First Person: Reflections on My First UTMB

Now that the dust has settled on another year of UTMB, it's time to reflect. Before the race, we spoke with Ture Dahl Børglum from Strava's Product team, a Chamonix resident who was preparing to race his first UTMB. Ture finished in 28 hours, 44 minutes, 15 seconds - 141st overall - and has shared his reflections on the race with us:

There is no such thing as a perfect UTMB. It’s how you go about the challenges that you meet that defines your race and experience. It’s been a week [at the time of writing] since UTMB, and I’m still recovering from the race - both physically and mentally. I’m proud of how I tackled the lows, proud of how I didn’t let the fatigue and pain take control, and proud of how I pushed to the end.

The race started at 6 p.m. I tried to start slow and in control, but with the insane crowds cheering along the entire route from Chamonix, through Saint Gervais, and up the climb at Notre Dame de la Gorge, the adrenaline was pumping and it was impossible to pace myself. I didn’t notice it until I had passed the roaring crowds and the madness was replaced by darkness and silence. My ears were ringing and I just felt tired. Mistake no 1.

On the climb to Col de Bonhomme, I had to remind myself that this is a long race and we had only done the warm-up. I had to find my own pace. At midnight I passed the Col and started the descent. As I left the Les Chapieux aid station I had regained focus and knew there was another long climb ahead. In the valley, I felt strong again, and I could run the slightly inclining trails. As I approached the Col de la Seigne a cool wind was blowing, and it wasn’t until I reached the top that I discovered I was getting cold as I was still just in a t-shirt. I hurried to put my wind jacket on, but my stomach had already started making trouble. Mistake no 2.

My legs were strong, but I felt nauseated as I passed Col des Pyramides Calcaires - the highest point in the race - and descended to the Lac Combal aid station. I entered at 3:50 am. A nice volunteer served me some delicious noodle soup and said I looked great - thanks for lying to me! I texted my family, who were my crew, to say things were going a bit slower than planned, thinking that they could sleep a bit longer.

DID YOU READ? The Alpine Run Project: Transforming Young Lives through Trail Running

On the climb out of Lac Combal, I started feeling better and continued to catch people as I descended into Courmayeur. It was 6:10 am and still dark as I reached the aid station. I was met by my family at the entrance and Astrid, my partner and support crew, had my aid station gear ready. I changed my shirt and socks, ate a bit, and refilled my bottles, but things were going slow.

As I left Courmayeur it was getting light, the streets were quiet and I ascended steadily towards Refuge Bertone. As the sun rose my energy came back. At the refuge, I thought to myself it’s going to be another warm day, so I better get moving. I know the section to Bonatti and Arnouvaz is runnable if you have the legs for it - and is one of the most beautiful parts of the course - so I was actually looking forward to it. Luckily I felt strong enough to run. I passed several runners which helped build some confidence: I was back on track.

RELATED: UTMB - A Runner's Guide to the Key Race Segments

As I ascended to Grand Col Ferret I could feel my climbing legs were still strong, all the vert training I had done was paying off. I reached the Col at 10:45 am. The descent was another matter, and the heat was rising as I dropped into La Fouly. Down Val Ferret I used every trough to cool myself down and entered Champex-Lac aid station at 2 pm. I hadn’t eaten for several hours due to the heat but knew I had to get some energy to finish the race. There was still 46 km (28 miles) and 3000m (9,800 feet) of vert to go. Astrid gave me an ice bag to cool me down and told me to eat. Nothing looked good, but I ate a few bites of pasta, half an apple, some yogurt, and some energy drink. It wasn’t much, and I thought I needed to force down more. So I tried a Maurten gel - big mistake - as it made me vomit. Not good. Mistake no 3.

I didn’t feel like eating anymore, but could still hydrate. There was nothing else to do, but to continue. I walked out of the aid station and saw another runner being helped back in as he was emptying his stomach. The only thing I could think was - don’t be that guy.

I slowly started to run, but my legs were stiff and I had to walk every small hill. Once the real climb started and we needed poles, my legs were moving again. As I descended into Col de Forclaz I heard my name being shouted and saw a group of friends cheering me on and in Trient they had gathered a bigger group. This gave an energy boost. Thanks team!

MORE FIRST PERSON ACCOUNTS: Anya Culling: Racing (and Surviving) The Speed Project

I pushed on towards Les Tseppes and down to Vallorcine, I looked at my watch, the time was 7:30 pm as I entered the aid station. My body was hurting, but with 16 km (10 miles) and one last climb to go, I knew I could finish before midnight and maybe below 29 hrs if I pushed it. I left the Vallorcine aid station running. It got dark as I started climbing. I pushed up to Tête de Béchar, then a technical section downhill, and then the final push up to La Flégère which I reached at 10 pm. I could finally see Chamonix again. I started running downhill. The only thing I could think of was: keep running and don’t trip! I crossed the river to the final kilometer and knew I had made it back. I was met with high-fives all the way down the main street to the finish line, and finished in 28 hours, 44 minutes, 15 seconds.

A big thanks to all my family and friends who came out to support me. I ended on a high, but had to battle through several lows before crossing the finish line.

A few facts: My watch logged 177 km, 10,232 m vert. I spent around 1 hour 37 minutes in aid stations. I finished 141st Overall, 17th in my age group, first Dane (and among the Top 5 fastest times by a Dane in the 20 years of UTMB).

All photography courtesy of Boris Rebufello.