http://www.ecotrail.fr/ 50km + 3735m altitude
September 19, 2010
barrier (time) remained closed.
Having been unable to make a meter at the TDS due to disastrous weather (see • Mont Blanc: the heavens we are Crazy! ), the motor was still in the starting block, just waiting to reveal his passion.
So I was immediately looking for a suitable location, preferably with a good drop, to quench my thirst in the mountains.
Laure and Bertrand, both "expelled from the TDS also local test, I unearth this Ecotrail close to home. So here I am
return this September 19 in the Mont Blanc, for a small trail, "as" 50 km, announcing an elevation of 3735m so!
After a Saturday night spent on an induction into the Orval (Trappist Belgian beer renowned for those who do not know ...), and a small gourmet meal lightly sprinkled with "grape juice" (hm, hm ...), getting started in the morning was slow.
A good hour's drive (in the mountains, the miles are longer than in the lowlands to go) and we are hard at work for the collection of numbers, in a relaxed, since it is "Only" 50 km all the same! About 150 runners on the distance, I have no pressure, no ambition, just have fun, anyway, here, far from home, nobody knows me.
" Hi Bernard, how are you? " ..... Surprise, surprise ... it's good to me .. this is for! Christian is an adventurer of Morocco last February (as Carole met in Chamonix, shortly before in the same conditions ...). Decidedly difficult to go incognito.
Good, the race is set to stay together all 3, the pace of Laura, whether our PTL, Petite Trotte to Laura!
I take this race as a workout and decided to try to further that I can not use the sticks, that'll remain on the bag just in case. Bertrand takes the same decision. Departure
0730, he made only a few degrees above 0, the grass is white in spots, the tray is located at 1500m altitude.
we plunge back of the pack, almost last (literally last for a few hundred meters towards ...), the first difficulty, the ascent of the Pointe Perret (1941m), followed by the tip Marcelly (1999m). 
We enter the cloud of mist to come out a little higher ... And then I can only rave stop and contemplate this magnificent sight: we are on top of a "sea of fog" from which protrude the various summits, under a beautiful sun. And in the distance, the majestic Mont Blanc. 
Already some parts, highly technical, on ridges, rolling, terraced, have nothing to envy to UTMB. At every turn of rock, the show that Mother Nature gives us is great. We take time to admire ...
Before our cloud descend, or rather through it when we are praised by the burning rays of the luminary, to Le Pontet ( 1300) and Praz de Lys for the first pitstop. 
Ski Sommand to pass (1726m), the fog begins to dissipate, unveiling stunning views over the valleys,
and a perfect blue sky that I hasten to dedicate to immortalize all frustrated last Mont Blanc. 
The first race of the little beyond us. Descent to Sommand, crossing the starting point, 20 e km, the small end of the race. Second stop, simplistic, only liquid. Everything is fine, thigh stand, knees Laura does not mind, our pace is good, a little more than 5km / h.
We then start to attack several problems: the Col de Chavannes (1851m), Col de Vésinaz (1879m) and peak Chalune (2116m) . Climbs interspersed with beautiful drops steep and technical. Something to enjoy! Long climbs, via ski trails and callouiteux. The first pass is addressed fairly easily,
the second begins to leave some traces in the thighs, while the third will be the "wall" of 30km (well known to marathoners) wall in the 2 sense. Bertrand accuses an extra push, fate sticks to provide some relief, I decided to stand still ... Here we duplicate a competitor railing against the limit imposed by the watershed of the next ravito fence that already seems unapproachable at this time. " Name D. ..! " exclaims one, " the watershed, it was completely zappée ...! . Late ascent of the peak Chalune is a wall of rock, rising to hell on a ridge, which must turn back on reaching the summit back down on our steps a few hundred meters. 
Unable to accelerate our pace here. There, my legs are rebelling and I resign myself to leave my sticks, unable to reach this cursed summit. We will have to rush about in the downhill to make up for some time. Just enough time to make 2 pictures at the top (no, but still ...) 
and we are launched in a frantic descent to ravito of Foron (1355m), 35 th km. 
Met with just a few minutes ahead of time limit. If we somehow dragged in some places, our average speed was relatively good, because our runs were pretty fast. Few competitors arrived after we depart. After a good
ravito, we have 1:15 to reach the next barrier Praz (km 44), yet with a beautiful and long climb to 1600m, followed by a steep and technical downhill, then another long climb. We must get to the evidence, the "wall of 30" without the sticks revealed by his wounds, and my thighs heavily uphill struggle. I lose ground on my two friends, returned in somewhat the descent is going better, and just climb back into the next. Approaching Praz, where the slope is gentler, I raise enough to easily lose the least time possible. In vain, the welcoming committee of our last pit stop we shall be disqualified for only ten minutes, my two companions await me for several minutes. After a quick calculation, we are quite surprised, just as some competitors arrived after us this time barrier that seems inappropriate. An additional hour would have seemed more appropriate. But hey, we respect the decision, the bulk of the course was completed, the remaining 6 km seemingly a liaison. Course we would have done so without problems, even with my thighs "concrete".
A subtle calculation afterwards, compared with UTMB, with a ratio of vertical similar shows running averages (CCC UTMB TDS) between 3.5 and 3.8 km / h. The CCC in 2009, I conducted an average of 4.45 km / h. On this
Ecotrail the average to meet the time gates was 5.2 km / h. Far too high In my humble opinion. 1h additional
would have lowered the average 4.6 km / h, more affordable for the majority of competitors. That said just for info ....
We will not listed on the "Little Trotte to Laura," but have an excellent memory for atmosphere and decor. My thirst
mountain is then sealed, we will drown in our "off course" in a sea of mist Orval!
Results: 109 classified, 30 unclassified or dropouts.
And as you do not drink a Trappist without cheese, the next day we visit the charming village The medieval Swiss Gruyere. A must see!
A big thank you to Laura, Stéphane Bertrand and for your hospitality, your kindness and humor!
So I was immediately looking for a suitable location, preferably with a good drop, to quench my thirst in the mountains.
Laure and Bertrand, both "expelled from the TDS also local test, I unearth this Ecotrail close to home. So here I am
return this September 19 in the Mont Blanc, for a small trail, "as" 50 km, announcing an elevation of 3735m so!
After a Saturday night spent on an induction into the Orval (Trappist Belgian beer renowned for those who do not know ...), and a small gourmet meal lightly sprinkled with "grape juice" (hm, hm ...), getting started in the morning was slow.
A good hour's drive (in the mountains, the miles are longer than in the lowlands to go) and we are hard at work for the collection of numbers, in a relaxed, since it is "Only" 50 km all the same! About 150 runners on the distance, I have no pressure, no ambition, just have fun, anyway, here, far from home, nobody knows me. " Hi Bernard, how are you? " ..... Surprise, surprise ... it's good to me .. this is for! Christian is an adventurer of Morocco last February (as Carole met in Chamonix, shortly before in the same conditions ...). Decidedly difficult to go incognito.
Good, the race is set to stay together all 3, the pace of Laura, whether our PTL, Petite Trotte to Laura!
I take this race as a workout and decided to try to further that I can not use the sticks, that'll remain on the bag just in case. Bertrand takes the same decision. Departure 0730, he made only a few degrees above 0, the grass is white in spots, the tray is located at 1500m altitude.
we plunge back of the pack, almost last (literally last for a few hundred meters towards ...), the first difficulty, the ascent of the Pointe Perret (1941m), followed by the tip Marcelly (1999m). 
We enter the cloud of mist to come out a little higher ... And then I can only rave stop and contemplate this magnificent sight: we are on top of a "sea of fog" from which protrude the various summits, under a beautiful sun. And in the distance, the majestic Mont Blanc. 
Already some parts, highly technical, on ridges, rolling, terraced, have nothing to envy to UTMB. At every turn of rock, the show that Mother Nature gives us is great. We take time to admire ... 
Before our cloud descend, or rather through it when we are praised by the burning rays of the luminary, to Le Pontet ( 1300) and Praz de Lys for the first pitstop. 
Ski Sommand to pass (1726m), the fog begins to dissipate, unveiling stunning views over the valleys,
and a perfect blue sky that I hasten to dedicate to immortalize all frustrated last Mont Blanc. 
The first race of the little beyond us. Descent to Sommand, crossing the starting point, 20 e km, the small end of the race. Second stop, simplistic, only liquid. Everything is fine, thigh stand, knees Laura does not mind, our pace is good, a little more than 5km / h.
Sommand, the "base" starting
We then start to attack several problems: the Col de Chavannes (1851m), Col de Vésinaz (1879m) and peak Chalune (2116m) . Climbs interspersed with beautiful drops steep and technical. Something to enjoy! Long climbs, via ski trails and callouiteux. The first pass is addressed fairly easily,
the second begins to leave some traces in the thighs, while the third will be the "wall" of 30km (well known to marathoners) wall in the 2 sense. Bertrand accuses an extra push, fate sticks to provide some relief, I decided to stand still ... Here we duplicate a competitor railing against the limit imposed by the watershed of the next ravito fence that already seems unapproachable at this time. " Name D. ..! " exclaims one, " the watershed, it was completely zappée ...! . Late ascent of the peak Chalune is a wall of rock, rising to hell on a ridge, which must turn back on reaching the summit back down on our steps a few hundred meters. 
Unable to accelerate our pace here. There, my legs are rebelling and I resign myself to leave my sticks, unable to reach this cursed summit. We will have to rush about in the downhill to make up for some time. Just enough time to make 2 pictures at the top (no, but still ...) 
and we are launched in a frantic descent to ravito of Foron (1355m), 35 th km. 
Met with just a few minutes ahead of time limit. If we somehow dragged in some places, our average speed was relatively good, because our runs were pretty fast. Few competitors arrived after we depart. After a good ravito, we have 1:15 to reach the next barrier Praz (km 44), yet with a beautiful and long climb to 1600m, followed by a steep and technical downhill, then another long climb. We must get to the evidence, the "wall of 30" without the sticks revealed by his wounds, and my thighs heavily uphill struggle. I lose ground on my two friends, returned in somewhat the descent is going better, and just climb back into the next. Approaching Praz, where the slope is gentler, I raise enough to easily lose the least time possible. In vain, the welcoming committee of our last pit stop we shall be disqualified for only ten minutes, my two companions await me for several minutes. After a quick calculation, we are quite surprised, just as some competitors arrived after us this time barrier that seems inappropriate. An additional hour would have seemed more appropriate. But hey, we respect the decision, the bulk of the course was completed, the remaining 6 km seemingly a liaison. Course we would have done so without problems, even with my thighs "concrete".
A subtle calculation afterwards, compared with UTMB, with a ratio of vertical similar shows running averages (CCC UTMB TDS) between 3.5 and 3.8 km / h. The CCC in 2009, I conducted an average of 4.45 km / h. On this
Ecotrail the average to meet the time gates was 5.2 km / h. Far too high In my humble opinion. 1h additional
would have lowered the average 4.6 km / h, more affordable for the majority of competitors. That said just for info ....
We will not listed on the "Little Trotte to Laura," but have an excellent memory for atmosphere and decor. My thirst
mountain is then sealed, we will drown in our "off course" in a sea of mist Orval!
Results: 109 classified, 30 unclassified or dropouts.
And as you do not drink a Trappist without cheese, the next day we visit the charming village The medieval Swiss Gruyere. A must see!
A big thank you to Laura, Stéphane Bertrand and for your hospitality, your kindness and humor!
