Zinal: Mission Accomplished
Golden Trail World Series 2021
The view of Zinal from a lookout above the town
Arriving in Zinal after another long day of bus and train travel was a relief on many fronts. It was a relief to know that I only had one more ‘travel day’ of carting my luggage around on foreign public transport ahead of me. It was a relief to be in my final destination, uninjured and despite the trips earlier struggles, mostly unscathed. Most of all, it was a relief to be in a true mountain town, where there is one main street, one supermarket, a max or 3 or 4 other little shops and nothing to look at or do but explore the beautiful surrounds.
The view that I woke up to each morning out of my massive bedroom window was breath taking, and spending most mornings eating breakfast on the balcony of my little apartment became my time to just sit and reflect on anything and everything. Different thoughts always run through my head when enjoying mountain air, as the peace that comes from the view and the slow pace of true mountain life seeps in. The only downside of mountain life, especially in Switzerland, is the crazy price of everything. Good luck buying a simple meal out for less that $50 AUD, and $9 AUD for 500g of carrots anyone? Still, the price was worth it for the location and one of the races of my dreams.
1.The view from my balcony; 2. My favourite spot to sit and ponder life in the Zinal valley; 3. One of the many waterfalls to enjoy a drink from on hikes and runs; 4. Never short on a beautiful spot for an ice bath.
After my recovery week in Annecy I was keen to see the famed Sierre-Zinal course as soon as possible. Bright and early my first morning I was on the hour long bus trip from Zinal to Sierre, which was only 30km or so, but thanks to the winding mountain roads it was a long trip. My very first run in the area was to find the start line and cover the first 5km of the course.
Now, I went into this trip having read all the reports of how Sierre-Zinal is ‘so fast and runnable’, and that notion had only been confirmed again and again by other European athletes. After not long though, I found myself 2km into the course and 400m of steep single track above where I started, realising this was actually a harder/steeper start to the race than Dolomyths Run. By the time I was 5km and a little over 1000m climb in, still looking at more uphill, I realised I needed to change my definition of a fast course. This course, even with its much more runnable and awesome later stages, is what any aussie trail event would advertise as ‘brutal’. I had a ‘holy moly I’m out of my depth here’ moment, and turned around to run back to Sierre for the long bus trip home. I realise now that that itself was probably a mistake, as the course really does get way easier from there and it is very fast and runnable after the 10km point. You just have to get over the VK straight of the start line aspect of it.
From that point, the next two weeks were a blur of running loops along the river in Zinal, swimming in the Zinal town pool, and the occasional hard session. I did a couple of sessions on the flat to try and switch my body back into gear, which went okay but were way more exhausting than usual. A week before the race I also went out to run the whole course at an easy pace, which essentially meant walking the first 6-8km then jogging the rest. That was when I realised I really wasn’t in a great way physically, as I trudged up gradients that normally I wouldn’t even call a hill, and felt as if my body was bottoming out after only a couple of hours. After a long pit stop at a perfectly positioned Cafe at Tignousa for some hot chips and an icy pole I managed to come good, but the feeling I had of my body just not being able to do what I was used to doing and being completely disconnected from what my mind was telling it to do was not a fun one.
I knew it was the previous two months catching up to me in a big way, something that always had a chance of happening but hoped I could stave off until after the flight home. But I was here to learn, and learning I was, just the hard way as usual. Running hadn’t felt this way since my brief but memorable days of attempting to run after multiple days in a row of not eating, and both the physical feeling and the memories were not a fun place to be. This time I was just thankful I was in a healthy mind though. I slept 11 hours that night, took the next day off sitting in bed reading with a constant supply of food by my side, and shortened everything I had planned that week in an attempt to bring my body around.
That started working straight away, which gave me the confidence to think that although I was a little overcooked, I wasn’t so far gone that a smart week couldn’t get me to the start line healthy and able to race. I still got out on a couple of more sedate than usual adventures after my rest day, more to just enjoy the outdoors than anything. I visited Lac de Moiry, which is a spectacular sight to see, and got the rare excitement of finding an awesome gluten free/vegan burger with sweet potato fries at Hotel Alpina in the tiny little mountain village of Grimentz.
Finally the Wednesday before the race the other athletes arrived and everything got exciting again- which I will cover in the next post. The last and most rewarding/memorable experience I had in Zinal though, was the day after the race.
With the big event over and no need to conserve energy given I was due to fly home to hotel quarantine the next day, I got up at 4am after only a few hours sleep. After putting on a lot of warm gear, my head torch, and grabbing my hydration pack full of food and safety gear, I set off on an adventure. I wasn’t entirely sure how long I would get out among the mountains that day, or how far I would make it, but I had enough packed for a solid 8 hours of running/adventuring and was determined to get as high as possible in the mountains for sunrise. I first headed for Cabane de Trauit, a mountain refuge at 3256m that was an 8km/1600m vertical gain away. I almost froze in the pre-dawn chill and had to come to terms with the fact that running wasn’t happening much due to my sore chest from the previous days asthma attack. But I was LOVING life, completely alone without another human in sight, watching and listening to the world around me wake up as I saw first light hitting the Matterhorn and surrounding swiss alps.
After making it to the cabane and realising with joy that I could get a hot coffee there, I was taken care of tremendously by the staff and loaned another warm jacket so I could sit there longer and just stare at the view. I sat, eating my packed breakfast of a gluten free baguette with peanut butter and jam, staring at the mountains out the window for over an hour. For the first time the entire trip my mind wasn’t anxious or busy or trying to find ways to keep me busy. I didn’t feel any need to listen to music or podcasts or audiobooks, and I definitely didn’t feel lonely. It was like the relief of knowing I was less than 24 hours from flying home gave me the freedom to be right where I was, fully present and uncaring about anything but taking in the view around me.
The eight hours I spent on the hike to Cabane de Tracuit and back was indescribably magical. That paired with FINALLY getting to see and hug someone I knew and loved, and more importantly knew me deeply, at dinner that night in Lausanne with Trina (fresh off her 800m Olympics debut) was everything I needed to get on the plane the next morning content with everything this trip had been for me. Not every part was a success, and despite my best intentions to prepare for the hard times it sure was harder than I had prepared for, but I have always valued the hard times and the failures more for the things they teach me And at the end of the day, I am new to all this, I was never going to get everything (if anything!) right on my first try, and I learned so much that it will take me a long time to process. I will be a better athlete and human because of this trip. That, is my mission accomplished.
1.The view of Sierre from above; 2. The crazy winding roads between Sierre and Zinal; 3. I loved making friends with the Zinal locals; 4. Swiss National Day on August 1st is a night of celebration and fireworks I will never forget.
Val d’Anniviers is a true gem for its beauty, variety, and access to trails of all kinds. Here are some of my favourite places and trails.
Favourite Places:
Lac de Moiry - A huge dam with a spectacular water colour that is surrounded by beauty. You can catch a bus or run/hike to from Grimentz, and the trail there is just as beautiful as the destination.
Grimentz - I fell in love with this little town. It is a 7km run/hike from Zinal and something about the way it is nestled into the mountainside, the cobblestone streets and the moving wooden sculptures made it feel so special.
Cabane de Tracuit - At 3256m above sea level, visiting this modern refuge and spending a good hour just sitting enjoying the view from it was the best way I could have ever imagined to finish my trip. This place is in the most majestic landscape with full 360 degree views, and a warm coffee or meal when you arrive to top off the experience.
Photos 1-4: Lac de Moiry; Photos 5-7: Grimentz; Photos 8-10: View from Cabane de Tracuit
Favourite Trails:
Valley Trail - A flat and runnable trail loop from zinal further into the valley and back. The flattest run you will get in town and my daily go-to for recovery runs. A Map of one of my runs on this trail HERE.
Grimentz to Lac de Moiry - A runnable trail taking you from the centre of Grimentz up to Lac de Moiry, where you can do a flat loop of the dam before returning to Grimentz, or catch the bus back down to town. My run HERE.
Chandolin to Zinal - This covers a good portion of the Sierre-Zinal course without the major climb at the start or the need for the longer bus trip into Sierre. Epic views, and there is a cafe at Tignousa you can stop for a refuel before the descent into Zinal. A map of my full course check HERE - you could go the whole thing or start from Chandolin, which is the 14km point of this run.
Grimentz to Zinal - A short 8ish km trail that is a great way to commute between Grimentz and Zinal. Beautiful forest trail that is perfect for running or walking. My run/walk commute HERE.
Zinal to Cabane de Tracuit - This one is a hikers dream, not much running involved with 1600m gain in 8km but well worth the effort it takes. I did this at sunrise and it was magical (I started 4am, but to get to the top before actual sunrise I would have needed to start closer to 3am). My hike HERE.
Photos 1-3: The valley Trail; Photos 4/5: The trail from Grimentz to Lac de Moiry; Photos 6-11: On the Sierre-Zinal course; Photos 12-16: First light hitting the mountains on the hike up to Cabane de Tracuit
Next Post: Race Report of Sierre-Zinal