The Keymaker – Matrix Slam Entry

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The original route of the entry challenge of the Matrix Slam was created by Martino a few years ago under the name „Deadly Shadows“. We decided to add the route to the lifetime challenge All Time Great Adventures #atga – a project consisting of a collection of gpx tracks and a google sheet of listed finishes on those routes – dedicated to runners in love with routes a bit off of the mainstream ultra running around. While discussing the Matrix Slam with the orga committee meeting back in 2025 we created the 4 Matrix Slam routes for 2027 (one route of each of us) and were missing a decent entry challenge. We decided that it is time to give Martino’s gpx the attention it deserves.

The Keymaker aka. Deadly Shadows features an interesting region at the border between Belgium and France near the cities Mons (BEL) and Valencienne (FRA). The route description –

The route will take you through the industrial coal-mining region on the border between Belgium and France. It is an area where nature is steadily reclaiming the land, and where often only the shadows of former glory remain visible.
There are occasional paved sections, but more often you will encounter very challenging stretches that slow the pace, as well as parts where you will naturally pause to take in points of interest. This is not a route meant to be run fast, but one designed to get to know a region and to enjoy landscapes where old times come back to life.
The “Black Country” still carries its old, unhealthy habit of leaving rubbish along the edges of villages and forests, but Flanders was the same 30 years ago… so there is hope.

– sounded promising. The right setting to detach from the mundane and to focus on the very simple things.

After running the last run of the Legends Slam 2.0 (AOBtD 2026) back in July 2026 our running reduced for a kind of „summer break“. Wonderful vacation with the kids, running the 50 mi in August to not break the Run Throughout The Year streak followed by the preparation for our thru-hike of the Bohusleden in September – not too much time for consistent running. After our return from Sweden we squeezed in the 50 mi in September for the challenge at the last possible days end of September. Coming straight out of 9 days with 11-13h hiking/day it was a weird feeling returning to running. As we tend to plan our weekends a huge while in advance we set the date to run The Keymaker for the first October weekend. We can only assume that we did not consider the fact, that this would mean a rough and instant increase in running after our hiking adventure. But well – it’s the same for everyone. And decisions are decisions. To make things even more interesting we decided not to take any days off for the run and to start right after work on Friday 2nd of October knowing that we are supposed to work again on Monday morning. Efficiency is important!

We arrived in Jurbise main station around 2000 Friday evening, made our final preparations and started 2030 with The Keymaker. Weather forecast for the whole weekend was very decent – 6 to 19°C with no rain – that was a gigantic advantage. The first km into the night felt strange but ok. Lots of tarmac so we were able to start off with a good speed.

Soon after the start we were confronted with the first foreboding of what should await us during the whole track: heavy industry working 24/7, remnants of heavy industry, lots of waste next to/on the paths, ways and streets – mixed with villages/cities with on the one hand well maintained and highly secured/isolated buildings but on the other hand brutal decay of whole streets. An internet research after the run explained that phenomenon with the horrific economic situation of that region after the end of the coal-mining era paired with hungry investors buying and neglecting whole parts of cities at low price waiting for a never happened boom. A dystopian feeling – like running in a modern artwork of a lost place. At the beginning a weird feeling but with more and more time out there a fascinating setting for independent underground ultra running.

After roughly the first marathon the climbing started to intensify. The first coal piles challenged us with first climbing and trails. We also saw some interesting geological sites in the first night where signs explained the local cave structures as well as the ancient remains found in them. After 30 km we found an open cemetery door and used this chance for our first water refill. Our first real supply possibility was waiting at around 60k with the problem that the supermarket would only open at around 0800 – we luckily found a „minimarkt“ which was open at 0530 in the morning to refill our water at roughly 60 km into the run. The route character changed a bit after km 60 – instead of the constant coal pile climbs the scenery flattened and opened up to paths along small to big canals and lakes.

At around midday we reached km 98 and the second bigger city – we didn’t manage to grab a cup of coffee but refilled our water knowing that the course would intensify after km 100. A 40 km loop through a stretch of land full of forests and coal piles followed. And huge piles there were. With a surprisingly high amount of small paths leading into the unknown. Navigation this region required full focus.

On top of it we saw markings on the trail and heard the howling of enduro motorcycle – some really really close – some afar – it seemed like we ended up on course of an (illegal) race or something. Not completely comfortable. Soon after we left this stretch the second night was crawling closer.

Due to the intense weeks before (hiking for 9 days and 370 km, running a 50 miler the weekend after and then starting after a full workweek right into the Keymaker) we had issues with staying awake. We already slept for 2x 30 min (safety blanket style) in the first night and were a bit afraid of the second night. We agreed on a longer sleep break to cut the second night into two portions – turned out this was not sufficient. Desperately tired and before we could even close the 40 km loop from km 98 to km 138 back to the city we just stopped in the middle of a street, I was too tired to do one more step. In the small industrial area we just sat down on the sidewalk leaned onto a stone wall, wrapped ourselves in safety blankets and half-sitting, half-lying, slept for 10-15 minutes. Horrible break. After 138 we returned to the city we already saw at km 98. As we needed to slow down and started with sleeping breaks we were too late for any supermarket, the gas stations in this part of BEL/FRA mostly don’t have any shops, and the entrance to the big cemetery was locked. No. Water. Ok, a minor problem for now – we both had some amount of water left – but what if we wouldn’t find anything soon? Interesting question in the middle of the second night… We started to drink less and walked/ran until tiredness hit hard. Only 8 km later we finally gave up. We decided to crawl a bit further into the bushes next to the path to not sleep right in the middle of it and set a timer for 45 minutes – a decent and long break. As both of us were using two safety blankets and the ground was kind of soft – we actually slept. We then ate and restarted after this one-hour break. Yet – we were still tired… After roughly another 8 km we found some nice benches and again sat down for our third sleeping break. Desperately hoping for sunrise and the return of the light we tried to move on but merely 6 km later we lay down for our fourth sleep break in night two… What a horror. Lying down to sleep on trail is a very uncomfortable thing to do but restarting, freezing to the bones, is even worse. We somehow made it through the second night – what a rough one. Not so sure if I really missed these ultra moments.

After 170 km into the light returned. And with it the hope. We still did not have any water refill and were falling short. In the sunlight of the Sunday morning we reached a small village around km 185 and finally we saw people. We just randomly asked for water and got a refill. After almost 90 km with 3 L water a relief. The last stretch was a bit faster again. The finish near in combination with a track leading us on broad paths up and down through a variety of different forests we just kept going. Done with it and desperately hoping to reach the car to finally stop the watches. In a few minutes less than 40 hours we finished The Keymaker and qualified for the Matrix Slam 2027.

In retrospect The Keymaker is a route easy on paper but with a very special atmosphere. The constant tiny ups and downs on the coal piles mixed with the wide open „boring“ and endless stretches combined with the constant feeling of running right inside a lost place – a region without any hope for a better future – makes it a really nice challenge. A perfect fit for the Matrix Slam entry. With our timing of running two full nights it brought back what was gone for a few months: the return of ultra running. We had no external support, heavy backpacks (no need to buy any food as we carried enough) and 3 L water each – trying to be as independent as possible. Moving shadows in the Deadly Shadows area. It’s good to be back and The Keymaker was a nice opener to a year with a lot of running. Frequent long distances will be the new normal for a while. Best thing is we can do it together – being able to freely move outdoors, independently and for long distances is a gift we are learning to appreciate more and more.

Further insights and another perspective of our The Keymaker run can be found at frauwonne.com

Food:

  • 4 burger buns with tofu and pesto
  • 3 rice/lentil bowls (DM/Rewe)
  • 1 pck. chocolate oat cookies (300 g)
  • 2 pck. vegetarian mini salamis
  • 2 pck. Haribo crackers

Gear: Mafate 5, Ultimate Direction Fastpack 30, Led Lenser H7R Signature Edition

Legends Slam 2.0

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Throwback Legends Slam 2019/2020:

It remains unreal what has happened during my first Legends Slam. 2019 was my first encounter with the Ardennes in a Legends Trail meaning. Rough, direct, unlikely trails and unlimited crew love during the Great Escape in September 2019. The second race – The Bello Gallico in December 2019 – was somehow a necessary job to do. A bridge between the Great Escape trails and the unknown Legends Trail. A race with my upcoming first Legends Trail already in mind – a training on how to get through 2 long, cold and miserable nights without bigger damage. Rumors about a virus were already spreading during the days prior to the Legends Trail 2020 in February 2020. All the runners left a well-known world by starting the LT250 or even LT500 in 2020 and came back into a different world. Both because of the race itself but also because of the severe changes to the „real“ world around us caused by the unfolding pandemic. A narrow escape. Even more absurd was the final run of the 2019/2020 Legends Slam – the Another One Bites the Dust back in 2020. Only weeks before we received a date – only the 13 slammers were allowed to race. Masks during the interloopal phase of the run. One personal support for each runner. Very few visitors. What should have been the final party for the whole Legends family felt and was more like a VIP access only illegal party – always on the border of being closed by whatever authority. A Slam full of unexpected things. Full of unpreparedness. Full of surprises. Full of things never seen before. Especially my first Legends Trail hit hard. The weather, the distance, the third night – still no idea how it all worked out. After so many years.

AOBtD 2020

To me it was clear – one Legends Slam was more than enough. My idea was to use all the newly gained knowledge and experiences to fully focus on solid Legends Trail performances as season highlight from now on. Running all 4 Legends Slam races for another time was never the idea – too time- and money-consuming and too much running to remain 100 % focused at each of the races. So, right after Covid was under control and races came back, I followed that plan for some years.

Fast forward 2025. For whatever reason the Legends Slam received a distance upgrade. 4 races – all of them prolonged. At first I wasn’t sure. Eager to experience the longer Legends Trail: absolutely – going all in and rotate back into Slam business: maybe? With dramatic changes in the real world life the final decision was: why not use the new life setup and give it a try? Let’s experience all the demons from the past with a more relaxed and settle state of mind and with new friends and loved-ones taking part in this journey.

The stories about Great Escape 200 in September 2025, Bello Gallico 200 in December 2025, Legends Trail 350 in February 2026 have been told already. All in all a great experience. Like showing up for the grand Tour once more to say thank you and goodbye. To make peace with those demons from 2019/2020 and to say hello to all those trails again.

So here we were – one final time at the start of Another One Bites the Dust. To finish it off. In comparison to AOBtD 2020 the course was longer (6.8k vs. 6.3k), had more D+ and – off course – was longer (34 loops nowadays compared to 28 loops back in 2020). A pretty serious task especially for those runners lacking a certain basic speed.

It was good to finally have some time to talk to the Legends Trail inner circle, to have some time to finally get to know the 6 other runners fighting for the Legends Slam 2.0 a bit better and to enjoy the family camping atmosphere all around the event. I would love to say that the dust finally settled during the race but it remained a serious thing all along. As it is my style of running once it gets rough – I stopped myself from believing and relaxing within the task – I remained in my grim state of pushing through. My surroundings often mistake this as me not having fun running or me only being able to generate energy from all the suffering. But deep-within I do secretly hope. I generate energy from that deep-within. To do so I start to disconnect from the surroundings. Start to listen music. Start to listen to songs on repeat. Start to wander away with my thoughts – while having one eye on the timing. It’s not meant to be rude to anyone although it may look like it. It’s just enabling me to stay in my inner cave. The loops were coming and going. I managed at one point to fully accept it that it just does not stop. To completely oblige to the rhythm. To accept the loop as the only remaining thing from now on forever. During the second night I fully adapted to the premium support Yvonne offered and started to make the most of it. That meant loop times around 57/58 minutes, minimizing the breaks to not allow the body to ultimately collapse. During the last 7 loops I felt a pain in my squads knowing some muscle fibers encountered micro-tears which would result in some issues as soon as I stopped running for a certain amount of time. That time would come but only after the completion of the 34 loops. And so we ran. Loop after loop. In time. Alone. Together. I noticed the others were constantly eyeing myself. All of the remaining slammers were eager to not lose another slammer during those last hours (having lost Onno due to stomach issues earlier in the race). I felt the others gazes but also felt somehow safe in doing my job to complete the loops as the last runner. Me closing in in time meant everyone else made it. Ensured we were still in. In time. Loop by loop.

And then the glorious last two hours. The moment I was sure. Sure it would work. It didn’t get less painful and less strenuous. But what should stop us know. And so we did what was needed. Quite calm, quite rational, quite unspectacular. Finishing the last two loops. In time. The 6 six of us united for the last symbolic finish line crossing. This moment will stay. Being able to make it so far with all those amazing runners around. Being one of them.

A worthy goodbye to the Legends Slam for good. The bigger circle is closed as well. The Legends Slam 2.0 completed. It will take some time to understand and to process all those impressions. It felt like coming home – I can stay home from now on. For good.

1003 km – 26.000 m D+ – 204 h

Oberkrass.

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Für M.

„Papa, da ist jemand auf YouTube der läuft 600 km in 96 Stunden. Durch die Wüste. Und er hat auch einfach auf dem Boden geschlafen weil er so erschöpft war – das ist doch oberkrass, oder?“

So, oder so ähnlich wurde es an mich herangetragen vergangenen Sonntag. Ein kurzer Blick auf den YouTube-Kanal eines großen Getränkeherstellers verriet die Details. Kurz war ich froh, dass mein Sohn (12 Jahre) sein eigenes Unterprofil ausgewählt hatte und nicht mein Hauptprofil verwendet hat. Der Algorithmus will gepflegt sein. Auf der Arbeit am Montagmorgen ging es dann weiter – nachdem alle großen Nachrichtenportale (und solche, die gerne welche wären) die triumphale Ankunft nach dann am Ende 123 Stunden verkündet hatten: „hast Du von dem Typen gehört der 600 km gelaufen ist?“.

Nun, jetzt habe ich von ihm gehört. Auch gehört habe ich von den Social Media Profilen, die in letzter Zeit immer lauter werden und sich am Backyard-Format orientierend unter Formaten wie „Last-Soul-Ultra“ oder Ähnlichem dafür rühmen die krassesten, härtesten, seelenraubendsten und bist in den Tod kämpfenden Läufer zu sein. Die offen Schmerzmittelmissbrauch propagieren um den Körper bis ins Unmenschliche zu treiben.

Und meine Antwort an meinen Sohn, wie auch an meine Arbeitskollegen war: nun, dass ist deren Job. Jeder Klick bares Geld, jedes Sponsoring mehr Gehalt, jede Produktplatzierung zusätzliche Einnahmen. Und natürlich können sie das machen – wenn es funktioniert, warum auch nicht.

Und doch ist es absolut falsch das mit Ultra, oder Laufen, wie ich es so schätzen gelernt habe, zu verwechseln. Ein ganz andere Sport. Absolut falsche Vorbilder sind diese muskelbepackten Algorithmen obendrein. Die Zeiten des schnellen Scrollens, der Reels und Shorts – sie haben uns alle eingeholt und vervielfältigen diese Phänomene wie durch ein Brennglas. Ich gönne jedem der Protagonisten sein/ihr individuelles Glück, den Erfolg und kenne die inneren Beweggründe dieser Sportler nicht. Doch das was dort transportiert wird, sollte nicht ungefiltert und ohne gute andere Vorbilder stehen bleiben.

Ohne die Leistung der 600 Wüstenkilometer in 123 Stunden auch nur irgendwie schmälern zu wollen – wohl ca. die Hälfte meiner laufenden Freunde kann das – begleitet von zig Kameras, Autos, Verpflegungsmöglichkeiten etc. – schaffen. Und es sind diese Menschen, die ich als Sportler gerne als Vorbild für (meine) Kinder in den Mittelpunkt stellen wollen würde. Menschen, die noch einen normal Job haben, ein manchmal stressiges Leben führen, Familie haben und für die Laufen Freiheit bedeutet. Die alleine mit sich sein können und wollen, der Natur verbunden sind oder manchmal auch nur der Musik aus den Kopfhörern lauschen wollen. Und dabei laufen. Um der Bewegung wegen. Menschen die erfahren haben, dass Ausdauer so viel mehr ist als krasse Leistungen, sondern vor allem eine innere Einstellung ist, etwas, das mit der Erfahrung immer weiter wächst. Und etwas, das eine ruhige und sanfte Natur hat. Nichts Aufbrausendes, sonder etwas Starkes, Ruhiges und Zurückgenommenes. Genau das Gegenteil der Dinge die Social-Media so gerne klickt. Menschen die Demut vor der Herausforderung haben, sie mit Demut angehen und einfach dankbar sind, was durch Ausdauer möglich ist.

Und was für Leistungen, Momente und Geschichten für die Ewigkeit schon daraus entstanden sind. Dinge die ich aus nächster Nähe oder nur als Beobachter miterleben durfte.

  • Zwei Schemen wandernd in knietiefem Schnee bei km 350 von 500 – Bedingungen unter denen Weitermachen kaum eine Option war und die doch bis ins Ziel gebracht wurden.
  • Läufer, die in strömenden Regen in Nacht 3 ohne Schlaf stehend an einen Baum gelehnt ein Powernap gemacht haben während der Regen in keinen Rinnsalen über Ihre Regenjacken lief.
  • Leere Augen, die alles gegeben haben und schon längst über den Punkt der möglichen Dinge hinaus waren.
  • Figuren in den unmöglichsten Momenten und an den unmöglichsten Orten zitternd unter dem dünnen Alu der Rettungsdecken auf der Suche nach nur ein paar Sekunden Schlaf.
  • Läufer für die laufen bedeutet sich einen unbekannten Track zu nehmen auf die Geräte zu laden und zu starten – allein oder in Gruppen von Freunden – rein ins Ungewisse. Die Dinge nehmen wie es kommt und so gut es geht zu improvisieren, wenn nötig. Einfach nur um das Abenteuer zu beenden.
  • Läufer die beim Backyard ohne viel Aufhebens 100 oder mehr Stunden unterwegs sind und sich danach mit einem Kaltgetränk ans Lagerfeuer setzen und das Laufen feiern.
  • Menschen, die sich dem Ultra zuwenden um bewusst Grenzen zu überwinden oder auch manchmal um überhaupt mal Grenzen zu finden – einfach weil es Ihnen gut tut und ihnen hilft mit anderen Dingen besser fertig zu werden.

All diese und noch viel mehr Beispiele sind es, die als Vorbild dienen können und dabei viel besser geeignet sind als das, was sich in Social Media so Ultra schimpft.

Mein Sohn erzählt mir auch oft aus dem Buch „Born to Run“, was er sich von mir geliehen hat. Ich denke, das ist ein guter Start um über Laufen zu reden. Über die ungesehen, leisen und doch nie enden wollenden mutigen Schritte auf den kleinen, wenig ausgetreten Pfaden in Richtung Horizont. Schritte, die sich darüber im klaren sind wie klein und unbedeutend sie doch sind unter dem weiten, mit Sternen übersäten Himmel.

Der beinahe erste letzte JUNUT

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Ausdauer lässt die Einfachheit strahlen!

Der JUNUT war, ist und wird wohl nie mein Rennen werden. Und das ist völlig ok. Einerseits liegt der JUNUT viel zu nah am Legends Trail um ernsthaft als Priorität laufen zu können, andererseits waren alle 3 Ausgaben an denen ich teilnehmen durfte auf die eine oder andere Art besonders; da war keine Zeit wirklich warm mit dem Jurasteig zu werden. Und das liegt keinesfalls daran, dass es kein schönes Rennen wäre – ganz im Gegenteil. Der Jurasteig ist auf den ersten 170 km wunderschön, sehr abwechslungsreich und fantastisch zu laufen; und führt auf den letzten 70 km zurück nach Dietfurt (damit man zurück zum Auto kommt). Auch war der JUNUT unter der Leitung von Gerhard und Margot Börner sowie Team ein exzellent organisierter und geleiteter Lauf. Die Hingabe des Orga-Teams und die wohltuende zurückhaltende Begeisterung der Teams auf allen VPs unterwegs macht es zu einer wahren Freude im Rennen zu sein.

All das ist also mehr als gut am und mit dem JUNUT. Und doch bleibt meine Beziehung mit dem Lauf kompliziert. 2022 dabei gewesen und bei vielversprechendem, schwerem Wetter verständlicher Weise aus dem abgebrochenen Rennen geworfen. 2025 wiedergekommen und rund um das Event einen Menschen kennen gelernt, der alles geändert hat. Der Lauf war daher so besonders wie kein anderer es wohl je wird, aber aus völlig lauffremden Gründen. Das nebenher 240km absolviert wurden – es scheint noch immer mehr als erstaunlich. 2026 – nach einem mehr als erstaunlichen Jahr mit eben diesem Menschen an meiner Seite – war der JUNUT auserkoren um eben diese Momente nochmal zusammen zu geniessen und zu durchleben. Sich darüber auszutauschen, die Freiheit des Draußen seins zu geniessen und sich dabei der Ausdauer es schon irgendwie durchbringen zu können sicher zu sein.

Nach dem Legends Trail 2026 war das Tief und die post-race-depression enorm. Mir ist erst in den letzten Tagen wirklich klar geworden warum. In der Vorbereitung habe ich selbst davon geschrieben, dass es für mich mehr darum geht sich mental anstatt materiell auf so ein Event vorzubereiten; wie Frederik der Mäuserich Farben, Geschichten und Gedanken an die guten Dinge zusammen zu sammeln für die dunklen und kalten (Lauf-)Wintertage. Mit dem Wissen, dass diese Dinge mindestens ebenso wichtig werden für das Durchstehen des langen Winters/Laufs wie das Anhäufen von materiellen Dingen. Und genau so empfinde ich auch den Legends Trail. Klar, es darf keine Fehler geben bei der Vorbereitung der Ausrüstung und der Verpflegung – doch es waren nur zum Teil diese materiellen Dinge die mich durch die 4 Nächste getragen haben – die mich daran haben glauben lassen, dass es gut werden kann. Die mich haben weitermachen lassen in den Momenten wo es vorbei war.

Was also die letzten Tage immer klarer geworden ist: ich war/bin komplett leer was diese Ressourcen angeht. Ein Lauf der so dermaßen tief eingreift in die Gedanken wie der Legends Trail hat all diese Vorräte komplett erschöpft. Ich stand also vor dem Nichts. Zwar am Ende des langen Winters – und überlebt obendrein – aber von allein wollte es nicht wieder gut werden. Was mir nicht klar war: es brauchte das „einfache“ Laufen an sich. Das Laufen in Gesellschaft, das Laufen in der warmen Sonne länger werdender Tage, das Laufen in der erwachenden Natur des Frühlings, das Laufen, das die Farben wieder sichtbar macht, das die positiven Gedanken wieder auffüllt, das Laufen, das diese so wichtigen Vorräte langsam wieder anwachsen lässt. Und so war der JUNUT 239 2026 im gemütlichen Tempo mit meinem Lieblingsmenschen an meiner Seite genau das. Ein Bewundern der Natur, ein Blick für die allerkleinsten Details, eine Chance absolut zu fühlen, ein Sammeln von neuen und guten Momente und all das wieder einzuzahlen auf den inneren Speicher.

Nebenbei war der JUNUT so auch die Chance sich zu zweit ausgiebig über das Laufen auszutauschen. Überraschend, wie unterschiedlich und doch gleich wir die Dinge sehen. Über die Dinge zu sprechen, die sich scheinbar diametral entgegen zu stehen scheinen war sehr interessant. Sicher werden wir bei einigen Dingen niemals einer Meinung sein, aber wir nähern uns an zu verstehen, was dem anderen so wichtig ist und was den anderen tief im Innern antreibt. Keine Diskussion gibt es über das Große und Ganze. Auch wenn wir es aus unterschiedlichen Gründen und mit unterschiedlichen Strategien tun – was Laufen oder vielmehr das „Reisen“ auf der Langdistanz bedeutet – das steht nicht zur Diskussion. Ich denke wir bewundern es besonders für seine Klarheit, seine Einfachheit und die Eleganz, die man nach all den Stunden und Tagen da draußen zu sehen vermag. Wie der grobe Stein, der nach vielen Jahren in den Wirren der Natur zum glatten, glänzenden Kiesel wird. Jeder Schritt so einfach, so einfach dass machmal kaum ertragbar ist, und doch so voll von Zauber. Voll von einem ruhigen, demütigen und zurückhaltendem Zauber. Ein Zauber, der die Dinge von Innen strahlen lässt – für die, die die Geduld haben zu bewundern. Diese Stunden knüpfen nochmal ein besonderes Band zwischen Menschen. So lange uns niemand festhält, ein Ziel aufstellt oder Stopp in den Matsch schreibt verlieren Zeit und Distanz langsam an Bedeutung. Bis wir einfach zwischen diesen Bäumen am Horizont verschwinden.

Insgesamt ein wundervolles Wochenende. Auch die WG mit M. war ein absolutes Highlight. 3 Verrückte in einer Wohnung – na dann gute Nacht. Der Schritt zurück in den Alltag war ein harter Cut; und doch geht alles weiter. Mit neuer Kraft und neuen Zielen. Dankbar Ultra so erfahren zu dürfen und noch nicht fertig damit ebendies genießen zu dürfen. Und so war der JUNUT, obwohl ich ihn nie wie ein Rennen gelaufen bin, absolut richtig und wichtig. Damit ist die Geschichte des JUNUTs für mich aber auch rund und abgeschlossen. Auf zu neuen Herausforderungen. Als nächste wichtige Etappe wartet der Another One Bites the Dust. So anders. So brutal. So wichtig. Auf zum Legends Slam 2.0. Die einmalige Chance zu den ersten 7 zu gehören, denen dieses Kunststück gelingt.

Ninglingspo

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„The Ninglinspo is a stream in Belgium, tributary of the Amblève upstream from Remouchamps around Quarreux. The valley of Ninglinspo is classed as an outstanding heritage area of Wallonia. It runs between Vert-Buisson and Nonceveux. The Ninglinspo forms rapids around enormous blocks of quartzite, forming a series of pools with evocative names.

The Ninglinspo gets its odd name from an error of French cartographers who mangled quite a few toponyms of the department of the Ourthe, confusing the name of the river with that of the site where it flows into the Amblève. Its original name is the Doulneux, Dulnosus in Latin, found in the Charter of Sigebert III of 647 AD. Dulnosus appears to come from a word meaning an alder wood.[1]„
Wikipedia

Ninglingspo. What a beautiful, small stretch of the best the Ardennes have to offer. Great to wander, linger, stroll and strive around. A place to forget time and meaning for a while. A place with an odd charm. A place that incorporates everyone. A place that drags you away from the day-to-day flow. A place to find calm, peace and relaxation. Great to simply sit close by the stream just admiring the sound, the views and the reflections of the never ending flow of water. A place where kids play for hours just down by the stream, collecting and discarding stones, letting their phantasy floating free.

Ninglingspo. Usually night 2, 3 or even 4. A frightening stretch on the way to finish Legends Trail. A dark and tricky area. Millions of paths easily mistaken in the dark and rainy mist. Views typically only 2-3 m in the watery light of the headlamp. Tiny side streams easily misguiding you from the track. Thousands of bridges, and dozens of different hiking trail way marks – which to take – whom to follow. No matter how good I thought my knowledge of that area is – Ninglingspo never failed to confuse, to side-track, to lure me. Only good thing with that is, that adrenaline wipes away the tiredness; only to lead to rushed navigation decisions which are not always correct. And the sound. The ever-howling water, sometimes so loud you can’t really communicate. Tons of roaring water every second. Each and every Legends Trail Ninglingspo was a shock, a wave of brutal reality in the midst of the intense focus. A sharp interruption of the flow of disconnection from the surrounding on the path to finish. A hard wake-up and confrontation with all those tiny things which could easily lead to a catastrophe. A false step on one of those bridges, a false grip while climbing the wrong path, a bigger navigation error leading into a fatal time loss or simply the brain being not able to rationalize things any longer in the midst of the peak at Legends Trail and sending signals of resignation.

It has been with great relief to hear the roaring slowly fading while winding out of Ninglingspo. Each and every time.

Judging from the tracking traces of the 21 Legends Trail 350 2026 finishers I may not have been the only one this year. Usually pretty aligned and streamlined (despite at the CPs with worse indoor GPS connection) – the traces start to dance, start to circle, look more chaotic – look like a bit „on the edge“.

Ninglingspo will always be a place I would like to visit again one day. In bright sunlight with sun-warmed stones. Just to sit there down by the stream.

More likely it will be during on of „those“ Legends Trail nights. And if so I just hope to safely get out of it once more.

Legends Trail 350 2026 – coming home

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Starting a Legends Trail always means that an awful lot of things are uncertain. Especially with this year’s prolonged edition more variables entered the game and with them the need to somehow prepare for their possible consequences. While thinking these new variable through one thing became quite clear – there is no chance to prepare as factors like: running a fourth night has simply never happened before. So what to do? What to plan? At the end I couldn’t really prepare anything special for the extra distance – I trusted somewhat my experience and had some ideas in my mind regarding my food strategy to help me through one more night. One idea was a pretty simple one: try to avoid gels as long as possible and switch them in with their full effect at night four. 

Prior to a Legends Trail there are tons of things to be sorted out, to buy, to pack – luckily this is by now a well-known routine. The more important part is to me to prepare mentally – to collect memories and thoughts and a to develop a strong need and visualization of the finish itself. With the reveal of the course a week before start everything finally became real. And with a look on the course I started to really look forward to the event. All the well-known and loved parts of all previous editions in – a big loop full of LT and Ardennes finest. Something I really hoped for in advance. As I like to take a very detailed look on every course upfront a race (which sometimes drives other people crazy) I noticed a second thing: the course was not as hard as it could have been. The micro-design left certain horrors out, avoided some steep climbs/decents and skipped some offtrail sections we had in the past Legends Trails. So all in all a beautiful design which would be hard because of the longer distance – but see from a Legends Trails course perspective: the course was longer but easier compared to previous years editions. Could it be doable with decent weather?

Race Thursday came and the usual process of signing in and waiting while greeting the family went smooth. The weather forecast promised not too much rain within the first 24h of the race; another sign of hope for a decent start of the race. Kick-off happened Thursday 19.02.2026 at 1800 – cutoff of the race was Legends Monday 23.02.2026 0937.

The first night was sowhat dry with some cold fog on the heights and, naturally, with a pretty soaked trail from the rain during the days before race. The track headed south towards the Ourthe and was quite ok to maintain a decent speed. I tried to fully sink-in into the race and stopped to look at the track for a second. A good reminder and a few meters extra – it’s about to find the right balance between totally blend-in with the race and still be super aware with in terms of navigation, nutrition and not doing any stupid mistakes. While getting closer to the Ourthe memories of my first ever Legends Trail came to mind. We ran parts of the last 20k of the 2020 Legends Trail – I remember as if it was yesterday the horror of that third night, the fear of not having enough spare time on cutoff before hitting the Ourthe trails. Really good to run that part again with rather fresh legs. Turned out it wasn’t too difficult. But it was my first third night back then and it changed the way I look on rough moments. Nothing ever came close to these hours. The 2026 course parts down at the Ourthe were a bit like coming home. Countless hours of Legends Trails and private (slam) runs are connected with these trails. Memories of Björn and me debating about math and philosophical questions because we just hoped to stay alive and awake on one of those Marke Vis masterclass tracks. Compared to what Marek had to offer the Legends Trail 2026 stretch down by that river was of rather good quality.

After CP1 the first day was a transfer up north to get closer to the greater Coo area. Clearly a stretch to be cautious of not making any stupid mistakes and not overpace the whole race.

From CP2 onwards the second night slowly fell. And with it the expected difficulties started. Weather was turning a bit sideways and the rain started. On top of that – the greater Coo area with Le Basin up and down, Iceberg up and down as well as the last stretch entering Malmedy area meant that the race was slowly about to get serious. With nightfall my biggest sleep deprivation problems started. For a few hours I was deadly tired. Good thing was that I know the area quite well. Memories of countless runs in that area including the two glorious days of looping the Iceberg for the Titanic Slam – what a nice reminder. Once again I was grateful for the fact that we had only one Iceberg climb to do and not 42. The idea of restricting myself as long as doable from high-dose of amino acids/coffeine was a good one in theory (as it was intended to ease the nights number 3 and 4) but maybe I shouldn’t have been that strict in night two. Never mind – I entered CP3 (160k) in Malmedy in that second night – really happy for the break. Not so much for the break itself but for getting rid of one more hour of darkness with it. I decided not to sleep although everyone told me to do so. To me it made more sense to wait and sleep – if at all – in night 3. During my previous Legends Trails I only slept once outside of one of the CPs and it did not help a lot to get less tired – it just broke the rhythm.

I was really looking forward to the next stretch of the course – the Haute Fagnes. The climb up to Hautes Fagnes was a stretch I hiked with the family quite a few times and was not that often part of runs. Especially one specific hike with the kids came to my mind – a summer hike under blue skies with flowers and insects all around. What a contrast. With the sunrise at Legends Saturday and the constant climbing up to Hautes Fagnes the Legends Trail 2026 finally showed his true face. The trails were packed with ankle-deep mud, all rivers with high waters, parts of the trails overflown, stretches of the trail so wet that one easily end up knee-deep in ice-cold mud. The higher we got the more slushy snow covered all this misery (and made it even worse). No safe step possible – focus at peak to not end up falling into one of the Hautes Fagnes rivers. At the top of Hautes Fagnes a strong wind and mild to heavy rain were added to natures gifts. What a horrible day to be up at Hautes Fagnes closing in to km 200. But somehow it made me calm. At least we had some weak copy of what should be daylight. And this was finally it – the stretch I love most in the Ardennes at conditions close to making it undoable. It felt like my time was finally there.

Flashbacks to runs with Maarten and Marek in Hautes Fagnes in January 2020 trying to prepare me for my first LT (I considered them being mentally challenged guiding me through knee-deep ice-cold waters; now I know this was exactly the right thing to do), flashbacks to countless Hautes Fagnes crossings with Björn – mostly at night – learning a lot about this area and last not least that one day up here with Maarten in 2024 where we did a rather detailed look on special parts of Hautes Fagnes – learning a lot about techniques crossing the rather difficult sections of it.

All that came to mind and the more difficult it got the more safe I felt crossing the flooded Hautes Fagnes. Hardly ever saw that region in more difficult conditions before. Nevertheless it was a huge relive to reach the timing point tent up at Baraque Michel and have a quick and wind-proof break with some hot soup. No time to waste – the part downhill to CP4 (230k) would cover the river valleys Hoenge, La Statte and Sawe, well known to me from Maarten’s Dark World loop for the Marvels Slam, a sections not really fast so maintaining a hiking speed as fast as possible would be key.

At CP4 I did try that sleeping thing and slept outside the CP for 20 min. Although it was warm enough and the gear/setup seems to work – the sleep did not feel any good. What was more, my body started to shut-down as the race end seemed to be there. Took quite a while to wake my body up again. During the third night we covered Spa area (including going all the way up to the Fagnes above Spa) and were slowly getting closer to the last CP and the final stretch. During the whole race I maintained a 4-6 h gap to cutoff as planned and was still trying not to lose too much of it to safe some time for the final stretch. Higher doses of amino acids helped quite good to bann the sleep walking effects in night 3, nevertheless everything was on the edge. Hallucinations at the edges of view, difficulties to properly see (especially the parts outside of the head lamp), hard to tell surface properties and small height differences in the usual way – all in all ultra was back. The brain started to switch off unnecessary parts to focus on the few life-maintaining things. Why a clear vision is not one of them – well I guess you are not supposed to run the trails in those moments. 

I made it safe to CP5 when it was already dark and night 4 had started. Uncharted territory both distance and time on feed-wise ahead. Plus a fourth night without sleep – I was curious to see what that would bring. It was a good feeling to leave CP4 and enter that last part as it meant the finish was somehow not longer ages but only one night without too many issues ahead. Problem with that thinking: one of the issues ahead was the course. Chefna, Quarreux and the famous Ninglingspo during the first 25k would certainly do some harm. As I left CP4 with only a little more than 2 hours on cutoff there was not too much time to waste and much would depend on that first 25k to the last timing point 20k before finish. If I somehow would reach this spot in time a finish would finally become highly likely. Got some company from Onno – always handy to enter misery together. I switched my nutrition strategy as planned from solid food to mainly gels. It was a good idea to safe them for the last night – the energy was there and the focus maintained at an ok level. In the midst of Chefna, Quarreux and especially Ninglingspo every step counts and the adrenaline helped to stay alerted. The howling rivers, the missing bridges, the watches almost impossible to read, countless of trails in the fog/rain – everything collapsed. I never got Ninglinspo 100% right at Legends Trail. And Onno and me did some climbings too much as we could mot figure on wich side of the river we should be, which bridges to take and which not to take – then we reached the one spot where the hiking trail just crosses the river (easy to do in summer – life-threatening in winter) and I had forgotten in which direction the next bridge was. Totally out of control, the peak of Legends Trails was reached. Random dots, confused lights in a wasted land. Alone. Together. Wow. We managed not to get too angry with our limited capabilities and both helped each other best we could to stay in the moment and to finally find the right bridges and path leading out of that horror.

As soon as we were out of the biggest problems Onno sped-up. I tried to push as well – the last timing point and with it the last cutoff in race was ahead. I made it in time – Onno was still sitting there. Soup again, Nick was there as well. What a moment. At that very moment I was certain it would be a finish. What a relief. After more than 80 hours of racing it was finally coming to an end. Just mere 20k with roughly 6 hours of time left. Onno and I left together but split soon after. Being alone again was good and bad at the same time. I felt now again really calm. The rain was easing, I could read the watch again and my brain took a break as well. Wandering around. For the first time ever I saw me from out of my body, could watch myself from the outside. It was not freighting at all – I understood well why my brain did the split with what seem endless and meaningless suffering. It also didn’t feel unpleasant at all – I accepted this as the new normal. Navigation still worked, I was still moving – so no harm done. The issue with this state is that I forgot what I was doing – not in a way that I forgot that I should move and follow a track – but in a way that it was a race with a cutoff. I spend two very peaceful hours but it was also good to meet the safety team again 10k before the finish. They reminded me that I was in a race and it would help to speed up a bit to not run into troubles with cutoff. So I ran. It did not matter to me. I still had the energy to run and speed-walk (no idea why), I was peacefully blended into nature – felt as being part of the Ardennes; deeply connected to the nature around, the story of Legends Trails, connected to the spirit of the event which for that one Legends Trail week hover above the Ardennes. What a great feeling. The dawn of Legends Monday brought some reality back and ended the mind-body disconnect. Everything became more real again but it made it even better. Close to the finish with enough time. I was finally able to understand the numbers on my watch – and it was all well. The distance counting down fast enough. What a joy to see. The last climbs. The view of the finish from a few hundred meters away. Running the last stretch and finally reaching the finish. Somewhat sad that the journey would end but what a relief at the same time – getting that medal number six surrounded by some of the best human beings – pure love.

Legends Trails 2026 had it all – all the beloved parts of the Ardennes combined in one big loop – the superb Legendary friends – amazing checkpoints – perfect weather for this kind of event. Like a great ending of a long story. Being finally home after all those years. It was again a run pretty much under control. The race against cutoff worked well, the fourth night was somehow manageable and at the end a nice new experience, seeing all the familiar face both amongst the runners as well as the Legendary friends and Legends Safety Team was truly uplifting. Last not least I like to see me run the Legends for all of them – as a tribute for their efforts. With the history of all the previous Legends Trails – the phrases I heard a lot were similar to: „you are safe – you know what to do“, „these are your conditions“, „you always finish so you will do this time“ – and at the end of it all they were correct. Not to underestimate the effort behind, not to underestimate the level of horror, being way beyond the comfort zone, the level of adrenaline while running the Legends Trail – but all of it are part of this story. Another chapter is added to the book.

Calibration

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Almost time to start another Legends Trail. In 2026 we will get some extra distance – I guess for a good amount of extra fun. 350k with some elevation in the Ardennes.

With regards to the ever present question – „are you/we prepared for the Legends Trail“ – a lot of things have been written already including this blog post before the 2024 LT edition:

Are you ready for Legends Trail?

To summarize in a few words: no – you can’t be fully ready for what is coming.

The best idea is probably to really get to know your gear and to think about some of the possible situations during such a long race with reagards to equipment.

„If this happens – I can do this or that“.

But essentially everyone starts such a long and demanding race empty handed. Equal in front of the upcoming task.

So what to do with the time left (in addition to the task of staying fit and healthy) – to me the last weeks before Legends Trail have always been a time to mentally calm down and to focus. The mind as well feels the challenge coming and starts to bring back memories and flashbacks – a good sign as this means the mind is getting ready as well.

As the Legends Trail is a race in which I have to focus so intense that I completely disconnect with the usual day-to-day life I like to use the weeks before Legends Trail to already start with this process.

This includes the following things:

  • (re-)connect to nature
  • pay more attention to the unlimited tiny wonders to be seen out there
  • remember how the leaves sounds beneath my feet
  • remember how the marshes smell and sound
  • remember the thousands of different sounds water can make
  • remember how warm single rays of sunlight feel on a winter morning
  • remember how bone-freezing cold the dense winter mist feels deep down in those river valleys
  • remember the glittering of water drops on frozen leaves or walls of moss in the flashes of headlights
  • remember how soft the ground feels deep in the forest
  • remember how the forest smells after freshly fallen rain
  • remember all the unreal beauty during dusk and dawn
  • remember the joy, hope and energy the re-emerging sun can offer
  • remember how good a plate full of Tortellini tastes after hundreds of kilometers

This may sound stupid but at the end its these thoughts, observations and memories which will help me to survive the rough moments the Legends Trail will bring. Kind of similar to Frederick the mouse who collected memories, songs and colors while his companions were collecting food for the long winter nights. At the end Fredericks stories, memories, songs and colors saved the lives of the mice tribe during the long winter – long after all the food was eaten.

So long after all doable things will have been done I will be mentally stripped down and disconnected from everything – a tiny dot in the midst of the Ardennes with absolutely no energy left. That will be the point I will remember all those tiny memories, thoughts and joyful details out there. They may help to do the unbearable and to go beyond to finally merge with everything around me. To reach the state of pure existence – to start to feel ultra running in its purest form. I don’t really look forward to endure everything on the way towards that state but I can’t want to experience it once again. With all the pain coming with it, it may last til the end of the trail. With all the temporary hopelessness along the way it may enlighten the inner fire.

Bello Gallico 200

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#whilerunning Bello Gallico 200 in the dark and mostly empty Belgium the thoughts wandered as they tend to while long-distance running. With all the influencers on social media entering the „ultra“ running bubble with all their loud, rude, superior and „I ran 300 miles with 5 broken feet“ mentality; with their promo codes; with their paracetamol and whatever-else-fueled super bodies hunting souls – we should not forget that ultra or long-distance-running has a totally different meaning and nature. Especially during a Legends Trail event with friends – close friends/loved ones even – amongst the runners as well as the supporters/crew one experiences a lot of this spirit. In this environment the real ultra unfolds: a gentle, calm, focused and relaxed atmosphere of running exceeding their personal limits. With enough privacy, dignity and respect for the fellow runners and with a special gratitude towards the race team enabling and supporting us full heartedly to 100% focus on what we love. We should try to protect and value that gift we are all part of. We should not let them influencers destroy any part of it. Maybe it’s enough to focus on supporting „our“ events and to make sure that this spirit never dies.

We are not hunting souls we chase rays of dancing sunlight,
we do not fight the ourselves or the environment – we thankfully accept the challenges along and become part of nature,
we do push beyond our limits but at the same time are just grateful for the fact that we are just a very tiny dot able to travel this beautiful earth on food.

The story of the race itself is a rather quick one. Gifted with rather mild weather conditions (second night was surprisingly cold though) it was all about staying in motion at a reasonable pace. That worked quite well on the first 100k loop. Except for the usual 400m of „there used to be planks but nowadays its just a puddle full of dark black stinky mud with knee-deep water on top of it“ part of the track the conditions were rather easy. No excuses. So the only real challenge was fighting the side-effects of 28h darkness in 40h final race time. Rather ok time of 15h on the first of two loops at the 2025 Bello Gallico.

With being sick the three weeks leading up to the Bello Gallico 200 the question was to what extend the body would accept this rather abrupt sport re-start. Everything worked quite ok until km 120/140 in the race. After the drop back at CP6 (120k) with the first longer break the body slowly gave up on the idea of running. More and more walking was rotated into the progress. With the upcoming second night and another 14h of darkness the usual circle of ultra started. With a not fit body the tiredness hit hard. Focussing on staying fueled became more and more difficult and the slower speed made it even colder. Luckily it was the two of us. We met at km 120 fighting with different problems but united in this fight. Several attempts to sleep 5-10 min – craving for rest… Desperately sleep walking longing for daylight… Luckily we both are stubborn and focused on the only goal – reaching that finish line – however far away this line may be or seem to be.

And finally the Sunday and the daylight came. Relentless walking towards the finish line. What a relief after roughly 40h. The medal. Some food. All the friends at the finish. All was well. Narrow escape at the end of a very interesting year 2025.

With the Bello Gallico 200 the second run of of the Legends Slam is completed:

Great Escape 200 2025 – check!
Bello Gallico 200 2025 – check!
Legends Trail 350 2026
Another One Bites the Dust 2026

Time for some relaxing weeks with a slow and steady re-start of training. Time til Legends Trails is ticking – the biggest challenge of the Legends Slam awaits us.

191 runners registered for the Bello Gallico 200 2025, 172 started and 107 finished the Bello Gallico 200 (62.2%). Finisher % was significantly higher amongst runners who previously finished a Legends Slam (84.6%) – experience does make a difference at the end.

Silent Sparks

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While you are here you may as well join forces with those who are obsessed with the details, who dance with single rays of sunlight on falling autumn leaves, who repeat ever and ever again to get closer to perfection and who follow their hearts deep into the void.
It may bewilder or even frighten you at the beginning but it may free you at last.
The Architect

The sparks settled a long time ago.
The last races slowly disappeared from distant memories.
The hot burning flame and the ever blazing fire cooled down.
The motivation to explode, to outreach, to push further and further vanished.
The beyond was doable for wonderful a period in time in the past and lost its glory ever since.
The fight is finally over.

All what is left is peace and freedom.

Peace and freedom
– with what has happened
– with all the victories and defeats and all the lessons learned as well
– with the suffering, the pain
– with all those dark hours and moments
– with the endlessness, the void and the dances on the edge of possibility

The silent sparks lay down hidden beneath piles of dying leaves.
And yet they remain. Calm, quiet and motionless.

A time may come where a mild wind whispers through those crackling leaves and the sparks may slowly start dance in the air. Unnoticed by most. Unseen in the rush of the time, the hustle and bustle in our loud world.

But yet there are some who may notice those sparks.

Some who may be able to still feel them and understand their meanings.

Some who didn’t lost the ability
– to admire the connections between the dots
– to see the smallest traces and long-gone paths
– to acknowledge the slightest and finest details

  • Them who joyfully watch the rays of sunlight dancing through the wind-shaken leaves in a sunny forest.
  • Them who recognize the smell of freshly fallen rain on hot tarmac.
  • Them who see the thousands of reflections of the sun on restless and glittering water.
  • Them who still hear the jarring wooden planks of old and worn-out floors and stand still for a while to enjoy the sound.
  • Them who see things not from the surface alone but try to find the meaning and details within.
  • Them who value a silent morning after an exhausting night.
  • Them who can walk silently for hours without missing a word.
  • Them who stand still for hours to listen to the sound dripping water.
  • Them who admire the beauty of nature while forgetting the world for a fraction of time.
  • Them who feel freest when disconnecting from the loud world and reconnecting to the out there.
  • Them who celebrate the warmths of the tarmac long after the blazing sun has gone.
  • Them who feel happiest when surrounded by the very view closest human.
  • Them who feel the strong need to follow their hearts.

And slowly the silents sparks begin to move quicker and become more visible. Not too long and they are strong enough to reignite a new fire – not a blazing and rushing fire – but a slow and ever burning fire. More like a burning passion; stronger than ever.

A longing from deep inside our hearts to reach what is impossible not in an attempt to posses, to conquer or to overcome – but in a calm, focused and free attempt to achieve the impossible in a grateful and humble way.

Finally freed from the burden of ticking goals from a bucket list – finally united with endurance.

Misty Mountains over the Redhorn pass – Lord of the Rings Slam 2025

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I had a mixed relationship with the LOTR Slam 2025 from the very beginning. Not that I was not looking forward to run any of the courses or something like that – but after a really interesting and intense run in January 2025 together with Olav on the first of the three long courses of the slam (The Tale of the Years of the Third Age in Germany) – the life got in between the focus on running and me.

First it was the expected brake due to race season starting and all the hustle and bustle around the Legends Trail. LT was closely followed by the attempt and finish of the JUNUT. Right after JUNUT things related to running got out of hand quite a bit as life did change dramatically. In the best way possible, but still. This change tore down any focus related to long distance running for some weeks and required a lot of attention and energy. Within these weeks the first attempt and DNF on the second long run of the LOTR SLAM in the beautiful Müllerthal in Luxembourg took place. In the retrospective a foolish attempt during these exciting days. Life settled after that into its new beautiful being and the focus returned. But also the next big official race with the PAUL – 250k in June 2025. Yvonne and me decided to take our revenge on the Müllerthal in late July and luckily this worked out. Towards the end of it, it was quite a fight but we endured it til the end of the Shadows of the past track. This brought me back to my original schedule for the LOTR slam runs I made back in December 2024. The only other fitting and long weekend in the second half of 2025 was the one beginning of October. Quite risky as it was way too close to the first race of the new Legends Slam series – the Great Escape 2.0 with nowadays 200 instead of 160k – but I figured back then it was a risk I could take as the race came first and I would not deliberately risk a DNF on that high priory event.

To be fair – Olav, Yvonne and me with the full Great Escape two weeks prior in our bodies – none of us was completely recovered and ready in the meaning of ready to endure yet another run of endless hours and especially hours of darkness. But the date was set…

…and so there we were – October 3rd 1000 – the 4 of us on a rather empty parking lot in Bouillon. Leonie, Olav, Yvonne and me trying to tackle the Misty Mountains over the Redhorn pass course of Marek featuring the beautiful south of the Ardennes surrounding the river Semois. The course consists of two loops – 60k and 100k – so we hoped to finish the 60k loop not too late so that the vast majority of the forecasted rain would not hit us on this first stretch. The landscape differed from stunning views to narrow river valley with a good portion of solid and technical trails – while sun was up a quite enjoyable thing to run. But sun settled and the closer we got to finish the first loop the less runnable it was. In the dark and in the attempt of staying straight on track we ended up in stretches of endless thorns where one kilometer would easily last between 30-60 min. With the light rain an interesting mix.

After almost 12h we were back at the cars and decided for 75 min break to re-dress, have something warm to eat and drink and to sleep a little.

At 2300 Friday evening we started on the second loop of 100k. The rain would not lift for hours but instead intensify slowly but surely. The course started to develop into an Ardennes-like trail. All in all it was a memorable night in which we split into two pairs as the need for breaks differed between the two couples. Finally light came back and with that the certainty that the night did drain a bit more energy and grid than expected. Around 1100 we thankfully met Marek and Wendy who came to support and run some km with us. Unfortunately Yvonne had to call it a day at around 110k into the course so I tried to speed-up and met Olav and Leonie a while later. From there on we sticked together, mostly in silence and bit of the last km of the track. The second night came, a bit of rain returned, the trails were partly completely blocked and destroyed by fallen trees and in parts so steep that it slowed us down to almost 0 at times. Luckily these stretches were not as long as in the first night and finally, at around 0200 in the middle of the night, we finished the Misty Mountains of the Redhorn pass course (170k, 6200 D+) in around 40h. Completely empty yet happy.

Some impressions from out there are included in the following video:

With the completion of Misty Mountains over the Redhorn pass the Lord of the Rings Slam 2025 is almost completed. The final assignment is waiting but as it does not involve a lot of running it’s fair to say: one more slam down. Once more we’ve come a long way. From the entry assignment in Eifel/Hautes Fagnes aka. Dead Marshes in 2024 to the three major LOTR Slam runs in 2025 – featuring the south of the Eifel/Mosel in Germany, the Müllerthal in LUX and the valley of Semois in southern BEL/nothern FRA – it was a blast. 3 new regions to me – 3 remarkable runs with excellent people next to me. Once more exploring in its purest form. Partly with the aid and support of friends. Traveling in its purest form, endless stretches of nature in all varieties – endless stretches of emptiness. It indeed is a risky thing to step out of the known paths as everything can happen. But that is the magic of ultra-traveling through this beautiful world.

2024 – Dead Marshes Entry Assignment


January 2025 – The Tale of the Years of the Third Age (GER)


June 2025 – Shadows of the Past (LUX)


October 2025 – Misty Mountains over the Redhorn pass (BEL/FRA)

While we need to setup a date for the final assignment to officially close the LOTR Slam 2025 there are already ideas of the next round of GPX files for the years 2026/2027. In fact a possible entry course for a potential next slam is already in the making. Stay tuned.