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Harry ready to face his biggest test yet

Whatever challenges we choose to face as runners, there is always a sense of the unknown when we step on to the start line.

It doesn’t matter whether we are aiming to win or to complete a race for the first time; whether we are a professional athlete or a complete newcomer; whether the race is 5km or 175km.

We prepare as best we can, but concentrating on running our own race is our only guaranteed route to success.

HOKA ONE ONE athlete Harry Jones is somebody who follows this philosophy closely.

Sticking to the game plan

In 2018, Harry lined up in the CCC race at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc for the first time. Harry’s goal before the 105km race was to finish inside the top-10.

“My best memory from last year was getting to the halfway mark knowing that my racing plan was coming together,” he remembers.

“I was feeling fresh – well, as fresh as anybody could after 50km in the mountains.”

Harry ignored the hype and stuck to his game plan. He spent the second half of the race continually catching runners up ahead and was rewarded with an eighth-place finish.

This year, Harry steps up to the UTMB race. His approach remains the same.

Patience is a virtue

In a race that lasts almost 24 hours, patience is a virtue. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, then you’re on the path to success.

“It’s so easy to throw your race plan out the window and let yourself get carried away,” says Harry.

“Whether you’re out there to get a specific finishing time or position, or just to experience the mountains and take in the views, keep reminding yourself to run your own race.”

Biggest test yet

The Brit has been in Chamonix since the beginning of July, training in the French, Italian and Swiss valleys in preparation for his biggest test yet.

While his training has focused on lots of vertical and consistent high mileage, he has also been paying attention to the finer details to make sure he’s in shape come Friday 30 August.

“UTMB brings the world’s best together in one event, which has to be one of the biggest motivators for me,” says Harry.

“Of course, I love the mountains and all the supporters, but I love racing among the best in the sport and challenging my limits.”

Falling in love with ultra-running

Harry started ultra-running in 2015. After moving to Thailand in 2017, his love and pursuit of ultra-running only intensified.

You can find Harry travelling the world and sharing his ultra-running experiences on his popular Harry Runs YouTube channel.

“Ultras intrigued me from the day I heard of them,” he says. “My first ultras were in Thailand, where safety briefings would typically discuss what to do in the event of a snake bite, so a little different to racing in Europe.

He has lived something of a nomadic existence over the last couple of years, travelling from race to race, combining being a professional athlete with his full-time running coach commitments.

“But the biggest challenges I face are probably the mental battles we all have to fight through on race day or within demanding training weeks,” he says. “It’s all worth it in the end.”

Photo credit: PEIGNÉE VERTICALE

New challenge on the horizon for Franco

If it’s true that we all run for different reasons, with our own markers of individual success, then another thing that unites us as runners is our desire for a challenge.

Continually stretching our boundaries is something we all do as runners. From training week-to-week to the races we enter and the challenges we seek, we’re often striving for more.

This desire to evolve and seek new challenges is certainly true of HOKA ONE ONE athlete Franco Collé.

Returning to Chamonix

Franco has raced across different continents and over distances from 20km to 350km in a career that spans more than 20 years.

He has enjoyed numerous successes, not least in winning the Tor des Géants twice as well as finishing third in the TDS race at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc three years ago.

The time is right

Franco returns to Chamonix this year and this time, he’s taking on the big one.

“I’ve never done the UTMB,” says Franco. “I decided to take on the adventure this year as I think the right moment has arrived.

“I’ve reached the age of 40 and think I’ve acquired the right maturity to try to do my best in this competition.”

The UTMB means a lot to trail running athletes and fans all over the world.

More than a race

Each year, the 170km race sees more than 2,000 people share in the same dream and take to the start line on the Friday evening, knowing it will be 24 hours before they’re done.

It is more than a race. It requires all athletes to push their mental and physical limits in order to cross the finish line. Preparation is months, years in the making.

For Franco, the UTMB is a race that ranks high on his bucket list.

“I think the UTMB is the symbol of trail running,” he says. “It is one of those events that you have to try once in your life. Chamonix is such a unique environment and the landscapes around Mont Blanc make it so special.”

Chasing new challenges

This willingness to confront a challenge head on is typical of Franco. It’s a way of life and something he doesn’t take for granted.

“My life as an ultra-runner is everything to me,” he says. “I like starting with my backpack, always looking for new challenges.

“For 2-3 days a week after work, I leave and never know what time I return. Every day, sacrifices are made to succeed in reconciling work, family and passions.

“But every sacrifice is worthwhile and always repaid when you reach this and succeed in what you set out to achieve.”

Photo credit: PEIGNÉE VERTICALE and Stefano Jeantet

Audrey aims to create new memories in Chamonix

We all run for different reasons. We all have our own markers of individual success. For some, winning a race is the culmination of a lifetime of dedication to the sport.

Crossing the finish line first is a big step in any athlete’s career. From the egg-and-spoon race at sports day to a local running race, breaking the tape is a memorable moment for any athlete at any level.

It can also be life-changing. Winning a race at perhaps the world’s greatest international trail-running festival is an achievement many trail runners aspire to.

HOKA ONE ONE athlete Audrey Tanguy did just that in 2018.

Career highlight

Audrey only took her first steps in ultra-trail competition in 2017. Less than a year later, she crossed the line first in the 126km TDS race at UTMB. It was, and remains, a career highlight.

“Winning the TDS is actually my best racing memory,” she says. “I loved every single moment of that race, although maybe except the Col de Tricot!”

“I really didn’t expect to win and am still so happy and affected when I think about it now.”

This year has been Audrey’s first full season as a professional athlete for HOKA. She has finished 2^nd at Lavaredo Ultra Trail and 3^rd at Madeira Island Ultra Trail so far this season, and heads back to Chamonix to race TDS again later this month.

Same race, new challenges

TDS links the Aosta Valley in Courmayeur, Italy to the Savoie region in the French Alps. It is the second-longest individual event during UTMB week and starts at 4:00am on Wednesday 28 August.

This year’s race route promises to present some new challenges.

Now 145km long and reaching +9,000m elevation, the race starts in Courmayeur and follows the same route as previous years. It then charts a new course through the Beaufortain region before arriving to the finish in Chamonix.

Intriguingly for Audrey, the infamous Col de Tricot remains. It is the steepest single climb on the Mont Blanc round. At more than 2,000m altitude, it arrives 130km into this year’s race.

Creating new memories

After spending three weeks trekking in Kirghizstan to prepare for the race, Audrey is ready to tackle the race head on.

“On the one hand, I can’t wait to run TDS again,” she says. “On the other hand, I’m afraid that having a different race and outcome this year will change my gorgeous memory of last year’s race.

“Physically, it will be longer and harder, but I have more experience now. I’m aiming for a good race. By that, I mean good race management, good sensations, good thoughts throughout and hopefully a good result to match.”

Striving to be the best you can be is a common thread that connects all athletes, whatever level or ability.

Living the simple life

It is this dedication to be the best version of ourselves that both connects us and continues to drive us on. It is the same for Audrey.

“For me, ultra-running is a perfect life,” she says. “It’s a simple life, almost every day is the same, but I love it.

“When you want to be as good as possible, you try to do your very best and it isn’t always possible or doesn’t always come off. But, for me, ultra-running is not a sacrifice. It’s just my life and my passion.”

Photo credits: Sunny Lee and PEIGNÉE VERTICALE

IRONMAN Hamburg in pictures

We were live in Hamburg last weekend for the latest stop in the 2019 IRONMAN series.

Our friendly team was on hand to talk all things HOKA ONE ONE with the thousands of athletes and spectators in town for the event.

Every man, woman (and their dog) had the chance to try out the latest HOKA shoes, including the Clifton 6, Carbon X and the ultra-light, uber-cushioned speedster, Rincon.

Our four elite athletes, Arnaud Guilloux, Susie Cheetham, Horst Reichel and Katharina Grohmann, were on hand to meet and greet fans at the HOKA stand…

…before grabbing their numbers and preparing to test themselves over the 3.8km swim, 183km bike ride and 42.2km run the next day.

Horst started strongly on the swim and bike before fading, while Arnaud moved through the field and eventually finished fourth.

Wearing the Carbon X, Arnaud clocked the second-fastest marathon time in the pro race, running 2 hours, 55 minutes and 5 seconds.

In the women’s race, Katharina was consistent throughout and finished sixth despite suffering stomach problems from the beginning.

But there was absolutely no stopping Susie.

Susie was in a podium position from start to finish, though it was on the bike where she really excelled.

With the fastest bike time and a healthy advantage coming out of T2, Susie flew round the course and won by almost three minutes ahead of her nearest rival.

Next stop for us: IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice on 7-8 September.

Photo credit: Activ Images | James Mitchell

HOKA fan Simon reconnects with the wild in Tanzania

Some 19,000 years ago, people were stood in the very same spot as Simon James in Tanzania. They weren’t just standing either, they were running. Ancient footprints are exquisitely preserved in the mud, now rock. Find out more about Simon’s humbling experience and how he reconnected with the wild during his trip to Lake Natron.

We stood there in the baking sun, the temperature pushing into the mid-40s, the ground radiated immense heat. It was like standing in an oven. Towering high above us was Ol Doinyo Lengai – or ‘the Mountain of God’ – an active volcano soaring out of the Tanzanian Rift Valley to around 3,000m high.

Some 19,000 years ago, people were standing in the very same spot we were now. Not just standing, but running. Their footprints are exquisitely preserved in the mud, now rock. Their toes, even droplets of water which spilled off their feet as they ran, marked the very moments they ran through the mud.

For me, trail running is all about reconnecting with the wild. The wild is where we began and deep down it’s who we are. Running is such a simple and beautiful movement and connects us across race, culture, gender and time. It’s something hard wired in all of us, from that moment we are born and the instinctual feeling of fight or flight, to escaping our cluttered lives as adults and running out down a trail.

True definition of wild

It had taken a 14-hour flight and 7 hours in Jeeps on unmade roads to get to the location, Lake Natron, near the border with Kenya. It felt like we had landed on Mars. We ran through the tiny village of Ngare Sero, the only village on the southern shore of Lake Natron. It felt surreal and exciting to be finally running in this land. It really was the true definition of wild!

The local Maasai called out and waved as we ran past. Some even came to run with us. It was an amazing experience and one that I will treasure for a lifetime. In that moment we ran together, we ran because we all loved running, and everyone was laughing. The kids joined us and soon we were all running just because it felt good to run. We couldn’t speak Maasai, but no language was needed to convey that incredible connection made for just an instant.

Life on the edge

Life is on the edge in Ngare Sero and there is no doubt that survival for most who live here is an everyday experience. I was working with a team of very experienced leaders, facilitating students to help play a part in an international schools’ project, which aimed to provide sustainable access to food and funding for local schools.

Nothing is what it seems, though, in that part of the world. Although we were right next to the sixth-largest lake in Tanzania, it was highly toxic to humans with its high alkalinity. But because of this, it is also sanctuary to 2.5 million lesser flamingos.

Reconnecting with the wild

The volcano, which regularly erupts and destroys everything in its path, was the very reason why the footprints had been preserved. We sat with those footprints for some time. It was emotional and truly humbling.

I thought back to my relationship with running, and how deeply it is part of who I am. My hands gently touched where their feet had landed in the mud. The scene that I now saw, the lake shimmering behind me in the extreme heat, the Mountain of God dominating this land, those runners would have had the same view some 19,000 years ago. For a moment, I felt we were somehow connected. The first trail runners and me.

Photo credit: Simon James

Feeling inspired? Simon works full-time in the outdoor industry, looking after the day-to-day operation of Run the Wild and working as a trail running guide. In summer, he is based in Saint Gervais, at the foot of Mont Blanc, and for the rest of the year in the Chiltern Hills in the UK. Simon works on charity-based projects in Tanzania as well as leading groups up Kilimanjaro. Follow Simon and Run the Wild on Instagram and check out the website here.