“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”
― John Muir, Our National Parks (1901)
It’s amazing to read this quote from over 100 years ago. I can’t imagine what John Muir would think of the world today as I often struggle to make sense of all that is going on. Personally I crave the awesome and transforming power that going high up into the mountains can have on my well-being. Running above the clouds and surrounded by the Lords amazing creation can bring a new perspective to all areas of my life. Running 100 miles in this setting serves as an opportunity for me to hit reset, refocus, and prepare for whatever lies ahead.
The following is my race report (or mini-novel) from the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) race. It is an amazing race that goes around one of the most beautiful mountains in Europe and impacted me in ways that I yearned for and in other ways that were unexpected. It was my second time there and I was quick to write down as much as I could after the race. The good and bad news is that I had lots of notes. As a result, it is rather long and so I decided to break this into 3 parts . The first part is a reflection of my experience in 2016, my journey leading up to the race in 2019, and some personal reflections from this year’s race. That is followed by a more detailed review of my race by aid station that may benefit someone looking to run this race or for those interested in hearing every detail that I could remember. The last section is the shortest and contains some general thoughts about the race, what I would have done differently, and plans moving forward.

Finishing at UTMB is an amazing experience
PART I: 2016 and general reflections from 2019
Reflection from 2016 – Would I do it again?
After finishing UTMB in 2016, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to get back to Continue reading →