Incredible trail running in Zermatt Switzerland I UTMB preparation

[@ErickMartinez-qj3gf]

Great video Rafael...greetings from Chihuahua, Mexico...

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks Erick! 🙌

[@AriaZoner]

I originally came to your channel for the scenery but have stayed for the wisdom. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your adventures.

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks Aria your comment means a lot to me. The values dimension is super important to me. Ultra running and life share many aspects. I think of my children when i do the voiceover. Trying to pass on some important personal learnings.

[@alaskahudson]

​@@rafaelhidalgo I am running my first trail race in a couple of days here in Canada, and I haven't really done any trail running. There is a lot of vertical (for me), should I use poles if I haven't used them before, or just run without them? Thank you, John

[@rafaelhidalgo]

@@alaskahudson hey John, definitely use the poles 👍

[@alaskahudson]

@@rafaelhidalgo Thank you. I'll check back in after the race (50km).

[@cristinaarceo9136]

Well done Rafael! Congratulations for nailing another tough ultra race like this. Most importantly your incorporation of wisdom in this kind of adventure is very heart warming. Thank you so much Rafael. Strong!❤🎉💪🏽🔥

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks a lot Cristina! 🤗

[@ianl4518]

And after reading Gary Robbins' vlog about how UTMB screwed over his Vail race, you now know why I've been banging the 'UTMB expansion is bad for the sport' drum for so long. Anyone that's raced IM for more than a few years could see this coming a mile off. I abhor UTMB and everything it's destroying about the essence of trail running. Don't say you weren't warned. 😉

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Hi Ian, not sure I understand where you are coming from?

[@ianl4518]

Hi Rafael, I can't post links in the comments but if you google Gary Robbins/ WAM/ UTMB or something like that, you'll how how he's been muscled out of an event it took hime 5 yrs to build. Stephen Cousins (Film my Run) has done a quick piece. My reference really is to the fact that those of us that did IM back in the day, when it was a brand worth getting behind, have seen seen this all conquering strategy before and it doesn't end well for indie races.

[@peterconrad2159]

Hey Rafael! I really enjoyed the Video. Great footage from an exciting area and as usually a nicely narrated Story. I admire your dedication and its nice to see that your hard training efforts pay off. So far, you had issues with the ankles, the shins, and now the knee. Seems to be the dark side of running, but that´s how it is, i guess. We all need a good Physiotherapist within reach. Have fun !

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks Peter! Really appreciate the support. Dedication is my trademark haha once i find a strong purpose I never give up. Zermatt is such a beautiful place, never get bored of it. Yeah and the injuries are a pain to say the least haha in the next films I will be discussing what I did and how it panned out.

[@gmckemie4281]

Congratulations on crushing your personal best!!! Thank you for chronicling your prep for the big race. Very uplifting!!

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks! Stoked you enjoyed it! 🙌

[@expatadventureturkey9324]

Great video, this absolutely looks like an interesting race to do, beautiful views along the course….Thanks for the content 🤙🏽

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks! I did the 46k ultra distance.

[@michaelpianin6961]

Great attitude, effoirt, and perspecdtive, thanks

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks a lot Michael, really appreciate the support and stoked you enjoyed it!

[@chasm6917]

Thx for another great video. Really appreciate your time and effort which goes into making these - as well as all the hard physical effort to compete the races! Looking forward to the next one.

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks for your kind words and support, really appreciated! It sure takes time to do these films on top of the training. Suer stoked you enjoyed it, it makes the whole effort worthwhile 🙏

[@josepcarrera950]

Congrats for your Zermatt Ultra Marathon and thanks for your reports. These videos are very interesting to know your races from inside!!! now for the Verbier video

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks Josep! Really appreciated 🙌 Verbier was a heck of a race. Certainly one of the most difficult. Many challenges as you will see 😉

[@gorath0007]

Gorgeous video and respect Rafa to keep going with your knees. I am feeling them now in my training and it’s tough to constantly finding that sweet spot where come good again. Your resilience is a good reminder to keep going 😊

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks a lot! The knee issues are usually the need of strengthening the legs. Try pin pointing where it hurts and check what sort of issue it is to see what stretching and strengthening you need to do. Keep it up 💪

[@alandolan7125]

Great video as always. I have similar knee issues on downhills. I did a 16km 1000metre climb in Minori on Amalfi coast on Sunday and downhill was a killer

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Thanks Alan! I will cover the knee issue in my next film. Turned out to be IT Band issues… stretching and strengthening helped me. You will see in the next races how it panned out. Hope you can fix yours 💪

[@alandolan7125]

Ehi...thats good. With me i feel it when i finish a race. Travelling home it tends to tighten up from lack of circulstion in the car or whatever. Stretching usually helps . Csnt wait for UTMB video!!

[@rafaelhidalgo]

@@alandolan7125 good luck with the knee 🙏 looking forward to sharing the UTMB film!

[@francesmcdonald2247]

Do you know you both look and sound quite like the British actor Benedict Cumberbatch?

[@rafaelhidalgo]

😂 i will take that as a compliment 😄

[@francesmcdonald2247]

It is! Was just watching something with a young BC on KZbin last night and noted the resemblance.

[@francesmcdonald2247]

It's called "To the Ends of the Earth." Check it out! 😊

[@rafaelhidalgo]

@@francesmcdonald2247 awesome haha i had not heard of this chap before. Notr the film. Thanks for sharing ! 🙏

[@ianl4518]

Nice film again Rafael. However, if you'll allow me a comment, you're dragging this out too long. UTMB was ages ago, it would have been better to do your UTMB closer to the post date of the race of that race and show these afterwards. Just my opinion course, I love your films and commentary. On an unrelated note, I'm unsubscribing from all the channels I follow due to KZbin's incoming adblocker policy. I don't want to be tracked and I don't want malware delivered via ads.

[@rafaelhidalgo]

Hi Ian, thanks for dropping a line. Appreciate your view on UTMB. I see it more as a journey towards UTMB, rather than films on individual races which is what it would have been if i did UTMB before these races. And in any case it would have been published long after UTMB even if i would have started building the film just after the race as the reality of life takes over right after the finish line. Had a lot going on since. Big changes in my life which have not made it easy to even do these films on the shorter races. Sorry to see you leave youtube. Didn’t even know about these changes you mention 😰

[@ianl4518]

Hi Rafael, yes I get that totally. Maybe I was over invested. You were the first person I checked in the results 😁 Ben Parkes and Sarah Place were next. Life sure does take over. I'm 58 with a 9yrs old and had loads of DNfs this year. I've decided after Arc100, I'm dropping back to 50km races with one 110km and one backyard ultra next year. That way I have more time for family, work and riding my motorbike. I'm not sure my little protest will do anything at all really and I still watch YT on my tv. I hope they see sense 🤞

[@rafaelhidalgo]

@@ianl4518 thanks Ian! I chatted with Sarah on the first few km of the race and asked her where Ben was. She looked a little annoyed that Ben was so far ahead (i guess already knowing that he was going too fast so early in the race). On my end i definitely felt the support from you guys who follow me on youtube so thanks for that 🙏 Good luck with your races; it’s not easy for us fathers and husbands to balance everything when we are preparing ultra distances. Keep up the good spirit 🙌

[@ianl4518]

She's much stronger mentally than he is. She just gets it done. She has an amazing film about her Arc race, if you get a spare 30 mins. (rare I know 😂 )

[@rafaelhidalgo]

@@ianl4518 indeed. Marathon running and ultras are sooooo different. Ultras are much more in the head than in the legs. I think he was overconfident. As you say, she just gets it done. Her channel is great and was my information source for packing for my first 100k. I gotta check out her Arc race for sure 🙌