IBEX MULTI-DAY ULTRA 2021
„I had to go back again and find out what made my heart beat so strongly there.”
This is how my running report of the Al Andalus Ultimate Trail 2021 ended. And where the story of the Ibex Multi-Day Ultra began, a 212km stage run (5 stages) with around 8000 positive metres of altitude gain through Andalusia over the Christmas period. Although the Ibex Multi-Day Ultra was only 67km away from Loja, the start of the Al Andalus Ultimate Trail, the run was a completely different (running) experience for me, in several ways. However, the insight that the run gaves me was very similar and ultimately moved me to take an important step in my life.
But first, here are some basic informations about the Ibex Multi-Day:
The Ibex Multi-Day was, as already mentioned, a stage run in December 2021, with two different distances to choose: The Ultra with 212km (8000m+) and the Challenge with 136km (5303m+). The starting and finishing point of all stages was in Moclin, a very pretty village in the province of Granada with a castle on a high hill that had to be conquered every day. It was a very idyllic, quiet village with a lovely youth hostel, the Hostel Rural - Casa rural Moclin, where the runners were accommodated. I, however, stayed with my partner Mike in the nearby New Leaf Cortijo.
On this stage run, runners were in the same place every day, and in the evenings vegetarian meals were served to us and we were sitting all together. But we had to bring all the other food and meals we needed during the five days by our own. Except at the checkpoints of course we got drinks and food from the staff. I stayed with Mike at the Cortijo as there was no possibility of sharing a room with Mike. We rented a car, which I/we used to drive to the hostel and back to the Cortijo. And Mike also had the car to drive around and to do some sightseeing.
Due to new Corona regulations and the current situation, several runners cancelled their registration before the race, so there were 12 runners for the ultra-distance and 11 for the challenge. It was also the first ever edition of the Ibex Multi-Day and the race took place for the first time in December 2021. Sarah and Steve, the organizers of the race were nevertheless very keen to make the race happen under all the conditions (pandemic, weather...), which was certainly a very big challenge for them.
The training for the Ibex Multi-Day Ultra fell in the middle of the wet and cold months of October, November and December. I was looking forward to Andalusia with around 20 degrees and sunshine. However, this was not to be the case in 2021. But we will get to that in a moment. I was not so fit at the time of the training. After the AAUT, I didn't really rest. At the beginning of August I ran a self-organized 24-hour race around the lake of Echternach to raise funds for the flood victims. And then in September I competed in the Ultra Trail Mullerthal over the 112km distance. I didn't have a real training in the months of July and August. That was very untypical for me. The two runs in August and September were marked by severe weather and simply wet! And so the training continued. I found it increasingly difficult to motivate myself to run. Especially the long runs demanded a lot from me, as I ran for hours in the cold rain, completely soaked. Mentally, this training was particularly challenging as I kept pushing myself to get out and run in these weather conditions.
But I wanted to be prepared for my run and it was important to me. I had to get back to Andalusia and find out why this area triggered such strong emotions. Also, I liked Mike to be there to show him the area where my heart beats so hard.
Of course, you can ask why this was only possible during a stage run. Why not just take a holiday in Andalusia, and reflect on it while hiking and walking? But that is probably one of those things that is typical for runners and that only runners can understand. This is connected to the essential and fundamental question about ultrarunning in general: Why do you do this kind of running and what does it give you compared to hiking or walking? Why does it have to be a particularly long and/or steep run under tough (weather) conditions? I have already addressed this question in my AAUT running report (as well as in some podcasts). And sure, I just wanted to run another stage race again :-).
Then Christmas was just around the corner, and everyone was talking about the preparations for Christmas: food, presents, drinks and everything else needed for Christmas. I was also in the middle of preparations for Christmas: running shoes, running backpack, drinking bottles, isotonic drinks and food for the runs. Then everything was ready. All my equipment was packed, and we went to sleep, because our flight left on 21 December at 6:00 in the morning. At 2:00 I woke up with a sore throat and I didn't feel well. Sleep was out of question. My Corona PCR test in the morning was negative as well as all other tests. But the sore throat got worse with every hour. The first stage was on 23.12, so I had exactly 2 days left to get fit again. I drank a lot of tea, inhaled and luckily I didn't feel sick after one day. So, I decided to start and take it slowly. And I picked up my race number "optimistically" (queasy, full of doubts...).
Stage 1
On 23 December at 9:15 we got off. The sky was even a little clearer. It had been raining since we arrived and the forecast was very wet. The first stage was 35km long with 1706 positive metres of altitude. It was a beautiful route through a mountainous countryside and over a suspension bridge. I even saw a family of ibex. My heart rate was fine, and I also took my time, because I didn't want to overexert myself with my cold. Also the cut-off times were very generous. Some of the climbs were awesome! Very hard, but the views of the Sierras were fantastic! I was back in my beloved Andalusia. Although I missed the heat. It wasn't the same, but that too is Andalusia. I became aware of it again and again over this week. I also got to know another side of Andalusia, like the rain, the cold, isolated places along motorways, endless mud. But isn't that the way it is with all things and all places? Where do you find 100% perfection? Ultrarunning itself is characterised by ups and downs, both in training and in the race itself. Just like our everyday life, our job, our partnership and our family. And Andalusia seemed the same to me. As well as the incredible beauty and sunny weather, there is also the cold, rain and other inconveniences. But these are all part of my so-called treasure. This race showed me an authentic Andalusia and I loved it.
However, it took me some time to stop thinking of the Ibex Multi-Day as a kind of repetition. That would be unfair and not dignify the race. I realised this during the week. Unique experiences can't be repeated in the same way. Each time is unique. Different. The past is over, I also needed to leave things behind. Let go. Not only in relation to the race, but also in everyday life. My change of job in September was still difficult for me, I couldn't really settle into my new job. I was too attached to the past. And it was a bit like that with this race and the memory of the July race. The Ibex Multi-Day was also unique and special and it was up to me to make the most of it and enjoy it. In the end, it was a great race.
Stage 2
I called the second stage "Mudskiing". It rained very hard during the night and it was reported that it had not rained that much for many years. The track was mostly mud that stuck to the shoes. I walked on about 8cm of mud. Or rather, I was wading and sliding through the mud with 8cm of mud on my shoes. With mud through the mud, or something like that. And that for 49km, officially, because for me it was 54km with 1800m+.
Another special feature of this stage was the river you had to cross. A very welcome cool down, you could say, but when it rains and the temperature is below 20 degrees, it looks a bit different. Although you are wet whether you swim through the river or not :-). The water was just above my knees.
I was enjoying the route until I suddenly got a message from my GPS watch on a climb. I had gone off the route. I also didn't see any markings for a while. I turned back, but there was nothing since the last markings. My watch was pointing down, but the last marker was pointing up. So up the hill again. After almost 2km there were still no markings. I turned back and went down the hill. I had to think about my hill repeats. That's why I did them :-). I spent 20 minutes looking for the right route. I decided to call the organisation. In the meantime two other runners had arrived. The organisation told us that the markings had probably been lost and that we should follow the route on our own. And then we got lost in the middle of the olive groves and wandered around. Or rather, we were "mudskiing" :-). Eventually we found a tarmac road again and reached the checkpoint. And then it was pretty bumpy. It was raining a lot. I was soaked, full of mud and cold. I decided to sing and dance to keep my spirits up. The old Bowie album "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" was perfect for those moments, and honestly, with my raincoat and trousers full of mud, I felt a bit like an alien from Mars. When I arrived at the checkpoint, a volunteer told me "I saw you dancing in the rain". From then on I was "the girl who always smiles and dances". Then came the last big climb to Moclin. When I saw the finish line, I was so relieved and wanted to run through. But something was wrong. I was at the finish line, but on the wrong side. There was another loop and another climb to do. I had to go through from the other side. I went back again. Up the hill and another 1.5km to the finish line. At that moment I just switched off all my thoughts and ran. Standing in front of the finish line after more than 52km and turning around to run some more was challenging. But I kept going and finally crossed the finish line with a big smile on my face. I also won a prize that day for finishing 3rd: A chocolate bar with peanuts. Due to my food allergies to seeds and nuts, Mike got my prize :-).
In the evening we always ate in the hostel with the other runners. It was Christmas Eve after all. It was a bit unusual because the focus was on running. Instead of wine and champagne we had isotonic drinks, lots of water and tea. There was a fireplace in the cortijo, so Mike and I spent the rest of the evening in front of it. He also had a real cold by now and I was in the middle of a stage run, just before the 3rd stage. Our cortijo was not heated until 5pm, so we were perfectly happy with our open fire. We also had electric blankets in our beds. A relief for my muscles after those long, wet hours!
Stage 3
And then the 3rd stage started, which was the shortest with 29km and 928m+. The route was mainly on paths through olive groves and partly parallel to the motorway. And, above all, through a lot of mud, which made progress difficult. And the weather? Rain and more rain. Later it became very windy. When I was running with another runner towards the castle in Moclin, there was so much wind and fog that I couldn't see him, even though he was right in front of me. But we could hear each other. We talked about pizza, lots of pizza. We wished for a magic lamp so we could have pizza right then and there. And with pizza on our minds, we took on the last few metres of climbing before crossing the finish line.
By the time I finished this third stage, I was really down. The constant wetness had taken its toll. My skin started to itch a lot and the skin on my back was sore. And I was tired to the bone from all the wetness. When we arrived at the Cortijo I discussed the progress of the race with Mike. Meanwhile, the weather was unpleasant and there were reports of heavy thunderstorms. This was on the longest stage, over 60km and over 2000m through the Sierra Parapanda. I was confused and uncertain. In the evening we went back to the hostel for dinner and I told the other runners that I would probably not start the next day. Then we got the message that the route had to be shortened to 40km for security reasons. The Sierra Parapanda was not runnable in these weather conditions. Still, I was not sure if I wanted to run 40km in this weather. At that moment I was more tempted to give up the race. Even though I got another prize on this stage. This time it was a packet of seeds, a local snack, which I had to give back to Mike because of my allergy again :-).
Later I packed my running gear anyway, in case I changed my mind. In the evening I received a message from Mike's brother. He encouraged me to keep running as I had already made it this far and had the mental strength to do it. He was right. I decided to stop thinking and go to sleep. And the next morning I would get up and see how hard the storm was raging.
And then it became morning. I got up and went to the window. It was still raining and storming. I went to the bathroom and put on my running clothes, ate and drank something, went out the door and drove to the start line.
Stage 4
As I passed the first checkpoint, I remembered something Mike had said the day before. Because of the weather conditions and the skin on my back, he said he couldn't understand why anyone would do such a race. It wouldn't be any fun. But it wasn't about fun, I didn't run just for fun. It went much further than that, deeper and existential. I gave myself completely to my philosophical thoughts and suddenly fell into a state of deep calm and peace. It was all about 'being' in the moment. I was just moving forward.
Then the track passed a small petrol station and continued uphill. I came to a small village which I liked very much because there was a beautiful view to the right. Later I looked up on a map where this place was and what the name was. But all I could find was the name of the street: Calle las Trompetas. I was also listening to music at the time, and my app played a song I'd never heard before. Somehow it fitted the whole picture and so I listened to it on repeat (for a total of 4 hours). It was "What's on your mind?" by Madrugada.
Then I came to the next checkpoint and as I walked on, a man and his son walked on the track with me to take down the markers. It irritated me at first because there was always someone behind me and I was obviously the last one. Somehow it gave me the impression of being a "broom wagon". But they were very nice and accommodating. After a while I managed to put that thought out of my mind and just concentrate on the course. It was getting pretty steep. The route went through olive groves with fantastic views. "What's on your mind? When you're lost in time" was still ringing in my ears and I tried to answer the question. There was nothing left in my mind. I was moving. Through time. Through the unbelievably beautiful landscape. Silence reigned inside me. I tried to think of certain things, but I couldn't. Too unimportant and in this moment simply superfluous. At the next checkpoint, the two men said goodbye, and then a woman and two young girls came along. They were also very friendly and even took photos of me with the great view. And then it was almost over, I was at the last checkpoint and there was only one last but very steep climb of about 6km to the finish line. I really enjoyed that last part. I kept looking back at the beautiful Sierra. And then I crossed the finish line for the fourth time. Totally relaxed and just happy.
Stage 5
And here we go for the last 40km with 1500m+. Now it was clear to me that I would finish the Ibex Multi-Day. Of course you never know, but such thoughts were not in my head at all. Unfortunately there were very few runners left in the race. Stage 5 was also characterised by some steep climbs, but they were absolutely worth it. Small idyllic villages, mountains, olive groves, nature parks... there was a bit of everything. And the weather was getting better. I got lost a couple of times and wandered around the olive groves trying to find the markings. And in the end, of course, I had a few more kilometres to go. Since the routes crossed and overlapped at some points, it is quite possible that I ran an extra lap from another stage without knowing it. Some runners had the same experience as me. But we still passed all the checkpoints, just with a few more kilometres. So typical of me :-). And then... I headed for the finish line. And I finished the ultra distance as 2nd lady (of 2) and 8th overall (of 8).
In the evening there was a final dinner and awards ceremony. I couldn't believe it! A totally slow turtle in second place. Not because I am a fast runner, but I had persevered and managed to finish. Even though it took me much longer than the other 7 runners. I overcame my doubts, fears and all my thoughts in general. I was just in the present, in that place that just filled me up and brought me to a state of silence and peace. And I just did what I love to do: running an ultra.
I am very happy that I was able to take part in this race, even though the conditions were not always easy. But I don't think they were easy for anyone. Not for the organisers, Sarah and Steve, who had to overcome all these hurdles in their first edition, not for the volunteers who waited patiently for hours in the rain to welcome us with a smile, motivate us and give us everything we needed. Thank you all so much! Unfortunately there will be no 2nd edition of the Ibex Multi-Day in 2022, but Sarah and Steve (Ultra Trail Spain - Running Holidays) will continue to offer running holidays in Moclin, including again at Christmas.
The next day, as we left Moclin and walked to the car, I looked again at the Sierra in front of me. And in that moment it was so clear to me: I don't need much more in my life to be happy. I want to spend as much time as possible here. I have found my place. A place that inspires me, that fulfils me, that excites me, that amazes me, that gives me peace and quiet, that gives me the feeling of having arrived.
A few days after our return, I made two decisions: First, I will take my first real break from running after almost 9 years, because I am really tired. Second, I was going to buy a house in Andalusia. I managed to do both :-).