Racing in Finland
My Nuts Pallas "Went (Not So) Well" List
The real reason
Let me start this Das Z Letter with a disclaimer. I will be writing voluptuously about my 37 km Nuts Pallas race, while the actual reason my wife Lisa and me came here was her race, not mine.
Lisa has been in love with Nuts Pallas ever since 2016, when she raced it for the first time and always wanted to come back, one day. While looking for a Western States 100 qualifying race, the idea struck to choose the 100 km distance at Nuts Pallas for it.
Said. And done.
Despite not being optimally prepared, euphemistically speaking, Lisa raced brave and strong. She came in 4th and got her Western States 100 lottery ticket with a time of 15:01h for roughly 105 km and 3000 m of altitude gain.
I will forever be awed by her immense ultrarunning capabilities. Lisa has what it takes. The experience, the mental strength and, more than anything, the heart. Watching her racing long distances is pure inspiration.
Hello Scandinavia
Before we pitched our tents near Äkäslompolo in the Finish lapland region for the Nuts Pallas race, we spent a few days in Norway. We were located in a tiny house at a remote fjord, ca. 1.5 hours away from Tromsö. And we loved everything about it. The level of relaxation and recreation and how quickly both hit, was mind-blowing. One of the most wonderful holidays we ever spent.
Racing Nuts Pallas
Lisa’s race start was Friday night at 00:00h. As you might know, there is no “night” in northern Scandinavia in summer. A big advantage for ultrarunners who hate running in the dark, but a real horror-trip for the circadian rhythm. After I dropped Lisa off at the start in Pallas, I drove back to our crib and tried my best to catch some sleep. My race was on the next day at noon.
Nuts Pallas offers are wide range of running distances from 300 km to 15 km. I went for the 37 km distance with an altitude gain of 1200 D+. It looked very doable on paper and my coach and I were convinced this race would not undermine my slowly but constantly building up training for Sierre Zinal. The only A-race I have listed for 2023.
Breakfast, coffee, more coffee and a 15-minute car ride to the start in Äkäslompolo. Then the race was on. Here’s my honest assessment.
Went well
Finland. This country has a uniquely low-key, peaceful, and vey kind vibe. People treat each other with great respect and amicably. Yet still, personal spaces and private spheres are highly respected. I had a similar experience in Sweden last year, but this type of life together suits me extremely well.
Nuts Pallas. Despite the attitude of the “no pain, no gain” main sponsor, the race was very laid-back and easy going. No elbow-fights in the starting block, no grim faces, no quarrels over food and water at aid stations, no “oh you took a wrong turn? Well, that’s your problem, then”. Sure, there was ambition in the air, and the top finisher of each distance were definitely able to compete on an international level. But everything felt very calm and pleasant. Just like Finland itself.
Racecourse. Let me be clear about this. I love the mountains. Climbing to 2000 or 2500 meters, over grasslands and through the woods, then passing the tree line, making my way through rocks and boulders, running over ridges, reaching mountains tops… That’s my way of trail running. Well, this is not norther Finland. The racecourse went over endless stretches of pristine rolling terrain, very dry and soft forest soil, much more technical that I had expected it from a flat’ish race. The two climbs of the course were extremely steep and had no mountain paths. Runners had to work themselves through a sea of rocks, hoping they hit the right one for a stable stand. Sceneries changed quickly, from rocky dirt roads over endless wood panels to narrow sandy paths. One particularly bizarre section led us through a local heritage museum, which caused great confusion among most runners, including me. In total, it was a very diversified racecourse in an absolutely stunning and one-of-a-kind environment.
Finishing. This might sound odd to some of you, but to me, the sheer act of bringing a race to an end is a great sense of achievement in itself. It is completely detached from pre- and mid-race expectations and the actual outcome. A triumph no one can take away from you. Not even yourself.
Falling. I fell on my face. You might expect this bullet in the “Went not so well”-list down below, but I believe it was a good thing. You must know that I fall only every 2-3 years. It’s a rare occasion, so I regarded this crash as some kind of practice. Moreover, I didn’t get hurt.
Fueling. Although I couldn’t consume any real foods, I stayed strong on the Maurten battle front. I consumed 2x 500ml Maurten 320 (that’s roughly an equivalent of 2x 3.5 gels) and 1x 500ml Maurten 160 (1.5 gels). On top, I hoped that 2 Maurten caffeine gels would awaken my spirits for the last third of the race, but nothing kicks like real coffee and that was not available. Either way, fueling was at the top end of what I need for a 4h run.
The end of my injury. Almost 4 months after I got injured, I, for the first time, was absolutely convinced, that my injury had completely healed. It probably already did so weeks ago, but I never fully trusted my body.
Doing hard things. The race was much (!) harder than I expected. And I wasn’t even supposed to race it, but rather regard it as a nice Saturday long run. Well, if all my long runs felt like this, I would probably quit running for good. I can’t say for sure why this race demanded so much from me, but after finishing it I can clearly say that I am thankful for the experience. Doing hard things should never feel routined. If it does, it’s not doing hard things anymore.
Went not so well
Being German. Se Germans were the only runners who carried all the mandatory equipment. From start to finish. I had a combat pack on my back as if I were about to run UTMB. Pretty much over the top for a 37 km race. But rules, are rules and se Germans are se Germans.
Cramps. Cramped at the finish line, despite being smart and taking 2 salt pills. Telling from the salt stains on my cap, this obviously wasn’t enough. Need to figure this out, once.
Wrong shoes. I was wearing heavy trail shoes made for long-distance Ultra-Trail Marathons. In fact, it was the shoe I ran Western States 100 in. It was far too heavy for running 5:00 kilometer splits on the flats, despite the demanding ground. Lisa and I love to travel with hand luggage, so I only had this pair of shoes with me.
Trust issues. My coach Karim asked me to regard this race as a medium effort long run. He suggested I start with a 4/10 effort and then work myself up to a 6/10 effort. The first part went according to plan, but once I mastered the first climb in the middle of the race, I could not push myself anymore. I settled in a more or less comfortable “forever pace” which would have been perfect for a 50-Miler or 100k-race, but not a 37 km shortie. But even worse, I was unhappy with my decision to back down. It kicked off a mental downward spiral in my head in the vein of:
“Every time it gets hard, you just can’t push yourself. Why are you racing at all?”.
Fell on my face shortly after, though. A nice wake-up call and abrupt ending of my negative thoughts. I was ok. My effort was ok. My pace was ok. Nuts Pallas is not the Tour de France and I didn’t come here to win. As if I could...
The Bottom Line
I am glad I came to Finland. I am glad I raced. And I am glad how everything turned out in the end. I could not wish for more from a holiday.
Look at this
Everything not Running
“Why do you write in English?”
I get this question asked a lot. My short answer always is:
“Because that’s what naturally comes out of my pen (aka keyboard).”
I always felt very comfortable with the English language. This dates back to a time, when I couldn’t even speak English yet. As a 10-year-old, I transcribed the song texts of my favorite band, Bad Religion, into phonetic spelling to be able to sing along.
Besides English lyrics, I always loved English literature, English movies and even a bit of English poetry. One of the many reasons why I ended up studying American Cultural Science. It was definitely not because of the great career opportunities this degree program entails.
When I write, I pay great attention to the melody and rhythm of the words I use. In general, the English language is much better “sounding” than German, for example. And although the German vocabulary is almost twice as big as the English one, I still very often lack of the perfect word to bring my point across beautifully.
I also try to be inclusive by writing in English. Almost everyone on this planet speaks English. Unfortunately, only a fraction of world citizens read my stuff, but I at least want to make it accessible to everyone.
So, I guess it’s a mix of cultural, phonetic and habitual reasons why most of my writing is in English. Either way, you’ll have to deal with it, or listen to the Sprachnachricht.
Sprachnachricht
Diese Woche brechen wir dummerweise mal wieder die 15-Minuten Schallmauer mit der SPRACHNACHRICHT. Es gab einfach zu viel zu berichten vom Nuts Pallas, ich hätte stundenlang weiter erzählen können. Bock rein zu hören? Entweder hier bei Substack, bei Apple Podcasts oder bei Spotify. Abonnieren nicht vergessen.
Toll zu lesen - wie immer!
I had never heard of this ultra. Thanks for your report and good job finishing!