Crocione in Italian means large cross, and that is what adorns the top of Monte Crocione, a 1641 metre peak directly above the town of Griante. From here you will experience breathtaking views of Lake Como, and the Swiss and Italian Alps.
Here I describe two options for hiking to Crocione: the most direct and difficult route beginning at the foot of the mountain in Griante, and a gentler more comfortable route beginning a lot further south in the mountains above Argegno. But first, a little bit about the mountain.
Turned out to be quite a climb. Started out at 7am and the first km was through the quiet roads nnd footpaths along the houses sitting behind the hotel .It was still cool and comfortable .I ran where I could but it was mainly hiking the steep cobblestone paths.At about 1.5km it becme the footpath with stones
I did't follow the conventional route from Grante but it was still about 9km mainly steep footpaths though the paths and most of the sights in the video .
Got bitten lots by a flying insect .not sure what it was but that was a pain. It was pretty humid and luckily there was a spring with a trough of water so got atleast some water.On the way down I did run out of water and had 4 kms without any till I got to the spring which was about 3 km from the bottom.
The climb took me 2hrs 49 mins and the last bit was hard as I literary climbed on hands and knees to the top .There were a few hikers from Greece there they had parked their car and hiked in for an hour and were surprised I actually climbed to the top.
The run down was better but still slow going with the stone footpath. Had an encounter with some goats above the Tuneel .One came and licked me and there were a few with some horns so I tried to carefully pass them . The legs were feeling the hike of 1400m and I was glad to finish in 4.40 hrs
Pictures were blurred by the condensation on the lens of the phone camera
Todays ride was a loop around the peninsula on Lake Como. We again took a ferry from our side of the lake to Bellagio and then rode clockwise heading to Erba with some solid climbs first out of Bellagio and then to Erba before heading into a very busy Como with lots of traffic .After getting out of Como we tried looking for a café before we found a small café in a small village before Nesso .Fortunately after Nesso it was a pretty easy and fast ride back to Bellagio with a gentle downhill all the way.A good 75kms with 900m of elevation.
In the afternoon it was a hot 10km slow run along the coast and the Como del lago Greenway which is I believe an old Roman route along the coast and off and above the main road along the coast for most of the way .it was pleasant to run along the cobble stones and old houses even though there was still a bit of climbing.
Sunday 25 August 2019 , it was appropriate we rode to Church . A special Church dedicated to cyclist called the Church of the Madonna Del Ghisallo , a church dedicated to cycling heroes.
We started with a short ride fromt the hotel to the ferry point and then a short ferry ride to Bellagio before a climb out of the town for about 12kms to the church at the top .A climb of about 650m but the climb started straight out of Bellagio ,a climb without a chance to warm up.I found it hard and coughed up a lung before I settled into a reasonable cadence .After about 13kms there was a flat section before a short kick at the end. There was a cycling racethat morning , I assume a local race , and so there was a crowd at the top .We had pictures and a look at the church and then went and had a look at the Museum with an interesting collection of bikes and the history of Italian cycling especially the Giro D'Italia.
A very enjoyable day. we then rode down to make a loop back to Bellagio for lunch and the ferry back to Tremizzo.
It has been a few months after the UTA DNF but no rest for the wicked with run training and some cycling along the way. I have finished a 50km Truth & Consequences Perth Trail Series tun in Jarradale about 3 weeks ago and then to keep the fitness improvement here in Italy it is cycling with some runs and hikes.
The trip started on 21 August with a flight to Milan arriving on 22 August. The day is spent travelling and then getting our hire van to the lakes in Como , about an hour from Milan .
it was a long day with little sleep. Arrived in our Hotel Villa Marie at about 6.30 pm and once settled it was dinner and then bed.
The next day we put our bikes together. There are 4 of us from CRT cycling in Perth on a 16 day tour starting at Tremezzo which is across the lake from Bellagio . Found that the disc on my rear brake disc and tire were damaged. A quick stop to the local bike shop Bici Sport 2000 to have it fixed so no riding on the first day.
Instead I did a 10km run to Church called San Martino It was a mere 4.5 km from the hotel but had 450meters of elevation .I managed to get to the top and back in 1.45hr .Humid and wet day out but satisfied with the work out. In the evening , I got a call from the Mechanic Lorenzo that the bike was fixwed and ran with Ian to the shop unfortunately I suggested Ian turn around at 5km when we could not locate the bike shop and I went on for 9km before realising I was lost and as I had no mobile managed to get back with a lift from a kind Italian (paid him 20 euro for helping) I picked up the bike the next day but on the first day on the trip managed over 18km of running.
When I got back I got a message from Lorenzo at the bike shop that the bike was fixed and so Ian and I went to the shop a short run .Unfortunately I got lost and ended up doing 9kms before getting a ride back Ian turned back at 5km but got a longer run than he planned.
First day on tour with an 18km run and fair bit of climbing.
Today was the first ride .In the group CRT riders Ian, Mike and Huw and myself .
We had flown toMilan arriving on 23 August 2019 and driven to Como arriving at Tremezzo on the western shore of lake Como for 7 nights of the cycling tour. My bike did not unfortunately make the trip unscathed .A damaged disc brake and tire meant a trip to the local bike mechanic for some repairs. fortunately there was a replacement and the bike was good as new but the first day at Hotel Villa Marie meant no cycling .
In the afternoon when I got back from my run/hike had a message the bike was ready . Ian and I decided to run to the shop to get the bike .Unfortunately we passed the shop which was just 2.5 km down the road . Ian ran 5km before I suggested he turn back and I went 9km along the busy coast road with little by way of footpaths . Eventually managed to get someone running a small bar at the town of Argegno to drive me back to the hotel . Actually did 18kms of running on our first day !
We had spoken to the bike mechanic who suggested riding to San Fedele( Basilica di_San_Fedele-Como ) IT STARTED WITHA 9 KM RIDE DOWN THE COAST TOWARDS Como before a hour climb to the town and then a ride down via some side roads back to the hotel . Just over 3 hours and 900m of climbing. But it was nice and warm and really great scenery to be riding around .
Nice to get the first ride done and was hard despite not so steep climbs.
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All UTA runners on the back of a T-shirt ... An Ironman merchandise trait
Finish Line
The sub heading to this a report on a DNF race should read what can go wrong and does often despite the best planning .
Unfortunately despite the best preparation and a 5 month build with more elevation then I have ever done ,I DNFed the UTA 100.
I still do not have a definitive reason other than by checkpoint 3 I was having cramps and spasms in the left leg and despite more salt it was not stopping the spasms.In addition I felt the legs were much more fatigued than I had experienced at that stage of the race. I was not in the frame of mind to really determine what had gone wrong .I just knew I wasn't going to struggle through the rest of the race just to finish.
The week leading up to the race had been good. The only downside was I slept little the night before and the fatigue may have not helped. Other than that I arrived on Thursday and kept my walking to the minimum .Did a short 2.5km run and then nothing for the rest of the week till Saturday Morning.
The start came soon enough and it was a great day .Cool weather at about 7-8C and I was in start group 5 which started of at 7.21am. ( an hour behind the elite group 1) I felt good and got into a steady pace early till we got to the bottom of the valley running along landslide and then up the golden steps.Got to check point 1 in 1.41 fastest yet by a minute and then refilled the bladder but I hadn't really drunk much at that point as it was still cool and I was not going too hard. The next stage to checkpoint 2 Dunphy's camp was a 20 km run and that is where I suspect I started to have issues. My 2 bottles of fluid with nutrition (tailwind) concentrated meant that did not add to my fluids/hydration , leaving me with a bladder with about 1.2 l for the next 3 hours of running . I suspect that led to a deficiency in fluids and the muscle tiring and then at Dunphy's in the rush to get out I filled the bladder but failed to drink more.By the time I got to Ironpot I was tiring rapidly and struggling . Going down from Ironpot I had slowed and then walked out of the climb 5kms from Check point 3 which was the start of the six inch run. By the time I got there I was just done and mentally disappointed that the muscles were so fatigued. Sadly I decided to pull the pin as the intention was to finish but with a faster time than the previous 2 runs .Sadly not to be.Mentally I had not prepared for this contingency and worse not worked out my fluid intake .The elites would probably have got by with 3-400ml per hour. I had a sweat test last year and in hot conditions I would need at least 1 litre an hour or more. In the warm conditions in the valley I suspect I was only taking half of what I needed especially as I ran out of water 4 km from checkpoint 3 and only had my concentrated nutrition . A really big rookie mistake to make.
Despite the fail , I enjoyed the tough training especially the 2 trips to Bluff Knoll and the increased fitness leading up to the UTA.Not sure if I will be back next year . I plan to run a few local races but on returning to Perth I got a bad dose of Flu and have been ill for 2 weeks with no training. The body was probably run down and the flight back did not help.
If I needed a reason to run ultras it is in the piece down in the Guardian
The hard work is done .The detail is now in the preparation.
The main areas are as always
Equipment and apparel /Logistics
Nutrition
Mental preparation
Equipment and Apparel /Logistics
Lucy Bartholomew packing the mandatory gear.
In preparing for the UTA 100 ,I ted to write down everything starting with my checklist of equipments and clothing for the race. ( the list below is from my first Northface 100 in 2015)
Mobile Phone: Whatever is in your pocket with Telstra (nothing else works)
Compass:
Whistle: Part of pack, of just go into any outdoor shop and bag yourself one
Emergency Space Blanket: Part of Salomon Slab 12l
Compression Bandage
FireLighter block Supplied by the organisers as you never know when you might want to
get that steak you’ve been saving in your backpack on the go for dinner
2L water bladder: HydrapakI have a 1.5l and 2 small 500 ml flask The one in the Salomon backpack is only 1.5l. I use Hydrapaks, but
again, much down to personal choice. Most generally do what they say
they’re going to do, which is hold water and not leak.At the aid stations I will have my 500ml bottles with Tailwind.
Waterproof Map Case
OPTIONAL GEAR (Likely that you’ll need to stash this at CP4 and use it later on)Long Leg waterproof pants (unless it is mandatory at the start) 100 weight Long Sleeve fleece top :Take to race
Other Items for the race or traveling to Race destination including :
Travel documents / certificate for gear check /tickets/photo ID etc
Ultimately , I have prepared as best I can and I had fun doing it .The often rolled out line it isn't all about the destination it is about the journey .This one has been great .
The
destination is always the goal but you miss the point if you don't
stick your head out of the window to enjoy the trip . (so says my dog )
Mental Preparation
To achieve the high most athletes yearn or strive for , there must be a
little pain . It may not be necessarily true in all instances but we
are familiar with the common throw away lines
EAT THE PAIN
THE PAIN IS TEMPORARY , THE MEMORY FOREVER
Well everything is relative. several years ago on the morning radio in
the car , the host interviewed a Perth runner who is running the
Transcendental 3100mile race in New York. What The ^&*% is this .
Well there is a race probably reflective of the RAAM for cyclist.and the
Deca-Ironman in Mexico Only 10-15 runners running round a 900m block
in Brooklyn for 18 hrs a day for the next 50 plus days . His name is
Grahak Cunningham.
A short bio on him on the Transcendental website:
Grahak Cunningham, 32, Perth, Australia
Last year Grahak, in his second attempt, finished 3100 miles in
46 days, 11 hours, setting a new Australian record. He moved all the way
up to fifth in the 3100 rankings from 14th place. In 2007 with little
multi day experience he completed the 3100 mile race in his first
attempt in 50 days, three hours.
It is these ultra races which have little monetary reward but are huge
mental and physical journeys of self discovery. There is a spiritual
purpose as all endurance events allow that search within to achieve
. Why , and the answer is basic and so true as stated at the award
ceremony last year:
You can call the race a test of strength, will-power, fortitude and a
display of rare talent for running nearly 17 to 18 hours a day. The
athletes we are honoring tonight have gone deep within themselves to
acquire a resolve and determination rarely seen or even needed to
overcome any obstacle. The obstacle in this case is formidable- a
relentless pile of laps, hundreds of them every day, every week, until
the total reaches 5649- the multi day runners’ version of the top- the
summit, if you will, of the linear Everest. In addition, along the way
their is the ever-changing or ‘always there’ presence of fatigue,
boredom, doubt or a feeling of lonesomeness that few of us have ever
experienced.
Why Run 3100 miles
There are many reasons to race all no different to all human endeavour
of endurance. It is a challenge of discovery and as Sri Chimmoy states :
Today's Goal is Tomorrow's Starting point
I will try to have a mantra for the moments when the mind and body is at its lowest and to keep a focus on being ready for these moments .It is at the weakest dark times when the mind will stray . Afew more mental tips from Inov-8 Robbie Britton: 5-mental-tips-for-running-an-ultra-robbie-britton/
Here are my five top tips for dealing with the mental aspects and getting to that hallowed finish line.
1. Expect the lows
The ultimate high of finishing will always be there so know that
however rubbish you feel, it’ll pass. Get some food and water, keep
moving and every little thing’s going to be alright. 2. Visualise
Visualise crossing that finish line. In the weeks before a main goal
think about how it will feel to cross that finish line, imagine
finishing strong in the last 10 miles and being greeted by your family,
in awe of your greatness, as you collapse under the weight of your
massive medal. 3. Break it down
If I lined up at the start of a 24hr race and thought about the fact
that I had to run in circles for the whole day then I’d probably just
lay down and cry. Think about the next hour, to the next checkpoint, to
the next tree and deal with that bit before thinking about the next
section. 4. Enjoy yourself
Remember that race day is the fun part and it’s why you’ve done all
the hard work, the early mornings and the hill sprints. If you’re not
having fun then chat to and help someone who looks more miserable and
this will always cheer you up. 5. Know you are going to finish
Never start a race unless you 100% believe you are going to complete.
No matter what happens, how long it takes you or what challenges
present themselves. That self belief will stop you making excuses and
you can get on with being an absolute hero.
