STREČNIANSKA MAŠĽA 2023 (50km / 2830m+), Strečno, 17.6.2023
One doesn't simply climb the same Minčol twice
The Strečnianska mašľa (ribbon) event is rumored to be a nice little amazing event with an amazing atmosphere and even more amazing soup, organized by the local tourist club KST Uhlík Strečno, by people who really care that the runners are well taken care of, that participants take home great memories, feelings, impressions and rich prizes and starting packages. Today marks the fifth year of the event and the second year being part of the Slovak Ultra Trail league - which attracted almost 170 runners to the start of the long, 50-kilometer route and almost 200 to the shorter, 25-km route.
The ribbon has become a great knot this year - due to the reconstruction of the bridge in Strečno, it would be quite complicated to make a loop through Suchý in Krivánska Malá Fatra, so the organizers pulled the route twice through Minčol in Lúčanská Malá Fatra. I was looking forward to Suchý, I've never been there before, but nevermind, at least I'll repeat twice the Minčol impressions from last year's MF100.
The early morning is cold, the runners arrive slowly, the parking lot is filling up, the queues for the toilet are getting thicker. I'm having Speedano - a new booster for women (in my opinion, men would also tolerate it) on the Slovak market, made in Slovakia. The taste is strawberry-caffeinated, sweet and bitter, and there is no need to pour half a liter of water t oit, 1-2 dcl will do. Then you won't feel like a gurgling tank full of sugary energy drink while running. But it seems I took too much, and in the first few kilometers my heart is about to jump out of my chest. OK, next time one heaping spoon will be enough, not two, especially if I had coffee an hour ago 😅
So, we're off and run up the village first, then up the road with a long ascent, winding under the Strečno castle, through Sedlo Rakytie to Sedlo Javorina, where there is K1 and K5 at the same time. I'm trying to calm down my heart, happily jumping out of my chest, but I'm not being very successful 😅. The long ascent is followed by a 5 km descent into Kamenna dolina. The cold morning turns into a sweaty and steamy day, the sun tries to pierce its rays through the white-grayish haze. Two women run past me, looking great. It motivates me enough to push myself a little and get some effort out of myself bordering on the border of the comfort zone. These initial kilometers passed rather quickly for me, we didn't have time to get hungry and thirsty from the first aid station, and the second K2 check point at the mouth of Kamenna dolina, with its folding tables, is tempting us with its goodies. Well, we better eat something, there is a long and steep climb to Minčol ahead of us and there will only be water at the top.
We embark on a very familiar path through the forest. I'll take one more Maurten gel just to be sure I won't get switched off somewhere in the middle, and go up. I'm doing pretty well, am overtaking a few people and feeling full of energy. Much better than two weeks ago in Zázriva. We climb through well-known places and I fondly remember my Malofatranská a year ago, it was really beautiful. As much as I gently cursed that Minčol then, now I love it, as it brings me the most beautiful memories.
We climb up into the fog and up there it's exactly the same as it was a year ago. The path winds through the bright green bilberry and traverses us to K3 / K6 in Sedlo Okopy. There is only water on offer and I have enough in my flasks for now, so I am not stopping. A short ascent to the top, the cross is almost invisible in the fog. It's cold there and a cool wind is blowing.
On the six-kilometer descent to Višňové, there are alternating steep and less steep sections, a rocky-rooty trail (I have to pop off the trail and everyone I passed on the way up is now overtaking me and running away) and a runnable path, forests and woods, beautiful Rivendell and an ugly forest road, a meadow, a ski slope with a baby lift, a bit of asphalt (I am thinking and analyzing that it will be interesting to mentally prepare for having to run all this one more time) and another meadow on which there is K4 / K7 Višňové. I eat a muffin, yes!, melon, orange, banana, sugar, drink kofola. I refuse the legendary soup with thanks and roll away, a snot hill awaits me (a hill that is long and stretches like a snot) again in the direction of Sedlo Javorina. It's not possible to run the whole section (for mortals like me), but one feels embarrassed just walking it, so I'll take it in turns like an Indian. I'll grab one more Maurten just to be sure I won't get switched off somewhere and am trying to entertain myself by watching the maps from time to time to see how I am not progressing 😁
Right under the saddle, Rišo P., hiding in the bushes, jumps out of the bushes and aims his lens at me, it's a good thing I was trotting at that very moment 😅 But I don't have a photo, I couldn't download it from the storage for some reason. In Sedlo Javorina on the K1 / K5 we are being served by nice volunteers with a smile on their blue lips, who, I guess, have already frozen here - it is still quite cold here, the sun's rays have not strayed to this place yet. I eat Nutella bread, drink kofola, add water to the flask and take it to the second climb to Minčol, this time along the red trail.
The hill suddenly rises, and is immediately more nutritious and invigorating. I overtake some 25-ers going at a tourist pace, we praise and encourage each other. It's immediately more cheerful here, on this Minčol. I like climbing it from this side too, steep forest trails, sounds like me! I also pass around some cyclists pushing their machines, I run around ordinary hikers and some more 25-ers. I swing over Rázsošná and Úplaz, under which the Višňové tunnel runs, and before long I descend to K3 / K6 in Sedlo Okopy.
The haze has dissipated, the sun leans onto the hills and warms pleasantly. Finally! I finally know what it really looks like at Minčol. It is beautiful here. The second downhill to Višňové goes by rather quickly, I don't know if it's because I'm running through already familiar places, or if I just switched my head off. There are many tourists on the route and every now and then I pass another 25-ers. The second time I find myself at the aid station in Višňové (K4 / K7), I refill what I need to refill, but I underestimate the water, thinking that what is left in my softlasks will be enough for those final 8 km with ~300m climb. What a cruel mistake...
The following section through meadows, asphalt, other meadows and around the quarry in the baking sun will make us quite exhausted. I don't know why, but it is precisely on these kilometers that the sun lens its full weight and sucks fluids and energy from us. I like the heat and tolerate it quite well, but I could have refilled that water in Višňové... well, it's okay, we're in the forest in a little while and it'll be fine. Yeah, suuurrreeee 😂
I was alerted and I also read in reports from last year about the legendary Kojšová and the lookout with the characteristic name Špicák. That is such a baby-Sidorovo from Ultrafatra. I, who have already been retrained three times by real-Sidorovo, admit without torture that this Kojšovka smashed me better than both Minčols at the same time. And I am arguing with myself what was worse - the climb so sharp that it rang in my ears, or the descent, where I was hugging all the trees that stood by the trail. My life was saved by mineral water, which was on offer at the last K8 near the lookout. I survived it all safely, however, and even outsprinted two other young men on the last kilometer to the finish.
At the finish line, they inform me that I am third in the "experienced female runners" category, and I look at them like a puck. I thought there were at least 5 "experienced female runners" ahead of me, but if you say so 😄 I'm really happy about it. Monča came second and we will stand on the podium together 😍 we are both really happy about it. I'm glad that it's over and that I feel good about the run. It was a beautiful day spent in beautiful nature. The route was really nice and well marked, there were wonderful, kind volunteers at every single check point. The atmosphere at the finish line is priceless, enhanced with excellent food, exactly as I like it and why I came here for. A nice change from the finish stews (I have nothing against the finish stews 😅).
We chill, chat, lay around in the sun and share experiences from the route. I'm getting a request to write a report, so here you go 😃 Thank you to the organizers KST Uhlík Strečno and co-organizers Slovak Ultra Trail, all the volunteers and fellow runners and friends for a beautiful day. The event owes nothing to the legends circulating around the world about it.
(Note: this blog is not sponsored by Speedano or Maurten 😀 but it could have been 😅)
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