Norwegians rack up 82km in Ultratrail mountains
Footsore Volkswagen duo Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger completed more than 80 per cent of Saturday’s gruelling Zugspitz Ultratrail race in the German mountains before deteriorating weather forced them to stop.
They completed 82km of the 101.60km race in 15 hours and were on target to finish within the 24-hour time limit before aching bones and heavy rain prompted the Norwegians to call a halt.
Conditions on the Zugspitz mountain, Germany’s highest peak at 2968 metres, were tough as rain before and during the race made the paths sodden and muddy. With 73rd PZM Rally Poland less than two weeks away, the pair were in no mood to take risks.
“When we hit bad weather again at 82km we decided to stop,” said Mikkelsen. “Knees and ankles told us it would be good to have a rest and with pouring rain the decision was easy to make. We’re good at motivating each other and we needed that a few times before then.
“Still, I feel 82km isn’t so bad. Of course I wanted to complete the 101km, but 20km off is more than good enough. I think it’s a good achievement to run for 15 hours, it proves we’re in good shape. It was an absolute challenge.
“I’m proud we made it so far in those weather conditions. The scenery was incredible and the first few kilometres were particularly great when we ran with the front-runners,” he added.
