A typical July day in the UAE is akin to playing, working and training in a pre-heated oven with little or no respite from the incessant high temps and humidity.So post Nepal, I returned to Dubai for little over a week before escaping again – this time, to the marvelous crisp, alpine air of the French Alps.
The plan? Fly to Zurich, hop over to Geneva, meet my old Dubai training buddy and dear friend, Veronica Rivera, hire a car, try not to get lost before leaving the confines of the airport, drive to Val D’Isere, stay in a bijou hotel, talk non-stop, eat fab food, drink fine wine and run a little race called the Ice Trail; … well, I perhaps exaggerate when I say ‘little’. Starting and finishing at altitude, over 65km of very technical terrain and over a 5,000m ascent never mind the biting cold of the glacier, renders it far from a walk in the park.‘But,’ I thought, ‘how hard can it really be, especially when surrounded by hordes of cute French men?!’
The reality? We had a marvelous weekend as expected, but the race was astronomically brutal.
This year was only the second event so we could find little info about it beforehand. The website was in French, as was the briefing, and despite my having once been fluent, technical jargon combined with being far too rusty these days, meant that little was absorbed from either.
On the morning of the race, we rose at 2:30a.m. and got to the race start in time for the 4a.m. gun. Then began what we anticipated would be a nine-hour race. How little did we know! The first big ascent 
took us from ValD’Isere all the way to the top of the Grand Motte, the highest point for skiers in the area. It was tough from the start so needless to say, we were drenched in sweat and when we then hit the glacier, everything froze, as did we… our water, snacks, clothing, every bone in our shivering bodies.Just putting on my Yak Traks took nearly half an hour as I had no sensation in my fingers. The snow was knee-deep in sections, the visibility less than a metre, temperatures of up to -18c and the snowstorms relentless.
Unfortunately, Veronica was taken off the course with onset hypothermia. It all seemed a far cry from the prevailing temps of the desert.
Perhaps in hindsight, we should have taken a hint from the very name of the race?!
There followed hours and hours of mammoth mountains and possibly the most technical terrain I have ever encountered. 250 started the full distance and less than 140 finished. My predicted time turned out to be five hours short – I took 14 hours in the end, yet I still got the third spot on the podium.
We chatted afterwards about our greatest takeaway from the race and decided it was this: RESEARCH. Research, research, research!
Had we known just how tough the conditions would have been and how technical the terrain, we would have made very different kit choices. I had done my usual and spent more time ensuring my ‘all in’ gear was perfectly colour-coordinated in place of considering its technical specifications.
Likewise, whether you’re a skier or a climber, a runner of a cyclist, a water baby or an adventure racer, reading and registering via the website is just one part of the equation.
Digging up previous race reports and searching for past competitor blog posts, viewing image galleries and checking out race forums or social media pages, all will leave you with a good, solid idea of what to expect and how best to prepare. I know I get emails all the time via wwww.fitchicksandfastwomen.com from runners asking questions about races I’ve done, and I consider a comprehensive reply as my contribution to the ever-growing global running community.
The aftermath? As I type this, I am surrounded by scented lavender and glorious vines on the lawns of the beautiful Chateau Rigaud in Bordeaux. There is nothing like a bit of post-adventure R&R and as I’ve often said, rest and relaxation is all the more rewarding when preceded with a bit of hard work. Having said that, when holidaying with the Leckie family, there’s never a quiet moment to be found!I’ve escaped for a few fabulous runs amongst the perfectly-pruned vines and the never-ending fields of sunflowers which have made the Ice
The trail seem nothing like a far distant memory already.The sense of achievement that only pushing yourself to new limits can bring. Priceless!
Happy holidays wherever they may find you.
Love Tori x
Published in August 2012
