Aktivitus Trail Race 2021

 

 

It's 6 a.m. and I'm awake, thinking about what is going to happen in 2 hours....

 

Eating, drinking..... Preparing my Salomon Adv Skin 12 set running vest with all the things that I might need under the 100k following after the start in Jonsered. I'm focused. Thinking about all the possibilities and variables. Remove the unnecessary, think if things go wrong, think about the weather.... the night might fall and you need the headlamp as well despite starting in the morning. It's heavy, I never had a heavier vest before and I will have it on for many, many hours....

 

It's a bit before 7 a.m. and Annika is waiting for me as promised. It's raining and... I'm hoping that it will stop.... eventually! I checked all the apps on my phone - the showed all the same thing with minor differences - it would rain... the whole day! I was ready, my mind was ready and I have been training for months for this.....no, what? For this??

 

... yeah, not really!

 

Actually I was preparing for months in order to run the 100 Miles of Istria that should have taken place in April but it was postponed to September. Than after that I switched my whole focus on another race in front of me - The Lavaredo Ultra 120km in Italy! Everything went well. The fitness was good, the form quite OK. I had minor issues and those long lasting problems with my groin that I managed somehow to have under control for months. The tightness was there but without any pain.
When I received the e-mail that the Lavaredo would happen I was thrilled, happy and very excited. But everything just vanished away in minutes when I realized how much trouble it was to travel to Italy with all the risks due to the ongoing pandemic. I started to check all the possible alternatives, the possibilities. I needed to visit Italy for working purposes as well, my family.... everything was on hold due to this pandemic. And... I wanted to race? What was wrong with me. I felt miserable. As much as I wanted to race, to enjoy the Dolomites I was realizing that the travel conditions were changing day after day, that rules were changed too often and that there was no guarantee to travel 100% safely. An infection or worse could affect my family if I was eventually forced to a long quarantine or sudden lockdown etc. It was simply not easy - almost impossible.
After a few weeks I wrote to the Lavaredo organizers but I got the answer that they would not allow deferrals into the same event the next year and that I could choose a shouter race if I wanted to.
I understand that there are many in Italy that did not get the proper chance to get their training volume. That was not my case. I had a proper training, but travelling to Italy and the stay in a crowded Cortina seemed to me a bit unnecessary in a middle of a pandemic crisis! The Lavaredo management thinks that everything is just fine..... A week after a new e-mail came with new rules that definitely made me rethink the whole Lavaredo organization. It was just too risky for the runners! It was impossible for me.

 

I made my decision and decided not to race the Lavaredo Ultra this year. The decision opened a gap. A huge window in my calender that suddenly needed to change!

 

And a change came suddenly. A decision that I made just days prior this race that was ongoing here around Gothenburg, a race that I knew well made by a friend. A race that had everything that I needed and the distance I was preparing for. It was the perfect race for me... right here, right now! So I applied for the race and it went as described....

 

The Aktivitus Trail Race Race

 

The Aktivitus Trail Race is a loop race here in the Gothenburg (Sweden) area. There are two distances: the 63k and the 169k race. The 169k race consists of a loop around Gothenburg on single trail, tracks and roads with an ascent of approx. 5200 meters. The maximum time for completing the race is set to 34 hours.

 

More information:
http://www.aktivitustrailrace.se

 

Annika picked me up in the morning as promised and we drove to Jonsered where we planned to start at 8 a.m. and run with other fellow runners.

 

The Start

 

The race started by Tomas Amneskog (the race director of the race) that decided to run the 63 course as well after the 100 mile race that he ran just weeks ago! Amazing!
The idea that I had was to run together with that group of fellow runners that knows well the course. Running the first 12k with them was indeed a perfect decision. I could relax and enjoy the run.

 

The pace was slightly too fast but I felt OK the whole way. I noticed after a few km that I dropped Annika and Daniel and despite the fact that I knew that their pace suited me better, I continued the run with the first pack of runners chatting and making jokes in the rain that was kinda coming down on us harder and harder but still not that annoying.

 

 

The beginning: Glenn - Chapter I

 

Glenn, a person that I previously "met" only on Instagram came along the trail and run as well with us a few kilometers. This is the person that will help me survive this adventure.... from nobody to a friend and this is one of many reasons why I love this amazing sport!

 

 

All Alone

 

After the first 12k I changed direction and I was for the first time alone. I had to check my watch all the time and follow the GPS. The first part of this section I was following the trails in the Vättlefjäll Nature Reserve. The beauty of the trails and the scenery around with all the lakes is fantastic. It's so beautiful that I managed somehow to miss the right turn in a spot and run with great flow for a few miles but.... in a wrong direction. The thing is that the image on my Suunto watch pointed right and the right path was "slightly" to the left instead. Because of the fact that the image on the watch does not show a topographic image I ignored the fact that I was running on a wrong side of the lake until I stopped and turned back after a few miles. Than I stopped and the rain started "washing" me hard! So badly that I decided to continue on that path anyway. I would eventually reach the right trail anyway. This "tiny" error had a price of more that 120m of elevation, ca. 4km of added distance and, due to stress, I ran at a "too fast" pace as well! I have to learn to cope better with this! Problems like these are an issue only when I run alone.....

 

The rest of those first 40k of the race could be summarized as a fight of me with the elements. Wind, rain, muddy trails and no trails at all.... just water! My feet were wet all the time and I was completely wet as well. Due to the format of the race I had to carry with me everything in order to run the first 100k. My wife would meet me with the energy, new shoes and clothes just after 100k. That meant that I needed to carry a lot during those first hours. The rain stopped a bit when I reached Kungälv!

 

Kungälv

 

I was finally approaching Kungälv. Being able to stretch my legs a bit on paved roads and change the stride a bit helped a lot. It was kinda nice to have some paved road ahead. The bridge was there, in front of me, the "Bohus Fästning" (Bohus Fortress) on the right side and I was really looking forward to meet Glenn and talk to a human once again!

 

Hisingen: Glenn - Chapter II

 

And there he was, smiling and cheering with a bottle of water ready to assist me and run a few miles with me. We proceeded running and chatting and hiking uphill those lovely trails surrounding the fortress. It's a really nice area. I visited the area years ago a few miles from that spot during a nice medieval event. I like things like that. It's good to understand and appreciate the history and comprehend more about the area. Anyways, the rain started pouring once again on us. Not heavily like before, but consistently. It was wet, I was wet all over my body, sweaty under the jacket, maybe the best thing would have been to run naked at that point! :)

 

We entered the area that I ran a few years ago and I had just one record in my head of that time - flowers, muddy sections and a tiny 25cm water passing. Well, this time we had to walk/hike/orienteer with water up to our knees, it was green all over the place. The trails were gone.... if there were any in the first place! It felt really great to have with me Glenn. He knows well the area and I relied completely on him. I was a bit tired but the mood was amazing! It felt nice to chat about "everything" with Glenn that from a Instagram contact developed into a "well known friend". During endurance events I don't know why or how, but I noticed that most of us tend to open both mind and soul. People share things that are closed deep inside. During some events I had people sharing things with me that they never shared with their families. It's really interesting and curious how events like this can change us. A human becomes a simple version of a really basic animal, fragile among the insecurities of the mission, the task ahead of a tough race, the elements draining the energy, the switch into that emergency mode several times during the same race. You will reach a certain point where you will feel miserable as well.... and to have somebody to share those moments with it's a life changing experience. It's no mystery that many strong friendships were created during such extreme events.

 

Approx. from the km 48 to the km 67 we had really challenging trails ahead. But it was fun, really fun! Those 10-15k were challenging, maybe the toughest section of the race. Not only because of the weather conditions. The thing is that I had even issues following my GPS due to heavy rain. Glenn had the very same watch and the only thing that was good there was the fact that he was damn confident of the direction to take. Well, the mission of the race director was actually quite raw - if you are somewhere in the woods and you don't know which trail is the right one to take, well don't bother thinking too much, take the off-road version to the top - like straight up to the top, no questions asked!

 

At 10:20 we arrived to the race directors propriety and we got a bit of needed love. From that point on I would have to navigate alone the whole way to Kållered (km 140) - well, that was the plan. The night approached quickly and the headlamp was ready. It was nice to run with the headlamp. The trails went narrow, I had to focus on just one thing - that light in from of me, one step in from of the other. I power-hiked the technical sections and ran quite well the runnable sections and there, in the middle of nothing once again..... Glenn!!!

 

Hisingsparken: Glenn - Chapter III

 

I mean c'mon, I was expecting this dude to help me just the section after Kungälv, and he came both before and after that one. AMAZING!!!

 

We ran together and it felt pretty nice to have him there with me because I got myself into a dark place. I was fighting the trails with all my power.... I was sooo tired of that race, the dark.... the rain, the mud, the whole thing! The good thing was that there was no bench there - well, at least nothing that was good enough to accommodate my fancy bottom on it! So I continued running. I remember chatting "crap" with Glenn and I was thinking like: "Did I just spoke to the guy in Swedish (because he is Swedish) or was it Italian, Croatian or....?!". Anyways, he was there, like an angel guiding my lazy azz through the night.

 

 

Anders Sandegård - The energy booster

 

The real night, the dark one had yet to come and it was a good, no... GREAT thing that after leaving Glenn I had the opportunity to get some love from my buddy Anders Sandegård. His house is like 10mt from the course at the km 86 of the course. I got a bit of warm pasta and a vegan pizza slice as well. Tastyyyy and MUCH appreciated. After a short chat he accompanied me back to the trail and I continued running once again all alone now towards the dark. This time I was running good, I felt better, much better. I really needed to refill my body with real food! At some point of the race I started hating the gels and all the energy drinks I was pushing into me. Pasta... that was a game changer!

 

From that point the trails were quite easy, I could move without loosing too much energy. I felt the sleep deprivation but the worse part was behind me (I figured) and I was looking forward to see my wife that would eventually wait for me after the Älvsborgsbron bridge at the km 101. I was focused, running toward the bridge when I noticed a known silhouette in the dark in from of me.... Guess who?

 

Älvsborgsbron: Glenn - Chapter IV | My wife and the real check point on 50% of the race

 

Glenn was here.... once again! He wanted to cheer me a bit just before the bridge and than meet me after the bridge where my wife was waiting for me as well. He didn't want to scare her in a dark parking lot! :)
I mean... what a fantastic athlete and genuine person! Amazing indeed! I appreciated every single second of those moments. Me being taken care of by my wife and Glenn that was there helping as well. WOW!!!

 

I ate some food, refilled with energy and changed all the clothes and shoes as well. Running dry for the first time after more than 16h in the race was special. I felt so amazingly supermegagreat that I started to miss the path too easily. Something was very wrong with me. My head was just not there. I felt OK but something was not good. I was not there with my head. I had really tough time focusing on the task, and while running on paved road on KNOWN streets I was having trouble to follow a simple task: to reach the woods of Änggårdsbergen. I mean, those few km seemed like an eternity to me but I reckoned that once into the known tails of Änggårdsbergen I would be good. I know almost every inch of that paradise right!??.... WRONG!

 

Änggårdsbergen: The Purgatory

 

It's almost impossible, difficult to understand how sleep deprivation can affect an athlete during a night, under tough rain with trails that are tiny waterfalls where each step could potentially end in an injury or worse. I had to focus, I had to move forward. The watch pointed to the left... the brain told me that the right trail was on the right (straight ahead), but unfortunately, after 110k I decided to trust the "high tech" on my wrist instead. That mistake made me really mad! Right there I stopped looking at the GPS and made NO mistake all the way until I came out from Änggårdsbergen. The problem was that I knew that I took a few sections there a bit too hard and that I would probably suffer later on because of that. I just wanted to get out of the darkness, I wanted to shake off the water from my body, the shoes.... I had that "claustrophobic" feeling and I hated that moment. I just needed to get to the downhill ant out of the woods...
Anyways, I was there, out of the woods, back to the street with lights on, refilled my water bottles and looked a short moment to the left. Just 2k from that spot was a warm bed waiting for me.... tempting, really tempting!

 

The Shutdown of the Body/Mind/Soul

 

When I reached the 120th km something else happened. Something that I recognized from the UTMB in 2017. During that race back in 2017 "something" happened during the second night and it was a well understandable consequence of sleep deprivation. But now, after 120k and not even half the elevation of the UTMB - I was cooked, boiled, toasted and ready to fall asleep right there on the wide gravel road on that climb to the Sisjön lake. I was moving slowly, left to right and right to left. I was just fortunate that the gravel road was a wide one because I was literally sleepwalking! I wanted to talk to somebody, I wanted to call somebody... But you are not supposed to call a person in the middle of the night, right to left! I was sleepwalking the hill! So I figured.... I can talk to myself. So I did that for a few minutes, but it was too damn difficult to talk without laughing at that "shit show". What a misery, what a LOW place to be. So I figured, I need to rest my body a bit. Just a few minutes. I need to do that in order to gain something. Pushing my luck in those conditions was not an option. I was not racing to injure me!
The bench near the lake at the "Scoutstugan" was the perfect solution. That one felt perfect right there when I closed my eyes.The shutdown was complete. I needed a reset and a restore. After ca. 10-15 minutes I was back running. This time relaxed and with a proper stride. I took my camera out and I filmed a bit as well. It was a really good moment. I could relax once again, enjoy the early morning on known trails, listen to the birds and enjoy the sound on the gravel trails of my Altra Olympus3 on my feet. Everything was just perfect once again... as it should be! I was completely relaxed....

 

The Shutdown of the Tech

 

Yeah right.... that "mantra" section and that relaxing moment of the race ended just after a few km. During the km 130 I stopped to make a nice photo and I noticed that my watch was BLACK! Dead! I was furious..... I pressed the button and the GPS was still on but on a battery save mode. I connected the watch to a USB battery charger but nothing happened. The same mode continued. I started thinking that at the km 140 I would meet Branislav and run the rest of the course with him. I hoped that he had a spare charger with him. The thing is that during that day, I was running all alone the whole course, there was no other fellow runner running the course, just me. So the only "proof" of the event was my GPS. That made me really mad. I was mad on me because I wasn't being focused. I didn't check on my watch the last hour and it almost died. How crazy was that!?
I started pushing once I left the single trail section. That part to Kållered is a wide gravel road, so if you have some power in your legs it's a good thing to push a bit and gain a few minutes there. Well, I did that, but I was a bit too hard on me...

 

The patient runner: Branislav

 

In Kållered Branislav was there waiting for me. I got a lovely beer as well (priceless) and we started moving towards the session of the course that I know well. It's a quite challenging one, technical and I knew that I would probably waste a ton of time there (which I did), but I was prioritizing safety and both Branislav and I knew that I had to dig deep in order to move forward at that point.
Luckily, the trails between Kållered and the Gunnebo area are really lovely. Yes, they are quite technical, challenging but never boring. You need to stay alert all the time. Due to the overall stiffness of my body, being really drained of all my energy, I used that time on those trail just to move forward, chat a bit, eat a lot and rest my head from the stress. I knew that I was OK with the GPS now. The worse scenario would be to use the GPS file from Branislav and combine it with mine. That made me calm again and I could just relax, move forward and be happy again...
The views during this section are not really spectacular but the trails are really nice, a few lakes make this part of the course one of my favourite parts of the entire area.

 

Gunnebo: Glenn - Chapter V

 

We were approaching the Pixbo area when I noticed a runner running toward us. Guess again.... yes, it was him, my guardian Angel Glenn!

 

He wanted to share the trails with us even the last day of the race. This time I was not really that social like hours ago, but he understood that. There was Branislav that is a chatty guy and they discussed about... well, you know... everything. I enjoyed listening and relaxing there behind those two runners and just follow their footsteps.

 

Gunnebo: The Family

 

When we passed passed the Södra Långevattnet lake I knew that my wife and maybe my son or my daughter would be waiting for me. I was right. They were there waiting for us. It was really nice. We continued running after a short break there and we moved once again quite well. I felt much better at this point. I felt confident on that section and the energy was good once again. I knew that I needed to preserve all my power to the very end so I ran carefully without unnecessary "action". We just "rolled" forward easily enjoying the trails and chatting a lot. After a few km we reached the spot where each and every runner from this area trains for ultra races: the "Hobo Hill". It's a steep 90m climb which I hiked easily with no issues at all. Even Glenn and Branislav were quite surprised about that.
Me, on the other hand was questioning my body. That climb is surely not an easy one after something like 155-ish km in my legs. It felt quite strange that I felt that good right there on the top of that climb. A few km from that place is the Delsjön area. A big lake with wide easy trails.

 

The Delsjön Area

 

The Delsjön section is a hilly one but not a technical one and we could relax a bit. It was nice to be able to run without the need to focus on each and every step. Just relax and move forward. Well, there is a danger in that - I usually fall on trails like that one. A single 2cm stone is there just for you to fall down on your nose... just waiting for your unfortunate step. However, this was not the case this time. During the section approaching the Skatås area I just released my brakes.... I needed to feel some speed once again, I loved the feeling when my body and my legs reacted amazingly well. I was running that downhill with ease with more than 160k in my legs! That section was something I never experienced before. The fact that after all those low moments I could still perform in such a way was mindblowing for me.

 

Skatås: Veselin Check Point

 

When we arrived at Skatås where the CP should be another friend was waiting for us. Veselin was there with his daughter. He was there with a perfect beer, some food, drinks.... I mean the whole thing! Amazing! You appreciate those moments and it's really beautiful when you share an adventure like this with people that understand the effort, that share the same passion for the sport.

 

Glenn had to run back and head back home. I figured.... I'm surely gonna see him again somewhere in the woods.... but that was not the case. He did something amazing during all these hours. I'm never gonna be able to describe my gratitude. It was a privilege to share a part of this adventure with you Glenn! Really!

 

Those remaining 20-ish km of the race could be described in short as a "pity show". I mean, I had moments where I moved properly but actually I moved properly just when I didn't have to raise too much my feet. My legs were done. My joints hurt like hell. My groins were gone.... I had no ligaments there... it was just pure bone I figured. Everything was so damn hard like stone so I was quite afraid of injuries there. I took it slowly, I dropped the idea of pushing the pace and maybe win a few positions in the race. I just wanted to get safe in one piece to the finish line. The trail conditions and the weather during the race made this race experience even harder than I could ever imagined. I mean, we are ready for all weather conditions during such events but at a certain point you need to adapt and accept the conditions of a race.

 

That is what I did. I ran easily those gravel sections or wooden footbridges. The rest was speed hiking and moving forward. I understood that Branislav would be happier right there with a portable TV or something. He was there approx. 20mt in front of me the whole time. We didn't talk that much there. I guess that after 30k with me with such an easy pace he was also mentally tired of his part of that adventure. Still, I figured that the experience would help him during his FKT attempt later on in May (and it did).

 

The End

 

We crossed the motorway and I "woke up" again! I was alive again. I needed to shake my legs now, I wanted to run those last km "properly". I needed to prove it to myself that I could do that. So, I started running, I felt the pain alright but it faded away... eventually. When we reached that last section and the last downhill Branislav let me run in front, he noticed that I needed to "fly with a smile" a bit..... the competitor in me was back again. It felt really fantastic to be able to actually run that downhill and when I saw that the whole family of mine there cheering and applauding and my daughter approached us and ran that last section to the finish line with me. I felt like I was flying! All kind of emotions flew through me! It was the perfect explosion of feelings, emotions, it felt great, relieved to be there yet so euphoric.... the perfect Runners High!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will remember this race for life!

 

- A huge thanks to my family for all the support during this race and the patience during hours and hours of training for such races and my love for the sport.
- A deep respect to Glenn. I found a new friend and a new fellow runner! Respect! You were there for me when I needed a helping hand. Perfect timing m8!
- Anders, I need to thank you and your family for the love and energy that you guys gave to me. You knew what I needed back there. Appreciate it a LOT!
- Branislav, you are my trail brother. We shared a lot and these 40k with you were a bit special. You could see me euphoric, a bit cocky sometimes, desperate and low other times and happy, sad.... I mean, you got to see a lot! We take a short break now OK!? Ehehehehe

 

I have to thank the race director as well. Tomas Amneskog is a fellow runner, a race director, a friend but most of all a person that loves the sport and understands the challenges of such races. Appreciate a lot for this adventure, the help and assistance! Kudos to you!

 

 

The video below is my small contribution to this race. Grab your favourite drink and some snacks and enjoy the 40 minute video! 🙂

 

Have fun!..... I did! 😃

 

Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I would appreciate it a lot! 😃

 

 

LINK:
https://youtu.be/peifONxAH7Q

 

 

Kind Regards,
Aramis

 

I'll be BACK! ;)