Running in the Alps has been a goal of mine since I started running after TransRockies. I’ve had this beat-up ‘Run The Alps’ postcard pinned to our calendar cork board for years. Laced with holes and now faded, it’s a silent reminder that despite children and other life happenings, there’s still this thing I’d like to do… a big thing.

This year starts the long official journey towards Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB). It’s a personal journey- undoubtedly, there will be long solo training runs with personal trials and tribulations to face- but it’s a group effort as well. Five of my amazing running friends from Concord, NH have taken on this challenge. Together as team, Run Free NH, we’ll tackle this beast of an event together in 2020.

Me

Kate

Mike S.

Mike P.

Krissy & Julianne

The plan is to gain qualifying points this year and next; we’ll need 15 accumulated points in no more than 3 races over the next two years. After a few group meetings and logistical hashing sessions, it seems that everyone is onboard for one 50 mile race this fall (4 points), followed by two longer races in 2019. Once we have our points in order, we’ll apply for the UTMB LOTTERY in December 2019 and hope that we’re randomly drawn to compete in the late Aug 2020 UTMB event.

In 2017 UTMB had 5575 people apply for the lottery;  the race is maxed out at 2300. Yikes. There’s a significant amount of training and racing that happens in preparation of UTMB, but it all comes down to the luck of the draw.

According to the UTMB website, the race draws 3% of its runners from the USA. We’ll be competing with athletes from around the globe: France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Japan, China, Belgium… and so many others. Only about 9.5% of the race is made up of women. (Should we get in, team Run Free NH hopes to bring four women and two men to the start line: Kate Fleming, Julianne Gadoury, Krissy Moses, Mike Schowalter, Mike Perkins, and myself.) With significant others by our sides (and family lined up to care for little ones at home) we’ll travel to the start line in Chamonix, France alongside almost 10,000 other runners- each competing in one of five distances.

Our event, the 100 mile option, will take us around Mont Blanc, with over 32,000 feet of elevation gain, through France, Italy, and Switzerland. The race is to be completed in less then 46 1/2 hours, with the elite winners finishing in just under 21 1/2 hours. We got this!

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I feel as though I’m starting over as a runner with such a big goal in mind- being just seven months postpartum. But it’s SO good to get back out there and ease into some miles. Rarely do I get out without the kids so I keep reminding myself that pushing two children in the Chariot is a solid 75+ pounds of resistance; it’s certainly training. Slow and steady will get us there. All of us.

This is a journey… and a really, really exciting adventure.

Training Buddies. XO.