Sunday, March 9, 2014

TransOmania Summary


 Runners that toed the start line for the TransOmania 300 kilometer non-stop ultramarathon had no idea what they were in for.  This race turned out to be the most difficult, challenging event many had ever undertaken.  I think it would be safe to say that everyone underestimated how long they would be out on the course for.


The race description was for the most part accurate… but it was almost impossible to describe the terrain accurately.  I had studied the description, and zoomed over the course multiple times on google earth… but still was a bit shocked at the difficulty faced early on
The race began at 9pm Monday night.  There were to be 13 checkpoints along the way…some as far as 30 kilometers apart.  The race began with a 5 kilometer easy run to the base of “The Wall” that we had all stared at during the day.  The mountain rose above our camp and looked deceptively easy to climb.  It was 12 kilometers of switchbacks to the top of the range…which topped out at about 2100 meters. 

The beginning of the climb was tough… but nothing out of the ordinary to those used to hiking.  But it was the top that was out of control.  There were some sections that rose at a 35 degree angle, and literally took your breath away.  I, for one, was gasping for air, and leaning heavily on my poles. 

CP 1 was at the top of the climb.  Runners refueled with the mandatory 3 liters of water and carried on.  All felt that the most difficult part of the climb was now over with.  On google earth, it looked like the next 50 kilometers or so would be on undulating terrain.  It should have been fairly easy to get to CP 4 and begin the descent down a single track toward an oasis.


But this was not the case.  CP 1 to CP 2 was 23 kilometers.  The first half of this section felt easy.  Fantastic!  It was a welcome relief to get a break following the insane climb.  But the second half became a series of rollers.  Steep, steep uphills where you would try to catch your breath before heading down…and then another steep, steep uphill.  At the top of each climb you would wonder whether this was it.  And then there would be another hill and then another.  It seemed endless.  Running in the dark, it was tough to determine when, or if, the hills would end.




CP 2 to CP 3 again started off fairly easy and was runnable.  But then athletes began to head down into a canyon.   There was no way to anticipate the beauty of this area.  It is referred to by locals at “The Grand Canyon” of Oman. It is a 1,000 meter deep limestone gorge.  As the sun moves overhead, the colors of the canyon change from vivid orange to cool blue to softly violet.  It is breathtaking. At the bottom runners crossed a dried out river bed and then began the climb out.  Again, another steep climb and for many it was getting really hot out.  The hunt was on for any type of shade.  It was only about 30 degrees Celsius, but the sun was incredibly intense.  It felt like you were in an oven.  There were little pockets of shade here and there beneath rocky outcrops, and tucking in for a brief moment felt like a cool blast of heaven.  It was tough to leave it behind.  And then the hunt was on for the next pocket.



The course description indicated that CP 3 to CP 4 was only 4.4 kilometers.  You had to reach CP 4 within 15 hours of starting the race…so by noon on Tuesday.  Anyone who thought they could make up time here and easily make the cutoff was dead wrong.  This section was entirely uphill.  It involved almost 1,000 meters of climbing in 4 kilometers.  It was extremely difficult.  Runners that rolled into the CP were either at a loss for words and just pushed on…or they were shaking their heads and cursing the craziness of the course.  It was just so much more difficult than imagined.  The first 60 kilometers of this race saw 5600 meters of elevation gain!


I saw Chris Yeo here.  As you read in my previous blog, he was the guy from Singapore who wanted to finish this race in 67 hours. He wanted to be back home in Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with his wife and new baby. He was looking strong and doing well!  He just might make it home in time!  To meet his goal he would have to really push to be done by late Thursday afternoon.


CP 4 to CP 5 was described as being single track.  It was a downhill section that would lead straight to an oasis called Wadi Bani Khalid.  It was a little piece of heaven within the barren, rocky landscape.  Runners could stop there if they wished and soak their feet in the pools of water beneath the welcome shade offered by nearby palm trees.  It is a popular tourist destination for people looking to venture off the beaten track.




But getting to CP 5 was tough.  This was not a single track section.  This was a steep, rocky descent over 17 kilometers long.  Runners had to negotiate treacherous sections of rock, and many fell along the way and had bumps, bruises and scrapes to show for it.  So it was a lot more difficult given that there was not really much of a track and it was fairly steep going downhill. Negotiating terrain like this was not new to some of the runners,  but everyone expected there to be a more defined trail…so it took a lot longer to cover than many expected.


Getting to the oasis was a relief.  Many runners stopped and took the time to relax for a few minutes and shake off the fatigue of the previous 82 kilometers.  Only about 200 kilometers to go now!  The worst was over!  Italian runner Luisa Balsamo stopped and soaked her feet in the water for awhile.  She said it felt so fantastic!  For her it was worth it to spend a few minutes to just regroup and get back on the course feeling more refreshed.






From CP 5 to CP 6 runners followed a paved road through a small town and headed back into the mountains. There was another cutoff time to get to this CP… 24 hours.  This was also the first section where runners had to go 30 kilometers between CPs, which is a long way.  I have never done a race before where the CP’s have been this far apart.  You may be completely alone for the entire distance and it is always a relief to get to a CP and get a little social interaction with whoever happens to be there at the time.



 From CP 6 to CP 7 runners were beginning the trek toward the desert.  The last few kilometers toward CP 7 offered up a taste of what was to come.  There were small dunes and some very deep sand.  It was here that people started to get lost.  For some reason, the markers kept being taken from this area.  Speculation was that the local bedouin were taking them…even though this had never happened at previous events held by the race director in Oman.  As fast as the markers were replaced, it seemed like they were disappearing again.




Athletes became extremely frustrated and discouraged.   Race Director Cyril Fondeville was at his wits end trying to replace the markers and not being able to understand why this was happening.  It just didn’t make sense.  It created some chaos within the event, which was sad.  But it certainly isn’t the first  time that this has happened at a race.  It is, unfortunately, a complication that does arise from time-to-time and takes a great deal of mental toughness to overcome.



I have been in other events where I have had to deal with the frustration of feeling lost and wondering if you are going the right way.  It slows you down… and you may start to feel you are losing your mind.  In one desert race I did there was a massive sandstorm that blew all the markers away, or buried them under sand.  I was lucky enough to be with a group of soldiers who were pros at navigating by compass.  We took bearings every 10 or 15 minutes or so, and did a headcount at the same time to make sure we hadn’t lost anyone in the storm.

In another competition, there were markers set up for the day, but when night fell they weren’t visible because the glow sticks had gone missing.  Race organizers couldn’t find the glow sticks to put out and runners were getting lost in the dark.  Eventually the sticks were tracked down. They were found in a truck driven by a guy who didn’t know what was in the bags that were stuffed in the back seat.

In yet another race I did in Canada, the markers were being taken from certain parts of a race course by a disgruntled person who did not seem to care for the event being held in his city.  Every year, the person would come out to the race and steal markers and race officials would constantly have to replace them.  They could never catch the person in the act.  Who does this?  I just don’t get it.

So even though most races provide markers, I have learned to become fairly proficient at using my GPS. In races that provide GPS coordinates, I always put in the waypoints for the CP’s… and sometimes put in the waypoints for the track so I know where I am minute-to-minute.  If I deviate even slightly off-course, my GPS will show me that I am off track and I will slightly alter my direction.
Having said all of this...the course will be slightly altered next year in this section to prevent this from happening again.



CP 7 to CP 8 was very doable.  It was basically a fairly hard packed sandy surface in a valley with dunes up on either side.  Runners were able to negotiate this stretch fairly easily and CP 8 was at the halfway point.  Here they could access their drop bags for a change of clothing, more food and whatever else they had brought to treat themselves.




CP 8 was a Safari Camp.  It was basically a compound in the desert where tourists could come and spend a few days enjoying the desert.  There was an arched entrance into the camp, and a path that led to a dining tent.  There were carpets on the ground with tables and chairs, and a side buffet.  There was also a lounging tent to enjoy Sheesha or relax and enjoy the desert ambiance.  Tourists could go on camel treks, or 4 wheel drive excursions.  There was sand surfing and amazing walks in the sunset.  There were also small huts that provided beds, showers and toilets.



But runners gathered just outside this compound.  They could rest here before pushing on.   But the only luxury they could access is what they had in their own drop bag.  Many stopped here for awhile to work on their blistered feet…or enjoy a massage.  French runner Michel Deschamps did not finish the 300 kilometer event.  He was a trained masseuse and physiotherapist and he provided many of the athletes with massages as they made their way along the course.  Runners also managed to get some food down here and then they would push on.  There was now the longest stretch of sand of any desert race in the world to be crossed…130 kilometers of sand and dunes!



I knew going in that this was going to be a real slog…and it was.  This was not a hard packed sandy surface like the Marathon des Sables.  This was like Dune Day of the MDS…. But instead of 20 kilometers of  sand and dunes… it was 3 marathons long!!!  The sun was intense and there was no shade.  Athletes needed every drop of water of the mandatory 3 liters they carried with them.  A few complained how heavy it was … but it was quite clear that for safety reasons everyone had to carry this amount.  Luckily, there was always a race vehicle coming by and it would stop and race officials were offering runners more water to drink or pour over their heads.




With the deep sand it was almost impossible to run.  The only thing you could do was power walk as fast as you could and just keep moving.  There is a technique to negotiating sand.  You walk uphill, you run downhill...and you run any flat hard-packed sections.  The more desert races you run…the more it becomes second nature.  It is like automatically switching gears.  I also take advantage of each passing cloud.  If a cloud were ever to obscure the sun, I would pick up my pace a bit and take advantage of the cooler moment.


Eventual winners Johan Steene and Joao Oliveira played leapfrog at this point.  One would push on ahead and the other would catch up.  One would stop to catch a nap and the other would catch up again.  Johan said that Joao had an almost inhuman ability to power walk at an extremely fast pace through the sand.  Perhaps it came from his marching and being a member of the Portuguese Special Forces.




This continued through from CP 8 to CP 11.  Back and forth they battled it out.  They both tried to catch little naps by this time.  Johann figures that in total he only slept for about an hour-and-a-half tops over the duration of the 300 kilometers. 


It was after passing through CP 10 that Johan began to hallucinate.  The Wahiba Desert is interesting in that it receives some moisture in the way of dew that is carried in from the ocean.  As a result there are little green shrubs that dot the sand dunes.  Johan was so tired that he began to hallucinate that the bushes were small animals that were lying in wait for him.  He was positive that as he moved the animals were getting ready to jump out and pounce on him.   He knew at this point he had to keep his thoughts simple.  Just think about putting one foot in front of the other.  But even this was too complicated, and he couldn’t do it.  So he paused to take a 10 minute nap and when he awoke, felt like he had become re-energized.

Just before CP 11 Johan caught up to Joao, who was stretched out sleeping on a sand dune.  Johan woke him up and they decided to do the rest of the course together.  Neither runner could speak the same language.  Johan is Swedish and could speak English… and Joao could only speak Portuguese.  But Johan said there was a universal language they shared as runners with signing and gestures that they both knew what the other was trying to communicate.  It was really quite remarkable.

By this time Chris Yeo knew that he was off his projected time.  There was no way he was going to make it in 67 hours.  But he had made the decision to finish, and would make it home to Singapore as soon as he could arrange another flight.



My Italian friend Luisa Balsamo found the race to be extremely difficult.  Many other runners all thought about quitting at some point along the way…but not Luisa.  She is so experienced, and has seen so much in the countless races she has done…nothing seemed to be beyond her abilities.

CP 12 to CP 13 was 21 kilometers long.  There were some beautiful white dunes to be crossed in the beginning and then there was a long flat plain.  Then there were about another 5 kilometers of sand dunes.  It was here as you climbed to the top of one of the dunes that you got your first glimpse of the ocean.  What an incredible sight.  After so much sand the blue ocean rippling in the sun was almost like an illusion.  The finish line was so close now!



Pretty soon civilization came into view.  Runners could see a huge radio tower and they made their way toward it and soon crossed a highway.  They had to climb up yet another hill, and then there it was.  The white tents off in the distance signaled where the finish line was.  They were set up on the beach right next to the water that was rolling into shore.  You could smell the salt!  You could feel the moisture!  This was it … the coast-to-coast was finished! 





Most runners were able to manage a quick trot to cross the finish line into the open arms of  the volunteers and Race Director Cyril Fondeville!  I am not usually at a race as a spectator, waiting at the finish for runners to come in.  It was bitter-sweet. I had dreamt for so long of being one of them. But it was so much fun to witness the pure joy experienced by so many as they realized they had completed this extremely difficult challenge!  It was over and they were successful!








Right after the joy, there was the fatigue.  Runners would stagger over to a chair, or would bend over and support their weight with their hands on their knees.  All anyone could think of was eating and sleeping.  Some went directly to their tents.  Others stayed and took pictures.  Most wanted to take their shoes off right away, and there were some really nasty looking feet!







Johan Steene and Joao Oliveira both finished together in 58 hours 25 minutes…an incredible time.  Johan told me that he thought he was going to complete this course in 48 hours.  Most runners seemed to be off their projected finish times anywhere from 10 to 30 hours.  The winners were followed in just a short time later by French runner Thierry Corbarieu, who finished in 59 hours 50 minutes.





Luisa Balsamo came in fourth place overall, and was first female with a time of 74:18!


Chris Yeo came in at 82:41.  He had wanted to finish late Thursday, but ended up making it across the finish line early Friday morning. Chris finished in 8th place overall out of 29 competitiors that completed the 300 kilometer race.  There were 50 people registered for the event.  He went straight to his tent and got ready to head out of camp.  He had a plane to catch.  Cyril Fondeville had a car ready for him to make the trip back to Muscat. From there Chris would fly on to Singapore.



But he was the only runner to leave.  Everyone else stayed to welcome in the other runners still crossing the finish line.  I was so impressed.  Joao had won the race, and he stayed on to help runners across the finish.  He helped them to take their packs off and despite being stiff, was able to kneel down and help them untie their shoes.  This is a guy who won the Spartathlon ultramarathon in Greece in 2013! 






He was just so nice and so gracious, as was Johan Steene.  Johan is a member of the Swedish ultramarathon team and placed 13th in the 246 kilometer Spartathlon.   Both men impressed  everyone with their athletic prowess and yet their absolute humble approach to running and to life.  I think it can be rare to see both traits in a great athlete.



Runners trickled in after that, and everyone in camp would stop what they were doing and cheer them on as they came toward the finish.  There was German athlete Brigid Wefelnberg, who paused to call her boyfriend in Germany so that she could take him across the finish line with her!



And it just wasn’t the 300 kilometer runners who were coming in.  There were also the runners finishing  the 200 and 100 kilometer races.  One of these was Miquel Roig Ballester.  He had raced in the 200 kilometer event.  This was his first ever ultramarathon.  What an introduction to ultramarathon running!  He said it was the hardest thing he had ever done… but he loved it.  It tested him like nothing ever had, and that was why he came to this race.  He is from the Spanish island Mallorca.  He said the heat never bothered him because he was used to it.  He also said that he brought along enough food, and that he was happy with all his gear choices.  What a pro!  Miquel is now hooked on desert racing, but will have to put off running for awhile because he is training now to become a police officer.



Miquel was incredibly tough, because even seasoned ultrarunners found this event to be so difficult.  Some of the athletes who had very little experience at ultras…found this event to be too unforgiving.  They would never come back.

  Many of the European runners, however, had years of experience.  They, too, found TransOmania to be one of the most difficult events they had ever competed in.  But the more races you do, the more knowledge you acquire.  And with the years of experience, the more you see and encounter at races, and the tougher you get. 


I had recently taken on the Italian race… Tor des Geants.  In fact, Luisa Balsamo is doing the race this year.  It is a mountain race in Italy.  I will tell you that TDG is an incredibly difficult 200 mile non-stop race that will take everything you have to finish.  There are huge climbs, treacherous descents and miles upon miles of rock and scree to cross over.  And then there is the occasional snowstorm that can come along and coat everything in ice.

So there are other equally tough races out there…I am not going to go into naming them all… but there are a handful of other really challenging events.  This is now one in that handful.  It is the toughest desert race I have ever encountered.  I did not get far in this event because I started the race with dysentery and never recovered.  But I will be going back next year.  And I am also looking forward to doing the sister event in The Desert Challenge series… TransArabia.


TransArabia is going to be held in Jordan in November.  It will also be featuring  300, 200 or 100 kilometer non-stop races.  But now organizers have decided to add a stage race option.  What is really great too, in my opinion, is that runners who start off in the 300 kilometer non-stop event and find it too difficult, can switch to the stage race at any point.


To tell you the truth, I am not really going to change much in my training.  I feel that I was ready to take on TransOmania…and I am just going to carry on this summer working on maintaining and building on my fitness.  I know what to expect, and will be heading to TransArabia with my eyes wide open.  There is a great little expression I heard awhile back at one of the races I did.

                                                      “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.” 

I love it.  A great race tests you.  It throws everything at you and then some.  You are going to laugh, and you may cry.  You are going to curse, and you are going to hate everything and everyone.  You are going to make great friends, and maybe lose some.  You are going to be brought to your knees with crippling pain, and you are going to be on top of the world when you witness the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen.  At the end of the event you may swear to never come back or do another race ever. 


But after a few weeks the pain fades and the body recovers.  The mind only remembers the joy of certain moments and the relief at the finish.  And pretty soon, you are looking ahead to your next event…and you are planning the following year.  Difficult races will either push you over the edge and you will decide to stick to what you know and do best…or they will propel you forward toward more unchartered territory.  Pushing the envelope…that is what I love.  You fall down, you get back up.  That is all there is to it.  One can always FIND A WAY. 



I will be heading back to Oman next year to take part in the 300 kilometer TransOmania.  I cannot wait!  If you would like to compete in this event you can contact me on FaceBook.  I am the race representative and will do what I can to help you prepare for this challenge.