Ida Nilsson needs no introduction with a host of winning performances at some of the world’s most revered mountain ultras! The Swedish athlete had an outstanding 2018 season including her 3rd (straight) victory at Transvulcania (73km), a win at Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri (42km) & a second place in the Golden Trail Series. She had her first taste of stage racing at the 2019 Coastal Challenge where she set a new course record and placed 2nd overall. Learn something more about Ida in this great in-depth profile from iRunFar.

In 2018 Ida also co-founded Moonvalley, along with fellow Salomon athletes Emelie Forsberg & Mimi Kotka, to produce organic goodies – real food, real tasty, real nutritious. Thanks to our sponsor MyRaceKit we will have Moonvalley bars at UTMR.

Ida we are happy to welcome you (and Moonvalley) to UTMR!  We wish you the best of luck!

© Martina Valmassoi

Ida says,

“I have heard so many times that the area around Monte Rosa is incredible. Several people have told me, you have to go running there! Earlier this year I got introduced to stage racing at the Coastal Challenge and I really liked it. I’m not ready to take on the 100 miles distance in one run yet so the 4 days stage format is perfect. It’s still long running days, but more time to recover and really enjoy the beauty of each day.

I’m also very happy that the race will use Moonvalley products, the brand I started together with Emelie Forsberg and Mimmi Kotka. We are so happy with the final result and it will be interesting to hear what the other runners think of the products!”

Ida running with Emelie & Mimi © Moonvalley

Read & watch the Moonvalley story here or head over to their online store at moonvalley.me!

La Sportiva elite athlete, Christian Insam, is returning to finish unfinished business on the trails of Monte Rosa! Good luck, see you in September!

Christian during the 2018 UTMR!

After my withdrawal last year at km 120 my first thought was that I would definitely return to conclude the route around the Monte Rosa! Too strong was the desire to return to these magnificent places, on those endless climbs where you are in close contact with nature. Starting early in the morning on the Europaweg that leads to Zermatt and enjoying the sunrise that paints the Matterhorn red is an indescribable thing.

After last season and the injury that occurred at the UTMR I had to rest for a while, recover physically and identify the root of my ongoing inguinal problems. Living in the mountains, in the Dolomites, during the wintertime I almost completely stop running. I ski, practice skialp and cross skiing. I think that to alternate between sports is very good for muscles and tendons regeneration.

The 2019 edition promises to be very interesting with the presence of so many great champions – everyone ready to give his maximum.

Thanks Lizzy and Richard – see you soon!

Winter training!

Dan Lawson is a GB international runner, in 2016 he won the IAU 24 Hour European Championships and holds a world record for the distance run on a treadmill in 7 days. He is fresh off an FKT on the Jordan Trail with Robbie Briton. Why is he turning to UTMR & the mountains? For the magic of course, we hope he finds it!

Dan Lawson, GB flag in hand.

I’m really excited to be coming to the UTMR this year, it’s given my 2019 an extra bit of magic.

In 2019 I will run for Great Britain at the World 24hr Championships as well as taking part in my first 6 day race. Both of these formats will take place on a 1km tarmac loop. These races are a real mental challenge, that’s why it’s so amazing to be able to mix training for these events with competing and preparing for UTMR.

It will give me that chance to really connect with nature and run on trails that make me feel more like I’m playing rather than running. UTMR will most definitely be tough but in a different more magical way, I hope! Part of my love of ultra running is the chance it gives me to continually push myself. UTMR will be very much out of my comfort zone, I have a lot experience running round flat circles, but very little in the mountains. I’m also not too great with heights, but I like to put myself in situations where I feel a little scared and uncomfortable, ultimately I think it makes me a stronger person.

I’m looking forward to the yin and yang of my year, I’ve just finished an amazing adventure in Jordan, setting an FKT on the Jordan Trail amongst scenery that would even compete with that at the UTMR. This as well as my UTMR experience will be the classical symphony music to the metronomic 24hr road training.

In the Gobi Desert.

We are happy to welcome an elite runner, Peter Brestovansky, from the Slovak Ultra Trail Team to the 170km UTMR! Here’s what he has to say …..

“In addition to climbing, ski alpinism and mountain biking, I also enjoy running. The long distances running. Ultra run. It came completely out of blue. At the time I was occupied with my work and family so much, there was no time for more time consuming activities such as climbing or cycling. So I started running. And I kept adding length of the distances. I started to explore my limits. First I thought my personal limit was to complete a marathon. Then I managed to run most of the Slovak ultra trail racing competitions containing of one hundred and more kilometres as well as 24 hour running events. I still did not reach the limits of my body and soul. So I decided to run a solo of 360 km from High Tatras to the Danube River. The limits were not reached yet… I was looking for a new dimension. 

I found it in enrolling charity running events and runs carrying a strong moral message. One of them is „Ultralanovka“ for Plamienok Charity and Štefánik Trail, where collected funds are used for palliative care of small children.

Before and after the Stefanik trail!

The „On the Edge“ Project, where my team and I run from Auschwitz in Poland to Žilina in Slovakia (170 km), to revive the true story of two concentration camp prisoners Vrba and Wetzler, who provided the first ever report following their concentration camp escape  describing events of what was actually happening there. The result of the project was a movie called „On the Edge“, that won a few prizes at various film festivals. Me and my co-runners  have been now showing this film, accompanied with additional explanations and discussions, to children at schools thought the whole Slovakia. The last of my big challenges were races in Andorra ELS 2900 and PTL around Mont Blanc. Both races carrying a strong message, taking place in the mountains that I love and where I can become a part of them for a while. My addiction started there. I like the challenges, especially the harder ones. This doesn’t apply just to the run, but also to climbing and ski alpinism. In all these events not only physical but also mental preparedness is needed. I have found out that, apart from mileage, there is something else that makes these occasions so important. It’s about people around you – your family, your team and your mind. Mental preparation. The way you deal with it, how you believe in your abilities and how you can be yourself. Together with my friends I also organise running camps, where we teach other runners how to lead this way of life.”

We wish you the best of luck Peter, see you in September!

Raining in the Tatras!

We are happy to welcome two talented Nepali runners to the UTMR 4-stage race during their first visit outside Nepal! We look forward to hearing what they think of the trails around Monte Rosa! Good luck guys …

Mahesh Thapa and Bikash Tamang are two talented young and enthusiastic ultra trail runners from Nepal. Speaking both English and French, they work as trekking guides with Ram Puri’s Pyrénées Nepal Treks and Trails.  Both are from the remote village of Thulosiruwari, in Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal. Their village is situated in hilly area so they grew up helping their parents with daily chores by carrying water, collecting firewood, and collecting grass to feed their domestic animals. Hard work! They started running in a few small local races in their village and now live in Kathmandu for study and work.

They have participated in some of the major races in Nepal – Annapurna100 50km, Kathmandu Trail Race 50km, Stupa to Stupa 50km, Bhojpur Trail Race 36km, Sindhupalchowk International Trail Race 50km and Batase Trail Race 65km – as well they regularly volunteer as trail markers and sweepers.

They are ambitious and very motivated to take part in adventurous trail races. With Ram’s support they have this chance to visit Europe during the summer of 2019 for their first trip outside Nepal. This is a great opportunity to broaden their experience, develop their talent and discover the European race scene. We are happy to invite them to UTMR as part of this adventure.

Mahesh & Bikash – we wish you the best of luck! See you in Grächen in September!

Mahesh Thapa © Anuj Adhikary

Bikash Tamang © Anuj Adhikary

Photos by Anuj Adhikary one of our 2017 UTMR photographers during a KTM Trail Race Series race – look out for these monthly races if you are passing through Kathmandu, a great way to enjoy the hills surrounding the city!

UTMB Podium Finisher chooses the 2019 UTMR 100 mile course for his next big challenge in order to keep focused, and to keep slim. He joins top 5 UTMB finisher Damian Hall and 11th place Petter Restorp.

After last year’s UTMB, finishing 6th, I fulfilled my sporty ambitions and it was about a time to retire from the sport of Mountain Ultra Running. I was looking forward to a bright future and a great lifestyle with no extra energy wastage!

I’ve been off the running for a few months and guess what: I am almost faced with a need to upgrade my wardrobe to a XXL size. No surprise for a man who is highly appreciating high sugar and carb diet as a daily nutritional plan. Frustration about getting oversized rose up and I started looking for motivation to start moving again. No running this time!

Latvia’s Roman Evarts takes sixth at #UTMB 2018 in 22:38:29. pic.twitter.com/I9a2gAe2b8

— iRunFar (@iRunFar) September 1, 2018

Playing some ball game would be ideal, I thought. But it turned out that all my old football buddies became useless, as the only football they are doing nowadays is the PlayStation football. “Bummer!” But that’s ok; it was a great opportunity for me to put all the old habits aside and try something completely new.

Unfortunately to jump on a new wave routine wasn’t easy, as I came to the point when from the few option I had to choose between MMA fighting and CrossFit. As my last kickboxing tournament 20 years ago left me with a half damaged brains I decided to go for CrossFit.

Long story short: to keep up with athletes from this sport I found I would have to spend most of the time shirtless and drastically improve my selfie taking skills. As I am well known for the worst selfies on Instagram – the right decision for me was to give up this intention.

As you can imagine after all these adventures I’ve been in a bad mood and was taking extra dosage of ice-cream to get myself back from the dark hole. So the circle been closing and again I found myself sitting on a rooftop in Nepal looking for a big mountain race where I could take my running shoes for a walk.

The UTMR 100 miler has been on my radar for couple of years. I know the area and have been on some parts of the course, but never had an opportunity to have a see how the whole loop around Monte Rosa looks. The awesomeness of the area, the competitiveness of the next edition’s field and the right proportion of the miles vs elevation gain was the indication for me to enter without any doubts. For anyone who missed the UTMB lottery, this is a great, but hard, alternative.

This definitely will keep me moving and give some extra motivation to be out in the mountains during the summertime. But now I am out to have more ice-cream, as the signing up for the race doesn’t mean you have to start training straight away!

See you in September!!!

Here’s a nice insight into the 2018 4-day Stage Race from Rebeca Ehrnrooth, part owner of myRaceKit. A Swede living in the UK, she is an outdoor enthusiast and ultra-runner who travels the world for adventures and races. We look forward to welcoming you back in 2019 Rebeca!

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Rebeca passing through Randa on Day 1 of the 2018 edition.

In Lizzy Hawker’s book Runner there is an episode where Lizzy has returned to Kathmandu after another monstrous run in the Himalayas. Richard Bull and she are on a roof top, drinking milky tea and stargazing, reflecting over the question: Why do we run? Their answers are philosophical. I ask myself the very same question as I climb Colle del Turlo.  Although, my question is highly relevant; the climb is gruesome. My legs are aching. Every time I advance, turning a corner, the climb appears even longer. Do endless climbs exist? I grit my teeth. I follow a piece of advice given in Lizzy’s book, when in doubt, just put one foot ahead of the other.

Turlo, meaning small door in Walser dialect, is a mountain pass that has been in use for centuries, its impressive paved trail is a fine example of medieval labour that was then rebuilt by an alpine military battalion in the 1920’s. My rule during this race was when tired; breathe in and inhale the environment. The views running around Monte Rosa are captivating. There is something magic seeing Monte Rosa from different perspectives. The beautiful surroundings give you a sense of purpose, particularly when you need it most.

A friend of mine introduced me to Ultra Tour Monte Rosa (UTMR). I had not heard of the race before, but I was quick to sign up as I adore that part of the Alps having skied and mountaineered there. The race was organised by Lizzy Hawker and Richard Bull; I’m a longstanding admirer of Lizzy and I had previously heard of Richard’s race organising capabilities; thus, the race seemed a brilliant fit. The 170km and 11,300m of ascent didn’t scare me. I opted for the four-day race which had the least onerous entry criteria. At 4,634m, Monte Rosa is the second highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe. It is located between Switzerland (Valais) and Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley). Grächen in Switzerland is the start and finish of the 170km race. Grächen is a picturesque host village displaying warm hospitality towards the runners. The tour takes you from Grächen to Zermatt, Zermatt to Gressoney la Trinité in Italy, from Gressoney to Macugnaga and finally from Macugnaga you climb the almost vertical Monte Moro Pass before descending to Saas Fee and the final stretch back to Grächen.

Ahead of the race, I read that trekkers were recommended to complete the tour of Monte Rosa in about 10 days. The pace of UTMR is more ambitious with a 170km single stage, a 170km four-day stage and a 100km single stage on offer. There are cut off times. If you plan to walk the race at a leisurely pace you won’t make these. The circuit follows many ancient trails that have linked the Swiss and Italian valleys for centuries. It includes larch forests, alpine meadows, balcony trails and a glacial crossing. The course is runnable, but at times highly technical. It connects seven valleys embracing different cultures: the German speaking high Valais, the Arpitan speaking Aosta Valley and the Walser culture with spectacular wooden houses in Otro Valley in Piedmont.

The race organisation is diligent, thoroughly checking the mandatory equipment of all participants. This is needed as the circuit takes you to remote areas. At one point there was almost 25km between aid stations. I ran alone during parts of the race, truly enjoying the solitude and vastness. The climb after Rifugio Ferraro reminded me how small the human is when pitted against the forces of nature as the skies opened and deluged me. At +2,000m, wearing shorts and a t-shirt you get cold immediately and the trails turn slippery. Mountains are inviting but can be treacherous. Safety is paramount for the organising team.

Near the 2432m Passo Foric above Alagna.

The four-day race include three overnight hotels; the organising team allow runners to send 15kg of luggage on to the next overnight stop, which was much appreciated. Meals are provided and, maybe as expected, the Italian meals were outstanding. The hotels are comfortable and accommodate the runners with early breakfasts. Along the route the aid stations were well stocked and manned by immensely friendly volunteers.

There was sunshine, cloud and rain during the race. In the valleys during the afternoons it was +20C, when crossing the glacier at the Theodul Pass it was minus degrees. A good tip is to bring newspapers which can be used to dry your shoes overnight.

This is a challenging race that takes you to your limits. For the first time, I found myself crying as I reached an aid station out of pure exhaustion. Likewise, I felt sheer, unconditional happiness at the summit of each climb, taking in the extraordinary views. The mountains drain you on energy, but you gain something extremely valuable in the form of enormous, indescribable fulfilment.

UTMR is a surprisingly small race, maybe because it is squeezed in after UTMB week and coincide with the Transalpine and the Tor des Geants. The race feels very genuine and uncommercial with the sole wish of the organisers being for the runners to enjoy their trail experience and nature. This humble attitude showed during the post-race celebration dinner when the master of ceremonies called on Lizzy and Richard to address the runners. The microphone got passed between the pair until they expressed that they were simply happy if the runners had enjoyed the race. It was as if they were almost surprised anyone pitched up to run their race. This race is a hidden gem in the race calendar.

After a last-minute cancellation of the friend who introduced me to the race, I turned up alone in Grächen, however, I became good friends with a German lady I shared a room with. The spirit was incredible across the many nationalities and I was for four days immersed in this big running family, where everyone wanted their fellow race participants to enjoy the race.

So why do we run? In Lizzy’s book Maya Angelou is quoted saying: “You are only free when you realise you belong no place – you belong every place – no place at all.” Lizzy concludes that all of those places that belong to no one belong to us all. If we explore them we make them our own.

I experienced Monte Rosa as my own mountain. I enjoyed it so much I’m planning to be back in 2019 – only I intend to run it better.

Damian Hall, journalist and elite runner, is signed up for the 2019 170 km Ultra Tour. With an impressive 5th place at the 2018 UTMB in 22:35:13, and having recently set an FKT (fastest known time) for the Cape Wrath Trail with Beth Pascall, he is no stranger to the long and hard. We look forward to hearing what he thinks of UTMR!

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Photo: Summit Fever Media

I love a good 100, me. The lumpier and hurtier the better.

Lizzy Hawker is a huge inspiration me and when I heard first heard talk about the inaugural Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, I wanted in right away.

There are a lot of appealing races towards the end of summer though and I had a bit of a UTMB obsession I needed to shake first.

In the meantime, friends of mine – especially Tim Laney, Nicky Spinks, Philip Haylett – did UTMR and raved about it. Race photos just looked sensational.

I’m done with UTMB for now and UTMR seems like the perfect replacement. Not only is it only one letter different, but it’s the same distance and also in the Alps.

However UTMR also seems very different to UTMB in some ways. It looks wilder and remoter, more technical and spectacular than UTMB. It goes higher (above 3,200m) and there’s 1,300m more ascent (gulp). It’ll obviously be more low-key, but that’ll make a nice change. (Cowbells can get a bit irksome after 20 hours or so.)

I can’t wait to get out there. I can’t wait for it to get hurty.

Photo: Summit Fever Media

Petter Restorp has joined UTMR through our programme for elite runners… Restorp finished 11th in the UTMB this year in a very respectable 23:34:35 and is looking for a new challenge for 2019 as he explains below.

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Photo: Andrea Sagui / Dolomiti Extreme Trail.

I ended my 2018 season with a full month of rest. Instead of running I went climbing in Spain, France and Italy. Staying away from the trails was sometimes difficult but it gave me time to reflect on the past years’ competitions, remembering the best moments and learning from the mistakes. It was also the perfect time to plan for the future.

The race should not, however, be an easy one. I want to have to doubt my own performance. I want to feel overwhelmed, go through the hard times and finally get out on the other side.

To do a long race in the mountains is a big experience. It is a long journey both physically and emotionally and leaves you with a memory to carry with you for the rest of your life. Given that you have to invest a good amount of time in training and preparing for it, you better choose a race that you really would like to do. And there are many races to choose from, all with different lengths, elevation profiles, types of trails and more.

I was looking for a challenge for the main event of my 2019 race calendar: a race that can take me high into the mountains on winding narrow trails with striking views. A race where I can journey into remote wild places, reconnect temporarily with civilization in some picturesque village before climb back up again.

The race should not, however, be an easy one. I want to have to doubt my own performance. I want to feel overwhelmed, go through the hard times and finally get out on the other side.

When I discovered the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa I immediately knew that it is the race I was looking for. I have never been on the trails around Monte Rosa, but the high peaks in the area are iconic and finisher times from the past editions tells me that it is brutal enough.

I also get the impression that the organization is very professional and surrounded with less of the commercial circus that you can find in some other big races.