2Go Bangalore Mountain Festival

"The mountains are calling and I must go"

By Veloscope

March 20^th, 2019

MTB XC races

One of the things the 2Go Bangalore Mountain Festival is best known for, is as the place where all the crazy XC dudes come out and play.

The MTB XC races for the elite and amateur categories are a real spectacle! This race has probably done more than most to increase interest in this sport among the young and daring.

Trail runs

The 10k and 21k race routes - with open categories for men and women - is on a technical man-made trail, 2 months in the making. There are 4 hills to be traversed, stairs to be climbed... and when it is all over, the mountain is within you as much as you are within the mountains.

A festival for everyone

Lest you think that this race is for the hardcore, mountaineering type, the first bit of information to give is that each year since this joyous little event has begun, there have been more and more people - everyday people with regular jobs and lives - inducted into the magic of running and cycling in the hills.

There is also a bouldering event, which needs training, as would be the case with the XC elite event or the half-marathon event. Most helpfully, the organisers have given a difficulty-level scale (the half marathon is a 6/5. Which means, best start training consistently this year for the next year's edition). On the whole, with some responsible training and planning, this is a great event for anyone with moderate trail running & trail cycling experience. Many folks come to enjoy the race, and aren't embarrassed to push their bicycle up a slope or two.

We mentioned that mountains+bikes is a visual treat, right?

and like how!

the rocky background makes everything better

Except if you are running. Then, your knees are screaming for mercy. On the downhills.

The beauty of trail running is not just that we are away from traffic (even cordoned off traffic for races) and in a fresher environment. The first things we notice are the change in air quality, the quiet and the moments of absolute silence when it's only us and our breathing and the unsteady beat of our feet on the rocky ground. Unsteady? That's the big one. Not running on paved roads, one of the biggest skills trail runners pick up is the ability to land lightly on different kinds of surfaces with each step. There are grassy knolls and rocky outcrops and pebbly ground, all to be navigated every 100 metres or so. In the geography of Avati Hills, where this race is run, the gigantic rocks looks as if they have been placed by a giant child as part of their playground, the terrain becomes a real challenge to navigate. A happy challenge for the trail runners.

The race route is also highly undulating, going up and down hills and dales. This, and managing one's own pace, breathing, and running style and strategy - that is what adds to the technical and challenging element to the race. This is why this is among the toughest trail races in the country.

The stars are out

From the cyclists of the region, the best and brightest always take time out for a BMF outing.

A bird's eye view

Adding to the technical aspect of the race is the fact that there are very narrow pass throughs. So, not more than two runners abreast, and all cycles go single file. This makes pacing that much tougher for runners and for cyclists jostling for position, and possibly a podium, the race is on, right from the start.

Unique race format

A note of appreciation for the folks behind the Bangalore Mountain Festival: Sunil Nanjappa and team. The race was born of a desire to bring world-class racing tracks, technical know-how and execution ability into namma Bengaluru, for starters. The format of organising a day's outing for runners, cyclists and families under the benign shadow of the not so benign climb of Nandi and its sisterhood of hills is a clear winner. It also caters to the multi-sport families, and for people interesting in torturing themselves with endurance in multiple sports.

Hats off to individual endeavours

At the end of the day, the big winners are really the individuals who turn up, hearts pounding, and race to the best of their capacities... and walk away with a mountain of resilience and grit within.