🏃‍♂️ Monter 271 fois les marches de Montmartre et finir le premier Ultra-Trail Montmartre

D+10000m à Paris – UTMM 2017

D+10000m à Paris.271 fois les marches de Montmartre en 25h12.Subtitles in English to come.RACE REPORT (in English)Kicking of the season is always an important moment. This year, I chosed to start 2018 in 2017 with the Ultra Trail MontMartre. The idea is pretty simple: go up and down the main straircase of Montmartre 271 times to reach 10000m of gain.For this silly feat, 30 runners were supposed to come but only 8 showed up on race day. It came clear pretty soon that those were the smart ones.It was an OFF and not a sanctioned races, and in such events, the organiser often run too. It was the case as Alexandre, aka casquette verte. We talked a couple of time before the event. For him, it was almost impossible to have a finisher within the 36h limits. I talk about 27h. The dreadfulness of the stairs is fully known to every runners. It is considered by most as thr worse thing.At 10PM, ligned up at the top, we started. Within the first couple hours, it became all clear who was in for business. 4 of us were clearly moving faster. Interestingly, each of us had is own race strategy.Alexander was running up and down on the sides of the stairs with fast downhill but taking breaks. François was running down on the stairs and pulling on his arms while going up to save his legs.I was moving with swift steps down and running up the 3 first blocks out steps every ups. The idea was to save my legs from the impacts on the down with a slow pace and catch up while going up.Game on. Let the show beginning.The 3 of us are within a few ups difference until lap 50. Everyone is watching each other's strategy. Trying to guess what is happening in one another's mind and body. We keep talking and telling it all. There is no secret on the steps. After all, the main goal for everyone of us is to go as far as possible, and possibly all the way.After the lap 60, I start to see my 2 peers' body starting to flinch. The agressive races strategies lead to sored feet and inflamated tendons. The relentless of the laps get into their heads and the 2 of them start to talk about not finishing.On the other side, I stay straight in my shoes, with the same steady pace, the mind focused on finishing.But Alexandre is ahead, gaining a lap on me every hour and François is tayling me by a few steps. The game is at its best. We a friendly beating each other up.Lap 76. There is now only the 3 of us still on the steps.Lap 100. Alexandrr is the first to reach the big number. I followed an hour later followed by François.Now in the heart of the night, François keep falling asleep. Several times, he tries to nap on the side but the cold keep him awake and Alexandre and I and increasing our lead.After 120 laps, at the first lights of the day, he taps out.Paris is slowly waking up and it is a bliss. We are now only two and we got through the night. After a little rain, the side of the steps are too dangerous. Alexandre is forced to now stay on the steps. He talks about his pain and sored muscles more often.For his 136 laps, he tells me that he is going to quit when his girlfriend will show up. I now know that I am this battle only against the stairs. Everybody will soon be gone.I break 136 laps in 10h54. At that moment I know I can do it. I have 25h to do 135. There is no giving up.He taps out at 159. I now have 112 laps to do on my own. He leaves at 10 and now I am alone. It is raining and time seems to have slow down. I still have my legs but my mind start to flinch a little. 162 in 13h15. I am mentaly at rock bottom. I am alone of the steps that I learned to hate so hard. I send a message out for anyone to come even for few seconds.Luckly, I don't stay long in that spot as my parents come with some pasta to support me. Soon, runners that heard about the event join me for a few laps, some did a couple, some way more.It ease my mind and free the weight on my legs.191 laps in 16h32. I am back all alone but my mind knows what to do. I am in beast mode and waging a total war on thoses steps. At that very moment, I know that I will finish and that I would before midnight… aka 26h, one hour below my fastest estimate. Even better, I am still in time to break 24h.After 200, the rain goes nuts and the steps turn into waterfall. Even worse, the horseshoe steps of the square are now closed on the tourist are diverted into the stairs. My stairs.They are mine now.I can neither run down on those conditions nor start each ups by running as I was doing before. For the first time, I cannot follow my race plan. Those two hours at least cost me 30 min of my total time, if not 45. I am furious at the tourist, especially to those groups that walk slower than snails and take all the space.I know it is part of the deal here, but after 215 laps, this really upset me… not enough to get me out of it and to make me take a break. I push.251 in 23h55. Finishing within 25h is still possible. I just have to keep my pace. I try to go for it. It doesnt work. My body is now started to flinch. It took 251 laps, but it is now happening. My pace drops and cannot do anything about it.I talk to the few that are moving up and down with me. Trying to get distracted from the pain. Nothing cuts it.261 in 24h03, 10 to go. This is my last stop and the supporters and just waiting for me. I am shredded and have to make micro break to releave my muscles and my mind.I pass for the last time the militaries en patrol. It was the fifth time I saw them today. On the third time, one of them asked "are you doing this all day?" "Actually I started yesterday at 10pm". "So how many are you doing?" "271, that makes 10000m of gain" "My respect". This time, he asked me how far I was. "267"The smile on their faces was matched by mine. Bliss in hell.3 to go.2.Then the last one. A slow downhill of death as my body as clearly giving up on me. When I reached the bottom, I felt joy rushing throughy veins. Only one up and it will be over. I push.I decide to run the last 2 blocks of stairs to finish this madness running.Final steps.Final step.Final stop.Joy.I finish after 25h12 of repetitive hell. This was a beautifull war. Breaking 10000m in such time on dreadfull steps is tough. It destroy your body and crush your mind. Somehow, I survived both. I got the strenght not to quit, to go through. I only felt pain in my muscles, tendons and articulations feels fresh.I want to thank everyone that came to support me on the stairs. It really meant a lot to me. Family, friends, runners, strangers. I also want to thank all of you online that made my socials litterally explode. My phone kept buzzing in my pocket all day and the vibrations went straight to my heart. You clearly made the difference. Thank you.This is a great way for me to start the season. This is a great validaton of all the work done.It gives me hope for all the work to come.With 18 more months of such feats, I am confident I will accomplish the BIG ARC in 2019.See you on the trails.

Publiée par Runnexplorer sur Jeudi 4 janvier 2018