Ultra Fatra 2022 (57km / 3600m+), Harmanec - Ružomberok, 30.7.2022

 Wellness and mud bath included in the entry fee

I ran Ultra Fatra for the first time two years ago, and the race enchanted me not only because it takes me 20 minutes by car from my home to Ružomberok, but also because of its atmosphere, difficulty and the beauty of Velká Fatra nature. It is different from the Tatra or Little Fatra. The steep climbs and descents are in stark contrast to the undulating grassy ridge that stretches far and wide.

But I have already forgotten that Japeň has two peaks, that you go to Krížna over three humps, that you have to run up one more hill after Ostredek and only then follows the descend, that the traverse around Ploska to Chata pod Borisovom is looooong as... , that the traverse from Ploská under Rakytov is even longer. But I haven't forgotten how beautiful it is there. I haven't forgotten that Ploská is not that Ploská (flat), I haven't forgotten Rakytov, nor Sidorovo 😍 I haven't forgotten how it feels to reach the finish line of Ultra Fatra. And somehow I wanted to experience it again.

I'm not sure if it was a good idea to do it four weeks after Malofatranska 100, but we have to live here and now, right? We'll die later 😂 and so early on Saturday morning I sleepily drive to Námestie Andreja Hlinku in Ružomberok, where the finish and base camp are. Buses then take us to Harmanec for the start line. The forecast first promised hot weather, but later it changed to all-day downpour with the possibility of thunderstorms. Everyone on the bus is kind of silent, absorbed in their thoughts. They are certainly praying to Perún that he will hold off with those storms at least until Sunday. Before the start, the organizers warn us that if the probability of storms increases, they will send us a text message to go around Rakytov taking the yellow trail instead climbing to the top. Subsequently, at least one person begins to pray to Perún, not to postpone the storms until Sunday, because the hope dawned on him that he could avoid climbing Rakytov, right, Kuko? 😁

It's not raining at the start, so the early morning pre-start small talk can take place in a good spirit. The mood improves, time is running out and at seven o'clock we set off for the initial warm-up climb to Japeň. I'm doing pretty well, I'm hiking up nicely step by step and break to a jog here and there, I'll go around someone here and there, someone goes around me here and there. The train shakes up, everyone finds their place and position. We climb over Japeň and ascend to Predny Japeň. The views of the main ridge, Krížna and Ostredok open up. The haze rises from among the hills and from the forests, it would be worth taking some pictures. But my mobile phone is wrapped in a plastic bag and safely hidden from the rain somewhere deep in my running vest. Whatever. I accept that there probably won't be many photos today. However, there is a professional photographer Lukáš Budinský on the route. He will take care of  amazing shots for us 😊.

Downhill from Japeň. Photo: Lukáš Budinský

Downhill from Japeň. Photo: Lukáš Budinský

I'm mentally preparing for a muddy run down to the Staré Hory, but to my surprise, there is a nice heated road from Japen to the Staré Hory today 😍 I join Monika and we run along the picturesque path together, discussing various topics. At least the time flies fast 😁 I remember how two years ago this run whipped my thighs and today is no different - we're heading towards the aid station / K1 and I feel like I have no legs. It's as if only my torso is floating above the pavement. A completely crazy feeling!

On K1 (9.km) I clap hands with Belo and Aďka from Jogošík, I'll grab something to eat, (won't) find my legs, soak up the great atmosphere, pose for a photo to Tinka with a T-shirt from MF100 and move on. The climb to Majerova skala is difficult and a kind of depression comes over me. I don't know why - it should be the other way around. I usually doze off after the first aid station and wake up after it, but  now I can't and don't wake up. I imagine myself lying in bed in the evening and I'm really looking forward to it 😁 but before that I still have to run the remaining approx. 45 km and 3000 altitude. Aaah fuck...

At K1 - Stare Hory with Monika Halúskova. Photo: Tinka

Karin joins me with her dog Towie, and as fate would have it, we will run about two-thirds of the route together. For a while I pull (or brake 😂) them, for a while they pull me and so on. Together we climb Majerova skala and eat up the ascent to Krížna. It's foggy at Krížna, just like at Krížna - be careful not to take the wrong red trail, in the direction of Kráľova studňa, but the right one, in the direction of Ostredok! We trot and jog through the path along a beautiful runnable grassy ridge. Sheep and cows graze on the slopes. There even aren't many tourists here today. Subtly, though, the mud starts to add up, the trail is slippery, every step a skid. We try to find the driest paths possible, the mud is slimy, slick and sticks to our sneakers. Soon, however, we "conquer" Ostredok, followed by one more hill, a descent and a run through Koniarky and Chyžky. I'm finally getting a bit of a start, I really like this section a lot. There is more mud, but also more tourists in jackets and raincoats (we are still in shorts and T-shirts - it is drizzling only very lightly) and a good mood. I'm so looking forward to Cola under Borisov. From Chyžky, we go below Ploská and breathtaking scenery opens up to us. Well, what else can I do - I have to dig out the camera from my vest and take some pictures so that there is something to put on Strava and into this blog 😁

We turn off the red trail to go around Ploská ("Flat"). We will later climb it from another side, the least flat one 😅 the traverse to Chata pod Borisovom is slippery, it skids and slides in the mud, we have to be careful. The hut can't yet be seen - it is hidden in the haze. And maybe that's a good thing 😁 but soon we are there and we climb the small hill leading to it. K2 - 26.km - volunteers write down our numbers and off we go to replenish the supplies. We need to eat well, because it is far and especially high to the nearest aid station at Smrekovica. While we eat, good people refill our bottles, pour coke, try to fulfill our every wish. Strengthened and refreshed, we leave the oasis below Borišovo and boldly run into the next section.

Before ascent to Ploska. Karin and Towie

The climb to Ploská... is steep. Karin is running away from me, I'm dragging myself. But at the top, boarded with pincers, she is waiting for me. Pike the bib (self-check point) - and we continue down to Sedlo Ploská. It's starting to rain. We ignore it for now and just state that the weather has been kind to us so far. It has actually been perfect running-wise. Pleasantly cold, no heat, damp, refreshing. No storms anywhere yet, not even an SMS from the organizers. So we will probably climb through Rakytov, which looms there in the distance.

Downhill to Sedlo Ploskej, Čierna skala, Minčol and Rakytov in the back

The section below Čierna skala and the traverse around Minčol (another Minčol 🙅) await us first. The trail is getting worse and worse - muddier, wetter, more slippery. We try to jog as much as possible. Majo Priadka, who is here on his long training run, passes us. Just like that, hop hop and his dreadlocks disappear into the thicket. We, on the other hand, tap tap, skid, slide, boom 😂 and there it is. A big mud stain on the ass. If it's just mud, it's fine. By the time I will have gotten to Malinô Brdo, I'd get washed by the showers anyway 😁 Immediately we both trip over the same I don't know what, and Karinka even gets scattered all over the trail because Towie pulled her. Running with a doggie - it's not just about him pulling you and helping you. I admire it, because in addition to yourself, you must also take care of your four-legged friend, take care of his well-being, so that he has enough to drink, that he is not hot or cold, that he does not roll around in some shit, that he doesn't eat anyone, etc., etc.

Fortunately, all our falls were performed without any difficulties and we continue through the really nasty traverse around Minčol. The trail is weathered in many places, wet, slippery, but it is beautiful here. A decent downpour is coming. We emerge out of the forest into a meadow full of gray-cyclamen thistles and into the next traverse and suddenly we are here. In Južné Rakytovské sedlo. Rakytov towers over us, massive, tall, huge. No text messages from orgs anywhere, no signs of thunder, so the route is clear. Several colored dots are already climbing up ahead of us, so up we go too. The scenario repeats itself - Karin escapes me, I'm dragging myself, but I'm going. A small stream flows down the trail and I'm trying to find my way in it. The downpour is getting stronger, cold wind starts blowing, truly beautiful weather. However, I am glad that the storms have bypassed us so far and we did not have to change the route. After all, what would Ultra Fatra be without Rakytov 💗

Karin is already waiting at the top with pliers, both she and Towie are shivering from the cold. It's time to put on the rain jackets. Karin warns me that the run down from Rakytov will be a massacre. I probably wouldn't even call it a run, rather a "step down" or "crawl", just one of the many "lovely runnable sections" on this route 😁. Here, too, a stream flows down the path, the fact that it is slippery is not even worth mentioning. But we manage this part too and run into the forest. In the mud and downpour, at least one gets better at maintaining balance, at finding balance even where it seems impossible. Oh, how many people I would send to run a couple of such delicate ultras, they would immediately stop moaning about stupid things. A beautiful school for life. I think of Maťa and her last year's Bojko Trail, of Peťa and Paťo and their Serbia, of Majka, who is currently fighting for her dear life on the Grossglockner Ultra Trail. Comparing that, Ultra Fatra is a piece of cake today 😅 BTW, Majka gave an incredible performance and finished as the fourth woman, and first in her age category. Hats off.

Traverse to Smrekovica. Photo: Lukáš Budinský

We swing over a few hills and there we are at K3 Smrekovica (40 km). Everyone is hiding in the shelter from the downpour (or in the trunk of the car, right? 😁) but the spirit there is great, as always. And they also have hot tea here 😍 I tell Karin not to wait for me, she has a faster pace than me, let her and Towie warm up a bit at least. In the end, she accepts, but we agree that it was very nice to share such a piece of the route in those conditions that nature prepared for us today. It made us a lot happier. She said that it helped her a lot - apparently,  they actually rested slugging along with me the whole time. Then they kicked off from Smrekovica, finished a good half an hour ahead of me and won the category of runners with doggos. Having a dog (and long legs) with you probably has more advantages than disadvantages. Noooo, it absolutely wasn't the fact that I was running slowly and that I didn't have ANY legs with me at all, because mine left me somewhere behind Japeň 😂.

We set off from Smrekovica together with Kuko, and run for some kilometers through the forest and blueberry bushes in a friendly frenzy. I was looking forward to this part because I really like it here. Today there is water all over the trail and it is not even worth avoiding the puddles anymore. It pleasantly cools the feet, in fact. My fingers are totally soaked and shriveled, I don't even want to imagine what my toes look like. However, I do not feel any blisters yet. Kuko doesn't feel them either, only a few days ago he got a new pair of Altra Timp 3 based on (also) my influence and immediately took them to Veľká Fatra for christening. He praises them. Phew, I was relieved 😅 he could have knocked them on my head instead. I'm also wearing Timp 3 today and I suggest to him that we take a picture of the shoes together at the finish line and post them on IG and tag each other like real wanna-be-insta-influencers. Unfortunately, it didn't happen in the end, and probably fortunately unfortunately 😁 maybe some other time.

Together with a few other runners, we swing over to the Nižné Šiprúnske sedlo, slip to Vyšné and cross a pasture with beautiful black cows.

If all cows could have a life like this, that would be life! We have the last few mud slides to go that will take us to Sedlo pod Vtáčnikom. A short run through the forest and there is a luxurious run down the slope to Malinô Brdo. Everything is already hurting me, plus we miss the trail, which is impossible to miss, because we are trying to follow the line in the watch navigation and it leads us completely off. There is a thick fog, so we can't even navigate visually based on the objects down there, and somehow I don't remember it from two years ago. We run breakneck through high grass on a steep hill and after a while we somehow eventually find ourselves on the route. K5 (50.km) shines through the fog, it gradually takes on sharp contours and finally we land down there. The worst part is behind us, but the worst part is yet to come. Is it even possible? Yes, yes it is 😂 I'm having the last watermelon, banana, bread with Nutella, coke, chat with Belo about Altra shoes and set off to conquer that Sidorovo.

I've been there three times already, so I was ready for all its tricks. Today I was worried that it would not be possible to climb the steep muddy path up, but fortunately, the path was quite dry by today's standards. All you had to do was grit your teeth and climb up. After all, what would a person at Rakytov give to be at Sidorovo. I immediately fall in love with it and hike on. The remaining altitude meters on the watch (also in reality) gradually decrease until we finally reach the top. We mustn't forget the last self-check - we peck the bib numbers with pliers at the designated place and that's it. Just a descent down to Ružomberok. Yeah, suuureeee 😂 Having said that, let's stop for a moment at the concept of "descent from Sidorovo". The watch may be showing "No more climb on this route", nevertheless, as Norika says,

Don't let yourself get fucked!

First, you descend sharply (today on slippery slimy roots), only to be able to climb steeply up again in a while, and this is repeated about three times, and when you start shedding some tears out of desperation, the hill takes pity on you and finally spits you out on the meadow above Ružomberok Calvary. And from there it's only a kilometer and a half to the finish line. On asphalt. No mud. No water, no slime 😅 just weave through the alleys, run the whole Námestie Andreja Hlinku and there it is - the finish gate of Ultra Fatra. Bells are ringing, people are cheering, runners sprint the last meters with a smile on their faces and special medals are hung around their necks. Everywhere there are smiles, chatter, sharing of experiences. In that early evening, jokes circulate in the community about rafting down the Rakytov, about Wellness and water slides included in the entry fee, etc., etc. Luckily, nobody used the electro-shock treatment today It was a beautiful experience and for them I thank the organizers of Ultra Fatra, the entire Slovak Ultra Trail community, all the volunteers at the aid stations, Perún for hearing our silent prayers (not Kuko's), fellow runners with whom I had the honor to share longer or shorter sections. Congratulations to all the finishers.

We meet and greet with Karin and her family at the finish line. By the way, they organize canicross and dogtrekking races in Greater Fatra called Fatranský Vĺčko. I chat with Vandulienka and the Hošek family, with Kuko, Braňo, Vladko, DJ Eugen, and I don't know who else, and am pleased to meet Julka, who went here for her weekend adventures.

My ultra-galactic time of 10 hours 25 minutes was enough for 14th place among women, but it was 10 minutes better than the one from two years ago, which, given the conditions and the fact that I was probably not quite recovered after the MF100, I was pretty happy about. So I consider the expedition a success. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't go to races to race (even if I try not to slob around much), but to chat 😂 and above all to reach the finish line healthy and within the cut off time, enjoying the beautiful nature. And that's what happened today. Apart from two bruises from my running vest, it was done without any injury and with only one and a half falls. I ran PRs on the segments, so, as they say, despite going slowly, I actually went pretty fast 😁

Results: https://hiking.dennikn.sk/ultra/live/84/ultra_fatra2022.html

Ultra Fatra Web page: https://ultrafatra.sk/

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