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Thibaut heads to the US for TNF 50

Thibaut Garrivier enjoyed his first experience of racing in the United States last weekend at the TNF 50 in San Francisco. Read on for a snapshot of Thibaut’s race and his time in the US.

A first sport experience in the US very rewarding on several points, and firstly going to hang a podium in-extremis in the last bump of this player course but without respite 82 km and 3000+.

In the first climb the pace seems to me to run more than 6 hours like that, but the following confirm that I lack of energy and I am one of the first to let go of the leading group of 9 riders who will scatter in the climb next.

I take the riders one by one to Robbie Simpson at the 50th kilometer. I am then 4th and I have little hope to better see the state of fatigue. Yet motivated to join the finish with Darren Thomas and take Anthony Costales to 10km, synonymous with podium since Darren gives a good layer on the Golden Gate and escapes irremediably.

Beside that, a rewarding human experience shared with Romain throughout California (Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz), visiting the HOKA ONE ONE US family in Santa Barbara.

A conclusive and motivating experience, with several projects in mind to put in place in the years to come.

Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in pictures

For one week every year, the ultra-trail-running community descends on the small town of Chamonix in the French Alps for what many regard as the pinnacle of the trail running season.

With seven races across three countries, more than 10,000 athletes from 100 different nations and thousands more fans and volunteers on the streets and foothills of the Alps, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is an event that means so much to the community of ultra runners around the world.

The international festival of trail running provides the perfect opportunity for our elite athletes from across the world to come together as one team, one HOKA ONE ONE.

Audrey Tanguy was aiming to create new memories after her success in the same event in 2018, and boy did she succeed.

Audrey arrived into Chamonix in the early hours of the morning after more than 21 hours of racing. In a race of 145km, it all came down to the final 10km where Audrey broke clear to win the title for the second year in a row.

The 2016 UTMB winner, Ludovic Pommeret, rolled back the years to prove why he’s a true legend of ultra-trail running. Ludo moved through the field from 39th at the first checkpoint to 3rd at the last.

While Audrey, Ludo and co were up in the mountains, the rest of the HOKA team were in town to meet the trail running community that had gathered in Chamonix.

Fans had the chance to meet their favourite HOKA stars before heading out on a run in the Evo Mafate and Evo Speedgoat with our friends from i-Run.

High-quality races kept on coming. Hot on the heels of the OCC came the race that has climbed from being the little sister of the UTMB to one of the world’s most prestigious in its own right.

It was touch and go whether Thibaut Garrivier would be able to line up at all for the CCC after injury earlier this summer. After a year of ups and downs, the 29-year-old aimed to simply come away with a positive experience.

The flying Frenchman proved that he can more than compete with the best. Despite two months of missed training and a cautious first 50km on Friday, Thibaut finished second in his first race over 100km.

Shortly before the CCC ended, more than 2,000 runners gathered on the streets of Chamonix to set off on their 2019 UTMB adventure.

We all have our own markers of individual success. For many, the challenge of running 171km around the Mont Blanc massif is the peak of their ultra-running ambitions.

When you can empty the tank and get the result you deserve, it is the best feeling in the world, as it was for Guillaume Beauxis and Harry Jones.

But sport is full of highs and lows, and sometimes it just doesn’t come off. When the going gets tough, you’ve just got to stick it out and smile, soak up the support and have the courage to make the decisions you believe in.

Photo credits: PEIGNÉE VERTICALE

Thibaut back in the game and ready to race

Sport is full of highs and lows. It’s one of the reasons why we love it. Whether watching or taking part, running is a sport that has its fair share.

From crossing the finish line first or achieving that personal best to those inexplicable off-days and inevitable injuries. Running is a tricky sport to get right all of the time both physically and mentally.

It has been one of those sorts of years for HOKA athlete Thibaut Garrivier.

Arriving in style

Thibaut announced his arrival in style with a phenomenal win at Transvulcania back in May.

Transvulcania is a 74km race with 4,350m of elevation that takes place on the island of La Palma. It was a win for Thibaut that was a few years in the making.

After finishing third in 2018, Thibaut rose to the top of the podium this time around. It was a victory that, for him, justified the ultra-running path he had chosen four years before.

Rare are those days when it all comes together. But when they do, boy, does it feel good.

“Winning Transvulcania this year was absolutely crazy,” he says “It’s the best achievement in sports for me and that’s why I worked so hard for many years.

“This year started very well for me, with a huge progression compared to 2018. I am certain now that I can run with the best runners and would really like to take advantage of my progress before the year is out.”

Comeback race

The first opportunity for Thibaut to do that comes this Friday in the CCC race at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

The CCC is a race that has been top of Thibaut’s priorities all year. However, it has been touch-and-go until the last-minute as to whether he would be able to line up at all.

The 28-year-old medical student has had to battle against probably the most frustrating injury of his career to date.

Putting the brakes on

He has been completely out of action due to tibial posterior tenosynovitis, an inflammation that affects the tendon connecting the calf muscle to bones on the inside of the foot.

Just as Thibaut was ready to put his foot on the gas, the brakes were well and truly applied.

“The last couple of months have been a really hard period,” he reflects. “But I start to feel better and better and can finally train properly.

“Unfortunately, my shape is not the best of 2019 but I’m really happy to be back in the game and feel very enthusiastic to run in Chamonix!”

Returning to Chamonix

The CCC race starts on Friday morning at 9:00am UTC+2. It starts in Courmayeur in the Italian Alps. Athletes then cross both borders into Switzerland and finally France before arriving back in Chamonix 101km later.

It is not the first time Thibaut has competed in Chamonix. He placed sixth in the OCC (55k) race in 2017.

This experience on the Mont Blanc trails plus the support, advice and inspiration from fellow HOKA athletes Audrey Tanguy and Julien Chorier, who he has been training with in Val-Thorens in the build-up to UTMB, should see him fare well in his first over-100k race.

Following a year of highs and lows, Thibaut’s ambition remains simple.

“The first objective is to take pleasure and discover the race,” he says. “I want to experience the race and the distance to be back in my best shape next year to fight for the win.”

Photo credit: PEIGNÉE VERTICALE