Report from day 3

Today we were down in the village and lucky enough to find an internet cafe. Not because we ran so fast but because today's leg started earlier than normal - a cold front is approaching the NE Alps and the race organizers wanted us all down in the camp before the snow set in!

Today was the hardest day yet _ only 33km but an ascent of 2465m, which,to put it into perspective, is 2.5 x up Table Mountain in one day. We're finished, not sure we'll make it to tonight's slide show. Each evening the photographers show their best pictures and video of the day, mostly of the top runners flying up and down the mountains, but good to see, otherwise we wouldn't get a glimpse of them, they're off in a flash as the starting gun goes each a.m. and then they're showered and dressed by the time we reach the end.

Day one started with a gentle meander up from a picturesque German village called Oberstdorf. We thought we were doing well until we realized we'd only climbed 250m in the first hour or so and still had to do that day's 1500m. Things rapidly got steeper until we were forced to walk up the Madelejoch, our first Alpine pass. At the top was the border crossing into Austria. Then a steep descent to what we thought was the finishing village, but no, up a second climb through a ski resort to another village called Steeg.

Day two was a mix of forest paths and technical trails which is a euphemism for dangerous paths with fixed ropes for climbing and some scary traverse over avalanche debris and shale. Then a steep seemingly endless descent into St.Anton. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly abandoning the camp(about 300 runners sleeping on a hall floor with washing hanging all over the place) and sleeping in a bed with an Austrian duvet and soft mattress in the village together with Jane's parents who were there to meet us.

Tomorrow is a marathon, have no idea how long it will take us. Today's 33km took us nearly 9 hours! The standard of running here is phenomenal. We are keeping just ahead of very strict cut-offs. Lots have been pulled off or retired and we are just hanging in there!! It is wonderful to be surrounded by these elite athletes _ serious about their running, eating and sleeping, and very focused. There is a small bunch of us normal folk at the back of the pack however, and we are having FUN.