As more than 9,000 runners prepare for Bristol’s Half Marathon this Sunday, high in the Italian Alps Travel Editor ANNE GORRINGE is hiking across a mountain pass to watch the start of the WORLD’s LONGEST ENDURANCE ULTRA-TRAIL….
Anyone about to take part in Bristol’s 23rd event should spare a thought for the 500 competitors currently making their way to Courmayeur, Italy.
They’ll also be setting off on Sunday morning but, when Bristol race-goers cross the finish line after completing the 21k route, competitors in the Italian ultra-trail endurance race will STILL have more than 300k to go! No, that’s not a misprint.
More than 500 runners from 22 countries will be aiming to complete the 330k ‘Tor des Geants’ track around the Aosta Valley in less than 150 hours of racing. In less than a week they’ll make their way into the heart of Europe’s tallest peaks, climbing a total of 24,000m!
And I’ll be there at the starting line to cheer them off – if I make it! Over the next two days, I’m trekking further than I’ve ever walked, along the Arp du Jeu – led by a mountain guide. I’ll be carrying everything to stay in a mountain hut overnight on Friday evening, having first climbed first up… and then down nearly 1,000m! It’s a trip aimed at giving me a little taste of some terain – and the stunning scenery – the mountains runners will face. Only trouble is, my fellow walkers ALL seem to list ‘marathon running’ as their hobby, so I feel a little out of their league…
On Saturday morning, my guide will take us on a path that runs alongside Mount Blanc before descending towards Courmayeur. There, I’ll meet the competitors and get a well-earned rest before standing on the ‘start-line’ on Sunday morning.
Naturally, I’ll be cheering the British runners and hoping that, back in Bristol, our local competitors do well.
The Bristol Half Marathon is now one of the UK's leading road races, and one of the biggest. Runners race through the historic part of the city and then get a chance to admire the fabulous views from the Harbourside. The event also raises considerable amounts of money for local and national charities, mainly through sponsorship.
Last year local girl Claire Hallissey was the first woman past the post and retained her title. But it’s been a long time since we had two local winners. In 1990, men’s winner was Wayne Buxton (Bristol AC in 1:11:22) while first place in the women’s section was Zina Marchant (City of Bath, 1:18:47).
A bit different from the Avon Gorge… a runner in action in last year’s Tor des Geants endurance race in the Aosta Valley, Italy. Pictures courtesy of the Tor des Geants race.
FACTS
- For information on the Aosta region visit www.aosta-valley.co.uk
- For details of the World’s longest endurance ultra-trail, the Tor des Geant – go to www.tordesgeants.it
