Maintal – Ultratrail (MTUT) 2016

The third annual running of the Maintal–Ultratrail knocked it out of the park!  24 September arrived with fog and low, but ideal temperatures, for an end of summer ultratrail event among the vineyards and trails of the Main River Valley.  As Saturday unfolded weather conditions simply could not have been better with warm temperatures and lots of sunshine; ideal conditions for a phenomenal 65KM trail race through the Franconian Wine Country.

The course of the MTUT is a tasty mix of single track trail, farm, forest and vineyard paths.  No, there are no mountains in Franconia, but the MTUT’s 1690 meters (5544 feet) of elevation change are something to relish.  The course offers cracking single track downhill and some long pulls up that if you hit them just right the sun and elevation will work you over like a demanding mother-in-law.  The MTUT is no day at the spa friends!

I’m not certain how many runners actually started the 2016 MTUT.  There were however, eighty-five finishers.  The finishers were split between twenty women and sixty-five men.  Of the women, Silke Kiel took first place with a finish in 7:31:19.  Among the men, Patrick Gensel took first place in 5:57:54.  It was refreshing to see this turn out of female runners!

I was fortunate enough to tag along with two friends over much of the MTUT.  Saturday morning I joined Andreas and Harald who had camped the night prior in Veitshoechheim.  We started and finished the day laughing.  Harald traditionally starts each of his races as the last place starter and works his way back up through the running field.  The thought of this brings the Talking Heads song “Psycho Killer” to mind.  What a mind trip for both Harald and the runners he passes.  Andreas and I started together with me serving as a boat anchor for him throughout.  Yep, he’s much faster than I and other than my good looks and being such a good conversationalist I’m not certain why he hung with me throughout the day.

Of course Harald caught up with us just shy of the last Aid Station!  “Psycho Killer” is playing in my head again!  We continued our odyssey together for the rest of the race coming in thirty-third.

 (Always mindful of the time!!!!)

At the finish line we were each greeted with an ice cold alcohol free Hefeweissen.  Wow!  That hit the spot!  As you might imagine the spot was rather deep and we spent the next couple of hours relaxing on the green behind the finish line drinking Weissen, eating grapes and cake and enjoying the afternoon.        

The MTUT Race Headquarters, start and finish are all located at the Veitshoechheim Sport Club.  The facilities are simple, but very adequate with plenty (this is important) of toilets and lots of grass to hang out on and drink beer after the race.

I’ve heard that the MTUT may shift its run date from September to mid-July.  For what it’s worth, my vote is to leave the MTUT at the second to last Saturday in September.  The weather is generally wonderful during this time of year, grapes are in harvest and there are very few other events of this magnitude during this timeframe.  A shift to July brings the threat of much higher temperatures as well as, surprisingly, more chances of rain.

Big thanks to Thomas Gumpert (RD) and his entire team for such a challenging, yet rewarding event.  The volunteers and supporters were exceptional throughout the event.  You all put on a sensational race.  I look forward to enjoying the MTUT again.

Dancing with Witches - Hexentanz 2016

April 2016 found me running another event in the Hexenstieg series of ultra/endurance events.  After completing the 216KM Hexenstieg after a number of previous runnings in 2015 I decided to give the Hexenstieg’s little brother, the Hexentanz or Witch’s Dance a go this year.  A 100KM distance is a good building block as you into the running season – you would think.

Yes, you would think…  What’s 100KM?  It’s 61 miles.  Comparing it to other 100KMs events that I’ve participated in one would think that, although certainly not a give away or a speed event, it would be one that “would be a good training event along the way”.  Surprise!  We should have known better.  Michael Frenz (RD) always has something up his sleeve during each of the fantastic events he hosts throughout the year, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

On 22 April I traveled to Osterode am Harz.  With a quick stop in Goettingen at the Anstalt for a coffee and surprise starter bag the trip was fun and easy.  I got into Osterode in the early evening and joined my roommate and running partner Lutz.  As in past years, the headquarters for the Hexen Events was located at the Hotel Harzer Hof.  The Hotel Harzer Hof is rated as a simple three star location.  In my mind, Stephan, the owner/operator and his team merit five stars.  The entire Harzer Hof team bent over backwards to cater to this series of events and their guests.  Top notch! 

Race check in was well organized, quick and easy.  After getting checked in I spent some time catching up with Lutz and organized my kit for the race the following morning.  That evening Stephan served a delicious buffet meal catering to vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. 

Saturday morning arrived overcast and slightly cooler compared to the previous beautiful spring day on Friday.  At about eight we boarded a bus to make the trip to the Sport Center in Thale from where we were to start.  When we arrived in Thale thirty-six of us lined up, had a quick photo made and then headed off for our adventure into the Harz.

Lutz and I had decided to “go easy” at this ultra and to use it as a training event.  Like in so many races the herd is nervous and racers shot past us.  No real worries there from my side as we’d see many of them again over the course of the next twenty or so hours.

The first leg of the Hexentanz took us up and over the Hexenztanzplatz.  From here we coursed back down into the Bode Gorge and our first aid station (VP) in Treseburg at 11KM.

Lutz grabbed an apple and we were on our way again to the town of Hasselfelde.  Over the last couple of years we have made a bakery in a grocery store our VP.  Saturday morning we stopped and had a sandwich and coffee.  Our race was largely uneventful from Hasselfelde to Koenigshuette.  It was not until slightly after Koenigshuette that I made our first orienteering error.  Oh, have I not mentioned that the races courses of the Hexen series are not marked?  You are required to make your way using either a map and compass or GPS.  By and large the course is relatively easy to follow as 80 – 90% of it follows the Hexenstieg Hiking Trail which is very well marked.

It’s the other 10-20% that is challenging and you had better be paying attention.  My trouble on Saturday was that I was following an old track from the previous year’s event on my GPS.  The trail split in three directions at one point and without really looking I put us on the wrong route headed into the Sachshau.  Lutz and I remained comfortable as we’d run here on three previous occasions.  It wasn’t long though that he got concerned.  Following the old track I was convinced that we were traveling in the right direction.  Lutz was less certain, but was somehow certain that his GPS was in error to the point that he stopped and started it a couple of times and even changed the batteries.  After a kilometer or so we decided to double back and retrace our route to the intersection where fortunately I found my error and we got back onto the right track.  After coursing for about 46KM we arrived at the Hotel Grüne Tanne VP where we both re-stocked our water supply and had a plate of pasta.

A curious thing occurred at the Hotel Grüne Tanne VP.  We arrived to find a large group of runners that were not in front of us previously.  I certainly don’t want to accuse anyone of cheating, but we were not misoriented to the point that we were actually in the last position of the racing field.  All I’ll say is that there are opportunities to cut the course short particularly between Koenigshuette and the Hotel Grüne Tanne.  There are signs that direct you in that direction…  This would not be the last time that we’d experience some apparent short cuts taken by multiple other runners.

All the same…  After enjoying a bit of pasta Lutz and I headed back out onto the course and a track that we had not run in previous years.  From the Hotel Grüne Tanne the course bears down on Elend.  Oh Elend…  Like so many words “Elend” means so many things.  On the surface it’s a village in Saxon-Anhalt.  On the other side it actually means misery and that was just where we were headed.

From Elend we began our trek up.  First up and over the mysterious Mauseklippe.  And then gradually towards the Wurmberg.  My hat’s off to Michael and this new leg of the course.  It was as Tim Scott would say, “very runnable”.

I had seen the Wurmberg from the Brocken on a number of occasions, but did not really have a view to how impressive it really is.  Coursing out from the woods we arrived at the base of the Wurmberg and stopped in our tracks.  That damn Michael!  This is the treat he had waiting for us.

From the Wurmberg we made our way to Braunlage.  Trekking this portion of the route was relatively straight forward as we moved over ski runs and forest trails.  At Sankt Andreasberg it began to ever so slightly snow on us.  Evening was setting in and the Harz was certain not to disappoint.

From Sankt Andreasberg we made our way to one of my favorite places along this course, the Oderteiche.  This year the lakes had been drained as one of the dams had a gap in it and this hole had been recently replaced.  From the Oderteiche we coursed back up again to the Wolfswarte.  The Wolfswarte holds a special place in my spirit. First, it is such a badass name for a place and second, it’s actually a badass place at 918m.  Here your mind wanders and leads you down dark paths to things old and pagan.  Given it’s environs you can feel a deep draw to something darker.  A perfect place to celebrate Walpurgisnacht.   

On the Wolfswarte we met up with Wolfgang who was curiously climbing around in the dark on the very top of the Wolfswarte.  Although there is no VP here, racers must find and use the Hexenstieg Hiking Trail stamp to confirm that you were actually here.

Wolfgang’s battery had died on his GPS and he did not have a compass or map and was slightly misoriented.  He asked if he could tag along with us over the remainder of the course and with no objections from Lutz or I our racing party grew to three.

On the backside of the Wolfswarte we were able to pick up our pace on the trail that runs like an autobahn and gained almost an hour ahead of our estimated time of arrival in Altenau Bergstadt.  In Altenau we stopped at the VP to re-supply drinks and pleasantly surprised to find some open faced sandwiches and other delicious goodies.

If you’ve followed my previous reports on the Hexenstieg you know what comes after Altenau and that’s the long (7 KM) VERY straight and very mentally challenging ghost rail line to Claustal-Zellerfeld.  I was glad to travel along this route with Lutz and Wolfgang as our conversations kept my mind awake and active.

We paused only briefly in Claustal-Zellerfeld and Jens’ VP.  Long enough to have a cup of coffee and then to head back out into the cold of a early Sunday morning.  We were able to again gain some time by running between Claustal-Zellerfeld and Kuckholzklippe.  After coming off of the Kuckholzklippe we again got very misoriented, first by running down a couple of hundred meters of elevation while following the hiking trail and then by going back up past where we should have made a left hand turn.  Damn GPS!  We made this time back up again running along the ridgeline of the Langenberg.  At about kilometer 105 (the Hexentanz is actually measured at 109KM for a 100KM event) we knew that we had this dance in the bag.  From here it was easy going through Freiheit into Osterode and the finish line.  At the finish a quick check of my GPS revealed that instead of 100KM Lutz and I actually covered 112KM.  What’s a few additional kilometers?

My 2016 Hexentanz take-aways…  Michael – I’ll be back.  Michael Frenz puts on superb events.  The starting field for the Hexenstieg and Hexentanz was made up of 28 and 36 starters.  A small, friendly group.  Of the 36 Hexentanz runners that started 31 finished.  A pretty darn good finishing average.  Key factors for a finish for an event like this are patience, hydration, nutrition and being able to orient over the long-haul.  Unlike previous years I feel like my nutrition was dialed in.  My choice of equipment and kit was spot on this year as well.  The weather was forecasted to be cold with rain.  Instead it was very cold with snow.  As I’ve said before, weather happens – it is neither good nor bad, it just is.  Waste no time and energy on lamenting about this and instead focus your energy on the aspects you can control like your clothes and gear.  The Harz is an amazing place filled with beautiful forests, mystery and folklore.  I’ll be back.

My race reports are not complete without a word about the volunteers and supporters.  As I mentioned above Stephan and his team at the Hotel Harzerhof are fantastic.  The volunteers that started and in some cases moved to a different/later VP were great.  Running an event like this would be much more difficult without you.  And, certainly, last but not least, a big thanks to my running partner Lutz.  You kept me moving forward.  I look forward to our next adventure.

Jägerstein - The Hunt for the Golden Stag 2013

The Jägerstein-Ultralauf is a season ending winter ultramarathon that runs 70 KM from Fröttstädt to the Schneekopf over approximately 2200 meters of local roads, forest paths and single track located within the Thüringen National Park.  The course objective is to reach the Jägerstein or Hunter’s Stone located at the top of the Schneekopf.  The Jägerstein itself is a memorial that records the legend of Caspar Greiner, his pursuit of the golden deer, and the hunting accident that occurred in 1690.

Over the past couple of years I have generally ended my running season with the Albmarathon in late October.  Beyond that date there are only a couple of quality events that occur prior to the start of the New Year.  In 2012 when Gunter Rothe and Michael Frenz announced that they were developing a jointly organized event I had hoped to join in.  Work and other requirements kept me away from this “deep snow” event in 2012.  So, when they announced that they were going to bring the Jägerstein-Ultralauf back in 2013 I jumped at the opportunity to run. 

On Friday the Thirteenth 2013 I left work around noon to travel to Fröttstädt to join up with forty-odd other runners at  the Rothe’s Icelandic Horse Hostel where we all were dining and overnighting.  I got into Fröttstädt just in time to find a bed and drop off my things, join in for the race briefing and have dinner.  Gunter and Sabine put together a great meal and evening for us.  They are both old hands at events of this nature having organized and run the ThüringenULTRA for years.  Michael is no Green Horn himself and delivered a well planned and detailed race briefing.

Friday evening we broke ourselves into two groups:  the fast group that would start at 0600 and the other fast group that would start at 0700.  I joined the fast group departing at 0600 as there were a number of people in this group that I know and had hoped to spend some time chatting with over the course of the race.  I was not to be disappointed.

Saturday morning came bright and early after spending most of the evening thinking I was working in a saw mill (a lot of snoring going on).  After a great breakfast again served by the team of Gunter and Sabine Rothe we lined up for our 0600 start. 

The initial kilometers of the Jägerstein course took us over familiar territory as we coursed out of Fröttstädt into the dark along the ThüringenULTRA race course.  Typical for an event of this nature we initially either ran individually or in small clusters of one or two people.  This would prove helpful and change a bit over the course of the day as the Jägerstein course is not marked.  You must either be very familiar with the route, run with a GPS or tag along with someone that possesses one of the two previous talents or devices.  After running through the hills around and above Friedrichroda our little groups had settled into a group of approximately ten runners and would remain this way for most of the rest of the day.

The Jägerstein-Ultra is designed primarily as a self-supported event.  There are two rest stops along the course of the route.  If you’re considering giving this winter ultra a go be prepared to support yourself for stretches of up to 25 kilometers.  This self-support should include enough to drink and to sustain your energy level over varying terrain.  The two stations that were in place were superior!  Gunter’s experience with the ThüringenULTRA and his personal preferences as an ultramarathoner support what I call “Broadband” support.  The spectrum goes from plain old water to salty and sweet food, as well as caffeinated sodas, beer and warm soup and tea.  I felt pretty good at the first stop and really only focused on restocking my sodium and staying warm with several coups of soup.  When we got to the second stop at Wegscheide just east of Oberhof (49KM) I was famished.  It was great to chow down on liverwurst sandwiches, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken broth, soda and cookies!

From a running/fast packing perspective the Jägerstein-Ultra is a lot of fun.  The kilometers and elevation change did not really test me physically or more critically mentally, until we got just below the Schneekopf Michael “The Hexer” Frenz was obviously at work again when he picked the route up to the Schneekopf.  This phase initially saw our track blocked by downed trees, which appeared to be no big deal as we could just go cross country, but it was all UP!  After coursing almost straight up we met our trail again to find that it was now going to course through “Hell”.  Hell was a snow covered path that coursed over streams, rocks and other obstacles to our objective on top of the Schneekopf.  It was not for the faint of spirit.  I was relieved that I was not in one of my renowned ultra funks and that it was not dark as we made our way up this trail.  My hat is off to those that did so after darkness fell.  This leg of the course was a gut check.  

After summiting onto the Schneekopf and rallying around the Jägerstein we were met by Dirk Bernkopf of Thüringer Allgemeine newspaper.  Dirk took several nice pictures of our group and provided a great rundown of the 2013 Jägerstein-Ultra.

From the Jägerstein we made our way over to the Waldhotel Schmücke.  Michael and Gunter organized rooms and meals for all of the participants.  I didn’t spend the night at the Waldhotel; instead I hitched a ride back to Fröttstädt as I wanted to get a very early start back home on Sunday.  I did stay for post race beers and a super meal.  Transportation back to Fröttstädt was provided via bus on Sunday morning.

In summary, the Jägerstein-Ultra is a well organized winter ultra event.  Gunter and Sabine’s logistics support for the event are superb.  The race course is challenging at 70KM with 2200 meters (7217 feet) in elevation.  The race field is small and very friendly.  Count me for the 2014 Jägerstein-Ultra!

Alb Marathon 2013

Blue skies, mild temperatures, sunshine and a group of three hundred plus friends to run with through fifty kilometers of the Alb…  It’s difficult to get much better than that!  26 October 2013 saw the twenty-third running of the Sparkassen Alb Marathon in Schwäbisch Gmünd.  It was spectacular day. (And I just learned that I completed a personal best running 4:59:19!)  I look forward to running the Alb again in 2014!

 Race Headquarters and Check-in Area

A warm up into the Alb

The Alb

Two of the Three Kaiserberge now behind us...

The Ho Chi Minh Trail...  Found in the second half of the Alb Marathon led to my favorite leg of the course.

Great quads workout!

We're definitely not in Kansas anymore Toto...

Rocking with a band of drummers on the way to the finish line.  These guys were passionate about their music.  It was great to have them accompany us across the finish line.

No Go Barbarossa

Within my training plan for this summer I had registered, paid and trained for, der Hexer's Barbarossa Stage Race, 14 - 20 July.  Unfortunately, work is getting in the way of my plans and I will not be running.

The weather, route and plans are set.  The race briefing goes this evening and the runners set out on what I'm certain will be an incredible event tomorrow morning.  Best of luck to all of you!  Look forward to seeing you at Micha's next event or on a trail out there somewhere...

B2B

Had a great running weekend and thought I share several impressions from my travels.  Have recently started exploring the western half of the Schönbuch.  Really have had no what I've been missing out on until yesterday.  I was so motivated that I got in a 25KM yesterday and a 21KM this morning.

Have fun out there!

Thanks to Herr Peter Goebell and his excellent web site on monuments, fountains and history in the Schönbuch.  Denksteine im Naturpark Schönbuch.