The Great Run E-Book

Francesco Prossen

• Herausgeber: Eidon
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

”Mind!! You could consider this book as a doping” Marco writes in a comment.“I did Tor three times.. three times arrived in Courmayeur.. It's very hard, it's killing.. it's long but marvelous... I can't wait to do it again in 2015” francesco prossenThe Great Run – the Dream and the Adventure is the book in which Francesco Prossen (italian writer and trailer) talks about his adventure as a “normal” runner during the TOR of 2011 and 2012.What comes from reading the following pages is a full immersion in the Tor experienced by Francesco like all the other runners living the TOR. It’s not about a sports challenge anymore: it’s a life challenge. A journey in the middle of a unique natural environment, with unexpected encounters, while discovering our own limits, both physical and mental. It’s the chance to think about ourselves and our own world, the opportunity to understand how small we are, compared to what surrounds us and to become conscious of our role in life.A part of Introduction of the book by Alessandra Nicoletti Event Director, VDA Trailers Ssdrl President.A real adventure that captures you completely and puts you face to face with the nature of one of the most wild and pristine in the world. Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and all their chains of mountains; no less beautiful and equally fascinating is the environment in which this incredible race unfolds. A race of 330 km and 24,000 meters in altitude up and down the mountains through the valleys and their streams. How to define this kind of race. According to me I was tempted to talk about it as a great stroke of the soul, where fatigue, injuries, lack of sleep and proper nutrition, physical risks, fellowship with men and nature, open inner spectacular and magnificent scenery. Experiences, emotions and intuitions create a rut, a new track in the relationship with ourselves and the life around. With this book I wanted to see the man placed in this great context. The man who honors a wonderful and full of inspiration environment while engaged in a true race. Step by step live from Tor. Francesco Prossen: Scorpio, 1966, born in Genoa (Italy), he began to get passionated to trail in 2008. His first love is the Rigantoca, the mountains inland of Genoa. After the first challenging tests, Gran Trail Trail Rensen and 3c, completed many trials and overall UTMB 2010, UTMB 2011 Tor des Geants 2011 Cro-Magnon 2012 and Tor des Geants 2012 , Lavaredo Ultratrail 2013 Gran Trail Courmayeur, 2013, Tor des Geants 2013 Cro-Magnon 2014

Leseprobe

francesco Prossen

The Great Run

Eidon Edizioni Palazzo Balbi - Via Cairoli, 18 - 16124 Genova www.eidonedizioni.it - [email protected]

Giugno 2014 da Eidon s.r.l. - Genova

I edizione. Tutti i diritti riservati

• Collana “San Giorgio” - Edizione “Classi_K” ®

• Testi: copyright © Francesco Prossen. Tutti i diritti riservati

• Translation: Claudia Villani

• Editing: Keri Ann Devine & Robert Smith

• Website introduction: Elsa Maggiani

• Graphics & Layout: “copyright © 2014 eidon Edizioni s.r.l. All rights Reserved”

• ISBN 978-88-95677-67-5  

UUID: 978-88-95677-67-5

This ebook was created with BackTypo (http://backtypo.com)by Simplicissimus Book Farm

Table of Contents

Preface

The Route

Courmayeur – Valgrisenche Length: km 49 D+ mt 3996

At the start line

Col Arp – La Thuile

Climb to Deffeyes

Passo Alto

Col Crosatie

Planaval

Valgrisenche

Valgrisenche – Cogne Length: 56 km D+ 4141 mt.

Epée Mountain hut and Col de Fenetre

Col Entrelor

Col Loson

Cogne

Cogne – Donnas Length: 44 km D+ 3348 mt.

Sogno hut

Fenetre de Camporcher

Dondena hut

Champorcer

Pontboset

Bard-Donnas

Donnas –Gressoney St Jean Length: 53 km D+ 4107 mt.

Point Saint Martin – Sassa – Coda hut

Lake Vargno – Col Marmontana – Crenna De Leui – Niel

Col Lasoney

Gressoney

Gressoney St Jean – Valtournanche Length: 39 km D+ 2601 mt.

Col Pinter

Crest – Ferraro hut – Saint-Jacques

Grand Tournalin

Cretaz Valtournanche

Valtournanche – Ollomont Length: 44 km D+ 2702 mt.

To Cuney

​ Oyace

Col Brison . Ollomont

Ollomont – Courmayeur Length: 48 km D+ 2880 mt.

Champolin hut – St Rhemy en Bosses

Col Malatrà

The arrival into Courmayeur

After the Tor

Inside the Tor

Credits

Preface

Tor des Geants is known as the hardest trail running challenge in the world. Within a few years it has become a legendary race and the most coveted race in the mountain trail running world.

In order to fully understand the meaning of these words, it’s important to start from the beginning of the TOR.

Tor des Geants was born from the passion of a few people within a unique sport that combines a love of exercise wth a love of the mountains.

Trail-running is a sport that came into existence more than 20 years ago in the United States and was introduced here in Europe about 15 years ago. In a very short time the number of runners has greatly increased, in fact many races have thousands of entrants. The races pass through the natural environment and are usually of medium to long distance, from 25 to 100 kilometers. The huge increase in the number of runners over such a short period of time, is partly due to the desire of each athlete, professional or beginner, to have the opportunity to test themselves and test their own resistance to sleep and both physical and mental stress. These races are generally non-stop, from start to finish.

The TOR was the very first event of over more than 200 kilometers. In fact it’s more than 330 km (200 miles) with 24.000 meters of positive height gain, with a maximum time limit of 150 hours.

No one had ever attempted to introduce a race like this due to its complicated nature, the length and the difficulty in choosing a suitable route. Our organization was able to launch this ambitious project, thanks to the indispensable help from the Regione Valle d’Aosta.

During the entire week the whole Valley, its people, administrators and mountain guides, stop to host, look after and encourage the runners to accomplish such a big goal.

The book of Francesco talks about his adventure as a “normal” runner during his TOR.

Each runner has THEIR OWN TOR and expresses it in a different way from others. Each feeling, emotion, view, attempt, pain felt by each competitor in the race, makes one TOR different from the other. What comes from reading the following pages is a full immersion in the Tor experienced by Francesco like all the other runners living the TOR. It’s not about a sports challenge anymore: it’s a life challenge. A journey in the middle of a unique natural environment, with unexpected encounters, while discovering our own limits, both physical and mental. It’s the chance to think about ourselves and our own world, the opportunity to understand how small we are compared to what surrounds us and becoming conscious of our role in life.

There are many people working on this event, each one of them with a different task, but all of them ready to share and cooperate. Each person’s role makes the TOR how it is, so thanks to more than 1500 volunteers, thanks to the medical assistants, to Civil Defence, to the Regione Valle d’Aosta, without its help this event would never have been possible, and to the people of the Aosta Valley who open their homes to support the runners.

But first of all thanks to the people like Francesco who gave us their trust and joined us in our dream.

Alessandra Nicoletti

Event Director, VDA Trailers Ssdrl President.

The Route

The Tor des Geants route runs along the Aosta Valley paths. To be more precise it goes along the 'Alta Via' 1 and 'Alta Via 2'. The first section follows the northern path and the second follows the southern path. They both start and finish in Courmayeur and connect at the bottom of the valley near Bard-Donnas. The running race extends for about 330 km with a total positive altitude gain of 24.000 mt.

We start in Courmayeur with on the Alta Via number 2 and finish in Courmayeur, after hiking and running over the entire Alta Via number 1. An extraordinary, captivating path that goes under the highest peaks of the Aosta Valley.

For technical or logistic information about the event, please visit the official website http://www.Tordesgeants.it.

“ If you have the desire to discover you will have the desire to go further. I always go back to Mont Blanc even after many years and I do it as a son going back to his father to converse, with all the affection and memories that a son search in their parents.”

Walter Bonatti

“Your roots are in Nature. It doesn’t matter where you live or the life you lead: as a Man you are irrevocably connected to the rest of Creation”

Charles Cook

Courmayeur – Valgrisenche Length: km 49 D+ mt 3996

At the start line