Interview with Abel Altuzarra Ibáñez
Abel Altuzarra is one of the under-23 runners with a Chiruca scholarship through La Rioja Mountain Races.
Personal data
ABEL ALTUZARRA IBAÑEZ, U23
Current Team: NECUTIA TEAM
Date of Birth: 17/05/2006
Place: EZCARAY
Current height: 1, 92m
Current weight: 71kg
Short questions for Abel
What are you studying? Bachillerato in Humanities and Social Sciences and I will start a higher degree in Forestry Activities.
What hobbies do you have apart from mountain running? Going out with my father in the mountains and hunting.
What would you highlight about your village? Well, its people and the mountains that we are lucky enough to have close by.
Do you already have a profession in mind that you would like to pursue? I want to be a forest fireman
Two favourite dishes? In general, caparrones and in particular the rice that my mother makes in any of its variations.
A film? Deadpool 2
A country you want to travel to? Australia
Music group? Estopa is my favourite band, although in general I like almost all music.
How much do you train Abel, weekdays, weekends, tell me a little bit about your dynamic?
So far I usually go out to train every day (regardless of whether it rains or not), and I usually alternate running and cycling training. On Sundays I don’t go out to train and I take it as a rest.
What has changed in the way you train after joining the Chiruca Scholarship programme?
Well, I have changed the intensity of the race, so that I don’t go flat out. And I have organised my training in a specific way. Before the scholarship, I used to train without criteria or without knowing what the dynamics of exercise or sport were for. Having the possibility of having a coach at our disposal is a leap in quality both in my preparation and in my results.
What would you highlight about this sport?
Mountain races have a special atmosphere. People generally love nature and I share that feeling with them. I’m starting to make more friends and travelling to run makes me meet people from different territories.
What do you think is the easiest thing about mountain running?
Enjoying the race because in this sport the race offers you different moods during its duration, some nerves and feelings of uncertainty at the beginning, a phase of individual and internal struggle to know if you will be able to do it, and finally the feeling of joy and excitement of reaching the finish line.
What do you find the most difficult thing about mountain running?
Overcoming the suffering when you’re very hot, it’s very difficult to manage your physical and mental state at those times.
Do you keep in touch with your fellow scholarship holders, have you formed a group?
We live in different places and we are a few years apart, so I don’t have as much contact with them as I would like, but I do talk and chat with some of them from time to time.
You have recently participated in two Spanish championships, tell us about your experience of these races?
I had never been to this kind of championships before and I loved it. It was nothing like the races I usually do. I’m just starting in this sport and the participation in the championships has surprised me positively. Honestly, I would have liked to have performed better than I did. But, it was the first experience in this kind of battles.
TRENCACIMS CXM in Line.
13kms with 1000meters of elevation gain, it was a tough race, but at the same time beautiful. I was in the top 20, specifically, in the sixteenth position. Sun and shadow of sensations, because the first six were at a distance of between 2 and 3 minutes with respect to my arrival. This tells me that I can improve and reach that gap, but I’m a bit non-conformist and I know that I could have done better. I’m happy because many people who know a lot about this sport tell me that the result is very good for the first time I’ve taken part.
KMV EZCARAY
Did you feel pressure to race at home?
I didn’t have that feeling of pressure for being a local, maybe a little more in the foot of the championship, because the days before the race there were conversations about the race in every corner of Ezcaray. But at the start I didn’t feel any different from any other race I’ve taken part in. I think that in this sport the biggest pressure we have is if the body is going to respond as we want.
It was 2.2kms with 750m of elevation gain, this was the distance of my category for the Spanish Vertical Kilometer Championship, I was seventeenth and as in the online championship I finished with a bittersweet feeling for the same reasons. This time the distance with the first 6 classified was around a minute and a half.
What do you think then about what is said, that in the sport of mountain running you can be prepared and trained, but if the body doesn’t pull, then it doesn’t pull. What do you say about it? Has it ever happened to you?
It happens to me more often than you would expect. But you have to keep calm and pull with your head, going forward and trying to reach the finish line. In the end, we may like to reach the top positions on the leaderboard, but what the runner likes most is to finish the race.
Do you have a routine before the start?
No, I don’t have any routine apart from stretching and activating the body.
What do you usually think about when you’re at the start line?
Well, I usually look to see if I know the runners to see if I can run with them or to have a pace reference in the race. And if I don’t know anyone, it’s the first few kilometres that tell me which group will have the pace I’d like to run.
And when do you cross the finish line?
Here I am very clear about what I think and what I want. Sit down, the first thing I want to do after crossing the finish line is to sit down. Followed by a glance at the final refreshment station, I get hungry very quickly after the race.
Do you have time to enjoy the scenery when you’re running?
The types of mountain races I do are not very long and this means that the pace of the race is fast. You have little time to enjoy the scenery. Besides, you have to look at the ground for your own safety. But you still get a glimpse of it. Many times I’ve gone back to the race course, out of competition, to go back to the area and enjoy the part of it that I might have missed while running.
Do you runners talk while you are participating, do you encourage each other or what do you talk about in the race, is there usually camaraderie or do you fight competitively not to lose your position?
In the race, unless you are in the same team, you don’t talk much. But it’s true that the runners give each other a lot of encouragement, it’s like we all have to reach the finish line at least. Come on, let’s go, ….venga! This is said even if they are opponents. We also use a lot of gestures that we all understand perfectly.
Are there more and more young people running and is the Riojan trail la rioja mountain races circuit trying to bring this sport to younger people? What would you tell people your age about this sport?
Although it’s hard work and sacrifice, when you finish a training session or a race, you feel a sense of achievement that you can find in very few things. This sport is a constant struggle for self-improvement. All young people like to party with friends and I don’t feel that this sport makes me make extreme sacrifices when it comes to meeting up with my friends.
What do you value about the Chiruca Scholarship coach, I mean what is he helping you with the most?
The commitment and availability that Ander has with all of us, the youngsters. I also value a lot that he has experience as a runner and that he coaches some of the runners I admire.
You still have many years left in your Scholarship if injuries respect you. What are your future goals in this sport?
I would like to be a professional runner or at least try to be one. I know it’s not easy and there is always the risk of an injury or handicap.
Have you ever tried asphalt races and what differences do you find between running on asphalt and running in the mountains?
I have tried a couple of them, but they are very hard for me. For me, the big difference between the two is the pace. On asphalt it’s difficult for me to identify the pace, which reduces my endurance and speed.
Is there any race outside La Rioja that you would like to run?
Zegama Aizgorri
Which is the race of the Riojan trail circuit that you like the best and why? And which is the worst and why?
Foncea Trail, I like the course, although it’s really more of a sentimental issue, it was the race with which I started the circuit two years ago. The worst,…not because it’s bad, but because of its hardness I would say Nájera Xtrem, which never fails, although …Arnedillo trail was a bit difficult for me last season.
Would you improve anything about the Beca Chiruca?
We have a group preparation and perhaps the personalisation would be more valuable, although I understand that the scholarship, as well as my progression, will adapt over time.
In the regular league of the Riojan trail circuit you are in second position halfway through the season, do you have any plan or strategy to try to reach the first place?
None specifically, apart from trying to finish in a better position than the brothers from Anguiano, Teo and Lucas Willi. They are going to make it difficult for me. There are three races left and it won’t be easy.
Is there anything in the mountain races that you would improve, that is to say, at the organisational level, do you notice that something is missing, or that something is neglected with regard to the athlete that should be improved?
The truth is that everything is brilliantly organised and a lot of thought is given to the participants and even to the public that attends the events. On the downside, I would say that some of the trophy awards take a long time or are a little late. But I understand that this is out of respect for some runners who have yet to reach the finish line. I would also like to add that we are really lucky in La Rioja to have the Circuito Riojano de Trail Chiruca Experience, because it is committed to the promotion of this sport. So I can’t say too many buts about it.