Olympus Mythical Trail, an idiosyncratic view

This year marks a major shift in Olympus Mythical Trail as the race will start at Aiyiannis in what was up until now the 68 km aid station. I will try to have a go in throwing my 2p worth of wisdom in how I expect this change to reflect in the event. But let us start with a bit of historical development in the race route. The first two incarnations of OMT100 started from Dion, following the well known route of Olympus Marathon, also the brainchild of Lazaros Rigos, the OMT100 race director and finished at Litochoro in the Lakkos area, on the riverbed of Enipeas as it crosses Litochoro, some few meters from the central square. Then, in the third year of the race the race started and finished at Lakkos, becoming a loop course. This was made possible from the painstaking work of Lazaros and those around him that rediscovered a lost trail connecting Litochoro and Koromilia via Mana and Seloma. All these were long forgotten footpaths used by the people in their whereabouts around the subalpine parts of Olympus, mostly in herding animals. Interesting stuff, and maybe the topic for another post, related to the September 58 km race, aptly named Olympus Lost Trails that shares most of the same OMT100 trails along with some new ones.

The shift from Dion start to Lakkos start was a relatively minor one as it mostly changed the starting few kilometers, removing a 7 km stretch of non-descript paved road and dirt track with a hard and steep climb along a technical single track to Zilnia, a really tough cookie to cut right after the get-go. So basically you start low, climb some 700m of vertical north-east to Zilnia, up and down some gorges to Koromilia and on to the main peak area, reaching Skolio at 2910 m and back down south to Malta forest, just 4km from the start. This is the 68 km mark of the old race and right before the grueling mid-day, for most mid-packers, scorching heat ascent to Livadaki peak at 2100m, then to descent to Prionia, the spring of Enipeas, following the riverbed back to Litochoro, like going up and down the side of a bathtub sloping downwards. Final climb to Golna, a small peak an 1060m a few kilometers from the finish line, a steep rocky trail down to the final sadistic 2 kilometers of ups and down just before emerging from Enipeas to the finish line in Lakkos. I’ll be brutally honest and say that although I have been part of the tribe of Lazaros’s disciples from the get-go and from the first inception stages of Olympus Mythical Trails, this very ending of the racing, going back almost to the start only to climb to Livadaki and back to Litochoro via Enipeas and as if this was not enough of a character building exercise, having to climb Golna and endure the endless mind-boggling swerving around the arid riverbed of Enipeas just when you have almost tactile sense of the finish line, was never something I was very fond of and this is to put it very mildly. But like in Zen buddhism this was a forming experience of group-meditation and I have gradually learned to appreciate it and to define it, is like trying to explain the taste of honey to someone that has never tasted it, you need to experience it.

All this will never be no more as from now on the race will start and finish at Aiyiannis (means Saint John). It is so fundamentally different that I am almost ecstatic, feeling like I will be taking part in a completely new race. I will try to visualize in words the new route as an mental preparation. First and most important some very interesting and not so race specific points. Aiyiannis park is a camping area, a natural park on the outskirts of the core Olympus Natural Reserve. A beautiful place, awesome place for friends and family to hang around for the event. You can see it also as community-building, we can see each other before and after the event, talk, eat, drink and have a laugh talking about what we love most, being out in the wilderness, trail running, hiking, being part of the Olympus Trails tribe. A shot lexical detour now: transliterating Greek to Latin characters is not without quips and Aiyiannis is no exception. You will see “Ai Giannis”, “Agios Ioannis” and “Ai Yiannis” used interchangeably, even road signs can’t agree on the issue. “Ai” is a diminutive form of “Agios”, meaning saint and Ioannis, Yiannis or Giannis are used for John.

Back to the race, and taking snapshots at how it will evolve from now on, what follows is a roll down of it. We start at 18:00, in the afternoon, facing a long 10 km ascent to 2100m to Livadaki (means meadow). Not steep, temperature will normally be OKish, not really hot as we are already at about 600m in altitude. For some faster people it could even be runnable all the way, as the footing is on not very technical single track. Livadaki is normally a cool-to-cold spot in Olympus and as the night falls temperature can drop quite a bit to the point of being very cold especially if it is windy. Mind you if you start hot, become sweaty and after reaching the meadow at the top and you stop at the Aid Station you can feel uncomfortable. This is a good time to put on a windshirt or the waterproof jacket that is the only required piece of kit. Views to the Aegean are really great all the way up, more so after passing Tsouknida, my personal favourite. Next 4km stretch is by far the most demanding technical single track in the race, the descent to Melitzani (means aubergine). It will likely be dark, so with a headlamp, some of the track is very exposed and steep and caution is required to navigate it safely, more so for those wishing to pound the descend. Holding back will not hurt you as you can more than make up in the coming part to Prionia as the trail smoothens and becomes nicely runnable again. Prionia is a good point to eat something more substantial, maybe some soup and face the tortuous path to Litochoro, as described before but this time the feel will be nothing like as it is merely a part in the beginning of the long journey around the mountain of Gods and goats as I like to add.

Once at Lakkos Aid Station don’t gorge yourself cause again the climb to Zilnia will be hard and on heavy legs. Better hold off till Koromilia, drop bags will be waiting here, I will most definitely change shirt here, eat some soup but not much. The climb to Petrostrouga is hard but not technical, the only thing to keep in mind is that we are saying our goodbyes to the canopy of trees and getting into Alpine territory, barren land of rocks, Gods and goats. You will also notice a marked change in the weather pattern because after Petrostrouga Refuge the course orientation becomes northbound as we head to Skourta peak at 2500m, a short but very steep climb, on to the col of Laimos. For me this is bliss, my mantra is “life begins at 2000 meters”, so bring it on!

As the new day will start breaking in we will see the first rays of light in the Plateau of the Muses, at 2700m arriving at Kakkalos refuge, an important pit stop to eat well and rest a bit before the hardest climb of the race to the second highest peak in Greek, Skolio at 2910m. Up until this point the trail is not overly technical with the exception of the short passage from Zonaria, a man-made trail over loose scree after traversing the narrow path under the Throne of Zeus, a vertical rock formation of about 300 meters like a crown adorning the alpine meadow that is the Plateau of the Muses. The only mental note for this part will be to stay hydrated and be very mindful of the overall pace, no need to rush any part here as the crux of the race is still to come. Don’t underestimate the effects of heat. The greatest problem is extreme heat and July can be crazy hot, easily more than 30C and even higher in lower altitudes. Peak heat is between 11:00 and 16:00 so make a mental note where you expect to be at this time. For most mid to back of the pack runners this will see us losing altitude and so descending into the heat but also in an area with more water sources and with some trees to provide shade. More importantly, we are on our final stretch to the finish so douse yourself whenever possible, don’t just drink water.

After Skolio we move almost on a contour to Ayiantonis (or Agios Antonios) peak at 2810m. My, oh my to what follows, a short, steep, technical, knee-shattering drop of 450m over only 1500m, that is 40% grade stuff over loose rocks and scree. And it gets better, after 4 km on a col with stunning views, traversing with some ups and downs, we are about to face the infamous “kangelia”, meaning zig-zags, another knee-shattering drop of 1000 meters this time over 7 km over loose rocks in technical single track. Some are tempted to cut the switchbacks heading straight down a 40% offtrail slope but I would whole-heartedly not recommend it, not only because it is unethical, ecologically damaging causing soil erosion, but because really you are jeopardising your race and wellbeing, just so not worth it. Another non-descript part traversing the prairies to Bichtesi, good spot to have a proper meal at the Aid Station. You will not like this part, many will wish for a rolling terrain to relax the feet after the heavy pounding but you will have none of it. I always pity myself for not really running here but for some this can make a huge time difference, mind you it is an almost 10km stretch you are talking about. Be prepared and then on a beautiful but demanding up and down the Mega Plai area of the forest of Malta in the core of Olympus Natural Reserve to reach Pigadi Refuge and Aid Station. Eat, drink, congratulate yourself because from here to Skandaliara and then on to the finish line, back at Aiyiannis, is all smooth sailing on easy descending trails, just some caution right before the finish line in the little steep scree field hidden at the very end.

My final piece of advice has to do with not getting lost on Olympus specifically. The Alpine territory of Olympus is very easy to navigate under normal visibility circumstances and there are very few places one needs to be careful. Course markings are plentiful and this year will be supplemented by race-specific marking throughout. Usual problem areas are dirt road crossings and moving to and from single track to paved or dirt roads and sometimes following the sign of a different trail or even getting confused with the course marking of another race. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you see a race-specific course mark every 10 to 15 minutes depending on the terrain as there will be at least a couple of them every km. If you are like me and want to be certain all the time, having double redundancy is key, so study the map and upload the gpx track to your device or smartphone to be sure but don’t delude yourself that this will be enough. Heavy fog and electrical thunderstorms are a game-changer. The later is something all experienced trail runners should be prepared for and just try to weather it out the safest way available, trying to get to lower altitudes as fast as they can. Heavy fog also calls for an emergency mode to be switched on your brain. Put on your headlamp even if it is daytime. Stop thinking like a runner, form groups of two or more by waiting for other to come by and proceed slowly and carefully. This happened in the race once before and was a very trying experience for those that got lost. Don’t take it lightly this can be extremely dangerous. When crossing Alpine meadows like the Muses Plateau, Livadaki, Bara to Bichtesi or contouring to Agios Antonios markings may not be visible so look for a logical footpath trace to follow and try to find the long snow poles that are placed leading to the Refuges. If in doubt stop and go back, never, ever proceed alone. Fog-specific metal rods with reflective material will be used in fog-prone areas but don’t rely on them, use judgment. The single most important thing is to never be alone in the fog, stop and form groups.

In conclusion, I was eager to say this new variant is easier but stopped cold after giving it a second thought. What it is, is more logical, harmonious and flowing. I never liked Lakkos to begin with so the choice of Aiyiannis was a no-brainer for me, a wish-come-true and I hope most will come to agree and see it as I do. But what about the actual race itself, how can we compare it to the way it was before as it is believed from a physical effort perspective? One way to assess it is to speculate about the expected finishing times. At the fast front I do not see any major changes, if not for the worse. Hard to fathom the speedy people going any harder in later third of the race, with heavy legs and with long technical descends. For mid-packers I have the feeling that it will only be slower as it will be even harder to go fast on the downhills in a rationale that goes for equal effort being equally distributed throughout the race as before. The later is not so clear cut as the midnight start must now be adjusted to a mid-afternoon start with all the other parameters being equal. It will make for a thrilling race, that is something I am sure about and sure looking forward to this year!