Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts…..

Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts…..

The biggest worry I usually have in crewing, is, that I could by mistake do something, that is against the rules and could lead to the disqualification of Jens! I read the rules very carefully and additionally asked at every aid-station, where I was allowed to be and to assist Jens! Actually at most aid stations the crews were not allowed in the area, where food and drinks were provided for the runners, but before or behind that area, sometimes more or less “outside”.
Jens has had no pacer, he runs HIS pace in all his races. I was the only crew to him aided a little by the photographers team of a sponsor (these mostly took care of my dog, while I was busy with Jens, and sometimes one of them assisted me)
For as to cutting the switchbacks, Jens himself will also speak up to this. I know that there are people cutting short the switch-backs. We discussed about the issue already last year, the conclusion was: stick to the marked trail, it is a matter of honesty and also an environmental matter.

By the way, you have been running far in front of Jens all the time until shortly before Bovine: Champex Lac Meltzer: 15:56h Lukas: 16:46h;
Bovine Lukas 18:17h, Meltzer 18:20. So you probably have seen Jens only once in the race (exception the start) for a very short time shortly before Bovine! I have not even been near to the aid station of Bovine since I was driving straight from Champex Lac to Trient).
So I really wonder, what you claim to have seen, regarding Jens and regarding me crewing??

So, think about what you have written. If you stick to saying, Jens and I, crewing him, were cheating, then I am saying you are a liar!

And if you have been only saying this thing out into the blue because you have seen someone cheating in the front positions not knowing who he was and from what country, but must have been one ore other European, so lets include German as well, than I must say it is a really ugly thing to write such an accusation, that indicates no person directly, but indirectly drags a honest person’s name in the mud! Sure noone can sue you, you did not speak a name, you just spoke out in general. But I had not been looking in here yet today and we came to know about your saying by the worried question of a German runner. So you make that people with a good reputation have to defense themselves for things they have not done. And I wonder who else of the lead runners would feel the same about it, if he knew?
This speculation about European honesty in general is so ridicoulous, I do not comment further on it.

I am sorry, I do not know you and I try to not have any preoccupation about anybody before I know him. But this “blindly” lashing about is neither fair nor does it make you look a good sport.
I really would like you to clear that. Be fair!

To the rest of the people writing/reading here:
Looking from Europe it was funny to see this making up of a concurrence between USA and the Europeans, especially, since many of the people doing so, seemed not to know much about the European runners (e.c. Marco was winner of the UTMB last year and has a history of first places in mountain trail races, did they expect that you usually win just like nothing over here??).
From the runners’ side I fortunately do/did not see anything of this (up to now and here): At the Spartathlon e.g., it is quite usual that I also help runners without crew in the aidstations, that are arriving before Jens. Perhaps you think how dumb one can be to help the “concurrence”, but I do and Jens fully approves of that, because the runners there feel more like a big family also if they are running “versus” each other. From the Americans we only know Scott. None would have begrudged him his Spartathlon victory last year. Jens is francly saying, that he would not have been able to catch up to him there last year, even if he had not dropped out due to injury. Jens tried to make Scott go on in Courmayeur now. After Scott dropped out Scott and Leah kept following the course and we found them to be friendly as usual at all stations and cheering for Jens (and why should it have been different???).
We met Leah on the way to the closing dinner. She obviously did not know about it and invited us to join the Americans’ group going out for dinner. We are looking foreward to meeting again in Athens in a few weeks (if the fires there hopefully get stopped and the race takes place).

At the ceremony the cheering for the first (Marco, an Italian) was much, much louder than for everybody else. This in France, where people are said to be very patriotic, and in a race where a Frenchman was 3rd and where mainly French people attended! The spectators were fair enough, it was amazing how much they appreciated achievement over nationality!!
This is what I like about our sport (in contrast to team sports like sokker etc), that it brings us together. And I am sad to see, if people try to use it to build up walls!

Keep on running
Maya