Swimrun Robertville
Disclaimer: Automatically translated from Russian
Spent half the summer looking for some more serious swimrun event. In affordability were mainly options in France and Belgium. At one point, I came across the organizers of the EcoSwimRun series. The most suitable event in time and distance was Swimrun Robertville, in the north of neighboring Belgium. 290 kilometers, a little more than three hours drive.
I considered this option for several weeks. Firstly, he monitored thematic facebook groups in which people are looking for partners. Without a partner (that is, in the solo category), it was possible to participate only at a distance of 17 km, which seemed to me very little and would not cost the time spent on the road. But the partners did not come across. Among the familiar runners and triathletes, no one was imbued with this sport. Okay, I decided that for the sake of a short distance it’s also worth a trip.
I learned that you can see in the vicinity of the start to go not one day, but stay at the hotel for a night and visit some attractions. Unfortunately, nothing worthwhile came across. I decided to register like that.
The registration process dragged on for a couple of evenings. The questionnaire required to indicate either your membership number of the quoted triathlon association or download the form from the doctor confirming the ability to participate in the start. The option with the doctor seemed a little problematic to me. Everything is done through a family doctor who (if in the mood) either writes a piece of paper himself or gives a referral to some medical institution for verification. I’ve visited our doctor three times in recent years, but I always came, barely rearranging my legs, with back complaints or something else. I thought that if I now make a request to sign a piece of paper giving permission to participate in such a difficult race, I will not easily get off.
I decided to ask the dudes on facebook if it is possible to avoid this paperwork. They replied that nothing needs to be done - you just show your NTB passport and that’s it. Yeah, reassured, nothing needs to be done at all. NTB passport is a membership in the national triathlon association. I was a member when I was fond of triathlon, but since a lot of water flowed. It was calmed that it was the Dutch membership (neither Belgian nor French) that was enough.
The next day, I still decided to clarify with the organizers whether they would accept the Dutch document. Quite quickly received the answer that yes - upload to the site during registration - we will fail. It is decided that I blow off the dust from the NTB account, login, buy (in fact I get free - a trial license is issued by the end of the year) union membership and a competitive license. In the hope that I will use for other starts in Belgium and France next year.
Finally downloading the necessary documents to the site - registered. Yeah, in the Netherlands there is no such trouble - no one will demand any certificates from you when registering for marathons / pimps. The maximum will be asked to write a contact person’s phone in case of serious DNF. A day later I check the registration status on the site - approved.
The beginning of July. Start on August 26th. Wait and wait. But August 30 is still good and marathon run. It will be an interesting month.
As part of the preparation, I also decide that it would be nice to have a normal watch with the support of GPX and cards. The soul is perennial toad and buy Garmin Fenix 7X Solar Sapphire.
The weeks remaining until the start tried to run around the rough terrain more. I ran away on the home trailer a couple of times, and once went to Schorl to run away favorite route for 32 kilometers and test the navigation in a new watch. The tests were quite successful.
A week before Robertville, I thought about what sneakers to run. There were great doubts that I would keep my distance in the already tested minimalist Merrell Bare Access 4. Conducted a small swimrun-training, during which he tested three pairs of sneakers - Salomon Sense Mantra 2, Saucony Xodus Ultra and Merrell Trail Glove 3 (approximately the same as Merrell Bare Access 4, only trail, with more “ evil ” and thick sole). According to the results of the experiment stopped at the Salomon.
Finally, this day has come. On the eve of the race I went to bed early, but for a long time I could not fall asleep, tossed, and I had to get up at five in the morning.
Waking up, folded the equipment. Standard proven set:
Just in case, I took neoprene hoses for a wetsuit. Well, according to the requirements of the organizers, the solo category participants had to be with inflatable bags (security buoys). Uncomfortable, of course, but I managed to practice and approximately figured out how to handle him on land so that I would not interfere much.
I load into the car and go to friendly Belgium.
I got without traffic jams and adventures. The last ten kilometers, the highway periodically resembled a corridor of trees. Small villages with winding roads and a rather hilly area. Very beautiful.
The navigator brought camping to the parking lot - a large clearing, gradually starting to fill with cars with French and Belgian numbers. About three more hours before my start. I’m going to look for a reception.
The starting town is located on the campsite (or recreation center). I get a bracelet that gives the right to enter the territory throughout the day.
Receptionists with banners of all starts of the series - several whistles, a pair of autumn trail duathlons and Norwegian walking:
I get the starting bag: hat, number, coupon for a drink, chip and keychain for car keys to deposit them:
There are few people yet. An hour later, participants in the Belgian Championship at a long distance (34 kilometers, our two laps) should start. I go, look at the starting gate, stand with goods.
The starting peninsula looks like this:
On the opposite bank are tall slender trees. Calm clean water. Beauty.
Championship briefing begins:
About twenty participants. They say about the marking of the track - flags-triangles and white rags. Information is given in French and duplicated in Dutch.
At this point, I had already changed into running shorts and sneakers to stretch a little.
They gave a start and the champions set off. I quietly ran after them, for reconnaissance.
The first four hundred meters of the route goes along the road, after which it turns into a forest.
All types of markings in action - flag, matter and arrow on the road:
On the race site, you could download the GPX track route, which I did in advance. Unfortunately, on the eve of the competition, a hurricane was held in this part of Belgium and trees fell in several places on the track. Some of the trees were removed, some were left to lie:
But there were also areas where the organizers did not have time to put things in order. As a result, it was decided to slightly change the route. They talked about the changes before the start, even made them on printed cards hung on information boards, but the track loaded into the phone was compromised. Well, nothing, I will be less distracted by navigation in the watch. I will not get lost.
I run over the arrows into the forest and in the midst of silence from somewhere on the left, splashing water begins to flow - they swim:
I get a little closer - yeah, exit from the water. So it was the first water stage. Damn, I can’t stand it anymore - I also want to start as soon as possible:
I return to the car. I change into a wetsuit, run to the toilet, hand over the keys and go to the starting area.
About forty minutes have passed. The people noticeably increased. And there already the couples appeared on the opposite shore - they descend into the water:
And they are sailing in our direction:
Here is the power point. Some stop to grab a bottle or a glass of liquid, and someone does not stop jumping into the water again:
The start time and our wave are approaching 17 kilometers. The weather is beautiful, plus 18 degrees, water plus 21. Very nice:
The briefing begins. I look around. There are quite a lot of participants. They talk mainly in French. Single members are noticeable in bags. Quite a lot of pairs of both same-sex and mixed:
Went closer to the gate (second from left). Kevin (whom I tortured with questions about registration) asks everyone to stand up as a corridor, as it will be necessary to skip the leading championship couples completing the first round:
Finally, having missed two pairs of leaders and completed the briefing, they start:
The first half a kilometer before turning into the forest I already know. We run a pretty dense crowd. I try to take a more comfortable place. Some deuces are already running in a bunch. I have to look carefully so as not to step on the cords.
We run into the forest. Narrow path with many roots and branches. Goes down to the water. First descent into the water. Jump from some stone. For several meters I pull on my glasses, take out the bulletbuy (which is inserted between my legs) and jump into the water:
At this point, in the process of fussing with equipment, I did not pay attention to the guy standing with the sign. Before the start of each water and running stage, there were volunteers with a printed map, where the current location was noted and the direction where to swim was shown - for example, turn left and go around the turn, or cross the river in a straight line. All this was also duplicated orally, the truth in French is not always clear, but thought out well.
Exit after the first swimming stage:
All exits are indicated by flags - visible from afar.
Then immediately again to the forest:
The track is quite diverse. Somewhere out of the water logs:
Somewhere you have to practically get through the bushes, clinginging to the roots:
The first few stages are pretty crowded, but everyone behaves decently - they don’t push around, between the pairs connected by the cord they don’t wedge:
For some time it took to get used to the equipment: before going down into the water, you need to pull the bullet from behind and insert between your legs, straighten the bag’s waist rope so that it floats from behind, put on glasses, put the rowing shoulder blades into working condition, lap the clock into swimming mode. And all this is almost simultaneously on the run and on a steep descent:
You won’t relax at the exit either - narrowly, slippery:
Feet strive to cling to the roots:
After a sharp transition from a horizontal position to a vertical pulse rises, even sometimes dizzy begins. Especially if I tried to overtake someone before going out to win back a little space. Sometimes at these moments they still show you a map and explain where to run. And you still have so many things to do: lower your shoulder blades from your fingers, take off your glasses, put the clock on the run mode (well, live the support of the swimrun in the Garmin Phoenix watch - click - swim, once again clicked - run), remove the bullet behind your back. And at the same time, you still need to keep a rather large bag of air under your arm and not get confused in the ropes:
Well, nothing, in three or four transitions he brought and brought everything to automatism. And by this time, the crowd had already resolved - it was possible to go a little forward. Overtook me quite rarely. On the contrary, I went around quite a few people during the water. Mostly couples. I noticed that many participants were without bulletbows or with very small training. Easy booty for my Ark Keel +.
Swimming a little and glasses flowed. Several times even had to stop in the middle of the water, drain the water and suck them better. To make it better visible. And there was something to see!
Around is a real forest with tall trees:
Calm clean comfortable water. Around silence, only bursts of water from shoulder blades:
In some places, the pond narrows. Swim along the rocks. A person in a kayak is definitely present nearby. Sometimes it just floats parallel to you - I got bored standing still:
From a distance, swimmers resemble Loch Ness monsters:
Synchronous swimming:
In general, the swimming stages are the buzz of clean water:
The run, on the contrary, turned out to be quite exhausting:
But also with its beauties:
Although there was no way to look around, at least in the first half of the distance. At first there was a forest with its narrow paths with roots and stones, and after this dam a section with a weak set of heights began. Narrow winding trail with sticking sharp stones. On the one hand, the bushes, on the other. I run and look at both. Well, I am glad that I put on normal trailer sneakers. Somewhere here I was overtaken by the leaders of the championship, running their second round. Yeah, the guys obviously feel at home on these trailers - they run uphill without even stopping.
I got to the first power point already quite tired:
But there is still half the distance ahead:
Then everything went more or less smoothly - a moderately heavy run with a swimming to the legs giving a break. In sight, both front and back, there was constantly someone. But there was no spirit of competition. Rather, adventure.
We ran a little more through the forest:
Along the farm fields and pastures:
Towards the end, the organizers had a small exercise to overcome the obstacle in the form of a fence:
A little more picturesque hills:
A bit of swimming:
Past the cows:
Down the hill:
And this feeling of an approaching finish - here it is already visible. But is it unknown whether another voyage will be or is everything already possible to accelerate?
There was no more water. They ran around the edge of the lake and, connecting with participants finishing a short (9 kilometers) distance, ran through the gate.
Award:
At the finish line is a festive atmosphere. Intersecting the arch smiles, hugs. Someone reached 17 km, for someone and 9 km was a big test. Young and not very, slender and less fit, run and sitting surrounded by medical volunteers who clearly came down with bandaged legs - everyone received something of their own from the race.
I didn’t want to leave. Taking a shower and changing clothes returned to the gate. I talked with the seller of equipment on the topic of swimming glasses. Unfortunately, I could not buy, since they did not accept Dutch cards.
The reward has begun. A dozen categories - both the championship and other distances. And then all along the subspecies - solo, couples, mixed and same-sex. Everyone is carefully photographed and given gifts. A lot of alcohol is given as prizes. Moreover, as it seemed to me from photographs from other starts, even to adolescents. Probably in Belgium and France, children with a cradle are poured beer and wine instead of milk. To swimrun better :-)
Viewers:
After waiting for the end of the award, I got into the car and went back. I arrived without adventure and in a great mood.
Results
The track is 17 kilometers, 9 cross and 8 swimming stages:
The clock distance is 16.66 km. Time - 2:25:52. 13th of 41 participants. Almost half an hour behind the winner:
Thoughts
Very pleased with the equipment. Especially by choosing sneakers. Merrell would definitely kill all the legs on this track. The glasses let us down a bit, but not deadly. Navigation this time did not come in handy, but the clock worked as a watch - clearly and conveniently.
In general, it was a complete fly away! Beautiful nature, swimming in a clean lake and running along a complex and technical trail.
By the way, on such technical trailers with stones and roots, I never dry ran, not like in a wetsuit and with a bag. As a confirmation, the pulse is all the way around 165 dpi. I see this only at the stadium during the intervals. Very hard, but just an infinite number of times more interesting than threshing asphalt on marathons.
And yes, I’m rather glad that I didn’t find a partner and didn’t sign up for a double distance. Seventeen kilometers this time was enough.
In terms of organization, everything is fine. It is immediately clear that people have already gained extensive experience in conducting starts. Explanatory schemes in front of the water stages, understandable markings on the cross-country areas. Here really more than once I caught myself thinking - in the most necessary places, when you ask a question - where now? Just hanging a rag or painted an arrow. Well, with nature, the Belgians and the French can only envy.
After the competition, photographers began to upload photos to facebook. Free and quite a lot. Almost all the pictures for the report I downloaded from there. But as a support, I bought a couple of full-size photos.
At the end of all the races of the series, the organizers mounted the video from the starts. See what a beauty.
In general, next year, if possible, I will definitely go to the starts in those lands. It may be possible to infect one of the acquaintances or find on a lead tinder to participate in a pair at a longer distance.
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