Cross de la Vogue (France)

Listed by Mindspace
  • Event Website
  • Rated 77%
  • 10k
  • Xc
  • Asc 630m
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Entrants (1) Club PB SB Pred Time WAVA
Mindspace Well here's the thing. The race website said there was 240m of climb. Turns out there was 630m of climb, rendering my time prediction of 45:30 pointless. The race was basically up and down the side of a beautiful gorge in the Vercors national park. There was a killer of 200m of ascent in just 1.5k of actual distance in one section.....and WITHIN THAT a 100m spike/climb and descent of 100m within less than 500m of distance. Running up that reduced everyone I saw to virtual walking pace, despite arms pumping and taking smaller strides......it felt almost vertical at times (looks not far off it too, from my Garmin GPS graph). I swear I could have put my hands out in front of me to pull myself up at some points, as well as pumping my legs. It had rained the night before. People were falling on the slippery rocks and grass. I fell. Later I went over on my right foot, twisting the ligaments but not badly enough to stop. My fault, I should have worn my trail shoes but stuck with my road ones. This hampered me throughout the race, particularly on the steep down sections. One guy in front of me did a half somersault he fell so hard on one of these. He was about 18, apparently invincible and seemed unharmed, carrying on.....it would have broken my back. No wonder you need a doctor’s certificate of health stating that you are a fit runner who races regularly, in order to be able to take part in this race. They insist on seeing the certificate before letting you subscribe. Only 14 women took part out of 96 runners and one of them looked like a professional . The 18 year old Alexis Monaci - tenth fastest junior in France - was there and he came in 2nd 39:24....AMAZING. The men mostly looked like serious mountain runners, all tall with impossibly long and muscly legs. I'm not short but not tall either and I felt like a hobbit next to them on the start line. This race was the hardest run I've ever done, far harder than a half marathon. I felt happy just to finish in one piece, pleased to come in 49 out of 96 and just behind the third placed woman, the impressive Juliette Ribuad (who overtook me at around 6.5k....I tried to claw my back to her but no way). I came in 12 out of 20 men in the 40-50 category (I'm 41). Afterwards there was cake, drinks, cheese, pizza, presentations, prizes. I was awarded a prize for the longest travelled competitor - a pot of local honey and two small wooden cows. They invited me to come back next year, Unaffiliated 44:48 44:48 45:30 55:38 49.63

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