On the up: runners ascend an imposing Pyrenees peak (credit: Jordi Saragossa)
The morning of the race started in a bad way: my bags got locked in the coach and l couldn’t find the driver.
After a frantic search, we found him only after all the race buses had left. Luckily the organisers were spot-on and found me an F1-style taxi driver who got me to the start line with time to spare.
I placed myself in the middle of the field. I couldn’t believe how many extremely tanned and fit people were around me. Every one of them looked like they were going to win the race. How was I going to keep up with these guys? The music was blaring out lots of heavy rock tracks as the minutes counted down. “Tres, dos, uno” and we were off. The pros at the front shot off, but I kept it nice and steady as we did a lap of the town with the helicopter blasting overhead.
Tres, dos, uno: runners shoot off at the start (credit: Jordi Saragossa)
After the loop, the first climb began. It was nice and gentle to start with but, after a short flat section, it was on to the biggie: 4,500ft of unrelenting uphill. It wasn’t long before it became too steep to run so all the field power-hiked up. Passing a cable car station, we were greeted by the first checkpoint and the view of large mountains ahead. This was going to be a beast! I pushed on, power-hiking as best I could. As I climbed higher, the temperature dropped so it was on with the gloves and trusty waterproof.
Finally at the top, I was immediately faced by a crazy downhill. Shouts went out every couple of minutes as rocks loosened by runners went flying down the hill. One the size of a frisbee accelerated quickly and went within a metre of a guy’s head.
Mercifully, the route began to flatten and I started to make good progress. Next up: another climb. At the top, I was rewarded with a view of most stunning mountain ranges I’ve ever seen. While I was admiring the view, however, I managed to trip up, cutting my arm, leg and chin and smashing my phone!
Ups and downs
After another climb and quad-battering descent, I knew I only had one more uphill to conquer. This was another tough one and I began trading places with a few lean-looking local runners. Once at the top, I fuelled up at the checkpoint and contemplated what lay ahead: a suicidal 5,000ft descent to the finish. I started to look longingly at the poles many runners were carrying and wished I had some as my quads were shot.
I went into survival mode and tried to keep the pace as fast as I could while managing the pain. On the way down, I lost count of how many places I lost. But eventually it flattened out a bit and I put my foot to the floor. Half a mile later, I reached the penultimate checkpoint. I grabbed a gel and some water and pushed on down a brief tarmac section. This eventually led to a nice reasonable downhill – a rare and welcome thing at the BUFF Epic Trail – and suddenly I was moving at 6min/mile pace. It didn’t last long as the terrain got a little rougher but I was still cruising in the 7min/mile region. By this time I’d caught a Spanish lad and over the next few miles we traded places: he gained on the descent, I gained on the flat. Finally I hit the river line, which flows directly past the finish, and knew it was time to dig deep. Years and years of road running finally paid off in the Pyrenees and I breezed past two Spanish guys, overtaking three more before the welcome finish line.
To start with I couldn’t believe it. I walked around dumfounded until my wife came bursting into the finish area crying her eyes out and gave me a massive hug: one of the best moments of my life. After a quick dunk in a cold shower, a bowl of cereal and a cup of green tea, everything in the world was just fine.
I’d like to say a huge thanks to Robbie Britton for coaching me – those long hill sessions prepared me well for the mountains – and to BUFF for inviting me out to the Pyrenees. I’m already planning to return in 2018 and am planning to tackle loads of fell races later this year. For the meantime, though, I’m just enjoying the feeling of finishing the BUFF Epic Trail, the best race I’ve ever done.
Home straight: Steve crosses the finish line.
