The first placed female in the 171km Ultra Tour Monte Rosa revealed she was very surprised to win. Nat Taylor, an Army doctor, said: “I thought the race would make a nice holiday, which it did. But I really didn’t expect to be the fastest female.”
The 38-year-old led the women from day two of the four-day stage race in the mountains of Switzerland and Italy. She also kept pace with the front-running men for much of the race, finishing fourth overall.
Her finish time was 27:35:20, while the second female, Swiss runner Kerstin Dusch, (age category 50+), came home in 28:15:07. Third female Nina Kreisherr, of Germany, (age cat 18 to 39), came home in 29:42:11.
The first three men were Jan Tandler (aged 40-49), of the Czech Republic, in 26:55:43; Brit Sam Husband (18-39) in 27:09:03; and French runner Folliot Sebastien (40-49) in 27:12:43.
What is the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa?
The four-day stage race, the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, is described as “bold, beautiful and brutal”. The 171km route with a total ascent and descent of 11,600m follows the hiking route, the Tour of Monte Rosa, around the mountain massif in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps.
The start and finish is Grachen, Switzerland. Runners head into Italy for two days. The terrain comprises: 85% paths, 10% tracks and 5% roads.
Day one is 36.6km (+3,020m / -3,035m), day 2 is 42.9km (+3,055m / -3,031m), day three is 46km *+3,724m / -4,045m) and day four is 43.8km (+3,469m / -3,162m).
There is a time limit of 12 hours each day.
Nat’s Ultra Tour Monte Rosa
Nat, who is from Chepstow, Wales, and currently lives in Inverness, Scottish Highlands, is a strong and accomplished athlete. She was part of the first all-female team to cross Antarctica on foot and has won many podium places in a range of sports.
Even so, she had decided she was going to “have a bit of a holiday” in the mountains and “simply enjoy the race”.
Nat’s pace was dictated by feel. She said: “I like to be efficient, whether training or racing, which means I set a pace that feels comfortable.
“I walked fast up the hills and ran the flats and the downs. I aim to have a nice form when running, although by day four one of the runners described me as looking like a crab! I was tired by then.
“I tend not to hang around in the transitions and checkpoints. If I sit down I seize up, so I like to keep going. I didn’t have any plan to push the race to win.”
By days three and four, Nat regretted not taking running poles. She said: “I had only hand luggage on the flight from Edinburgh and I worried the poles wouldn’t be allowed. By the last couple of days I was pretty envious of the others with their poles.
“There was a long a long climb at the start of the last day, 1500m in total over 6km, and I really wished I had some poles then.”
Nat was attracted to the race after a running friend Katie Ironside (nee Roby) took part – and also finished first female – in 2015. Nat said: “I thought the race sounded really good. It’s a stage race and I liked the idea of staying in hotels overnight and with the food included. It seemed reasonably priced compared to other stage races. Katie also told me it was low key.
“When I looked at the dates it fitted with my other work and race commitments. It lived up to all my expectations and I would highly recommend it.”
Highlights of Ultra Tour Monte Rosa
One of the highlights of the race for Nat was the camaraderie. Nat said: “It was such a friendly event. The participants made it really special. I enjoyed the fun and banter of the guys at the front.
“Everyone was also so supportive of each other. An example of this was when one of runners, Julie, fell and broke her arm. Two of the men sacrificed their placings that day to help her.”
Nat was also able to offer medical support. She added: “I shared a room with Julie and she was great. She even rejoined the race on day four, which was 45km, with a plaster on her arm. That was impressive.”
The hotel nights, good food and wine were a bonus. Nat said: “We stayed in nice hotels and we had breakfasts and evening meals provided. There was also food at checkpoints on the course. I just took energy bars to supplement each day of running.”
The views were another plus-point. Nat said: “The views were amazing and I loved the route. It was great to run through and around the mountains on lots of single track.
“Day three was on an impressive old military road that climbed 2000m. Sadly the clag meant there were no views but I kept thinking how incredible it was that people had built this.”
Challenges of Ultra Tour Monte Rosa
The ascent total for the race is almost 3000m more than the hight of Everest. Nat revealed the height gain day after day did take its toll.
She said: “I did start to tire on day three, while day four was the hardest. I lost time to the men in the end and they proved to be stronger. They were also quicker on the technical descents.
“But overall it was such a great race – and a really good holiday.”
See the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa website for 2023.