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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

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

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New challenge on the horizon for Franco