined some fellow Canadians at the start
line, now with just minutes to go. "Alright, here we are at the start line." "We've got 25 minutes to go. They just
closed the starting corrals." "There's about 850 runners here." "Here we go, 1 minute." With close to 900 runners, this was by far
the biggest field I’d ever run in. You really got the sense that the event
is a source of pride for the residents of the Aosta Valley. And they made us feel not only welcome
but celebrated. Supporters not only lined the streets, but
on many of the early climbs as well. Leaving Courmayeur, the 330 km course follows
two popular trekking routes starting on the Alta Via 2 along the south side of the Aosta valley for the first half of the race and returning along the Alta Via 1 back to Courmayeur. There are 43 aid stations along the way, along
with 6 major life bases, where runners can eat, sleep and obtain medical care if needed,
with a total cut off time of 150 hours. "A bit of a bottleneck here." We’ll be passing through 34 municipalities,
over 25 mountain passes each above 2,000 metres past 30 alpine lakes and 2 natural parks,
with a total elevation gain of more than 24,000 m or close to 79,000 feet, plus equal descent. "We just climbed 1,400 metres" "and now we're dropping all the way back down." "We've already dropped about 1,000 metres, just a steady descent." "That big aid station was a little overwhelming" "but I think I figured out a system." "I'll take care of my fluids first and then grab a ziplock bag full of food and just get the hell out of there" "and just eat on the run." "Try to waste as little time as possible." For the first couple of days of the race we would be extremely lucky with the weather. Shorts and a t-shirt, along with arm warmers
at night, was all I needed. Many would end up dropping, not from hypothermia
as in years past but from dehydration and heat stroke. But you didn’t hear me complaining! "We just dropped down from up there" "and now it looks like we're going up there." "It's 9:45 at night, so we've been moving for
just under 10 hours." "But I can already feel the 3,000 metres of descent
in my quads." "So we'll see how the other 90% of the descent makes me feel over the next few days." "English?" "Yes." "Okay, good. How are you doing?" "Good, good. I'm having a great time." "Great. The most beautiful time is coming." I’d arrived at the first major lifebase,
but it was definitely too early to to sleep. So after a quick bite and a re-supply from
my drop bag, I was on my way. "So it's day 2." "And it looks like it's going to be another beautiful day." "But I'm pretty tired after 84 km and something like 6,800 metres of climbing." "And the only thing standing in my way of nap" "is this mountain right here." "The only problem is, I'm told it might be
our biggest climb yet." "But on the other side is a cot with my name on it." Col Loson at 3,300 metres would be the highest
point of the race. I was already so tired at this point, and
coming from sea level was reduced to a snail’s pace. Many of the descents in the race were beginning
to feel impossibly steep and technical on such tired legs. No matter how tired you are when climbing,
worst case you just need to slow it down. On some of the descents, a misstep could mean
the end of your race or much worse. Much more so than any other distance, a 200
mile race like TOR really is more of an eating contest than anything else. While many runners had the luxury of a support
crew who could bring them food at the major life bases, I was stuck eating basically the
same thing 24 hours a day. The aid stations were very well stocked and
the volunteers were incredible, but there just wasn’t the variety that I was used
to compared to North American ultras. While I never thought it could happen, I'd
grown tired of the pasta with tomato sauce pretty early on, so my go-to had become orzo
in soup - up to 3 bowls at a time. I’d supplement this with goat cheese and eggs,
for fats and protein, along with cookies, crackers, dark chocolate, and dried apricots
for the road as well a my own supply of Clif bars. That essentially became my routine for the
remaining 30-40 checkpoints. "Okay, go out?" "Yea." "Okay, good luck." Food was fuel and nothing more. "Alright, so back at it." "That was about a 2 hour break.
I had an hour long nap." "A much needed nap." "I feel so much better." "A couple cups of coffee." "I feel like a new man." "I washed off my feet and legs so I could re-lube" "and re-apply sunscreen." "I brushed my teeth, I ate." "I charged my watch." "I changed my shirt and my socks." "Oh, I feel great!" "Ready for another night." "The night two valleys you will see are the most beautiful places I've known here in the region." "The first valley is the Valle di Cogne." "And when we get to Fenêtre di Champorcher" "then we will see the panorama of the Valle di Champorcher which is really great and wide." "There is a descent about 30 km long but it's easy as hell so enjoy it." This is when I’d first met Krystian, one of
several runners I’d come to spend quite a few hours running with during the race. Despite the large field of runners, by the
second day we'd really begun to spread out. In fact, I would yo-yo with such a small number
of the same runners for the next few days that it honestly felt like there were only
30 of us in the race. When I arrived at Donnas, our 3rd major life
base, I was once again in serious need of a nap so I grabbed a cot alongside the dozen
or so other runners in what looked like a M.A.S.H. unit upstairs before heading back
out into the night. "I was feeling really good for a few hours there climbing out of Dannas but" "as soon as the sun started coming up I started to feel like I was going to fall asleep on my feet" "and I was slowing down quite a bit." "So I decided to have a quick power nap at the last aid station." "They had a couple of little tents setup with cots." "So I slept for 10 minutes and I think it did the trick." While I experimented with power naps
like this as short as 10 minutes their effects were pretty short lived. More an hour, and I would get diminishing
returns. I found I was pretty much waking naturally
up after around 45 minutes anyway. In the end, I decided that 25-45 minutes was
the sweet spot for me, and each nap which would buy me another 8-12 hours of movement. Sergio was from right here in the Aosta Valley
and he'd run the race before. We'd end up running together again later that
night and he was a trove of information. "Where are we on course?" "Right now we at the half-way point at Refugio Coda,
170 kms or 100 miles." "Just a little more." "And it's a beautiful day." "Over there you can see the Monte Rosa Massif" "and down there is Monte Bianco, the end of our trip." We'd reached the ridge to Rifugio Coda after
a long climb now just over 100 miles into the race. But we still had a series of descents and
climbs ahead of us before the next major life base at Gressoney which would make
for a very long day. Coming from sea level made these climbs a
real challenge. Every step above 2,800 metres or so became
laborious. Every breath had to be controlled. "That was a really tough climb." "Super technical and something like 800 metres of boulders pretty much." But after a long climb to reach a col, we’d
often be presented with just a small window where an incredible view awaited on the other
side, each one better than the last. I reached Niel at dinner time and stopped
for a quick, 10 minute nap in a hot tent before continuing on my way. As I left the aid station, a volunteer told
me excitedly that the most incredible valley awaited me at the top of the relatively short
800 metre climb ahead. She described it as like something out of
Lord of the Rings. So I decided to do my best to try to make
it before the sun set. When I reached Col Lassoney I found myself
completely alone, surrounded by dramatic peaks cloaked in clouds. And the incredible sunset that I was running
towards as I began to descend to Gressoney was the best one I’d seen yet. "So I just had a shower, followed-by a nap.
I slept for about 90 minutes." "A clean change of clothes" "And I feel really good." "I feel like I've set myself up for success over the next - what are we at" "We're at 60 hours, so over the next 50 hours or so." "We've still got a lot of race ahead of us." "Oh, this thing is hard." "The sun has come up and I feel I guess
marginally better." "But on the plus side, look at this." It had been more than 8 hours since my last break,
so I took advantage of the empty bunks for a 25 minute nap. On my way out I met Matt and Julien who I’d
end up sharing plenty of time on the trails with over the next couple of days. The Aosta Valley is the least densely populated
region of Italy, where both Italian and French are official languages. It's the highest and coldest region in the
country, home to some of the highes peaks in Europe as well as its highest vineyard. "You have here the Breithorn, and the highest point is La pointe Dufour. "It's the highest point in Switzerland, between Switzerland and Italy, just on the border." Much of its area is uninhabitable mountain
and glacial terrain, so a substantial portion of its small population is concentrated
in the Central Valley. But above the valley, small, often family
owned dairy farms dominate the hillsides. The sound of cow bells in the distance is
practically constant. "The Matterhorn is there." "So I decided not to sleep at that last lifebase because I was feeling so good." "But on the way down the hill this injury of mine from earlier in the season started flaring up again." "So I went in and got a massage
and got myself taped up" "and I think it will get me through to the end of the race." By now, I’d gotten to know two Americans
in the race that I’d been yo-yoing with for some time, Kevin and Chad. We’d occasionally wait for each at aid stations,
when our breaks and sleep schedule happened to sync up, but mostly it was nice just to
see a familiar face every 8 hours or so when we would inevitably yoyo once again. "Chad, how are you feeling after that nap?" "Oh, much better." "I still feel like I've been hit by a truck but we're moving." "The legs are coming back a bit." "Yep." As we climbed, fog and light rain turned to
heavy hail and thundershowers with lightning visible on the peaks all around us. "Chad, tell me what just happened up on the hill there." "Rain, hail, sideways wind." "It was pretty brutal." "But we did it, we pushed through." "I've never been this tired in a race." "Or maybe ever, I dunno." "I really feel like I'm sleep walking right now." "I think that your brain is like trying to go to sleep so hard so it just has micro sleeps" "where you start to lose your balance a little bit." After making it to a small emergency shelter
at the end of a ridge, we were forced to make a tough call - either hunker down there to
wait out the storm which appeared to be only getting worse, or make a run for it down
to the next major life base. Well, we may have pushed a little too hard on the
descent and now we were paying the price. "And the beat goes on." "We are 91 hours in and about 50k to go maybe?" After a long night, we were rewarded with
warm hotel rooms for a nap at Ollomont. I was lucky to have a clean bed in a room
completely to myself, but with at least 4 small beds to a room, this definitely would
not be the case for runners later in the race. "Last day." I learned a lot during this race about what to do and what not to do to manage the increasing fatigue and exhaustion that comes with days of continual motion. First of all, caffeine doesn’t cut it. You can force yourself to stay awake through the night during a 100 miler with Coke and coffee but by the second night even caffeine pills will barely make a dent. Even during the day, I’d continually find myself literally falling asleep on my feet. Some runners I spoke to reported losing minutes at a time while continuing to run or climb like when you’re driving and realize you don’t remember the last couple of miles. Something that can help to avoid the zombie march is to increase your intake of calories. Fellow-Canadian Stephanie Case told me that she’d learned at an earlier TOR that when caffeine fails what you likely really need is to eat more. But there’s got to be a limit. And now on day 5, I suspected we were close to it. "I've never been so exhausted." "Just trying to run down this logging road" "aw man, it's so hard." "Courmayeur's the next stop." "That's it, we're doing this." "It's Courmayeur or bust baby." "100 hours." "The last climb up to the Col, and then it's all downhill to Courmayeur" And just like that, the journey was over. 107 hours and 31 minutes after leaving Courmayeur
on Sunday afternoon I returned as the 63rd finisher of
the 2018 Tor Des Geants. For the first two days after the race, I pretty
much did nothing but nap in my hotel bed with my feet up, in-between frequent meals. Audrée’s race had gone extremely well – she’d
finished 8th in her division in just under41 hours, and she was in much
better shape than I was. Of the 894 runners who started the race a total of 534 finished while 360 either withdrew
or were disqualified I did manage to get mobile again by the time
the awards rolled around a few days later. It was great to see everyone I had met during
the race, all rested, cleaned up, and elated to have pretty well all finished. Some a little ahead, and others just behind. This event was by far the most well supported
I’ve ever done and I owe so much to the thousands of incredible volunteers who
helped to make it happen. 2019 would be the 10th anniversary of
Tor Des Geants. But, this time I was unsuccessful in the lottery. So instead, I'd planned on racing the Swiss Peaks
360k in the nearby Swiss Alps. But it’s just a matter of time before I
return for another Tor Des Geants. In the 2 weeks that followed, we traveled around Italy and did quite a bit of walking and sightseeing
as active recovery. And before long, I was back to training
for my next adventure.
Wow - what a fantastic film.
Well shot, great editing, and really interesting.
That race looks like an absolute beast, thats crazy.
Looks like a killer event, thanks for the video.
This is my white buffalo race. It looks horrible and amazing at the same time.
Outstanding video! Makes my first 100 miler coming in 5 months seem almost...dare I say it? Nope. Still hard!
Great piece. I see why it took so long to put together.