Former longtime Fayston resident, Eliteam founder and Olympian Doug Lewis sets off tomorrow, September 20, on a 100-mile ultra race in the Italian Alps, his seventh 100-mile race in the last seven years, but his toughest one to date, he said.
“This Adamello Ultra course climbs and descends over 33,000 feet. It runs through World War I ruins and all over the Italian Alps and it is just 30 miles from Bormio where I won an Olympic Bronze medal 40 years ago,” he said.
Lewis, World Downhill Championships bronze medalist in Bormio 1985, is gearing up towards the 100-mile race in the Pontedilegno-Tonale area (Northern Italy).
“I was looking for something as beautiful as brutal, and Adamello Ultra Trail caught my attention. I can’t wait to run on the trails of World War I,” he said.
The race has been run since 2014 and this year will feature over 700 athletes from 15 countries.
Already an avid endurance athlete, Lewis has prepped for the race by running 250 miles with over 60,000 vertical feet in the last month. On September 6, he will begin what is called his ‘taper’, a specific reduction of the number of weekly miles run to allow his legs to stay strong, yet recover enough from training to be able to complete the race.
“It’s important to taper your training into your race. You want your legs as fresh as possible at the start of the race, so in the last week before the race, I go from 40-60 miles/week down to just around 8 miles total for the last six days before the race. I will do a jog or two and some walks just to keep them moving and burn off some the nervous energy! Mentally it is so hard to do this as you think you are losing fitness, but in fact you are letting your muscles repair and rest for the big day -- or in this case 30-plus hours of running,” he said.
He and his wife Kelly will travel from their home in Utah to Italy about 10 days ahead of the race to acclimate, hike, recon the route, and explore the views, history and food. Kelly will be his support team.
According to an article about Lewis and the race that appeared in a Datasport.com article:
After his retirement as professional athlete, he worked as NBC ski analyst for some of the major international events ranging from World Cups to Olympic Games. Furthermore, he started a fitness camp for young athletes, monitoring and addressing their development under all aspects: among his alumni is the most successful skier of all times, fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin.
“I can’t wait for the cheering from the fans, the passion from the volunteers and their relentless support: that’s something not that common in U.S. events. Here in Europe, it seems that trail running is more like a cultural thing, it really gets the community. And the trails are much older, with a lot of history: Adamello Ultra Trail in particular, since it winds on military roads, trenches and tunnels of World War I,” Lewis said.
“I look forward to over 30 hours or suffering with a smile and pushing my limits while eating yummy food and looking out over the Italian Alps!” he added, on a lighter note.
