From Petra Bijsterveld…
Haute-Nendaz is a village and ski resort in Valais in the mountains above Sion (Switzerland) and the Nendaz Trail event is held every year on the last Saturday in August. A very low key and small event compared to the UTMB which is held at the same time not so far away, it is very easy to enter and attracts mainly Swiss runners, with a few French, Belgian and Dutch in the mix. There are 3 distances to choose from, 16k (not worth getting out of bed for really), 30k or 70k (way too long for me). I had done the 30k in 2019 and was delighted to be able to return and tackle it again. Two matters could definitely have derailed my plans: the uncertainties around travel to the Continent during the pandemic, and injury. I managed to strain my calf in early June and was only able to resume a tentative run/walk regime from the second half of July, which left precious little time to do any kind of distance or hill training. The last few weeks could best be described as an ‘inverse taper’, with a lot of caution not to get injured again. The furthest I had managed to run in preparation was 13 miles.
The 30k ‘Petit Parcours’ starts at an altitude of 1350m. It is cold when I arrive in Nendaz early in the morning and I think I can almost feel frost tingle my fingers when I pick up my number and have my kit checked. But the sun rises over the mountains and soon the air warms up and it becomes a beautiful day, warm but never too hot. We set off at 08:30. Having climbed (by car) the hairpins out of the valley bottom it is hard to believe there is so much more ‘up’ possible, but the first 8k are spent climbing to the highest point in this race, Le Basso d’Alou at 2337m, to be rewarded with stunning views of the mountains all around. The descent is technical for a long stretch which is very much my weak point and this is where I have to let quite a few runners go past, they fly by like mountain goats. It is frustrating, running in mountain terrain when you are the world’s worst descender, but it doesn’t stop me entering these events. Leaving the rocks behind we reach a nice easy downhill track where I make decent progress and stop briefly for refreshments at the Sivier checkpoint at 1730m. We descend another 200m after the checkpoint to then start the second major climb which goes from 1530m to 2100m over 3k. When you are doing a 35min/mile you know it’s steep! Even though I have done the race before I can hardly believe how long this climb goes on for and I am also worried about my calves in case another injury strikes. Still, my ascending is fairly strong relative to my overall running ability, and I overtake quite a few people and fall into step behind a man maintaining a suitable pace for me and it all feels very zen going up in silence on pine needle strewn hairpin paths in the forest. Luckily for me the descent is on a wonderful track and I can maintain the advantage I have built up. I am only overtaken by a couple of the lead runners on the 70k. Back to Sivier for more coke, bouillon, cheesy biscuits and bananas (perfect!) and then after a short slog uphill it is back towards Nendaz along ‘les bisses’ for about 5k. These are artificial water channels for irrigation that are carved into the mountainsides with paths alongside, pretty much following the contour lines of the mountain. Fairly runnable, but the endless rocks and tree roots still require caution especially with my clumsy feet. Here I have company from a nice Swiss young woman and we take it in turns to do the ‘no after you, you really are faster than I am’ dance, but then in French. The last 3k are downhill again, a combination of road/track and a few more tricky (for me) descents through the woods. My Swiss companion and I keep switching positions as I have the better pace on the road, but she definitely wins the battle with the tree roots. The final few hundred meters are steeply down the grass and some stairs and I run for my life towards the finish arch as I have a PB to get, even though I failed to beat the 6 hour mark which had briefly seemed to be in my grasp. I hear my name over the tannoy as I cross the line and ‘néerlandaise’ which somehow pleases me no end. I bump elbows with my Swiss running companion who beat me to the finish line by about 30 seconds, and I sit on the grass, drink more coke with lemon and salt(!) and chat with a Dutch woman whom I had met earlier on the trail and we exchange Strava details. I was delighted to have taken 7 minutes off my previous time, but most of all it was a grand day out in glorious Swiss sunshine, surrounded by lots of lovely fellow runners and supported by friendly volunteers.
1 2:50:53 Bastien Quinodoz
187 6:04:20 Petra Bijsterveld
211 finished