We’d only been in Greece for a week or so when we learned about the Samaria Gorge trail race happening on May 6. It takes place along the famous Samaria Gorge trail in Crete, which is one of the most popular hikes in Europe.
In a road race, the number most people pay attention to is the length (5k, 10k, half-marathon, etc). In trail racing, there are two important numbers: distance and elevation gain. This is because roads are graded for vehicles and typically don’t experience extreme climbs/descents like trails can.
Turns out, the Samaria Gorge Trail Race was 17.6 km and roughly 1000 m of elevation gain. For those of us inclined to imperial measurements, 11 miles and 3280 ft of gain. That by itself is no joke.
Now, in trail races there’s also a way to describe the difficulty of a race by how “technical” it is. This means that there are more obstacles that slow down your running: rocks, roots, mud, etc. In a road race, your speed is mostly based on your cardio and endurance ability. But a highly technical trail race can slow down the most in-shape runner if they aren’t prepared for it.
If you’ve ever been to Crete, then you know where this is going. Crete – and all the Greek islands in this area – is full of rocks. Do you know how much harder it is to run on a path littered with sharp rocks ranging from the size of a fist to the size of your head? Add to that a steep downhill section and the Samaria Gorge trail race’s technicality score skyrockets. Of course there’s no concrete number for this and the difficulty is largely subjective, but I think most people would agree with me on this one.
To my surprise, 6 of my fellow coworkers also signed up for this race. I’m usually alone on crazy escapades like this, and finding solid friends to do stuff like this with me is one of my weaknesses. To be fair, one person thought the race was 6 miles on the 11th of May instead of 11 miles on the 6th of May – he had a rough time, to say the least!
The Samaria Gorge trail race is partly along the Samaria Gorge trail, which is the most popular walking trail in Crete, and one of the most popular in Europe. The race started at 8:30 AM on the Omalos plateau, about a km along the road before the start of the trail. This allowed the runners to space out a bit before entering the narrow trail, which we had to share with tourists. The first section along the road was also uphill, which is a bit of a rude awakening for the start of a race. We ran past a herd of sheep that cheered us on, which added to the general Greek mountainside ambience.
The easy footing on the roadway abruptly gave way to a steep, rocky descent as we entered the trail. I am not particularly good at navigating downhill terrain, and I also have no interest in losing my footing and falling off the mountain, so I was passed quite a bit here. Eventually I got behind a group of runners and was able to mirror their footsteps and keep a decent pace. We also had to dodge the hikers, which added to the difficulty. The race is early enough in the season and the day to avoid the worst crowds, but you’ll end up passing plenty of people anyways.
Unfortunately the difficult terrain meant I didn’t have much time to enjoy the scenery, which is absolutely beautiful in this area. At around 4.7km we reached the lowest elevation point, where we left the actual Samaria Gorge trail and entered a side trail. This is also where the long uphill section started, which I honestly preferred to the slightly terrifying downhill run.
This also afforded me more time to take in the breathtaking surrounding mountains as we climbed endless switchbacks up the shrub-covered hillside. This section consisted of almost all the total elevation gain of the race (about 3000ft), which translates to feeling like you’re never going to reach the top. This race, although somewhat small, was very well-supported and included at least 5 water stops along the climb (I was too tired to count!).
I did pass a few people along this section, although I was feeling my lack of long-distance runs in training towards the end. I managed to catch up to two of my coworkers. One fell behind, but the other continued with me all the way to the end of the race. Reaching the top of this climb was a huge boost and they had an aid station with fruit and chocolate! I didn’t partake because I had some energy chews, but it was a nice touch.
The next section was a mostly downhill dirt road to the finish. I call it a dirt road, but once again, this is Crete, so the road is actually full of large rocks. This section was absolutely beautiful to look at but was murder on my feet. I was already not used to being on my feet for this long, but adding in the constant navigating of rocky terrain and I think all of us were in pain.
The most frustrating part was that the gentle downhill would have been perfect for cruising along – if it weren’t for those darn rocks! I was forced to slow down significantly because I was tired and becoming more prone to tripping. It was nice to have company along this section and we commiserated about how much our feet hurt.
I was developing a blister on my left heel, which at first I thought was a rock stuck in my shoes. After trying to shake out my shoes a couple of times, I realized that the pain in my heel wasn’t going away and resigned myself to stick it out. I’ve never gotten a blister on my heel before, but it turns out that it happens often on long, steep downhills if your shoes are slipping slightly on your feet. Next time I’ll make sure to tie my shoes a bit tighter.
There were regular signs updating us on how far we had left, so we counted down the distance to the end as we went. The very last half km section left the road and took a narrow trail down the hillside to the finish area, which was at the start of the Samaria Gorge trail. This was where my frustration with myself peaked. I was very tired, my feet were killing me, and my balance and coordination was shot. I felt like I had enough energy to run the rest of the way to the finish, but the uneven path meant I was constantly stumbling if I went more quickly than a fast walk. At one point I fell and thrust my hand into a bush with stinging thorns, which was icing on the cake.
Finally I reached the end of the trail and ran the last section in to the finish. I managed to finish in 3:17, which I was pretty proud of. Because of the factors I talked about earlier, it can be really difficult to judge or predict finish times for trail runs. I managed to finish only ten minutes behind my fastest coworker and one minute behind the other. The others ranged anywhere from five minutes to an hour behind me. I’m generally not a super competitive person, but considering all my coworkers are men, I was pretty happy with myself.
After collecting my medal I collapsed on the asphalt next to our group and basked in the sun. The post-race food consisted of unlimited chicken souvlaki sticks and traditional Cretan rusk topped with tomato mixture (not sure what it’s actually called), and beer. I got a cup of beer before it ran out, and the souvlaki sticks never ran out and were delicious.
Overall, the Samaria Gorge trail race was an excellent race and I highly recommend it to anyone who happens to be in Crete in early May! I have to admit, being there with good friends made it so much more fun. We all commiserated and celebrated with each other, and we kept talking about this day throughout the next month.
I’m already thinking about the next race I’m going to sign up for when I’m back in the Pacific Northwest. I found out recently that I’m moving to Bahrain in February, so I need to soak up the mountains as much as possible in the next several months!