DESERT RATS 100 ULTRA RUNNING UTMB WORLD SERIES 2024

sometimes we just need to take time to take in these incredible views we're lucky to be able to do this jeez [Music] beautiful Colorado my first time running in the US this is my first race since UTMB and I chose Desert Rats which is part of the UTMB World Series located near the beautiful town of futa in Western Messa County on the border with Utah nestled in western Colorado fruta is a Hidden Gem for adventurers this quaint town with its Charming downtown filled with local shops and cafes exudes a warm welcoming atmosphere Futo is boarded by The Majestic Colorado River offering a stunning backdrop of serene Waters and lush green Banks the trails here Traverse breathtaking scenery with panoramic views and the crisp scent of Sagebrush in the air this ultramarathon is a true test of endurance weaving through the all inspiring Landscapes that make this area are favorite among outdoor enthusiasts the town's close-knit community and breathtaking surroundings create the perfect atmosphere for such a challenging event where every step takes you deeper into the heart of Colorado's natural [Music] beauty here we go back to what we love doing back to ultr running this weekend we're going to col Colorado new destination for me and we're doing the uh Desert Rats by UTMB so really looking forward to that it's going to be really cool uh after uh several marathons and uh half marathons on the road now finally getting back to uh trail running I haven't had the ideal uh training for those uh types of races but hey doesn't matter I still got a bit of uh body memory from UTMB hopefully so uh that'll be cool destination Colorado flying out from my new home now in the Bahamas and we'll be heading towards Miami this evening and then tomorrow morning we'll catch the flight to Denver where we'll connect to then go to fruta uh never been there cool little town from what I've seen part of the UTMB World Series so um staying uh staying loyal to that uh to that Championship I think those races are just a really well organized really cool atmosphere so uh you can't go wrong with those races just finalizing the packing then uh we'll get onto uh onto the traveling aspect which is also I think part of these kinds of Adventures there's the travel and Discovery uh so always discovering a new place is fun that's going to be uh part of uh part of the ultra experience as [Music] well all right off we go the Journey Begins and now we're going to go to the airport and uh head towards Miami where we'll spend the night and then off to Grand Junction and then futa [Music] getting to Colorado from the Bahamas is quite a journey I'm not used to traveling such long distances for a race most of my ultra running events have been close to home so this is a first time for me and not ideal but I'm not here to win I race for the adventure and the discovery of new places and of myself I've learned a lot since I've started this journey and have passed on these Les to the Next Generation which has become my new motivation the importance of dreams and how the constant pursuit of a valued goal brings [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] happiness after a 4our flight from Miami to Denver I finally arrived for the connecting flight to Grand Junction with a short layover I'm fortunate the flight arrived on time nowadays you never know and my planning is tight to get to futa so I can't afford any [Music] delays all right we're now in the plane for a grand JN [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's a joy to see the mountains again having lived between France and Switzerland all my life I never realized how fortunate I was they say you don't know what you have until it's gone that's so true the sights of those Snowy Peaks brought tears to my eyes we certainly don't have that in the Bahamas [Music] the landscape dramatically changes as we cross to the other side of the Rockies from rugged mountains and Snowy Peaks to canyons and deserts this will be my playground for the next few days [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] there we go picked up the car have all my gear at Le the suitcase Drive which is good I was a bit worried about that cuz I got quite a bit of gear in there I'm going to pick up the car and head off to fruta all right looks like it's this one cool nice yep H there we go got the car excellent perfect size bigger than I thought actually so it's going to be nice now we're going to drive to fruta where the UTMB Desert Rats uh race is uh is taking place really looking forward to it just arriving and uh seeing uh seeing those incredible canyons and what a landscape man that's amazing incredible playground there very different to I'm used to in the Alps so I'm really really looking forward to that and the weather's great it's it's actually pretty hot though I wasn't expecting it to be uh that hot uh but sunny at least weather's on our side so this is going to be a blast and now we'll head off to the uh Exposition and see what they have there get the bib and uh sort ourselves out uh for the night the UTMB Village is always a mustsee the best brands are present during this Exposition and it's therefore a great opportunity to St up in our favorite products and [Music] souvenirs out uh who we have the organizers do a great job in giving us an in-depth briefing on the course and the measures put in place for our safety this weekend several distances will be running a 10K 20K 50k and my 100K race this course is an out and back starting from Colorado and taking the runners right into Utah with around 6,700 Ft of elevation gain with six aid stations three of which will be visiting twice during the race after this briefing at the trail Village I head back to my Airbnb to get some rest finally arrived at uh the Airbnb for two nights pretty cool place to say the least so I'm pretty uh pretty happy with with what I uh what I selected we uh went to fruta to the UTMB Village great atmosphere great energy really contagious so I'm really really excited I even met some people who uh follow me on uh on social media so it's always nice to catch up uh catch up with them this is my first race after UTMB so uh haven't done any big big race since uh since that epic uh Finish Line at UTMB and I'm so stoked to be able to do this uh this race in uh in Colorado super excited and I travel on my own so again this is part of my uh uh pilgrimage uh this is the time on my own to reflect and Tackle these uh subjects that I've been uh increasingly interested in is where do we find that willpower that uh grit to be able to grind through these incredible challenges uh and how maybe I can find some tips for you guys uh as I go through my my own journey of trying to find out these answers and answers hopefully uh that can help us in our everyday lives so there we go I'll run you through my gear now so we got my uh path project uh shorts the baseliner as well I'm going to try out the Hawker ton uh 2x I think it's called it has carbon fiber plates underneath so it be much faster than the speed goats it's a flatter course so I'll see they've worked so far pretty well on the uh on my test run so I'll see I've brought anyway in my uh drop my speed go just in case uh the tecton create issues along the way I have my Knack uh Knack products uh for around 50k before I reach halfway points taking the lucky poles it's a flat course I know but you know you never know where you when you will need the some poles just to uh uh help us on the the few uphills uh my quiver uh great quiver salt pills uh my Shia which uh has help helped me dring UTMB first aid kits two plastic cups be pretty fresh in the morning so we'll take uh some sleeves there and my um Phoenix uh headlamp so we're starting early in the morning so it still be dark we'll need our head lamps to start off and uh that's pretty much it um hopefully uh this will be able to take me to the uh to the end and then obviously I've got my pack here so salom pack for tomorrow it's a new one I got branded run the Alps I don't think they do it anymore so I got it just on time just to remind me where I come from it's the Advanced Skin 12 from Salomon great pack there we go ready to get going tomorrow morning nice and early I think it's 5:00 in the morning start so yeah I think the buses uh start going at like 3:45 so um means I'm going to have to wake up even earlier get something to eat and uh and then uh hit the road it's been a long day it's been a long trip now I need some rest so uh I better h hit the sack right [Music] now all right so here we go off to the race now it's uh 3:47 uh pretty early start but uh it's what it takes so uh looking forward to this race is going to be cool morning warning [Music] we have a water drop all right so here we are line of the desert rats4 race keep an eye on each pry chly this morning it's going to be uh quite a difference with uh this afternoon this afternoon is going to be really really hot already yesterday was uh was really hot in the afternoon so I'm expecting some pretty afternoon so that's going to be interesting incredible location never been here so Colorado first race that's going to and here it's pretty incredible I was uh coming in on the bus and looking at the sky the stars you can see them so well here unbelievable I've uh rarely seen the Stars so well that was a pretty pretty cool s to add to this epicness you arefe the weight before the start is always a mix of excitement and anxiety the uncertainty of whether we can make it to the end of this adventure is huge that's why we do these Races they are a pilgrimage they're Adventures they take us to our limits if you realize the amount of work that is put into preparing these Journeys they require sacrifices just to hope for a finish most of us are husbands or wives fathers or mothers with full-time jobs it takes grit to turn up on the start line [Music] 3 2 1 go we are 100 [Music] for the first time I find myself at the start of a race cloaked in the night the world Narrows to a small tunnel of light cast by our headlamps disorientating yet strangely captivating Darkness envelops us transforming the landscape into a mysterious realm where only the illuminated shapes exist the air is filled with the sounds of fellow Runners footsteps and breaths blending into a symphony of determination as the night unfolds we anticipate the dawn's golden Embrace which will unveil the true Splendor of our surroundings blessing our journey with its radiant Beauty all right so we about 4 km in so far so good but I have a bit of a nigle at the back of my my leg which I I pulled a muscle the other the other week so that's not helping but now we're doing the first uphill it's going well so far waiting for the sun to rise despite my early physical ills I'm still able to progress at a good Pace with a focus on not twisting an ankle I'm not used to running on such terrain at nights with a headlamp in the Bahamas there are zero opportunities to practice [Music] this K 9.3 we've only climbed I can't see 300 M I think it is so pretty soft climb sun is rising it's beautiful beautiful beautiful uh I can definitely feel the lack of quad training on the descents and that little nigle that I have where I pulled my muscle I can feel it so that's not so good I think we're arriving at the first aid station now running at night in these incredible locations is a Transcendent experience I'm not yet in the pain cave which is typically when I enter a deep meditative State and confront My Demons but today early in the race I've find myself already in a state of reflection filled with gratitude for being out here as I take on the first Loop of the course without you guys we wouldn't be here oh you guys are awesome all right thank youing good thanks see you later all right first aid station done filled up with uh fluids and now we're going to do a loop and then get back to this uh this aid station later on this sense of gratitude might be because we emulate the Hero Journey inspiring us so deeply recently I've been exploring this theme extensively in various presentations about my UTMB Journey drawing parallels with life to inspire the Next Generation preparing these presentations for children has forced me to delve even deeper into what defines happiness and how to maximize our time experiencing it this exploration has led me into an incredible journey of discovery about the nature of human beings our history biology and culture we are the product of millions of years of evolution a complex system that explains our existence today the question of why we run Ultras is akin to asking why anyone chases a dream and why we dream at [Music] all go go go go go [Applause] [Music] we've now reached the furthest Eastern Point on the course in Colorado and are on our way back to the eight station to complete this Loop we are out of the darkness headlamps off and I hope I won't need to to use mine much again today my objective is to complete the course in 15 hours aiming to arrive at around 8:00 p.m. it'll be tough but at the moment I'm on track to meet that [Applause] Target all right so we've done the full loop now heading back to the E station and then uh heading to the out and back section pretty beautiful incredible yeah good good good beautiful out there really amazing wow had to take a few stops to take a few pictures cuz it's worth it you'll cut right see you'll see turn and which way do we go when we get up there there's a someone will tell you to go right cool thanks have a good one thank you wow what a beautiful sunrise this is what we come here for for these incredible views wow do some mental pictures [Music] beautiful on this section I meet Kevin a follower of my YouTube channel it's great to connect with like-minded individual uals and share our respective stories and Journeys in this incredible location our shared passion for adventure unites us into a close-nit community grounded in authentic sound values in a world that seems to have lost touch with them we also meet Scott in another Runner along the way as the sun blesses us with its soft golden Rays this gentle light casts a warm glow Illuminating the landscape and bringing out the full Splendor of Colorado's Beauty the mountains and valleys come alive with vibrant colors and the Serene Ambience creates a moment of pure magic connecting us even deeper to the journey we're on this golden hour transforms the trail into a path of Wonder reminding us of the extraordinary world we are privileged to explore [Music] wow what of you jeez this is what we come here for incredible sometimes we just need to take the time to appreciate these incredible gifts that uh nature bestows Upon Us incredible I arrive at the pizza Overlook 8 station it's 7:50 a.m. and we're 2 hours and 50 minutes into the the race this is another excellent eight station with fantastic volunteers I found myself running at a similar Pace as other Runners including Kevin and Scots forming a group that will likely be yo-yoing for the rest of the race what of you amazing beautiful look at that Colorado River amazing [Music] all right kilm 25 climbed around 600 m 3 hours in slightly behind my Pace Pro Plan but I set a very slow pace for the first half so with a bit of luck I can catch that up in the second half even if I go a bit slower than planned oh [Music] [Music] [Music] all right around kilm 30 next a Station 3 hours 39 minutes so feel my quads though not easy water electrolytes okay fantastic thanks a lot you have a good one I arrive at The Crossroads 8 station the volunteers are great they immediately help us with filling up our flasks as we arrive as good as a support crew I don't recall this happening during my European races here I meet a French staff member who lives very close to where I used to live in Switzerland The Knack team is excellent at the Sade station providing all their products and helping me fill my flasks with a perfect mix of knack powder Knack is one of my go-to brands for ultra running I usually combine it with the french-based bow brand but unfortunately they don't ship to the Bahamas despite this the knag products have performed wonderfully today as a technical partner of UTMB their presence is crucial for this race simultaneously at the trail head the organizers are doing a fantastic job of feeding and entertaining both Runners and Spectators the pancake stand is a resounding success with the volunteers High Spirits infusing energy into the food and the atmosphere please all right heading out of the eight station can feel the heat already climbing this afternoon is going to be super hot I think so it's going to get even [Music] tougher as I progress through the Colorado's majest IC scenery a wave of gratitude engulfs me I could never have imagined running here a year ago I was still living in Switzerland running the Jura and Alps in preparation for UTMB today my life has completely changed we left behind my mom sister friends and the mountains to embrace a challenge that has made us grow my children have especially benefited from this adventure despite their fear of leaving the familiar they embraced uncertainty stepped out of their comfort zone and adapted to their new environment and grew in the process this embodies the philosophy of the hero's journey that ultr running represents life is the [Music] adventure all right kiler 41.3 climbed around 1,000 M getting pretty hot reaching the next a station now [Music] we're now at the Salt Creek 8 station at Mile 25 at this point I'm dying of thirst I take the opportunity to rehydrate massively as the heat becomes a real issue I drink a liter of water before my thirst is finally quenched I'm much go ahead and have the SE I don't recommend thanks guys heading out of the E station getting really hot now kiler 42 so getting close to ultra territory feel my quads though not easy beautiful beautiful beautiful surroundings jeez it's hot now we Kevin here from Denver yeah crushing it as well huh yeah it's pretty warm now yeah we're uh a little bit past the marathon now so that's right yeah that's what I was just saying entering Ultra territory right yeah yeah man so get to that 50k Mark and then uh just keep crushing for the last 50k so yeah I think I'm going to go slower and slower this right but uh hey we'll get it done progress possibly getting closer to the pain kilm 48 more or less it's getting really tough now not easy Oh my legs are aching it's F have kind of eight I haven't even experienced a new tmb so that shows the different type of training uh not really helping me hey we're halfway now and 50 6 hours 38 1,150 M climbed I finally reached the rabbit Valley ID station at around mile 32 I stock up in food and fluids here this is why I can also access my drop bag and decide to completely change my clothes to see if it can turn my race around the only things I keep are my shoes and sleeves which are saving me from sunburn it's just at the halfway uh eight station it's 12:30 7 hours 30 minutes in yeah I don't think I'll be doing my 15h hour cut off anyway here we are changed everything you hat as well should keep me nice and uh fresh the Haw tecton 2 are doing great and therefore I decide to keep them on rather than change into the speed [Music] [Music] gos cool rock formations we don't have that in the offs very [Music] nice all right running into a very tough patch now it's getting way too hot to run my qus they're killing me kilm 58 8 hours in 1,200 M climb it's going to be a grind I'm definitely not going to make my 50 [Music] after a long stretch we finally cross into Utah and reach the Western rade station the longest section of the race lies ahead of us right in the hottest part of the day it's now 1:46 p.m. and we Face nearly 10 miles with only a liter of water I regret not bringing the camel back to carry an extra liter for this stint down to the left all right thanks off we go like 15K to the next aid station so I think I'll be walking most of the way this heat is deadly take it nice and easy no need to push it [Music] amazing views jeez incredible rock formations we don't have that back in Europe and we certainly don't have it in [Music] [Music] nasle feel like a genuine desert WRA now but it's awesome great course beautiful beautiful beautiful scenery just loving it really so great just suffering well that's what we came here for the pain cave [Music] [Applause] [Music] despite the difficult patch I'm going through I'm thoroughly enjoying these views which is so different from what I see daily in the Bahamas while the Bahamas po beautiful Waters and beaches perfect for sea enthusiasts it's a different story for trail Runners there are zero Trails so all my training was on roads with limited safe roads and few sidewalks my training was confined to just a couple of courses making it extremely monotonous additionally due to the Heat in the Bahamas I have to run in the dark at 5:00 a.m. further limiting what I see during my runs despite my heat training today is difficult being here is light years away from my daily routine making today's experience even more valuable [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the younger ones are more dangerous wow kind of cool yeah very cool thanks for showing me I'm glad I'm seeing it in that state though yeah exactly baby rattlesnake Apparently one of the most uh venomous so cool that's what you see in Colorado oh pretty epic views need to sit down now [Music] dead it's tough kilometer 72 1,500 m c [Applause] [Music] toast all right kilm 75 1,600 m d plus 11 hours 16 minutes my stomach is not happy haven't had any shade whatsoever all day I'm deep in the pain cave now the intense heat has completely thrown me off forcing me to ration my water the Relentless sun is merciless making me question whether my training was adequate or if it's the starkly different environment that's affecting me the most regardless quitting isn't an option dedication determination and discipline will Propel me to the Finish finally arriving at a Nate station after a full loop have a good rest there I think my commitment to this goal surpasses everything else I must complete this journey yet I'm aware that the hardest challenges still lie ahead with 25 km remaining this will be a grueling Long Haul [Music] as always in ultr running when you think you're out of energy the soul infuses you with additional strength the power of the human spirit is amazing we have the capability to pull out the best in ourselves when driven by something bigger than us something that holds more value than the cost of the pain endured during a difficult challenge km 80 1,660 M climbed 12 hours 20 game it's really tough first a bit cooler my stomach is horrible first shade of the day on the other side of that pain is growth this is part of the hero's journey an archetype we all believe in often unknowingly because it's deeply ingrained in our DNA we feel the need to confront the dragon a metaphor for what we fear or avoid because it's too difficult as the great Swiss psychiatrist KL Yung put it there is no coming to Consciousness without pain people will do anything no matter how absurd in order to avoid facing their own soul one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness [Music] conscious I'm having uh UTMB hallucinations I wasn't the a station damn it it was the AG station it was just behind I make it back to the rabbit Valley Eight station I'm once more in a tough patch this time I don't spend much time at the eight station in the hopes of reducing my Gap right see you later buddy cheers have fun see you guys have a good one see you got got it thanks good job see you off weio great aid station this one great people [Applause] such a great atmosphere in this place uh really the volunteers are incredible such a support really friendly and uh yeah they gave me that extra energy that was really cool beautiful beautiful people beautiful Colorado lifts the spirits I tried to alternate jogging and walking but even jogging is becoming a challenge all right kilm 87 with 1,800 m d plus Sun is setting not [Music] [Music] easy kilm 90 10 to go doesn't sound like much but it's going to take me a while I'm walking walk walking and walking I need to sit down I'm [Music] toast jeez need a break kilm 92 just watching the uh sunsets hey guys bud hey man so here we are with Scott kilometer kilometer 92 92 we're out here we're we're finishing now it hasn't been my day but yeah we're we're gring it out now yeah but you did great man like totally turn it around yeah between the moment you were like throwing up and now you're like running down that was crushing it that was the third time today oh wow yeah jeez so we're uh time goals are gone oh yeah mine too y we've uh Fallen back to my old running partner we're going to carry ourselves through the end here fantastic and uh we're going to collect some running stones and just like that Knight throws its dark Veil over Colorado it's a welcome respite from the scorching heat of the sun's Rays as the light Fades I prepare to take out my headlamp once more despite my hope that I wouldn't need it again today all right I think I'm arriving at the last aid station finally and then I think it's about 8 km to the Finish deadly nope wasn't the flags there's some uh trees oh my [Music] God I finally make it back to the Salt Creek aid station just another 5 miles from here but on a pretty technical section down to the river bank and then back up in the night this is going to be tough pulling myself together all right so we on the last uh 7.5 km now finally getting there but uh I'm toast toast toast toast that heat really got the better of me there's something about the night that makes it special the world settles into peace everything slows down the sounds the sense they all change it's as if nature sweeps us into to a different realm a place where our thoughts become clearer maybe we need the darkness to truly see what's important the brightest light that guides us we're all on a journey driven by something deep within us we might not always know why but we know where we're going on this adventure we Face dragons that attempt to stop our progress often this Dragon lies deep within ourselves every day we have a choice to follow the easy path to short-term pleasure without fulfillments nor growth or take the more uncertain but adventurous route Guided by a dream that infuses profound enthusiasm where Discovery and growth beckon what we need the most is found where we least want to look how far to go got half oh thank God for that you got it you got it thank you our worst enemy is often ourselves we will never stop fearing things but we can grow more courageous and and that courage is built through overcoming self-initiated challenges Adventures I often hear about starting with our why my experience has taught me that the key is to start with where along that Journey you discover the why just like for myself I never really enjoyed running but I love the adventure Ultra races became my adventure filled with emotions and discoveries that I don't get from everyday life this was a very very tough race I think I went out too fast and I smoked my legs I've been suffering with the quads since uh early in the race should have gone slower sharing these Adventures inspiring others this is what drives me this journey started with a dream about UTMB imagination makes the unthinkable a possibility and the Soul makes it a reality I made [Music] it thanks [Music] [Applause] [Music] man 100 km and you've done it