Mozart marathon race recap by Christian Battersby
Shoes: Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra
Poles: Mountain King Trail Blaze
Vest: Salomon Active Skin + Quiver
Fuel: 3x Maurten DRINK MIX 160, 3x Maurten GEL 100, 1x Maurten GEL 100 CAF 100
My second attempt at the ‘marathon’ distance over trails. The race went from St Gilgen to Salzburg, a total of 39km with 1500m elevation gain. , with rain the entire day and temperatures in the low 10s. There was much more scenic, technical trails than I expected which I loved, but they did turn into risky fast descents with sliding
mud in the wet circumstances. In the last 3km there is a cruel climb of what felt like endless steps to ascend the Kapuzinerberg – a peak inside Salzburg itself. Overall, I am pleased with how it felt and my position of 21st!
The shoes felt great on the flat and easier trails, and allowed me to run a fast pace around a flatter middle section and later even when the legs were stating to fade. In the mud, longer lugs and a more technical shoe could have been better but I think the impact and loss of speed on the other sections would have outweighed any benefit this kind of shoe. I managed to stay on my feet regardless. The Agravic Speed Ultra will certainly be my Trail race shoe for the next few years.
My fuelling strategy was sufficient but not perfect: I took on about 50g carbohydrate per hour for the 3.5h of racing (2x GEL 100, sipping of my drink mix). I was aiming for around 60g but with the cold weather I didn’t want to upset the stomach with too much liquid as I wasn’t losing as much through sweat. I didn’t suffer any major problems otherwise so I’m pleased considering I hadn’t practiced much for a couple of months.
Thanks to my support team and looking forward to the next one!
