The Ballad of Me and My Friends
Zugspitz Ultratrail 2023 in Retrospective
It’s Sunday, for god’s sake!
I know, I know. Yet another unscheduled Das Z Letter. Sorry ‘bout that. My life and brain are still overflowing with stuff to write about. That’s why you receive this spontaneous and unforeseen Das Z Letter on a Sunday. I hope you don’t mind.
The Ballad of Me and My Friends
“And we're definitely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell.”
This quote is by singer/songwriter Frank Turner. In his song “The Ballad of Me and My Friends” he describes how he sold his soul to music and that probably none of what he does day in day out matters, or will even be remembered by anyone.
These lines remind me a lot of running. What’s the point in running through mountains for hours and hours with hurting legs, a revolting stomach, dizziness from the heat and dancing on the thin line between pure joy and complete exhaustion? You are right. There is no point. But we’re doing it anyway.
Returning to ZUT
Last weekend, my close friends and me participated in the Zugspitz Ultratrail (ZUT). We’ve been doing this race for years and keep coming back for a simple reason. The Zugspitz Ultratrail has a super lovely vibe. It’s much more than a race, but rather a get-together by a bunch of wonderful people, rookies to professional athletes, all sharing the same passion for trail and ultra running.
A remarkable First-Timer
This was a special year, though. My friend Marie did her first 100k mountain race (in fact it was 110 km and 5200 meters of altitude gain) and my wife Lisa and me supported her on her journey.
It was a bit of a return match, since Marie had crewed me on my Western States 100 adventure last year, which was not an easy job, mildly put. Without my wife and her I would probably not have finished my first 100-mile race, so I was glad I could return Marie the favor, almost exactly one year later.
Marie was so fast, that Lisa, our friend Emi, who joined us, and me had a hard time following her from aid station to aid station. Crewing was quite an easy job, though. At every checkpoint, Marie only topped up her gels and sports drinks, grabbed some real foods, and was in-and-out in under 2 minutes. She was absolutely on fire the whole day.
Watching Marie racing the Zugspitz Ultratrail was a true feast for the eyes. She was extremely well-prepared, equally excited and focused about her big day, and ran incredibly strong for 110 km straight. Marie clearly maxed out what her body (and mind) was capably of and had literally nothing left, when she crossed the finish line as 6th woman after 18:19h. What. A. Race.
More great accomplishments
However, Marie’s 100k debut was on the tip of the iceberg. My friends Christian, Andy, and Dani ran their first-ever trail races and all three did a remarkable job. Even more importantly, they truly enjoyed themselves running through the mountains, and my gut instinct tells me that this was not the last time they did so.
And then there was my friend and fellow Willpower Athlete Henning, who attempted to run the Zugspitz Ultratrail 3 times already, but always had to cancel the race due to injury. He finally made it to the start line (healthy) and frigging smashed it in 14:30h! He truly gave it all and came in 8th overall. Absolutely awesome from A-Z.
But that’s not all. My friends Michi and Jean-Paul also both ran the challenging 110k distance at Zugspitz Ultratrail and finished strong, despite stomach issues and occasional energy lows.
The same goes for Christiane who finished 2nd in her age group on the 45k distance, Tamara who did the 69k race and my wife Lisa, who ran a short and fast 30k the day before.
That’s it. Great achievements, for sure. But the true bliss was to be found betwixt. In a few years from now, we might not remember every single finish time, or placement. However, we will surely remember how it felt to spend time together. Running shoulder to shoulder for a few kilometers. Handing over pancakes at aid stations. Sharing words of encouragement when they were appropriate. Screaming at each other, when it was needed. Giving hugs and high-fives at the finish line. Being there for each other.
The Bottom Line
I wasn’t even racing at this year’s ZUT, but I feel blessed. Blessed to have such wonderful friends. Blessed to have them with me when I shine. Bless to be around them when they shine. Blessed to have created even more “best stories to tell” this weekend. Blessed to have found running as my true passion.
Everything not running
Let’s keep this section short and sweet today. The intro and outro song of the Sprachnachricht is by the last band I played in, GWLT. Well, actually it is a cover song by the revolutionary German rock band Ton Steine Scherben. It’s called “Macht kaputt was euch kaputt macht” (English translation: “Destroy what destroys you”) and it was released on GWLT’s last album “Stein & Eisen”, which is still available on iTunes, Apple Music, or wherever your stream you music.
❤️ZUT🖤