It's been a minute. Since my last post here, I moved from the US to the Middle East, taught there for two years in Kuwait, ran a 50k ultra there through a scenic complex of oil refineries in the desert and then moved to Switzerland where I now live and teach at an international boarding school in the Swiss Alps. Talk about a change of scenery!
So there's that.
Given our location, my immediate access to trails has enabled me to do more running here than ever before. And, no surprise, it's incredibly scenic as well!
I've recently posted a 28-minute video about my record setting run across Switzerland: https://youtu.be/H4XCoyisnwc
Setting the Goal
One of the perks of teaching is summer vacation and this year I decided to put my running to the test and see if I could run across all of Switzerland on trails. There are many routes to choose from but I selected the Trans Swiss Trail, a 560km route that frequents towns along the way and avoids the most technical alpine passes. I knew I would be self-supported, running with a small backpack, but to avoid extra weight, I decided to plan my trip to stay in a hotel each night. Swiss tourist season is no joke and I needed to make reservations ahead of time or I would not have been able to get a room when I arrived, tired, hungry, and ready for a shower at the end of a long day.
Setting an Itinerary and Making Reservations
I've never done a journey run like this before where I had to make a specific destination each day. If I got behind schedule the entire trip would be compromised. Summer weather in the Alps can also be unpredictable and I had to contend with changing conditions which could have further delayed me.
I could always run pretty far on any given day but assuming I could still do so on day 9, for example, meant making a fairly conservative schedule that would accommodate for issues along the way. Towns and lodgings along the trail also dictate the distance options each day. So while I could choose a short day, a standard day, or a long day, there weren't often many levels in between.
After looking at the route and available services, I finally settled on aiming for about 50km per day. This would be done while wearing a 17-pound pack and having to go up and over whatever elevation was on that given day's agenda. Individual climbs ranged from 300 meters to 1000 or more. Daily ascent was between 1,000-2,000 meters.
Deciding to Run in a Skirt
For a bit of fun, I decided to honor local culture and run in a traditional Swiss long sleeve cotton shirt with embroidery on the neck, shoulders, and cuffs. I would also run in a traditional felt hat. When deciding on what to wear on my legs, I initially considered running in lederhosen, which some people actually do, but I decided the leather would be far too hot. Instead, my wife suggested I run in a skirt. That took me by surprise at first but when you think about it, there's no reason a skirt has to be assigned to females only. In fact, historically, men have been wearing skirts just as long as, if not longer, than women have for all time. After much research I learned that I'm not alone in the skirt idea. Men are showing up to races in skirts more frequently now. Clothing companies are catering to this by marketing a product which they call a running kilt. Guess what? The companies that make those are all sold out! So I asked myself, why fight the system? I went to one of the most popular running skirt companies, Lululemon, and ordered one of their best sellers. I had never had to find my skirt size before and hoped for the best. Luckily, it fit well and I was set.
Route
Surprisingly, the Trans Swiss Trail does not actually transit all of Switzerland. It starts in Mendrisio and ends in Porrentruy, both of which are close to, but neither of which actually touch the border. So while I did plan to set the fastest known time (FKT) for the actual trail route, I also wanted to officially begin and end at the border. At the start, I took a train to Chiasso, which is on the border with Italy and about 12km from the start of the trail in Mendrisio. At the end, I planned to finish in Boncourt, which is on the French border and about 14km from the other end of the trail in Porruntruy. So in effect, I would set two records, one FKT for the Trans Swiss Trail and another for a border to border run using the Trans Swiss Trail.
Stats
Full border to border:
Started in Chiasso at border at 7:31am on Tues July 13, 2021
Finished at Boncourt at border at 8:15am, Sat, July 24, 2021
Total time for border to border run: 11 days, 44 min.
——
Trail Only:
Left Mendrisio Train Station and saw first trail marker on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 8:53am.
Arrived at Porrentruy Train Station and saw last trail marker on Friday, July 23, 2021 at 7:56pm.
Total time: FKT Trans Swiss Trail: 10 days, 11 hours, 3 minutes.
Notes:
Daily mileage: (from Stava)
7/13: 24
7/14: 23.39
7/15: 27.65
7/16: 32
7/17: 34.69
7/18: 28.52
7/19: 33.65
7/20: 35.32
7/21: 28
7/22: 29.79
7/23: 41.59
7/24: 9.13
——
Total mileage: 348 mi / 560km
elevation: in feet (from Strava)
7/13: 5951
7/14: 4698
7/15: 3750
7/16: 7415
7/17: 3586
7/18: 3888
7/19: 7969
7/20: 3970
7/21: 1818
7/22: 4311
7/23: 5089
7/24: 476
——
52,921 ft / 16,130 meters climbing
Pack was 16 pounds / 7 kg.
Trip Report
Day 0: Mon, July 12: I took the train from Brünig to Chiasso. Nit in Bahnhof Haus. Ate at good pizza place in town. I already feel like I don’t speak enough Italian.
Day 1: Tuesday, July 13, 2021: 24 mi. Chiasso to Paradiso. 5951 feet of climbing. Ate at hotel dining room. First appearance in my skirt and shirt. Croissants, jam, ham, cheese, juice and tea. Pretty standard fare. Started from Chiasso border at 7:31am. I was looking for the actual place where the border starts and there was a small pedestrian garden gate that has a standard key lock on it. I looked at it, filmed it and made a commentary that this must be how Switzerland locks the door when they want to shut the country. I had a good laugh about it until a Swiss border immigration officer who had been watching me from his car line waved me over. He wanted to make 2 opposing things clear in his mannerisms: 1) he wanted to talk to me, 2) he didn’t particularly want to have to talk to me. He asked why I was filming the gate. As he asked in Italian I had no idea what he was asking. But I probably could have guessed. I asked if he spoke English or German, no. He finally said, in English, why were you filming the gate? I then tried to explain that I was starting a run across all of Switzerland (in a skirt nonetheless) and I wanted to make sure i was starting at the actual border. He looked at me, further disgust in his eyes, and said, "filming not possible." Though he never said we were finished, I got the sense that he was so I said, ok, thanks, sorry, and left.
Ran to Mendrisio, some sections with no shoulder or sidewalk.
9.5km to Mendrisio. Trailhead only has normal trail sign, no indication of terminus.
Sidewalk jaunt past mall and a new outdoor store with limited gear. Then headed uphill on first trail of the trip. Big climb on nice trail. Small church at top of mountain, great for a rest. Benches, a table, an unlocked warming room with a fireplace, but no known water. There is a manhole cover which looks like a water tap but didn’t open. Nice downhill to Brusino Funivia. No indication of the ferry, but the schedule is posted and Maps confirmed. It arrives at 12:44 and 1:40 to take you to Morcote. Half fare card one way is 3 chf. Nice restaurants and gelato there, but Huge climb leaving town on the staircase of death. Many many steps. Carina is a nice hilltop settlement with a church and a funicular.
Another small climb to San Salvatore, then a gentle downhill to Paradiso. The sign was pointed wrong way at Funicular going into Paradiso. Should have turned right but went straight as sign suggested. Will follow my map from now on. Hotel Dishama in Paradiso is ok, central location. Migros across the street. Dinner at Zoster is Calprino, sat outside in heavy rainstorm at first. Very good food and friendly staff, worth the walk.
Tomorrow: flat along water, then slow 700m climb, then level, then 300m climb, then downhill and flat into Bellinzona.
Day 2: Wed, July 14: Paradiso to Bellinzona, 23.32 mi. 4698 feet of climbing. woke up in hotel dischama, nice breakfast bar. Some awkward looks from men at dining room. ran toward lake, hugged shore, then route went inland and past the fancy shops. Nice harbour. Climb wasn’t so bad. Miles came quickly. Arrived in Bellinzona around 4:30. Felt fresh. Hotel Croce Federal had given my room away. They put me up in Hotele Unione. Showered then went to walk nearby castle. Went to tower. 3 kids having a food fight in the top of tower. Took free bus to Scugnazzis pizza- finally got to eat there. Very good pizza and super nice staff. Good nights sleep, but finding the nights are too short. If I get in at 7 or 8pm, it’s a rush to wash out my running outfit, wring it dry to give it a headstart for the next morning's drying goal, then shower, go to dinner, check in with the family and post about the day. There’s no time to relax.
Day 3: Thurs July 15: Bellinzona to Anzonico via Biasca and the Strada Alta trail. 27.65mi. 3750 ft of climbing. Long day. Lots of up. Long run along river to Biasco, then a long steep climb up to Strada Alta. Did the 6 day downhill hike that my school group did this spring, but in reverse which meant mostly uphill this time. Saw each campsite as I passed it. Streams were raging from rains. Someone built a simple catwalk overnight to get over the stream. Arrived at Anzonico around 6:30. Pasta and potato dinner. Cold room with no heat source. Bad WiFi connection. Kind family owners and homemade jam at breakfast was very good. Box was waiting for me in the room. I’m not going through the Hammer pills or powder nearly as fast as I thought I would. Partly that is due to me eating ice cream and snacks from passing markets. I also need to focus on refilling my bottle with powder more frequently.
Day 4: Fri July 16: Anzonico to Airolo, over Gottard Pass and down to Andermatt. 32 mi and 7415 ft of climbing. biggest mileage day yet. Highest point on trail. Ran past old grist mill house for sale. Ran under funicular. It was fun seeing all of the campsites from the 6 day hike. Finished Strada alta and arrived at Airolo at 2pm. Was keeping and eye on weather to go up Gottard pass. At one point it said rain and high of 50f. Host last night told me the pass was closed yesterday. Nervous going up. 1000m climb, left Airolo at 3pm. Signs said it is a 5 hr hike to get to top. I was there by 5:30, so I halved the hiking estimate, even though I was hiking most of it. Happy with that, but on the way up it started to rain, so I took off cotton shirt and put on Hammer shirt, sleeves, raincoat, mittens, and ear muffs. Much better. Felt hat was good in rain too. 1/3 of way up I saw a motorcycle group coming down the mountain on the road. I was on the hiking trail next to the road. The trail was on top of the tall stone wall at a hairpin turn in the road. A biker, male, 28-35 y.o. Wobbled just before the turn. He tried to correct but couldn’t and his speed kept him going towards the wall. He locked up his brakes and the bike started to flip forward and put him headfirst into the wall at about 30mph. I was the first to get to him and he wasn’t moving. Had a helmet on and riding suit. After about 30 seconds he started groaning in a gutterel way. His friends took off his helmet. I helped get his bike off the road. It was leaking gasoline. The whole time I was prepared to have this be my afternoon. Then 2 cars stopped, it was the Swiss military asking if we wanted help. Yes! They put on their orange vests and started directing traffic. Then a minivan stopped and a woman got out of the passenger seat with a hip pack saying I’m a paramedic, do you want help? Yes! We had already called for an ambulance. At that point I could see they had the situation under control so I left and now had to jump back into the world of can I make it up this mountain? Emotionally draining. At top, even though it wasn’t raining, it was very foggy and cold. I ate a piece of nut cake from a snack wagon near the lodge, then quickly dove down the other side to warm up. The clerk at the snack wagon told me “funth “ when he said the price of cake. Yay! Back in German speaking land, and Gottard Pass is the geographical barrier to that language transition. At 7pm I was coming into town and 2 couples older were cheering for me on the street. They wanted to know where I’d come from and where I was going and they cheered for everything I said. It completely changed my status that night. Enthusiasm! They asked what my competition was and I said “Meine Frau!”
And they roared, and then I followed that with,” und mein Kinder!” And they roared again . They asked where I was going next and I said Lake Lucerne, and they got more serious and asked if I knew about the flooding there. I didn’t and they said that all of the rain had caused the lake to spill over its banks and the path might be closed or dangerous. Then they looked to me for a reaction and I said, “Kein problem!” And pointed to my shoes and said, “GoreTex!” And they roared again . Then I said I was also going to Stans and Sarnen and they said Stans! That’s where we live!!! I thanked them and never saw them again.
Arrived at hotel, confirmed house sale with Lydia and went to dinner having amazing thin crust pizza with ham, onions, pears and white sauce. Ate in hotel dining room. Prompt service and excellent food. Sat next to cash register, light wood all throughout. Only a few other bikers at breakfast.
Looking forward to 2 days of downhill running.
Day 5: Sat July 17: Andermatt to Seelisburg on Lake Lucerne. 34.6 mi. 3586 ft of climbing.
Andermatt is a mountain town with a cute small downtown, a small Flagstaff but quite touristy. Leaving town headed west-sw is a dive bomb downhill. There’s a spectacular trail past a rushing massive waterfall. There’s a cave like tunnel you can walk through to get to another vantage point of the waterfall. Lots of picture opportunities, but also a huge downhill. Mostly a painless uphill into Seelisburg. The town is high up on a mtn and so is Andermatt but you have to go down into a valley between the two. The hotel was nice but no WiFi in rooms. I had dinner in the dining room since the town really wasn’t and there weren’t other choices for meals. They were actually full but offered to get me in late just before closing which was good for me since I still needed to shower. There was a live accordion player from Zug-Luzern playing in the dining room. He had an electric accordion. Pretty fancy. He joined me for dessert and we chatted lightly in German. He plays there 2-3 nights a week. The lobby was full of loud tourists who are too social to be with their spouses in their rooms late at night. I went outside into the cold to call my family and check in. Went to my room where I noticed for the first time that my room faces a small courtyard and the dining room. From my bed I had wifi! Arg! Could have worked there!
Day 6: Sun July 18: Seelisburg on Lake Lucerne to Giswel south of Sarnen. 28.52 mi. 3,888 ft climbing.
Downhill leaving Seelisburg. Got to lake shore after following a stream which turned into a massive triple waterfall. Dramatic bridge over it in a few places. Hugged lake shore. Found a large white Swan feather which I put in my hat and promptly lost due to its heavy weight and me not knowing yet how to shove feathers in the band loops of my hat. Later I found a crow feather and a very nice small hawk feather that look good together. Those two made it the rest of the trip.
At one point going through a small town, the underpass was flooded and down to one lane. The sidewalk was dry but each time a car went by a tidal wave of water got thrown across the path. I timed it out to run between cars and just made it. The woman in front of me who told me there was no point in waiting wasn’t so lucky. Made my way around the lake and through Stans. Surprisingly, there’s a decent climb once you leave Lake Luzern and end up at Sarnen. Why does it always need to do that? The path south of Sarnen was also flooded and blocked so I ran on the edge of the RR tracks, along with at least 8 other people who were walking. Pretty tired by the time I reached Giswel. I forgot to ask about my package there until the next morning which created a bit of a problem. No other dining choices nearby so I ate in the dining room. Sat outside on patio. Had a small salad and fish, it’s what they’ve known for. Big big ice cream for dessert and two Sure Most brews.
Short night.
Day 7: Mon July 19: Giswel to Eggiwil. 33.65mi. 7969 feet of climbing. At breakfast I asked for my box. The host didn’t know what I was talking about. When I described a small box she held up the trash can. She didn’t speak anything that I did. Today was funny. I thought there weren’t any mountains in central Switzerland. Boy was I wrong! I was so wrong. I’ve even been on these mountains before. I’ve driven past them. Why didn’t I think they existed? It’s because when I drive west to Bern, it’s always flat in the car after leaving Interlaken. What I forgot is that the highway is in the valley! The Trans Swiss Trail goes up over and down every possible slope. So huge climb today. Did not expect that. Arrived at Eggiwil and walked to my pinned location for the night. That was a farmhouse. I realized that my place was a B and B so I was looking for a small house. I Google mapped the location and it said the hotel was 4.5km away, up a steep hill! I was so done. Instead of calling them, I flagged down a neighbor who was pulling out of their driveway. I tried explaining that I needed to get to a hotel up the hill. He said something in German which I didn’t understand. But soon enough I was in his car going at breakneck speed up there. He passed the BnB and went into the driveway of the next house. I knew we weren’t at the right place and I said I would just walk down the road to the BnB. Then a man walked out of the house and didn’t seem surprised to see us. My driver smiled, got into his car and drove off. The house guy got on his phone and started calling the BnB. I’m like, it’s not a problem. I’m going to walk there now. He didn’t say anything. Finally he gave me the phone. The woman did speak English and said that her BnB was full. I said that I had a reservation. She said she had a second hotel down the hill in Eggiwil, where I was supposed to be and where I had just been. I told her I looked there but didn’t see it and mapped it which told me to go up the hill. then I wondered how I would get back down there and the neighbor who had come outside laughed and said he would drive me down. As I got into his car he told me that the man that brought me up the hill was his brother. Oh! That explains it. How funny that both brothers live next to each location of this hotel with two spots. And I picked the one guy with a brother on the mtn! Back down the hill he drove me right to the place. To my own credit, the place didn’t have a name on it and was a huge hotel and separate dining room, with a mini golf course between them. It was also called something else. Ate a late dinner at the hotel.
Day 8: Tues, July 20: Eggiwil to Bern. 35.32mi. 3,970 feet of climbing. Morning climb out of Eggiwil. Miles rolled by nicely today. Was excited to get to Bern. Big city. Old city. Must have been a mostly downhill run because the miles came easy today and not too hot. Had hotel right on the old bridge. Shared bathrooms and creaky floors but clean. Ate at an Indian place that wasn’t Indian. Ordered spicy shrimp kabobs. Tasty but not to die for. Sat on patio on left end of tables, near arch and kitchen door. After I got a huge gelato at a busy shop just as it was closing. Had to wait behind a family of 8, service was really slow. Gelato was amazing. Loved seeing the sights in Bern.
Day 9: Wed, July 21: Bern to Murten. 28 mi. 1818 feet of climbing. Leaving Bern was an uphill. Miles came easy again but it was a warm day. I dunked my head under a fountain, which seemed to entertain the farmer couple sitting on their porch watching me. Drank gobs. Followed an endless river between cantons of Fryeburg and Bern for much of the day. Bigger climb near the end of the day as I rose to meet Murten. Was pretty cooked when I got there but the less climbing had me arrive in town by 5:30/6pm. Checked in. Hotel is pricey ($130? CHF) but with that, they give you a gold coin you can use at checkin to get a free drink from the vending machine in the lobby. Got an iced tea bottle and went to my room. A quick shower, a look on Trip Advisor found a Turkish restaurant with good reviews. I tried calling to reserve a table and they weren’t answering. So I just went. It was very full and there were others waiting for a table but I just caught someone’s attention and said, “Nur Eins, Bitte.” The man smiled and seated me. Then they moved me when I was mid meal. Then he moved an older couple, mother-son to another table. And a Bernese Oberland dog got up to leave and bonked their table and almost crop dusted their food with his hairy tail.
Day 10: Thursday, July 22. 29.79 mi / 4311 feet. Murten to St. Imier spent last nit at Mertenoff Krone Hotel in Murten. Nice place. Very nice buffet. Hotel is next to / part of? Castle next door. When I asked about the bike path around the lake, clerk said, “we’ll I ride my bike so I know that it is open. You have to go around the barricades but it isn’t under water. Boy was she wrong there. In the morning, as I left Murten, I enjoyed the mid-evil old town. Cobblestone streets and old quaint shops and archways. Lots of people out having brunch on restaurant patios.
Unlike what the hotel clerk said there would be, the lake had completely spilled its banks. The local authorities had gone out and put barricades across the trail and stretched flagging tape at junctions. The clerk did say I’d see that but said I only had to walk around it because the path was fine and open all the way around. I even had her show me on a big map and she traced her finger all the way around the lake where I needed to go that day, and she spoke good English, she just gave wrong info. I wiggled past the first barrier and found over the ankle-deep water all across the path. I tip-toed to the next junction at a cafe where there were people sitting out and the barricades became more serious. Now they were metal scissor jack fences that were chainlocked to the fence on either side. They REALLY didn’t want people going that way. In disgust, I turned inland and ran the main road paralleling the lake shore. After a 1/4 mi I thought it might be safe to return to the path. The car traffic was heavy anyway and I would have rather been running along the water. When I got back to the path, it was again locked up tight and fully underwater everywhere. No dice.
So back to the main road. As I rounded the lake, there was a farm access road that didn’t appear on the map and I ran that while I could. After Lake Murten, the trail goes up and over the only big hill between Murten and Lake Neuchtel. Bigger climb than I expected and it was getting hot again in the afternoon sun. Down down down the hill to the ferry dock where the trail crosses lake Neufchâtel. I knew the ferry wasn’t running due to high water. The hotel had told me that and I had checked the website as well. The dock was underwater and they also didn’t want to disrupt the fragile shoreline by making waves from a big boat. Instead, near the ferry dock, I found a set of grandparents at a city park with their grandson and dog. They were pushing him on a swing. Pretty typical, except that because of the flooded lake, the playground was also underwater and the swing set and the grandparents, grandson, and dog. The grandfather would pull his grandson way back on the swing and then let it fly forward. The kid would keep his legs tucked up so he didn’t crash into the water on the first swing, then on the second swing up he would drag his feet in the water as he went through. The dog was standing in front of them all and when the kid dragged his feet, it made a huge splash and the dog would try to catch the water in his mouth. Sometimes the kid would also drag his feet as we went backwards through the water and this had the effect of splashing his grandparents with water, which they didn’t especially want.
Now that I had officially arrived at the trail terminus of the lake, it was time to find another way around. There was a bus in about 30 min that would take me to a train which arrived at Neufchâtel, but first I was very hot and needed a drink. I tried asking at a kiosk for a slushy, but they didn’t understand. He did give me a cup of crushed ice and a Rivella, which hit the spot.
When I arrived at Neufchâtel, I ran down the hill to the boat landing on the west side of the lake so I would be sure not to miss any of the trail. Nice waterfront. There was a restaurant inside a wading pool over the water- not sure I’d want to share bath water with an indeterminate number of fellow patrons.
Steep climb out of Neufchâtel and very hot. Found a fountain partway up the hill and drank a quart and loaded up as well. Fairly long afternoon to St Imier through woods and long rural roads.
Arrived at St Imier at Hotel le Fontaine at 7pm. Walked around town. Most everything was closed. I noticed at 11pm that breakfast was at 8 and checkout didn’t start until 9! I hadn’t paid for my room yet so I panicked about such a late start to my biggest day, which was also sure to be hot. I heard voices downstairs and ran down the 2 flights to find the owner locking up and leaving for the night. He only speaks French so I typed out that I needed to pay now so I could leave early. He went inside, showed me the cost was 97 chf and I gave him a 100. He started to walk down the hall to get my 3 franc change and I stopped him saying, “stim so!” (meaning, keep the change) He stopped, and suddenly he now understood some German. He smiled big at me - the first time, and gave me a big thanks. So he got a tip, and he didn’t have to serve me breakfast which I had already paid for.
Day 11: St Imier to Porrentruy: 41.59 mi. 5089 feet of climbing. Early wake up at sad town of St Imier. The best pizza joint in town was on summer holiday. Looked like many stores were closed/ out of business, or waiting for their turn to die. Lots of smokers. Bed was too soft. The emergency exit for the hotel was my room. There was a sign of a staircase on my hotel door. Then there was also a key hanging outside on the hall, presumably to my room. There was a fire escape out of my bathroom window. I left at 6:30am to get an early start for the long day. Hottest day of the trip. Baking in the sun on open fields, but nice in woods. A few big climbs, including when leaving town, which I knew about. At the ridge line, I passed a fleet of wind turbines and a scout troop camping. The leader blew a trumpet looong to wake them up around 8am. At mile 30ish I caught a root with my shoe and went completely down, also ripping my shoe wide open along the side. Ran with that for the last 30 miles. Arrived at Porrentruy at 8pm. The plan was to check into hotel, drop weight out of pack and then run last 14km to border but there wasn’t time to do that. So I ran to train station and end of official trail and then back to room to shower and had best dinner of trip. The hotel has best reviews in town for food. Nice rooms too. The host knew of the Ecole.
Day 12: sat July 24. 9.13 mi / 476 feet of climbing. Porrentruy to Boncourt and Swiss/French border. Ran 8.9 miles to Boncourt and CH/FR border, arriving at 8:15am. Raining. Missed return train to Porrentruy by 5 min. Took the 9:22am train. Hotel will serve me breakfast at 9:30. I’ll be a few min late.
Then will shower, pack up and take train home.
Thoughts on Finishing
It was a great trip. I loved the lodging each night, the fine dinner, and light breakfast each morning. There are often grocery stores during the day you can stop at to get a midday snack. The trail is marked very well and easy to follow, though using the SchweizMobil app was very helpful when I came to several junctions with more than one choice. Sometimes, the trail marker was hidden behind branches. Other times, it was pointed in the wrong direction.
GEAR
Shoes
I started with Mizuno GoreTex Wave Inspire shoes. They were great as much of the trail was wet, muddy, or damp with dew in the morning. On day 8 I switched shoes to a pair of Hoka Carbon X road running shoes which was a horrible choice. They did not have Gore-Tex. They did not have any traction, and the uppers are so thin that when I tripped on day 9, the force of my momentum falling forward caused the left shoe to completely rip open along the entire side. I was slipping much in the mud as well. Poor choice of shoe for that terrain.
Pack
I wore an Osprey Manta 28 pack, which I have used many times before. The pocket design of the pack is excellent but the frame is not good for running. I had sores on my back from the metal frame rubbing against me for 10 hours per day.
Poles
I used Black Diamond Carbon Z trekking poles which were fantastic for the uphills. I sometimes tried them on the downhills but if it was very steep it was better to just use my hands. They are extremely light and highly recommended.
Hammer Products
I have relied on Hammer Nutrition products for all of my recent runs. I particularly like Hammer Perpetuem (drinking powder), Endurolytes (electrolyte and sodium balancing tablets), Race Caps (chemical balancers), and Anti Fatigue Caps (more chemical balancers). I've also had a lot of luck with Hammer Recoverite (drinking powder for the end of the day). In recent years I have tried Hammer gels and find that they are ok for sustaining energy but that they don't particularly satisfy my eating cravings. They are very convenient though and when I eat one I usually enjoy the experience. They are perhaps best suited for a shot of energy when there are no other options and you need to travel light.
