A "holiday" with Lizzy Hawker
Out of my comfort zone again! Deciding what to do during the summer immediately after I retired was tricky. We were planning a big family trip later in the year but I thought a little break around my 60 th birthday was needed. We talked about another hut to hut trek in the Alps but we were also inspired by the mountain running in Ian Corless’ book “Running Beyond”. Perhaps we should try running in the Alps instead of walking…. The Tour of Monte Rosa looked a good trek – starting in Switzerland, popping over to Italy and back to Switzerland, circumnavigating the huge Monte Rosa massif. Normally walkers take about 12 days. However, there is a race round the route - the Ultra Tour of Monte Rosa. We checked this out, just as part of our research, you understand. The UTMR is organised annually in September by Lizzy Hawker. Lizzy was the world record holder for 24 hrs on road and the 100 km World Champion . She is 5 times winner of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and hold