Rogaining!

Ro what? Rogaining?
What the heck is this??
I have never heard this word before!

This was my reaction when Nic, an old friend of mine told me that there is a new orienteering race format. Well, it is new in Romania, but quite old and popular in other countries.

So how does it work? Simple! Each team of 2 to 5 runners gets a detailed map (usually 1:25000) with control points, a time limit and after an hour and a half of studying the map and planning the route, off you go! Each control point is worth points. The more remote and more difficult to reach, the more valuable it is! The competitors decide for the best strategy to collect as many points as possible.

Saturday I competed in the first official Rogaining competition organised in Romania! Carpath Rogaining Trophy. It wasn't planned, but just three weeks before the competition my friend Nic broke his leg... He was already registered in the 8 hours race, and eager to participate, after winning a smaller scale demo competition earlier during the summer. So why not! Let's do it!

We had a bit of an unfair advantage as the competition area covered most of my usual running trails between Brasov and Postavarul Peak. However, most valuable checkpoints (9 points) were located in the thick and wild forests on the eastern side of Postavarul massif where I have never been before! So at least for half of the route it felt like on foreign lands...

There were only about 20 teams at the start, about 12 in our category: 8 hours men open. I hope that next edition there will be more teams. Even if this was the first edition, it was very well organised at a high standard! We had electronic sticks (SI-card) for quickly registering at the check points and they worked flawlessly. The map was of good quality, printed on a water resistant paper. There were 51 check points covering an area of about 90 square kilometers. The lowest ones were at about 650m altitude, the highest at 1500m. There were three points with water and food (bananas and energy bars). At the finish we had a pizza party... after 8 hours of running, the pizza and a big hot tea tasted soo goood!

Here is the map of the competition. Click on it for more details.

My team mate, Ion is a forest engineer. He has better skills than me at reading maps. On the other hand I knew the terrain better and I was moving a bit faster than him. Overall we complemented well each other and the teamwork went very well!

The weather was perfect for such a competition. Cool (10-15C), overcast and without wind. We had a few rain drops, but we were lucky. The proper rain started just 30 minutes after finish.

The start/finish area was in the ski resort of Poiana Brasov at about 1050m altitude.
Once we received the maps we immediately noticed that the east side of the map had the most valuable checkpoints. True that the terrain was more difficult and the distance between check-points greater, but we instantly knew we have to  start with the difficult part of the route and collect the fat points.
The initial planned route worked quite well. We planned a main route and decided later along the route which checkpoints we take and which we skip. We skipped just one 9-points post.
The plan was to take the easy ones at the end of the race on the return path. We did not have too much time left, but we arrived at finish 8 minutes before the end of the race... each minute of delay is taking away 1 point... not worth risking!

Towards the end of the race we missed one obvious 5-point checkpoint (number 59) as we misjudged the distance from the previous one - The path was downhill and we were moving faster that we thought.

At the end we surprised ourselves and the other finishers with a total of 179 points collected! Only one other team managed to get that many. A team from Estonia, the only foreign team. However, we finished about 50 seconds faster so according to the rules we took the first place! The third place was very close with 176 points! A team of experienced orienteering enthusiasts, but they did not venture far enough as we did. I am sure that they reached quite a few more checkpoints than us, but of smaller value.

As for the team from Estonia... well we were very impressed! On "neutral" terrain I am sure that they would have beaten us by a large margin. I am sure that for a foreigner, the area of this competition was not at all easy! Mostly in thick forest on steep mountain slopes with lots of deep valleys. I wished I had talked to them after the competition, but right after the medals ceremony the DJ pumped-up the volume of the music far too much... it was time for me to leave...

This was my very first orienteering type race. I have to say that rogaining is quite addictive! I will probably participate again next year at the second edition. Will I win again? I do not really care. I just hope that the bar will be raised, so there will be more and better teams! I am also now looking for a good mountain runner to form a faster team next year... In the meanwhile I should get more precise and faster with my reading skills!

I congratulate the organizers and the volunteers for a very well organised event at a very high standard! And thanks to all volunteers who endured the cold autumn weather.

Here is our route of the competition. A whole mountain marathon and a quite demanding one!
Notice the shape of the route... a running rabbit.. or fox...


Here are a few photos taken along the route. Well there was not much time for photos...

The first autumn colors

Following a shortcut on a trail left by a forest tractor

The view from the most spectacular checkpoint

One of the checkpoints with the electronic device on top.

Hit The Top 2017

2017, June, 4, the 7th edition of "Hit the Top" race. My fourth participation.

There is not much more to add to my previous year post. The same short, steep, very intense race; well organised with very good runners taking part. The most notable difference was the weather - this year just perfect for a mountain running race. As a consequence my time was around 8 minutes better than last years's. I reached Omu Peak in around 1h30, and descended in  58 minutes. It sounds quite impressive until one realizes that the fastest runners in the race hit the top in 1h10 and then descend in just 30 minutes!

Photo by Király Csaba

This video produced by the organizers captures very well the spirit and atmosphere of the race:

HTT7 from ion trandafir on Vimeo.

Here is my run recorded by the Strava app:



Also available as a video:
https://www.relive.cc/view/1020403305

Thanks to the organizers, volunteers, runners and the mountain/running fans that encouraged us along the way. See you next year!

Brasov Marathon 2017... Winter Edition

Brasov Marathon is a well organized mountain trail running race with a beautiful route along the same trails I use to run every week. I participated three times in this event. However, this time, for the second year in a row, I did not participate, although I was considering it. I still run a lot, but I do not feel the urge to compete in races.

This year edition was very special! The organizers were once more lucky to have a beautiful sunny day for the races, but the conditions were truly extraordinary! If the weather at some previous editions was sometimes too warm, this year it was not only too cold, the abundant fresh snow made it feel like in the middle of the winter!

It is not unusual to get cold weather spells and snow flakes during April in Brasov. However, this year it snowed almost continuously for two days in a row, and temperatures dropped below 0 degrees. It started to snow on April 19, Wednesday evening, and stopped two days layer, just half a day before the race... The snow in the town was about 30cm; up the mountains, the fresh layer of snow measured more than half a meter!

On Friday I went skiing enjoying the best powder of the season! I was thinking that the marathon race would be canceled. However, the organizers decided to go ahead, probably encouraged by the good weather forecast. The list of mandatory equipment was updated and the route was shortened a bit - the highest point would not be Postavarul peak, but Postavarul  mountain hut, located 200m lower, near the ski slopes.

The night from Friday to Saturday was very cold for an April night. The sky cleared over night and in the morning the landscape looked like in the middle of winter!

 

7AM in the morning I started from the edge of the city on my touring skis. The plan was to reach Postavarul Peak (1799m) in about 3 hours and move fast enough so the marathon runners would not catch me up.

 

Well, going up the mountain proved to be much tougher than I thought.  Even below 1000m altitude the snow was almost 50cm deep and there were just a few foot prints on the trail. I had to work hard for every meter of altitude. It became clear that at some point the runners will catch me.

 

This happened on Crucur Mountain, just before the trail reaches the ridge. First group of runners overtook me. They ran like a fast train, apparently not slowed down by the deep fresh snow. But I knew ho much extra effort is needed to keep going like that in deep snow.

On the last steep slope in the forest, just before reaching the ridge I got stuck in the deep snow with my skis. The runners kept coming and as I did not want to block the path I took the opportunity to take more photos of the race. Eventually my hands started to freeze and as there were fewer runners on the trail I moved on. After so many runners had passed the snow on the trail was packed, so it was much easier to go ahead.

 

A few more kilometers and I have reached the sunny ski slopes on Ruia plateau at 1500m altitude. As the ski season was officially closed, the ski slopes were almost deserted. Just one cable car was functioning as it is the case during the summer season... Here I left the marathon route and joined the ski touring trail... There were many skiers climbing the mountain on touring skis and enjoying the beautiful day.

 

I continued my way up and almost four hours after leaving home I have reached the mountain summit. After enjoying the mountain views I slowly descended on the mountain on my skis, enjoining every turn on the perfect slopes!

 

From Poiana Brasov ski resort I descended to the city on on skis through the forest. I knew that the old road of Poiana (Drumul Vechi) had enough snow, because I have skied it down the day before. However, this time the snow was melting fast under the strong April sun. I could just make it down on skis on the slushy snow... 

The spring was in the air again!

Here is the complete set of photos I took with the Marthon Runners.

And this is my day track:

Hit The Top!

What a wonderful mountain running race I had today! Hit The Top, 6'th edition. My 3rd time running this race, after previously taking part in the second and fourth editions.

My previous participation in 2014 left a very deep impression on me. That year it rained from start to finish and it was also quite cold, making this intense and tough race even harder! Some runners that were not well prepared for such a race had a quite hard time that year.

This year the organizers decided to open the race just to well prepared runners. Only those invited by the organisers or athletes with a convincing portfolio of high altitude running could take part. There is a good reason for this as "Hit The Top" is a rather technical mountain race. Although the route follos marked hiking paths, it is quite a steep and technical route, climbing almost one vertical mile from around 1000 meters altitude near Bran, to Omu Peak (2505m), the highest peak in Bucegi mountains, one of the highest peaks in the Carpathian mountains.

I was very pleased and honored to be invited. If you followed my blog, you might know that over the the last year and a half I reduced the intensity of my running sessions, trying to increase the quality of my running. As a consequence I greatly reduced the number of competitions... but I could not refuse this invitation!

This year I was afraid that we will experience again the rainy and cold weather. I was following the weather reports for the whole week before the race, and as the days were passing, the weather reports got worse and worse... The weather report the night before the race got a bit better, but it was clear that the weather will be very unstable so I had to be prepared for anything!

Luckily, in the morning the weather in my home town Brasov was quite good: a few patches of blue sky and even some of morning sunshine. However, I could see that the atmosphere was saturated with humidity and it was clear that it could rain at any time. If the morning would have been rainy, I have doubts that I would have had the will to go to the starting line... and that would have been quite a mistake...

On the way to the starting line in Bran, a pouring rain suddenly started... It did not look too encouraging, but the rain eased after 5 minutes. One hour before the start the weather became quite calm and we had good reasons to be optimistic. The volunteers up the mountain also reported reasonably good weather... unstable with a few rain drops, a bit windy and rather cold in the wind, but nothing to be scared of. And indeed, the weather was quite good. It rained only a bit during the race and it was even sunny for a while after the race!

The trails were quite good, given the very rainy last two months. Of course, there was some mud on the trail, but nothing out of ordinary.. The snow up on the mountain was almost completely gone. We had to pass only a few snow patches here and there above 2300m.

We were just 52 athletes at the start. Few compared to other more popular and commercial trail running competitions in the area. But this is why I like this competition. It is kept very simple, yet very well organized, with very good athletes taking part.

The start was precisely at 9:30 AM exactly as  announced by the organizers in the race schedule!

I did not push too hard uphill but I tried to keep a constant and sustainable pace during the ascent. On the way down I was quite relaxed and careful. I knew that several runners will overtake me on the descent, but I did not care. The safety and the health of my knees were my top priorities so I really enjoyed the descent and had absolutely no knee issues. Back home, analyzing the GPS track of other competitors that started the descent from Omu peak at about the same time with me and I have seen that I finished the race 5 minutes behind them. No bad at all given my relaxed descent.

My dirty running shoes after the race.. The only photo I took today...

If in a popular mountain race I can finish in the first 10-20% of the runners, here, running along so may elite runners the situation is different!  My realistic objective was to finish not too far behind the middle of the pack. I think that I kind of have achieved it: 38th out of 52 finishers. I reached Omu Peak in 1 hour and 36 minutes and descended in almost precisely one hour.  This was about 35 minutes faster that in 2014, but this year the race was shorter, as the start/finish line was moved around 3km up the valley, at the end of the forest road. The race started directly on the mountain trail - not a problem in a race with so few competitors, especially that for the first kilometer the trail is quite wide.

Here is my GPS recording of today:

As in the previous years, the race was very well organized. A big thank to the organizers and the volunteers, especially to the volunteers that endured the wet, cold and windy weather up the mountain!

I hope that this race will continue with new editions during the next years! See you then!

To Compete or Not to Compete?

To Compete or Not to Compete...
That is the question that I had in my mind for the last year or so. My previous blog post about slowing down already hints the solution of my dilemma.

I started to be serious about trail running a little bit more than four years ago. I grew as a trail runner during the very time when this sport became more and more popular in Romania and the number of trail-running competitions exploded. I got carried by the wave and participated in many competitions, and this was great! A competition is the best way to measure one's performance, and mine was steadily growing for at least three years in a row. Competitions are also great places to meet other runners and share stories and experiences.

This year I participated in only two events, two mountain marathons, and I felt that it was the right amount for me. As an amateur trail runner I think that I reached a level where is not much room for improvement. I am not a professional athlete so I really do not see many reasons why I should try to get an even better and faster trail runner as I realize that this would put too much strain on my body. Instead I am focusing on keeping my very good fitness level while enjoying trail-running even more than ever.

You see, less competitions give me more freedom as I do not have to constantly train for specific events. It is clear now to me that my goal is just to keep myself fit and enjoy running in the nature as much as I can. Keeping fit means to find the right balance between too much and too little training and this is much easier for me without the pressure from competitions.

Then there is one more reason I prefer not to run in a competition... Trail running competitions take place in nature, often along trails that take you to the mountain summits. There are always amazing views  and landscapes to enjoy. However, when I am running in a competition I am so concentrated on the trail and on my run that I cannot afford to look around. I cross the finish line and only then I realize that although I enjoyed running in the nature with all my senses, the pace was too fast and I missed so much... There were places where I would have stop to admire the landscape, to listen to some bird song, or just let all my senses to be tuned to the nature around me.

There are also a few practical things to consider... Competitions have registration fees. It is true that most of the times is money well spent as you get a marked route, well stocked hydration and food points along the way and a bag with a few goodies; most of the times a T-shirt... But I have already collected too many T-shirts!

At this moment I run slower than I used to until not too long ago. I am keeping my heart rate in the aerobic zone for most of the time. As a result, instead of feeling exhausted after a long run, I fell really well. The slower pace is much better for my body as there is less stress on it. It is true that on steep uphills I find it hard to keep my heart-rate low, but well, one also has to train harder from time to time, so the uphills fit just perfectly into my running routine... Then there are the downhills. On the steeper ones there is not much stress on my heart, but on my knees... So I have to be careful! Some knee injury that I had this autumn reminded me that I might do it too hard and that I should be more careful when running on steep downhills...

In short, I am running slower, but just hard enough to keep my fitness level so my body can benefit most from it. This way of running also gives me more time to admire the landscapes. I also adapt the length and intensity of my runs depending on how I feel during the run. Sometimes I change the route while running, making it longer or shorter depending on how I feel. I may start thinking that I am going to run 15km and end up with a full marathon; or I might go out for a run on the hills and end up on the top of Postavaru Mountain, 1200m higher than my home. On the other hand I might run a shorter run than my initial plan if I feel that I am struggling too much...

I am not sure if I will compete in any trail-running race in 2016 although my competitive spirit is still alive. So I might take part in April in Brasov Marathon, a great race on the trails around my city, a race where so far I participated in all four editions that were organised so far.

DHL Marathon

Last week, on the 20th of June 2015, I participated in the DHL mararthon race. My first participation in this event and my second marathon of the year. I may ran another marathon in the autumn and this would be it for 2015.

At 10 years old (but with less than 10 editions), DHL Marathon is a quite mature event, older than many other popular running races in Romania. It is a mountain race, but 80% of it is on paved roads, Just about 8 km of the route, at the end of the race around Poiana Brasov is on trails. In any case, the route is varied and beautiful, appealing to both mountain and road runners.

The event has three races: Marathon, Half-marathon, and 6x7 km relay, which is also the most popular race. I was thinking of participating, but I was undecided - road running is not my first choice. A few weeks before the race I was asked by a good friend if I want to join a relay team. I quickly found out that I can run the first leg of the relay and also continue to do the full marathon. I sounded good to me so I quickly made my mind that I should participate!

1'st relay change. in Paraul Rece (Photo by Dragos Dragomir)

My only fear was the weather; it can be quite warm in June;. Actually, this year, the month of June started with very warm weather. In 2014 the weather was quite cold, good for running; this year, in my opinion, it was even closer to perfect! The day started with  a sunny morning, just good to keep us warm at the start line in Predeal without the need of extra clothing layers. Soon it got rather cloudy and the temperature was cool and pleasant for running. After midday the clouds thickened, it started to rain quite abundantly and the weather got quite cold!

I was OK with the rain, as this was towards the end of my race and it kept my tired muscles cool. Knowing the weather forecast I was equipped with a rain jacket that was useful on the last few kilometers when it got cold. However, I think that the rain was quite a challenge for the slower and less experienced runners, especially for those unprepared for the cold rain.

The rather unusual altitude profile of the race was in my advantage. First half of the race is mostly downhill, while the second part consists of mostly rather steep uphills. As I almost never run of flat terrain and my specialty is running uphill, in the second half of the race I kept overtaking runners, slowly advancing upwards on the ranking table. Most of the participants in this race were road and flat-land runners - I could see that some of them were having a hard time on the uphill.

I must mention that most serious trail and mountain runners in Romania were participating during the same day in another event: Retezat Sky Race. So most of the competitors in the DHL race were road runners.

The organizers did a very good job. I was very pleased with the hydration points that were evenly spread along the route every 3-4km. There was plenty of water and also isotonic drinks, so although I did not carry any water with me I was well hydrated during the race. As the rules of the race did not mention any food along the route, I took two gels with me. I normally do not take any gels even in races, but they were very hand during this race as they are compact and easy to carry and provide a bit of extra energy, more useful in fast paced road races than in the slower trail races I am used to.

My goal was to finish the race in under 4 hours. However the cool weather helped a lot and I managed to finish about 25 minutes earlier than my target! Not bad for a route with about 800m of elevation gain. I was afraid that I ran too fast in the first half of the race as around km 20 I started to feel my legs tired. I was eagerly waiting the uphill and I was right; the change in the muscle use made me feel fresher...

The last 5km were the hardest of the race. Tired, after running at full speed, mostly on paved roads, it was not so easy to change to trail running. In any case this was the part of the route that I enjoyed the most; beautiful route! I arrived at a deserted finishing line! It was raining hard and everybody was sheltering in the big tents erected by the organizers for this event.

All in all it was a great experience! A fast race, much faster than what I am used to when running on trails. I enjoyed a lot running on  the mountain roads, as the organizers did a good job stopping all motorized traffic during the race! It was great to have the road just for ourselves!

The last kilometer - on the trail through the rain. (Phot by Corina Onciou)

I think that I also did a decent job as part of my relay team. I did not run with my highest speed as I had to conserve energy for the rest of my race. The second leg of the relay race I ran together with my change team mate, my old friend Nic, chatting all the way on a variety of subjects.

After the main event, my daughter participated in the kids race. Unfortunately, due to the rain and the freshly formed mud, the kids race course was shortened. Nevertheless, the kids had fun and enjoyed running in the mud!

Will I participate next year? I am not sure I would be so lucky with cool weather again... I tend to avoid summer races as I am afraid of hot weather. I also tend not to repeat the same races every year. We are spoiled in this part of the country with a wide variety of mountain running races, plenty to chose from. It was a great race, but fast one, faster than I am used to. It took me a whole week to recover after the race, more than it takes after a trail mountain marathon. I am not a road runner and I could feel it!

For those curious, here is the GPS track that I recorded with my mobile phone during the race. The first few hundred meters are missing, as I forgot to start the GPS recording at the start.

Brasov Marathon 2015 - Racing again on trails

25th of April 2015; Brasov Marathon: My first race of the year. Actually I can come up with quite a few firsts regarding this race:

• My first race after almost a year. I ran fewer races, mainly to reduce the stress effects that high intensity running puts on my body. Also, the the beginner enthusiasm with races started to wear-off and I want to run and enjoy the mountain landscapes at a slower pace.
• My first race since I decided to go pure vegan... This suddenly happened after a big meaty Christmas meal that took half a day to digest. So for the last four months I ate 99.9% vegan. It is probably too early to draw any conclusions, but one effect that I clearly experienced after the race was the almost instant recovery! The day after the race I went skiing and next day I did a 15 km trail run!
• My first race where I decided to run at my own pace. I lost probably 10 minutes  from my finish time, but I enjoyed the race more than other past events and I recovered faster.
• My first race that I recorded with a GPS device (see it below at the end of the post). Well quite a few months ago I found a cheap and small smartphone that fulfilled my minimal requirements and finally replaced my trusty old dumb-phone.
• Brasov Marathon is also the only race where I participated four yearly editions in a row. I ran the half marathon race in 2012 and 2013, then I moved up to the marathon last year, and did it again last week. Actually in 2012 it was one of my first trail running races, about half a year after I started being more serious about trail running. 

Flying down the hill from Tampa Peak (Photo by Brasov Marathon volunteer)

I love this race. It is organised very well by the experienced members of the  Nature Protection and Tourism Club (CPNT) from my town Brasov. It also takes place on the mountains and hills around my city Brasov, on the trails that I love and where I run almost daily. Due to its difficulty, the marathon race was shortened a bit last year, so it only measures around 38 km (about 10% shorter than the official marathon distance). The technical single trails and the accumulated altitude gain of almost 2000 m, make it a rather tough trail running race, especially for those that do not know the route well. The route starts from Sfatului Square, the heart of the historical old Brasov, at an altitude just a few meters below 600 m and reaches Postavarul Mountain top at 1800 m (1799 m to be precise).

I collected my race number the day before the race, so on Saturday morning I left home just 25 minutes before the start time. I warmed up running the one kilometer distance from home to the start place. I immediately entered the start zone, after my equipment was checked. I positioned myself after the first quarter of the runners as I did not want to start too fast, but also I wanted to be positioned quite well after the first kilometer on the streets when the route narrows  and starts climbing Tampa mountain on the winding trail through the forest.

It was a beautiful day. Perfect for running I would say! Dry sunny and windless weather with almost perfect blue sky! It did not rain for a few days before the race so the trails were just perfect for running. Not too wet but also not too dry.

Until Postavarul Top I took it very easy. In fact my time was several minutes worse than on a training run last summer! Probably the snow above 1400m also slowed me a bit. In any case I was walking all the steep sections and running only when the uphill slope was below around 10%.  Still I progressed slowly overtaking a few runners. I overtook the last runners when we reached the rather icy ski slopes on Postavarul Mountain. I was prepared for the snow with a pair of snow crampons for running. They helped me a lot on the uphill and gave me confidence to run quickly on the snow downhill.

On Postavarul Top! (Photo by Brasov Marathon volunteer)

From the last uphill slopes to Postavarul top, until the finish line, so for about 2/3 of the race, I did not overtake any other runner, nor was I overtaken by someone from behind. In fact I ran alone as if it was one of my usual weekend long runs. Around the half of the race I asked how far are the next runners ahead of me; 5-10 minutes I was told. I knew who they were, and that I have little chance to catch them up. I also knew that there were at least 4 very good runners in my age category (two of them finished on the first and third place). So it made no sense to accelerate. I was right. I finished 10 minutes after the runner in front of me. So for the rest of the race I ran at a quite relaxed pace, trying to keep my ranking till the end of the race. After each control-point I listened to any encouragement sounds that would indicate that someone behind me is approaching the control point that I left... Any time just silence... just me and the forest!

I finished on the 12th place out of about 120 runners that finished the marathon race. Two places better than last year when there were fewer runners. In my age category I finished on a comfortable 5th place. I was happy it wasn't the 4th place like last year... everybody hates the 4th place!

Again I ran the race with almost no extra food. I had my usual runner's breakfast, a big bowl of oats with a mashed banana in the morning. During the race I only had two pieces of banana at two check-points. Then water and isotonic drinks - offered by the organizer at the hydration points along the route. I also had a bottle of 600 ml of water with me. A bottle of at least 500 ml of water was compulsory. I would have prefer not to carry it as I knew well the location the hydration points and I could plan the run accordingly, but the extra water was helpful on the last long descent to Brasov.

At the finishing line I was happily greeted by my family. Last year I overestimated the time I would need to complete the race so they arrived just a tad later than my finish... This year they were in time, especially that soon after I finish, my daughter ran in the children's race of the event.

A big thank you to the organizers of the race. Each year, the organizing gets better! Keep up the good work and see you next year!

For those curious to see the route and analyse my performance, here is the GPS route I recorded.

Hit The Top. 2014 Edition

The Logo from the event home page

2014 Edition in a few words:

• Tough, wet, wet, wet, bloody wet and cold... 
• But what a great day!

This was the fourth Hit The Top edition, my third time here and my second time as a racer. It is a special race. It is short but tough, with more than 1600m of accumulated altitude gain in just a few kilometers. The number of the participants is kept at under 100 and the level of the runners is very high, including a few professional athletes.

I participated in the race in 2012, when it was one of my first trail running races. At that time the race was shorter; the return point was on Scara Peak at 2308m altitude. Last year the race route was extended by two more kilometers until Omu Peak (2505m), the highest peak of Bucegi Mountains and I decided not to race, but instead to run along the route and take photos; Here is my last year's race report with photos and GPS track. This year I had to compete again; I had to do the complete race to Omu Peak!

I tried to prepare well for this race. I accumulated many meters of altitude gain during my training runs the weeks before, followed by a few days of resting before the race. However, nothing prepared me for the wet weather on the race day. I often run in the rain, but on bad weather I keep away from the mountain heights. Yesterday, during the race, I went up all the way to 2500 meters altitude on Omu Peak, in a weather I would never plan myself such a trip!

Actually the weather during the race was better than the forecast a few days before. It rained all the time and it was foggy, but otherwise the weather was stable. The wind on to mountain tops was rather weak but not at all pleasant on the wet clothes. There was no thick fog so I had no orientation problems. A volunteer, on the rather flat Scara Peak, where fog could cause orientation issues, made sure that the runners took the right path. Also the abundant snow that fell in April was mostly gone. Just below Omu Peak there were larger patches of snow.

The start of the race was at 9:15 AM. I started the climb at a comfortable pace and all the way up to Omu Peak I tried not to run too fast and to conserve energy. I did not want to exhaust myself in that cold wet weather, especially high on the mountain. 30 minutes after the start my clothes were already quite wet. I felt like in the middle of a soaked sponge and I knew that it will only get wetter... . My biggest worry was the wind. I was prepared to abandon the race if  the wind would get too strong high on the ridges. Hypothermia can be a serious issue high on the mountains. Luckily the weather was OK high there. The wind, mixed with raindrops and even a few snow flakes was constantly blowing from the north Luckily, most of the trail from below Scara Peak until Omu is on the southern side of the ridge so it was rather sheltered from the wind.

My choice of clothing was not too bad. I wore a thin woolen merino shirt and a thin runner wind-stopper jacket on top of it. The wool got soaked in water and sweat. Well, anything would have got soaked in that weather, but the wool retains the heat better than other fabrics when wet. I had gloves that got so wet that I would squeeze the water out of them every two minutes just by clenching my fists. However, even so wet, they protected my hands from the cold wind so my hands stayed warm. I had long running trousers - I chose thicker warmer ones. Maybe not the best choice as they also got soaked in water, but at least they kept me warm. I heard from other runners that thin trousers were not enough. As head gear I had a thin running cap and a headband. I also had a thicker winter hat with me. I did not use it but it was good to feel it in my pocket!

After the race, when I have weighted my wet equipment I realized that I was carrying more than a liter of water in my clothes and shoes... maybe close to two liters... Speaking of excess weight, half way up the mountain I realized that I could have run without my bottle belt. The water offered by volunteers at the three hydration points along the route would have been enough in this cold and wet weather. What a difference from 2012, when the race was on a hot day and the one liter I have carried plus the water from the hydration points were hardly enough to extinguish my thirst!

I have been the 29th runner to reach Omu Peak. I did not stop there so I left behind a few runners, but not for too long as I am a too cautious downhill runner. I felt well and warm enough to skip the hot tea offered by the race organizers at Omu Peak. I know that other racers, that were not so well equipped for the cold weather, dreamt about that warm tea during all the way up!

First part of the descent went quickly for me. I tried to run as much as I could on the snow patches by the trail. The snow was quite wet and soft, but hard enough so I would not sink too much and could safely run fast with long steps. It was better than on the trail which consisted of a mixture of melting snow, water, mud and rocks... Soon, below Scara Peak the trail becomes steeper. From here until the end of the race I was overtaken by many other runners on each steep section of the route. I was joking that if the descent was longer all racers would have overtook me. But I preferred to be on the safe side. Lower in the forest the steep trail was extremely muddy and slippery and again, I did it at a very slow pace. Some other runners asked me if I was OK while they overtook me... I must have look quite hopeless. But I did not care. I then quickly ran the last 3 kilometers of the race on the forest road and finished the race on the 35th place, happily and in one piece! I can proudly say that I had no falls during the race.

[Added a day later] Now that the official results are ready I can see that I had the 45th descent time... Somewhere in the middle... Not so catastrophic after all, but it is the worse descent time of the top 40 runners.

After the race, the organizer offered us a nice warm soup and a tasty desert at a local restaurant in Bran. How nice to have a hot soup after spending so many hours in the cold wet rain. Time to socialize with the other runners before the awards ceremony.

All in all it was a great experience! The difficult weather and trail conditions made it an unforgettable race. The volunteers and mountain rescue members had a much tougher time than the runners. While we were running, keeping ourselves warm, they had to endure the rain and wind, up on the mountain heights for almost 10 hours! A big thank you to all of them and to all organizers of this event!

Let's hit the top again in 2015!

Brasov Marathon 2014

Today I participated in my first trail running race of this year: the 38 km Brasov Marathon mountain trail race. It was the third edition of Brasov Marathon, one of the mountain running competitions organised by the CPNT club from my hometown Brasov.

In 2012, the first edition had only cross and half-marathon races; I ran the half-marathon race then - It was my second half marathon ever. In 2013, at the second edition, a long and difficult marathon race was added to the event. but I competed again in the half-marathon race, because the event was just two weeks before  Ecomarathon, where I was already registered for a full marathon race. This year I decided to skip Ecomarathon and to attend the full marathon race of the Brasov Marathon event. I had to! It takes place on the trails that I know so well, practically on my "backyard playground".

Brasov Marathon is one of the most difficult trail marathon races in the area. After the last year race, many experienced runners said that it is probably the most difficult mountain marathon in the area. This year however, the course was shortened from about 42km to a more manageable 38km and to "just" 1880m of elevation gain. A difficult climb of 300m elevation gain, on Gabony Steps up to Tampa Mountain top was removed from the route. The climb on the Gabony Stairs is still part of the half-marathon route, making it also one of the most difficult half-marathon routes in the area.

As I already mentioned in older posts, I am reducing the number of competitions. Brasov Marathon is one of the very few races where I plan to participate this year. I want concentrate more on quality than quantity. By quality I do not necessarily mean better race results, but races that I can prepare better and enjoy more.

The almost snow-less winter meant that instead skiing I ran a lot during the last months, so I felt quite prepared for this race. On Monday, 5 days before the race, I did a reconnaissance run to Postavarul Peak. It was one of the hardest runs I ever did! Above 1400m there was a lot of fresh, wet, almost knee deep spring time snow. Running through this snow felt like being in a juice squeezer! Totally Exhausting! Moreover, after the hard running session I got a stiff and painful back. So I had to rest for the next four days before the race. The rest was welcomed, not to mention that it rained most of the time. To my relief, on Friday the back pain was almost gone and I started to feel again energetic, ready for trail running! The mountains were calling me again!

The race was very well organised. On Friday evening I attended the technical briefing so I could clarify all the details of the route. For safety reasons the organizers did some last minute route changes so even though I know the area so well, attending the briefing was still very useful. During the race, everything on the route was as described at the briefing. The route was very well marked and volunteers were placed at the critical cross-roads.

I was surprised to see how much snow had melted in the five days since my reconnaissance run. Most of the fresh snow was gone. The snow still on the route was mostly old frozen snow. In some places the snow was replaced by sticky mud, but mud is much less problematic for running than deep and wet snow.

Again, I ran the race without carrying any electronic gadget with me, except my small dumb-phone that I had for emergencies - I did not touch it during the race. I did not have even a watch with me! I find any gadget to be distracting during a race.

The start was quite early, at 8 AM, so I had to chose a breakfast that would be easy to digest. At 6:30 AM I had my traditional big bowl of integral oats with home made yogurt. Then I added a caloric bomb: 250g of organic vanilla mouse... The evening before I had a good but quite light meal: pasta with sardines and lots and lots of spring garlic. It looks like my choice of food was well inspired. I felt very comfortable and energetic during the race. I did not feel any hunger until well after the race. I only had two small banana pieces from the hydration stations along the route. I did not carry any gel or energy bar with me, just a 600ml bottle filled with fresh lemonade that I prepared in the morning. I drank quite a lot of water and isotonic at the refreshing points and used my lemonade on the longer stretches between hydration stations points.

Reaching Postavarul Peak - 1799m. The highest point of the route

The profile of the course was not the most optimum for my running style. Most of the up-hill sections were in the first half of the race. I am good on uphills, but quite slow and cautious on downhills. I managed a very good climb to Postavarul Mountain Peak, the highest point of the route at 1799m. However, the route back from there consisted of mostly long downhills, giving a good chance to other competitors that are better than me on downhill to catch and overtake me. And this is exactly what happened. At least, to my surprise it happened much later than I anticipated and just a couple of runners overtook me... but they included the third finisher in my age category. Well, he deserves his place. He is a much better and experienced downhill runner than me and at the finishing line he was 5 minutes ahead of me! So once more, I finished in the fourth place in my age category. The previous year I was the fourth of my age group in the half-marathon race. I checked the half-marathon results of this year... with my last year time I would have also been the fourth in my age category...

The weather during the race was perfect for running; quite cool and pleasant. The rain that fell almost uninterrupted for four days stopped during the night before the race. During the morning the weather became sunny. As most of the route was through woods, the air kept cool and pleasant for most of the race duration.

As a conclusion, it was again a very well organised race by bighearted volunteers. I have also noticed that the organizers have listened to the feedback they got from the participants of the previous editions and implemented most of the suggested changes and improvements.
I also noticed the great fair-play spirit of all competitors - we all enjoyed a lot this race!

Will I do it again in 2015? Definitely yes! Depending on the races calendar I will decide then if I will do the full or the half marathon, but nevertheless, I plan to participate again! See you then!

Some of the photographers were very quick to post their photos on the web. Here I am just before the finishing line, running together with a runner with whom I "shared" the last kilometer.

photo by Gabi Varzari

Semimaraton Intersport, Brasov, April 5, 2014

In 2012, the first edition of Intersport half-marathon, was my first ever trail running competition. Back then I was into trail running for less than a year. Better trained and with more experience, I returned in 2013 and did it 20 minutes faster than the previous year, almost reaching the top 15% of the finishers! 

This year I decided to have a look at this competition from a different angle and I did not register. I am trying to reduce the number of competitions. Lately I tend to prefer slightly longer trail races in the 30-45km range and also with more elevation gain. I am not a very fast runner , definitely not a flatland runner, and this race is a rather fast one with only around 600m of positive elevation gain. This time I preferred to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, so I went on the route to take photos of the competitors in the half-marathon race. I know how much I enjoy finding photos with me on the Net after a race and I know that others do!

The competition takes place on the beautiful wooded hills around my home city Brasov, along the paths that I love and where I usually run. First 8.5km are a long uphill to Poiana Brasov mountain resort, along a winding unpaved forest road giving enough room for overtaking. From Poiana the trail returns to Brasov along  a beautiful single trail that follows the top of the hills until Tampa Mountain saddle. The start/finish area is just a couple of minutes from my house in Unirii Square (Piata Unirii, more traditionally called Prund). I could even see the finishing gate from my home and I listen "live" to the speaker announcements!

I did the race route twice earlier in the week and noticed that the trails were in a very good condition. The route was already well marked a few days before the race. Two huge fallen trees that were blocking the trail were cut and taken out of the way. In the previous years there were some serious mud problems. In 2013 part of the route had to be diverted to avoid a 500m stretch with knee deep mud. Following a very dry and warm winter, this time there was not a trace of mud on the way! Perfect conditions for a new best time of the race. The second time winner, Vitalie Gheorghita, finished in an unbelievable time for a 20km trail race with 640 meters of elevation gain: just 1:15:30! Actually it was 25 seconds slower than his own time of the the previous year. I would guess that the slightly longer time was due to some wet and slippery trail sections.

Vitalie Gheorghita, the second time winner of the race

The weather forecast this year was not good at all. In 2013 the weather was just perfect. In in 2012 the rain stopped just before the start of the race, but this year it was the other way round... the rain started just before the start. For the race day, the National Meteorological Authority issued a warning saying that the weather will get cold, wet and windy during the day. Although overcast, the morning was nice, quite warm and dry. Knowing that the weather can turn bad at any time I rushed out and did a 19km trail run session on the hills to Poiana Brasov and back. I ran partly along the race route, but my route had a bit more altitude gain, also reaching Tampa mountain top. From there I rushed home, in time to get some rest. I then grabbed an umbrella, some warm clothes and a camera and then I rushed up the hill to Stechil meadow, somewhere in the middle of the race route, the place where I took the photos.

With 700 registered participants, there was quite some traffic along the route!

The start countdown started a couple of minutes earlier than 12PM, the official start time. I guess that the rain that was just starting made everybody inpatient. I arrived in the square just as the last runners were disappearing in the distance. I knew that I only have 40 minutes to climb the 400m to Stechil Meadow. I arrived in time to prepare for taking the photos. As it was raining I did not take my best camera. Instead I took my little compact waterproof camera... So at least I have an excuse for the bad shots... I am really sorry that I missed a few runners! A few shots are also out of focus and some are not so well framed, but overall I am quite pleased with the results! Most jpeg files came out just fine out of the camera!

Here is the full album, of more than 500 shots!

You are free to use any photo, as long as you give credit to the author. You can also contact me for a larger resolution version of the photo.

The umbrella was very useful as it rained almost all the time. I also noticed that while I stood taking photos for 1.5 hours, the weather got colder and colder. After an hour I had to put on my gloves as my hands started to freeze. In the morning before the race, the temperature in Brasov was almost 15C. By the end of the prize ceremony the temperature went down to 2C... Actually the weather was not too bad for running. The rain was quite light, most runners finished before it got too cold and there was almost no wind.

The start/finish area in Prund (Piata Unirii). The race route follows the hill tops in the distance

Overall, from what I could see, the 2014 edition of this race was again very well organized! Congratulations to the organizers and to all volunteers!

See you again in 2015!

MPC 2013 - Piatra Craiului Marathon

I first heard about the famous Piatra Craiului Marathon (MPC) a little over two years ago, about the same time I became more interested in trail running. At that time I realized that such a race is out of scope for my level of training. For the next year I have trained and participated in several trail running cross and half-marathon races in the area around my beautiful town Brasov. I gradually became a better runner and by the autumn I felt ready for my first full mountain trail running marathon. In October 2012, Piatra Craiului Marathon was my first full marathon I have ever ran and my result was not a bad one: I was in the top 20%.

During 2013 I continued to train and participate in mountain trail running races including 3 full marathons. I slowly became a stronger and a faster runner. Again, the final year exam had to be MPC! During the summer I over-trained, reaching twice 100km of mountain trail runs in a week. I felt it in my knees! In the autumn I reduced my training distances and my knees recovered well. The week before MPC I only ran 20km to be as fresh as possible on the racing day.

So here I am, early in the morning on the 2nd of November, in the center of Zarnesti, waiting for the start of the 8th edition of this marathon. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the event was delayed for 4 weeks, as at the beginning of October when it should have taken place the mountains got covered in a thick blanket of snow that made such an event impossible.

Just before the start - Photo by Radu Dumitru

2nd of November sounded quite late and many, myself included were a bit worried... Would it not be too cold, maybe snowy again? Isn't the day too short? Maybe the trails would be wet muddy... Eventually, the 2nd of November 2013 turned out to be an absolutely perfect day for running in the mountains! It was a warm and sunny autumn day, with glorious blue skies and no wind on the mountain peaks! The trails were dry and just perfect for running! With these perfect conditions and feeling in a quite good shape, I knew that I should get a better time compared to last year.

The MPC route is a demanding one: 41km in length with more than 2200m of accumulated elevation gain. It has two long ascents, the second one being feared by most competitors. The route goes around the main ridge of Piatra Craiului Mountain and 90% of it is inside Piatra Craiului National Parc. The nature, the landscape and the views along the route are simply stunning!

Along the route there are all kinds of roads and trails one can imagine: from asphalted roads in Zarnesti, to dirt roads, single trails, culminating with very steep and rocky terrain. The descent from the main ridge of Piatra Craiului starts with a steep rocky descent. Here, the organizers mount every year several ropes to make the route safer.

15 minutes into the race. Photo by Flavy Teo

As on my previous races this year, I did not carry any electronic gadget with me... No GPS, no heart monitor, not even a watch. So I would not get any distraction and could concentrate on the running. I only had my dumb-phone with me so I could use it in case of an emergency. I did not carry running poles. I know that they would have been very useful on the steep uphill slopes, but I would have to carry them on the rest of the route. In the past I also had two bad experiences while running as I managed to trip over my own poles and fall flat on the ground... So I figured out that I am safer without poles. Actually, during the race, on the last uphill, the famous Diana climb, an endless climb through the forest, I used two wood sticks that I found by the trail... There were plenty of sticks and fallen branches on the forest ground just waiting to be picked. So I just used what Mother Nature offered me...

I  know form my experience that I should eat well the day before the race and in the morning before the race. By now I also know hat I should avoid overeating. In the morning I had my standard runner's meal: yogurt with oat flakes, sweetened with plum marmalade and a bit of honey.  The yogurt was freshly prepared by my wife, using whole fat milk and selected yogurt germs. The plum marmalade was the Romanian specialty one (called magiun); the only ingredient is sweet plums - no sugars added! So quite a healthy breakfast I would say. The fat yogurt and the whole grain oat flakes make me feel full for half a day. They are slowly digested releasing energy for more than half of a day.

I took with me two energy bars, as this was requested by the race rules. I finished the race without touching them. During the race I only had some grapes and banana pieces at the three official refreshment supply points.

On the ridge! Photo by Mihai Benea

I did not want to carry a backpack as I do not like to get sweaty on my back. I had a running belt with a 750ml bottle. I have chosen a bottle with a large lid, so at the supply points I can quickly empty glasses of liquid into the bottle. I made sure that I left each of the three refreshment supply points with my bottle full and I also drank a few glasses of liquid each time. During the race I consumed 50% water and 50% isotonic drinks.

The refreshment points were very well stocked with liquids, fruits, cheese and other snacks. The mid-course one also had yogurt and even hot soup. However I did not pay too much attention to what was available. I just looked for fruits, isotonic drinks and water.

The rules of the competition demand long trousers and long sleeves. Well, one can wear anything, but the compulsory equipment must then be carried in a backpack. I have chosen to wear long tights and a sports T-shirt with long sleeves. It wasn't going to be too warm so it was OK. On the long ascent to Funduri Saddle, which at 1950m is the highest pint of the route, I took my shirt off... I knew from the previous year that if sunny it gets very warm on this sunny mountain slope. I avoided to clip my number on the T-shirt so I could get it off if I felt too warm. I also carried the compulsory wind jacket tied on the running belt. I haven't used it during the race, but it is an important piece of equipment that I always have with me on the mountains.

Of course, the most important piece of the equipment are the shoes. I ran with my old by now Salomon Speedcross trail running shoes. I am very pleased by these shoes. They are very light but strong. The soles have a very god grip as they are made from a quite soft rubber. The downside is that they wear off quite quickly. I kept these shoes only for racing and after two seasons it is time to replace them with a new pair, although they are not completely worn-off so I can continue to use them for training.

Flying to the finish line. Photo by Andreea Dumitrescu

The race went on without any bad surprises for me. I was careful not to be too behind the start line. This was a good decision as I could go faster at the beginning so when the trail narrowed I was already with the faster runners without the need to overtake.

As usually I was constantly overtaking on uphills. On the steep downhills the situation reversed. I am a very cautions runner so many runners overtook me on the steep descents. Overall, my place improved during the race. I tried o keep a comfortable and constant pace and I managed to do it throughout the race. I knew well the route from last year so I could optimize my pace, knowing what to expect next. On the last long ascent, the feared climb to Diana refuge I forced my rhythm up a bit and again managed to slowly overtake several runners. This increased my confidence. From Diana to the finish line, the route is is mostly downhill and I was surprised how much energy still I had left so I accelerated  with ease and overtook a few more runners... runners that just overtook me on the steeper and technical part at the beginning of this descent.

The most difficult part for me was the last kilometer through the town... The descent ends on the town limits and the last km is flat on asphalted roads. But I kept running as lots of people were watching and encouraging the runners.

50 more meters! Photo by Anda Ignat

A last sharp corner, followed by a straight line to the finish. I cannot believe! I did it in 5h15! more than 30 minutes better than last year. I am in top 10% now! A result I am quite proud of! On the other hand I realize that it will be very difficult to get a better time next year. It would have to be a perfect day like this year and I would have to be in even better shape. In the meanwhile I know that I have to train more on steep and technical descents. That is hard for me because I prefer long gentle descents... after working hard to get to the top I do not want to get back in the valley immediately...

This year, MPC was again a great experience! The organizers, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, photographers and of course all the runners made it happen again. A big thank you to all involved in this wonderful event!

See you again in 2014!