They say you find your kind, I found them with running. For this one it was my friend Gif who planted the seed for the Brutaal 80. A friend of hers, whom she crewed on UTMB CCC, was the organiser / Race Director for the event. As always, it didn’t take much convincing for me to join, though I made sure I roped Matt into the adventure with me with me.
We arrived in Belgium expecting a classic “experience”: knee-deep mud and relentless grey skies. Instead, the universe gave us a gift: blue skies, dry trails, and warm winds. I’m very glad it did!
The course for the Brutaal 80 is self-navigation on a sort of distorted clover-leaf design: three distinct loops (roughly 20km, 40km, and 20km) all returning to the same central hub at Domaine de Palogne which is a restaurant and adventure type centre.
Registration opened about 5:00 am and we arrived shortly after 5:30 to check in and drop our bags at the race hub. There’s always a specific kind of atmosphere at the start of an ultra. This time runners huddled around a crackling fire pit in the pitch black and frosty cold morning, listening to the RD brief us on the “challenges” ahead. With less than 70 runners It felt intimate, simple, and adventurous.
Loop 1: “The Playful One” (approx. 20km & D+420m)
Tagged as the ideal warm up loop, we started with a punchy little climb followed by a slightly technical descent. Perhaps we were a bit too eager; we followed the lead pack right into a wrong turn, forcing an impromptu off-track scramble just to get back on route. This route took us on a circle around Mont des Pins and back along the Ourthe river to Domaine de Palogne.
My highlights of the first 20k were:
- Misty open fields that felt like a dreamscape as the dusty/hazy sun rose in the morning.
- The short journey through the hamlet of Ozo
- The River crossing where we went over knee deep in ice cold water
- The first pass through the charming village of Bomal.
- Crossing the footbridge back to “base” as we arrived back to the start, finishing the first loop
At the aid station we shed our jackets and restock for the big one – Loop 2.
Loop 2: “The Brutal One” (approx. 40km & D+970m)
This was the meat of the race. “playtime is over!” as the race briefing put it. It started cold and confusing, with some route-finding puzzles that landed us in the mud by the riverbank. I was navigating separate GPX routes for each loop, but Matt’s watch couldn’t differentiate which loop he was on as he loaded a single file of the whole route. Along the riverbank we weren’t running as we were clambering over fallen trees and through thick, clay like mud. Matt took a spectacular slip which he struggled to get back up from. There was also a few steep climbs including one which felt like we were in a jungle, perfectly dense forest and only the sounds of our breathing and birds chirping away.
By the time we hit the halfway aid station of this loop, the sun was out in full force. The views from the high ridges were stunning, but the heat started to bite. Our legs began to protest, and the final 10km of this loop became a game of power-walking and grit. Towards the end of the loop we passed by a bat cave we’d seen signposted and finally rolled back into camp for some energy-boosting hot soup. Delicious.
My highlights of the second loop were:
- Matt struggling to steady himself as he slid in the sticky mud
- Briefly chatting with some other runners and being passed by the lady who’d go on to be first female
- The fallen tree we clamoured up in the ‘jungle’ – steps had been expertly carved into the trunk!
- The small town of Hamoir and the aid station where we chatted to the organiser.
- Finally finishing the last 10km which seemed to take us forever!
- The great Tomato soup!
Once more, back at Domaine de Palogne, we readied ourselves for the final loop.
Loop 3: “The Until The Bitter End One” (approx. 22km & D+480m)
The evening was dimming as we ran the final 20km. The evening light was incredible as we navigated long, sloping farm roads with great views over the surrounding region. After an initial, long sloped incline we re-joined the long straight we’d navigated on the second loop and found ourselves by the communications tower – a landmark we’d see before and would see again! Here we began the “leapfrog” phase of the race. You’d pass a group, they’d pass you; we were all in the same boat now, plodding towards the finish line.
Towards the end of the loop the sting in the tail was that we had to run passed the accommodation at which we were staying and the terrain became a little more rocky with two short sharp climbs left to overcome – the first involving steps that made our quads scream and the second as we climbed and looped around Fort de Logne, just a few hundred metres from the finish line!
My highlights of the second loop were:
- Moving with a bit more purpose knowing we were on the final stretch of the race
- The gentle climbs that gave us a chance to walk, talk, breathe and enjoy the last of the daylight
- Keeping the majority of the ‘pack’ of runners at bay for the last few kms
- Finishing!
Once back at Domaine de Palogne, we were cheered in and across the line by the organisers and Gif and Reka who’d come to see us finish.
We finished the race with some more Tomato soup and then drove off in search of fries!
For an inaugural event, the Brutaal 80 nailed it. It was simple, the runners were genuinely cared for, and the course offered a bit of everything. It would however be a different beast and live up to its name if it was wet and muddy as we expected it to be. A real challenge in different conditions!
Run With Dai 