Extreme Adventure in Sierra Aitana! Discover the Finestrat Ultra Trail!

Extreme Adventure in Sierra Aitana! Discover the Finestrat Ultra Trail!

We publish the story of our ultra trail athlete José Cremades. 120 km. 36 hours from start to race closing.

A new adventure

An Ultra Trail of 120 km. The race closes 36 hours after the start. This time we publish the story of our ultra trail athlete José Cremades. Whenever something negative happens to me, I go in search of a personal challenge. When I overcome it and emerge victorious, it becomes a ritual to set myself a personal challenge to distract my mind and body, close past wounds, and open a new cycle of struggle, sacrifice, and effort.

That's how I found myself involved in this great challenge to end 2015 on a high note, both athletically and personally. Nothing less than doing a very difficult Ultra-Trail like the "Desafío Lurbel", a race consisting of a 120-kilometer route with 7,200 m of positive elevation gain.

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And suddenly a challenge

I already knew I had gotten myself into a real mess, a big one, and I wasn't very aware of the pickle I was in. But since I have Cremades and Rabasco blood running through my veins, what a mix!!! We're not stubborn! I still had to organize my training plan like the one I had for the 70 km Botamargues Ultra Trail in October, and continue to expand it with tougher workouts and night hours.

How to prepare yourself

These are some of the training sessions I set up for myself. Sierra de Crevillente 35KM 2100+ 40km 2,300+ Doing series at Puig Campana 3,600+ Long run through La Serrella. Bernia up to 52 km with 3,000+, Sierra de la Romaneta 42km with 2400+. Weekdays with specific flat training and hill repeats.

The accumulated kilometers in my legs were good, but I had barely trained for elevation gain, and even though I trained a lot, I didn't lose a single kg. And best of all, I didn't follow any special diet.

Of course, normal food, rich in carbohydrates, and a couple of sandwiches for the long runs, plus plenty of water and electrolytes. With all this training volume, my partner and I arrived in Finestrat. We booked a room in a nearby town called Polop, next to Benidorm.

I have to admit that the week before, I was quite nervous; I had a discomfort in my stomach. I just wanted the day to arrive, to be at the starting line, and hope my body would react well. The race started at 6 in the morning, and I had to wake up at least at 4, to be able to eat a good breakfast and get some food in me before starting.

Because of nerves, I made the huge mistake of overeating to the point of being stuffed before starting the race…

The start

With my backpack well-stocked with all the essentials (warm clothes, food, and supplements), the adventure began. At the same time as my modality, the 80km race also started, with which we would share the route for the first few hours. I started badly, making the first mistake by going out at a very high pace due to the adrenaline rush at the start of the race. But I knew I had 36 hours ahead of me to achieve the challenge.

“IMPRESSIVE START WITH THE BEST SPEAKER IN SPAIN”

As soon as we started, we had to face a vertical kilometer of 3.6 to Puig Campana. Between Sierra Cortina and Campana, I got lost twice, but only for about 1 km.

The route was a bit poorly marked, and I had to grit my teeth to make up for lost time and avoid getting stuck in a bottleneck on the ascent and descent of Puig Campana. By the descent, we had already accumulated 1280+, a tough climb. Unfortunately, on the way down, both of my calves cramped up, forcing me to lie down and ask for help, making me consider dropping out of the race… and it was only the beginning.

I had been 17 km thinking that I still had more than 100 km and 5,800+ to go, and that psychologically and physically leaves you very broken, knowing that something was not right.

I made a few mistakes

All this time, I knew I had overtrained and made the mistake of not going to the physio a week before. That was the second mistake I made in the race. I just had to improvise, and a similar situation came to mind from a 52km training session, and from my experience, I know what it's like to be in a situation where you want to drop out of a race. Curiously, one can improve, and even more so, start to enjoy it after many kilometers.

It was time to bring out all the good things and the experience that quality training gives you. All those grueling training sessions and the time I dedicated to this one-day race. I then remembered the Bernia training in my head, and that day we went out to do 52 km, and at 19 km, my calves cramped up, and I stopped for about 15 minutes. Then I slowed down and was back to my old self.

Keep going

As the hours passed, my body responded positively until, at the aid station at point 30, the two modalities diverged, and only those of us doing the 120 km remained. The influx of runners decreased drastically, and I did the following kilometers almost always with a companion with whom I got along very well. His name is Casto Juan Recio, who is an extraordinary person and whom I already knew as a great athlete and even better person.

My biggest fear was going fast enough and not being able to finish the race due to a calf cramp. Or having to face the difficult descent of Barranco de Monesillo with sore calves. It is very technical, and if you add to that that I don't have much respect for descents because it's what I like most about trail running. (It must be due to my experience skiing black slopes in my youth as a child).

Aid station

Fortunately, it wasn't the last thing I did during the day, and I managed to reach the Confrides aid station, but I had had wet feet for an hour after falling into a river. There was only one stone to step on, but it was wet, and it was a lottery, and I lost. I could only think of reaching the Confrides aid station and asking for a spare pair of socks and putting on warm clothes for when night fell.

Confrides marked kilometer 68 of the route, and there the second drop bag awaited us, where I had stored my warm clothes. After regaining strength with a plate of spaghetti bolognese that tasted like heaven and getting dressed for the cold night (it took me about 20 minutes), I tackled the famous ascent to Aitana, already with my headlamp on.

At this point in the route, I decided to join Yolanda Caballero, Jorge, “Lurbel”, Juan Casto, and Jose Manuel, Yolanda’s son, which I gladly did. We formed a great team; we helped each other and pulled each other along as if we were family. The experience was unforgettable! Thank you, guys!

Except for the last 2.6 kilometers, the climb was quite relaxed, running along very comfortable paths. The views at the summit, accompanied by the reflection of the full moon over the sea, were spectacular. But there was no time for comfort; a hard descent of the Sierra Aitana awaited us over rocky and steep terrain with many gaps between the stones where an ankle could easily be twisted.

And we successfully completed the descent without incident, very calmly, with great focus, always thinking about finishing the objective and, above all, securing the race.

I broke my distance record

Reaching the Port de Tagarina aid station, I had already surpassed my record for consecutive kilometers, which was 75km. I knew I had 45km more ahead of me. But thanks to the training in that part of the circuit, I had the most familiar terrain left, and I was very happy.

My body responded well until we reached the last rest area in Sella (90). By then, my legs felt great, and I got a huge boost and joy. I told myself – "You've already done 90km, give it your all and enjoy it, for being very conservative and thinking with your head, and not pushing until you broke down, so you could reach the finish line."

So, without stopping much to avoid getting cold, I resumed the path with a huge grin and cheering on any fellow runner who needed it at that moment.

The end is near

The last 30km we did a bit slowly so that no one in the group would be left behind at night, taking advantage to push on the climbs and false flats. But having to go very slowly on the descents because it was very dangerous, and even more so knowing the area was very technical. In these races, apart from physical fitness, you also have to know how to suffer.

After so many hours, it's impossible for nothing to hurt. But knowing how to counteract it is the key to success. To put the finishing touch on such an ultra trail experience, on the last descent in Sierra de Orcheta, with Finestrat in the background, I just wanted to run and run to reach the finish line, knowing that I had given it my all.

But I thought I would break that great group that had guided me to victory, and I relaxed.

And we arrived

And I started to notice the smiles on my companions' faces, and it spread to us until we reached the finish line, where all 5 of us entered hand in hand! With a spectacular race now in our hearts, at that moment, all the previous hours passed through your mind, and when you asked yourself if it was really worth it. Yes, sirs! That's right, it's very much worth it!

Especially for the moment of crossing the finish line, turning your head, looking at the stopwatch that reads 22 hours, and realizing that YOU were the one who achieved it. Just for that moment, it was worth it.

Many will wonder if it's really worth pushing the body to that limit. There's no need to look for answers; everyone simply does what truly fulfills them, and at these moments, I enjoy this hobby. It can be understood or not, but never criticize or question the effort of others.

From here, I want to thank my teammates again for their support and for introducing me to this demanding world. Although they had some doubts about whether I would make it... I understand, I was the first one who had serious doubts. I also want to congratulate my guide Juan Casto, Jorge Lurbel, Jose Manuel, and Yolanda Caballero, for their first place in their category.

And above all, I want to sincerely thank the unconditional support of my "Los Machacas" who accompany me wherever any teammate goes. They suffer more than I do with these races, but at no time have they questioned the correctness of my actions.

Time: 22:08 General Classification 53 Veteran A Category Classification 22 PD.

From the BeUrbanRunning team, we heartily congratulate José and his companions for the challenge achieved.