Vesuvio Ultra Marathon
27 May 2023 - Ottaviano
The first hill was on the road for a little while and then turned steeply upward into a single file track in the forest. It flattens out for a bit before heading downhill - fortunately not too steep and with a nice wet sandy soil that gives good purchase. The first stop had a band and beer. It was a pleasant surprise since it said they was just going to be water. It's important to remember not to run somebody else's race. I forgot this on the first hill pacing myself with the other people on the trail. On the second hill I settled into a better Sherpa routine: five steps, stop to take a breath or ten steps, stop to take a breath. The second downhill was steeper and more technical with some ropes but still I managed to fly. After 2 hours just I was under 12 km. The third hill was brutal and I started to worry about making time cut at 23 km. It was like 600 m of pain. After that was a couple kilometers of flat which I managed to run. But still I reached the second stop ristoro at 15 km after 3 hours. Then it was straight up hill four - also brutal. But it was there that I got my first glimpse of the sea. And then Vesuvius in all its glory. It seems we were running along the rim of the crater of a much larger volcano named Somma. And when I say running along the rim I mean there's a cliff to my right and there's a very steep hill to my left. And I'm running now dry sand and pumice that's just falling apart. This part of the world is known for earthquakes and this is a volcano too, which doesn't help fly but instead slows me down. The race isn't worth a fall too the death, although as it sunk in that I really wasn't going to make the cut at 23 km that seems like it might be better PR for the DNF. They didn't do a bag check at the start, but they sure believed in their cutoff times. It was disappointing, but after refilling my water and getting some snacks I headed off down the mountain. Another guy who was also eliminated caught up to me and suggested we console ourselves with beers. After chatting for a while at the first restaurant we came to I learned he was from Wrocław, just like Iwona and had the same habit I do of traveling far and wide for races (although he's done ones in Patagonia and on Kilimanjaro). We did some more jogging down the hill back to Ottaviano and shared a meal before he had to go back to Naples to meet his family. I went back to my hotel surprisingly happy for such a disappointing outcome. My third DNF was just a beautiful day though.
