SachsenTrail Ultra 2025

Event Page: SachenTrail Ultra

Finally we're back on the trail! 2025 is not getting any younger, it's already June and while a lot happened on a professional level, I didn't do much running-wise this year. After a quick search for ultras with some decent elevation around Berlin, I find myself on the starting line of the Sachsentrail, an ultra in Sachsen that goes to the top of the Fichtelberg. Wait a minute... Didn't we do that one already? 😅 Nope, that was the Fichtelberg Ultra last year! Well the Erzgebirge mountains don't have a lot of high peaks so deal with it! ⛰️

At least this time we are pushing up the numbers and stretching the graph curves 📈: 75km for 2600m of elevation. I'm pushing myself towards the 100k 🚀, to conquer new horizons, still hoping to join La Diagonale des Fous 🌋, my dream race, in a few years.

That's how I end up at the Sportpark Rabenberg stadium in Breitenbrunn, at the Czech border, on a Saturday morning. I had the great idea to bring my wife and kids this time, which means a late arrival and barely 5h of sleep 😴. I'm already exhausted even before the start and I crash in a chair, hoping to magically recharge like an old battery pack in the weak sunlight 🪫🌤️.

It's 7am when the speaker starts the countdown and we rush out of the stadium towards the forest. It's already hot 🌡️, the weather looks promising as we disappear into the trees 🌲.

I'm gonna be honest, I don't remember much of this race, maybe because I was really tired. When I think about it, the images blend with the Fichtelberg Ultra from the year before. Same forest trails 🌳, same vegetation, same experience climbing the Fichtelberg ⛰️ It's a pleasant event but there is no "Wow" moment for me this time 🤷‍♂️.

The route weaves between forest trails, bicycle lanes 🚴‍♂️ and hiking areas. Nothing really technical, apart from some narrow bits with roots, stones and fallen trees in the middle of the way. Aid-station side, nothing surprising either, it's the usual potatoes-pickles-candybars 🥔🥒🍬. Iso has no taste and I miss warm tea and broth. But the weather is spectacular 🌞 so I feel fine and enjoy the race, in spite of the lack of sleep.

I reach the top of the Fichtelberg around 35km ⛰️ and get my drop bag at the aid station. I slip into dry clothes and refill belt and backpack. Then I start the long descent, letting gravity do its job of destroying my quads for the next few hours 😭 The forest around me still bursts into a wide range of colors, from green pine trees to magenta columns of flowers 🌸.

I usually find myself a running buddy towards the end of an ultra, it's motivating, fun to exchange on past events and it helps deal with how slowly the last kilometers pass by. This time though I'm all alone. I start telling myself jokes and laughing alone 😂, a little trick I use when it gets lonely or when I hit the wall, like Sam Waterston crossing the desert in Capricorn One 🏜️.

I cross the finish line 🏁 at [insert time], after a 13h long race, my longest one so far. The afternoon is warm and sunny 🌞, it's nice to finish before the night! I pack my stuff and head back to our location where an epic Raclette 🧀 is waiting for me. Carpe Diem ❤️

Again, nothing much to add, except the medal in my collection 🥇. On the next day we're back in the stadium for the kids run, and my wife runs the 12k. Meanwhile, I take a nap at the Blackroll tent, my legs inside inflatable boots 😴. There is music and cake 🎉🧁, activities for the kids, all in all it's a very nice weekend for all, definitely worth attending 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦.