by Michelle Henry
So, I ran a super cool race in Europe back in June.
The TLDR version is that I rain the Grainau Trail Race, which is part of the Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail – Germany’s largest trail running event. This distance is just under 10 miles with about 2,500 ft elevation. If you get the chance, definitely check it out!
If you’ve got a bit more time, let me take you on a little adventure!
Earlier this year, I found out I’d be jetting off to Germany for work in June. Naturally, I thought, “Why not turn this work trip into an epic personal getaway?” So, I went into full “travel-planner mode.” The big questions were: Where to go? Why? And for how long?
My solution, of course, was to start Googling! I started searching for concerts and trail races in Europe. While the concert scene didn’t have anything that piqued my interest, the trail races were overflowing. After sifting through a ton of great options in a ton of cool places, I stumbled upon something truly exciting: the Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail.
Picture this: Nearly 4,000 runners from 67 countries and 46 exhibitors coming together for an event featuring six distance options, a professional livestream, and a vibrant festival atmosphere spread over three exciting days. Here’s the lineup:
- Grainau Trail: 9.94 miles | 2,493 ft elevation | Saturday 12 PM
- Garmisch-Partenkirchen Trail: 18.02 miles | 4,725 ft elevation | Friday 10 AM
- Mittenwald Trail: 27.34 miles | 6,102 ft elevation | Saturday 7 AM
- Leutasch Trail: 42.28 miles | 9,409 ft elevation | Saturday 9 AM
- Ehrwald Trail: 53.43 miles | 13,349 ft elevation | Friday 11 PM
- Ultratrail: 65.90 miles | 16,663 ft elevation | Friday 10:15 PM
It’s a trail runner’s dream, amiright?! And the timing was perfect! Still feeling a bit bruised from an Oil Creek DNF last fall and a not-so-stellar first half of 2024 with minimal running, I wasn’t exactly oozing confidence. I decided to play it safe and signed up for the beginner-friendly Grainau Trail. With that commitment in place, I built the rest of my trip.
I finalized my itinerary, and it was pretty awesome: a couple of days in Belgium with co-workers, followed by a few days in Germany for work and the race, and then a 7 a.m. flight to Poland for some solo exploration before heading home.
But, plot twist! If you follow me on Strava, you know my plans hit a snag. Two days before my departure, our work trip was canceled. Cue the panic and scramble! Now, what’s a runner to do when their well-laid plans go awry? Adapt, keep moving, and make it work to get the finish. And that’s what I did.
Within hours, I rebooked my flight, this time flying into Poland with absolutely no plan other than meeting up with a co-worker on Sunday and making it to Germany by Friday, the night before the race. As per usual, I found myself thinking: “It’ll all work out,” a phrase my brother (PPAC President Steve Vida) often says as a sincere reassurance. However, sometimes it is accompanied by a knowing laugh, which suggests a hidden subtext: things might not actually work out, but roll with it anyway, hold on tight, and hope for the best. This was one of those times. Sure, this motto might bite me in the ass someday, but for now, it’s still going strong because everything really did work out!
After road-tripping through Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany, we arrived in Farchant, a small village in Bavaria, late Friday afternoon. We checked into the hotel and took the short train ride to the race expo in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I grabbed my bib, checked out the vendors, got my first official pre-race photo, and soaked up the energy and excitement of the event. Since some of the races had already started, the town was lively and buzzing, especially near the finish line. It was time to find some food and get back to the hotel to get everything situated.
Race day:
With a later start time, I avoided the dreaded early morning wake up and rush to the start line. Instead, I relaxed on the balcony taking in the amazing (and slightly intimidating) mountain view before grabbing breakfast and catching the train into town. Once there, I walked a short distance to Olympia-Kunsteisstadion, a skating stadium built for the 1936 Winter Olympics, to board the shuttle bus to Grainau, where my race began.
At noon sharp, the race started – German punctuality at its finest! For the first few minutes, my mind was filled with all the typical thoughts. For me, these are: “Why am I doing this? I don’t belong here,” “Am I going to make the cutoff?” and “What if I don’t finish?” But soon, these thoughts faded as I settled into race mode. They were instead replaced with the sound of spectators lining the streets to cheer on runners as we winded through the town and into the trails. The cheering was replaced by the sound of roaring cowbells–on actual cows–as we ran through the herd. This happened randomly throughout the race, and it was fun to see and hear them as they roamed alongside (and sometimes on) the trail.
The scenery was breathtaking and the views of the towns from atop the mountain were stunning. The climbs, though challenging, didn’t feel as difficult as I anticipated.
I reached the highest point of elevation right around the 5-mile mark – greeted by cows again 😊. Before I knew it, I was at the aid station with only 3 miles of mostly descent left until the finish. After a quick Coke and a smile, I continued. The overcast skies hinted at rain, which also pushed me to wrap this up.
After descending the mountain, the race finished with a brief jaunt through the town, leading into the home stretch and across the finish line. As I finished, I heard the announcer say, “Michelle Henry of the United States and a Pagoda Pacers Athlete” – the highlight of my day!
Afterwards, I changed into fresh clothes and grabbed some post-race food and hit the road again – this time off to Prague! Perfect timing, as the sky opened up and it poured almost as soon as I closed my car door.
Final thoughts:
This race was top-notch with excellent communication and organization. I’d love to go back and tackle one of the longer distances.
Next year’s dates are June 12-14th and there’s already a big announcement for 2025: the debut of the ZUT100, the first major 100-mile trail running race around Germany’s highest mountain. Registration opens in November.
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