Mayrhofen Ultraks (51km, 3230m D+)

As a fan of the Zillertal ever since an autumn vacation in Mayrhofen, signing up for the Mayrhofen Ultraks as last race of 2022 was a no-brainer. The manageable distance of 51km also made a finish much more likely than at Courmayeur's TDS, ending the race year on a high note. As the race was part of Austria's National Golden Trail Series, plenty of almost-pro athletes were in the starter field, removing any unnecessary pressure to achieve any top rank. 

The weather forecast was somewhat mixed, with the expectation of rain and possibly even snow in the higher reaches as the highest point of the course was about 2700m. This also led to the cancellation of the 100k race, with runners having the option of getting re-booked to the 70k distance.

The starting time was at a very fair 8am, but the 50k and 30k races were started concurrently, which made it a bit crowded and difficult to figure out who was tackling the first 1400m of climbing in 9km too recklessly, just right or too slowly. I managed to not overpace the first ascent as badly as in Fieberbrunn earlier in the year, but was still way above a comfortable pace. 

The higher we went, the better the view got, and the temperature was just right - although I was carrying a long-sleeve shirt in my backpack, I never took it out and made it through on just a regular shirt and a windproof jacket.

The 30k and 50k races split after about 15k, which meant that I was suddenly pretty lonely for the next 5k/800m of ascent to the highest point of the race, the Rastkogel. Clouds were moving in, so runners even just 100m away were typically no longer visible, and no ranks were gained nor lost. I picked up a few too many crackers at an intermediate aid station, which I had to try and get down amidst a slight wave of nausea while continuing a fairly steep climb. Hard exercise, gels and isostar instead of breakfast still does not agree very well with my stomach, apparently.

While the course left out the last ~100m climb to the top of the Rastkogel, the eventual winner of the race, Ruedi Becker, missed a turn, put in the additional climb and distance, and still managed to finish first. After the Rastkogel, we started on a very technical descent which made me lose a couple of ranks as I was not in the mood of pushing it and risking anything just to end up slightly further up in ranking no-mans-lands. I thus reached the Rastkogelhütte aid station, about the mid-point of the race in terms of distance, after 4h in 34th position.

Just after the aid station, I got jumped by a dog who happily ignored the runner before me just to go crazy when I passed. Shouting expletives at the owners who seemed perfectly happy with their dog interfering in an official competition at least raised my adrenaline level sufficiently to do some overtaking on a rolling but technical section until we dropped down into the next valley first on fireroads, then on tarmac. 

After an aid station at 35k where I bolted down a couple of water melon slices, the final 500m ascent beckoned. As a motivational boost, I brought my MP3 player to bear, only to find that the battery was close to dying, likely due to the cold temperature. The few songs I managed to wring out of it still sufficiently improved my mindset to pass a couple of other runners in what must have looked like a vulgar display of power after 40k and almost 3000m of climbing (running uphill, head banging and playing air guitar).

By now, it had started to rain in earnest, which made the final 1200m downhill into Mayrhofen a tricky business. It was here that the first runners of the 70k distance started passing me. I tried to latch on to the first woman, but decided after 2 minutes that the speed was way beyond my comfort zone on muddy trails with slippery rocks. While the downhill route was similar in parts to the uphill one we had taken in the morning, it was different enough that some runners took a wrong turn and ended up doing a couple of k on the wrong trail. However, as distance and difficulty was sufficiently similar the organizers decided not to sanction this deviation.

I managed to get down the mountain without accident, even catching up again with a runner in the last section whom I had overtaken earlier on the ascent, telling him that he'll soon be in the lead again as I sucked on the downhills. Not to lose any ranks on the final stretch, I went close to all-out on the last 3k through Mayrhofen, managing a 27th place overall in 7:15h, slightly above my goal time of 7h. The course definitely did not disappoint, and the clouds added a dramatic backdrop to the great scenery around Mayrhofen at least for the parts of the race where I still cared about my surroundings. The race organization was good and volunteers were all very friendly, making this an all around great experience.
My strategy of using Bauernfeind bandages to stabilize my ankle worked OK'ish, although it mostly meant trading one kind of pain for another after a certain distance.

Official website: https://mayrhofen.ultraks.com/