Swiss Alps 100 Race Report

I finished the Swiss Alps 100 in 29:03, 13th place in the most competitive year of the race to date. It was all I had hoped for and then some.

The Hardrock 100 has the famous tagline: “Wild and Tough”. I’m giving the Swiss Alps 100, a Hardrock qualifier, the tagline “Scenic and Savage.” I had a hard time finding a good comparison between Swiss Alps and UTMB, but I definitely believe Swiss Alps runs tougher and slower. Even with a 50 hour cutoff, over half the field DNFed.

I didn’t feel like training was great after the Old Dominion 100. I wasn’t able to hit the paces I would have liked on long runs in the Shenandoahs. But we also had record heat and humidity in the DC area, so it was hard to parse fitness from conditions

When we arrived to Chamonix and cooler temps, I felt amazing right away. I was hitting PRs on many climbs and descents. OK, so the fitness was there after all. I put up some big training, including a 110 mile week with 33000 feet, before tapering. I hit the start line feeling fit and ready, excited for the adventure.

At race check in the day before, which couldn’t have been easier

Walking to the start line. You could already tell it was going to be a hot one.

Start to Riederfurka # 2 – Mile 0 to 25.5:

At 7:30am we took off from the Sport Center on a short uphill road section before hitting the steep trail. The first climb was around 3,800 feet in just over 4 miles.

As per usual in European ultras, the race start was fast and furious. I was probably 40+ people deep in the field. Some people were breathing like we were racing a 5K. With 98 miles left to go.

The weather had been delightfully cool for almost three weeks in Chamonix, but a heat wave hit on race day. It ended up hitting the 90s in the valley. I felt warm right from the start, and I knew that heat would be a major factor for the race.

The climb went extremely well. I kept the effort well under control and already started to reel in quite a few people in the second half of the climb. As we crested tree line, we were treated to big views of the surrounding mountains as the sun continued to rise.

Big views towards the top of the first climb

I was already 10min up on my A-goal sub 30 hour splits at the first aid station, and I quickly filled two bottles. The next section was dangerously runnable with lots of road and dirt road up at 7,000 feet. I had to consciously try not to go too fast but still was hitting low 8s here.

After a short uphill, we hit the Riederfurka aid station with tons of people out cheering. Next up was a short but very steep and technical descent through the woods. This was the first taste of the highly technical terrain on this course. I made OK time on the descent but didn’t push it too hard – the last thing I needed was to fall and get injured at mile 11.

Looking out through the trees towards big glaciers

We popped out of the woods to the first suspension bridge of the race, crossing the canyon some 500 feet above the glacial runoff river. Let me tell you, crossing that thing wakes you up and gets the adrenaline pumping.

On the other side, we started up the 4,200 foot climb to the high point of the course at 9,200 feet. I continued to feel great, and the views got better and better with glaciers coming into view as we ascended. I hit the beautiful Belalp aid station, which we hit twice on the out-and-back to the high point, and had some solid food in addition to the bottle refill.

The “trail” up from the suspension bridge.

The views got better and better on the second big climb to Belalp

We continued up the climb, with a technical, scrambly section at the end. I teamed up with another guy on the descent, and we were moving really well. Soon we started passing a lot of the field going up the climb. While it was fun seeing people and cheering each other on, it was tricky to pass on the narrow trail, and I took a spill trying to avoid someone.

From the course high point at 9,200 feet

Near the course high point. The coolest goats in all the land.

After another quick refuel at Belap, we had a few downhill road miles. Out of nowhere, the trail turned from the road to a dense, narrow, and slightly overgrown trail down through the trees. I missed the turn but luckily caught the mistake quickly. This was a theme throughout the race where you took these connecting “trails” with steep and technical plunges and climbs through the forest.

We bottomed out on an exposed road, and I was in a pack of about 6 guys. For the first time, I was not feeling good and realized I was probably falling behind on fluids and electrolytes as temps increased. I slammed fluids and two electrolyte pills, took in calories, dunked my hat under a cold faucet, and stopped for a sec in the shade to get a rock out of my shoe.

About to cross the dam. It was HOT. The climb up from the dam was hard - steep and exposed.

Soon I felt much better and caught back up to the guys who had passed me. We crossed the dam and started working up the steep climb back to Riederfurka. I met a nice guy on the way up, Pepijn, who was running his first 100 miler. He sure did pick a tough one.

The climb eventually became more gradual. Katharina Hartmuth was out cheering for us as we approached the aid station – so cool! She won and set the CR at Tor des Geants last year and won Swiss Alps a few years back in 30 hours.

I rolled into Riederfurka over an hour up on my splits feeling good again. This stop was a bit longer. It was now very hot, and I had run dry before the end of the last section, so I made sure to drink a lot here and filled an extra bottle. They had Precision 1000 on the course, which was awesome and helped with getting electrolytes. I was excited to head out on the most scenic part of the course.

Riederfurka # 2 to Blitzingen – Mile 25.5 to 50:

The next section stayed up at altitude as we approached the Aletsch glacier. It is the largest in Europe and is a staggering 14 miles long and 3,000 feet thick! The views were legendary as we navigated the short, punchy climbs and descents.

Nearby mountains as we approached the Aletsch glacier

The biggest glacier in Europe comes into view

We continued getting closer to the glacier, and it was hard not to stop every 10 feet to take a picture. We descended down towards it on a ribbon of trail as more views opened up. It was so stunning, and I vowed to someday take my wife and kids here to experience it.

Perhaps the most beautiful ribbon of single track in the world

It’s hard to convey the scope and scale of this glacier - it truly was breathtaking in person

The trail became a technical boulder field, and then I worked with two other guys on the climb up to Gletscherstube, the mile 32.5 aid station. I did another big rehydration and refill here.

The “trail”. Couple of rocks in this section.

It was all smooth sailing so far, but the next 14 miles to Reckingen were extremely difficult and slow. This was some of the slowest trail I have been on, extremely steep and technical with lots of exposure. The initial steep downhill was about as slow as going uphill. I started to realize this race may take me longer than expected if the terrain stayed like this.

Between the terrain, heat, and exposure, I went into survival mode. Several runners around me were struggling and voicing doubts. I shared some encouragement and positivity – when night came it would get cooler and easier.

The absurdly steep ascent from the suspension bridge.

Looking back down at the bridge we crossed

I didn’t feel so good at Bellwald, mile 39. The volunteers here were amazing and very encouraging. As I set off, I linked up with Pepijn again. We shared a bunch of miles on the next section together, and it was so nice to have some friendly company. I couldn’t believe how well he was doing in his first 100. He had been on a 4 month sabbatical from work and had put up some strong training, including in the Aosta. I probably annoyed him to death talking about UTMB and Tor, but for some reason he stuck with me.

By Reckingen, mile 46, I was doing ok. I had lost some time on that section, but that was inevitable given the terrain, and I was happy with how I managed it. Since I was a bit ahead of schedule, my family was going to try to meet me at Blitzingen, the mile 50 aid station.

I set off on a gentle, runnable section and hoped to get to the aid station before needing a headlamp. I managed to arrive in the last fading daylight, around 9pm and 13.5 hours into the race. I had worked my way up to 15th place at this point.

My family unfortunately got some bad directions in town and would just miss me at the aid station. Since I was solo, an amazing volunteer named Ben helped me sort my drop bag and gear. I had a lot to do with nighttime approaching and a major resupply.

I realized that my nutrition bag inside my drop bag somehow wasn’t there. It was a devastating blow, as I had 2,500 calories that were supposed to last me to the mile 90 aid station. But I stayed in a positive mindset. It was just a problem that had to be solved. Ben won the volunteer-of-the-year award and hooked me up with some gels from his personal supply. Fortunately I had thrown a few extra nutrition items in the bag. Otherwise I would just have to make it work at aid stations.

I started the race in Nnormal Kjerags. While I loved the feel of the shoe, there wasn’t enough cushion and support to last me to the finish. My family was going to bring me a pair of trusty Speedcrosses, but with the handoff missed, I changed into the Tomirs in my drop bag. I hadn’t used them for a run this long and had to hope they would hold up. I was ready to go and off into the night.

Blitzingen to Rosswald – Mile 50-74:

From Blitzingen we had a 5,000 foot climb to tackle. There were a few steep road sections and lots of dense, steep forest trail. The night was warm and didn’t cool down as much as I would have liked.

I arrived at Chaserstatt, a cool little aid station partway up the mountain. They had a giant metal pan, maybe 3 feet wide, and were cooking up fresh rosti and fried eggs. My stomach was a bit off, and I initially didn’t want to eat, but I knew I needed the calories given the nutrition drop bag disaster. It was amazingly good, and the more I ate the better I felt. It was the best food I’ve ever had at an aid station - big thanks to the rosti grandmaster.

There was a short, tough little descent and then it was back to climbing. After a gradual, runnable stretch it turned steep for the final ascent. The descent on the other side was technical, and I felt only ok at this point. A few runners pulled further ahead from me, and one guy passed me on the way down. That was ok though – it wasn’t time to race yet.

I rolled into the town of Binn, and I had fallen back to 19th place after the mediocre last section. Most of the aid stations from here onwards had Precision chews or gels, which was incredibly helpful and much needed. They also had some great roasted potatoes that hit the spot.

This would have been a lovely place to hang out, but I had work to do and set off on the next huge climb. Again you had to pay attention to when you left the road and turned into the forest. I missed one of the turns while rocking out to some T-Pain (as one does at 2am in the Swiss Alps), and a kind fellow runner called me back.

We crested tree line and were treated to the full moon reflecting off the mountains. These are moments that I love in these races. It’s not often that you get to be in big mountains above tree line with a full moon hitting the surrounding glaciers.

Despite the idyllic landscape, I faded hard at the end of the climb and was getting extremely sleepy. Another guy caught and passed me. I opted for a 5 minute dirt nap to reset the system and managed to doze off for 1-2 minutes.

That did the trick, and I felt much better rolling into the mile 70 Breithorn aid station high up on the mountain. My old buddy Pepijn came in just as I was about to leave. I waited a bit for him so we could hit the next section together.

We moved well as we meandered up and down above 8,000 feet. I was feeling good and pushed ahead solo after a few miles. Much of the climbing is done by mile 70, and I had heard there were some highly runnable stretches in the last 20 miles. The plan was to get to mile 70 with some legs and then push hard from there. I had executed that plan well, and it was go time. I had fallen behind on my sub 30 hour splits on the last section and was determined to try to claw time back.

This was another lollipop section. At Breithorn they said the downhill to Rosswald was manageable, and the loop back up from Rosswald would be extremely difficult. That was saying something on this course, but I was ready for it.

Rosswald to Finish – Mile 74 to 100:

I got to Rosswald just as another runner was leaving. I was in race-mode and tempted to jump off after him. But when the kind aid station volunteers offered some pasta, I forced myself to be patient and get the calories. I was at the stage of the race where I was constantly hungry, and I was still on a razor’s edge managing nutrition without my supplies. I wolfed down some pasta, and it was a good decision and time well spent.

We began the steep ascent with the sun starting to rise, and I pushed hard. I soon passed one runner and had another ahead in my sights. This climb was just as tough as advertised. In addition to being steep, there was a lot of exposure. Falling or slipping was not an option, so I dialed back pace towards the top to focus on safety.

I was back up around 9,000 feet, and the sun gradually illuminated the surrounding peaks. The downhill from the peak was gnarly and slow going. The guy ahead of me was moving well, so I bided my time until I got to a section where I could safely push harder.

Dawn broke as I ascended the tough climb from Rosswald

It was a beautiful new day, though it would be even hotter than the day before

We rejoined the out-and-back section, and I started hammering. I caught the guy ahead of me and rolled into Breithorn, now more crowded with runners leaving Breithorn for the first time. I had successfully clawed back time on sub 30.

Next up was a steep but runnable dirt road that plunged 4,600 feet in 6 miles. This is one of the sections where you have to turn off your brain, ignore the pain, and run hard. My body responded well, and I was pumped to hit 10 minute miles all the way down. The trail was still in the shade, and I also knew that the more I could do before the sun exposure hit the better.

We hit the penultimate aid station and my long-awaited drop bag. I resupplied and took off on the next section. The rest of the course looked relatively easy on paper. Alas, it ended up being much tougher than I had anticipated.

After a short runnable stretch, we plunged down another steep ravine forest trail. My toes had been jamming into the front of my Tomirs, and it was now extremely painful to go downhill. I tried to sidestep and do whatever I could to alleviate the pain, but it was tough and slow going.

There also was a course re-route on this section due to a landslide that took out a bridge. It added a bit over a mile on difficult trails. I struggled up a steep climb from the ravine, and it was now full on daytime and extremely hot. Next up was a long stretch on this weird ridge trail through the forest. There wasn’t a ton of vertical, but with the rocks, roots, and cambered trail it was tough and slow.

We hit another terrible downhill to the final aid station, and I struggled to manage the pain. I tried to stay positive though and knew my family would be at the aid station. Out of nowhere a guy bombed down the steep trail. I couldn’t fathom running that fast on this terrain at the end of a 100 – it turned out he was one of the top finishers in the 50K, which made much more sense.

I popped out into town and saw my family as they cheered me on. It was awesome to see them. I resupplied and drank some ginger beer they had brought me. My youngest ran out with me for a bit coming out of the aid station. It was hilarious how easily he kept up with me in my depleted state.

Running out of the final aid station with my little buddy

I had worked my way up to 13th place with 4 more miles to go. We crossed another suspension bridge and then had another 1.5 miles of difficult, steep, technical trail. Finally I popped out onto a mellow path with just another 2 miles to go.

I tried to turn up the pace but could only manage 11-12 minute miles. I was done – crushed. Everything hurt, and I was severely overheating at this point. A few of the lead 50K runners passed me and were super encouraging.

I gritted my way towards the Sport Center and the final lap around it. Up ahead I saw my kids cheering like crazy and knew I was almost done. There was a short uphill to the finish. My kids jumped in and started running, but I laughed and told them I had to hike until we got closer.

Crossing the finish line with my boys. There’s nothing like it in the world.

Finally we got close enough to put in a slow jog over the finish line. I just about collapsed, totally spent. It’s nice to know you gave something your all and didn’t leave anything out there. I finished in 29:03, well inside my A-goal. Any other year of the race, that time would have been 2nd to 7th place. And this year was hot with a slightly longer course.

The RD congratulated me and gave me my buckle. I got lots of kind words from the 50K finishers. We hung out for a bit as I tried to piece myself back together.

I was thrilled with the outcome and glad I signed up for Swiss Alps. It is a terrific race that I think will continue growing in popularity. It is well organized and both a Western States and Hardrock qualifier. It was tougher than expected – in a good way. Huge thanks to the race organizers and volunteers.

After this round of training and racing in the Alps, I confirmed that the fire still burns bright to return to Tor and see what I can do on round three. I hoped that Swiss Alps would help me continue dialing things in for Tor, and that was even more the case than I hoped. Lots of takeaways on things that worked and things that still need improving. That’s all part of the fun of the game!