You may have trained well. You may have struggled with getting those miles in. You may feel very well prepared. You may feel weak and stupid for your decision to start. You may feel rather calm because you think you know what’s coming. You may freak-out for the 100 reasons of DNF awaiting you. Your life may have been cumbersome the last months, stressing you out. You may have found your inner balance and focus. You may be well-rested and relaxed. You may be filled with doubts.
There may be thousands of differences between us until that very moment. The moment of race start. The moment equalizing all those differences.
It may be an advantage to be well trained, rested and calm. It may be that your stress vanishes at the very moment of start. It may be that your stress haunts you for the whole race. It may be that the sun is shining. It may be that the weather is a serious issue. It may be that the course is too difficult to handle this time. It may be that things out of your control will end your race. It may be that no matter how well prepared you are it won’t fit. It may be that your best is not good enough. It may be that you find out that you are capable of so much more.
Whatever was, is or will happen – we are in it together. What unites us is the vague vision of reaching the finish line in time. Whatever may attempt to stop us, has to be defeated.
Pre-Race: The concept of the Teuflischer Biber Ultra is quite simple: run 6 loops of 60k each in 10h each while collecting pages matching your bib number of all hidden books along the way to prove you found and passed them all. This year’s start corridor was described as „between 2100 Friday evening to 0600 Saturday morning“. 4 runners were brave enough to start the TBU 2025. During the briefing at 1900 we received the .gpx file, the printed map including the 18 dots for this year’s books and the description for each book. Similar to last year I plotted those 18 points as waypoints into the .gpx file in GC trying to be as precise as possible copying from a rather blurry printed map. After the last preparation were done the runner tried to find some rest. It was possible to lay down and close our eyes for some interrupted sleep waiting for the signal to start the race. The signal finally came at 0213 giving us exact one more hour to get ready to start.
Loop 1: At 0313 we were finally allowed to start. The first climb to Book 1 gave a vague idea that this year’s edition could be a spicy one. Teun, Helge and me teamed up during the first climb onto Book 1 and sticked together for a little while longer. It somehow made sense to work together to find the books in the dark Eifel. With 6 eyes we were surprisingly fast in finding the first 8 books. Although the running speed of Teun and Helge was a bit above my comfort zone I tried to stick with them – an extremely important decision as it turned out I would need every saved second later on in loop 1. We split at Book 8 by coincidence – Teun ran the downhill way too fast for me and while trying to follow him I lost contact with Helge. For the rest of loop 1 I focused on pushing as hard as I dared with the fact in mind that there were more loops to come.With one eye on the timing I realized on the last 15k that there was no other choice than to go all-in in trying to get loop 1 done within time. Teun and I met once more at Book 10 which gave Teun a bit of a headache – together we found it and he could continue taking the lead. As the track was not only longer but also harder and equipped with more books compared to the 2024 edition I needed to fight for every minute at the end of loop 1. Finishing loop 1 I met Teun only 300 m before the HQ. He had his break and was starting loop 2 roughly 20 minutes ahead of me – something was definitely wrong at that moment – Teun should have been more than an hour ahead of me with his goal to finish all 6 loops.
Loop 2: After 3 minutes refill and receiving the new bib number I started loop 2 with only 7 minutes spare to the 10h cut-off. It was crystal clear to me that I would not have the slightest chance to finish loop 2 in time – but so what: I was allowed to continue so why not at least try to relax a bit and collect a few more pages in the beautiful Eifel? Later in loop 2 I called the RD to pick me up – the fun was gone and to continue a journey I knew was a DNF seemed stupid. Even more surprising was that Teun also did not manage to finish loop 2 in time. This years TBU ended after two loops.
The TBU 2025 provided a beautiful course, wonderful books combined with perfect weather conditions. I finally had some time to discuss running and life with Teun – thanks for that, that is probably the best part of ultra: connecting to like-minded people and discuss one of the things we really love. Normally there would be hours between Teun and me running but this time we shared some time on the trail together – thanks mate, that was great and apart from the difference in running abilities we can work together quite nicely. Hope we get some more chances to do so.
After a short and cold night of sleep (which should have been a night out on the trails) we had the first coffee together wondering what happed and why we were already sitting there. We had several theories of why it went the way it did – later at home with a proper look at the data we found those theories to be true. We returned to the TBU with the impressions of the TBU in 2024. The track back in 2024 was a bit shorter than 60k – in fact it was only around 55k as the data show from both our watches. The 2025 track was around 63k. So we had to run 8k more compared to last year. Combined with a more technical track and a decent plus in D+ and 3 more books it finally made sense. The 2025 edition was way harder compared to 2024. Although it is of course the decision of the RD to create whatever he wants – this was too much of a change. It does not matter too much for myself as my abilities will never last for the complete distance but I feel really sorry for Teun. He prepared himself specifically for this event with the aim of finishing it off – only to be confronted with a 1.5h longer track. With this dramatic change it may not make sense to consider a third try at this race. At least the distance should be kept somewhat constant to attract runners for more than one try and give them at least a theoretical chance to finish. There are enough other variables (number of books, track design, D+) to provide something new and spicy every year. I truly believe the format is a great opportunity to provide something interesting to the BENELUXGER running community but only if it is kept in a reasonable and constant frame. The tendency to glorify certain events over there in the US is a mistake in my opinion and is not really helpful for the race future. It should be hard – it should seem impossible to most but it should provide a chance to finish so that the best can’t resist and can’t wait to line-up and give it a shot.
Nevertheless – thanks to the whole TBU team, the runners and supporters for another nice weekend!
[…] He followed the voice through the snow and the trees Until it lasted saw – a sight beyond belief A world of color, light and sound A world where anything was possible
And the robot felt alive – it danced and sang and laughed with glee In this world of magic it was finally free And as the night gave way to dawn The robot knew it had found A home in this world where it could always be safe and sound A home in this world where it could always be safe and sound
To construct a GPX track is a very beautiful thing to do. Once the general idea and location is set, the OSM map layers unfold their special magic at the highest zoom levels. The tiny red-dotted paths where one can only guess if they are, were or never really have been. Wandering along them connecting interesting looking spots on the map – slowly but sure a general backbone appears out of thin air. A few re-work and release cycles to improve some details, to include some actually useful spots (supermarkets etc) and to polish the distance to match the idea. And: done. Yet no one has ever been there. The .gpx remains silent like an unread chapter in the great book of running. Until it is finally loaded onto a device. Until someone finally hits the start button.
The idea of the „The Tale of the Years of the Third Age“ as part of the Lord of the Rings Slam 2025 was to cover a region I always wanted to visit: the Vulkaneifel with plenty of the round Kraterseen and – as it was close – the Mosel valley around Traben-Trabach. At the end the track looked beautiful on the map, long enough and interesting enough. As a nice side effect some river valleys provided natural connections between the parts (although I should hate myself for that a bit later in the real game). Olav and I both qualified for the slam and considered an early January test of materials and bodies would nicely suit in the Legends Trail preparation scheme with the pleasant side-effect of ticking off one of the first of the three big slam runs early in 2025.
We started Friday 10.01.2025 around 1500 with the idea that this would us bring nicely in time to the opening of the only supermarket on the whole track at km 105 (opening time = 0800). We also decided to park one car at km 52 to provide us some shelter during the first stretch of dark hours. Weather was bright, clear and crisp. The trails were traily – like we prefer them. Some of them were less visible or existent than expected – like we prefer them. The first night turnend out to cool down to -5 to -7°C. Which itself is not a huge problem but provides a nice twist to the story. To keep moving at low intensity while constantly eating is the only real strategy which we followed without thinking about it. A rather big problem was the ice on the concrete parts. That significantly slowed us down (especially me after the first unpleasant ground contact). Luckily we safely reached the car and decided to have an extended break to completely warm up and eat away some of the dark moments.
After a transition stretch the Mosel area was reached around sunrise. Just wow. The high water of the Mosel forced us to adapt the track at one stretch but apart from that – the valley and the hills and the views: worth a visit. Two breaks for coffee and food (we were 3 h behind plan and it was around noon already in Traben-Trabach) – and then we started the last 65 km stretch. The first 25 km of those covering the wine yards. OMG. Steeper than expected. But with some nice views from the various tops. Darkness hit way too soon and the last Marathon was on the menu. As things should in the second night it all went a bit sideways. The returning cold (although milder compared to night one), the returning darkness, the slower speed – I must admit the expected hit was a bit harder as it strictly necessary. But well – I was with Olav. Two of the loneliest robots in a frozen world. On top of that the last section along a river valley called the „Lieserpfad“ reminded us a bit too well of some of those valley in the Ardennes. Ongoing forest work provided some more challenges. The mud was frozen on the very top but not enough to hold the full weight and dozens of trees covered the trail. For some seconds I could feel the cold grasp of the LT horror – the emptiness, the hopelessness. But the only way to escape from that is to take a step back with the mind and watch the body do the inevitable. And then it was done. 180k on the watch 37h and 45m in the dark and cold January. 25% of the #lotrslam2025 done.
All in all yet another great adventure. Thanks Olav for the company – it is a huge relief to work with someone with your experience.
Marathon + number 278 // 100 mi + number 44 – check.
The next weeks will be focused on the Legends Trail end of February with one longer escape beginning of February. I am looking forward to the tasks ahead although the Legends Trail is a frightening beast lurking around at the horizon.
End of October is the usual time to draw the line. To sum it up.
Although the year is not over yet the yearly circle is closed for me. Starting November it usually is the time to start the preparation for the Legends Trail happening late February the following year.
The new circle starts right now.
Numbers: In 2024 I ran 38 Marathons+ distances so far. With a handful more to come in the remaining of 2024 this will be the highest number in the records. With 600 missing km the chances are quite good that I will beat the 5000 km/year for the second time ever. All this wouldn’t have been possible without losing my job in February 2024 and the separation from the rest of the family. After all a quite difficult and painful process. Life is not as straightforward as expected; a lesson familiar from ultra running. Let’s see how this will turn out and what the future may bring. Together with Marek I immensely enjoy an interesting running challenge and this yearly review is a great opportunity to highlight the current standings on my end. The task is to run a Marathon+ on each and every calendar date available. Start date of the run = date for the entry in the sheet. Multidays/longer runs over multiple days count as one event. I guess no one else in the world cares but til end of October 2024 I reached 56% of all dates possible (204/366). This years highlight was the completion of February 29th – a rather difficult date. Focussing a bit more on the sheet and taking care that the longer runs are scheduled best possible certainly helped to increase this number. Whether or not it will be possible to complete it – who knows. But I am definitely looking forward to at least try it.
The Date Game – 31.10.2024
The year 2024 started with the our usual mAMa (matschiger Aachen Marathon) edition. With me no longer living in Aachen the future of mAMa is still in discussion at the moment. mAMa was followed by the first edition of the Teuflischer Biber Ultra – a great concept. I only managed to complete 1.5 of the 6 60 km loops but I think more is possible. If all goes well I will attend the next edition in 2025. Legends Trail 2024 was another huge test for body and mind but it ended with finish number 4. In March 2024 I had my go on the qualification run for next years LOTR Slam.
These slam projects really evolved in a small group of runners. After the Titanic Slam and the Marvel Slam this is already Slam number 3. We changed the concept a bit so that 2024 is the qualification year (you have to run a certain GPX within 2024 to access the 4 challenges in 2025). That keeps the concept alive but relaxes the time schedules a bit. So far we have 15 runners who completed the entry challenge – the Dead Mashes run (209 km). I am very pleased by the enthusiasm and the discussion in those underground Facebook chats. Proud to see how them undertake the Dead Marshes track – which happens to my GPX. Looking forward to see how those 14 and myself (or more – two more months to complete the entry challenge) will try to schedule 3×100 mile runs and a special surprise into our running agendas 2025. But I am certain that there will be finishers.
In April 2024 it was time to visit the loops again – Legends Backyard Ultra in Belgium. The aim was to qualify for the 2024 Team Germany at the World Team Championships in Backyard Ultra in 2024. The 36 loops were enough to achieve that. Huge thanks to Michael from the Biber Backyard Ultra Team for the support – both at the LBU as well as at the World Team Championships. To have a crew is crucial in this strange running format. To recover from all these loops it was time for a long trail adventure. Claudia and I tried to run the Westweg and managed 210 km. Although we did not manage to complete the whole Westweg it was a great time out there with the most spectacular polar lights night I ever saw. During the summer I tried to maintain some running abilities and attended at the 24h Lauf Dorsten (100 mi). Last but not least B. and me finally had the chance to run together and to complete the 100 mi at the Breckerfelder Flower Power Ultra – which was the last test before the Backyard Ultra World Team Championship with the German team in Nürnberg.
All in all 7×100 mi plus runs in 2024 – increasing the count from 35 to 42.
Apart from all these official runs 2024 was a great chance to expand the part of running/exploring I enjoy most. With Marek I have been trying to complete as many new tiles from @statshunter as possible. The side effect of this was that Marek could also increase his plaatsnaam bordjes count for his private challenge (collect all towns in the province Brabant in NL and take a picture of the town sign). My statshunter page looks like this – looking forward to to hunt more tiles in the next years:
Statshunter status 31.10.2024 – max square = 24×24
Another key figure in 2024 was Maarten – thank you for all those countless hours of madness – both underground and in the marshes. Lets try to conserve this in the future.
And 2025? Lets see.
A lot of plans have been made. The first focus will be on the Legends Trail 2025 – the last Legends Trail in the well known format. It would be a dream to finish this beast once more.
Things sometimes don´t go according to plan. We did not manage to finish the 208k of Dead Marshes; somewhat around 80k most of the group decided to stop after loop 1 // 120k. The rest of the group took a while with accepting this fact but was happy with the decision after a while. All in all a really nice experience out there with the those two. It really is different to attempt do ultras with the experts and even better to sustain through surprisingly dark moments on this shorter run. Everyone stayed calm when things went sideways in an unexpected way. We have seen the all shades of that darkness – although we expected it 100k later.
Already a month ago (9th of May 2024) we had a go on the Westweg in Southern Germany. The Westweg is a premium hiking trail crossing the whole Schwarzwald from North (Pforzheim) to South (Basel). Westweg has two variations West and Ost – we used the West variant. Strategy was to place two cars along the way (km 140/km 210) and we were lucky to get some company from fellow runners – which gave us another car opportunity to refill at km 50.
All in all a very nice experience in good company. We decided to call it a day after 210 km in Hinterzarten and not go for the last stretch to Basel. Strategy worked out fine but we did not had the urge to really push all out and finish it. Sometimes to not go ultra is also a legit thing. We had a good supply plan – everything worked out as expected and we had spectacular views (including a night full of polar lights), great company and lots of fun.
Some pictures and video expressions below:
With regards to statistics – this was number 39 100 mile plus run and continued the 200k plus streak to 4 months in a row.
It was late 2009 when I moved to Aachen. This was two years after my first and fastest Marathon on the 13.05.2007 (3h21m). Coming from handball and cycling races I was afraid enough to actually train for that first marathon back in 2007. I came to Aachen to finish my studies here and well – stayed. I started to log my running km electronically in 2010, ran a few more Marathons the next years (Rurtal, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Norderney, Monschau, Jungfrau, Saarbrücken) and then met Helmut and came in contact with the LTB Aachen running club in 2012. While continued to run Marathons I learned that there is more. The group run Rund um Aachen 2013 (63k) opened a whole new world. Running, eating and fun were combined.
2014 started with more group runs (Limburgs Halfzwaare from Willem M.) and it escalated in my first official „ultra“ (Rennsteig Supermarathon; 72k) in May 2014. I also met Björn as well as Stefan Vilvo in 2014 – this should change things dramatically. It opened the door to endless hours in the Eifel and Greater Aachen Area. No trail was too blocked, no mud was too deep and no river was safe from us anymore. I came in contact with Olne-Spa-Olne – another run that can change perspectives. In 2015 we started to create with the „matschige Aachen Marathon“ aka mAMa our own interpretation of a Marathon in Aachen – and should host not less than 9 mAMa runs (10 if you count the lonely „Race Director Edition“ during Corona) from 2015 til 2024. But it didn’t stop there. I ran my first 100ks in 2015 (Limburgs Zwaarste and soon after WHEW) and after that it just continued – too many runs to mention them all. The first 100 mile-attempt took place during the 24h run in Iserlohn in 2016 (148k) and was then finally completed at the TorTour de Ruhr 2016 (Arnsberg-Duisburg; 100 mi).
By sheer luck I saw and followed a really strange live-tracking page of an event on FB in 2016 and contacted the RDs Maarten and Marek end of 2016/beginning 2017 to learn more about that strange thing. I tried their LEO180 in 2017: a hopeless, pathetic and unsuccessful attempt – but one which left a deep mark and opened the book to another dimension of running. We watched the Yiannis Kouros „Forever Running“ documentary on YouTube the evening before that 2017 LEO180 and M&M mentioned a famous run called Legend Trails – and that this would be the real thing. It sounded strange, abstracted and way beyond my possibilities. It was the most tiny spark imaginable that was ignited that November 2017 but nevertheless that fire started to burn and grew over the next 7 years.
The stories have been written and are all preserved on this page. What a ride it was. Endless stories about endlessness – about what happens beyond the possible. Life finally started to change in 2023 and after exactly 15 years the time in Aachen will end in 2024. Time to run those trails one last time; time to say goodbye to the Eifel, to the Ardennes and to Hautes Fagnes – I owe them a lot.
O schaurig ist’s übers Moor zu gehn, Wenn es wimmelt vom Heiderauche, Sich wie Phantome die Dünste drehn Und die Ranke häkelt am Strauche, Unter jedem Tritte ein Quellchen springt, Wenn aus der Spalte es zischt und singt! – O schaurig ist’s übers Moor zu gehn, Wenn das Röhricht knistert im Hauche!
Fest hält die Fibel das zitternde Kind Und rennt, als ob man es jage; Hohl über die Fläche sauset der Wind – Was raschelt drüben am Hage? Das ist der gespenstische Gräberknecht, Der dem Meister die besten Torfe verzecht; Hu, hu, es bricht wie ein irres Rind! Hinducket das Knäblein zage.
Vom Ufer starret Gestumpf hervor, Unheimlich nicket die Föhre, Der Knabe rennt, gespannt das Ohr, Durch Riesenhalme wie Speere; Und wie es rieselt und knittert darin! Das ist die unselige Spinnerin, Das ist die gebannte Spinnenlenor‘, Die den Haspel dreht im Geröhre!
Voran, voran! Nur immer im Lauf, Voran, als woll es ihn holen! Vor seinem Fuße brodelt es auf, Es pfeift ihm unter den Sohlen, Wie eine gespenstige Melodei; Das ist der Geigemann ungetreu, Das ist der diebische Fiedler Knauf, Der den Hochzeitheller gestohlen!
Da birst das Moor, ein Seufzer geht Hervor aus der klaffenden Höhle; Weh, weh, da ruft die verdammte Margret: „Ho, ho, meine arme Seele!“ Der Knabe springt wie ein wundes Reh; Wär nicht Schutzengel in seiner Näh, Seine bleichenden Knöchelchen fände spät Ein Gräber im Moorgeschwele.
Da mählich gründet der Boden sich, Und drüben, neben der Weide, Die Lampe flimmert so heimatlich, Der Knabe steht an der Scheide. Tief atmet er auf, zum Moor zurück Noch immer wirft er den scheuen Blick: Ja, im Geröhre war’s fürchterlich, O schaurig war’s in der Heide.
Anette von Droste-Hülshoff; „Der Knabe im Moor„
There is this one place to whom we owe a lot. It has been featured in each of the Legends Trails and it left a mark.
We started to include it into our projects as well. In 2021 during our Titanic Slam this place played an important role in the KATE180 track. Most of the runners were a bit of overwhelmed that one had to cross this area not only once but twice – a rather interesting twist.
In 2022 during the Marvel Slam the track The Dark World combined three heavy loops in that area into a 100 mi long endless journey – most probably the only 100 mi in the world in these kind of environment. A really unique but rather unknown challenge.
Last and most certainly not least in 2024 applicants for the Lord of the Ring Slam in 2025 have to finish the entry challenge The Dead Marshes – in which start, end and middle point are once more right in the middle of that area. One has to leave, return, leave again to finally return…
Here are some somewhat recent impressions of: Hautes Fagnes – collected as yet another collaboration between acceptnolimits.eu and pfadsucher.com. Providing some unique shots of the beyond following the motto: „the tendency is to push it as far as you can„:
A bunch of older video content featuring Hautes Fagnes from Maarten:
Gollum laughed. ‚The Dead Marshes, yes, yes: that is their names,‘ he cackled….
‚Who are they? What are they?‘ asked Sam shuddering….
‚I don’t know,‘ said Frodo in a dreamlike voice. ‚But I have seen them too… grim faces and evil, and noble faces and sad…. But all foul, all rotting, all dead.’….
‚Yes, yes,‘ said Gollum. ‚All dead, all rotten…. The Dead Marshes. There was a great battle long ago, yes, so they told him when Sméagol was young, when I was young before the Precious came. It was a great battle. Tall Men with long swords, and terrible Elves, and Orcses shrieking. They fought on the plain for days and months at the Black Gates. But the Marshes have grown since then, swallowed up the graves; always creeping, creeping.‘
The Two Towers, LOTR Book 4, Ch. 2, The Passage of the Marshes
What is this? The track The Dead Marshes is the entry challenge to be part of next years #lotrslam2025. All information on the slam and what you can expect can be found here and here. To sign up for The Dead Marshes just enter your name in the sheet and download the GPX from there as well. You have until December 31st 2024 to complete The Dead Marshes and to prove your completion with your .fit, .gpx, your Garmin or your Strava link sent to slam@acceptnolimits.eu. Upon verification we will publish your attempt in the above mentioned sheet and you will receive the GPX files for the 2025 Slam on 01.01.2025.
About The Dead Marshes Whenever I create a track in an area I know well I try to make sure to include all the highlights I know but to also use ways/paths I never took before. The Dead Marshes is a tribute to Hautes Fagnes but also includes some nice spots in the Rursee area in Germany (featured during KATE180) and the Coo area in Belgium (aka. Iceberg and the Basin). Hautes Fagnes is exactly in the middle of those two „ends“ – thats forms a nice concept. Start/Middlepoint/Finish at Baraque Michel also provides the opportunity to enter and leave Hautes Fagnes not 1, 2 or 3 but 4 times. A nice tweak – you should be really obsessed with plankjes, dark/rocky river valleys and wet grass/endless marsh areas. While finally running The Dead Marshes it felt a bit weird. There are quite some stretches of big paths easy to run and quite some streets/asphalt parts as well (esp. in the German part). All in all the first 120k until one reaches the car to complete the first loop has more runnable parts compared to the second loop (90k). But dont be mistaken: there are demanding marsh stretches, longer climbs (total of > 5000 m D+), forgotten river valley, there is the Basin downhill (which is not fun), Iceberg uphill (lots of fun) and last not least Schloß Rheinhardstein area (serving the steepest ups and downs right around 190 km on the watch – exactly when one does not want to climb anymore). After running it myself I think I am happy with it. Not too hard but certainly nothing one can run at marathon pace for the whole time. Make sure to embrace the Fagnes – its more a scenic adventure than a Legends Trail; exactly what it should be.
How it went for me Well, it took longer than expected. I started with a night with the idea that I would finish the first 120k in 22-24h so that folks could join me in the evening for the final 90k. Company is always good to have. Turned out I finished the first 120k in 23h as planned but it also turned out on very short notice that the support would not come to push me/us through the second night. The second night alone was horror then. Sleep depriviation effects hit harder than expected so I found myself safety-blanket sleeping for 3 times 15-20 minutes and still had to push harder than I wanted to. As if the Legends night 3 was making a surprise visit (not that I would ever ask for such a visit). Weather was a bit unstable with somtimes light and sometimes severe rain and lots of wind up in the Fagnes. To be fair there were also some more stable weather windows in between. All in all I managed The Dead Marshes in 46 hours and leave it up to the rest of the fellowship to follow me. The path has been layed and I am really curious what the others will experience! Have fun – if there are any questions: don´t hesitate to ask!
Elapsed Time
Moving Time
Distance
Average Speed
Max Speed
Elevation Gain
Calories Burned
45:59:45
hours
45:59:44
hours
213,91
km
12:54
min/km
2:10
min/km
5.496,00
meters
13.156
kcal
⛰️ Honigberg (495 m) • ⛰️ Signal de Botrange (694 m) • 🦶⬆️ 2024 = 35,371 m | 🌐
👍 97.83 new kilometers
— From
„There is a button on your tracker. When you press that button for 3 seconds you will feel it vibrate. Once you do that we consider this to be a REAL emergency and we will try to be at your position as fast as possible. On your number and hopefully in your phone there is a phone number. If you have a problem, or another runner has a problem you can call this number and we will try to help you. Please do not call if you are hungry, feel tired or feel lonely.“
A wise man.
„Are you ready for Legends Trail“ was one of the most asked question in the last 3-4 hours before the start of 2024 Legends Trail. The question came from runners/volunteers/crew members. The only honest answer – and the answer I gave – is „no„. My opinion is that one is never truly ready for such a challenge. One reason is that the amount of uncertainties is enormous (and its impossible to prepare for the unknown) and the other reason is that Legends Trail is a really long race. Really, really long. For the shorter distances you can take measures such: at this point in race I do this or that and that will safe me for a certain amount of time/distance until I do the same thing again. If that does not work I have here a plan B/C/D/E/F – one of those plan will ultimately do the trick and will make me finish.
Most runners (including me) try to apply similar strategic breakdowns to the Legends Trail – simply to make it a bit more manageable in the head before the race. Although that might be an important first step to do to not already freak out at the start line most of us secretly know that this is not worth for the whole thing. The amount of plans you may need during Legends Trail exceeds the letters in the alphabet and then there is the unknown hovering above the runners as well. Waiting to strike.
Lets take one step back and have look at the question from a different perspective. If the question only means: „Are you prepared for Legends Trail“ the answer should be a different one. The answer should be: „I did everything under my control to prepare myself„. This preparation should include running, gear and mental preparation. And this preparation is or at least should be the basis for even thinking about starting
With regards to running everyone has very unique strategy but there are two general thing to take into consideration:
1. Go out when the conditions are the baddest you can think of. Because that’s a very likely scenario at Legends Trail. And you don’t want to be surprised by wind, rain, cold, hail, snow or ice.
2. Know the nights. Really know them. Embrace the darkness. Know how and when to sleep rough. If all goes down the drain at Legends Trail you may stand in pouring rain at freezing temperatures, shivering as hell already, but deadly tired with nothing else in mind than the urge to sleep. You may want to make sure to know every step you need to do in exactly this moment which safes you and prevents the DNF. Because the DNF will seem like the only way out of this situation.
With regards to material and equipment the considerations of Maarten „BEN JE KLAAR VOOR DE LEGENDS TRAIL?“ are worth reading. Also his Material Checklist and his blog about feet and how to keep them operational should be must reads. The topic feet (an important one) and other packing considerations are also addressed here. Not everything is a 1:1 adaption but there is inspiration and there are successful strategies out there to copy from and to adapt so that they work for your individual needs. What also applies here: know your stuff. You may find out that you work best if you change shoes, you may find out that you want to wear multiple layers of socks, you may find out that waterproofs kill your feet – just make sure you find out BEFORE Legends Trail. Another advice would be: do not freak out at the CP sitting in front of your drop back. I don’t know to whom I talked about it lately but he/she mentioned that he/she wanted to change to new clothes at one of the CPs and ended up to put on the wet base layer from the stretch before just because it was too „complicated“ to search for a fresh and dry one in the drop back. Stupid but it happens with a fucked-up mind. Live with it and don´t let it kill your race.
Well. Nothing really to say about the mental preparation. That’s an individual thing. My mindset is to be humble and thankful for the fact that I can take part in these kind of adventures and to embrace every step during it no matter how painful they may be. And I know that there are people both at the finish line and watching the dots which I don’t want to disappoint. I own and embrace a deep desire to make them happy. That does the trick for me. Make sure to find your best motivators and strategies as well.
With these point you should be prepared for Legends Trail (as good as you can do) so why are you not ready?
Because Legends Trail is absurd. Its a challenge which is tough from the very first step. Relentless climbing in ever changing but never easy conditions. Topped with most of the time interesting weather in the Ardennes in February. The energy the average Legends Trailer takes with them lasts roughly one day. The first night is considered to be kind of ok given the conditions and the first day is mostly fine as well. At the end of this time period (mostly around CP2) the energy is used up. It was a rough and very difficult 100-130 km ultra and its time that its over. Although perfectly normal feelings, this is the point in Legends time when the race slowly begins to start.
And no one is really ready for this second night. A night meant to break the runners, to finally crack them. To strip them down to their pure will and mental strength. One needs way more than those 100% to make it out of this second night. And there are still 24-30 hours left of Legends Trail at this point. Undoable.
Legends Sunday is usually a fragile construct. On the one hand its daylight (which makes things considerably easier) on the other hands the finish is too far to feel realistic and to pull you mentally. Its a demanding battle of attrition against Legends Trail and against yourself. And the worst is yet to come: night 3. If night 2 was already something one was not ready for – night 3 is the ultimate trip.
Things tend to break apart in night 3. Just like that. From one second to the other. The ability to orientate and to navigate is gone, the urge of sleep is overwhelming beyond description, your tired brain paints things into the forest which seriously distract you. You may see runners staring at stones. For minutes. You may find them wandering off track. You may find them crying, you may find them lying down with hypothermia, you may find them talking to themselves. Nothing prepares you for this. In night 3 everything finally collapses. The worlds disappears and you are not quite sure if the world may resurface. The only hope is daylight on the morning of Legends Monday.
Day 3 (aka Legends Monday) is the saviour, the ultimate relieve. You may be unprepared for the fact that you are not longer able to control your emotions. Every ever so tiny encouraging or beautiful thing you see or encounter may make you burst into tears. But in a good way. Close to the finish with the main effort behind you its an absolute astounding feeling. These moments as well as the moment of finish are the moments you came for. And they are beyond description but more than worth the effort. They truly belong to you and they will last. Most describe them as something which becomes part of their identity.
In the Trailmagazin PodcastTom (LT finisher from 2024) is being asked if the race director of Legends Trail is just inhuman and cruel. Tom´s answer fits perfectly as he says: „I think its quite the contrary“. I truly believe its exactly this. Legends Trail is designed to confront runners with the DNF – to push them on the edge of their limits and then continue to push further. Only by doing this, certain abilities, certain mindsets are revealed. The lucky few escaping and being able to finish Legends Trail have gone further than they thought they could. Its deep in the DNA of Legends Trail to reveal exactly this in the competitors. To be able to great these people at the finish line and to live with them through their emotions must be a truly satisfying moment. My believe is that Tim is truly worried about if the Legends Trail is difficult enough to push us that far but that he truly respects and admires the ones he can congratulate at the finish.
No, one is never ready for this. To a certain extend you go there empty handed but you if you manage it its truly unique.
