2008 Reports
Last updated: Wednesday, 10 September, 2008No Short Sprint In The Mountains!
Event: The Swiss Alpine Marathon 2008
Time: 08:00am
Date: Saturday, 26 July 2008
Venue: Davos, Switzerland
Some of you expressed concerns about my mental health when I entered the Swiss Alpine Marathon just 6 weeks ago, recovering from an hernia operation in May. Having run it on Saturday, I can confirm that your concerns were fully justified!
The Swiss Alpine Marathon claims to be the highest in Europe with 2 peaks of 2600 meters+ and 1870 metres of total ascent through the beautiful Alpine trails near Davos in Switzerland. By the way, Davos, renowned for hosting the World Economic Forum every year, is Europe’s highest town at 1560m above sea-level.
But last weekend Davos was the Mecca of trail running with competitors converging from all over the world. 
Talking to some of the local competitors, I fell that my altitude training in the plains of Berkshire was somehow inappropriate. However, I had a secret asset as you can see from the picture on the left – a pair of long compression socks that according to the marketing jargon of one of the manufacturers “create marked improvements in reducing the build–up of lactic acid immediately after periods of sustained exercise thanks to BioAcceleration Technology™”. BioAcceleration: exactly what I have been looking for the past 10 years.
So did the long socks help? Well, they got me to the top of the first hill (– by Swiss standards 2630m is a hill) in relatively good condition. I was looking forward to the long downhill but managed to strain my ankle and had to stop to take some painkillers. 
The way down was very slippery and I took it easy, being overtaken by a legion of fearless locals hopping from stone to stone whilst 2 helicopters were evacuating the injured.
The second climb was the most difficult with 400m elevation gain over 2 miles and a very rugged terrain. Even a few patches of snow to negotiate towards the top. I spent a few minutes to enjoy the views over the glacier around and enjoyed a cup of hot soup (– all the food had been delivered to the top by helicopter)! As you would expect from the Swiss, the organisation was superb.
At that stage there was only 11 miles to go, almost all downhill. What could have been a nice jog down turned into a never ending stony path, and this is where it really started to hurt. The long socks did not work anymore, I was now Biodeccelerated !
Finally, I reached the finishing line after 5 hours 38 minutes and I could not wait to take these ridiculous socks off. A very slow time for a Marathon (– about half way down the finishers’ list) but I will be back next year better trained.
Max Frei, the German winner, completed the course in a truly exceptional time: 3 hours 22 minutes with over 8 minutes lead over the second placed finisher (– both wearing short socks).
Richard Thevenon