Geboren im Süden von Österreich, wuchs Eli in den Flatlands auf, und hatte keine Ahnung vom Gleitschirmfliegen bis sie 14 Jahre alt war. Als sie dann in der Luft war, hat es sie sofort gepackt – sie wurde Pilotin, dann Ausbilderin und Wettkampfpilotin. 2023 hat sie die Red Bull X-Alps gemeistert – bis ins Ziel. Die erste Frau, der das gelungen ist. Und ihr bislang größter Erfolg.

Nimm dir einen Moment lang Zeit, und tauche ein in die beeindruckende Geschichte von Elis Reise an die Spitze des weltweit härtesten Abenteuerrennens.

DESPITE THE ODDS BY ELI EGGER

June 2021. “Come on Aaron, it’s just a few more kilometres today!”

“Haha, next edition I’ll tell you to go on when you are tired!”, he replied.

And there it was. The little thought in my brain which never really left again: next time it will be me crossing the Alps at the Red Bull X-Alps as an athlete!

A year later the thought was still running circles in my mind, should I really sign up for the toughest adventure race on the planet? Me? A girl, a woman and a lightweight one at that too?

As a supporter for Simon Oberauner and Aaron Durogati during three editions of the X-Alps I already had direct experience of the race, I had seen the risks they had to take, the immense power required, the strong will and incredible piloting skills that were necessary. Am I even close to that level? Do I want to take that much risk? Is it worth it? Or is there another way, maybe there is a ‘my’ way?

At that moment I called my best friend Nadine. She is an incredible woman, coach and pilot, she embraces whatever challenges life has to offer and is one of my personal heroines on so many different levels. I told her about this crazy idea and asked for her opinion “Who could do it, if not you?!” was the immediate reply. And that’s how our journey started.

August 2022. I handed in my application, not sure if it would be enough to be accepted. Imagine, I had never entered a hike and fly race as an athlete, I’m not an ultra-runner or crazy good alpinist, just a little girl with a dream. An accomplished competition pilot flying for the Austrian national XC team, physical I am fit but petite and I even questioned my own strength on the ground. With no official track record of me available, not even a Strava account or any other proof that I can at least hike a bit I was surprised that it was good enough to be accepted.

When the selection went public I received many congratulations and best wishes but also comments like “you only got the spot because you’re a girl”, “be happy, you don’t have pressure”, “as a girl, you’ve already won by being on the starting line”, “no one is expecting you to make it far”, “each day you stay in the race is a victory by itself”, “just don’t hurt yourself.”

Clearly expectations of my performance were, let’s call it “pretty low”. Maybe they’re right? Was it all a big mistake, am I going to make a fool of myself?

Nevertheless, I immediately started training and I trained hard, determined to do my best and maybe also prove these voices wrong. But even the strongest athlete cannot do a good job without the right team so I spent a lot of time finding the right people to accompany me on this journey, to prepare and train together and ultimately become a team. By June 2023 the team was set: Nadine, my main hiking and mental supporter; Verena, a crazy good osteopath and social media pro; Benschi, a hobby sherpa and strong mountaineer; Daniele, a professional photographer; Julien, head coach of the French national team and finally Christoph my nutrition expert. With Julien and Christoph supporting from home and the other four taking care of everything on the road, we were ready to take on the challenge.

A week before the start of the race, all teams met in Kitzbühel for organisational duties, photoshoots, interviews and final preparations. Seeing all these fit men running by the camper van, one faster than the other worried me, “was this really a good idea?” I became more and more nervous by the day, but the chances to run away and back out had long gone. Fortunately, we had an amazing team spirit that lifted me and gave me the power to believe in myself. Our confidence grew as the start got closer.

And then it was time. Time to show off, time to let go.

32 athletes crossed the start line of the 2023 edition of the Red Bull X-Alps, four of them were women including myself. You take on the first 1000m verticals up to Hahnenkamm, I was just happy to not be the last to reach take-off. After signing the board it’s time to fly to Wagrain. High in the gaggle, doing what I love: flying together with my friends, we headed east.

Overconfidence is rarely helpful in competitions, less than an hour later after a couple of wrong decisions and being stressed by the others, I bombed out. “But it’s a hike and fly race isn’t it”?, “don’t worry, just take the glider and hike 200m up this skiing slope and take off again”. That’s what I thought when I landed, but I soon realised this was a bad idea with 15kg of additional ballast - I had to fly with a lead jacket and water ballast just to reach the middle of the weight range of my glider. Waiting for my supporters to help with this additional weight – athletes are obliged to carry the glider, harness, rescue, helmet and trackers by themselves, but ballast can be carried by supporters - all those doubting voices came back to me.

‘But who cares? the race is not over yet so keep moving!” Climbing up the next mountain I managed to do one more flight which at least gave me a better starting place for the following day. The rewards for the first day’s efforts were hugs and encouragement from everyone in the team. It is not over, we are going to complete this race our way.

We had to do it differently than the other teams, I couldn’t fly without the ballast so I needed someone to accompany me up every mountain to carry the additional weight. But this gave us the freedom to make our own decisions and not just follow the main route. The following day, I manage to pull myself back into the race as I passed one athlete after another in the air. Finishing the day with the “Inntal-move”, despite everyone else I took my own route further south which put me 40km further ahead of my surrounding competitors.

Focusing on my strengths in the air rather than my weaknesses on the ground, my goal was to fly more than everyone else each day. Because, as long as you can stay in the air, you are faster than even the strongest runner on the ground. Funnily enough “be slow” was the mantra I put on my instruments to remind me of that. Be slow in the air, but make sure you stay there and be patient in zero climbs or when others pass you. Just smile and enjoy the moment.

No matter how tired I became, my team kept joking and encouraging me to do my best. They talked me through difficult situations, made sure I was in the safest spot possible and stayed optimistic even when the conditions were bumpy as hell. You just live in the moment, one turn point after the other, days blur into one another and suddenly you land at Col du petit Saint Bernhard. Only then did I realise that I had actually achieved more than even I had wished for, I had just passed Mont Blanc which marked the half way point of the race. That was on day six and the goal closed at day twelve!

“Will you be the first woman who makes goal?” – the next unrealistic question arose. But was it really that unrealistic? Before the race we didn’t really plan the route after Mont Blanc, we concentrated on what we thought would be the only part needed, the first half. Luckily the routes in 2019 and 2021 passed the same area so I knew them from supporting Aaron in the years before. Each day I became more confident in the air, sometimes even enjoying the rough conditions, or at least for some moments. I pushed my own level and limits higher than ever before. Luckily my teammates had their eyes on me and gave me perfect advice as to when to land if the thunderstorms were too close. That helped me to avoid the really dangerous situations and during the next few days I managed to fly back into the Dolomites.

Meeting more and more people along the way, they either wished me luck or even accompanied me and my team for some kilometres was totally inspiring for me. Only when Julien calculated the remaining distance to reach goal by walking - 56km and 3000m vertical a day, 4 days in a row before the goal closes – did the vision of actually reaching goal became a serious reality. In the end it took me less than two days to reach the float in Zell am See.

Looking into the faces of my supporters and friends who came to cheer for me at the goal, only then did I realise I had fulfilled a dream that I didn’t even know I had. I not only took part in the toughest adventure race on the planet, reached Mont Blanc and stayed in the race until the bitter end, but I finished it. I completed it and reached goal. Sharing the joy of achieving the impossible, proving that ANYTHING is possible is a feeling I will never, ever forget in my life.

I hope that being not only the “last woman standing” - the former prize for the woman who lasts the longest in the race - but the first woman ever to reach goal and finish the X-Alps encourages more and more women to follow their dreams. Because that’s what I learned during my X-Alps journey, we are so much stronger than we think. There are some people who can see it right from the beginning (thanks Nadine) even if we doubt it ourselves. Even if life is hard sometimes, we can fight and grow back stronger.

I hope that we finally overcome our generation of prejudgment and start believing in the strengths of every individual. Whether male or female, black or white, fat or skinny – each of us can overcome their boundaries and become a better self. Sometimes it just means going a different route than others.

Stay high, stay safe and always have a smile on your face! - Vielen Dank für deine schöne und packende Geschichte, liebe Eli ! Ein Cheers von OzoneDA