For a year in August 2024, I excused myself from my year-long solo parenting stint and treated myself to the challenge of trail running the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit in 6 days. 100 miles long (165 km) and 10,000 m in total elevation gain (cf. Everest 8,848 m).
The route was first a geographical expedition led by Horace Benedict de Saussure in 1767 around the entire Mont Blanc Massif. The TMB route traverses through the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps, crosses over 8 mountain passes, and is a symbolic pilgrimage for many ultramarathoners. I was stoked when I first learned that Vagabond Trails was organizing an all-women's edition by our mountain guide Astrid Renet and guest Audree Lafrenière.
On Preparation
Having only gotten into endurance running a year ago, I fit in as many 80+ km weekly mileage as I could in the weeks leading up to the run to prepare aerobically for the long days out.
In hindsight, I needed more uphill training. Additionally, as the only hills in Singapore worthy of hill repeats were mainly tarmac or concrete, I also had little to no experience climbing or running with poles. The transferable skills with poles that experienced skiers benefit from were not something I had, as I never liked winter activities.
However, I do have my trips to the USA and Australia to thank for teaching me how to dress and run in cold temperatures. But running in the pouring rain in cold weather was new to me, so that became a gear issue on the TMB. Thank you, Australia, for the wildest trails that nobody really maintains, as that came in handy when we had to run technical downhills.
On meeting the fellow ladies
The night before we set foot on our big journey, I found myself in the company of 11 amazing women who had traveled from all parts of Europe, America, and Canada. BQ folks, marathoners, ultramarathoners, avid runners, and skiers would accurately describe the endurance accomplishments of my fellow trip mates. Yet here I was, having only raced half marathons this past year, joining the ranks of these wildly fit women; thoughts of questioning, "What on earth was I thinking?" (a la Sifan Hassan) arose often. However, one's appreciation of these strong women would not be complete if I fell short of sharing that within this same group were some with physical disadvantages (hearing impairment, visual impairment, orthopedic implants, surgeries, recent childbirth) and many with unique adversities in life. Yet, challenged as they were, they were all able to overcome life's obstacles, celebrating, living, and still attaining personal running goals at such high levels.
On hard things 100 miles with 10,000 m+ of elevation gain is hard, with many firsts for me: elevation, altitude, poles, back-to-back-to-back long days, technical terrain, and running with a pack full of survival essentials.
There was not a day that went by without me being emotional at some point. Some days, it was me wallowing in the misery of the relentless cold and rain atop high mountain passes, from which no one could bail me out. I, who put myself there, had to walk myself out.
It was particularly jarring as we started this daunting journey with the first two days in the rain. I recall being at Col du Bonhomme, already drenched and freezing, yet still struggling (and straggling) to put on more rain gear, when Astrid, our mountain guide, shouted through the wind and rain, giving tough love, and said, "You JUST have to keep moving to not get cold." In retrospect, that is such a great lesson for life.
Soon after, the sun broke through the rain clouds for just a few minutes en route to Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, and I teared up a second time because I knew it was a reminder from God that He had heard me in my prayer for reprieve.
On several other occasions, I teared up because when the uphills seemed like an impossible task due to my unfamiliarity with both altitude and the degree of elevation, I thought about how badly I missed my children and Zhou—how I left them behind for a week, yet they were surely cheering me on from afar and willing me not to give up. (Daily climbs could have multiple stretches of steep 20% hills for 4 km at a time while moving up in altitude, compared to the steepest part of our local hill, which is 18% for 600 m at sea level).
And then, there were times I cried when it was "easy" running because I couldn't even believe the reality that I was physically here, when one year ago, I was simply watching Jeff Pelletier's videos while on the treadmill. Every step I took so far—my local trail race, my half-marathon experience, my countless overseas solo explorations in the wilderness, UTA—all prepared me in part for this big run I dreamed of setting foot on.
On the final technical descent from La Flégère into Chamonix, I was overwhelmed with tears because I couldn't believe I had actually completed the entire TMB route, despite my daily routine of self-doubt. A poignant reminder came in the form of a sign that read, "If you never try, you never know," at the entrance of our refuge in Trient, and we centered ourselves before departing in the early morning for our final leg of the TMB.
On mental strength
Ultimately, I feel my body stood up to the test more than my mind did. Except for a small slip down a dry, sandy slope into Courmayeur, I managed to complete the TMB with no other musculoskeletal injuries. Although my lungs did feel out of gas nearing the summit of the climbs, I was glad that my legs held up to run the flats and downhills.
The mental game, though, `was the hardest. Perhaps because everything was uncharted territory. And perhaps that's one of the draws of endurance sports—as a training ground to step up to the next level of mental fortitude.
Endurance runners may be familiar with the Central Governor Theory, in which the mind often holds back what the body can do; hence the need to constantly raise the limits, in a manner best described by Courtney Dauwalter: "The pain cave grows bigger every time you visit it." And this mental grit and strength is so useful in other aspects of life!
Amusements
We started out as a group of clueless strangers from various corners of the world, put together to endure daunting physical feats with little personal space in communal living settings, and ended as friends we will probably remember for life. From "caffeinated bras/shoes" to guarantee your next PB (I don’t know if it was a slip of the tongue or a true hallucination 😂 @ Annika), to hardboiled eggs with Twix, salt & eggs in yogurt bowls, jello salads, downhill kegels to stop GI issues, synchronized cycles—there was not a single dull moment as we ran, climbed, and rested. Rinse and repeat.
Though there aren’t any physical fist bumps now, and our interactions are reduced to Strava kudos and the occasional WhatsApp text when a fragment of life reminds us of another, I eagerly await the day we meet on the trails again or perhaps attempt a Dolomites Women’s Only in the future!
Closing thoughts
The TMB course is truly badass and we all came out of it with mad respect for the UTMB runners who complete the entire course within the 46-hour cut-off time. Will I do it again? Well, looking back, I would classify it as a type 2 fun (I learned this from the trip as well!). I felt it was a really good training camp for the back-to-back-to-back big days, elevation, and technical practice.
Our amazing guide Astrid shared that there are so many variants to explore, and even with options, I don’t think any route will ever feel old. It is really useful if one ever wishes to attempt the series of races under the UTMB finals, or just wants some dedicated training time as a stepping stone for ultramarathon training. :)
From the majestic sights of the Mont Blanc Massif to the quaint towns en route, there was so much allure and untainted beauty in the wilderness, forests, and valleys. My world just got a little bigger as I became fascinated by new places, people, and stories, and got to know myself a little more. I dare say my appetite for greater adventures was set whet. 🏔️
This blog entry was written by Wen Yi Lim, who recently traveled with Vagabond Trails on our inaugural Women-Only Tour du Mont Blanc adventure. All the photos featured in this post are the property of Wen Yi Lim.
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