Looking forward to Spring

While the snow has started falling across the Alps signifying the onset of winter, our attention has turned to the spring when the thaw will give birth to the alpine wildflowers. We must balance our enthusiasm to get out onto the AAWT with the need to wait for the snow to melt. So November looks like our new start date.

Meanwhile we have been doing what we love to do: running trails. Tim and Phil ran the Six Foot Track 45km race in March. Then Phil joined me for some pure trail running at Wilson's Promontory for the Prom 80km (the 100km option was removed due to fire damage) in April. All three of us made the pilgrimage up to the Blue Mountains last weekend to compete in the North Face 100, a really tough, hilly 100km.

And there is much more to come. In June I head to the San Juan Mountains in Colorado to prepare for the Hardrock100, one of the toughest 100 mile trail races on the planet. And in August Phil will be in France to run in the Ultra Tour Mont Blanc. The UTMB is the biggest 100 miler on the calendar, and despite the comparative lack of altitude, rivals Hardrock for vertical gain and loss. We will keep you informed of our progress on these epic runs that will form the base for our training for our attempt to run the AAWT.

The postponement was a disappointment but in no way lessons our enthusiasm or desire to get out there. It has allowed us to test and further refine our gear and reassess our planned itinerary. Remarkably the actual trail was pretty much spared fire damage. It is still there waiting for us and the sirens are beckoning us from ahigh. Like any ultra much of the experience is in the journey just getting to the start line. We will continue to share that journey as we prepare for the run of our lives: to run the Injinji Alpine Ultra.