Sierre-Zinal baby!
An early start. This was the big day. Sierre-Zinal baby! That probably doesn’t mean much to anyone outside of the small but growing world of Trail Running. Sierre-Zinal is a legendary race between the two small towns after which it is named. It stretches just under twenty miles in length while gaining over 7000 feet in height with climbs of over 33%. It forms part of the Golden Trail World Series in which the most elite trail runners compete. The record holder and ten times winner is Killian Journet, the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). My friend kindly drove me to the start line in the Rhone Valley. A sign above the trail entrance read Sierre-Zinal in yellow and black. I began to climb. The advice online was to take it slowly at the beginning to ensure you didn’t burn out. I had little choice. My hands were on my knees as I crawled up the steep incline, passing shrines that marked the Stations of the Cross showing the events of Jesus’ life and death. The small Chapel of Saint-Antoin...