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Oktober 21, 2022 / Keine Kommentare

MAURTEN: Das Pendel schwingt – die Geschichte von Sara Svensk

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Oktober 19, 2022 / Keine Kommentare

ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes 2022

Upper class entities, extravagant boats, heartfelt sunlight, good-looking, tanned people and that leisure extravagance sensation is what society is looking for at the world-renowned French Riviera. With dissimilar inspiration and goals, Fabian and I made our way down to the metropolitan that commonly is known for the rich and famous, its posh hotels and restaurants – Cannes.

After the Ötillö World Champs we were not looking to get a new yacht or leisure time at the local sand seashores, we wanted to book our ticket for next year’s World Champs in the Archipelago – as soon as possible. Last year’s jaunt to the Republic of Malta was a rather fruitful one but due to travel and work trials we had to settle for the subtropical Mediterranean climate in the south of France.

Cannes is the first competition to qualify after the WC and that means that a lot of lineups mean business. France took on the sport of swimrun fast and that results into a lot of fit and competitive équipes on the start line. However, we wanted to go for it and see what we can do – Now or never. Well, for 2022 anyway.

The competition went off with a lot of motivated racers on a long downhill slog from the local fort at the Île Sainte-Marguerite just outside the city. Seemingly, it took the man in the Iron Mask (Reference here) 11 years to leave the isolated woodland of St Marguerite. Not us. After approximately 4k of jagged trail bumping the first early risers were railed in and it was time to cool off from the sun with the first swim. For the premier 1,5 hours we ran and swam between this island and Île Saint-Honorat, a place that used to be the play area for some local monks, sharing their time between prayer and producing red and white wines. Nothing that we had time for on this beauty of a day.

With about 20% of swimming, this course is one of the most swim heavy on the entire tour. We left the islets and headed straight for Cap de la Croisette and the mainland Cannes. Fabian skippered the rusty GSP liner over these 1300 meters, the longest bath of the day. The Promenade de la Croisette was about to follow throughout the longest run (9+k). And it was action-packed one on a sundrenched Saturday along the popular waterfront boulevard. Merci to that cyclist that made way for us and created some frightened expressions along the way. The run led through town and out to a local park. I decided to not take the wetsuits off which might not have been the cleverest idea on this day. Plenty of dogshit on the street and some nasty climbs on and off road later we arrived at just another coastline ready to wash and cool off for yet another time.

Some swims and some run later my friend Daniel Rowland (which I haven’t seen since Chile 2011) caught us by surprise as a unexpected bystander as we headed back from the marine in the direction of the elevations of the local forestry. An abandoned and steep train track and loads of scrambling and ascending later it was beach time again. And after a disturbing visit to the local stark-naked shore, we went back into the water to enjoy more of these stunning jellyfish chews.

At the end it got pretty hectic as the lack of exercise and the unaccustomed exposure to sunlight decelerated our efforts. We paid for it with an extra inch on the suffer score during the last swim and a almost passed-out Fabian at the finish line – Raw fact: 4:57:13 for 8th place. Fortunately the uninterested local ambulance wasn’t needed, and the rehydration process got underway instantly.

Now its time for a proper season break, skiing and whatever the 2023 Swimrun term will throw at us with some pleasant unsanctioned explorations and well picked races aligned.

We salute our friends at Dryrobe & Saucony for all the love and faith with this endurance bromance and looking forward to having even more fun next season.

Tune of the day: Youssoupha – Ma Destinée

September 21, 2022 / Keine Kommentare

shoeporn: Nike ZoomX Zegama

Keller Sports as well as Keller X have been of great service to me in the last few years. A lot of selected attire easy and fast accessible. Particularly Keller X is a place where I hang out habitually. That has not changed much even though I moved from Germany to Sweden over 5 years ago as they offer their services with the same quality here and several other European countries. Keller Sports has been a great source to check and buy gear. Also, this time as Keller Sports gave me the chance to test and review the up-to-date and long-awaited trail hype, the Nike ZoomX Zegama. During the last 6 weeks I had the chance to put loads of miles on this shoe. Read on what I have to say.

If you’re enthusiastic about competitive and honest trail and mountain running the word “Zegama” will certainly spike your attention instantly. Located in the rugged self-governing region of the Basque Country, in the northern part of Spain, this 1.600 people town is the hallowed place for off road running. Just to simply get a slot into the Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri is a dream for many. Tennis has Wimbledon, motor racing the Monaco Grand Prix and golf the Open Championship – mountain running has Zegama. To simply name a shoe after this competition is aiming for the uppermost and sets expectations as high as the Aizkorri peak.

Slowly but surely Nike has teased their newest footwear release via social media. At the end of last year, I had the first glimpse to what later would become the ZoomX Zegama. In the quest for the up-to-the-minute Kipchoge vaporfly Erlkönig, even road running focused hype accounts picked up a trail running shoe that contained the celebrated ZoomX foam. But don’t get trapped in the ZoomX hype on this one. The Zegama does not come with a full ZoomX midsole as you might know it from the road models. To simply have a full ZoomX midsole would be too unstable on the trails. It’s the classic Nike carrier system SR02 that’s build around the ZoomX foam.

After the Trail Version of the Pegasus, the Terra Kiger and the Wildhorse, the Zegama is the newest adding to the Nike trail running assortment. The Zegama improves into the arrangement with supplementary cushioning. The Wildhorse used to be the most cushioned shoe and that has changed now. Like the latest Terra Kiger version, the Zegama comes with a rock plate protection. The popular ZoomX foam is used for the very first time in a trail shoe and is placed across the midsole.

The rural town of Zegama is start as well as finish to the notorious Zegama-Aizkorri Maratoia. Over the classic marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers, competitors must attack 5,472 meters height difference across rough and technical exciting topography. The competition is known for a brutal course but generally for its crazy and dedicated crowds that line up along the climbs. I had the chance to tow the line twice. Since then, I have an idea how it must feel to climb Alpe d Huez during the Tour de France. Click the Links to read my 2013 & 2014 blog posts.

Throughout the last decade I had the chance to run in more than a few Nike trail models. The Pegasus Trail version used to be a reliable partner as it was a shoe that literally lasted forever. On a tight budget this was the model I ran almost entirely in training. Frequently Nike made efforts to extend their trail running actions and for me it was quite interesting to see that they now also release a completely new model to their collection. Something that hasn’t happened for a good while. In preceding Nike shoes, I have been in awe of the ZoomX foam, and it did not disappoint in the Zegama. Some people say that the carbon plate is the big game changer in running technology. But I cannot fully agree. To me the rapid progress of the foam performance is a real game changer and something that this shoe benefits a lot from. A bouncy yet direct feeling that was new to me in a Nike trail shoe.

A pleasant and well needed feature for trail running is the integrated Ankle Gator. It sits tight but does not irritate the ankle. Main aim for this feature is to stop rocks and dirt from entering the shoe. A pleasant and well needed feature for trail running is the integrated Ankle Gator. It sits tight but does not irritate the ankle. Main aim for this feature is to stop rocks and dirt from entering the shoe. Also aids the general stability that this shoe provides.

Its easy to see a merge of some of the other Nike trail shoes in the Zegama. The forefoot and midfoot sections are very similar to the Kiger, while the back section leads towards the design of the Wildhorse. Important in a trail shoe is stability and despite the proper stack height, this shoe provides a great safe feeling on the trail while still being very comfortable and sprightly.

A new-fangled off-road shoe does also mean an innovative sole design and lug pattern. With 4 mm deep, the pattern design works well on all sorts of terrain that I undertook here. I usually have a tiny commute to hit my local trails. Then I face an exciting mixture of roots, rocks, and technical single trails. Particularly the forefoot portion of the Zegama is something that I could trust a 100% on during all my outings. But just like older Nike trail models, the quality of the grip gets worse in wet circumstances. A problem that has been communicated before and still seems to be an issue with this shoe.

A closer look at the lugs and the pattern design

If you are used to run in Nike shoes on the road, the Zegama wont surprise you much. The feeling is practically the same and the ZoomX translates nicely towards secure off-road running without loosing the nice bounciness and the great direct cushion. It’s the base that makes this shoe the best distance model in Nike assortment. The ride in the Zegama is springy and the wide platform aids to even stabilize the general approach of this shoe. It appears that the platform is a bit wider than the Kiger which I liked a lot. It is a pretty high stacked shoe at 37mm at the heel and 33mm at the forefoot so the wider approach assists the general safe performance on the trail.

Subtle details can be found all around the Zegama. Overall Nike nailed the design on this one, in my opinion. Since a few years they seemed to have figured out how to market and brand the trail models in a nice inventive and inimitable way without loosing the general design approach in the footwear line.

As this shoe can handle a lot of diverse ground, it quickly has developed into a reliable partner to me in the last few weeks. It is a lot of fun on the road but clearly performs best when used on non-paved milieu. By any means it is not a shoe that would execute to its utter best during the iconic Zegama marathon, but I would undoubtedly race it on lengthier and flatter trail distances. The Zegama is a flawless fusion between a comfortable training and race shoe with loads of opportunities on hand. Only downfall is the performance in the wet. Something that I hope will be updated in the next version.

Tune of the day: Adagio! – Gather Round

September 7, 2022 / Keine Kommentare

Ötillö 2022

Our maiden voyage from Sandham to Utö back in 2014 took us 11:08:01. This Monday the finish line clock stopped at 8:52:08, a time that would have placed us 4th in 2014.

Throughout all the years the times have been improved massively. A winning time under 7 hours is now within reach. While it aids that the actual course altered from merciless bushwhacking fragments to proper trail through the years, the actual performances shouldn’t be underrated – this competition will always have the raw capability to decipher fitness, soul and the will to dig deep.

I’m grateful for yet another expedition to the dark side and an even sweeter exit together with Fabian.

September 1, 2022 / Keine Kommentare