What is UTMB?
UTMB stands for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and is a 160km loop of the Mont Blanc Massif. Starting in Chamonix, France, the course leaves the French region. It runs through the highest point of the course in Italy, then enters into the Switzerland portion of the course before finally returning to France and into the Town of Chamonix. The UTMB is considered the European ‘Olympics' of ultra running. It draws a lot of the best runners in the world. It is highly regarded and it is a privilege to have a bib to stand on the start line of the UTMB or any of its sister (shorter) races. The UTMB is 160km with 10,000m of climbing and descending.
How are you preparing for UTMB?
I am learning to use poles for efficiency! This is something that I have never really needed nor used, so it is a fun focus to have on some training days with big climbing.
Mentally I have turned down some racing opportunities to have some ‘down time’ to freshen up for a big stint of training and travelling in the near future. I want to protect my stoke for racing and training.
My most significant area for improvement is descending effortlessly and lightly, especially if it is steep, so I will focus on practising that because I think the crux of the race will be not blowing out the quads.
Fuelling will be another focus for me in preparing for UTMB. The race could take anywhere from 25hours+, so getting the stomach ready to take on fuel and having a good selection and variation to keep my stomach happy and excited about fueling the engine for this amount of time.
What are you wearing?
Pack/Vest: I will be using the Salomon Sense Pro 10L. There is quite a lot of mandatory gear for this race and this pack allows it all to fit very comfortably.
Footwear: I will wear a new shoe to be launched at UTMB…shhhh
What is your post-race routine?
Immediately after the race, I think I will sit down!! And then try and get some real, solid food in (I see a pizza in my future) and then probably fall asleep with a big smile on my face.
Post-race, I will have a good 10 days off training and mainly just listening to my intuition and letting my body do its work to repair, absorb and build from the race.
Because I have the Ironman World Championships 5 weeks after UTMB recovery will be very important for this whole period of time. Eating, hydrating, sleeping and light movement will be key (I will use this time to train with swim and cycle )
