German

For some strange reason this post never went online. I thought i still share it with you guys. Will write a recap anytime soon…

Picture: schneider outdoor visions

Holy Moly. Stage 7. What a monster.

After yesterday I thought I’m getting better but that is not the case. Today was a huge and disgusting suffer-day for me. At least when the climbing commenced. This uphill section was just sick. The longest accent of the whole race was a long expedition for me. I thought it would never end. It essentially did end. At about 2.289 meters above sea level. I was cooked and was frozen at the same time. Running in the flat seems to be not the problem, but when the pulse needs to go up on the climbing nothing is happenings. It is like driving a 5 gear car in 3rd gear all the time. It must have been painful for Hendrik as well, as he had to wait on top of the Tabaretta. For quite a while I guess.

It is strange. Tomorrow is the last stage. This eight-day race is coming to an end. It went pretty fast. More less.

I don’t want to write a long post, as I do not want to waste any more time in front of the computer. This race is not about long post. This race is about the people, the racers, and all the participants. At this stage I cannot walk in the camp or around the certain towns without having a chat with some of the fellow racers from the Basque country, the Catalans, the Austrians, the Swiss, the Danish, the Venezuelans… this list goes on and on.

These days created such a special relation between each and everyone. Being around here, listening, watching and talking is more then just running. It is the exquisiteness of making new friends, spending time with old friends and getting to know new people, new perspectives and new insights in different cultures. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to learn so much and get so much out of this atmosphere.

I’ll switch if the computer now. It has been way to long in front of this thing.

Emptying my bags after this outrageous eight-day stage madness through the Alps. Washing away all the mud, the dust, the sweat, the blood, the suffering and the pain. What will stay is a one of a kind experience, a rollercoaster, a shocker and memoirs that will last. I transported a sick body through 260k and 15k of elevation gain. Now I need some proper rest. Merits to everybody I met along the way. Thanks for that trip and all the energy!

I can not thank Brooks, Ultimate Direction, Oakley, GoPro, Ultrasports & Garmin enough for all this incredible support!

Again. What a day. What a stage.

What should you transcribe each and everyday about those extraordinary trails and scenery we are able to run through. As we arrived on Messner country AKA South-Tirol from Switzerland it was pretty special for me. As a child I spend loads of holidays with my parents in this part of the world. Having been around this place for quite a while it was spectacular and overwhelming to say at least.

The course paid into it as it was pretty runnable all day. Hendrik and I cruised along nicely and gained a good amount of places. The team spirit is growing on and on and I’m feeling better and better every day.

Kind of weird – there are only three days left!

Picture: Wenning for Brooks Sports GmbH

Ultimately some update from my neck of the web regarding this Transalpine Thingy. It has been some pretty bumpy days for me. I’m not healthy. Just feeling pretty flat and without energy and strength. Was seeing the race doctor twice. He checked me but all the data he gathered seemed to be OK. Looks like I have some sort of infection in me which makes me feel very tired. That’s why my body doesn’t allow me to push. I take it fairly laidback. Not my real choice but the only choice besides dropping out. I don’t want to quit the race and I do not want to destroy myself by being over-motivated. I just take it easy and listen to my body. At the moment my muscles feel extremely good. I have no soreness and no aches whatever. It is still just my body who can’t do what I’m asking him to do. That’s it. I need to accept this.

And as it is a team competition it is not only me who has to accept this situation. And as I was involved in team sports for the first half of my life I know how hard it is to face situation like we face it at the moment. Just about a year ago I was in the same position in the El Cruce stage race in Argentina. Jose, my partner, was not as fit as I was at the time. It takes a lot of confidence and patience to deal which a situation like this. As the Transalpine Run is the highlight of Hendrik’s and my running season it is even harder to get used a situation like this. When you’re fit you just want to go and jog the shxx out of these trails and verticals. If you’re in a team and someone cannot do it you just have to expect it. It surely is hard.

Now we are used to the situation and got todays “Hill Sprint” completed in flawless team effort. I ducked in and shadowed Hendrik during the 906 meter of vertical climbing to the Motta Naluns. I cannot remember much of the course beside the heels of Hendrik’s PureGrit. This is the soul of a team race – a team performace. We delivered that today.

The next days will be exciting again as we face the last 3 stages. I’m still not up to speed but it is getting better. I give the body as much rest as I can and I enjoy the experience Transalpine Run. Denis from the German Trail magazine just got it exactly right when he wrote that a race like this is not about a certain performance or some results. It is about the involvement, about meeting people from across the world, about enjoying the unbelievable scenery and about being part of a huge unique family and a atmosphere that make these days pretty special. In any way.

Until later. If I find some interweb in Italy.

Noteworthy links:
Pictures Brooks
Pictures TAR
My Instagram
Strava

And that is day two of the Transalpine Run ticked off. Pretty impressive scenery as we hovered around the Austrian alps from Lech to St.Anton. We still keep it mellow. A solid and steady effort by the team. Tomorrow is going to be nasty. Pretty nasty.

By the way, thanks for all the mails, text and whatnot. Emma’s text the other day pretty staggered me and made me laugh out loud: “And remember always that u are Markus Fu*king Rössel and you’re bigger than any mountain!” Well…

More infos, more pictures, more everything. Go and check Hendrik’s blog or head to Strava.

Thanks for checking in. Out for today.

Tune of the day: Marvin Gaye – Inner City Blues

Just some random iphone shots from today’s camp in Stanton.

The first Transalpine leg from Oberstdorf (GER) to Lech am Arlberg (AUT) is in the books. In the good books or in the bad books? I don’t know. We had fun, we took it really easy. We enjoyed the course and got a solid team effort in. The first actual team experience was linked to myself. I just did not eat enough and bonked in the last kilometers. As a team we had to take it even easier then but jogged home in solid 4:55. Job done.

For more TAR related shizzle make sure to check out Hendriks pre-race blog posts as well as Hendriks and my Instagram account. Strave file of todays stage can be viewed HERE.

Until then. Peace out!

Tune of the day: DJ Stylewarz feat. Torch & D-Flame – Bitte wer?

Some random GoPro cockpit shots. Taken while riding mountain-bikes with the lads throughout the Swabian Alps last weekend.