Ultra Trail Races
Swiss Alps 160km
Part 3: The Darkest Section, Step-by-Step Survival
Leaving Bellwald, I knew I was back in the fight — but I was walking into the longest, most mentally brutal stretch of the entire race: Bellwald to Reckingen.
The Never-Ending Section
This section doesn’t flow.
It’s a constant rhythm breaker — long, rolling climbs that sap your legs, short descents that never give you recovery. No steady pace. No chance to switch off and just move.
The fever was still there. My body felt like a furnace from the inside, but my skin was cold. I could feel the heat in my head with every heartbeat. The cramps, although slightly more manageable, kept firing without warning.
Step by step, my reaction time slowed. My mind started to spiral.
The Quit Voice
At some point, the thought hit hard: I’m done here. Not a passing doubt — a full, convincing argument in my head that it was over. I turned to Pascal and told him: “You continue without me.”
We were well inside the cut-off times. There was no real reason to stop — except my mind was screaming for a way out.
The Soup Moment
Then we reached Reckingen Aid Station.
I sat down. They handed me a hot, salty bowl of soup.
It’s crazy how something so simple can flip a switch. The heat from the soup cut through the chills. The salt steadied my head. My mind went from I’m finished to Okay… let’s just do one more aid station.
Not finish the race.
Not push through the night.
Just one more aid station.
Pain Stacks
From Reckingen onwards, it was pure survival mode. Every problem was still there, just layered:
• Fever still running hot.
• Cold deep in my hands and feet.
• Blisters rubbing raw.
• Meniscus discomfort flaring with every descent.
• Stomach tightening up.
• Lower back starting to lock.
But the “one more aid station” mindset worked. It took away the weight of the whole race and made it small enough to handle.
Blitzingen – The Call
When I reached Blitzingen, I knew it was time to make the decision.
I could have pushed on — but at what cost? My tendons and ligaments were already screaming. The fever wasn’t breaking. And I’ve learned to respect the line between pain you can push through and damage that will take you out for months.
I stopped.
Not from weakness.
From wisdom.
The race will be there next year. My body needed me to draw the line here
Conclusion
By Blitzingen, the decision became clear: continue and risk lasting damage, or stop with respect for my body. Choosing to stop wasn’t defeat — it was wisdom. The race will return next year, but preserving health means I’ll be ready to fight again. Sometimes, the bravest move is drawing the line.
Ultra Trail Races
Swiss Alps 160km
Part 3: The Darkest Section, Step-by-Step Survival
Leaving Bellwald, I knew I was back in the fight — but I was walking into the longest, most mentally brutal stretch of the entire race: Bellwald to Reckingen.
The Never-Ending Section
This section doesn’t flow.
It’s a constant rhythm breaker — long, rolling climbs that sap your legs, short descents that never give you recovery. No steady pace. No chance to switch off and just move.
The fever was still there. My body felt like a furnace from the inside, but my skin was cold. I could feel the heat in my head with every heartbeat. The cramps, although slightly more manageable, kept firing without warning.
Step by step, my reaction time slowed. My mind started to spiral.
The Quit Voice
At some point, the thought hit hard: I’m done here. Not a passing doubt — a full, convincing argument in my head that it was over. I turned to Pascal and told him: “You continue without me.”
We were well inside the cut-off times. There was no real reason to stop — except my mind was screaming for a way out.
The Soup Moment
Then we reached Reckingen Aid Station.
I sat down. They handed me a hot, salty bowl of soup.
It’s crazy how something so simple can flip a switch. The heat from the soup cut through the chills. The salt steadied my head. My mind went from I’m finished to Okay… let’s just do one more aid station.
Not finish the race.
Not push through the night.
Just one more aid station.
Pain Stacks
From Reckingen onwards, it was pure survival mode. Every problem was still there, just layered:
• Fever still running hot.
• Cold deep in my hands and feet.
• Blisters rubbing raw.
• Meniscus discomfort flaring with every descent.
• Stomach tightening up.
• Lower back starting to lock.
But the “one more aid station” mindset worked. It took away the weight of the whole race and made it small enough to handle.
Blitzingen – The Call
When I reached Blitzingen, I knew it was time to make the decision.
I could have pushed on — but at what cost? My tendons and ligaments were already screaming. The fever wasn’t breaking. And I’ve learned to respect the line between pain you can push through and damage that will take you out for months.
I stopped.
Not from weakness.
From wisdom.
The race will be there next year. My body needed me to draw the line here
Conclusion
By Blitzingen, the decision became clear: continue and risk lasting damage, or stop with respect for my body. Choosing to stop wasn’t defeat — it was wisdom. The race will return next year, but preserving health means I’ll be ready to fight again. Sometimes, the bravest move is drawing the line.
Ultra Trail Races
Swiss Alps 160km
Part 3: The Darkest Section, Step-by-Step Survival
Leaving Bellwald, I knew I was back in the fight — but I was walking into the longest, most mentally brutal stretch of the entire race: Bellwald to Reckingen.
The Never-Ending Section
This section doesn’t flow.
It’s a constant rhythm breaker — long, rolling climbs that sap your legs, short descents that never give you recovery. No steady pace. No chance to switch off and just move.
The fever was still there. My body felt like a furnace from the inside, but my skin was cold. I could feel the heat in my head with every heartbeat. The cramps, although slightly more manageable, kept firing without warning.
Step by step, my reaction time slowed. My mind started to spiral.
The Quit Voice
At some point, the thought hit hard: I’m done here. Not a passing doubt — a full, convincing argument in my head that it was over. I turned to Pascal and told him: “You continue without me.”
We were well inside the cut-off times. There was no real reason to stop — except my mind was screaming for a way out.
The Soup Moment
Then we reached Reckingen Aid Station.
I sat down. They handed me a hot, salty bowl of soup.
It’s crazy how something so simple can flip a switch. The heat from the soup cut through the chills. The salt steadied my head. My mind went from I’m finished to Okay… let’s just do one more aid station.
Not finish the race.
Not push through the night.
Just one more aid station.
Pain Stacks
From Reckingen onwards, it was pure survival mode. Every problem was still there, just layered:
• Fever still running hot.
• Cold deep in my hands and feet.
• Blisters rubbing raw.
• Meniscus discomfort flaring with every descent.
• Stomach tightening up.
• Lower back starting to lock.
But the “one more aid station” mindset worked. It took away the weight of the whole race and made it small enough to handle.
Blitzingen – The Call
When I reached Blitzingen, I knew it was time to make the decision.
I could have pushed on — but at what cost? My tendons and ligaments were already screaming. The fever wasn’t breaking. And I’ve learned to respect the line between pain you can push through and damage that will take you out for months.
I stopped.
Not from weakness.
From wisdom.
The race will be there next year. My body needed me to draw the line here
Conclusion
By Blitzingen, the decision became clear: continue and risk lasting damage, or stop with respect for my body. Choosing to stop wasn’t defeat — it was wisdom. The race will return next year, but preserving health means I’ll be ready to fight again. Sometimes, the bravest move is drawing the line.
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Own the Night. Win the Day.
Sleep is the most underused performance enhancer on Earth. You can’t perform, think, or recover without it — and yet most athletes treat it as optional. In the A6 Athlete's Core, sleep is your daily reset. It’s when your body repairs, your hormones rebalance, and your nervous system recalibrates. The quality of your sleep determines the quality of your performance — physically, mentally, and emotionally.
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Why balancing your nervous system is the foundation of recovery, resilience, and peak performance in life.
Your nervous system isn’t just about brain signals — it’s the operating system for performance, recovery, and resilience. It controls how you respond to stress, how fast you recover, and how well you show up each day. When it’s regulated, you’re calm under pressure, focused in chaos, and energized for action. When it’s not, you’re wired, tired, and stuck in survival mode. At AG Performance, we don’t guess — we measure, train, and restore nervous system balance using breathing, red light, cold exposure, and science-backed stress analysis. This is the work. This is the foundation.
Health
The Nervous System: Your Body’s Master Control
Why balancing your nervous system is the foundation of recovery, resilience, and peak performance in life.
Your nervous system isn’t just about brain signals — it’s the operating system for performance, recovery, and resilience. It controls how you respond to stress, how fast you recover, and how well you show up each day. When it’s regulated, you’re calm under pressure, focused in chaos, and energized for action. When it’s not, you’re wired, tired, and stuck in survival mode. At AG Performance, we don’t guess — we measure, train, and restore nervous system balance using breathing, red light, cold exposure, and science-backed stress analysis. This is the work. This is the foundation.
Ultra Trail Races
Swiss Alps - Teamwork - The Race Is Never Just About You
Why the strongest don’t go alone — they go together.
At the Swiss Alps 160, I hit a wall — fever, chills, cramps, sunstroke. I told my team I was done. They didn’t argue. They reset me. Fed me. Grounded me. Then said the only words I needed: “Get up. Keep moving.” That’s teamwork at its purest form — knowing when to push, when to protect, and when to let you find your way back.
Ultra Trail Races
Swiss Alps - Teamwork - The Race Is Never Just About You
Why the strongest don’t go alone — they go together.
At the Swiss Alps 160, I hit a wall — fever, chills, cramps, sunstroke. I told my team I was done. They didn’t argue. They reset me. Fed me. Grounded me. Then said the only words I needed: “Get up. Keep moving.” That’s teamwork at its purest form — knowing when to push, when to protect, and when to let you find your way back.
Ultra Trail Races
Swiss Alps - Teamwork - The Race Is Never Just About You
Why the strongest don’t go alone — they go together.
At the Swiss Alps 160, I hit a wall — fever, chills, cramps, sunstroke. I told my team I was done. They didn’t argue. They reset me. Fed me. Grounded me. Then said the only words I needed: “Get up. Keep moving.” That’s teamwork at its purest form — knowing when to push, when to protect, and when to let you find your way back.