Lost, alone in a foreign land and attempting The Grand Trail du Saint-Jacques 2024

My first attempt to finish the Grand Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB 2024. To prepare for the race in May this year I ran the UTS 50k by UTMB in Eryri. The UTS(50km) course has a similar elevation and I used this to gauge the amount of training needed for Saint-Jacques. This was imported as I had no way in advance to be familiar with the course. But need to add, compared to UTS I found the Grand Trail du Saint-Jacques(81km) ultra race more challenging not just because of the added distance but more due to the fact a large part of the course being above 1000m which I think impacted performance.
First half of the course, mainly ascending, had plenty of steep forest climbs, the trail muddy, tree roots holding the path that meandered around the many fallen trees. Quite often I found myself in a pack of runners taking turns to lead the pack to the top. The feeling of relief when reaching the top was short lived as we then faced the next fast slippery descent into a ravine with a stepping stones stream crossing at which point you would already have your poles ready to start the next ascent.
From highest point at Mont Deves the course eventually leaves the forest and passes through several farmer villages. This part of the course is much more runnable but with tired legs you need to stay motivated and focused to keep your pace.
At sunset there was only 10Km to go. I thought of a quick finish but then time and progress seemed to stand still. The trail to Le Puy-en-Velay always turns away from the city lights towards another steep climb. At this point I needed to adjust my expectation from a quick finish to just enjoying every moment.
Chapters:
0:00 - Arriving in Chapteuil
0:52 - Race bid collection from UTMB village
2:00 - Start line Grand Trail Saint-Jacques
5:00 - First aid station St Privat
7:25 - Third aid station, going gets tough
8:44 - Highest point of the course at Deves
10:00 - Almost there, street lamps of Le Puy-en-Velay
11:00 - Final climb to Cathédrale Notre-Dame-du-Puy
Grand Trail du Saint Jacques @extrasports_evenementsspor7524
Kit list:
Saucony Ultra Xodus 3
Injinji compression socks
Salomon 12L Hydration vest and quiver
Salomon twin shorts
500 Salomon soft flask x 3
Leke Ultra Trail poles
Garmin endurance
Precision hydration