After Norseman in 2016, this was the race I wanted to be the follow-up to my Xtri Circuit journey. After signing up for the 5th time, and when I was about to lose hope, I was able to get a slot at Swissman.
Arriving in Ascona
My good friend Romano has been my support for the last four Xtri races, and now that he lives in Italy, it was a no-brainer to ask him to join the team. After meeting with Romano and Vale (his wife) at Milan Airport, we rented an SUV and drove about 1.5 hours to Ascona in Switzerland. Ascona is a lovely city with a beautiful tourist area. Our apartment was very close to the race venue and near supermarkets, restaurants, and even a bike shop.
Race week surprisingly caught us with unexpected hot weather. Also race day would be hot and humid, definitely not in my plans.
Everyday a bit of light training to keep the body active. On Wednesday we did the usual bike course reconnaissance to check designated support areas, road conditions and of course the 3 big climbs: Gothard Pass with cobblestone sections, Furka Pass and Grimsel Pass. If you are new to Xtri races, I absolutely recommend that you do this full day ride by car. It will help you to get basic orientation, important turns and familiar with what to expect on race day.
One of the reasons I decided to give Swissman another shot was partly influenced by my good friend, NicolĆ”s Bunster. He’s also a big fan of Xtri races, and after he completed Celtman Xtri last year, we decided to sign up together for this new adventure.
Race Day: Expect the Unexpected
After a short night of sleep, we headed to the pier where everyone was getting ready to board the boat that would takes us 3.8K off the shore. The atmosphere in the boat was calmed. We sat together and chat with my good friend and 10 time Celtman finisher Thor Hesselberg. The air was warm and humid, signs of what was coming. When we reached the drop zone, the organization announced that the swim was going to be shortened or cancelled due to a Thunderstorm forecast. Safety first! So we headed back to the pier and crossed our fingers that the swim would be shortened, not cancelled.
After a short night of sleep, we headed to the pier where everyone was getting ready to board the boat that would take us 3.8K offshore. The atmosphere in the boat was calm. We sat together and chatted with my good friend and ten-time Celtman finisher, Thor Hesselberg. The air was warm and humid, signs of what was to come. When we reached the drop zone, the organization announced that the swim was going to be shortened or canceled due to a thunderstorm forecast. Safety first! So we headed back to the pier and crossed our fingers that the swim would be shortened, not canceled.
After everybody was lined up at the pier, a few brief instructions and fireworks in the sky gave the start of a long day! It caught me by surprise as I didn’t have my watch ready! Everybody was jumping, and I was setting my watch. But I didn’t care about losing the ten seconds that I knew in these races really mean nothing. So I finally jumped and sprinted my way to the front. The water was not cold, and swimming parallel to the shore was easy. I settled into a good pace and found myself leading the chase group. I could see the swim exit close. It went really fast. Later I found out that we only swam 1200 meters. But it was better than not swimming at all.
Out of the water, into transition. Romano had everything ready, and getting the wetsuit off was quick, as usual. On the bike, and I was off for an 8-hour ride…
80K Segment
After leaving Ascona, the bike course was a mix of rolling and false flat terrain. Nothing too technical, but the roads were narrow, and you had to be careful. I was surprised by all the people that passed me in the beginning. I knew I had to stick to my plan, so I just kept my own pace. Gradually, the course started to get harder with some mild to moderate hills. This was the warmup for the first long climb of the day.
Gothard Pass
With more than three hours in the saddle, I was already anxious to start the first climb. Gothard Pass is the iconic climb of Swissman with its cobblestone segments. It’s 15.6 km long with 1000m of elevation gain. I felt good energy levels, thanks to my studied pace and nutrition plan. So far, the race was going as planned. The gradient of this climb was not that hard. What made it painful and uncomfortable were the cobblestone sections.
Once at the top of the hill, Romano was waiting for me with a change of shirt and a wind jacket as the descent was going to be cold. The downhill was fastāactually, too fast to recover before the infamous Furka Pass. In a few minutes, I was back to climbing again.
Furka Pass
A 12.8 km climb with 900m of elevation gain. A shorter climb but with a steeper gradient. At this stage of the day, the temperature was rising fast. The sun came out and beat down on everyone to make things a bit more challenging. Furkahad narrow roads and was open to traffic, which made support only available at the summit. The switchbacks were long and endless, which made it mentally tough. I had to dig deep on this one. When I reached the summit, I was very tired and fatigued. I found a spot with shade to stop. I took my time to drink a nice cold Coke, took some nutrition, grabbed a wind vest, and started the descent towards the last climb.
Grimsel Pass
The last big climb of the day (at least on the bike….) was 6 km with 400m of elevation gain. Once more, there wasn’t much time to recover after the fast and short descent from Furka Pass. I felt really fatigued and just kept pedaling without thinking much about pace or numbers. I made it to the top and started a long 27 km descent towards the last section of the course. This really helped me to recover before T2.
The last 10 km of the course were flat but very exposed. The temperature was already at its highest point of the day, so it was a struggle to get to the transition area.
Lake Brienz
I literally felt like getting down from a horse after that almost 8-hour ride. I was happy with my performance so far, but I was feeling terrible with the heat on my head and body. Our transition spot was just a few steps from the lake… So without much thought, I took my clothes off and jumped into the freezing lake!
That felt amazingly good! It was just what I needed. It helped to get my core temperature down and refresh my whole body. For a moment, I watched the blue sky above me and thought, “Why not stay here?” Then Vale shouted, “Okay, let’s keep moving.” So I gently walked out of the lake and grabbed my running gear. I decided to wear something light and fresh. I took a flask with a sports drink and started the run.
Trails and Weather
The run started with a trail section that took me through a national park. Heat was no issue now because the run went through forest shade most of the time. There’s an iconic waterfall which makes this section special. After that, you go down and out of the park and run right next to the lake. Families were gathering around the lake and having BBQs. Just another Sunday in Brienz, Switzerland.
The run had several designated support areas where teams would wait for their athletes. At 8k, 14k, 17.5k, 28.5k, and 33k. This really helped mentally to break the marathon distance into small sections. Romano and Vale would be waiting for me at each support area with drinks and food. I didn’t feel very well in my stomach to eat solids, so I basically did most of the run with a high-carb mix drink.
The weather suddenly started to change. The sun became covered by clouds, and the temperature started to fall. This gave me an extra boost as I began to feel better. One aid station after another, and suddenly I was around 28.5k. Now the rain started to pour. One more stop at 33k before beginning the climb to Kleine Scheidegg. This final leg was under very heavy rain! It wasn’t really cold, but it was definitely wet…
The Climb to Keine Scheidegg
Before entering the mountain, the organization would check the mandatory gear for the athlete and the support team. Romano did the job beforehand, so when I got there, everything was ready. One final change of clothes with technical gear for the rain and cold weather, and we were off to conquer the mountain.
At this point, I knew that crossing the finish line was within my grasp. A very steep climb on a tarmac road with very little chance to run. I wondered if the winner would try to run his way up on this climb… Rain was pouring, so the change of gear was a good choice. Even though the sky was closed with clouds, the views of the valley were stunning. Every now and then, we would pass near cows.
In our heads, we estimated that it would take us about two hours to reach the finish line. My watch just showed 40k, but we couldn’t see or hear the crowd at the summit. The finish line should be within our grasp. Then suddenly, Romano saw the Swissman flags far away… This couldn’t be possible. That was way too far for the 2k remaining. It looked more like 5k… That really hit me hard mentally for a moment. Then I realized that there was no other option than moving faster. So I jogged whenever it was possible.
We passed one last aid station with local people that would cheer the athletes on for the final effort. Now we could see the flags and hear the bells when athletes crossed the finish line.
Final meters, we took the Chilean Flag and grabbed it between of us. The feeling of fulfillment emerged in my mind and soul. All the efforts and sacrifices to get here were not in vain. The 3 of us hugged with emotion. These races couldn’t be conquered without the valuable help of the support team.
But the challenge was not over until my good friend Nico finishes the race. So we waited until he came and crossed the finish line.In the final meters, we took the Chilean flag and grabbed it between us. The feeling of fulfillment emerged in my mind and soul. All the efforts and sacrifices to get here were not in vain. The three of us hugged with emotion. These races couldn’t be conquered without the valuable help of the support team.
But the challenge was not over until my good friend Nico finished the race. So we waited until he came and crossed the finish line.
Andres Sauma Triathlete Blog 
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