Herfst Ultraloop Berg en Dal
By Tin Salazar
So I was in Netherlands last October 2017 for a one week training. I figured that I still have a free weekend after the training and I should allot this for getting around Netherlands. Some of my co-participants invited me to join them; some were planning to go to outside Netherlands - Paris or Belgium. It was so tempting to cross another country and the idea of visiting 2 countries in a single trip was thrilling. But the runner in me prevailed and I followed the runner's mantra: what better way to explore new place than running! Before leaving for Netherlands, I looked for local races in Netherlands. Woah, the TCS Amsterdam Marathon was scheduled on the same weekend that I would be in Amsterdam (October 15)! How perfect. Registration fee was pricey at 75 euros but that was an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. It was an international marathon and it timing was perfect. The registration was open back then but I encountered difficulties in online registration (it had issues with my address). I relayed this issue to the organizer but they did not respond to my email. So that's it. The Amsterdam Marathon was never happening. And it really did not happen. Haha.
So moving forward, I tried searching for other races. Few races were scheduled on that weekend (perhaps because the Dutch running community focused on Amsterdam Marathon?). Fortunately, there was one local trail race scheduled on October 14 in the town of Berg en Dal. I'll be coming from Ede, so Berg En Dal's just a train and bus away. The race is called Herfst Ultraloop Berg en Dal. It featured 3 categories - 25km, 42km, and 60km. Much as I wanted to join the longest distance to maximize my participation, I had litte confidence with my ultra running skills back then. After my Four Lakes 100km last April, I focused on short distance and fast races, mostly less than marathon distance. Hence, I just settled for the 42km category. Since there's no online payment option for this race, I just requested the organizer to reserve a slot from me and they agreed. The registration fee was just 20euros! Big savings from the 75 euros I alloted for the Amsterdam Marathon. You can check more information about the race here: http://www.funrunner-heerlen.nl/pagina5.html
Right after our training on Friday, I traveled from Ede to Nijmegen via train then bus to Berg En Dal. I already arranged for my lodging in a hotel near the starting line via booking.com. Fletcher hotel is a nice and affordable hotel. It's also a 10-min walk to the starting line.
Come race day, I availed my complimentary coffee from the hotel hehe. I had few hours to get around the hotel and take pictures because the gun start was still at 9am. 'Twas rather late compared to the schedule of races in the Philippines.
I went to the starting line at about an hour before the gunstart. It was in a clubhouse of a tennis park. I was nervous and intimidated. The lean bodies of the runners scream "we're serious runners!" And I'm pretty sure that I'd end up DFL in this race. Haha. So I paid for the registration fee, introduced myself to the Race Director who warmly welcomed me, then collected my race bib. The bib has a copy of the route. Just the same, I know the map was useless because there's no way I can make myself familiar with the name of the streets, which are in Dutch.
When the race started, I tried staying in the midpack to avoid getting lost. The trail was beautiful. The first part featured short uphills with stairs -perfect for warming up! Haha!
But just 2 kilometers into the race, I lost the pack in front of me. There was a runner at my back but he's also not familiar with the place; he was just following me and because I missed a marker, he's also lost. We tried moving forward to check if there were markers but we just wasted about 2 kilometers and saw nothing. So we decided to go back to the starting line. So that's a total of 4 kilometers wasted. At the starting line, the race volunteers explained the route and we figured out where we got lost. The right direction is the same direction towards Fletcher hotel. Hehe.
So I tried doubling my energy because with that nonsense 4kilometer that I lost, pretty sure that I was demoted to being the last runner. Huhu. The trails featured clean rolling hills. I saw some hikers so I realized that the route is part of a local hiking park. After two hours of running and walking, it became really hot. I did not experience this sunny morning back in Ede so I was surprised. When we exited the trails, I saw a gas station! Some runners also stopped here, I bought a freezing cold lemon juice. I wasted almost 10 minutes in the store only to figure out that the aid station is less than a kilometer away. I also realized that there were other 42kilometer runners at my back but they were able to catch up because I chilled at the gas station haha. When I reached the first aid station, I just ate quickly and refilled my flask.
At this point, I already felt the exhaustion. Perhaps I have not yet recovered from the speed and tempo sessions I did days before the race. And it was freaking sunny. So I just walked and took pictures because I was also here to appreciate the beauty of Dutch landscapes, right?
After passing by the beautiful farms, we entered another forested trail, which has similar features with La Mesa trails.
After the trails, we reached the road section leading to a community that showcased beautiful houses. Finally, I reached the second aid station. Since this was almost lunch time, they offered me bread with eggs. When I reached the third aid station, I saw some 42 kilometer runners resting. Because I don't want to be DFL haha, I realized that this is my chance to be ahead of them so I should eat quickly and move.
After about 2 kilometers, there was a very confusing fork leading to directions and it was not well marked, so the runners in front of me got confused on the right way. Because of this issue, the runners behind me were able to catch up. haha. When the other runners figured out the right direction, I moved quickly and ran as fast as I could so that I won't be left behind. I reached the last aid station but did not stop because I still have sufficient water and I was saving my time
FInally, after 7 hours and more than 44kilometers of journey, I reached the finish line! Yahoo!
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