{"id":13521,"date":"2020-11-19T14:34:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T13:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stimcareonline.com\/?p=13521"},"modified":"2022-07-19T10:40:18","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T08:40:18","slug":"inside-golden-trail-championship-par-arnaud-tortel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/inside-golden-trail-championship-par-arnaud-tortel\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Golden Trail Championship by Arnaud Tortel<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Azores are volcanic islands with rugged terrain, sharp rocks and dense vegetation, some of it jungle. The mild, clement climate is renowned for its anti-cyclone, which deserted the islands for 4 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we had rain every day, and constant fog on the heights. All of this sprinkled with winds of between 60 and 120 km\/h; Dantesque!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prologue<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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First warm-up day, during which I deal mainly with athletes who have arrived with old joint or muscle pains and tensions. Bart Przedwojewski<\/mark><\/strong> arrives with a sore right calf, on which I immediately place a patch bandage around the leg to maximize healing. We'll have to hold out for 4 days!<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blandine Lhirondel<\/mark><\/strong>suffering from a rib that prevents her from making certain movements and blocks her breathing, hesitated for a long time before coming... yet a few well-placed patches later, there she was, breathing normally and moving her arms with ease. She can't believe it, and neither can I! Let's hope it holds up for the next 4 days of battles. Some of us fall asleep that evening, with patches on areas of tension, in preparation for the first battle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stage 1<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The racers tear each other to shreds from 9am to midday, and by 2pm the athletes are streaming into my treatment room, hobbling and hobbling. Some are already hard at work with sprains, slips, knocks and bruises, while others come for posture adjustments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the extent of certain disturbances, particularly on the calves, quadriceps or ischios, I opt to use strips of patches that I cut to size. These are extremely practical for large muscle contusions, but also for small finger sprains, as I can cut the patches to the right size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stian Angermund complains of heavy residual tension in his glutes, which resists stretching and massage. I apply two large patches adapted to the shape of the muscles, to continue the work of muscle relaxation during the night and prevent the appearance of new tensions tomorrow during exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internship<\/strong> 2<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

 At 7am, I'm already strapping up my ankles and knees, the necessary armor for downhillers who, faced with a terrain of mud, brambles, branches and holes, are looking to consolidate their stressed joints. 3 more days of racing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 2pm, new athletes make their appearance. Bodies undergo intense trauma. But everyone is smiling! Everyone is happy to be able to continue competing in the Azores, while in France the confinement is blocking mountain outings and closing sports centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over thirty athletes come to see me that day. Race strategies are in full swing. We've got two more days of 30 km and 1500 m of ascent in very slippery conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maude Mathys is still suffering from sore hamstrings, but they're not getting any worse. Muscle adjustments are to the millimetre.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stian (Angermund) didn't suffer any gluteal pain, so he's happy. An old strain on his right quadriceps reappeared. It's not yet a problem, but as a precaution, we decided to patch his thigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bart (Przedwojewski) can still feel his calf bothering him. We change his patches, as the first ones have been soiled, damaged and destroyed by the intensity of the terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I meet Fr\u00e9deric Tranchand, an orienteering champion who had fallen on his hip the day before, and whose large haematoma is preventing him from running normally, causing him to lose a lot of energy with his running movements. He discovers the Stimcare patches, which I place on the various impacts as well as on his feet, with the aim of releasing old postural tensions revealed after a few tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Remi Bonnet, who is aiming for a place in the general standings and best climber, we spend time rebalancing posture, so that the rhythm of the legs is not hampered by internal tensions and the diaphragm gives its full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this long day, I went to bed late that night and got up early the next morning for the pre-race straps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internship<\/strong> 3<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Fatigue is the order of the day. The riders are battered by strong winds, fog and thick mud. Efforts accumulate, lucidity diminishes and falls become more frequent. Ankles, knees, bruises. Thibaut Baronian collapsed in a water hole and dropped back to 11th place.e<\/sup> place, dropping out of the top 10. Massage, stretching and patches get him back on his feet for the final fight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric (Tranchand) returns to see me, delighted with the balance he had regained the day before. His muscles were filled with lactic acid from the adaptation efforts of day 2, so he wasn't able to express himself during stage 3, but he's cleaned up his system and is ready for the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to be inventive in the face of different disturbances, and fortunately thanks to the patches, I'm able to achieve muscular relaxation actions that would be unthinkable without this tool. Playing on Sherrington's laws, I activate weak muscles to relax strong antagonists. Add to this magnesium chloride powder and little miracles happen every night. A case in point is Candice (Fertin), who thought she wouldn't make it through the prologue after a crippling case of sciatica flared up on the plane on arrival, and is still here tonight! She's even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internship<\/strong> 4<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Last race: the dogs are released on a fallback course, as the wind at the top of the caldera is in excess of 120 km\/h, making the passage too dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bart, heroic, hangs on to Jim Walmsley, who finds more rolling terrain and flies to stage victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maude doesn't let go of Rachel Drake but also concedes her the 4th place.e<\/sup> sleeve. No more sore hamstrings: contract fulfilled. While Amandine consolidates the third place she has held since stage 1. In the end, she was right to come and see me: the pain linked to the rib disappeared under the action of the patches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thibaut saves his 10e<\/sup> place with a return to top form, while R\u00e9mi made the effort to take the overall lead on the climb (Uphill), Th\u00e9o won the sprint and Ana Cufer took off on the descent; the ankles held!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I've never had the chance to follow such intense races at such a pace. Even the best-prepared bodies all suffer a dip in performance, due to falls or old disturbances that resurface with accumulated fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is precisely at this point that the patches come into action in 3 different modes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Directly on injured areas (blows, bruises, bumps, sprains, contractures, tendonitis, etc.) to bring blood back to the area for better cleansing and healing.<\/li>
  • On old scars that retain deep, active adhesions and quietly disrupt movement, ending up costing a lot of energy day after day.<\/li>
  • On the guiding muscles to free and guide the disturbed joint, tailor-made on all the muscle chains following adapted physical tests to model the disturbances and see the corrections once rebalanced by the patches.  <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    In the end, whether they were regulars or novices, champions or amateurs, a fine array of athletes put their trust in Stimcare Patches during this Golden trail championship. And we're proud to have accompanied them through 5 days of intense competition, some of them right up to the podium!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Maude Mathys 1era<\/sup><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ana Cufer 1era<\/sup> descender<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Blandine Lhirondel 3e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tove Alexandersson 4e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Camille Bruyas 6e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fanny Borgstrom 8e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Meg Mackensie 14e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ariane Wilhem 27e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Candice Fertin 36e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Bartlomiej Przedwojewsky 1er<\/sup><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Th\u00e9o Detienne 1er<\/sup> Sprinter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand 3 e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Elhousine Elazzaoui 4e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stian Angermund 5 e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remi Bonnet 1er<\/sup> of the climb and 8 e<\/sup> to General<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thibaut Baronian 10e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Joey Hadorn 12e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Artiz Egea 14 e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Riccardo Borgialli 15 e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Marcin Rzeszotko 17 e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jan Margarit 21 e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ludovic Pommeret 27e<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Julien Michelon Withdrawal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Max King Abandon<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Golden Trail Championship took place from October 28 to November 1, 2020 in the Azores. <\/p>\n

    I attended the event as physiotherapist to the Salomon International Trail Team, which I've been following for 10 years now. The biggest trail race of the year brought together (almost) all the world's best male and female trail runners over the distance. But this time, things were different, with a new race format. <\/p>\n

    For the first time, races were held over 4 consecutive days, and another novelty was that there were races within the race! Indeed, as in cycling, athletes would battle it out to be the best climber, sprinter and descender, in addition to the overall ranking. The battle promised to be epic, especially as the conditions didn't help the racers.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":30521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13521"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31176,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13521\/revisions\/31176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stimcareonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}