Castle Trail Bouillon · 50K

I signed up for this race to keep me moving no matter the weather during this winter. I genuinely enjoyed the training and didn’t take it too seriously performance-wise. I did it my way … the way that my soul feels joy and my body feels good.

In the weeks leading up to the race, the weather in Slovakia (where I live) became really challenging, so most of my long runs were either through deep snow or in freezing temperatures, often dropping below -5°C. Still, I enjoyed it :) 


And I am a forest person :), so I used every opportunity to spend time in nature and get some elevation in my legs.

The course was very well marked. There was only one crossing where I wasn’t sure which way to go, but I had the GPX file on my watch (from the event website), so it wasn’t a problem.

The route was hilly, but not in the sense of having climbs that last several kilometers. It was more about single tracks through the forest and short climbs up to rocky sections. Some parts were quite technical. My watch showed 19 climbs and 19 descents.

There was also a lot of mud, and the funniest parts were the descents that were supposed to be runnable paths but turned out to be streams of water and mud instead. Still, it had its magic. I was pretty dirty after the race :D

The race description said 1,960+ meters of elevation gain and technical terrain… and since I’m in Belgium quite often, I know how flat it usually is 😅 So for weeks before the race I kept thinking: where on earth are they going to find 2,000 meters of climbing? And technical terrain? Are they serious? 😂 I’d never been to the Ardennes before, so it was hard to picture it.

Well… they were serious.

They basically made us climb every single rock in the area. Added plenty of mud so we could “slide a little,” threw in a few creek crossings to keep us awake 😂 and topped it all off with stairs straight up to the castle. It was nothing like what I had imagined, I was expecting a few gentle rolling hills, but it turned out to be amazing.

It was - 3°C at the start, with the wind picking up from the middle of the race onward. A bit colder than what they’re used to there, but for me pretty manageable!
I’m from Slovakia, where winters usually mean snow, ice, and properly freezing days , so this felt much better than what I’m normally running in at this time of year :)

Happy, ready, and with a healthy respect. You know that familiar nervous energy…the kind that comes from respecting both the distance and the unknown terrain ahead.

The race started at 8 a.m., which is a pretty luxurious time, especially when you’re staying only six minutes from the start. So I had plenty of time for the three most important things: 

• Two sweet croissants with honey

• Coffee

• And the toilet :D 

After taking care of all that, my stress level disappeared. We all know some actions are absolutely necessary before a race :D I felt relaxed and really hyped to head to the start.

I carb loaded properly two to three days before the race and even though I’m a foodie and love to eat, real carb loading can actually be quite hard. But my legs were definitely ready. I took a few pictures and videos at the start because social media and Strava :D and then we were ready to go.

We started in two waves:

• First wave at 8:00.

• Second wave at 8:15. 

I didn’t pay much attention when registering and simply chose the first option. Somehow I believe the first wave was full of sprinters or very overexcited people :D They all started so fast.

I really wanted to take it easy, but I got swallowed by the group. After just 1.5 kilometers we were running on a single track, so slowing down would have meant blocking everyone behind me. That made it hard to stick to my original plan.

And it was not just my imagination. When I spoke with the female winner at the finish, she said, “I peaked in the first kilometer and survived the next 49 :D”

The initial hype calmed down on the second proper climb, around kilometer four. People started power hiking and I finally found my rhythm. That was the moment I gave myself some honest feedback about the pace. From then on, it was 100 percent my race.

I still had GOAL A in my head, but I already knew it would be tougher than expected. Very early on, we were climbing over rocks instead of running. I remember thinking, “Ahh, this is the technical terrain they were talking about.”

The terrain changed constantly. I would say about 85 percent was trail and 15 percent asphalt. The forest sections were either very muddy or completely frozen in the shaded parts. Sometimes melting snow and small streams turned the trail into a mix of water and mud. Honestly, those sections were quite fun.

At that point I still was not using my poles. Looking back, I know I would have saved time if I had started earlier. My pace definitely depended on that decision.

The first refreshment station was at kilometer 11 and the second at kilometer 19. At the first one I stopped for about a minute to grab water. At the second one I ran through, gave my boyfriend a quick kiss, and kept going. It felt too early to stop properly and I had my own nutrition anyway, gels, carb drink, and Clif Bars.

My plan was simple. Eat or drink something every 40 minutes and alternate solids with gels so there was always enough time between two gels. I am very happy to say that this strategy worked perfectly.

Until kilometer 23 my legs were completely soaked, either from crossing streams or running through deep mud. There was one uphill section that was so slippery it took me five times longer than it normally would.

That was the moment I finally said to myself, okay, time for the poles. From then on they helped tremendously, not only on the climbs but also on the muddy downhills. I still do not understand why I was so stubborn earlier :D

At the third refreshment station, around kilometer 31, a volunteer told me I was in fourth place. I was surprised but did not focus on it too much. Again I spent only a minute there, grabbed some crackers, and ate them while walking away.

By then other runners had already commented that they never really see me spending much time at aid stations. My answer is always the same. There is no need. I eat while hiking uphill and prefer not to lose unnecessary time. I would not call it tactics. It just feels natural to me, especially in cold weather.

In the last 10 kilometers our course merged with the 20K and 35K runners since the event offered three distances. That was the only moment when I felt slightly annoyed.

If you have ever run a marathon that also had a relay, you probably know the feeling. You are fighting your own battle, giving everything, and suddenly someone much fresher flies past you.

That was exactly how it felt with the 20K runners :D They were simply faster. And my ego did not enjoy that at all :D

Between kilometers 31 and 38 it was often just me, myself, and I. Then suddenly the last two kilometers felt crowded and busy.

One guy from the 35K stayed with me for the final eight kilometers. We ran quietly next to each other without saying a word, yet it still felt like we were sharing the effort. We are now Strava friends :D

The finish line was at the castle. Of course that meant uphill and stairs. Not exactly the dream scenario after already climbing 2000 meters during the race. But it had its magic.

I still managed to run parts of the final climb, mostly because my boyfriend was there taking photos and videos. And you definitely do not want to be caught walking in that moment :D

As I approached the finish line, I heard the moderator say three words. Hockey. Slovakia. Podium.

I did not think much of it. It was during the Olympics and our hockey team was doing quite well. We were aiming for a medal and eventually finished fourth. I assumed he was just mentioning my nationality and somehow linking it to hockey and the podium.

That was not the case.

He had just announced, in Dutch which I do not speak :D, that I was third and that the award ceremony would take place in ten minutes.

I was changing into dry clothes when we suddenly heard that they were looking for me. Someone came to tell me I needed to go to the podium for my prize.

That was the exact moment it truly hit me. I was third.

It felt almost unreal because all that time I had no idea what was actually happening in the race.

The podium photos clearly show that sometimes the person who finishes third is the happiest one there :D

Sometimes the best results happen when you are simply out there enjoying the run.

At the end of the race, someone told me I didn’t even look tired.

So apart from my body language, which apparently can lie very convincingly 😄 , there’s also one rule I always follow: Finish the race feeling good enough that you could party until morning if needed.

That’s the mindset I carry with me to every starting line, and Castle Trail Bouillon was no exception.