READY TO RACE - STRATEGY & PREPARATIONS

Well - it feels real now. We spent yesterday afternoon sitting in Courmayeur - looking at the Southern slopes of Mont Blanc, eating banana crepes, sipping thick creamy cappuccinos and watching the blend of excited racers and local Italians sipping wine in the village square.

Delena and I woke up wide awake at 2:30am this morning and decided to lay out all the contents of our race bags which we will have access to at 6 points in the race. In our race bag is spare socks, dry clothes, and food for each of the 7 sections of the race to supplement the food provided on course which is basically bread, meat and cheese!.

I put a photo of the race course on the blog today as well to give you a better visual of the race route. Tonight there is a huge pasta dinne followed by the race brieding which everyone is required to attend - then it's one more restless sleep and we start the race at 10am tomorrow.

RACE DETAILS
The race is broken into 7 sections - each approximately 9 - 13 hours in length - except section 2 and 4 which are roughly 20 - 24 hours in length and tend to eliminate many people from the race. Section 2 is the longest section, has the most elevation change and much of it is at higher altitudes (9,000 - 10,000+ feet at  the cols) and by far the most mentally challenging section for all these reasons.

The race travels through roughly 35 small communities, refugios (high mountain shelters) and mountain top stations that make up the 47 checkpoints over the course. The stations offer food, drink and at the 'life stations' offer beds, medical support (which gets plenty of use) and massage and showers at a couple of them.

There are cut off times at several points in the race - so if you don't arrive at that point by a certain time - you are out of the race. All competitors must reach the finish line within the 150 hour time limit. Last years first place finisher crossd the line in about 80 hours 27 minutes - which is an incredible accomplishment. Each racer decides if and when they sleep - so everyone has their own strategy. Our strategy will be to keep moving as much as possible and sleep in 1-2 hour increments roughly every 24 hours. We aim to sleep away from the main checkpoints where we can sleep outside under the stars in silence - and up high so we can begin moving downhill when we awake rather than uphill.

Delena and I will start the race together and make a decision further along in the race as to whether we will stick together for the entire race or not. While we always enjoy each other's company and the long life discussions that we share in these events - at some point you become too brain dead to converse and you just settle into a natural rythym that  may not match the other persons.

This race has reminded us once again that the world is full of incredible people. We have met so many adventurous souls from across North America and Europe and formed new friendships that we know wil last for many years. The cross section of personalities, ages and personal backgrounds are knitted together by a passion for the mountains and a desire for unique and adventurous personal challenges. It's very inspiring to be surrounded by so many fun, fit and passionate people. It has made us intimately aware of what an incredible blessing it is to have your health, and the world of adventurous possibilities that open up when you are strong and physically fit. More great motivation.