Writtent by Peter Dennett - http://www.100marathonclub.org.uk

A Brief Résumé

This would be my fourth proper ultra, proper as the fourth where the finisher's prize is a buckle; none of that medal nonsense. My previous ‘proper' ultras were 100 milers organised by Centurion running; namely the TP100, SDW100 and NDW100; all this year. Of those, the first two I had managed to finish and consequently I am now a proud owner of buckles for those events. The NDW100 however I was timed out at around 90 miles resulting in my first and so far only DNF in a foot race, and with nothing to show for my efforts; such I guess is the harsh world of ultra running. This event would also be my first ultra outside the UK and if I managed to finish it would mean I would have ran a long distance event (i.e. marathon and/or ultras) in every Austrian state; something to add to the fact that I have already ran a marathon in each of Germany's 16 states.

The Nutrition Challenge

One thing I learnt from the previous three ultras was that nutrition was essential to ensuring I could go the distance. Unfortunately something I knew from my marathon running was that running and eating don't work for me; stomach cramp, feeling sick and the rest. I've had it all.

For marathons however I could overcome this problem by ensuring I had carbo-loaded sufficiently before the event and then just drank water and/or electrolytes drinks during the race without needing to eat until after the race. For ultras that wouldn't work as at some point you need to eat to replenish spent energy that fluid alone can't do.

For TP100 and SDW100 I basically forced fed myself and prayed I could keep the contents in my stomach. However, at the Race to the Stones 100km, where you get a medal and not a buckle at the finish so technically not a proper ultra then, I had some real issues and even force-feeding wasn't a great idea. At NDW100 I generally avoided food and end up paying the price for essentially doing the latter stages on empty. The fact that it was a blistering hot day didn't help. So for this race I needed another answer.

A potential answer came in the form of various discussions on nutrition on social media with a certain drink mixture claiming to be the only thing you need. Rather desperate I guess in trying to solve my nutrition issue I order some and it arrived in time for this event. Now, I really should have tried the stuff before but I didn't have time and anyway, looking at my record on ‘successful' nutrition, quite frankly, things could hardly get worse.

The Short Connection

Vienna airport boasts the world's shortest transfer time between flights. Apparently you can get off one plane and be at the next in 30 minutes, even for those of us arriving from a non-Schengen part of the world, which of course means getting through passport control.

So on a very early Friday morning, Austrian Airlines gave me the opportunity to test that boast out. A 6am flight from Heathrow to Vienna followed by a connecting flight to Klagenfurt 35 minutes later before continuing my journey on land to Pörtschach.

As seems to be the case with flights from Heathrow we didn't leave on time, however the captain and co-pilot made a good job of making up for the lost time to get us to Vienna pretty much on time and after passing through passport control I arrived at the connecting flight's gate with 15 minutes spare. Yes, I had done it in 20 minutes and typically not a representative from Guinness World Records around to witness my surely world setting feat.

At Klagenfurt it was then a choice of either catching a bus to downtown Klagenfurt to pursue a train or do a short walk to the train station near the airport and then catch a train directly to Pörtschach. I went for the latter.

Sightseeing and Race Registration

After arriving in Pörtschach and checking into my hotel I then spent the rest of the day strolling around. It was a warm and fairly sunny day bringing out a lot of the sunbathing fraternity. I guess being a land-locked country with no seashores; this was the next best thing for the locals.

Friday morning started off quite leisurely and I originally planned to make the rest of the day the same to ensure I was fit and ready for the race in the evening. However, my hotel had free bikes for use by their residents and I couldn't resist taking one for a 23km ride to the western edge of the lake to a town called Velden for some subsequent sightseeing on foot.

1 -The town of Velden

After spending a couple of hours there I then returned to Pörtschach to sort out race registration. This was inside the tourist office in one of the town's squares, which incidentally would later provide the start and finish areas for the race. Although there was a mandatory kit list, no kit was checked at registration. In additional to receiving my race bib, a few goodies from sponsors and a race programme (in German) I also got a free pasta meal voucher that could be used at some of the restaurants in town.

Keen to do very little for the rest of the day and basically just doze I decided to get the meal now rather than later and it so happens one of the restaurants where the voucher was good for was between race registration and my hotel so I went there and received a nice Spaghetti Bolognaise, although I had to pay for an accompanying drink.

Race Brief and Preparation

With that done I head back to the hotel, where I stayed until 6pm when I headed back to race registration for the mandatory race brief. This was in a hall and I soon discovered was in German only, so a real test of my somewhat modest German language skills. Thankfully I got the general gist of what was briefed even if I didn't understand it all. The most relevant was how the course was marked. It would seen dark pink was an important colour as all the official route signage was dark pink, so too was the tape that would be tied to trees en route and painted dots and arrows on roads and paths. Some of the signs would also have reflective white markers so that they could be seen at night.

After further resting back at the hotel it was nightfall when I prepared my gear for the race. I had two sets, one that I was going to use for the night race and the other for the day race.

Unlike other ultra races I've been in this race was actually in two parts; first a night one comprising of a full lap around the lake and equating to about 60km, then a day race on the same course that would start at 8am Saturday morning, so that meant a cut off time of 10 hours for the night race to ensure you were at the start for the day race, but also meant if you finished the night race in under 10 hours then you had spare time to rest, change stuff etc before starting the day race.

The day race was also a race in its own right, called the Trail Maniak Wörthersee ‘Classic' and there were people who had signed up to only do that, but it was by only doing both the night and day races would finishers get a buckle rather than a mere medal! The buckle actually has only been introduced this year and the concept of a 120km race only started last year, with the ‘Classic' race having been around for a number of years.

The Start

I arrived at the start line with about 10 minutes spare. A small contingency of runners gather in front of the start line. I knew this part of the race wasn't going to have a huge number of participants as I had checked the event website earlier and that only listed about 40 entrants. It would seem most people were saving themselves for the day race.

2 - The start line earlier in the day

The race director, a guy with a beard did a little speech. As that was in German I can only guess it was the usual race director stuff of thanking us for turning up and thanking his team for helping out etc. During this speech I had one eye on the countdown clock that was next to the start line with the other eye on my GPS watch waiting for it to latch onto a satellite signal. Once my watch had found a signal I then turned on my head torch just as the final countdown to the start began. Thankfully I do know my small numbers in German!

Then we were off, initially on some asphalt paths passing some residential blocks before continuing on the main road through and out of Pörtschach; fairly flat thus far so good news there. But then we left the main road to go up a hill, then we left this road to enter a narrow dirt track that included some steps; that's not so good, not even NDW100 presented its runners with steps that early. Oh dear I thought, this is going to be a long night.

To Velden

After the initial flight of steps, things did settle down to a more standard affair of dirt tracks, but as we were now in some woodlands, so the odd tree root was present, ready to trip anyone not paying attention. However the biggest concern was determining where to go. At a few places there seemed to be more than one trail to follow and there didn't seem to be a great deal of signage around and it required many an eagle eye to spot the pink dots on the ground. A few times I and some of my fellow runners took a wrong turn and so consequently I gradually adopted a cautious approach of following other runners rather than blindingly leading them.

Occasionally, we would leave the woodland to continue on a road, but signage wasn't so obviously there either. In fact the one thing that was obvious was that we were generally ascending. To be fair, this was no big surprise as I had checked the course profile earlier and there were a few places where some hilly work featured quite prominently of which the first was in the first 5km. Plan therefore was to get through this first horrible 5km and then try and enjoy some of the gentler sections of the route including a downhill section that would take us to the town of Velden.

Getting there though did require some more steps to ascend thus giving me more than a gentle reminder of NDW100 and yes, more guess work as to where to go. There were also some rocks to climb over. Yeah, NDW100 never had any of those! Ok, the rock weren't big enough to warrant rocking climbing equipment but I doubt if anyone in the race managed to run up or around them and I certainly needed to use my hands to scramble pass them.

But eventually a small group of us found ourselves on a road heading down to the streetlight lit town of Velden. Perhaps now I thought things would settle down.

Having visited Velden in the morning I had a vague idea of where to go and it wasn't long before I was leading the small group towards the lake and the first aid station on the route. However, we had further directional assistance when the race director turns up in a car and confirms where we had to go.

The First Aid Station

The aid station was in front of the town's most prominent sight, a grand looking hotel that overlooks the lake. The aid station was unmanned so it was a case of refilling your own drink bottles, none of those friendly faces you see at Centurion races; here you were on your own mate!

Other things I noticed was there were no crews and no pacers; so yes, you were very much on your own. In some respects I preferred this as it meant everybody was on an equal footing, whereas at the Centurion races as someone who never had crew or a pacer I felt a bit disadvantaged compared to those who did.

Anyway, I had three bottles that needed refilling; two in my running vest and one in a glove on my right hand. I had three as each carried 500ml and the mandatory kit required each runner to be able to carry 1500ml worth of liquid on them. There were also no cups to drink from; done on purpose in the interest of minimising waste, so many runners carried their own cups. As part of refilling my bottles I added some of the special drink mixture that I had brought along. It seemed to mix quickly in the water so initially it looked like good new as I have had drink mixtures in the past that take ages to mix properly.

Out of Velden

After leaving the aid station the route took us alongside the lake, initially flat but gradually with an increasing gradient as we slowly drifted away from the lake. There was one point where a few of us had to double-check that we were going in the right direction but other than that the route that was on good pavement that clearly marked by regular pink dots and the occasion arrow.

After leaving the town limits of Velden we cross a road to continue on an off-road track similar to that last seen before entering Velden. By now the small group of us that had entered Velden had split up with a couple of guys falling behind me and the rest having forged ahead and disappeared into the distance.

I was initially a bit worried about getting lost as I was now on my own, but the trail slowly became more defined, looking more SDW100 (but without the chalk) than NDW100. At times, the track widened; enough to probably allow a vehicle through. For now the track was undulating but I knew that at some point the long climb to the top would start; the top being the highest point of the course. Every now and again I would start an ascent thinking this was the one to the top but no, a little bit of downhill then followed. To be honest it was wishful thinking on my part to try and make the kilometres clocked up quicker before Garmin said they had.

To the Top

Eventually though the downhill sections gradually become less frequently suggesting that I was finally on the final ascent. Occasionally I would look up to see if I could see through the trees the Pyramidenkogel; the tallest wooden observation tower in the world that overlooks the lake. Though it was night-time I expected the tower would have the odd red light flashing on to it warn off planes, but nope.

 

3 - A view of the lake; the hill in the background marks the highest point of the course

The climb was now fairly consistent and any attempts to run up it had made way for walking it instead. Looking to my left I could occasionally see through the trees the streetlights of towns and villages on the other side of the lake on what was down some considerable distance below me. Surely I can't be far now?

The track continued up, but was now snaking its way up what was clearly a hill. There was even the occasional hairpin bend to get round, and then running down towards me a runner. The last section up to the top was also the same section that you had to descend down after visiting the aid station. I felt a bit more positive now and with a renew sense of purpose pushed on. A few more runners ran past me and then looking up I spot some red lights. Was I getting close to the Pyramidenkogel now?

The track then flattens out and I thought yes, one more corner and I'll be there. But around the corner was a bit more up section. But then the path joined a road; that was up as well but now I could clearly see the Pyramidenkogel literally towering above me. To get to it though, I had to get up the road and then up a very steep pavement. At the top I initially wasn't too sure where to go but then I spot a large container vehicle with some runners around it. Yes, I had reached the next aid station. I walked over, which included going over some gravel to be greeted by the race director who also noted down my number.

Downhill from Here

This aid station was manned and also included a wide selection of food stuffs as well as water, cola and electrolytes drink. I started to drink some cola, but it didn't go down too easy due to its gassiness. The drink bottle attached to my glove I refilled with the electrolytes drink on offer, whereas the other bottles I refilled with water along with my drink mixture.

Then in my finest German I thanked the guys present and headed back down the hill. Having walked for some time the legs weren't initially too keen to go running again but after a couple of false starts they eventually came round to my way of thinking and I flowing down the hill quite nicely. On the way down I passed some runners who like me earlier were walking up, however I was hoping someone behind me would catch up as I knew as some point I had to get off this track and continue on the course to the east, but I wasn't exactly sure where; the last thing I wanted to do was head back out to Velden! Then I spot a sign but it wasn't quite clear which path to take, thankfully someone had just about caught up with me and on passing me points to a track on our right.

From here it was then all downhill; quite literally, and the bonus was it went for some time as I was able to put a decent pace thus improving my average pace that suffered from the earlier climbs.

Eventually though the track came to a road and although downhill continued I sensed it wasn't going to last for much longer. I was now entering a small town that in passing though took me back to the lake. A short lived view of the lake as after passing through the town the route took me away from the lake and that also meant some hill climbing, but at least it was on a road and at the end of it the next aid station.

Mud and Streams

Like the first aid station this was unmanned, so it was a case of very much refilling your own bottles. I continued to refill my vest bottles with water and my drink mixture whilst reserving the bottle in my glove for the electrolytes drink on offer.

From the aid station it was then off-road. A bit undulation in places but the real problems was it was quite overgrown, with even the odd falling tree branch suggesting perhaps I made a wrong turn somewhere. I couldn't see where I could have made a wrong turn so carried on hoping the terrain would be a bit more hospitable.

My hope of easier terrain though was in vain as underfoot it got rather muddy. I was glad I was in grippy trail shoes as I think in road shoes my backside would have frequently kissed the ground otherwise. Initially I couldn't work out why so much mud but then realised the trail as it was, was alongside a stream. The fact that I was alongside a stream though meant I was now going downhill, so I opted to follow it to its conclusion and see where that was.

The fact I could see the occasional lit head torch ahead suggested I wasn't alone here; however I had the addition problem of my head torch occasionally flashing, indicating that the batteries were getting low. So I was keen to get out of this area before the batteries gave up altogether. As I continued to follow the stream the light from my head light gradually began to dim.

Change of Batteries and Klagenfurt Promenade

Thankfully I reach the conclusion, which was actually the outskirts of what looked like a sizable town. I would find out later this town was the outskirts of Klagenfurt. On passing a house the house's security light comes on. That gave me an idea. I'll use the house's lit driveway to replace the batteries on my head torch. So after fishing out my new spare batteries and replacing the old ones I was back on my way. Job done!

What was the way to go though wasn't that clear. After descending down a road I hit a crossroads; so do I turn left or right? Again no obvious signage but a couple of runners behind me suggested turning right so I followed them. However, their pace suggested they weren't entirely sure and one of them then stops to get a map out. It's at this point that yours truly spots a route sign and with that we then followed the road it was pointing to.

A nice flat section followed taking us to the next aid station that was on a promenade near the lake. Again, the aid station wasn't manned, but I was getting used to this now. After refilling my bottles I continued until a roundabout where some pink arrows on the road suggested a right turn. I was initially hesitant, allowing the other guys who had stayed at the aid station longer than me to catch up before we all took the right turn and continued on a grassy path alongside a road.

After leaving the outskirts of the town the now all too familiar edge-of-town hill climb resumed. Whilst generally undulating, the uphill sections were more prominent than the downhill sections, so clearly we were gaining height. The terrain was also similar to that in the first 10km, including some rocks to climb, but thankfully the route was a bit more obvious so at least not so much of a navigation challenge.

Doing the Sums for the Finish

I was also getting a bit excited in that the finish accordingly to my Garmin was about 5km away. Plus I was conscious of the time. My original plan of having a good hour spare before the next race was now a bit optimistic; looking more around 30 to 40 minutes now at best.

However, when I reached the next and final aid station on the course, a sign there suggested I had an additional 2.5km to what Garmin was telling me. Oh dear, it was now looking I might now be able to make it back in time for the day race. The haunting DNF feeling of NDW100 now hanged over me like a heavy sheepskin coat.

But hang on. Let's revisit the length of the course. The original length was advertised at 57km, but was later changed to 62km, before in the recent weeks changed again to 60km. So was this sign a reflection of the 62km or 60km? Naturally, I had to assume the worse especially since my Garmin has been known to be a bit optimistic at times so could have clocked up more distance than what I had actually covered.

Anyway it should be either flat or downhill from here, so an opportunity to up the pace and try and reel back in some time. Well not quite, a few more hills kept cropping up just when I thought the worse was over, but then I could see the town of Pörtschach ahead, and more importantly below me, suggesting it was finally downhill from here. This time I was right and I made sure I made good use of the downhill that followed, even if the legs now preferred a more leisurely pace. It was now daylight and although I had switched my head torch off I left it on my head. It wasn't doing any harm there and I didn't want to slow down and waste time trying to pack it away.

To and at the Finish

As I entered Pörtschach I then had to go under the railway via a subway. This involved steps, though thankfully not that many but did include up as well as down. After that I had to cross the main road and head down to the lake to then take a right turn and carry on a path alongside the lake before another right turn and a slight incline towards the finish.

As I crossed the line I could see loads of runners getting ready to line up for the day race. I had finish within time, but only by about 20 minutes spare. With my hotel a minute or so walk away I made the snap decision to head to it to get my day gear. At the hotel I pop in to the breakfast room to grab some orange juice and get accosted by some people there who were doing one of the other races later in the day; apparently there was a short distance race called a marathon! Whilst I appreciated their admiration in what I was doing and that they were keen to discuss the race, I really couldn't hang about so as politely as one can I had to make my excuses and leave.

Back in my hotel room I quickly took off my shoes and socks and cleaned my feet. There were some early signs of blistering as the bottom of the feet that now resembled white prunes. I apply some fresh Vaseline to the worse looking areas and put on some fresh dry sock, before putting my shoes back on and a fresh top. Then after dumping some stuff from my vest such as the head torch and a lightweight hoody, I headed back to the start, to arrive there less than a minute to go. Yes, I was still in the game, but only just!

The Start... Again

The race started and it soon became apparent who was at the back; I and two other guys who like me had done the night race. It's at this point I realised that I could have done with bit of a rest as the legs didn't feel up to doing another 60 or so kilometres. Yes, this was going to be a long day. As we headed out of Pörtschach, the other two guys managed to gradually move ahead of me leaving me very much the one at the back. Yes I was struggling already, and a DNF was looking most likely but I had to remain positive and even if I finish last, finishing last is far better than not finishing at all.

I did manage to have a bit of a chuckle to myself once out of Pörtschach as the section of the route that leaves the road on to a track path was quite a bottleneck when I arrived with loads of runners still waiting to get through it, but couldn't due to its narrowness. That though was it seems the last time I would see most of the runners, as once thought the narrow section everybody seemed to race off whilst I and a couple of others took a more steadier pace, especially on those steps. I was still last but at least I was still in touch with the other backmarkers.

Back in Velden

Navigation though was much easier, not just because it was daylight but the fact that someone had been out putting up more signs. The fact that the trail had been well trodden very recently also helped. Of course the steps and hills weren't easier, far from it, but the legs generally accepted that no matter how much they moaned I wasn't going to let them have their way.

It's amazing what you miss at night and then see during the day. Unknown to me earlier but now quite obvious was that around 5km the route takes you around a small lake. Nope, I never knew that lake was there until now.

The next section though was very familiar, at least underfoot that is; a bit of rock climbing with some tree roots before ascending down a road towards Velden once again. Somehow I had managed to catch someone and together we head in to town. The other guy spoke some English and so I enquired about the cut-off time that I knew existed for the aid station at 25km. He thought it was 12:30pm, i.e. four-and-a-half hours into the race, and suggested that we needed to up our pace as currently we weren't going to make it there in time.

Velden was a bit busier now; I guess no real surprise really, with sightseers and walkers. What was nice nevertheless was that there were a few people going about their business, momentarily stopping to cheer us on.

Unlike night time I had a clear idea of where I had to go and made my way towards the first aid station. On my arrival there I find it to be manned by some friendly faces willing to help out and pour drinks. It couldn't have been a more stark contrast to the night before.

I kept my time there short and after filling my bottles moved on. The other guy took a bit longer but soon caught up with me as we continued around the lake. However, he then stopped, I wasn't sure why, it looked like he pulled up with some calf strain but mindful of what he said earlier about the cut-off at 25km I continued. Not for the first time in this race I was alone.

To the Top... Again

As before, I continued up the initially undulating track and then hilly track to the Pyramidenkogel. The legs though were giving me a really hard time and as such anything resembling a hill was walked. Though that meant I was moving I was eating into a lot of time, and by the time I arrived at the last hilly section that snakes it way up to Pyramidenkogel, I was looking at an arrival time there of around 12:30. Yes, it was going to be close so I needed to up the pace even if it meant just walking faster.

I had clearly improved my pace as I managed to catch up with a pair of runners, a guy and a girl; though I think the girl was a pacer as they had no race bib. They like me were walking. Now if the guy I had last seen in Velden had pulled out of the race, it meant these people I had just caught and was now passing were the new backmarkers!

As with the night race, quite a few runners were running down the hill pass me, though a few of them were day-only runners and so congratulated me on getting this far. You see, the colour of our races numbers indentified which race you were on; blue for the ‘superior' runners, yellow for the ‘classic' participants.

Whilst I appreciated their sentiment, I knew that I was getting close to the cut-off time suggested to me earlier. What made this particularly important was that it was the only cut-off time on the course other than the one for the finish. If I didn't reach the Pyramidenkogel in time, then I would have ascended a long hill for nothing and my race would be over.

As before, after completing the track section I then had to ascend a road and pavement up to the aid station. I arrive there with a mere 8 minutes spare!

Back Downhill

By the aid station there was a checkpoint where you needed to punch a hole in your race number. I had only seen one of these on the course until now and that was at night around 35km, and then only because another runner with me spotted it.

Apparently there were a few of these checkpoints on the course. I just hope they are a bit more obvious to spot during the day than they are a night.

After refilling my drink bottles and again thanking the helpers, I heading back down the hill. As I had not stayed long I had actually overtaken another runner who had arrived at the aid station before me but was still there when I left.

My descent down the hill wasn't quite as quick as it was during the night, but I was running, of sorts. On the way down I pass the runner and pacer I had passed earlier; they were still on their way up. The guy had that look on his face that sort of suggested that he about to call it a day. I don't know if he did manage to continue as I never saw him again.

Someone I did see again was the guy I passed at the aid station at the top. His legs were clearly better than mine as it allowed him to catch up with me. He spoke initially to me in German only for me to apology In German that my German wasn't great; a bit ironic that I guess. So he spoke to me in English, asking how I was doing and whether I was enjoying the race. Enjoying the race was something I wasn't too sure I could answer truthfully, so I sidestepped the question with one of my own and that was on cut-off times.

He replied saying the cut offs are really only for the day runners; being relaxed for those who had already done the night race. In fact to underline his point the cut-off for the Pyramidenkogel was midday not 12:30pm, and the finish line cut-off of 5pm, wouldn't apply to us ‘Superior' runners either. However he wasn't totally sure, but anyway, I thanked him for the information. I really must try and improve my German so that I can fully understand race briefs in this part of the world.

The guy then continued ahead of me making better use of the downhill section than me, where he eventually disappeared out of sight.

The New Backmarker

I was alone again and as far as I knew I was the backmarker again. However it was the 5pm cut-off time at the finish that was now weighing heavily on my mind. My pace had improved on the downhill from Pyramidenkogel, but that only went to partly offset the slower pace up to the tower. But then my thoughts are distracted when ahead I spot a couple of runners walking; a woman and a bloke.

As I approach them I spot the colour of their race numbers and realise that they were only doing the day race. Yes, no longer was I the backmarker but I had caught and was now passing some ‘Classic' race runners! Unfortunately, my euphoria was short lived for soon after passing these runners, they started running again and quickly passed. I was alone again and as far as I knew I was the backmarker again. Or was I?

I then heard the sound of poles clacking against the ground. Was a runner I had passed earlier now catching me up? I look behind and there was indeed something but they had no race number on them. As they got gradually closer I noticed though they were wearing a t-shirt with the event logo on it.

Oh dear (or words to the effect of), this could mean one thing; the dreaded race sweeper!

I didn't know whether there was a race sweeper or not, but I sure didn't want to hang about and find out; especially having meant one recently at NDW100 and now still living with the awful memory of that.

Maybe that's why the other two runners started running again? Maybe I should follow their example and up my own pace, even though I knew quite a few hills lay before me that I knew my legs would detest.

It's amazing what fear can do. In my case despite having quite dead legs I upped my pace and within a kilometre or so I could hear the clacking pole no more. Phew, I was mighty relieved but deep down knew it was only a temporarily respite unless I could do something about my pace.

The Return of the Haunting Poles

As I continued I then spot ahead the runner who had passed me after leaving the Pyramidenkogel. After a while I managed to catch up with him and ask if there was a sweeper. He initially didn't understand what I meant until I explained what a sweeper is. He replied by saying he wasn't aware of one. Still, like his earlier comments I wasn't convinced and decided that I didn't want to see that sweeper or whoever he was again.

As we continued the other guy then picked up his pace and slowly edged off ahead of me. He clearly was coping with the hills far better than me, and after a rather hilly section had disappeared out of view.

It's then I hear the faint, distant but haunting sound of poles clacking again. I glanced behind and in the distance I could see the ‘sweeper'. Clearly I had allowed my pace to drop and clearly like before I now needed to up it again. Like before fear helped out here and I soon managed to up the pace again to the point the clacking poles could no longer be heard.

I was now heading down to Klagenfurt. The crossroads there this time were clearly marked with abundance of pink dots and arrows. How could I've had missed so many signs at night? Or was it simply that these signs were recent additions?

Anyway, the aid station along Klagenfurt's promenade was manned just like the one at Velden. The aid station immediately after Pyramidenkogel hadn't. Everyone seemed quite relaxed here, both helpers and a few runners. It seemed only I was worried about times; the cut-off one and the fact that some guy who could be a sweeper or not, wasn't far behind. Perhaps I should have asked one of the helpers but I didn't, preferring to refill my bottles and quickly move on.

The Demons of the North Downs Way

I had caught a few runners at this point but I got the distinct feeling that no-one wanted to be the backmarker as in the next few kilometres there was some shuffling of paces, but eventually I ended with the short straw and was left behind, probably because I was walking more than most.

By now it was the time of day when the walking fraternity were out; people just out walking the trails and many seemingly unaware that a race was on. It's here I relax again, but that of course meant one thing, the return of that haunting sound of poles clacking.

I still had a good 10km or so to go with some significant hills in that. This was now looking bit of an end game. I initially upped my pace but only to match the pace of the ‘sweeper'. I then thought about how to tackle this. I knew the last few kilometres were downhill and flat, so if I could only stave off the ‘sweeper' until then I stand a chance. It wasn't looking good but I had to try something. If anything now my fear of the ‘sweeper was turning into angry and frustration. As with NDW100 I had come so far, but unlike NDW100, this time I was adamant I wasn't going to be denied a finish.

A Madman Possessed

I started running, not great at first but gradually things improved, it was as if the legs although completely dead by now had finally realised the urgency placed upon them. Even on the hills they gave their all as if this would be the last thing they would do.

My somewhat vastly improved pace meant the haunting sound of the poles was no more, but this time I was too fired up to slow down again. In fact as I approached the final aid station on the course I yelled out like some madman claiming that the sweeper wasn't far behind. I got some strange puzzled looks including the guy who passed me down from Pyramidenkogel, but the couple doing the day race that I had seen earlier were cheering me on. To be honest I didn't care what people thought I just didn't want to be timed out or DNF.

Eventually I reached the outskirts of Pörtschach and was able to calm down. Ahead I see a runner walking with poles. I hadn't seen him before, so either it underlined the pace I had during my long mad panic moment or he was a backmarker for one of the short distance races. As I entered Pörtschach I was back to a walk but was still able to eventually catch the other guy. Daylight was now fading and I was glad I was back in town as I didn't have my head torch with me; remember I had dumped that in my hotel.

Brothers in Arms

Shortly after passing the guy with the poles he then upped his paced to match mine. We entered the subway under the railway together and emerged the over end together and from that point it was clear that neither of us had the energy or inclination to try and outpace the other. I was also not over keen to get ahead of him as with his poles the sound reminded me too much of the ‘sweeper' and I didn't want to hear that sound so close behind me ever again.

As we headed towards the lake, almost in unison we both seemed to up our pace, thus continuing to match each other. This continued along the lakeside until the final right turn towards the finish. I half expected the other guy to then make a dash for it but initially he didn't. But when he did I somehow managed to find some energy to respond. It was a bit nip and tuck but I think I crossed the finish line just ahead.

 

4 - Route markings leading up to the finish

Most important though was I had finished in an overall time of 20:25:27. The fear of the ‘sweeper' if he was one and the spectre of a DNF had finally been put to bed. I had finished! In fact according to the race director, I was now a ‘TRIAL-MANIAK'!

The Stage

I was pretty much now spent and fell into a deckchair conveniently situated just beyond the finish line, only to be dragged to the stage as it would appear I had arrived just as the awards ceremony was about to start and the race organiser wanted all the ‘superior' finishers to date to appear together. I was also presented with my buckle, absolute confirmation that I was a finisher. I kiss my buckle much to the amusement of the crowds, before the race organiser said a few words (in German again) and presented some trophies to the top finishers.

I never did find out if there was a sweeper on the course. A number of other runners finished after me including the couple in the day race who caught up with me later to congratulate me, as well as the guy who passed me after the Pyramidenkogel. Apparently he stopped at a shop to get a beer!

Although I was not in the same league of many of the other runners I stood alongside, it was still a proud moment for me. And I felt I could finally put the demons of NDW100 to bed. Plus I was the only Briton who had entered and finished the race, making my buckle a somewhat rare and unique item in the UK, and it's also bigger than the Centurion ones!

The Post Race Incident

After the ceremony, I hastily, as much as one can with dead legs head back to one of the deck chairs near the finish line. During my move to a free deck chair a woman gives me a finisher's medal. It would appear as a finisher of the day race I get a day race medal as well as a buckle. I was being to really like this race!

After I've sat down a guy gets me a beer; does it get any better? Well, unfortunately after drinking some of the beer I then throw it back up. Now it may have been because I had overexerted myself in the latter stages of the race and the body was now reacting to it, or it could be because the beer was alcoholic-free nonsense. Yes, it had to be the latter.

Anyway, probably best I leave and return to my hotel before something else happens, so I did. In the reception area the receptionist asked how I did. I showed her the buckle; I didn't need to say anything.

The Flight Delay

The following morning I had a rather leisurely breakfast; no rushing for orange juice today, before checking out. I strolled down to the lake and sat on one of the benches there for a while to admire for one last the panoramic view of the lake. Then I headed to the train station for train to downtown Klagenfurt. My plan was to sightsee around the town before heading to the airport. That generally worked except I had to wait a while for trains as being a Sunday the trains in Austria don't run as frequent as in the week.

5 - The ‘New Square' in downtown Klagenfurt

Back at the airport I check in and sat in the departure area ready to flight back to the UK via Vienna. Unlike the outbound flight I had a bit more time for the connection at Vienna. However, the plane to Vienna arrived late so initially it looked like another sub 30 minute dash was on the cards. But that soon became rather academic when on the plane just about to taxi to the runway. The engines die and the captain informs there's a computer fault and we had to get off.

So back to Klagenfurt's airport terminal and in watching the minutes tick by. I could see my connection was not going to happen. A few other passengers seemed to be in similar position though not all were going to the UK. Eventually we board the plane again and this time we take off with any further problems.

However, mid fight the captain confirmed what a lot of us had worked out already and that was some of have missed our connecting flight. It was quite a list of flights impacted and apparently the remedy was for those of us impacting to visit the Austrian Airlines customer services centre at Vienna airport.

The Hunt for the Services Centre

After landing at Vienna and on disembarking I quietly ask one of the air hostesses on board where exact was the Austrian Airlines customer services. She replied saying it was near the ‘F' gates. Having visited Vienna airport on a number of occasions I knew how to get to the ‘F' gates. Thus, no sooner as I was in the airport terminal I headed to the right area.

I arrived; the first passenger from the plane no less, at the customer services desk to find it was closed with a sign saying all enquires had to be made at the ticket office. Nope, I didn't even get a medal for being there first. So I turn around only to be confronted by an increasing number of passengers looking less than impressed by a closed customer services desk.

But wait, in my travels I spotted a couple of Austrian airlines ground crew members chatting away in a corridor. So I head back to that corridor to find them still there chatting away. I politely interrupt them asking where the ticket office is after explaining that the customer services desk is closed. They replied by saying I would the ticker office in the arrivals hall.

I turn around only to find a group of passengers had not only followed me but had been listening in on to my conversation and some of them were now heading towards the arrivals hall. Cheeky blighters!

I had to act fast; I didn't want to end up in a queue behind this lot so off I went. I arrived in the arrivals hall only to not see any ticket office. I was a bit perplexed now, but then remembered that there was another floor to the hall. So up some steps and sure enough I find the ticket office. There was a long queue of people waiting to be served but from what I could tell only two people from the same Klagenfurt flight as me had got in the queue before me.

The queue gradually moved though not without incident. Some old guy couldn't work out the concept of queuing and was trying to push in front of everybody and was subsequently told politely but firmly by one of the ground staff to join the queue like everybody else. By the time this blew over it was my turn to be served.

The Stopover

Having checked the availability of direct flights on my phone whilst waiting; the airport has free Wi-Fi, I knew what the first thing would be said, and that was sorry sir, no flights left today. That bit I got right, but I was then told the first direct flights out in the morning around 7am were fully booked so I was being put on the first indirect flight of the morning. That was at 7:05am and was via Brussels.

I didn't have much option. I supposed I could have complained but I wasn't sure that would really achieved anything, plus of course it meant the airline had to put me up for the night at a local hotel. To be fair on Austrian airlines this was offered before I mentioned it and also included evening meal and breakfast. So with that sorted I'm handed my new flight tickets and hotel voucher and head out of the airport terminal towards the designated hotel which was a few minutes' walk away.

In the hotel lobby there was a long queue of people trying got check in. Clearly, I wasn't the only person Austrian airlines were putting up for the night. Eventually I got checked in and after a shower went for dinner.

Getting Ahead of the Masses

The following morning I got up early. Breakfast wasn't officially served to 5:30am, but I wanted to be fed, checked-out and heading towards the airport terminal before the masses so I headed down to the breakfast area around 5:15am. A few people were in the lobby making themselves some instant tea and coffee and leaving the hotel, but what was going on in the actual breakfast area interested me more.

Most of the room lighting was off so it was generally dark but sat at a couple of tables were some airline crew helping themselves to breakfast. The kitchen staff had started laying out food in readiness for 5:30am and the airline crew were taking advantage of this, so I decided to do the same.

No one seemed to care, though interestingly when another hotel resident walked other and asked one of the kitchen staff if he could start having breakfast, he was told not until 5:30am.

When 5:30am did arrive, the place lit up and the masses started arriving. I like the airline crew had finished so we moved on. As the masses enjoyed their breakfast I was able to return to my room to collect my belongings and then enjoy a quick check-out. Yes, one step ahead of the rest!

My flight to Brussels departed pretty much to time, and at Brussels I soon discovered that despite being a small airport you needed to allow some considerably time for connecting flights as you have to go though security, yes even for connecting flights!

But I made it, arriving at the gate about 10 minutes before boarding and heading off to London, arriving there about 13 hours later than planned. Cutting things fine seemed to be bit of a theme this weekend for me along with arriving later than planned.

For the next few days eating solids proved quite tricky to consume as my stomach wasn't keen to accept anything more than a few bites. Not sure whether it was the race or the drink mixture I had being using, so definitely something I'll be monitoring in future races.

Ich kam, ich lief, ich siegte!

So the Austrian state of Carinthia is now done and thus completes my list of distance running events in all 9 states of Austria. For the record the table below shows my journey.

State	Event
Vienna (Wien)	Vienna marathon 2007 and 2009
Salzburg	Salzburg marathon 2007
Tyrol (Tirol)	Gletscher (Glacier) marathon 2012
Vorarlberg *	Dreiländereck (Three Countries) marathon 2013
Styria (Steiermark)	Graz marathon 2013
Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)	Linz marathon 2014
Lower Austria ([Niederösterreich)	Wachau marathon 2014
Burgenland	Rauchwart marathon 2014
Carinthia (Kärnten)	Trail-Maniak Wörthersee ‘Superior‘ 2015

* The route of the Dreiländereck marathon starts in Germany with a small section in Switzerland, but the vast majority of the route including the finish is in Austria and the state of Vorarlberg.