“Heroes Ultra 2016”. A race to commemorate the abduction of Heinrich Kreipe

The story

The kidnapping of General Heinrich Kreipe was a Second World War operation by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), an organisation of the United Kingdom. The mission took place on the German occupied island of Crete in May 1944.

On 1 March 1944, Kreipe was appointed Commander of the 22nd Air Landing Infantry Division operating on Crete, replacing General Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, who had been made the German commander in the Dodecanese and who had a reputation for brutality towards the Cretan people. The SOE team of Major Patrick Leigh Fermor and Captain William Stanley Μοςς had planned to abduct Müller, but when he was replaced, proceeded with their plans and targeted Kreipe instead. Helped by Cretan resistance fighters, the SOE team successfully abducted Kreipe and managed to evade the German troops searching for them. When the team reached the coast, they were picked up by the Royal Navy and taken to Egypt

Course marking

The course will be clearly marked on race-day for both day and night navigation with eco-friendly paint, high-vis ribbons and ad hoc signs that you will be briefed on in your Athlete Manual and during the pre-race briefing which is to take place on 20 May 2016.

Aid stations/checkpoints

Athletes will be supported by 8 intermediate aid stations, offering food and water, as well as a number of clearly designated unmanned water stations from the plentiful natural springs available on the course.

All 8 aid stations will also serve as intermediate elimination checkpoints. For the full list of aid station/checkpoints with their respective cutoff times, please use our interactive course map below. Click on the buttons to view information on the checkpoints or click on the line segments to view information on race segments.

Medical support

There will be a significant force of trained rescuers/first aiders throughout the course looking out for your well-being. Detailed information on first aid personnel and injury protocols will be included in your Athlete Manual and pre-race briefing.

Maps

A downloadable version of the latest course map (updated: 15-Oct-15) is available in GPX, TCX and KML formats. Please check that you have the latest version, as tweaks to the course may be forthcoming without notice.

Heroes Ultra 2016 is an official qualifying race for Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 2017 and 2018, awarding a maximum 6 points.