©NO WORDS Productions
HAVING BEEN ON MY FEET FOR WELL OVER 15 HOURS, BY THE TIME I REACH THE PICO DO ARIEIRO AT 1818M, I WAS SO DELIRIOUS I HALF EXPECTED A PTERODACTYL TO APPEAR FROM THE CLOUDS AMONGST THE JAGGED MOUNTAINS
drop significantly and you have to pay a little more attention.
A little over seven and a half hours into the race, the sun makes a welcome appearance, casting a warm glow onto an otherworldly landscape that until now had remained hidden. If I wasn’t in a race, I could have happily sat down for the remainder of the day and gaze at the view. It was, quite simply, stunning. Instead, I push on, making a mental note to come back and explore in slow time to this fabulous island.
It was just as well it’s now light, as we were entering the most technical and highest sections of the course. With so much climbing sandwiched into a relatively short distance, I relished any flat parts - a moment to stretch the legs and actually run without fear of tripping over. However, despite my legs feeling like they were on loan from Frankenstein, so slowly was my progress, I was nevertheless having the time of my life.
Having been on my feet for well over 15 hours, by the time I reach the Pico do Arieiro, the third highest point on the island at 1818m and a tourist hotspot, I was so delirious I half expected a Pterodactyl to appear from the clouds that floated
amongst the jagged mountains we were running along. However, this was just an amuse bouche for the next tourist stop on our journey - the Ribeiro Frio - or cold river. I find myself running along stunning trails next to levadas, dripping with fauna and vegetation.
Luckily, most of the route is downhill as I make my way towards Machico, where the race would finish. I could smell the sea air wafting towards me, reinvigorating my weary limbs into action as I let gravity and adrenaline take me across finish line after 22 hours and 27 minutes of non stop running, and straight into the arms of my wife.
Madeira might be best known for its fortified wine - but believe you me, after running across the entire island in a day - it should be known as a trail runners paradise. Because, although my other maxim is that ‘life’s too short to do the same race twice’, if there was one exception, it would be the Madeira Island Ultra Trail. It’s really that good!
For those of you looking for your next extreme challenge the next race will take place on 28th April, 2018. Race Registration opens 1st October 2017.
www.madeiraultratrail.com
©Tobias Mews
©NO WORDS Productions
80 | AUTUMN 2017 | ONBOARD
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