trail running Archives - Page 2 of 3 -

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

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.

HOKA on the podium at Trail World Championships

Last weekend saw a number of HOKA athletes compete for their countries at the 2019 IAU and ITRA World Trail Running Championships.

There was a feelgood festival vibe as more than 400 athletes from around the world descended on the Portuguese town of Miranda Do Corvo to tackle the 44km race.

Athletes kicked back to conserve as much energy as possible on the eve of the race. The technical terrain would feature more than 2,200m of climbing and certainly put the athletes through their paces.

The atmosphere on race day was electric. Team HOKA were represented in the men’s event by Italy’s Marco de Gasperi and the French quartet of Julien Rancon, Ludovic Pommeret, Nicolas Martin and Emmanuel Meyssat.

Fans flanked the course to help propel the athletes to the finish line. Nicolas certainly channeled the energy from the crowds and made every second count.

It turned out to be an excellent day for Julien and the France national trail running team. Julien, who specialises in shorter-distance trail running, surged into second position with a quarter of the race to run and didn’t look back.

“I was far back on the start line and had to make an effort to get up with the leading group. I didn’t really enjoy the first part as it was very technical, so stayed patient until the first refreshment station. I felt very good going uphill, got into second at the top of the course and managed to keep my second place to the line. Crossing the line was a very emotional moment.” HOKA athlete Julien Rancon.

The athletes, fans and organisers certainly made the 2019 World Trail Running Championships epic. Julien led the French quartet featuring HOKA athletes Nicolas, Emmanuel and Ludovic to team gold. Bravo team France: world trail running champions 2019.

Photo credit: PEIGNÉE VERTICALE

Running wild in one of the coolest jobs in sport

Ever wondered how you set up your own running company? Wonder no more. We spoke to Simon James, founder of adventure running firm, Run The Wild, about his running journey and how it has led to one of the coolest jobs in the sport.

From a young age, I’ve always felt a strong connection with running. I grew up on the south coast of Wales, exploring the cliff tops, running along beaches and the winding trails through sand dunes. That sense of complete freedom has stayed with me and I believe is at the very heart of what trail running is all about.

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I love nature and camping, and as a teenager had the chance to go on a six-week expedition to Alaska. It was tough. But from then on, I began to seek out challenges that although might not necessarily have any tangible value, do provide meaning and purpose, and continue to frame my life.

Life starts to take its toll

As many do, I found myself pursuing a career in London with long hours in an office. This included the inevitable toll it can take on your health. One day a client suggested that I should join him in a hiking challenge along the West Highland Way. Except it wasn’t a walk, my friend decided we would run it. The only thing was, the furthest I’d ever run before was eight miles. This was 54 miles!

But I did it, and something clicked inside me that day. It reawakened what I’d discovered in Alaska many years earlier. I couldn’t get enough of it.

Running all over the world

My running has taken me all over the world, even into the realms of mountaineering. I’ve climbed the high altitude peaks of the Americas and 8,000m peaks in the Himalayas. I think the message is common with runners about how running can change your perspective. I used to struggle with my weight and also depression, but running really was an antidote to those. It became very much part of my identity.

It was in 2013, as I descended from a last summit attempt from Manaslu, an 8,000 metre peak in Nepal, and in a rather hypoxic state that the vision of Run the Wild came to me. It was something different, something that encapsulated running with exploring and adventures in the wild. I wanted something that was a step away from racing and the crowds, that incorporated the feel of an expedition, and yet gave this sense of freedom.

Within a few weeks, Run the Wild became a reality and the concept of “Exploring places… not running races.” was born.

Best day job in the world

Through Run the Wild I have been privileged to facilitate some incredible running adventures for individuals and groups. I love working in the outdoors, sharing knowledge, encouraging and supporting others while teaching skills that I have learned on my own journey. The people, the experiences and the environment are incredibly rewarding. I feel very fortunate to have what I believe to be one of the best jobs in the world!

Running along balcony paths beneath sweeping glaciers, standing on the top of mountain passes above the clouds is a pretty cool place to call your office.

Photo credit: Simon James

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. He also works with young people on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme as an assessor and instructor. Simon works on charity-based projects in Tanzania as well as leading groups up Kilimanjaro. He is an International Mountain Leader, Sports & Remedial Massage Therapist as well as Leader in Running Fitness.

Rising to the challenge of the grand Tarentaise

When you’ve spent the past decade travelling the globe and running in some of the biggest trail races in the world, what do you do to stay motivated?

If you’re HOKA athlete Julien Chorier, you take to the Alps and tackle the 295-kilometre challenge of the Tarentaise, of course.

“At the beginning of the year, I couldn’t really find a main aim for the season, so I made the decision to create it,” says Julien, speaking just before his appearance in the TDS race at this year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) event, where he finished ninth.

“I really wanted to create something new, something that would allow me to discover new things,” he adds.

Sharing the experience

But the opportunity for Julien to share this experience with his family and closest friends was the biggest motivating factor behind his record attempt.

“Most of all, I wanted to do it in an environment that I knew well, somewhere close to home, so that my friends, family and training partners could all be a part of it too.”

Julien completed his ‘Grand Tour de la Tarentaise’ in a record 66 hours and 13 minutes.

Rising to the challenge

The 38-year-old, who lives in Saint-Thibaud-de-Couz, France with his wife and two daughters, has enjoyed an elite trail-running career spanning more than a decade.

“Most of all, I wanted to do it in an environment that I knew well, somewhere close to home, so that my friends, family and training partners could all be a part of it too.” Julien Chorier

Julien won the CCC race at UTMB in 2007 and finished on the podium in the 171-kilometre event the following year.

He has won prestigious trail races around the world, and is a two-time winner of the Grand Raid de la Réunion, also known as ‘La Diagonale des Fous’.

Taking on the Tarentaise

La Diagonale des Fous translates to ‘The Madmen’s Diagonal’ in English, rather fitting given Julien’s appetite to take on the toughest of challenges.

The Tarentaise is more renowned for its beautiful ski resorts and the route Julien tackled featured 295 kilometres and up to 20,000m of elevation. It was certainly the sort of challenge he was after.

“I left Val Thorens on the Friday morning under sunny skies and just happy to be there,” recalls Julien. “I didn’t dare to consider the magnitude of the task before me at that point!”

The sunny skies didn’t last. Battling heavy rain and hailstorms, rocky paths, landslides and crippling fatigue, Julien arrived back at Val Thorens a little over 66 hours later.

Together, we go further

Julien’s journey was documented the entire way by Aurélien Colin and his Athlete 2.0 crew for a special feature film that premiered this week at UTMB.

It will be 2019 before the film is officially released – but for now, share in the spirit of Julien’s adventure with this teaser.

“Our motto was that, alone, we go faster,” says Julien, “but with many, we go further. I think we achieved that with this challenge.”

Photo credit: Rémi Blomme (Athlete 2.0)