France, Monaco, and Italy

Distance: 39.46 mi
Moving Time: 14:38:20
Pace: 22:15 /mi
Elevation Gain: 12,024 ft.
Calories: 5,935

After reflecting over the last week, I’ve been quite satisfied with the results from all the planning and execution for the entire trip; except for one big mistake. More about that later.

The race was on a Saturday, therefore I wanted to arrive several days early to start adjusting to jet lag. We left Denver on a Monday afternoon and arrived in France midday on Tuesday. After dropping bags at the hotel, we went for a little exploring. We were met with beautiful weather, amazing sites, and enjoyed delicious meals in the tiny alleyways riddled with restaurants. It was certainly going to be a great week.

Wednesday was spent exploring Nice and everything local. We did a fun audio guided walking tour in Old Town, and scoped out the race completion area on the boardwalk and beach.

Thursday was a busy day, but was considerably low impact for the amount of sightseeing completed. We started by disembarking Port Lympia on a ferry to Monaco. Caught a changing of the guard at the Prince’s Palace, then hopped on a double decker bus touring the entire country in about 40 minutes. We stopped at the Monte Carlo Casino and certainly admired the view of beautiful architecture and the many exotic super cars that perpetually loom this area.

We boarded a train for a 30 minute ride just across the Italian border to a quaint little town called Ventimiglia. A short walk to the beach, then a quick bite to eat completed our visit in an hour. We arrived back in Nice on an hour train ride later; just in time for bib and packet pickup.

Friday was an even more chill day that involved lounging and binging a few TV shows. Everything I could ask for on the day before a race.

Without doubt, the most difficult part of the race was the terrain. Yes, the climbs were tough and my nutrition plan could use some work. But the chunky and thick, never-ending pointy rocks made every step a methodical and deliberate decision. On many occasions, the downhills were more challenging because of leg fatigue that accompanied the large step-downs on many of the passages. This prevented running on many of the downhill efforts. Throughout the race, I often wished for smoother terrain that never came.

I was surprised how narrow the climbing trails were that provided no room for passing. It was interesting to look up the mountain and see several hundreds of racers in a single file line switch backing up the mountain at a slow pace. I had no idea I’d be able to touch the person in front of me for about the first 5 hours.

My biggest mistake was the lack of nutrition I carried with me. The ultimate goal was to sacrifice weight in my pack and use the provided nutrition at aid stations. However, starting at the end of a field with more than 1600 runners, I arrived at every aid station to be told that the electrolytes and energy packets were gone. I knew this was going to be problematic later in the day.

I started with 10 gels from two different brands that had a great source of carbohydrates; two of which contained 47 mg. Perfect for the long haul, but I should have had about 10 more. I was short on proper electrolytes too. I finished with a few packets in my pocket, but those contained caffeine. After about 10 hours into the event, the caffeine products started to affect me with nausea and an upset stomach.

The aid stations were often a debacle of madness. One of which I had to wait in line nearly 30 minutes just to refill my water bottles. It was at this moment I realized whatever time I thought I’d finish, went quickly out the window. For the most part though, I spent less than 5 minutes meandering through the station for quick snacks before getting back after it.

With about 15 miles to go, I had exhausted my gels and electrolytes. From here on out, I had to fully rely on the light snacks of oranges, apples, saltine crackers, and other tiny sliced foods to provide the much needed nutrition to get me across the finish line. I also continued to fill my water bottles and douse salt in them.

My body certainly felt this malnutritional difference. In the future, I will definitely have a backup plan to either carry more or have it in a drop bag. The only drop bag options for this event where at the finish line.

Other than being sore with great discomfort, my legs held up well for the entire event. During the second half, my right hamstring seized up a few times. But, I was able to stretch it out and drink water. I was also pleased with the condition of my feet as no hot spots or blisters became an issue.

I really appreciated the race terrain profile on my watch, notifying me of a particular climb or descent with distance and elevation. With about 10 miles to go, I noticed extreme fatigue in my respiratory system and breathing. The shortest of climbs were met with dread and frequent stopping while those with poles slowly passed. This is probably where having better nutrition would have paid dividends.

One might assume that the final miles would be the hardest, but they were probably the easiest. They were through the welcoming flat cobblestone streets that led to the boardwalk. Knowing that the end was close, I finished in a strong manner with a slow trot.

Upon finishing, I was met with massive relief. I received my medal and immediately sat on the ground with my head in my lap. I needed just a few moments for my brain to take a breath and realize that it was finally over.

As I stood up and grabbed a plate of the warm cheese tortellini offered, I was overcome by an intense wave of emotions and uncontrollable tears. At that moment, I couldn’t pinpoint why I felt this way, but I didn’t hesitate in trying to control it. Looking back, I feel that it was my body just saying thank you for discontinuing the discomfort.

I sat waiting for about 10 minutes in the free massage line where my body started to cool and I started to jackhammer and shiver uncomfortably. I didn’t feel cold, but assumed this is the result of my body going into shock. All the meanwhile wishing I had more electrolytes in my system. The massage felt great, but I was ready to get back to the room. Huge thanks to those great masseuses that massage filthy and stinky runners.

We retired back to the hotel around midnight where I soaked in a large bathtub and returned recovery fluids for about 30 minutes. Still unable to eat, I showered afterwards and shivered myself to bed. Before drifting off to sleep, I knew that more fluids and subsidence would be the priority after waking.

Surprisingly the next morning, my body felt physically good. No hot spots, aches, or pains. However, my immune and GI systems felt out of whack for several days to follow.

Once again, I have purposely put myself in a scenario that required me to rely on strength that I didn’t know existed. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about; pushing those limits beyond what we ever imagine is possible.

It’s hard to fathom the finishing times when I compare myself to the other runners, but honestly; that means nothing to me. I’m beyond thrilled for this enormous accomplishment and enthused for the challenges that still lie ahead.

I finished in 1217th place overall and 147th of 165 in my age group.