After another ten minutes we pass the goal of the Mountain Challenge at Gasthaus Bichl and, for us, the highest point of the day. From here it continues only downhill and on a forest path we get back onto the trails. Along the track, not only human beings but also sheep and cows say hello - pure mountain feeling.
One last refreshment station and about 4 enjoyable trail kilometers later, we “hear” the finish line approaching. From the forest the trail leads smoothly downhill into the village. Accompanied by cheers we pass the finish line after a good one and a half hours. The feeling is really overwhelming like every time and the donuts top it all off. We have never had chocolate donuts at the finish line before.
Every participant receives a finisher shirt and shortly after the last trail runner has reached the finish line after almost two hours, the award ceremony takes place. First we hardly notice anything because the pasta is just too delicious. Salmon, pesto and bolognese sauce with unlimited parmesan topping demand our full attention, also the cake stand is an absolute must. The award ceremony takes place in an overall ranking and an Ötztal ranking, and there are also men’s and women’s categories in each age group. A fact that can cause an above-average number of ranking options.
Happy faces get gingerbread medals and wheat beer glasses and there are also cash prizes here. Although the trail running event is (still) rather small and unknown and the entry fee of 25-30 € is really cheap, the prizes are rather high.