Tor des Geants — Race Reports

I dubbed the Donnas to Gressoney section “the thunderdome”. 35 miles with 20,000 feet of climbing across the most wild and rugged part of the course. At this point you have done around the equivalent of UTMB (100 miles with 35,000 feet of climbing) and have 120 miles and ~50,000 feet of climbing remaining. Wait, what? This was so far beyond what I had ever done. I just had to shut off my brain and exist in a world of moving, eating, and occasionally sleeping.

Will WeidmanSeptember 24, 2022Tor des Geants Comment

Tor des Geants Race Report - Part 2

This is a much-feared section of the course. In a little over 50km, you cover 16,000 feet of climbing with some seriously high altitude. There are 3 major mountain passes, with the third one at 3,300m (almost 11,000 feet). You push through the night on this section, and most people report feeling terrible at Cogne. My primary goal was to manage this section well and arrive at Cogne actually feeling good. That would be a tall task, but it was a good mindset going in.

Will WeidmanSeptember 23, 2022Tor des GeantsComment

Tor des Geants Race Report - Part 1

This was the moment. The dragon had arrived, and it was FIERCE. People say that you start the Tor in a counter-clockwise direction, and a dragon starts clockwise. At some point, you will face your dragon. Will you make it through or will the dragon take you down? I called Jen and Christophe and told them I was done – I couldn’t go on. I asked them to meet me where the trail hits the road into town. My right leg hurt so much, and I didn’t know if I could hobble through town to the aid station. They approached in the night, without headlamps even but with warmth and encouragement. Decisions had to be made.