It’s race week at UTMB and the town is full of energy and excitement. I am preparing for one of the races, CCC, to begin in 5 short days. CCC is a 101km race starting in Italy and running through Switzerland and France, before finishing in Chamonix. It’s not the full lap around Mt.Blanc(Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc), but it’s the little sister. And she’s fierce!

As I’m preparing my gear, I go to charge my watch. Nothing. No screen. On/off doesn’t do anything. Hard reset doesn’t work. CRAP. At CCC, a watch is kind of necessary as much of the race is spent alone on the trail and without support. I like to know the time of day, my elapsed time, and km’s covered to make sure I’m on track and I’m feeling at the correct times. A watch is necessary.

So I go into slight panic mode. How am I going to get a watch four days before my race? I decide to take a chance and email COROS, through the general email form. Maybe someone will read my message and get back to me?

Within hours I have a personalized email back from COROS, telling me they can help. In fact, they will hand-deliver me a new watch from the race expo. I felt like I just hit the customer service lotto. I reply with an enthusiastic YES and make plans to pick up my new watch.

Fast forward to race day. I’m armed with my new COROS Apex 46 and a confident, calm attitude. I run a smart race, starting slow and taking in fuel regularly. Somewhere around halfway I find myself moving up the field and feeling great. As I cross through Switzerland and into France, I move into 4th place and hold it all the way to the finish. And the best part was I did it with a smile the entire day!

Do I owe my great day to my watch? Of course not. But, I owe my calm nerves and confidence to not having to stress the days prior and having things go smoothly during race day. So in a way, yes, COROS helped me finish 4th at CCC. I can’t say enough great things about the company and the watch. Best.Day.Ever!