Hike on Ecomarathon route

 Although it is the end of September, it feels more like the end of August. It is still warm and everything is still green - no autumn colors in sight, even at higher altitudes. I really miss the fresh and cool autumn days, I am fed up with running in the warm weather. So when I was invited for a slower hike today I was happy to join the hikers party...

The plan was to hike high to the top on Bucegi mountain and back on the Northern Abrupt, but the unstable weather made us to change the plans and look for a route at lower altitudes.  So we  went to Moieciu and hiked along the beautiful third loop of Ecomarathon  race route. This route offers breathtaking landscapes of the mountains in the Bran area. It was a great choice for the half sunny, half rainy day. Below are some photos from the hike. And here are photos from  the same hike, two years ago in October.

Piatra Craiului Marathon 2014

Back in October 2012, one year after I begin to be serious about trail running, Piatra Craiului Marathon (MPC) was my first ever marathon.  Last year I participated again and got a very good time. This year however, I decided not to participate. Since May I did nor attend any running race. I actually ran more than the previous year, but I did not feel the urge to participate in any races. It is a sort of downshifting... I try to run slower and without any constraints so I can enjoy more the mountains and the nature also avoiding to put too much stress on my heart and joints.

Although I did not participate in the race, I visited Zarnesti on the day of the race. Together with my wife we were at the start area around 9AM, the start time. As the start was delayed and the weather was quite cold, we decided to move on, so we walked a few kilometers along the race route before the runners overtook us. We took photos of all participants. I hope I did not miss anybody. Well , the photos are nor artistic, but they help documenting this great race.

Here are a few of Photos. The whole album can be found here: MPC 2014.

Sheep on the streets of Zarnesti... Good that the race did not meet them...

First runner! This guy finished first wit a new record of the race: 3:42:46. Amazing time for a technical mountain race with over 2000m of accumulated  climbs

The elite runners

The tail of the race

After taking photos of the runners, we followed the race route up to the picturesque Magura Village. From there we walked down to Moieciu Village, taking beautiful photos along the way. The first autumn colors add color to the landscape. Here are a few photos. The complete album can be found here: First signs of Autumn at  Magura

The trail to Magura Village

Pastoral Landscape in Magura

Birch Trees

Magura

Autumn flowers

The road to Moieciu

Moieciu Village

Autumn on "Loop 3" at Moieciu

Ever since May, when I have participated in the Ecomarathon race at Moieciu de Sus I wanted to return and enjoy the amazing landscapes at a slow pace. Today it was a glorious autumn day, just perfect for a hike in the beautiful Bran-Moieciu area. I hiked with Vlad, a work colleague and also an amateur photographer on the third loop of Ecomarathon route. Most runners who did this race would agree that the third loop has the most breathtaking views of the course. So here are the photos I took today along the route. All of them are taken with a 50mm focal length equivalent lens...