Trail running
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Marina Rivas
Malaga
Sunday, 22 September 2024, 09:58
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Most would agree that to take on a challenge like this, you must be not only extremely resilient but also a bit mad. This is certainly true, as it's clear that the adventure undertaken by this 46-year-old from Nerja is not for everyone. The Swiss Peaks 660 is recognised as one of the most challenging ultra trail races in the world. Despite the 660 kilometre reference in its name, this year's initial course actually covered more than 690 kilometres. After several modifications to the route and some unmarked areas, competitors ended up covering over 700 kilometres. All of this took place in a non-stop event spanning twelve days, with over 100,000 metres of cumulative elevation gain. Competitors also faced the demanding altitude challenges of crossing over 50 peaks in the Swiss Alps, each ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 metres, which made breathing extremely difficult. It was a true battle between the mountains and the limits of the human body.
In the 2024 event, which finished a few days ago, only 168 runners from across the world entered the race, and just 56 of them managed to reach the finish line. Among the finishers were two Spaniards who completed the race together: Javier Losada from Nerja and his race partner, Pablo Martínez, who has lived in Vélez-Málaga for the past four years. The people of Nerja have long been aware of Losada's sporting talents, having watched him compete in some of the country’s most prestigious long-distance races, including the 100 Miles Bandoleros, the Gran Vuelta Valle del Genal, the Transvulcania, and the Backyard El Último León de Melilla (216 km), which he won. As previous coordinator of the sports department in the local town hall, his achievements have only added to his reputation in the town.
Already with plenty of experience under his belt, he decided to expand his horizons abroad as he completed the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (170 kilometres), the Calar Río Mundo (105), the Gran Trail Courmayeur in the Italian Alps (105), the Ronda del Cims in Andorra (180) and the shorter version of the Swiss Peak (360), where he was runner-up in pairs in 2021. Nevertheless, his decision to take on this much more demanding, major challenge still came as a big surprise.
He described his experience as: "The most brutal and difficult test of my life. I have experienced extreme exhaustion. We never slept for more than two or three hours a day and we did sixty or seventy kilometres a day, taking into account the thousands of metres of elevation change... There came a moment when everything was so exhausting that your head stopped working". But without a doubt, the most difficult thing was not the physical challenge, but the emotional one - "It was really crazy, but without a doubt in my mind , the most difficult thing was separating from my family. I cried every day. I forbade my daughters to tell me that they missed me, because it broke my heart."
Since it was a non-stop race, he felt he had to rest due to the physical demands, but he also knew he couldn’t relax too much or he’d be overtaken by the other runners - even though the real challenge was simply to finish. Losada and his partner took short breaks at the various aid stations set up by the organisers, where they received food and water. However, since these stations were located every 100 kilometres or more, they often had to rest wherever they could. The rest of the day, they marched on with backpacks weighing over six kilos, equipped with long leggings, hats, gloves, a first aid kit, food, a mobile phone, and water, which was often scarce. "I remember some pretty extreme situations. We had a heatwave that astonished the organisation itself because it was 36 degrees at an altitude of 2,000 metres so water consumption shot up to twelve litres a day; we ran out of liquid and had to look for natural sources along the way, I even had to chew ice from the mountain to cope with the dehydration", he recounted.
These weren't the only anecdotes from the Malaga native during his gruelling journey. ¨One day, we were caught in a rainstorm whilst going downhill. That night, we only slept for 8 minutes, huddled under a tree.¨
After 12 days and 12 nights, Losada struggled to find the words to describe what he felt upon reaching the finish line. He was filled with satisfaction at his achievement but also couldn't wait to return home to his loved ones and share the details of his most difficult challenge so far - but certainly not his last.
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