07:00: Amazing day on Rucu!
Left the house early, before 07:00 as I couldn’t get an uber and jogged about a mile down to Eloy Alfaro and got a cab to the bottom of the Teleferiqo. The plan was to do a fartlek style workout on the climb up from the parking lot to the summit of Rucu. I’d run w/ Karl the day before and so knew that the record was 1h41 and thought that might be within striking distance, even in a fairly moderate “orange” workout. Turns out, this was correct.
I felt very good on the initial, super-runnable climb up from the parking lot up the MTB trail and settled into a very good rhythm. I almost never run up this way, but I knew when I’d done the Rucu 50K Loop FKT, I’d hit the top in like 48 minutes. I was looking at my pace per 100m vert and it was well under 6’00 per 100m. I knew if I could keep even close to 6’00, I’d be well under the record.
I hit the top in 40’08 (top, for me, being where the mountain bike trail hits the double track that leads to the towers). From there, it was 5’33 to the horses (I followed the standard Polichaski route at this point), and then began the route up the corridor trail on the ridge.
This also felt excellent and I ran every step all the way to the rock pieces on the traverse. Hit the trail split at 4400m after 24’11 from the horses (69’52 total) and then made my way across the traverse, very carefully up the two rock scrambles, and onto the arenal.
From there, it was still mostly like w/ some power hiking mixed in on the very steep bit up to the high saddle. I didn’t split my watch there, but was in the high 1h20s I think and from there took the scrambly route directly up from the saddle to the summit in just a couple minutes. I hit the summit just over 90 minutes total, for a new record of 1’30’40.
Very, very stoked about this one! To be able to hit another Karl Egloff record in a training run (especially just 5 days after Cotopaxi) is very special. And this mountain has so much personal significance for me. It’s where my love for the Andes really began back in 2008 and I have so many amazing memories from it’s slopes and summits. I even have the thing tattooed on my chest (and it’s the logo for my company!)
Meanwhile, I took just a few minutes on the top as it was very cold and drizzly (almost the whole route had been socked in with fog) and then I took it easy all the way down. I knew despite being amped up that my body would be tired from the effort, so took my time and enjoyed the descent.
Hit the bottom and jogged home across the city. Made it back in plenty of time for my ESPN Radio interview!
Total run 26.1km in 2h59 (3h22 total time), 1699m vert.
Shoes: HOKA EVO Speedgoats (old)
Fuel: 1 bottle maurten 320 CAFF on the way up, 1 bottle coca cola on the way home (150 cal)
= 470 cal total = ~160 cal/hr