Not too long ago, the belief was that running
a marathon was a dangerous and possibly mortal feat. Nowadays, we find it
pretty normal to run four continuous marathons, one example being the UTMB.
Classic mountaineering recommends not ascending more than 1,600 feet per day,
with a very strict protocol, that turns the process into a sort of religion.
But challenging these notions, a race in the
Chilean mountains, called “Andes Infernal”, presents a route of 32 miles
starting at 10,000 feet of altitude, and going up El Plomo Mount, reaching the
top at almost 18,000 feet, and then going back to the base camp at 10,000 feet,
with runners completing this route in less than 10 hours, with no extra equipment other than their running shoes, three layers of clothes, a buff, poles and helmets, while a mountaineer
usually takes two days to finish the ascent. In just one day, skyrunners subject
their bodies and minds to 26,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain, and more
than 90% of them do not conduct any acclimatization. Even more impressive, some
runners that live at sea level ride up to the base camp, run the race, and
return to their homes on the same day. Nobody has been hurt during the race or had
any health issues after running it.
This might sound crazy, but it has previously
been studied and measured in Chile: In 1999, the first Chilean skyrunning was
held, reaching 16,500 feet of altitude. The University of Chile, through blood
and urine samples and other examinations, studied this heterogeneous group of
runners: semi-elite and amateur, ages 18 to 63, men and women. The results
showed what we empirically knew: there was no observable damage after running
at high altitude.
Last year, in the first edition of Andes
Infernal (http://www.andesinfernal.com/),
with a group of more prepared, but nonetheless amateur runners, the stakes were
raised to 18,000 feet. The runners had the privilege of being the firsts in the
world to run a mass (open entry) ultra skyrunning, in ascent, non stop, at
such a high elevation. Running uphill during the whole night, with temperatures
of 5 degrees Fahrenheit, they considered seeing the sunrise at the top of the
mountain a priceless experience, and reported an incredible feeling of victory
in completing this feat.
With this and many other examples, we have
learned in the last years that mountaineering protocols are too conservative;
that healthy persons (verified through previous medical examination and preparative
training runs) can perform these physical efforts in a safe fashion.
The next initiative in the books is a skyrunning in Ojos del Salado, a Chilean volcano that happens to be the tallest in the world, with a height of 22,700 feet. South America has incredible places for trail and skyrunning, and a life is not enough to get to know all the routes that were opened by the Incas, with remains that still can be found along the Andes Mountains.
The next initiative in the books is a skyrunning in Ojos del Salado, a Chilean volcano that happens to be the tallest in the world, with a height of 22,700 feet. South America has incredible places for trail and skyrunning, and a life is not enough to get to know all the routes that were opened by the Incas, with remains that still can be found along the Andes Mountains.
Marcelo Rojas
