Datalynx’s record-breaking fell runner Nicky Spinks relishes a challenge, and challenges do not come much greater that the Tor des Géants, which starts today. The race takes place in the Alps, includes a breath-taking distance of 330km, with 24,000 metres of ascent, and must be completed by next Sunday.
Nicky tells us that she loved this event when she competed in 2019:
“It was the first time I had run that distance and length of time. It took me 106 hours, so from Sunday to Thursday. We got snow on the first three climbs to over 3000m and that really affected everyone’s breathing, but I had a sleep of an hour on Monday night which really helped me. I also slowed down on the ascents so that I didn’t cough. I ran the last two days with Darcy Picau and that was brilliant. It will be interesting this year because I will know more about the course, but I only knew I could go two weeks ago, when Italy scrapped their five-day isolation rule for UK residents, so I’ve been ordering stuff and getting paperwork/tests ready since then.”
We wish her well…though I don’t think any of the rest of us wish to switch places with her!
Update, September 16th
And she’s finished! Datalynx Business Support Administrator Nicky Spinks has completed the Tor des Géants 2021 in 4 days, 5 hours and 43 minutes…for 349km! Resting for only the shortest periods, it’s an incredible display of ultra-endurance. Nicky is the third woman to finish, twenty-ninth overall, just to illustrate the scale of her achievement.
