260 days to TDG!

(TDG = Tor Des Geants – 330 km, 24,000m accumulative elevation gains, and 150 hours time limit of fun in the Alps)

It has been a long while for me to write and update. After my post Costa-Rica decision to go for TDG next year (see more details below), I have been at it, getting ready for moving my base from Japan to Israel – which is happening in a few days.
In the meantime, I was also busy gaining weight with almost no running at all (luckily had a couple of social running opportunities thrown in).

I was also able to move forward with much of the planning for races, which should build up towards the TDG pinnacle in September.
As you will probably agree, given that my longest one-stage race so far was ~80 km, this is quite the ambitious plan.

First “key challenge” for the year:

I should mention again that while I am planning all of this with one clear target in mind, and have already registered to the key events in this schedule – my main target is actually not going to be confirmed until end of February.

So let’s get to it:
[where relevant: distance, elevation gain, time limit]
* = tough Stage to clear.

• Jan 8 – Tiberias Marathon (Tiberias, Israel)
• Mar 4 – Trans GranCanaria * (Gran Canaria, Spain) – 125 km, +8,000m, 30 hours
• Mar 13 – Barcelona Marathon (Barcelona, Spain)
• Apr 4 – “Yam 2 Yam” (Tel Aviv beach to Jerusalem, Israel) – 144 km, +2,746m
• Apr 22 – Penyagolosa Trail * (Penyagolosa, Spain) – 118 km, +5,439m, 30 hours
• Apr 30 – North Face Endurance Challenge NY (Bear Mountain Park, US) – 80 km, +2,100m, 14 hours
• May 7 (optional) – Trans Vulcania (La Palma, Spain) – 77 km, +4,169m, 17 hours
• June 3 – Oh Meu Deus * (Serra da Estrella, Portugal) – 163 km, +8,431m, 46 hours
• June 24 – Lavaredo Ultra Trail (Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy) – 119 km, +5,850m, 30 hours
• July 29 – Orobie Ultra Trail “OUT” * (Clusone/ Bergamo, Italy) – 140 km, +9,600m, 46 hours
• Aug 26 – CCC / Mount Blanc (Courmayeur, Italy) – 101 km, +6,100m, 26.5 hours
• Sep 11 – Tor Des Geants / TDG (Courmayeur, Italy) – 330 km, +24,000m, 150 hours

A view from OMD, my first 100-miler in June: