It’s like the ‘first time’, you know what I mean…. That sensation, that rush of blood. The Alps just blow your mind. It doesn’t matter how many times I go. No matter how many times I have been. Each time I pull off the Autoroute and get that first glimpse of Annecy, the lake and the mountain backdrop I have a warm feeling inside. It is in impressive and beautiful place. A jewel in France.

The lake is approximately 40k (25 miles) in perimeter. Obviously the main town is Annecy but as you move around the lake you have smaller villages each serviced by the road network or boats across the lake.

Heading away from the lake you move up into the higher mountains. Follow the signs for the ‘Aravis’ mountain range. A 30 minute drive brings you to the ski resort of ‘La Clusaz’. In summer this is a haven for walkers, runners, mountain bikers, para gliders and families looking for some mountain fun. The ski slopes become an adventure playground. Your only limited by your fitness and your sense of adventure. It’s a wonderful place. A real taste of Savoie. All the restaurants serve the local specialities such as Reblochon, Tartiflette and Fondu. You need to like cheese! It’s nice to have once or twice but for me, I prefer something a little more balanced and and kinder on the waistline.

From the centre of La Clusaz the road forks at a roundabout, straight ahead is a wonderful valley that ultimately leads to a dead end. To the right you start to climb up the Col des Aravis to it’s summit at approximately 1400m (this is road summit, not actual summit). Over the top and you basically head down the other side some 20km to the next valley. At the bottom you can either turn left and head to Megeve and Chamonix or turn right and head back towards Annecy.

I had chosen a gite in the village of La Giettaz as our base for the stay. Nestled in the mountains it offered easy road access to the surrounding area, had beautiful views from every window and ultimately it was situated on a network of trails that Niandi and myself could run on. Bliss!

To be honest, it doesn’t get much better. I could so easily just pack up and move to a place like this. Chris, the owner of the Gite did this two years ago! It’s a great life. Beautiful scenery, great food, sports all summer and sports all winter. Wow.

Don’t worry, I am not going to go into a blow by blow account of our holiday. I had my Mum and Son with us, so, each day had a similar format. Niandi and myself would be up just as dawn came, about 6/6:15. We would be on the trails by 6:30 and aim to do between 2 to 4 hours. Obviously we could have stayed out all day, but family holidays are exactly that, about family. So it was important that once we had indulged ourselves in our daily pleasure we devoted our time to a little sight seeing, shopping and I guess some of the ‘typical’ family pursuits.

Josh, my son, had plenty to entertain him in La Clusaz. They had a selection of kids activities such as trampolines and importantly a ‘Luge’. The Luge had daily outings not only by Josh but by me and on occasion, Niandi. I would have loved to take Josh paragliding, something I have always wanted to do. But costs made it quite prohibitive, especially for two of us. I wanted Josh to go but typically I got the response, I will do it if you come with me… We did compensate though with a great excision on Segways. We had the off road versions and our guide took us on a really great journey of the local area.

THE RUNNING

What can I say. It is the most beautiful place to run and hike. I say hike as
running and just purely running is almost impossible in this area. The trails go up and up and in places the terrain is extremely difficult. Don’t get me wrong, this is no criticism, this is the joy and the variety that this region brings. What was difficult was planning routes. Because of our self imposed deadline each morning, we had to be clever with route planning. This didn’t always work out quite right but we never got things really wrong. The main issue is you just don’t know how long a circuit will take. You look at a map, look at the distance, look at the elevation and decent and then think, ok, that will take ‘x’. Only to find in some cases it takes less time and in other cases much longer!

Each day was an adventure. We had the ‘best’ of the day. Our morning strides where greeted with the glow of the sun above the mountain range, the ring of cow bells and the quiet. Oh the quiet! Our foot strikes could be heard beneath us either rocks would move, branches would creak or the morning dew would ‘squelch’ as our feet lifted for the next foot strike. It’s a magic time.

Our weather was fantastic. It was plus 20 deg at 6am and rose to low 30’s by 10am. However, the weather did break on Friday as those who follow the UTMB will know! Everyday we ran with Rucksacs containing at least 1ltr of liquid and the usual emergency kit that you should always carry when in wild areas like this. The weather can change in an instant and when it does you need to be prepared. We also used ‘poles’ on all our sessions. They really help on the up and if the down is very technical, they can offer some benefits in helping negotiate some of the terrain. Both Niandi and myself have fallen in love with Hoka One One shoes. The creator, Nicolas Mermoud is from the Savoie region and the shoes came about from his own running in this terrain. I have to say that the ‘Combo XT’ version was such a pleasure to run in. On the rocky, rutted and tough trail, the ‘extra’ cushioning just offered a supreme level of comfort and confidence allowing me to go over the terrain quicker with less fatigue.

Each day basically consisted of going UP and then coming DOWN with maybe another UP and DOWN thrown in. We had very little flat running and almost no road. On one or two days we did run a section of trail that was also a road. This was a nice break from climbing or decending and although it was never flat it allowed our legs to loosen off and stretch out.

We had no bad runs, even on the day (Friday) when it had snowed during the night, was below freezing when we left and then decided to soak us to the bone with some pretty icy rain. We had three key runs or should I say we had three runs that left a greater impression than the others.

RUN ONE
Our first day was a relatively short run at just over two hours but it was a nice ‘intro’ after the previous long days epic journey. Leaving the gite we headed up on the network of trails towards the road summit of the Col des Aravis.

Beautiful wooded and forest trails constantly climbing towards 1400m as the sun breaks the skyline and warms the skin. Single track, rocks, fences, gates, farms and of course plenty of electric fences to keep the live stock in place are to be navigated.

While running you have the constant company of clanging bells as the cows wander and feed from the grass. At the road summit we branch left and then head up towards the real summit. Easy trail soon becomes very technical and rocky. The snow has worked it’s magic and eroded a rough natural route through some stunning landscape.

You get the occasional splash of colour from flowers. Underfoot is tough and you need to think ahead at all times to plan your route through. One slip here and your ankle or knee could be twisted in a flash. After a long hike/jog we reach the summit. The views are just fantastic. Alone looking at the vista you feel as though you have conquered the world. It’s so rewarding. In the distance, Mont Blanc looms making you realise that ‘your mountain’ is only a foothill to the monster in the distance.

As is often the case, going up was easy in comparison to coming down. If you are blessed with well groomed single track you can put your head down and enjoy the ride. But, when the route is rutted and rocky paths that constantly switch back on themselves, caution and a reduction in speed is required.

Rocky trail turned to rutted trail and then rutted trail turned to single track. With that transformation in terrain our speed picked up and we were able to enjoy a really great period of running back to our gite.

RUN TWO
I had chatted with Chris about a route the previous night and he told me of a race that takes place in March that is a White trail that finishes at the ski station of Torres. Looking at the maps I had worked out a route and decided to give it a go. It was going to involve lots of vertical and ultimately, lots of decent. The route up was certainly going to be harder as the trail worked it’s way around the ski lift route. The route down was a much wider trail and very runnable.

From our gite we ran on the trails down to the village of La Giettaz and then picked up the trails that would take us to the ski station at Le Plan some 5k away.

On arrival at Le Plan, we looked UP, way off in the distance was the ski station at the top. The trail zig zagged it’s way up through forests on good trail. It was very runnable at times, however, the gradient was tough and a walk/ hike strategy was taken all the way up. At about 7am in the distance we saw Mont Blanc and hot air balloons. It was idyllic.

After a long climb, we reached the top and we had amazing views of the surrounding mountain ranges. Superb.

It was a pretty straight forward run back to La Giettaz taking a trail that was wide enough for a car in places. Of course as with all trail in this area, it twisted back and forth on itself. In some place the footing was good, in other places not so good. When back in the village we treated ourself to Cafe au Lait and pain au chocolat.

RUN THREE
It was a few days to before the end of the holiday and we wanted to squeeze one last longish run. Also we wanted to ensure that we took in some new views and trail. From our gite we headed south and then west circumnavigating the Aravis mountain range. Today we had frost on the ground. It was chilly but not too chilly as we departed. The crisp crack of the thin layer of ice underfoot made a wonderful crick/crack as we run. The sun came up and rays slowly eradicated the thin layer of white. Have to say, today was a day foe wildlife. Our path was constantly interrupted by Deer darting from our view. They would then stop, look at us, decide they didn’t want our company and run off. Just as one magnificent stag crossed our path on the right, a fox darted from the left. It was stunning. I had the real feeling that Niandi and myself were interrupting ‘play time’. This time of day was for them and we had invaded it. A couple of Lycra clad nutters disturbing the quiet of the morning.

We climbed up and up to the highest ground, ran through a magnificent valley and then joined the trail/road that would enable us to continue our journey to the Col des Aravis and then pick up the trail that would lead us back to our gite. As we ran down from the plateau, early morning bikers were heading out for a day in the mountains. We always got a second look. It was that look of questioning? How was it the pat we where coming ‘down’ the mountain so early in the morning when everyone else was heading up.

On route back I took a detour. I knew it would lead to a dead end but on the maps it was highlighted as a key view point. In addition to the view a statue would greet us. A family dedication to loved ones.

Running back down the trail, we soon arrived back at the gite and of course a large breakfast. Always great to earn your breakfast and was it down with plenty of fresh coffee.

OTHER STUFF
Chamonix! Yes, we made a day trip of heading over to Chamonix to soak up some UTMB atmosphere, go to the expo, meet some friends and colleagues. UTMB to running is what the Tour de France is to cycling. The town was buzzing! The expo was lively, especially so for Niandi as she got to see Kilian Jornet in the flesh and confirm that he is as good looking as he looks in the photos. She missed a photo opportunity with him by seconds due to being a tad shy….. Think she regrets that now!

I spent some time at Hoka One One watching how the brand has developed and become a real favourite with many runners. Nicolas Mermoud was at the expo and in addition to this he was taking part in the race.

Expos are funny places. The urge to spend is great. It requires real discipline not to get carried away. Niandi and myself restrained ourselves pretty well! However, we both made a purchase ‘Black Diamond – Z poles’. After much research and reading up consensus says that these are the best poles for running. The fold quick, are light, strong and easy to use. I can confirm that all is true.

Pretty sure you all know by now how UTMB turned out. Anyway, here is a recap. After the 2010 cancellation after 50k and then the restart on the CCC route, the organisers had put many things in place to avoid the problems of the previous year. Each runner was required to carry extra kit in case of extreme weather. In addition, the UTMB team had come up with 11 possible route alternatives. It is ironic that come race day that both these adjustments proved to be invaluable.

The race had a delayed start from 6pm to 11:30pm due to a storm. This decision although frustrating for all runners did actually allow the worst of the storm to pass and certainly proved a wise decision. During the night temperatures dropped significantly, it snowed and all that ‘extra’ kit became essential as runners tried to keep warm. Stories came back from the route that some runners actually wore space blankets.
With one night covered, conditions on the first day improved but obviously it had been a tough night. Pre race favourites pulled out. Scott Jurek, Geoff Roes, Nicolas Mermoud all out before 50 miles. At the front Salomon had a grip of the men’s race with Kilian Jornet eventually forging ahead for the win in just over 20hrs. In the women’s race, Lizzie !Hawker from the UK dominated with a win in just over 25 hours. Ironically she had nearly pulled out of the race earlier in the day. Thank goodness she persisted. Over 50% of the field pulled out emphasising the difficulty and the severity of the race. It is certainly ‘one to do’ but as a Brit, you really need to get the prep sorted with plenty of vertical training in tough conditions. In addition to this you really need to get your quads ready for the decending.

Niandi and myself were really tempted to take place in a local mountain race that took place on the last day of our holiday. It’s called ‘La Belier’ (the goat). Don’t think I need to describe why! At 27k it was good length race but our departure day clashed. Little did we know that Eurotunnel strikes would delay our departure from La Clusaz on that Sunday. Had we known this we would have taken part. Instead we went into the village and cheered the runners home. Ironically the first two across the line where Brits!

So that’s it. Superb holiday, superb running, great food, great views, time with family and all in a beautiful part of France. Arguably my favourite part of France.

Oh, I almost forget. The freak storm!!! On the Wednesday, Niandi, Josh and myself took a boat trip on Lake Annecy. Mum stayed in the village to some window shopping. While on the boat a storm appeared form nowhere, the sky went black, the wind got up and mist covered the mountains obscuring everything. Annecy disappeared in cloud and we watched a line of rain, thunder and mighty ing rush towards us across the lake.

The storm hit. Josh and myself stayed outside being blown in the wind. Josh leaning 45deg and not falling over. It was incredible. As soon as it came it went. Blue skies resumed and the sun came out. When we arrived back at Annecy it was carnage. Alarms were ringing, fire engines lights flashed, police rushed around. When we found mum we found out that she had been in the middle of it…. She was soaked, covered in bruises. Apparently the hale stones had been the size of oranges. Many had been hurt. Shops had been damaged. Luckily mum was okay if not shaken up. Just goes to show, you can never be too prepared in the mountains. Imagine being caught in that running!

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Location:Haute Savoie, France