Running Against the Clock
Studying The North Face 100 elevation graph is not for the faint hearted. But with just a few training months to go til our first Australian TNF, and most of them in Germany, my partner Mat and I decided it was time to examine exactly what we are in for. So we clicked onto the website and stared open-mouthed at the elevation graph. A tumble of zigzags that should only be seen on a heart monitor.
“So, we should do some hill training this week then?” I ventured. And it was decided.
Our chosen trail was the Rhinesteig, a network of well-marked trail running along the romantic Rhine River near our temporary home in Mainz. With a total length of 320 kilometres, the trail is spectacular. It runs through forests, vineyards, quaint medieval towns, fields and windy, rocky trails high above the river. Castles and ruins, reigning majestically over the scene below, punctuate the trail. And the best part? You can enjoy all this in just one 20-kilometre stretch.
We mapped a trail from the train station at Rudesheim-am-Rhine to St Goarshausen, some 60 kilometres downstream. Our longest run for a year, but the distance didn’t faze us. The real challenge was to beat the darkness. Running in the depths of German winter meant we were getting just eight hours of daylight, and we didn’t yet know what the hills would bring.
“We need to be in Lorch by 2pm. Any later and we can’t go on,” I warned Mat. The trail was well marked by day but at night it was a different world. Even with our trusty head torches, one wrong step would send us tumbling down the cliff to the river below.
Our day started before the sun was up. We raced it up and over the first hill, descending steeply into Assmannshausen by the river before ascending again for three kilometres. The trail criss-crossed with the Rheingau Riesling path, idyllically surrounded by vineyards and wineries, which would have been more tempting had they not been a) closed for winter and b) located too early in the run!
The early trail was soft and easy – some ups, some downs and lots of mud leading us into a false sense of security. We reached Lorch with an hour to spare before our self-imposed cut-off time. Munching merrily on a banana, we enjoyed the castle views and set off again with a sure stride.
But the Rheinsteig trail wasn’t about to let us get away so easy. Ascents that had been long but comfortable before were now almost impossibly vertical. Every steep up was immediately followed by a steep down. I’m sure the views across the Rhine gorge were spectacular, but our heads were down, concentrating hard as our feet navigated the rocky path. Up again, down again. Our legs begged us to stop but the clock ticked on.
After four hours of zigzagging we reached the famous Loreley Rock, a spectacular cliff top overlooking our finishing line. The sun was balanced on the hilltop across the Rhine, threatening to disappear and lunge us into darkness. But we only had three kilometres of downhill to go. Skipping easily over the rocks, we shuffled into St Goarshausen with just enough time to enjoy the sunset with a large glass of local Riesling.
Nicki Letts is freelance writer and long distance trail runner. To contact Nicki visit www.minorwords.com.au