Nízkotatranská stíhačka 2023 (101km / 5489m+), Telgárt - Donovaly, 15.7.2023
I did jetfight 😅
In my notes, I'm recording another iconic Slovak ultra-trail mountain race - Nízkotatranská stíhačka (Low Tatras Jetfighter), perhaps not so demanding in terms of parameters, but this year spiced up by the elimination at Čertovica and fired up by the summer heat wave. But that's how I like it 😀
I am signing up with doubts about myself and my ability to fit into the announced number of 100 with permission to continue from Čertovica to Ďumbier ridge. I am booking an accommodation in the 1* Hotel Telgárt, which is long past its best days, but what more does a person need - a bed, a shower and as a bonus - a view from the room window of Kráľova skala and there somewhere behind it looms Kráľova hoľa which we are to climb the next morning.
The idea of elimination at Čertovica makes me feel dizzy and stressed, yes, I confess without torture, I honestly do care. I really want to run the whole race, go over the whole ridge in one go. So far, I've run it in two strokes - read here and here and it's time to combine them. But I don't believe in myself, I imagine they'll all sprint away from Telgárt to Čertovica and I stay somewhere on the tail, flaring behind them like a forgotten ribbon. At the same time, I visualize the feeling of happiness when I reach Čertovica, where they inform me that I am continuing. These images alternate schizophrenically in me and I can't get them out of my head.
I try to run a faster (for my conditions) 50km at Strážovská 50, Ultramagura in Zázriva (I was not good there) and on Strečnianská Mašla (I was quite good there) and when the snow comes down from the mountains, I run up as much as time and duties allow. I also do a session from Čertovica to Zadná hola and back - the most annoying section of the NTS route - I get completely wet, showered with rain and washed by soaked vegetation. Well, it will be funny at the race 🙄. I study the mandatory equipment, the route, all the tricks, detours, rules, what is allowed and what is not.
I devour all Rišo's reports and blogs from all the previous editions of NTS. As time speeds up, so do the finish times, track records are falling almost year after year and who knows what it will be like this time. I prefer not to look at the start list, I just catch the announcement that 83 men and 17 women (out of 25 registered) will be able to continue. My faint hope is dawning 😀
I make an appointment for a massage for the Tuesday before D-day. On the Monday before the Tuesday before D-day, the masseuse texts me that she has to cancel my appointment due to a death (not hers) and so I have to rely on a massage from Wish - a foam roller. Well, it will be as it will be. I keep telling myself, trust the training, trust the process.
The Butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough.
Time is wealth of change,
but the clock in its parody makes it mere change
and no wealth.
Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time
like dew on the tip of a leaf
-Rabindranath Tagore
(Thank you, April, for this reminder)
And so everything in me finally calms down and I start to look forward to it. I arrive in Telgárt on Friday afternoon and go exploring - after all, I need to take a thousand photos of the Chmarošsky viaduct and have the obligatory coffee at the Depo Café. There I meet the Hošek gang and I'm totally having a Déjà vu from Plesnivec Skyrun, when we were sitting together having coffee before the race in Ždiar at Hotel Magura in the Year of 2020 when Covid was still raging.
At Depo Café, I have a decaf Vienna, but I suspect they gave me a proper, caffeinated one, because I didn't sleep at all that night 😃 but why not. After all, I won't get any sleep the next one either 🤷.
After coffee and dessert, some kind of dinner would do 😏 so I visit the hut next door, it was recommended to me in the hotel. I was warned about a local pizzeria in the center of Telgárt. So I have a menu in the hut and it's quite good. Later, after the presentation, I will induce crowd psychosis and a crowd of female runners consisting of Julka and Majka get talked into having dinner in this hut. They drag another crowd of runners with them, consisting of Juraj, Rišo (yes, that one) and his runner friend with his family. So we take a walk to the hut (my second time) to find out that they only cook until 7:30pm and close at 8:00pm. It is 7:40pm. Sorry, fellas 😬 this didn't work out for me. That left us with the dreaded pizza place, but as it turned out in the end, no one got poisoned this time, they make amazing fruit lemonade and the fun there escalated to pleasant ultra heights. Stories about eighteen coffee beans, a leg in a basket and the Tall Tatra are not easily forgotten 😁.
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Prezentation. Photo: Rišo P.
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In the morning, I have a Speedano shot, hoping that it will carry me at least through the first five-kilometer sprint to Šumiac.
The starting line, aka a crack in the asphalt, is said to be a witness of all editions of NTS, and in front of it, things slowly converge, gather, take pictures, chat, joke, etc. Today it also witnesses the following:
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Low Tatras women's strike
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At 6:00 a.m. a shot rings out and we're off into the warm Horehronie morning. The forecast promises a beautiful hot sunny day. We run along the bike path that has recently been asphalted and I welcome it - I don't mind the asphalt, I appreciate that my feet are not soaked in the first kilometers from the wet grass. 5km of asphalt on a 100km route has never killed anyone, there are races where there is much more of it. So, for me, a big plus for the opening. We fly through the checkpoint in Šumiac, but no one notices that there is also a small aid station. I noticed it, though, and immediately turn to it together with Beata and we ask for Cola. That's probably us, the only two runners from Rišo's report who showed up at the first aid station 😅
On the way up to Kráľova hoľa, nature calls me (I tried to hydrate properly so that the heat wouldn't knock me down, and now I'm bearing the consequences - I hope I won't be knocked out by the density of pee-stops), so I run up a bit and look for a suitable spot. Men really have an advantage here 😀 A few runners pass me in the meantime, and then I gradually catch up with them again. We climb into the cloud of Kralova hola, in which it is cold and a cool breeze blows. Many put on their wind jackets, but I find it an unnecessary delay, as I am sure that there will not be a trace of a cloud around Bartková. It's quite nice to get whipped by the icy wind before we get the hot slap of the day.
For the first 50 km, I am allowed only one photo, and that is behind Kráľová hola, where it is the most beautiful part. But I exceed this limit even before reaching the top 🤷 anyway, only a big gray fart can be seen out of that most beautiful part. The descent from Kráľová goes like clockwork, we emerge out of the cloud and the sun leans into us. Good thing we didn't bother with those wind jackets. Bejka and I are running together and Majka's light-blue bag can be seen shining in the distance.
At the unofficial aid station near Andrejcová, it's cheerful, they offer everything, we have something and continue along the pleasant stretch to Sedlo Priehybka. I remember the climb to Veľká Vápenica well - from below it seems long and steep, but it is short and fast. We are up before we know it. The dreaded descent to the Priehyba saddle is behind us just like that and we are greeted by another refreshment station full of hospitality, goodies, and kind and willing volunteers. It occurs to me to ask how we are doing. Apparently, the 12th and 13th. That sounds pretty good 😀 let's just not rest on our laurels and don't let ourselves be overtaken by the 14th, 15th, 16th... Encouraged by this success, we rush to Kolesárová, which is getting more and more overgrown with trees and bushes. There are not only ugly passages behind it, however. There is a lot of beauty and splendor there too.
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Veľká Vápenica, photo: Michal Bačinský
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| Photo: Lucia Dances |
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| Photo: Lucia Dances |
I'm chilling at Čertovica for about 45 minutes, which means that some of the girls that I took down on the last section overtake me, but I don't care, as long as it doesn't end here for me. I am delighted to meet Danka T., a former colleague who is now the soups and pasta manager here. There is also my friend Lucka D., who came to cheer us, and there are a lot of other great people to chat with 😅 Danka, Dominik and Marek serve us like queens and kings, I get nice coffee on request. I have Danka's delicious soup, toast with spread, fruit, water, and I don't know what else. I put bars, gels, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a buff and a headband from the drop bag into my backpack, and inform a few people who are cheering me on remotely that I'm continuing on. Tinka and Lucka take pictures of us. I'm soaking up the atmosphere, it's amazing here. In the meantime, Bejka, Monča, Magda, and other girls arrive and talk each other into continuing to the second part - some of them don't feel like going any further, but in the end they just go on.
It's also time for me to move on - after all - we're only at Čertovica and this blog is already so long! Who is supposed to translate it afterwards 😆 I'm saying goodbye and throwing myself at Lajštroch following the motto of the day "Throw yourself into action, just don't throw up!". I'm slowing down, there's nowhere else to hurry and this ridge should be enjoyed in all its splendor. I feel that the previous chase took away my strength, but I expected that. I won't play jetfighter any more, I'll just be a Low Tatras glider.
Climbing up, I let the world know that #imgoingupupup and like this, with a phone in my hand, I am caught by some guys walking opposite direction. They inform me that it will take me until midnight with my phone in my hand like this! Well, I wish you'd be right, if I was at the finish line by midnight, that would be great! Who knows where I'll be at midnight... (at Hiadeľské sedlo 😂) I'll reassure them not to worry about me and my phone in my hand and continue climbing. The sun is baking and leans relentlessly into us. The clouds are moving away from it and the scorching heat is bitterly hard to bear. This is too much even for me, a summer heat lover. My head is on fire and I'm just praying not to get a heatstroke.
I try to push my thoughts away and prefer to enjoy the surrounding views and melt down at the fact that I'm moving on, that I'm "running" (well more like crawling at the moment) the Nízkotatranská stíhačka and that the whole endlessly beautiful western ridge of the Low Tatras awaits me 😍 Well, this 😆
Before Besna, I meet a former colleague who immediately hugs me, I don't even have the chance to protest. He has some kind of disgusting shit perfume on, and then I smell that "scent" on me for a good chunk of time. Yuck! I just hope I won't throw up. People, why do you put perfumes on to go to the mountains 🙈
There's a freezing cold at Štefánička hut just like in a Russian film, but behind it it's hot again. It's full of contrasts today. At Kamienka hut, I learn that the first one is already at Hiadeľské sedlo. Omg, wtf??? Never mind, I'll have another soup, tea and other snacks, I'll use the porcelain and sit in the lee for a while, then continue along the granite section through Dereše.
The ridge is already deserted and the sun is still quite high. In the distance I can see a figure here and there like a small colored dot, maybe a runner, or a hiker... Between Poľana and Chabenec I meet herds of chamois that don't even bother running away from the trail. They are already used to crowds of people. I switch to walk to go around them so as not to frighten them with a sharp running movement and I speak to them.
I wonder where the sunset will catch me. At Chabenec? Ďurková? The further I go in the daylight, the better. At Chabenec, the sun is still quite high above the horizon. Following the correct green trail, I run down to the cozy Ďurková shelter, where there is another aid station with soup and cosmic energy, oh, what a luxury 😍 I won't forget to pour tea all over myself and I also indulged a sitting fellow runner, you're welcome.
Following the same green trail again I return back up to the ridge. I relish this part very much, soft grassy undulating ridge without people, wonderful views far into the distance and a feeling of freedom, solitude and peace. And I'm probably hallucinating because I can hear cowbells. Here? Ah, so I'm not hallucinating, I almost stepped into a cow shit 😀 but only almost, so I won't be lucky 🤷♀️
An international group of runners catch up to me. And there, somewhere around Zámostská and Latiborská hola, a beautiful sunset spectacle took place.
The landscape plunges into darkness, the fiery red on the horizon turns black, and nothing can be seen anymore. We turn on the headlamps somewhere under Veľka Chochuľa. Somewhere there in front of us, the faint outlines of the Chochuľa ridge is still visible, and a long traverse leads to it. Headlamps can be seen climbing up in the distance. It starts blowing really hard, the cold wind leans against us with a force similar to that of the sun before. As long as it blows into our back, it's great, but when it pushes us from the side, it's exhausting. On the way up to Veľká Chochuľa, I let myself be carried away by the crowd consisting of Jaroslav and pull on my long sleeve. It takes me 5 minutes in that wind! That's exactly the 5 minutes, thanks to which I didn't have a finish time under 20 hours 😁
I've been to Chochula and Prašiva three times already, but they always surprise me with their vastness. The grass waves wildly in the strong cold wind and turns white in the light of our headlamps, the lights of civilization shining below us. And Donovaly city also shines somewhere down there. We pass a wooden sign with the inscription Prašivá and run down. The wind stops and it's warm again. I take off the long sleeve (approx. 2 min). The epic descent to Hiadeľské sedlo I prefer to go carefully, my legs have had enough, my eyes are tired and my head is in doldrums. I don't want to repeat the somersault into the blueberry bush, it might not turn out well this time. In addition, there is no blueberry around, it's all rocks. And supposedly there is a bear here somewhere. But I don't even care anymore, let it come and eat me.
A grueling descent through a steep stony stile leads to a short forest section and it spits us out in the saddle under an electric mast. I order a coffee in the aid station shelter. Katka Hybka cooks me a deadly cup, off which I live through the next whole day 😂 thank you. A refuge for people on the verge of collapse, where they all cheer up at once and don't want to collapse anymore. It's funny here, there are also Yogoši 💗, the story about twisted eggs and other things are being discussed here. I'm leaving the oasis under the electric mast. The other Katka escortes me and tells me to look up before turning on the headlamp. I'll look up. The black sky is dotted with stars like never before. Thanks the second time. I turn on the headlamp and rush up the last steep hill of the day and night. I don't even know what time it is. I stopped watching it since Čertovica. I have the feeling that makes me feel being on the route for at least 20 hours. However, a number starting with 18 makes me happy and a gentle smile appears on my face 😀 Maybe I'll do it around 20 hours today. When Julka asked us last night what time we estimated, I hit a rather wide-spectrum interval - something between 20 and 25 hours, and I'm glad that I'll probably do close to the lower limit. That is, if nothing significant happens in the remaining ten kilometers.
I climb behind the headlamps that shine vertically up above me. I have to take a breather now and then. But so what. At Kozi Chrbát, I meet a runner who must have made a mistake because he is running in the opposite direction. And he's not a mistaken runner, he's a running friend from Instagram, whom we meet in person for the first time at 1 at night randomly somewhere on the top of Kozi Chrbát 😁 But so what. He is said to be going to Hiadeľské sedlo to wait for his fellow runner.
With an Indian trot, I conquer Kečka and a few small, inconspicuous but at such an advanced stage of the race already noticeable bumps in the forest (which I fortunately remembered from two years ago, so they didn't have a chance to mentally break me down today💪) and I find myself at the desired gate bar out of the forest. Asphalt. The last two kilometers and I will be at the finish line of Nízkotatranská stíhačka 2023 😭 I am not crying, you are! That is, if nothing major happens in those two kilometers.
Nothing major happened and I'm here 😅
I receive a decent clangor of bells, a medal, a diploma and congratulations. Thanks for the nth-time. I thank the organizers for reviving Stíhačka after the period of Covid and Nufia Mafia, and at such a high professional level! Everything was tip top ready, everything worked like clockwork. Once again, incredible volunteers everywhere, thanks to whom we could properly enjoy the race. The route is beautiful and well-known, I didn't even have to follow the navigation on my watch (and that's probably a good thing, because it is said that the gpx of some runners was confused - It swept them off the trail somewhere around Ramža). I just kept track of the climbs, which, according to Garmin, were a total of 49, and on those climbs my watch measured 5489 m of elevation gain. The route was 101 km long. Finishing time 20 hours and 5 minutes. Wonderful feelings. I congratulate everyone who successfully reached the finish line, either at Donovaly or at Čertovica, a huge hat off to the performance of the winners, that's something incomprehensible to me. And a round of applause to everyone who lined up for the start on Saturday morning. It was another wonderful day and night spent in the mountains in the best company.
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