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 2nd at Lavaredo Ultra Trail and 3rd 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