Sierre-Zinal Epilogue
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly... and The Funny
Soooooo, that was Sierre-Zinal. I’m on my way back to Munich, with a quick stop in the beautiful city of Montreux to write this special Das Z Letter race recap in adequate scenery.
I could write in epic grandeur and biblical breadth about my experiences, but I will focus on the most noteworthy insights and pay tribute to the good old spaghetti western title “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” … and The Funny.
The Good
I had a call with my coach Karim the night before the race and besides some smart racing tips and tactics, he also said the following to me:
“Allow yourself a bit of freedom.”
These words really resonated with me. I can’t explain why, but even the next morning, they still endowed me with positive feelings and the right mindset. That’s why I took Karim’s words with me as a mantra and brought it back to my mind during the race quite often.
This mantra made me go about the first epic climb relaxed and with ease. Playfully working on the sweet spot between running and hiking.
It also allowed me to rush through aid stations without making any use of the catering. But also to take my time and go back to the basin and take another sponge.
My freedom-mantra allowed me to slow down when it was necessary, and to speed up when I felt like.
It made me fuel myself by feel, but plenty.
It provided the opportunity to chat with other runners, but also to duck my head, listen to heavy music and press on.
And for the last 3 kilometers of the race, this freedom, to me, meant hurting myself. I opened up my legs completely and hammered down the neck-break steep last downhill like I wasn’t even running anymore but surfing. In a cloud of dust, I passed dozens of runners in this final part and uprightly ran the last few hundred meters well below 4:00 min/km pace.
And hell, it hurt. But the good pain. The pain that many of us runners are looking for when they sign up for a demanding race. The pain which reveals that we are both physical, but also spiritual beings. It hurt, but I wanted it to hurt.
The greatest personal triumph lies in the bigger picture, though. I believe this was a perfect race execution. I cannot think of anything that I could have done better. Likewise, I can honestly say that this how I want to race. It’s smart, it’s joyful, it’s exciting, and it makes me feel strong and in control from start to finish. I am deeply thankful for this experience.
The Bad
Seven words:
I wish I would have been faster.
I was very surprised when I saw my time at the magnificent finish arch in Zinal. I didn’t check my watch during the race and went entirely by feel, as described above, but I would have bet real, hard-earned money that I will be faster than 4:40:27h. Simply because it felt so perfectly right, how I executed the race. And also in direct comparison to other more or less recent (trail) race results. I know it’s pointless to compare races with each other, especially those which take place in the mountains, but the overall conclusion for my Sierre-Zinal finish time can only be:
I was not as fit as I thought.
I know that talking about “being fast”, “being slow”, or “being fit” is a delicate topic. That’s why I herby clarify that I am solely speaking of my own expectations towards myself here. It has nothing to do with other runners or general standards. However, I want to be honest by saying that my finish time surprised me and, for a moment, even killed my vibe.
On my bus ride home, though, I became more lenient with me. Yes, I just wasn’t as fit as I hoped I would be. So, even with a perfectly executed race, I wasn’t moving fast enough to reach my goal time. Well, I didn’t even have a goal time, but it I had one, it would not have been 4:40h ;-)
That smiley at the end of the last sentence was honest, too. If I contrast the finish time with the absolutely amazing race experience, the latter prevails by far. And that makes me happy and thankful.
The Ugly
No race itself is ever perfect. It’s how you deal with problems that makes a perfect race. In my case, there’s been three things that really challenged my equanimity and calm.
The Heat
Hello heat, my old friend. Sierre-Zinal 2023 was a heat battle for sure. While the first climb was still below the tree line and mostly shady, the racecourse becomes extremely exposed, once you’re done with climbing. Western States has taught me to accept and respect the heat. It was a crucial part of my race reality that I recognized her, instead of demonizing or fighting her. On that day, the heat let me pass, and that’s all that matters.
“Stau!” (Translation: congestions)
I was allocated to the second starting wave, right after the elite block. I didn’t want to get carried away and start my race too fast, so I lined up at the very back of the starter pack. This turned out to be a mistake. Although the field of runners sorted itself on the first kilometer on a broad road, it immediately turned into one big traffic jam once we hit the single trails up to Beauregard. Whenever there was a narrow passage or particularly steep section, the whole pack stood still. This happened dozens of times before the field finally loosened up a bit. I kept my PMA by telling myself that I wanted to take the first climb easy. And standing still, right next to sitting down, is the prime version of taking things easy.
Altitude
I definitely underestimated the altitude of the race. Although 2000 to 2500 meters above sea level is far from being dangerous, it still makes you breathe really hard, especially if you run mostly flat at this altitude. At least if you haven’t trained it. It became harder and harder to retrieve and calibrate my well-balanced effort. Once again, I came up with a good mindset for this challenge, though.
“Get off this mountain as quickly as possible. It will get better the further down you are.”
It worked.
The Funny
What is the one item you must not forget, when you arrive at the start of a race? Ok, shoes would be a pretty terrible thing to forget. But right next to shoes? Exactly, your bib number. Especially when it also includes your timing chip and is your bus ticket back home after the race.
Well, I am the one runner who forgot to bring his bib number. Had to drive all the way back to my hotel, which was 15 km away from Sierre, in Sion, grab my forgotten item and then drive all the way back to Sierre. Meanwhile, all hell broke loose in traffic. Those 15 km took me almost an hour, and as a bonus, I didn’t get one of the high-demand parking places. Because I was much too late. Obviously.
Well, ultimately, I made it. 15 minutes before the start, I threw my drop bag on a random truck, hoping I will ever see it again, and did a few half-assed warm up strides. I also ran into Francesco Puppi. Remember? Right next to Daniela Oemus, the runner I was most cheering for at this year’s Sierre-Zinal line.up. I wished him a good race and watched the elite wave start off, before I entered my starting block. With my bib number proudly pinned on.
Bonus: 100 Meters of Glory
The “Sprint of Tignousa” was a true matter of honor for me. Right in the middle of the race, after 15 km of running and 1700 D+ of climbing to 2200 meters above sea level, the race organizers set up a special treat for the few and the brave. A gauged 100 m sprint distance with a separate timekeeping.
“Hold my sports drink.”
I made the 93rd place overall in that sprint. Faster than Kiriago Philemon Ombogo and Laukli Sophia, the winners of the race. But I doubt that many other runners went nuts on those 100 m, though. I still enjoyed it very much!
Everything not running
Just a quick note that traveling to Sierre-Zinal was very relaxed and unstressful. My premier car rental company finally added electric vehicles to their fleet, and I enjoyed my 6-hour-ride and a Tesla-styled Renault with all the luxury I could think of. It even operated the steering wheel for me.
But the true blessing in driving electric cars are the charging breaks. Stopping every 1.5 to 2 hours for a 20-minute-break makes traveling long distances extremely enjoyable. I wonder why I never did that with petrol-fueled cars in the past.
With that being said, the car is fully charged now, and I will wrap up this special Das Z Letter now and head back to Munich. Thank you all so much for reading this and joining my Sierre-Zinal excitement.
PS: All the wonderful photos in this Das Z Letter were taken by my best man Chris. He took on one hell of a motorbike ride, just to document my Sierre-Zinal race. I am forever thankful to call him my friend.
Sprachnachricht
Leicht verspätet, aber dafür mit viel Herz: Die Sprachnachricht zum Das Z Letter.
Sierre-Zinal is a beautiful b*tch of a race! Well done for your 4h40.
I like not only the charging breaks but also the charging brakes. Driving from Timmelsjoch down to Meran brings your battery pack from 50 percent up to 80 percent.