Karl Meltzer on Mt. Blanc
Europeans dominate the Tour Du Mont Blanc! U.S. get’s schooled…and learns a little of the French language.
Alot was said about the race in France, both positive and negative. Local knowledge plays a huge factor, as the Europeans took the best route around the Mt. Blanc Massif. Corners were cut, aid was given… apparently this is accepted in Europe, even though it is specifically noted in race rules not to do so. Scott, Hal and I were a little misled. We will not be misled again!!! We have been taught to follow the entire course, why would we want to run less than 100 miles, isn’t it more expensive per mile to run a shorter route?
My view on the race is mostly positive. The course is incredible like the Tour De France. Nowhere in the world can one toe the line with 2500 other psychos who want to run 163K around the top of Europe.
And lets not forget how organized this race is. 1200 volunteers made this happen! Katrin and Michel Poletti put on one incredible show.
Helicopters, 1000’s of fans, and media from all over the world lined the entire course. It is out of control. This does not exist and never will in the U.S. because of Forest Service issues.
Three tired Americans set out to France to try and make history, we made history…just not the history we were hoping for. Three of the best 100 mile runners from the U.S. all drop in the same race, now that is history!…..and it is over. So let’s move on and focus on the next objective, my short term memory loss has already forgotten about it, but I won’t forget when the entry form is online again, cuz’ I’m going back to make history again, this time fresh as the flowers at the Wasatchspeedgoat 50K.
Au Reviour (sp?), Caoi, Guten Tag, -Wahsatchspeedgoat
August 29th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Great summary, and I can’t wait for next year! Get ‘em Karl! Also, congrats to the Americans that ran well!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:37 am
i guess that’s all that needs to be said about that. short and to the point and ready for more next time around. i like it.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:50 am
You forgot to mention you lasted a lot longer than those other 2 notable Americans. You didn’t cheat, and yet you were still near the top 20 hours into the race. I feel sorry for that 59-year-old gentleman next year, because you will return and you will prevail. Congratulations on a supreme effort. You could have held back, but you pushed and pushed late into the race (4 aid stations to go until the finish?). One question: were any of the Europeans around you at the front not cheating? Or were they all receiving illegal aid and cutting corners? Aren’t there any honorable European trail runners? Geesh…
August 29th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Great summary Karl. Next year you will rule.
We walked the course in 5 days! a few years ago and it is truly spectacular country. Somewhat civilized with huts with food and lodging, villages, and even Roman roads on the menu.
How did the course compare to some of your 100’s in terms of terrain and pitch? From my recollection of the trail I found it much more like UT than my home territory of NH with plentiful switchbacks as in the old days (and now) horses crossed the various passes. Easily navigated in running shoes vs boots even with a light pack.
Karl, did your legs give out due to the course difficulty and different environment or was the unexpected direct approach of the others, and the gains it produced, a big psyche factor?
August 29th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
CharlieM, I can really only speak for 4 others in the race I saw cut corners. Saying Europeans in general makes me sound like I accuse everyone…definately not true, just sounded bad,I’ll work on it!
I usually run better my second time around, this time I will focus on Mt. Blanc instead of running tired all the time, could make it a better race. Baaaahhh
August 29th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Way to keep it real Karl. Are you running the HURT in Jan?
August 29th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I’m still smarting from my DNF at 84.1 miles in the LT100.
Saw you at Hard Rock - great job!
I guess Europe is a different league - including how they play by the rules. Explains some of what I’ve seen here in the States.
You’ll all know European rules next time and it’ll be different.
August 29th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Karl…..it was awesome following you’re progress during the race. i was proud of you for going for broke and running to win. that is the only way the speedgoat knows. all the racing you do, never settling for giving anything but all you’ve got reminds me so much of my hero, prefontaine. in ‘72 he ran to win the 5000 at the games and ended up 4th. he could’ve won silver if he would’ve raced for second place but that’s just not how he was wired. like you, he only knew one way. keep running to win my friend, it’s inspiring. from your friend…..billy simpson
viva la speedgoat…….
August 29th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
I should learn to write that little:) Straight to the point! Hope to see you at Bear!
August 30th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Hell of a try!! Get ‘em next time!
Tony D
August 31st, 2007 at 2:38 am
I cannot believe what I am reading in Scott’s and now this blog. You Americans think that cutting corners will make a difference on such a long event? I am not saying that people should cut corners, but c’mon this is not what made you guys disadvantaged compared to the Europeans! I ran and completed this course myself and I feel quite innapropriate to mention this as part of what made the Americans drop. I lived 4 years in the USA and realized that people over there cannot cross a line during one second that a cop would already be behind them and fine them… so that must be a culture difference I guess. In Europe, yes, you can cross the lines a little, as long as you stay reasonable. In such an event, it is obvious that cutting corners IS reasonable. So please don’t exaggerate… It is more a matter of changing your mind a little! Good luck for next year for sure!
August 31st, 2007 at 7:52 am
Miguel, Is it reasonable to move the ball in golf, Is it reasonable to cut through neighborhoods in a marathon. I guess what I am trying to say is, “Where is the honor in cutting corners”? And, why would you want to? Wouldn’t you want to win on the same playing field as everyone else and see how it actually turns out. I don’t believe World Class European golfers ever cheat and I have never witnessed a world class runner like Paula Radcliff ever cut her marathon short because it was acceptable. So when the World class trail runners get together, it is only honorable that they all run the same course.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:47 am
Nobody said a few leaders cheating is what made people drop. Read the posts again. They gained slight advantages here and there through illegal aid and cutting the trail. Other non cheaters red-lined going for the win instead of pacing for a best finishing place.
This story could have easily been ‘great job Karl, you finished within 90 minutes of the top person’. Karl doesn’t want to be the fastest loser (second place).
I think his comment is also being blown out of proportion…he just mentioned in passing there was some cheating by a few people. He never said it re-wrote the entire race.
August 31st, 2007 at 11:19 am
I pulled myself out of a 50 miler in Apr at mile 30 as I found out I cut the course by probably a few hundred yards at mile 1 in the dark and I got a “don’t worry about it, there was some confusion there” but I didn’t want to be the fastest guy that cut the course. Man, every time I get off course it’s a road-to-trail or trail-to-road transition. Anyway, there’s a quote I won’t bother to to look up exactly, but goes something like character is what you do when (you think) no one is looking.
September 1st, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Olmo, 20 years older than karl, was basically at the finish while Karl wasn’t out of Brighton…
The Europeans are wonderful strong runners! I found them all to be very friendly, helpful, and tireless. In 1980’s if the US rock climbing community said that Patrick Edlinger was a pufter trad and a route cutter, we wouldn’t be producing the best climbers in the world today. Silly ski poles or not, the Europeans are a strong strong force in Ultra Running and we have a lot to learn from them…
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:24 am
Canyon and Chucktown: OK, let me just say it again: it does not make a difference in such a long trail to cut corners! In a marathon, it does, because you run 3 TIMES as fast as in a 100 miler, but not in the UTMB. On top of it cutting corners is not really cutting to go faster, it is cutting to choose a way that you feel better than the normal path at the moment you are passing a specific location. Most of the time, when you do, you have a bigger effort to produce because it is steeper when you cut. And in the end, you will have climbed and gone downhill the same exact number of meters… So what the heck? Do you see my point? People who don’t understand that running a 100 miler is more running against yourself than competing against the others don’t belong to the sport of ultra running, IMHO. Now, illegal help, pacers, etc. is another story… those things are more important than cutting corners, but again, it really depends on how many times you got help, how badly needing help you were, etc.
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Karl, great effort, great job, great attitude. (Don’t know what’s up with whiny Miguel, but we’ll keep this positive…)
September 4th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Hi Karl,
my name is Federico, from Italy. I’m sorry things didn’t go well as planned but I think the main reason was that you and Scott were simply not recovered from Hardrock. Marco Olmo the “old” man winner of the last two edition, last year won without knowing the course (he didn’t run it before the race and is crew is just is old wife waiting at Cormayeur Aid station. He doesn’t have sponsor, he’s retired and live with a pension of €500 a month. So he’s just a poor, angry and tough mountain man.) so it’s a bit boring that everybody (american) say that you didn’t have the possibility of winning because european cheat!!! Nikki Kimbal is the proof: she was well rested and won. So if you and Scott come over to UTMB well trained and rested you will give hard time to all the other european good runner.
Keep running strong, hope to see you in europe again.
September 4th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Thanks Frederico, well said. I do really think many have not really got the whole point on cutting corners. Had the race come down to a 1-5 minute sprint at the finish, the cut corners would make a difference. Not one american dropped from this race because another runner cut a few corners. The point being made about cutting corners is one thing. It is not the route marked for the race. Said racers did not follow the “course” which was set to be 163K. Not 162.5K. The sport is really an honesty thing. At Hardrock the course is “Closed”, meaning you must go from Marker to Marker, those who cut off a few markers are DQ’d. When a track runner crossed his feet three times on the inside line, he is DQ’d, but really how much distance did he gain…not much. Apparently the course is not “Closed” at Mont Blanc, unfortunately I was led to beleive it was. Next year I know the rules and will be back without 5 100 milers under my belt in the last 4 months. Marco is 59 years young, not old! I would love to retire like him. Miquel, I can recall one switchback on the last climb before Cormayeur where the difference is about a 1/2K. This is one place where it matters, among many others. Caoi for now, Wahsatchspeedgoat
September 5th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Yo Karl,
You’ll always be my hero man!
And really, I’m not cheating on you if I have more than one
… it is the European way.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Hey Karl,
it was tons of fun to getting to know you guys in Chamonix. It was really impressive to see you race that thing. And be sure, you definitely gave them a hard time running around the white mountain for as long as you stayed in the race (I am still impressed to see you top 3 runners within 2 mins of each other in Champex Lac). That’s why everybody wants you too be back over here…me too, to see you guys again…
Ingo the Deutschlander
September 13th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Cutting corners, deviating from rules. The point of rules in competition is to evenly match the contestants. Deviating from the established rules may gain an advantage-it is not done to make things harder-(ie. cut corners so you run a steeper route). The only other reason for avoiding the guidleines is unintentional error-and it may or may not give you an advantage. We all agree that we should have speed limits on our streets-it takes another type of person to agree when they are pulled over for exceeding the speed limit. Our gut reaction is that we should be an exception to the societal standards we agree on. It takes humility to impose the same standard when it’s not to your benefit-no matter where you are born, raised, or live.
October 29th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Good Charlotte Billy Martin…
Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts !…