TransAlpine RUN – across the Alps in 7 days

A race I’ve had in my sights for a long time, so when I was looking for a 40th birthday present for myself. birthday, and noticed that at the same time this year for the first time they launched a category for individual runners (until now, only pairs were allowed to run), it was an obvious choice 🙂

Zuzka made this amazing video about the race ♥️

And what’s it all about? It is about 270 km long route with 15 000m of climbing, divided into 7 days / stages. Every year the route is different, but the principle remains the same – to cross the Alps in 7 days. This year one starts in the town of Lech in Austria and each day one moves on to Switzerland and then finishes in Italy (the town of Prad). In the city that is reached on a given day, the next stage always starts.

Accomodation is the responsibility of the competitor and is not included in the entry fee (which is not the lowest and this year was 1500 EUR). Hotels or other forms of accommodation must be added to the price. The organizer then arranges the transport of the so-called. a drop bag (a bag that can accompany you throughout the race and in which racers usually put their spare clothes, food, etc.) from accommodation to accommodation (your bag will be taken away early in the morning and when you finish the race you will have it at the finish accommodation). The bag has a limit of 23 kg, which I decided to take full advantage of 😅

Each stage has a so-called. cut-offs – the time you have to run through the refreshment area to be let in, and also the time you have to finish.

It was my first experience with a stage race, I didn’t know what to expect and the idea that I should run 270 km in a week in a difficult alpine terrain didn’t calm me down at all, because my training maximum for a week is around 100 km in Kunratak 😅

During September I planned everything in Google Sheet (stages, routes, food, accommodation, transport – we moved with Zuzka, who was my patient support all the time, using buses and trains) and bought what I was missing. Two days before the start, I set off on a long train journey towards Lech.

Immediately after checking in, my first steps led me to the registration desk, where I stood nervously in the queue and carefully watched what the people in front of me were doing so as not to cause any faux-pas. When it was my turn, the first clash with reality was that the organizers are a bit shy to speak English🙂 It’s not that they can’t, but you can see that they are at a loss whether they can explain everything in English.

Signature wall for participants
Signature wall for participants

The second clash with reality was that the organizers offer the possibility of the so called. support package (which includes an alpine bell for cheering, a voucher for a meal with the runners every day, hats, a thermo mug, etc.), but they don’t assume that the support has to move along the route and that not everyone is here by car. It took me quite a long time to explain to them that I wanted a ticket from the finish line to Munich (from where it was most efficient to return to Prague after finishing the race) also for my support. Their question “And how will she move from stage to stage?” spoke for itself and suggested that there would be no shuttles, as written on the website, between stages… It’s a shame they didn’t make the fan options more detailed, since they obviously had a special package in mind.

Anyway, that was about the only hitch and minor blemish. In the start package I got my first functional Dynafit shirt with the race inscription, a Dynafit number belt, and most importantly a big drop bag (multifunctional bag on wheels), which we kept after the race.

After successful registration I went to buy things for breakfast (while in other legs hotels had breakfast so that runners could make the start, for some reason this first one didn’t). In the evening before going to bed, I repacked everything into the assigned drop bag, nice and neat (for the first and last time 😂), and went to try to sleep early. I had to wake up at 5:30 to get everything done in the morning…

Stage 1: Lech Am Arlberg > St. Anton Am Arlberg

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07:08:24
hod.
33.32
km
2,024.00
meters

The nervousness of the whole event gripped me all night, so I practically didn’t sleep a wink. I was worried about not oversleeping, recapitulating if I had everything ready, and considering if I was crazy, that in no way I could do this up 🙈 Even though my goal was “just” to finish, it seemed so unrealistic at that moment.

Encouraging slogans from Zuzka, which I packed for the whole race ♥️

In the morning I started tap dancing at the start around 6:30 (so an hour and a half before the start), so I wouldn’t miss anything. Still nervous, I went to the mandatory equipment check that took place before every start. Only after the check could you stand up for the start. One of the organizers randomly asked for a waterproof jacket and phone, after checking it he beeped a QR code on the number and I was officially at the start (“so now I have to start“).

Starting

I lined up somewhere behind the half of the starting field, waited for the starting gun and watched the bulging sports cars around me (“wtf am I doing here, what a stupid idea”). After the starting shot the whole field gradually started to run, and how else – faster than I would have liked 🤪 But what the heck, there’s a climb soon, so it’ll stop there…

And it stopped. The first stage drove us right from the beginning up a steep hill, where we had to climb over a saddle at 2420 m above sea level. and then drop over the second hill into St. Anton. Here I realized that a herd of runners and narrow trails for 1-2 runners side by side don’t quite go together, and that traffic jams will probably be the order of the day.

Which I didn’t mind, my strategy was to take it easy on the first stage and save my legs as much as possible, because according to the planned route the carnage was supposed to start from the third day. But at the same time I was very nervous if I would make the cut-offs, the heat was unexpected, so my heart rate was soaring to extreme values, which was certainly not helped by the altitude…

I was looking forward to the finish. But here I found out for the first time that the race director always has a surprise for us at the end. This first one was the worst – ruined from the heat, I can hear and see the finish, according to my watch I’m really close, but the “driver” decided to include a circular run through the city, finishing on the main street uphill (“he’s kidding”). With my tongue on my vest, I trot down the finishing straight and hear a group of runners approaching behind me. “Oh, why do I have to be so competitive?” I accelerate, crossing the finish line, and in my head I’m thinking, ” I’m gonna regret this tomorrow.” But as long as they didn’t pass me 😅

I reached the finish line in St. Anton completely dehydrated, out of breath, but luckily my legs held up (“at least something“). At the finish line there was a free bun with salami, which I really didn’t feel like eating, but I discovered a stand with “all you can drink” lemonades, so I chugged two bottles of Coke, two bottles of Fanta, sat on a bench and called Zuzka, who was at a wedding in Brno at the time. This gave me quite a kick and as soon as I had calmed down a bit, I went to the hotel and waited for the online version of the briefing (which according to the organizers should always be online at 9 pm, but in reality it was more like 10 pm, sometimes even later). At the briefing for the next day it was mentioned that the route was with less elevation (“fine”) due to the weather.

Stage 2: St. Anton Am Arlberg > Ischgl

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05:26:03
hod.
29.88
km
1,463.00
meters

After another sleepless night, when I was absorbing the experiences of the previous day and was nervous about the day to come, I knew that Zuzka would join me today, so Ischgl was suddenly an even more attractive destination. After yesterday I chose “don’t rush anywhere, go smart and enjoy it” as today’s motto. And I’ve done that to a tee. After the first day the nervousness subsided, I felt like an experienced racer. I ignored the initial “traffic jams” in the steep hills and thought I would at least save my strength, it was only the second day. I enjoyed the trail and even started to take good photos 🙂

My heart rate was finally where it should have been, uphill I felt strong, downhill too.“Just the fucking heat”. Anyway, it went quite pleasantly and the only flaw was the long asphalt run to Ischgl. I remembered my friend’s Matej motto “easy does it” and started to save my legs with a recovery trot.

I got to the finish line relatively cool and finally got to see what was going on at the finish 🙂 Once again I discovered the “all you can drink” stall, which I duly took advantage of, combining it with lots of cheese, salami and sausages (I was craving greasy and salty throughout the race and it was my most frequent breakfast).

Meanwhile, Zuzka had made a long crossing from Brno to meet me, so after the run we coordinated by phone that I would go to check in and wait for her at the hotel.

Potato chips and a rege drink, my nutritional stalwarts 🙂

As soon as she arrived, it started to be more cheerful 🙂 She rushed to my muscles (I mean she started massaging them) and started to get me ready for the next day.

Stage 3: Ischgl > Galtur

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09:45:09
hod.
42.91
km
2,774.90
meters

I knew that from the third stage it would all just start. Longer days, steeper climbs. Today the route took us up to 2680 m above sea level and started with a big hill. We were to climb about 1200 metres of elevation gain in the first 7km, 800 of which were on about three kilometres.

Cut-off at the first aid station at 15th kilometer was 4 hours from the start. The simple math in my head was that I had to keep my average speed just under 4 km/h to make it. Right from the starting gun, I ran quite fast (by my standards), because I knew that the first hill would be quite challenging and keeping the set pace would not be easy.

But my fast pace didn’t last long, the trail began to narrow until we suddenly got stuck and had to queue into the narrow path. One by one. “Too bad, I’m good uphill, but what the heck, at least I’ll save my strength”, I thought to myself.. I was checking my watch and pace every now and then. “Quite OK”. But the hill began to rise, until it got quite steep. I still felt great, though. I look at my watch. “We walked this kilometer for half an hour, well, great.” I can’t overtake, the snake of people is spreading further than I can see. “Shit, we’re dragging the second kilometer for half an hour too.” My feet want to. But the people in front of me don’t want to…“I’m gonna have to work my ass off, then.” The nervousness in my head is rising.

Finally, we climb to the top. I’m not sticking around and I’m running down. The math is constantly running through my head to see if I can make the cut-off. It’s brutally hot again. My heart rate’s rising, I’m tripping all the time. At one point, I even trip over a rock and hit my shin on it.“Pull yourself together and be careful or you’ll injure yourself“, goes through my head.

I got myself together and fortunately made the aid station with about half an hour to spare. This calmed me down and I gradually caught my second breath by the next climb (also another 1200 m up). I crawl my way up and pass many people, but the heat is starting to get to me. I’m gonna eat two gels in there. I do a quick calculation and I know I my water will not last till the next aid station. An elderly lady passes us on the hill and says there is a hut with water nearby. I’ve gotten a head start up this hill, so I have the luxury of stopping. I stop at the cabin, buy an ice coke and refill my water.

Full of strength, I “run” on. Only a pleasant ride along the contour road awaits us and I know that Zuzka will be waiting for me somewhere near the aid station 🙂 On the way I pass a hastily prepared van with water from the organizers, who also found out that it is probably quite hot and we could use some more water on the way. I don’t linger at the refreshment station and want to make the most of the flow I am in. I climb my way up and meet Zuzka, who is cheering with her bell 🙂 A quick kiss and I climb on.

But over the hill, my second wind ran out… At the same time, I found out that I had broken my pole, so I called Zuzka and told her that I needed new pole, which was no small task considering the size of the town. Fortunately, together with our friend Matej on the phone, she managed to find something and she was able to meet me just before the finish line, so the pole crisis was averted!

After this stage I was more exhausted than I had planned, and at the same time we were facing a day with a 6:00 am start, or a 4:00 am wake-up call. After the run I didn’t have much time to spare, so time to eat, to get a massage from Zuzka and to sleep (which again didn’t go too well, because I had a huge respect for the next day…).

Stage 4: Galtur > Klosters aka the race finally begins

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09:34:39
hod.
41.11
km
1,766.00
meters

The fourth stage was like night and day. The goal was to cross the saddle at an altitude of 2750 m. to get to Switzerland. Battered from the previous days I chose the most cushioned shoes I had available and after a very early breakfast I set off for the start at 6 am. It was cool weather, which was fine, but I wasn’t sure how it would run after yesterday’s exertion. In order to make the cut-offs, I knew I had to run up the initial hill on the long tarmac too, which surprisingly worked out well. I reached the first aid station below the main climb full of strength. I refilled my water, had a second breakfast and kept running.

I managed to overtake a lot of people on the challenging and technical climb and felt totally relaxed and great, the cold weather continued, and I owned the technical steep zigzags to the saddle down thanks to our hiking vacations 🙂 I enjoyed the climb to the second refreshment station so muchas well as stunning views of the nearby glacier. The race director (a sportsman who always went out early in the morning to inspect the course) was waiting for us in the saddle like every day and cheered us on.

But as soon as we crossed into Switzerland, everything changed. The crazy heat started again, the technical rocky run slowly but surely started to catch up with me. My swollen feet stopped fitting into my shoes and I could feel every step and blister. A well paced stage turned into an ordeal. Water was scarce and I missed several opportunities to refill my water from the river. So at one point I had to scoop water out of the cow trough and hope it wouldn’t fly out in a moment.

Even though the path turned more runnabe, every step hurt. Naively, I was hoping to get myself together at the last refreshment station, which I reached just 10 minutes before the cut-off. I knew that if I wanted to finish, I had to work hard. But there was an endless steep run to the finish, followed by a “circular route” on the slopes around the town. The last 5 km felt like one of the longest in my life and the time dragged like stink for an incredibly long time. Sleep deprivation from the last few days, exhaustion from the sun and the previous day and the vision of the next day (which was supposed to be the longest of all with an early start again) caused me to quit the whole race in my head. I rationalized that 4 stages are actually fine, and that I have never run that many in a week, so even that would be an achievement. Every step hurt and I thought my feet were probably pretty butchered.

Somehow I made it to the finish, probably as one of the last ones, because at the finish they had already started packing up, and the “reward” for those who finished (in every stage the VW sponsor’s stand provides some surprise in the form of food or drink) – chips – was not left for me. So while I waited for Zuzka to get into town via the long train crossing, I took a shower and was determined to quit. I packed my things as if I would not unpack them the next day. I call Zuzka and announce my decision not to continue (and whine about how “the whole Klosters sucks, people don’t cheer here, the Swiss are cold-hearted, there’s no food left and I have blisters”). The absurdity of the situation is underlined by the fact that so far I have never been stopped by blisters in any race or long run and under normal circumstances I would have taken care of them and kept running.

But Zuzka is experienced, after all, we have been through some stuff together 🙂 As soon as she came and listened to my whining, she started to solve the situation. “Blisters? Pierce them and done“. Check. “What else you got in there? You don’t feel like it? Did you think this was gonna be easy?” (followed by some tough love pep talk, which I needed at that moment). Check. “Are you sleep deprived? Let’s go to the hotel and sleep.” Check.

♥️

As soon as we got to the hotel, my friend Matej probably got the news about my pitiful condition and recruited all the people around. So various supportive text and video messages started coming in to dig me out for the start the next day. “Leave me alone, I just want to curl up in a ball, sleep and I’m definitely not going anywhere at 4am! Oh yeah, thank you so much, now I have to get to the start.” (no seriously, thank you all so much, without you I would have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning! 🙏).

In the morning my condition looked even worse than in the evening, even though I had finally slept. Those three sleepless nights took their toll. Anyway, I was determined to make it at least to the first refreshment station, and then we’ll see. So I left the hotel at five in the morning to catch the train to the start and the sky lit up above me. Lightning. Hmm, this is gonna be interesting.

Stage 5: Scuol > Motta Naluns

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01:26:29
hod.
7.62
km
970.00
meters

At the start everyone was (quite understandably) inside the big hall, but the vibe suggested that something was going to happen. And it did. Around six o’clock, when the start was originally scheduled, the organizers came to the podium and announced that the stage was cancelled due to bad weather. The race director was even in a storm to check the conditions and they were found to be very dangerous. So we are to take our own route to the next town (the organizers will reimburse us for the ticket) and there, weather permitting, the hill sprint will take place in the afternoon. Then came the “death knell” for the stage in the form of locals playing long horns 🙂

I was incredibly relieved at the time. I knew I would have a chance to recover and, most importantly, to sleep. The lack of sleep the previous day had completely clouded my brain. At that moment I figured that if I took today’s uphill stage “easy”, I had a chance to finish the whole Transalpine. I was a little embarrassed, though. Today was supposed to be the longest stage and I probably couldn’t do it in this condition…

A few hours later, after a lot of food, a few hours of sleep and Zuzka’s careful care, I stood at the start of the uphill run. The original strategy of “save your strength for tomorrow” has become “show what you’ve got”. And I was going all out with the vision that if I succeeded, it would give me the much needed confidence going into the last two days. And we did it! The uphill race went incredibly well, I was full of strength, I was not afraid to work hard and squeeze myself and I absolutely enjoyed it. It also helped that the weather was rather chilly (which suits me), and that Zuzka was waiting at the top 🙂 Immediately after the finish I knew that I could handle the rest of the Transalpine run. Just the kind of kick I needed.

Dinner followed in probably the nicest place – a restaurant on a hill with a great view. It was a bit cramped and all the runners probably didn’t quite fit, but the view was definitely worth it.

Stage 6: Scuol > St. Valentin Auf der Haude

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06:57:28
hod.
35.08
km
2,343.00
meters

Hooray for Italy! Right from the beginning we had a nice hill up to the highest point of the whole race (2975 m). I knew the profile would suit me – steep climbs and then probably beautifully runnable and technical footpaths. And it did. From the beginning I didn’t leave anything to chance and positioned myself better at the start to keep an eye on the position in the initial “queues“. By the technical and steep climb I gradually managed to overtake a number of people and gained time to enjoy the rest of the stage 🙂 I reached the first aid station with a comfortable margin, refilled my water and “rolled” on. The race director was waiting at the highest point again, with whom I shook my fist, laughing, quickly took a picture of the top and was whizzing down.

The highest point of the race

I really enjoyed the whole route and the run. I’m running, running and in the distance I see an orange backpack and black compression shorts. Zuzka! She took a similar route to us 🙂 I caught her just before the aid station, the obligatory kiss and that we would meet at the aid station. There I got another kiss, finished my meal, threw in a couple of Maurten gels and soon I was running on.

A date at the aid station 🙂

Beautiful contour road, drizzly weather, just as it suited me. On the way I met a racer from Slovakia, we greeted each other, and I ran on. It started to rain. Put on my jacket and run on through the muddy downhill. It’s nice to run. Weather to my liking.

But the race director prepared a little surprise for us at the end, in the form of a short but steep hill, which looked like a small poo on the profile of the route 🙂 Never mind, I have enough strength, the endorphins are working, I fought the hill “as if nothing” and I just enjoyed the last run to the finish. My best stage so far in the whole Transalpine! I finished with a big margin before the cutoff, so I had plenty of time to hang out in the background before Zuzka came from the hike 🙂

And finally I had a chance to enjoy the finish area after the run. I rolled into the deckchairs, got a free non alcoholic beer from Dynafit, threw in some waffles from the Volkswagen stand and thought about trying the recovery pants at the Dynafit stand. But the comfort on the deckchair prevailed.

After Zuzka arrived, there were other specialties – mini pizzas, of course! We’re in Italy! We took a good look at them, too.

Stage 7: St. Valentin Auf der Haude > Prad

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05:28:36
hod.
36.76
km
1,710.00
meters

The last stage was slightly modified due to the weather, the original version had a higher elevation, but was shorter. At the start I again positioned myself so that I could get a good run and no one blocked me “on the hill”. At the beginning I was a bit short of breath, but I thought I would gradually get into the rhythm. And it did. I got up to speed by the first aid station and it was obvious that this stage was already rewarding for the runners 🙂 It was led through Italian mountain villages with lots of people cheering (what a change from Switzerland!). I climbed up the main hill quite quickly and in the run I called Zuzka (who in the meantime went on her own hike) that I would probably be fast and I would be at the finish line between two and three (the cut-off was at five in the afternoon). So I run, enjoying every step and after a while I see that I am somehow fast (which is an unusual situation for me!), so I call Zuzka that I will probably be even faster and maybe I will be down around 1:30pm 🙂

The last technical run, steep zigzags, which I enjoyed (and at the same time checked if there was no one behind me, I wanted to enjoy an undisturbed finish). But just before the finish line, we were again “tipped” by the race director. Running through a park that was slightly rising. I didn’t fully expect that and drained my strength a little earlier. Peripherally, I see a runner coming up behind me. No. I want to enjoy the finish line by myself. I’m gathering all my remaining strength and accelerating towards the finish. I see Zuzka peripherally, cheering and shooting, I wave quickly, afraid that someone will overtake me. I’m speeding up. Mixing feelings of strength and satisfaction (inner voice screaming“yeah, fuck, I got it!“, the other part holding back tears), I sprint to the finish line. And at the finish line, instead of some victory gesture, I sit on the heels, take the medal, rest on Zuzka’s shoulder and go to the back to absorb it all.

After a few minutes, I find I still have a lot of strength left in me. I regret that it’s over. Just when I was starting to do well. But at the same time I have a huge feeling of satisfaction, a feeling of gratitude to Zuzka for being here with me, to all of you, without whom I would have given up halfway through. And I feel like it was a tremendous experience that I will draw from for a long time to come.

A well deserved reward 🙂

Insights from the race

  • absolutely great organization: the organizers communicate directly with the hotels, ensure that breakfast is on time for the runners, let the hotel know if the start is changed, everything works without any glitches
  • Sleep is key: being able to fall asleep after a tough stage or before a tough day can be a key point in determining success or failure
  • own food: although competitors are entitled to a meal in the evening after the race, in about half of the cases the portion is “allocated” (i.e. not all you can eat), I always tried to eat a whole packet of chips after the race to replenish my calories
  • the energy drinks at the snack bars don’t have much electrolytes, it’s better to rely on your own supply
  • the fans are great 🙂 The loud music when you climb the hill at 8am will definitely give you a kick
  • compulsory equipment is checked, do not underestimate
  • don’t rely on transport from the organisers, if you live in a different city than the start, it probably won’t be, arrange your own transport
  • expo (exhibitors with stands) at the finish of the stages are not very big, don’t expect to stock up or equip yourself here
  • the media (photos and videos) from the race are absolutely awesome, you have to pay for them separately, but they are definitely worth the price
  • the body is an interesting thing, my achilles was bothering me, but during and after the race I didn’t know about it, on the contrary, a few days after the race, when I was recovering, it started to come back to me and I guess it remembered that it was supposed to hurt 🙂

Equipment for the race

What did I run the race in and what did I have with me?

  • Shoes. I had three (Nnormal Kjerag, Salomon S-Lab Ultra 3 v2, Scarpa Spin Planet) and it turned out to be a good choice. I spent most of my time in the Solomons, with the Kjerags for the less demanding and runnable stages and the Scarpas as the most cushioned option. My feet swell a lot during the race, so in the end I didn’t use the Scarpas as much as I would have liked, I would have needed them at least half a size bigger.
  • Backpack. Dynafit Alpine 8. Fit the mandatory equipment, didn’t jump in technical runs, was reliable.
  • Socks. Nnormal Race Socks Uni. About five to be sure. The socks are warmer but add an extra layer of cushioning.
  • Shorts. About four, I spent most of my time in Dynafit Ultra Shorts 2 in 1 and Patagonia Strider Pro 7.
  • T-shirts. Also four. Most often proven fast-drying inov8 Base Elite (with birthday motif from Zuzka 🙂 ) and white Nnormal in case of heat.
  • Underpants. I’ve been running in Runderwear long johns for years. They don’t sulk anywhere and I don’t let them.
  • Nutrition. The main ingredient for me is Tailwind (a high-calorie drink with a high concentration of sodium, important to me), which I mix up at every snack. For electrolytes, I use Scratch and MoonValley elecrolyte drinks, and in case of really hot weather I use Precision Hydration tablets with high sodium content. Then gels from Precision Hydration and Maurten, along with fruit gels from Science in Sport.
  • Poles. I started with TSL sticks, but they didn’t last very long, so my “support” promptly got me Leki CrossTrail FX Superlite and I’m satisfied.
  • Sunglasses. Dynafit Ultra Pro. Even for me who sweats a lot, they defog great and respond well to light conditions.
  • First aid kit. I discovered stackable first aid kit from Ortovox that has up everything the rules call for.