Wandering Wolf
Lara Klaassen
Met de Wolf Mountain Run zamelden de deelnemers geld in voor PAN Parks, een organisatie die de laatste wildernis van Europa beschermt. Als natuurwetenschapper en hardloper intrigeert dit onderwerp mij. Ik schreef er een opiniestuk over, in het Engels, voor PAN Parks. Voor de geïnteresseerde lezer.....
Nature conservation and outdoor recreation: the Wolf Mountain Run in Majella National Park
Trail runners competing for nature conservation. That is the idea behind the Wolf Mountain Run (WMR). This event took place in the beautiful Italian Abruzzo mountains, from 7th to the 9th of September. The participants gathered sponsorship money for the PAN Parks Foundation. In return, they were taken through the breathtaking mountain wilderness in a three day trail running event. With their participation, they contributed financially to the protection of the wilderness area where they were going to run: Majella National Park.
As a nature conservationist by profession and an enthusiastic endurance runner, I was asked to be an ambassador of the project. Lots of questions came into mind: is outdoor recreation compatible with the protection of nature? Can the event contribute to public awareness on nature conservation or will the national park be a mere playground for those who run the trails? Does the sponsorship money weight against the possible disturbance and damage caused by trail runners? I had not adopted a fixed position concerning this subject and I was motivated to go and find out. Literally, by putting my running shoes on. First as a scout and advisor on the trails in May. I returned to participate in September.
The national park management was a partner in the event and took several measures to ensure that the environmental pressure was set to a minimum. Stage two of the race was originally planned in the Orfento Valley, a romantic almost undisturbed valley with steep limestone walls. Otter and white-throated Dipper live there. The forestry police decided to move the trail from this area to the less vulnerable surroundings of Santa Eufemia. To compensate for this change in trail, the participants were offered a walk in the Orfento Valley under the guidance of the forest police. Due to misty weather, the park management also decided to shorten the first stage course and leave out the mountain top. I think this had to do with risk management and not with nature management.
With just 20 participants, the event had a modest start. And with many organizations in charge of nature management, there were a lot more people organizing the event than the actual count of runners. To be honest, it looked a bit overdone, more than 50 men and women from the police, ambulance, national park, forestry department, fire department and mountain rescuers teaming up and discussing the race course.
For some, this was hard to comprehend. It opposes to the original idea of the event: experiencing a real adventure, away from towns and villages, in the wilderness. Trail runners are used to be very self sufficient. They run alone for hours on end in nature, night and day, with no human for hours in sight, carrying their own food and drinks on their backs and leaving no trace. On the other hand, most of the participants were road runners from the Netherlands, experiencing their first trail or mountain run. Whether risk management should be a task of the event organization or the local nature management organization, remains a different discussion, on which I will not focus.
Disturbance, littering, pollution and trampling can be the threats of trail running. Probably, most disturbance and pollution came from the off-road vehicles driven up the mountains by the men and women protecting the environment and the runners. There was no littering from the participants, they all took their garbage with them. Using existing walking paths, dirt roads and single tracks, there was nearly zero trampling. On some trails though, my feet could not evade the feral flowers of the famous Abruzzo Crocuses that are grown for the saffron they produce. Luckily these flowers are not rare!
Evaluating this year's event is interesting, it leads to a different perspective when we look at the future. This event has the potential to grow into a large one. With more runners participating, more money from sponsorships, more public attention for the causes of PAN Parks and the beautiful wilderness areas that are part of PAN Parks. One of the strong points I think was the presentation of Zoltán Kun at the runners briefing on PAN Parks and its objectives. I think that after the presentation, the participants really started to appreciate their presence in a different perspective.
I believe that this approach can be a success, because nature conservation is the starting point. This can be a great opportunity and we could be huge steps ahead of world top trail events like the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). The UTMB is one of the largest live covered sports events in the world and yet, the beautiful Mont Blanc mountains receives little media attention. Nature conservationists and trail runners share many of the same objectives and I think trail running events can contribute to a better understanding and valuation of nature and conservation. Even for a small scale trail running event like the WMR. Though based on personal experiences, enjoying nature by being in the great outdoors can be a strong instrument for public awareness on nature conservation. Didn't every important global change start with the motivation of just a few people? I experienced great solidarity amongst the runners and respect for the environment. By the 'likes' of PAN Parks on Facebook of the participants, I believe the event has produced real Wilderness Advocates.
Now something about my personal experiences. It was a great stage run to do, well organized, in good company. As a scout, I had already visited the rough, silent mountains in May. The mountains were snow covered back then. It is amazing to experience the rapid change in the landscape, over the seasons as well as in some hours' time. From the dense woods in mysterious misty clouds to the hot, dry and sunny calcareous plateaus up the mountain sides. While running, I retraced the landscape with every footstep. The mountains were stored in my memory and I relived them, celebrating the quiet beauty of every stone, every tree, every land mark. And these recollections were enriched with new experiences. One highlight was on the last trail of 26 kilometers. Looking at the steep, rugged west face of the Montagna della Maiella mountain chain, I saw a huge bird of prey, probably a Royal Eagle, floating in the warm air. For me, trail running is like collecting places in my heart. And Majella National Park is one of those precious places.
September 2012, Lara Klaassen, endurance runner, director of the Center for Environmental Education and Nature Conservation in Maastricht (the Netherlands), also known as the Wandering Wolf.
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