Race Results

Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset 2012, 100 km Ultramarathon and 42 km Marathon

1st August 2012, Lake Hovsgol National Park, Mongolia

Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset 2012 Race Report – 14th edition 1st August 2012

We write to you from a fairy-tale part of the world in the north of Mongolia with untouched nature and vast open space, with Hovsgol Lake- the Dark Blue Pearl of Mongolia, surrounded by lush green hills, mountains reaching for the sky, and dense alpine forest of taiga. 96 rivers and streams empty in this majestic clear-watered lake being the second largest fresh water lake in the world and containing 1% of the world’ fresh water reserve. The whole area is the part of Hovsgol National Park. Never heard of it?
If you are a trail runner, adventurer and/or nature lover, you should!

For the 14th year in a row, runners from all around the world gathered for a 100 and 42km race on a trail that many believe is “the world’s most beautiful 100km”. We run typically on horse trails through the National Park, along the lake or up in the mountains/forest with a total elevation gain/loss of 3365 meters.  This year, 20 nationalities came – from New Zealand and Australia to the USA, from Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, to Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Norway etc.; part of the fun is that the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset family is global! Runners arrived from all these countries at the meeting point at the Genghis Khan Airport in Ulaanbaatar on Saturday, July 28th to travel together on a flight to Morun, 600 km northwest from Ulaanbaatar. From there we take 3 hours by jeep ride to the camp, on and off the road. This ride is our first encounter with vast spaces of Mongolia, a country more than four times the size of Germany and population of only 2.8 million. This makes Mongolia the most sparsely populated country in the world. You could run for days and days through rolling hills and lush green grassland, and you may not meet a person. Maybe a few sheep, or yaks, or a lonely horseman? This year, we had a glitch when one of our vehicles broke down half way and participants started to enjoy the clear stars, waiting for the better equipped good ol’ Russian jeeps to be sent back.  These runners had a late arrival at camp, and were happy to finally slip into their local gers with raging fireplaces in the middle. Even in summer, nights here at altitude of 1600 meters above sea level are fresh, if not cold.

The days before the race were not only used for rest and acclimatization. All participants enjoyed everything this beautiful place has to offer: horseback riding  with local horseman’s escort, fishing on the lake, mountain biking, a canoe trip on the small lake near the camp or on the big lake, a walk in forest, and even swimming in the lake. This was nearly impossible in the previous years, but this summer seems to be exceptionally warm and dry. Even swampy parts on the course have been pretty dry, so you could arrive with dry shoes to the finishing line. And weather was all week simply perfect; a lot of sunshine, beautiful clouds forming above the lake and then nearly every day a quick shower either in the afternoon or during the night: and these conditions were the same on race day too!

Many runners could simply not wait for the start and explored the first 17km of course, all the way up Chichee pass at 2300 meters. And all attended the mandatory  medical check which our doctor Martin preformed with lot of humor and many good pieces of advice on what to do and what not to do for and during the race. If he knows it so well, why he is not running with us? He has actually run few times shorter distances and seems that is developing a taste for running. Go Martin, go!

Organizers had to double-check the trail and refresh the famous green markings on the stones and trees, to make sure that nobody gets lost. And by doing this they managed to spill a full container of green paint in the back part of new jeep belonging to wife of owner of the camp. Someone had to clean the car until very late in the night to make it usable for the next morning. And we had to prepare a fresh container of paint for marking the second half of the course.

This year, two special people decided to do something even more courageous than running 100K.

They decided to run the rest of their life together. Chalotte Vad, our time keeper from last year’s race, and Steen Holck, 100km experienced runner and member of MS2S organizing team, went first on  a long horse trek visiting a local shaman. Usually we ask this shaman to help us arrange good weather for the race. This time, in addition, he performed a wedding ceremony!  And, later back in the camp, on the shore of lake Hovsgol, we had a wedding party, with traditional Mongolian food and music, bonfire and happy people.

Good luck and happy life together Chalotte & Steen, our “first MS2S couple”!

On the race day, there was an early wake- up call at 03:00 with a Mongolian folk song. Full moon was just setting behind the trees and sky was still full of stars, indicating good weather. It was just the right temperature too, and just before start at 4:30am we were all singing “We shall overcome….”.  This lifted spirits and charged us up for what was in front of us. Equipped with torches, the runners entered the dark and hilly forest for the first two kilometers, one of the most dangerous parts of the trail.

This time, again, one athlete was running from the very beginning, not only to win, but to set a record. Was it coincidence that Aug.1st is a national holiday in Switzerland, and that Florian, who is Swiss, has his birthday on very same day? He was so fast that at 12km, the Chichee Aid Station staff were totally surprised and a touch unprepared to see him. He just ran through the check point and went straight up the hill, running the whole way up this very grueling 700 meter climb. And he kept moving fast the rest of the race, coming in at 42km in 3:55 and then winning 100km in the new record of spectacular 10:03, which is 30 minutes better  than the previous record of Gregory Feucht  from 2005 race. Congratulations Florian! Second was Andrew with impressive 11:03 and guess, his birthday was on Aug.2nd. What a wonderful present he made himself for the birthday!?! Third for the 100km has to be mentioned as well. Tumenbayar from the athletic club in Moron finished with 12:28, but in running shoes some runners would not be able to run 10km in. Immediately after the race one fine lady runner donated to ecoLap enough money to purchase him some new running shoes. Very nice gesture and we hope to see Tumenbayar next year.

We are so happy that the winner for the men’s 42km this year was the local Hovsgol runner , 21 years old, Bat Ulzi, youngest of three brothers from nomad family  Sandagdorj. His brothers ran in previous races and the father Sandagdorj is long-time supporter  of our race and our program of keeping the park clean, winning a few times the award of environmentally cleanest ger in the park and working this time as well as a volunteer at the Chichee aid station, very enthusiastically cheering all runners. Steen was second place in the 42km, and opted this time, serious as a married man should be, not to continue on for the rest of the 100km. Next year Steen!

There have been a few ambitious veterans on the trail for 100km. Doekle Johannes argued before the race that sufficient protein intake during the run is a key to success and he proved this by winning with 14:11, drinking soy milk all the way, herewith our “soy-winner”.  Marc did not like to switch (yet! ) to soy, believing more in his two weeks training/preparations in the mountains of Hovsgol National Park, and finishing second with impressive 14:26, sorry that he did not push a bit stronger in the last 12km. If you would know Marc’s race number equaling his age, you would understand what a great performance this was. What would be MS2S without Marc running and giving participants on one of his evening slide shows of his traveling in Mongolia in remote places where even few locals go. His photography is stunning. This year in winter he traveled with his eight camel caravan in the West of Mongolia, shooting again fantastic photos and presenting these, and others, in an impressive slide show with carefully selected music. One minute behind Marc was Nicolas, demonstrating a strong performance, running on a magic mixture of soy, electrolyte, sodium chloride and who know what else?  Should we start checking for doping?

42km for veterans has been won by Peter Hopkins with 7:24, followed by Zvoni who dreamed to try to hit 100km again. He realized at 76km that he would be too late for a sauna and opted for this.  To count as a veteran, you must be 50 or above. There was a discussion if a separate category above 60 should be introduced, or limit for veteran lifted higher?
Who cares? It is important to be there, run and finish. The rest is academic!

What about our ladies? If you recall that a Swiss won 100km and other Swiss was strong second for 100km veterans, having a Swiss lady winning 100km with excellent 13:37 by Viviane, makes impression that Swiss National Holiday (“Bundesfeier”) on Aug. 1st was a great motivation and inspiration for runners of that country. We should take care about this when selecting a date for the next year’s race (second week in August, 2013, to be confirmed).

The fastest woman on 42km were Ina and Brittany, Peace Corps volunteers  from USA on assignment in Mongolia, with 6:16 and crossing, by design, together the finishing line (“Veni, vidi, vici!” ), followed Suzanne DePaulo. Suzanne continued trying to hit 100km, but then decided that “76 is enough”. Next time Suzanne!

Veteran 42km was won by Barbara from Germany with 6:58, yet she was disappointed that she was not able to improve her time over 100km from two years ago, especially after good training on the slope of Fuji mountain in Japan and after successful finishing Salomon Stage Race in Alps only few weeks ago. But sometimes you simply do not have your best day! And for running 100km, even 42km, here you have to have your best day. Neither second in this class, Eva Irene, had her best day. After finishing 42km she left for 100km, but in the wrong direction, i.e. north, instead of south, running in total 61km plus, yet getting her 42km time recognized.

25km special category has been arranged on the spot for few walkers who came to Hovsgol just for the nature or as an escort. It was fun for them and it worked so well with this fantastic sunrise over the lake. For the whole race we had great weather; sunny, but not too hot, a bit of rain in the afternoon and full moon again for those who did not go very early to sleep. Yes, some started to celebrate on the every same evening of the race!?

We have listed fastest three runners of each category below and here again congratulations to all runners and all winners, because we all did a very, very good job. And for a very good cause!

For those of you who follow the projects that are funded by the MS2S and by your consistent donations over the years, here is the summary of our progress for major projects:

1. ecoLeap Foundation continues to organize the garbage collection in the Hovsgol National Park (840,000 hectares, bigger than Yellowstone park!?),with new truck purchased recently (old one was no more usable ) and a new driver who operates this for eco-Leap
2. eco-Leap is continuing with innovative garbage bag distribution and collection at the main gate of the national park. The bags have ecological messages printed on them, together with instructions that all garbage brought in the park must be collected and carried out by each tourist in the provided bags. And the number of tourists is increasing because the road from Moron is getting better and better.
3. We continue with a program of increasing ecological awareness-building activities in the Hovsgol National Park, and particularly the program with children in the local school in Hatgal. Eight children have been awarded this year with school backpacks and attended our award ceremony on the last day in the park
4. We support local shaman, local culture and try to preserve reach traditions this country side has, particularly horse-trekking deep in the mountains and forests of the park. This year there was one group of runners who went for such a trek before that race, and other who decided that after the race is a better time. Those who attended such treks have no words to describe the beauty and spirit of these.

Obviously, all proceedings of the race are used for above activities. This would not be enough if we would not have through the year, and particularly for the race, special donations. Steen was again on the top before the race donating for the new truck.  And two fine ladies managed to collect great donations by pledging to finish 42km (Well done Amy for your first ever marathon!) and 100km (Well done Annabel for your return for second 100km at MS2S, and, we have an appointment for the next year, don’t we?).

The day after the race was recovery day with exchanging stories and experience, followed by a special dinner and an award ceremony. And it was difficult to go to the warm ger knowing that this is last evening and next days you will no more have such nice bunch of running buddies around you, and moon over the lake Hovsgol will be without you. And there you are tempted to promise yourself: ”I’ll be back!”

PS: For a successful race you have to have great and good runners, but many others have been essential in making it happen. What we would do without Erke who was working “25 hours”, and her husband marking trails supported by Tom Baatar who was the horseman at the highest point of the race, kitchen who did feed us well, sometimes at impossible times, Sara having for us always cold drinks, the local musicians and dancers who again have been doing double duty to tend the ger fires and hot water thermoses. And all other personnel of the camp. It was great to be with you and we runners hope that we have not been too difficult to you. And there was Shuree in back in Ulaanbaatar taking care of all bits and pieces. Thank you Shuree very much. More to come!