Season 2016

[Bierzo Baggie]

Alto Sil 2016

Will tell the story in 2 episodes.
 
This is a race that I stumble into every year. It is perhaps getting too noisy and flash for the back of the pack runner I am turning into but that may be part of its appeal as well. In many ways the Alto Sil race is now a mini-Zegama. And with the introduction of cash prizes this year you’ll get some of the best in the world starting their season here.
 
I like the route. It resembles a British fell running circuit in many ways. There are lots of steep, rough down-hills which suit me fine. Maybe it’s a tad long for this time of year and the cut-off times are always an added worry but in 8 years I have to say that the Alto Sil has evolved into one of the best races in the whole of Spain. Certainly it’s one of the best publicized.
 
This year’s field includes a few trail running superstars of all shapes and sizes.
There is Arca from Galicia who sported the hobo beard before it was trendy. He pulls up in a battered VW Golf that looks like something salvaged from a farmyard.
At the other extreme there is Alfredo Gil from Salamanca, all finely chiselled features and gym-toned muscles, he could be lead singer in a boy band.
Then there is the local hero Merillas, record holder of the Aquilianos and soldier in the Spanish army’s elite Pyrenean mountain regiment. He’s accompanied by his partner, Azara García, who just happens to be the top European lady runner of the moment. 3 times winner Oihana Kortazar will be contesting that claim today.
There is also the small foreign contingent. Zach Miller has come all the way from the United States. Young Miller is man of the moment in the ultra mountain running scene. MLCM will be interested to know that this guy got into running when he worked on a cruise ship. Strange but true. He spent much of his time running up and down stairs from deck to deck, but the bulk of his training was done on the treadmill!
To the list of favourites you can also add the Morrocan Ismail Razga, the Basque guy Aritz Egea and top Welsh fell runner Matthew Roberts.
 
Amongst such illustrious company Bierzo Baggie feels like a fish out of water. What’s more, for the second year running they’ve given me the race number 13. Somebody is trying to tell me something…

[Bierzo Baggie]

Better make that 3 episodes, it was an eventful race. This will probably be my longest race report ever.
 
The Weather
Damp, drizzle but not excessively cold. Misty in places but the route is well marked and it's impossible to get lost. The snow lingers on high ground, deep in places but there's not as much as 2 years ago.

The Start
The plaza of Santa Cruz del Sil is tiny and for 450 plus starters it’s quite a squeeze. The music is loud and the atmosphere is boisterous. Must say that there are a lot of serious runners. Even those who pretend not to be serious are … well, serious. One guy sets off in sandals. There’s one couple dressed up as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. But hey, I suspect that they’ve all trained for this.
 
The Firebreaks
The first part of the race will take us over the hills to the next village at Paramo del Sil. The most significant feature of this section is a series of 3 very vertical firebreaks, down, up and down again. You must be sure of your footing here and feel confident and if not, be very careful.
 
The Accident
Got to the top of the second firebreak in good time. They call it “el muro” (the wall) for obvious reasons. Then halfway down the final descent to Paramo somebody fell. It looked quite nasty at the time as he’d hit his head and I somehow ended up bringing up the first aid kit.
 
The first person to arrive from the emergency services was a big chap but he was still quite far away and he was clearly struggling with the gradient. This was not surprising. What was surprising was that one runner had decided the best plan of action was to physically push the bulky fellow up the hill. This only meant that the poor guy, who was probably only a volunteer anyway, was close to collapsing and that would mean two casualties to deal with! And they wonder why the Spanish economy is in a mess…
 
Ran down to meet them, grabbed the equally bulky first aid kit, hauled it over my shoulder and retraced my steps up the firebreak. The guy from emergency services wasn’t going to arrive for some time. Back at the scene of the accident the battered and bloodied runner had been wrapped in an emergency blanket and another runner who was also a nurse seemed to have taken control of things. The ambulance was on its way along a track that gives access from above. Hung around for a bit, but my only really useful role was to haul things up and down firebreaks and that moment had passed.
 
To be honest by that time I’d given up on the race. All 450 or so participants had gone through and I’d lost about 25 minutes. Not for the first time it was time to chase down the field. Need for speed.


photo (not mine) from last year! Shows one of the firebreaks.

[Bierzo Baggie]

This race report is out of control.
 
Descending the final firebreak for the second time I passed a man with a rucksack who was shuffling along so slowly he’d be lucky to reach Paramo by lunchtime. Then passed a few more including Mickey and Minnie. Reached the 10k checkpoint just outside the cut-off by my calculations but they let me through anyway.
 
It was here that I realized training for a 33km mountain race with fast, flat 5k bursts is ideal for chasing down the field but less so for finishing the race. I was knackered.
 
Ate, drank and then set off on a steady walk. The second section of the route is a long slow pull that takes you through snow laden high pastures. I always struggle here. But then there is a fast technical descent to the abandoned village of Primout where I make up a bit more ground and for the first time come into contact with people who are probably going to finish.
 
Reach Primout in 3:45, fifteen minutes inside the cut-off. My old friend P.C. Pedro took my time. Drank a few squirts of red wine from a goatskin and was given a slice of homemade chorizo. This is more like it.
 
Next we follow the river. There is not so much water this year but you inevitably get your feet wet. The final obstacle will be Peña Negra, a brief but steep and rocky climb that I know will take me 45 minutes. For this I need a stick.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Sticks
As any dog will tell you there is a wide variety of sticks freely available on the forest floor. There are fat meaty sticks, tall slender sticks, short stubby ones… each one will serve its purpose. Have to avoid the rotten ones though. They tend to snap at awkward moments and you are left with a ridiculous rock-prodding device halfway up a mountain and this will not get you to the top in 45 minutes and to Santa Cruz del Sil before the paella runs out! So a careful choice of stick must be made before climbing Peña Negra. Soon found a meaty specimen covered in moss which gradually peeled off as I ascended. It was damp and it moved in my hands at times but it helped take the weight off my tired legs and I got to the top in one piece. It was a struggle though. I`m usually one of the slowest over this section.
 
Final Section
Once over the top the final section should be plain sailing. It’s downhill, single track with twists and turns, hops and slides which I must say is my favourite type of terrain. I’m very tired but it’s reassuring to know that I can still perform something resembling a run. Arrive at the village just under 6 hours. Everybody is already queuing for lunch. No worries, I’m in the race for another year. Maybe.
 
The man who fell to earth
Jorge was the fellow’s name and he’d come from Madrid to do the race. Spoke to a couple of volunteers back in Santa Cruz and everybody was talking of fractures, serious head injury..etc.. Felt bad and didn’t hang around for very long. Imagine my surprise when a few hours later at home I went on the Alto Sil Facebook page and there was Jorge, still clad in hospital pyjamas and with a massive dressing stuck to his forehead, posing for a photo in the Santa Cruz village bar. He looks like an extra from The Walking Dead.
 
This sport is not in any way normal.

[Charliecat5]

Sticks
As any dog will tell you there is a wide variety of sticks freely available on the forest floor. There are fat meaty sticks, tall slender sticks, short stubby ones… each one will serve its purpose. Have to avoid the rotten ones though. They tend to snap at awkward moments and you are left with a ridiculous rock-prodding device halfway up a mountain and this will not get you to the top in 45 minutes and to Santa Cruz del Sil before the paella runs out! So a careful choice of stick must be made before climbing Peña Negra. Soon found a meaty specimen covered in moss which gradually peeled off as I ascended. It was damp and it moved in my hands at times but it helped take the weight off my tired legs and I got to the top in one piece. It was a struggle though. I`m usually one of the slowest over this section.
 
Final Section
Once over the top the final section should be plain sailing. It’s downhill, single track with twists and turns, hops and slides which I must say is my favourite type of terrain. I’m very tired but it’s reassuring to know that I can still perform something resembling a run. Arrive at the village just under 6 hours. Everybody is already queuing for lunch. No worries, I’m in the race for another year. Maybe.
 
The man who fell to earth
Jorge was the fellow’s name and he’d come from Madrid to do the race. Spoke to a couple of volunteers back in Santa Cruz and everybody was talking of fractures, serious head injury..etc.. Felt bad and didn’t hang around for very long. Imagine my surprise when a few hours later at home I went on the Alto Sil Facebook page and there was Jorge, still clad in hospital pyjamas and with a massive dressing stuck to his forehead, posing for a photo in the Santa Cruz village bar. He looks like an extra from The Walking Dead.
 
This sport is not in any way normal.

This is one of the best race reports I've read.  Beautifully written and just mad... crazy mad.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

This sport is not in any way normal.

This is one of the best race reports I've read.  Beautifully written and just mad... crazy mad.

Agreeing 100% with these sentiments.

Well done BB, another brilliant piece of work!

[marathondan]

Yep that was a classic, BB -- delayed 25 mins administering first aid, chasing down the pack, but still time to sup wine from a goatskin and linger over choosing the right stick. In some respects that story can write itself, but it still wouldn't be the same without your characteristic retelling. Oh - and the run wasn't bad, either.

[El Gordo]

Every race is a story, and no one understands this better than BB.

Great stuff, thanks.

[Antonio247]

Beautiful report, BB! Congratulations on the report, the rough race and your solidarity with Jorge! I'm very glad he wasn't as wounded as it looked so that he could leave the hospital so quickly.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Thanks all but I would like to make clear that luckily for the bloke in question at no moment did I administer first aid. That task was left for people who really knew what they were doing....

Nastiest fall I've ever seen in a race. I was surprised he wasn't kept in hospital at least overnight!

[Sweder]

I love these tales. They're like fables, only modern and, impossibly, real.
Here lies a book if ever I saw one. Bravo, sir!

[Bierzo Baggie]

Season 2016 Update.
Still here, still running, once or twice a week and getting a few races in too.

April:
Villanueva trail, 27k.  Painful, too long, lots of climb, a race of contrasts. It took me nearly 4 and a half hours!
Tebaida Berciana, 23k.  An old friend which raised my spirits.

June:
Aquilianos (long route) 60k.  Madness, for the 20th time. And the last?     Don’t be silly.
Ponferrada Half Marathon (night). Road race agony. Walked from 15k onwards.

August:
Carrera de montaña Ferradillo, 13k. The village with no road. Getting there was more difficult than the race itself.

September:
Carrera de montaña Santalla, 15k of funtastic forest trails.

October:
Ponferrada 10k (night).  Road. Altogether less punishing  than the half marathon but harder than it should have been.

I’ll try to elaborate on a few of these races, post a few photos even. But from a running perspective I’m in my Autumn years. It’s all such hard work these days.
I run because I can
I run because I ran
I run, therefore I am?

And indeed Autumn is here leaving its first trace of snow across the Aquilianos. The ground is noticeably softer too so it’s a fine season indeed for running. I’ll keep this going for another year at least, like some punch drunk boxer.
And no, I’m not giving up bread.

[Antonio247]

I'm glad you're training and taking part in races. I've just taken part in two races since since May, both of them trail ones.
It'd be great if you could include in your winter races Almería half marathon. I'm sure that we all would love to meet you. This year is going to be a great chance to meet many members of this forum coming from different continents. Although Ponferrada is a little far away from Almería - 939 km - the motorways are quite good. That's easier than running a marathon.


Saludos desde Almería

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

There's a big international RC contingent this year, BB!

[El Gordo]

Although Ponferrada is a little far away from Almería - 939 km - the motorways are quite good. That's easier than running a marathon.

Your gift for understatement, Antonio, just about qualifies you for Brit status. Well done!

BB turning up would be a second Christmas for us all, though we've tried and failed on this one many times before. But maybe 2017... who knows what this man of mystery is capable of? (Quite a lot, going by the legendary race reports.)

[Sweder]

Loved that synopsis. Autumn comes for us all, BB.
My own running leaves feel perilously close to dropping off, yet this latest adventure offers the chance to stave off winter.
It's all very Narnian.

Almeria should be fun, though, like you, my legs don't much fancy the (remarkably) hard terrain.
Those renowned post-race masseurs, Cerveza and Rioja, will soothe those aches and pains away ...

[Bierzo Baggie]

In the unlikely case that I do make it to Almeria... it will certainly be some road trip.

[Bierzo Baggie]

After an 8 year break I finally succumbed to overwhelming temptation and started playing footie again. Yes, I know, it’s a poor decision and will probably lead to all sorts of problems in all sorts of places but I can’t help myself. I’m 47 and I’ve decided on one last fling.

And it’s not proper 11-a-side football I’m playing, but the Spanish version of five-a-side “futbol sala” or “futsal” which is enormously popular over here. Its success partially explains the high technical proficiency of Spanish footballers many of whom have grown up playing tiki-taka on futsal parquet.

Anyway, got roped into the Friday night sessions in Toral de los Vados because the timetables were convenient and well, I just didn’t know how to say no. The footie has always been my first love after all.

The result after 4 games has been that I now know much more about my groin anatomy and I regularly hear the words “core strength” echoing from running commentary journals past.

The groin consists of 5 main muscles apparently and in 4 games I have pulled 3 of them! The two lower groin strains I recovered from pretty quickly but the upper groin which popped a couple of weeks ago was a real bastard.

Tried a gentle run on Monte Pajariel this morning. Uphill was bearable but downhill was extremely uncomfortable. Might need another week or two of rest and then I’ll start thinking a bit about this core strength business…

[marathondan]

Oh. My. Word.

At this age, in 11 a side I think it's the barges and tackles that get you. In 5 a side it's the sprints and lunges.

Good luck, give us some updates! (when you're back on court)

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Gadzooks BB! Take care out there!