Now I’m sitting again in the bus back to Kunming airport. 5 hours bus ride on a lousy rainy day will not help to increase my mood. 
So the Dali100 Ultratrail was not successful for me. The race started well with 18km flat track from the start line to the foot of the mountain. The run to the top of this mountain was the hardest I’ve ever done. Dali city is located on 2000m and we had to run straight to top at 4070m, just with a CP at 3800m. When I arrived at this CP, it was snowing!
After the top we had to jump all the way down again. Back to 2250m. The first 500m just over lose rocks. That’s for me the worst terrain. I really cannot run, jump or whatever on steep downhill tracks with lose rocks, slippery mud or something like this. It’s like an phobia. The way up the mountain I past over so many runners with full steam in the legs but as soon as it went downhill I lost so many time again because I cannot jump down as a mountain goat.
Down at CP5 I already lost all motivation and my feet was burning from this ridiculous downhill run. But I still was 2 hours ahead of the cut-off-time, so I continued and started the march to CP6 which was 18km away.
Somewhere around km67 I felt a huge pain on every step in my right big toe. I knew straight away what happened. A blister opened and it was not one of that little blisters that come frequently. That was something serious big and I also knew straight away that my race will be stop here. 🙁
So I made the last 3km to CP6 under string pain and went out of the race there. There was still 8 hours left and without that open toe I would be able to run the last 30km within that time, but not under this conditions.
That’s the real bitter pills, but that’s also athletes life.
That was my fourth DNF (Did Not Finish) and all was long distance runs. But at least it was a race where I fought to the end and I gave not up just because of lack of motivation. These long distance races are always a fight against yourself. And if a race doesn’t work as it should be my motivation is quickly gone and I start to hate the whole race. Therefore I also won yesterday; Not a finisher medal, but the fight against my inner will to give up without any serious reason. And there are only two serious reasons to stop a race. 1. Your own safety and 2. Your own health.
I will add some photos to this post in a few days. My next post will be published also in a few days. That time from the Gobi desert in the far Northwest, where I will run a 50km race in the desert. That sandy race track will be also a new terrain for me.
