On Saturday 23rd September I returned to racing this summer at the KM de Chando, a double vertical kilometer.
I decided this would be a great race to do to in a block of races that will end with the Limone Skyrace in October. As a part of the double VK world cup now I thought it might be more competitive than it usually is.
From the gun we started the race down in the valley below Chandolin, Switzerland. I was running without poles because I only feel the need to use them when you will spend most of your time powerhiking, but the first 1500m was almost all runnable for me.
I took the start quite slow, to adjust my position and keep checking how fast the leaders were pacing. After 5 minutes I started overtaking people until I’d overtaken the lead woman Christelle Dewalle. I kept building the intensity for 2-3 more minutes until I hit my threshold or top gear.
After 2500m I really felt the altitude hit me hard! I gained into 4th place, with William Bon Mardion in sight and the 2 leaders visible far up. 200m before the finish…. with the altitude slowing me significantly…. I was overtaken by 2 guys and finished in 6th place in 1h21. Wow I was happy!
Although there were no age categories for award (just the top 3 men and women) I am really happy with the result and feel confident going into the next races over the following weeks. Next Sunday is the Vertical du Grand Serre, steeper than Fully at 1.8km for 1000m elevation!