Recapping the ups & downs of CCC

I gave it my all

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It’s now been a week and a half since CCC. Strangely, I feel fine. The buzz of the event has already worn off, but also, the post race downer hasn’t really been an issue. Unlike UTMB last year, my body doesn’t feel beaten to a pulp. As talked about in my previous article, the main effect I’m feeling is mental fatigue. Even that was coming right until I double downed with Infinite Trails and some wild celebrations last weekend. But that was good fun and a nice way to finish off an epic trip that took me from North to South America, to the UK and Europe.

I’m now sitting on my couch in NZ and with the physical pain behind me, I want to make sure I write down a CCC race recap while the memory of it all is still fresh.

The Calm Before the Storm

Standing at the start line in Courmayeur, I felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety. How would this compare to UTMB last year? I really hoped my body was ready for what lay ahead and allow me to be competitive in this race.

The start line atmosphere was electric. My nerves had changed to anticipation and I was excited to line up with teammates, friends, and competitors. I had put in time on the course and I thought I was as prepared as I could be. But as always with ultras, there’s a significant portion of the race experience that remains unpredictable. I reminded myself to stay calm, trust my training, and embrace whatever the day had in store.

The Early Miles: Settling into the Rhythm

The race went out hard (as I knew it would). I’d say it would be the highest intensity starting  a 100km race that I’ve been a part of. Athletes were getting out their poles while we were still on the tarmac, just kilometres into the race. In my mind I reiterated the importance of pacing myself. I kept a focus on my strategy, got into a sustainable pace, and let the faster runners surge ahead, reminding myself that this was a long race and that the real battle would start much later. It wasn’t even though the effort was relaxed. It felt tough! Cresting the top of the first climb at 2,600m I was in about 40th place and at this stage I had no idea if I would come right or labour away for the remainder of the race.

The Middle Miles: Embracing the Grind

Thankfully I did feel like the legs had some go in them. I was able to make my way through the field on the Balcon section (14km onwards) and even picked people off going up the climb over Grand Col Ferret. It wasn’t until La Fouly that I found out that I had made my way close to the top five. This gave me good confidence but my strategy was to make good use of the runnable sections so I needed to do it sooner rather than later. 

The Final Push: Digging Deep

After Champex Lac (60km), the next sections of the course become brutal. The climbs were steeper, the descents more technical, and every step was a reminder of how far I had already come.

Until this point I’d managed myself pretty well, but it was the hike up to Bovine where I really felt the climbing legs falling off. It was this same time that I spotted Adam Peterman in 2nd place and up the trail in front of me. Of course, this buoyed my confidence. But it did mean I was engaged in a race around 70km’s in.

I managed to catch Adam on the downhill to Trient, and we swapped a few words of encouragement. He’s a good guy, super down to earth. Still, I wanted to put a gap on him. It wasn’t much of one, but I led him into Trient (the second to last aid station, 30km to go). Hayden was up the road (out of sight, but not completely out of mind). I think it was here that I could feel the wheels falling off. The steepest climb on the course is the Trient climb and here I really had to lean into my poles. It’s relentless. I’d done the climb many times in training and this is what I had to keep reminding myself. I’d done this before. I had but not with 70 km beforehand, my quads cramped and Adam pulled away again. But one foot in front of the other works and I got to the top with Adam still in sight (just). I set about my work and again, caught him on the down. My quads were in extreme pain with every downward step. But I knew, coming into Vallorcine (the last crewed aid station at 83km’s) I had to give it everything.  

The Final Final Push: Digging Deeper

Jonny (my crew from Precision Fuel & Hydration) has since told me, he could see I was on my last legs. At the time he told me “you’re looking good” - Ah the psychological manipulation. I felt had it. Leaving Vallorcine I had a quick look back and to my shock there were two people following me out of the aid station. I had no idea where 4th came from. They were right there. I managed to hold off Adam a bit longer than Peter Frano, but not for much longer. I started the final climb up to La Flagere (94km’s) with nobody in sight. I was left to battle upwards fighting myself. My mind was foggy and I was tripping over myself trying to get up the hill. This wasn’t through lack of fuelling as I had been taking on gels and caffeine as a way to try to pull myself out of a slump. My last option was to throw myself face down in a creek to try to give myself a reset. A few slurps of water and I continued the climb.

After much suffering I reached La Flagere and was cheering up over the final summit. One last drop down towards Chamonix and as I got closer to the valley floor I could hear the roar of the crowds. I knew the guys ahead were finishing and I was close. The draw of the pain being over helped push through the current pain. The last few kilometres were a blur of emotion and exhaustion. Crossing the line in fourth place was both a relief and a moment of immense satisfaction. I had given everything I had, and the performance was something I was proud of. As a competitive person I had thoughts of what-if I had gotten top three. But writing this and remembering how hard I did push I know I did give everything. I’m sure I will carry these experiences forward and keep the improvements coming. 

So thank you to you all for the support around CCC and all the effort that went into it and beyond. I’m now back in New Zealand and new adventures await. I’ll be down in Tekapo next weekend for the ultra so hopefully I will catch up with some of you there!