Glacier 3000 run

Hey Team

It took a while, but my summer did include an exciting event at last. Yesterday my almost-eph sister Elena '15, my dad and I participated in the Glacier 3000 run. It was the 2nd participation for my dad and sister and the 3rd for me, in this run that is as excruciatingly difficult as its views are breathtaking. It starts in the high-society ski resort of Gstaad to finish 26km further and 2000m higher up at the 3000m high glacier of Les Diablerets. Supposedly it is the only run in the world that includes a section on a glacier. Normally there is a good snow cover up there and cross-country as well as freestyle skiers use it for summer and fall training. This year however, the glacier resembled more a giant puddle.

As last year Elena ran the first 18km rolling section to the base station of the gondola, before passing the relay to my dad who took care of the 8km ascent to the glacier. They shaved over 15 minutes off their time from the previous edition, and I took 10 minutes longer, so that my dad almost caught me. My dad had dusted-off his old cleated orienteering shoes which proved to be a great advantage. A few k's before the finish a glacial rain set in, not only sending many competitors into near hypothermia, but also turning the vertical dirt trail into a mud slide.

By the end the sun had come back to reward the finishers with great views on the Swiss/Italian Alps, foremost the majestic Matterhorn. In the end, a great distance workout, a lot of pain but a great course and an amazing panorama.

Happy faces before the race (before the pain...)

Elena

Dimitri

Previous flyer, with a good overview of the second section of the course.

View from the finish: the x-c trails with the Matterhorn backdrop.