Lavaredo 80K: race information & review

The weekend of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail races has already ended for a few days. And I took the opportunity to make some cold-headed reflections on my race: the Lavaredo 80K.

Let’s start with the fact that it wasn’t the first time I went to Cortina to wear a bib. And I don’t even think it will be the last time. So, I knew well what awaited me.

Compared to the past three times (2016, 2017 and 2021) I went to Cortina with some substantial differences:

• The bib was not for the 120 km, but for the 80 km

• It had been 24 months since I had finished a race over 35km

• A little bit of everything has happened in these 24 months, including ankle surgery

• I didn’t arrive physically and mentally trained as in past editions. Really nothing even close.

Both in approaching the event and during the race, I implemented a series of tricks in order to finally be able to return to being a finisher in the ultras.

And as Francesca told me a few hours before the race: “If the physical condition isn’t there, use the experience. You have plenty of it“.

And so I did: I mainly used the experience.

Be clear about the goal

It sounds rhetorical, but it’s important to always set yourself a clear goal. I had only one: to cross the finish line in via Roma in Cortina, possibly smiling and still with energy to then spend Sunday with the family and start the working week again on Monday morning.

I didn’t have any timing ambitions because realistically I knew I was very far from a good condition (obviously at my amateur level).

To those who are close to me I said: “Consider that it could take me between 14 and 16 hours, if I don’t have any hitches. These are high times compared to races done in the past. But they are the most realistic times possible”

Outcome 2023: 13 hours and 54 minutes (Classifiche (utmb.world))

Handle your ankles with care

In mid-April I suffered a bad sprain in my right ankle, the one operated on in 2022. I speeded up the times to be on the Mottarone Trail at the beginning of May (it was supposed to be a test for Lavaredo) and there the ankle completely gave way at 18 km: withdrawal and many doubts about its recovery. After 10 days of treatments I did another test and after 24 km I twisted again the ankle. Third sprain in 40 days just over a month before the race.

After a few days of discouragement, I decided with Agnese (she is a super-physiotherapist) to try to make compression bandages and to test them in the following days during our Spanish holiday, despite the fact that the ankle was still weak.

Walking for three days with a full backpack on my shoulders and doing at least 10 hours every day was a fundamental test.

GR221: info, review and gpx

In June I limited my workouts to a few kilometres, mostly easy training or vertical competitions, always wearing bandages.

20 days before the race, I went back to trail-running, testing the bandage on a 5-hour run in the mountains. While the legs felt the absence of adequate training, the bandaging was again successful.

Let’s then go to Cortina and bandage both ankles before doing just one single kilometre!

Outcome 2023: no sprains and ankles that have suffered relatively little.

Energy management

In most of the ultra races I have poor management of both hydration and nutrition. I’ve always made up for it with good physical and mental preparation, but I couldn’t afford to make big mistakes on this occasion.

So I simply adopted a few simple precautions.

The first was to make a foil: for the whole month of June I don’t touch any chips, of which I am greedy (I know they are unhealthy!).

The second was to drink a sip of water or salts every time the stopwatch informed me with a small sound of the completion of the single kilometer. I knew that I could keep a pace between 10 min/km and 15 min/km and so the two went well together.

The third was to rigorously alternate gels and solids during the various kilometres.

Outcome 2023: everything went well up to 40 km (about 6 hours of racing). Then once the Val Travenanzes started, I was no longer attentive and able to respect what I had set myself. I suffered the usual crisis in this valley and only after Col Gallina (about 20km later) was I able to return to normal energy management.

For the records:

• 1 gel after 1h15;

• 1 bar after 2h30;

• 1 gel after 3h30;

• 1 banana, 1 orange after 4h15;

• 1 gel after 5h30;

• 1 soup, apricots, 1 apple, 1 slice of bread and jam after 6h;

• 1 bar after 7h45;

• 1 soup with rice, 2 slices of bread and jam, 2 sips of Red Bull after 9.35am;

• 1 soup with pasta, 1 slice of bread and oil, 1 piece of cheese (mistake, I should have avoided it), 2 sips of Red Bull after 11h20;

• 1 gel after 12h15;

• 2 pieces of orange, 1 protein wafer, 1 glass of coke after 12h45

Have an amulet at Passo Giau: my sister

Well yes! Two times out of three, Stefania was at Passo Giau waiting for me and cheering, and then I finished the race in Cortina. The only time (2017) that she came to Col Gallina, I stopped to sleep on the grass next to her and ended my race there.

Outcome 2023: Stefania at Passo Giau, Andrea finisher in Cortina.

LUT-Lavaredo Ultra Trail (ITA)-120 KM

Focus on what joy and happiness bring about

Friday, the day before the race, instead of resting and recovering some physical energy after the Italy-Germany-Italy trips (by car) of the last few hours, I decided to recharge myself with positive mental energy by literally “enjoying” the smile and the joy of Agnese at her passages at Col Gallina, Passo Giau and at the finish line of the 50 km.

Outcome 2023: so much joy for Agnese’s good performance that my weekend in Cortina could already be considered positively concluded on Friday evening. But above all a huge load of energy for my Saturday morning race.

Thank you Agnese.

Summary

Overall, I am very happy that I have achieved the goal.

This competition is not a starting point for me, but is simply the continuation of the normal path of self-knowledge in these particular competitions.

Let’s move on!

Lavaredo 80K: detailed information & gpx

Official website: La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB

Personal Gps move (by Suunto 9 Baro): https://maps.suunto.com/move/andreadefilippo70/6497b7c03feb2f01598fa81c (note that I never wear a Hearth Rate Monitor. The recorded bpm is on the wrist. Thus it’s not correct. Ditto for VO2 and calories)

Measured distance: 81,52 km

Measured Cumulative Gain +: 4472 m

Measured Cumulative Loss -: 4212 m

Measured max altitude: 2420 m

Start Date: 24/06/2023

Start Time: 07:00 a.m.

Start Point: Lago Mosigo, 32046 San Vito di Cadore (BL)

Cost: 119 € (1,5 €/km)

Air Temperature (average): 23°C

Weather conditions: sunny

Dominant Ground: trails, mule tracks and road (5%)

Ground Status: dry for most of the time; few short section wet in the last downhill

Technical Difficulties: few short passages before and after Col de Chi de Os

Refreshment Points: seven (km 9,5; km 28.1; km 38; km 50.5; km 57.8; km 65.3; km 73) (Note that, since the start, I personally had with me 1000 ml electrolyte sports drink in the camelback. During the race I also had two 500 ml soft flasks: one usually filled with additional electrolyte sports drink; the other one with sparkling water or coke in the last section of the race)

Lavaredo 80K: my equipment and results

Shoes Type: Hoka Mafate Speed 4 (Size: UK 9; EU 43 1/3; USA 9.5; JPN 27.5; Color: Navy Green)

Shoes usage at the start: 70 km; ca. 4700 D+ / ca. 4700 D-

Anklet: not used because I had two protective bandages on both ankles

Socks: Mico (Size: 43-46; Color: blue)

Calf Sleeves: Compressor (Color: Red)

Shorts: Raidlight (Size: M; Color: Blue)

Race Belt: Suunto / Salomon (Color: Black)

Undershirt: not used

T-Shirt: No Limits Team Academy (Size: M; Color: Red/Grey)

Arm Sleeves: not used

Gloves: mountain bike gloves (to protect the hand from abrasions when using sticks)

Wristband: Compressor Sport

GPS Clock: Suunto 9 Baro (Color: Black)

Backpack: Instinct X8 18L

Headwear: Raidlight Buff (first 40 km) / Salomon hat (second 42 km)

Glasses: Oakley

Trail Running Poles: Dynafit

Headlamp: not used (but in my backpack)

Wind/Rain Jacket: La Sportiva (Color: Yellow) (not used but in my backpack)

First Aid Help: rescue blanket (not used, but in my backpack)

Official personal time: 13h54’00”

Official personal absolute position: 229

Official personal male position: 192

Additional information

If you want more information or technical details related to this event, please do not hesitate to contact me or comment below.

Other information about races, results and equipments at the following links: Trail & Running | EmigranTrailer.

Enjoy Running & Trail Running!

Andrea De Filippo

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