Trails & Inspiration

Nike Transalpine Race Report 2024

The Transalpine Run is one of the most, if not the most, iconic pairs stage race in Europe. With seven stages across the Alps, starting in Garmisch (Germany) and finishing up in Reschensee (Italy), passing through Austria and Switzerland on the 272km journey.

Our SportsShoes x Nike Trail ambassadors, Natalina Neuenschwander and Seb Batchelor, explain what it was like competing as a team in this epic challenge.

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Seb: Transalpine had been on my radar for a number of years, I’d heard great things about the event, and it had become a bit of a bucket list race for me. Pairs races are unique, so having a good partner is key, one that is strong (physically and mentally), but also someone you’re hopefully not going to fall out with as fatigue sets in! I asked Natalina back in the spring, I knew her running capabilities and having done some long ski-tours with her over the winter was suitably impressed with her ability to go the distance and grind it out. She has a background in ultra-distance cycling, so a large aerobic base was certainly never going to be a limiting factor!

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I had a bit of an epic journey to the race thanks to cancelled flights and trains, but after 20 hours I eventually made it to Garmisch and met up with Nat and the first of our support crew members.

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Stage 1: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) to Nassereith (AUT)

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Natalina: With almost 46km and 2600m of vert, the first stage was already my longest distance run ever. Things started off on a flat’ish road before we started climbing up and down single trails around the Zugspitze, Germanys highest mountain. It was a hot but beautiful day, where we got to test our teamwork for the days ahead.

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Seb: There was a lot of apprehension on the morning of stage 1, it was a big day to start and we were unsure who are main competition would be or the pace we would need to sustain to be in with a shout by the end of the week. The stage was stunningly beautiful, we pushed hard and opened up a good gap on 2nd place by the finish.

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Stage 2: Nassereith (AUT) to Imst (AUT)

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Natalina: Stage 2 was a bit of a wakeup call for me and my body – “right, we’ll be running a lot these coming days”. While on day 1 everyone and everything is still fresh, legs were a little stiffer on day two. We ran along the course of a Skyrace route, got both technical and flowy downhills and managed to finish as the first mixed team again.

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Seb: I loved this stage, the route was really run-able, views were incredible and the support on the course was pretty special. Nat was definitely battling today but she dug in and we extended our lead further. This was also the only day where I felt there was a good amount of time to relax after the stage, it’s staggering how much needs to be organised each day, this really takes it out of you over the course of a week.

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Stage 3: Imst (AUT) to See (AUT)

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Natalina: Early 6am start on day 3 meant headtorches were put on and allez into the dark! After a mentally tough day on stage two, my head was back in the game for stage three. A gentle downhill into a couple of flat kilometres to start with played to my strength. It was the first wet day and with 49km and 3100m of vert, the queen stage of Transalpine 2024. Two main climbs separated by a muddy downhill, where my brother and his dog surprised us with a visit, took us to a village called See in Austria.

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Seb: Stage 3 was a long hard day, the 3am wake up to get some food in was fairly brutal too! I felt quite sluggish for the first couple of hours, but with Nat setting a high pace and in good spirits, I got back into the groove. That’s what’s so special about pairs racing, you’re a team, you work together and help each other through physically and mentally tough patches. Cold and wet by the finish, but another win extending our lead to a healthy margin by this point.

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Stage 4: See (AUT) to Ischgl (AUT)

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Natalina: If day three was wet, day four was definitely wet. It’s not often (or ever?!) you have to put on all your mandatory gear in a race but, we had to. Geared up with waterproof pants, jacket and gloves we ran on some magnificent Alpine trails although I will be honest, I mostly looked on the trail straight ahead of me - things were slippery. After we both binned it on the downhill we got to run in the sunshine into Ischgl, finishing 1st mixed team for the fourth time in a row after 42km and 2900m of vert.

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Seb: Not many views today and by far the coldest day to date, but there was something strangely satisfying about battling the conditions, it certainly separates people out. We were well and truly into a routine by this point in the race, a traveling circus of runners with not much comprehension as to what was going on outside the race bubble; I enjoyed that, knowing each day what you had to get up and do.

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Stage 5: Ischgl (AUT) to Samnaun (CH)

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Natalina: Things got hard from here onwards for me, mentally and physically. We ran 31,5km from Austria into Switzerland in the most beautiful weather. It had snowed on top of the mountains the day before so despite all the huffing and puffing, we both had moments of “this is wonderful” looking at the landscape surrounding us.

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Seb: There were quite a few broken bodies by the start of stage 5, 4 tough stages were starting to take their toll. After a chilly start we run into the sun and warmth and were greeted by the spectacular Swiss mountains. We had built up a very large lead in the overall competition, but were now on a mission to win every stage; we really had to put our heads down and push hard to maintain a buffer over the second team, and with Nat descending like a stone today we took the win once again.

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Stage 6: Martina (CH) to Nauders (AUT)

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Natalina: The weather changed again on day six, from sunshine to very very wet. The route was changed for a lower terrain route as again, it had snowed down to 2000m. We ran mostly on fireroads and despite our bodies definitely starting to hurt now, we managed to secure yet another win after 36km and 2100m of vert.

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Seb: This was definitely the stage I enjoyed the least, the organisers did an amazing job of changing the route last minute due to the adverse weather, but it was fairly monotonous. “Just keep moving” was the phrase of the day – one more day to go.

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Stage 7: Nauders (AUT) to Reschensee (ITA)

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Natalina: Day seven was nothing but a battle for me. I’m pretty sure I’d gotten sick and the last thing I wanted to do that day was run. That’s the beauty of a pairs race though, you’ll dig deeper than you’ve ever have because this thing is way bigger than just you. I fought about every demon I have in me to reach the finish line with Seb. We won every stage, finished as the 5th team overall, with only men ahead of us. I think the finish line pictures will do all the talking at this point.

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Seb: A relatively speaking short, sharp, and intense day to finish the race. Starting in +27 degrees and sun 7 days earlier and finishing it in -4 degrees and snow, that’s the unpredictability of the Alps in autumn. Winning every stage and finishing 5th in the men’s only competition exceeded even what I thought we’d be able to achieve, what a race, what an experience.

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Kit:

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Seb: Over the course of the week, we encountered a huge variety of conditions from dusty dry trails, wet rocks, slippery mud, snow and a little road. Every day we both wore the Zegama 2, Natalina even wore the same pair for every stage! It’s an incredibly versatile shoe that was at home on all terrain encountered and stood up to the battering Trans Alpine threw at them! Comfort is key when running such high volume, and the Zegama 2 delivers that in spades without compromising on fit and precision. The Vibram outsole is a big step up from the last generation of the shoe, the grip in even the toughest conditions was second to none. Nike have really nailed in with the Zegama 2!

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