ROTULES, FASCINATION & SPORT-SPECTACLE 

How are you, Ugo, just a few weeks away from your heart's race?

Let's just say I'm on the upswing, since I've just overcome two problems. The first, linked to a deep personal disappointment: I started the summer on my kneecaps, after taking a huge slap at the Ultra-Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB, which literally cut my legs off. It left me slightly traumatized, in the sense that I wondered how it was possible to be so committed to your passion and have it return in such an ungrateful way. I even questioned my participation in Chamonix. Fortunately, I found answers that put me back in the saddle, answers to the 'why' of my under-performance! The second problem was more of a calendar nature: I've just completed almost 10 weekends of intense work as a speaker at trail events. It's great, but it's exhausting. From now on, I'll be able to rest! “I wondered how it was possible to be so involved in your passion and have it return to you in such an ungrateful way.

Baouw of Ugo in his runs

You say you've found the answers to why you “underperformed” at the Saint-Jacques Ultra-Trail. What are they, and how will they help you succeed in Chamonix?

The Ultra-Trail du Saint-Jacques was one of my major objectives for the season. To get there with maximum freshness and desire, I reduced my training volume by 30% compared with previous seasons. But it didn't work. So, after the race, I carried out an exercise test with Marion Delespierre, a sports doctor and excellent ultra-trail runner (2nd in the Diagonale des Fous, 4th in the 170km Chamonix). This test revealed that, although I had reduced the volume, I had maintained the intensity - too high - of my training. Hence the residual fatigue that couldn't escape. The idea for Chamonix this year is therefore to maximize hearty endurance outings.​

You're about to run the 170km in Chamonix for the 4th time. Why such stubbornness?

More than stubbornness, I'm fascinated by this race! First and foremost, because I enjoy spectator sport. I love taking part in these media events, being part of the “thing”, being part of the party. Winning a local race is all well and good, but it's got nothing to do with achieving a performance in Chamonix! Also, being so close to home means that lots of my friends come to cheer me on. When they turn up with drums and smoke bombs at Notre-Dame de la Gorge, it's a real thrill! Finally, the symbolism of crossing 3 countries, which left me totally indifferent in the early days, now opens my eyes to the uniqueness of our discipline... “More than obstinacy, I'm fascinated by this race!​

Doesn't this fascination also stem from the fact that the race is so resistant to you?

Yes, of course, and as I'm a rather stubborn person by nature, I come back to it every year... Every year, I leave with a big list of points to improve. A 'To-Do-List' of sorts. At this stage, I've already got some ideas for the next 3 editions. That's what I'm so excited about! (A moment's reflection) In fact, I see it as a laboratory where I can experiment, but one to which I only have access once a year, so inevitably, the process is a long one... Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

« Chaque année, je repars de Chamonix avec une grande liste de points à améliorer. »

What are your ambitions for this year, your 4th time?

Every year, I subtract an hour from my time from the previous edition. So, this season, if I go under the 23h30 mark, I'll be happy. Satisfied. I think that on a great day, I can go for 22:30. No less. To hope for better, I'd have to make profound changes to my lifestyle. I'm not setting myself a goal in terms of place. It will come quite naturally with the time. That's the game when you're not the best: somewhere along the line, you're relying on other people dropping out. Fortunately, in a race like this, there are often a lot of them... 

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MAXI CONNERIES, PATREON & DUC DE SAVOIE ​

If the 170km is an act of obstinacy, trail running is now a profession for you... How did you come to build your life around this passion?

From the age of 15 to 21, I practiced road and mountain biking with a view to performance. I made a clean break with sport when I entered engineering school. I quickly established myself as the class freak, thanks to some “maxi” bullshit. Then, after 2 months, I felt the limits of this lifestyle. A friend suggested I go for a 10 km run. I accepted. I also assisted my mother on the Ultra Tour du Beaufortain. The concomitance of the two led to me putting my fingers in the socket: I went straight to pick up a bib for this race, in 2014. Looking back, I'd recommend a more gradual discovery of the discipline. The Ultra Tour du Beaufortain, yes! That's great! But not for a first-timer! “In engineering school, I quickly established myself as the class freak, thanks to some “maxi” bullshit.” 

8 years after your first race number, can we consider that today you “live” from trail running?

Yes, I make my living from trail running, thanks to a variety of income streams. First and foremost, I'm a race announcer. In fact, I've just completed 10 intensive weekends as a presenter. After my confinement, I also set up a Patreon, a paid blog that I feed with weekly content, for the nearly 500 people who follow me through it. Finally, I'm the volunteer organizer of the Trail du Nivolet-Revard. A time-consuming job that demands a real emotional investment. ​

Are you aware that you've become a real “character” in the trail community? Was this intentional or did it come naturally?

Yes, I'm aware of it, but only since the resumption of post-COVID events. I'm now asked to take a lot of photos, whereas before I was asked to take very few! If I analyze this, I conclude that it has happened naturally, by force of circumstance: I'm out there! I'm present with trail runners every weekend as a speaker, I try to create content for my partners, with regularity on various platforms and social networks, I put on race numbers, I run, I share my training... If you like trail running, it makes sense that you've heard of me. One way or another. “This persona came about naturally, by force of circumstance: I occupy the field!”​

Does this “character” - the “Duke of Savoy” - resemble you, or have you strategically refined your image?

Le trail est un univers assez policé, plutôt lisse, avec certains codes. Donc, forcément, une personnalité clivante comme la mienne, ça se remarque ! Mais je ne surjoue pas, je reste naturel, brut et authentique. Sans faux-semblant. Concernant l’auto-proclamation en tant que Duc de Savoie, c’est venu plus tard. Je réalisais des vidéos satiriques, mais les gens s’offusquaient. Ils ne comprenaient pas qu’il s’agissait d’humour. Déguisé ainsi, c’est tout de suite plus explicite. Et pourquoi la Savoie ? Car c’est ma terre natale. Et mon pays de cœur.

Do you ever feel like you're trapped in this costume? As if you had to keep up appearances to keep up with your “brand image”?

Absolutely not! I bullshit all day long. That's my personality. On the contrary, I've never felt cramped in that suit. There's nothing complicated about my editorial line: I do things simply and say them freely... “There's nothing complicated about my editorial line: I do things simply and say them freely...”

SHARPENING, COMPOTES & PRIESTHOOD ​

Coming back to Chamonix, apart from taking a much more cautious approach than in the 3 previous editions, are you planning any other adjustments?

With my coach, Patrick Bringer, we've shifted my entire training schedule by a week to ensure I arrive at the start line even fresher. In short, I'm going to add a week of “sharpening up” ahead of the race, by stopping the tough sessions, not on the 10th like last year, but on August 3rd. I also feel I've turned a corner in my head. I did a lot of mental preparation last season, but it didn't really pay off in the short term. This year, however, I took out my notebook and went back over the content of those sessions. Rereading it has enabled me to assimilate what I've learned in retrospect. It's as if it took a few months to macerate. Today, all that has infused and I'm ready. I'm ready to hurt myself. I'm ready to really hurt myself! ​

As far as nutrition is concerned, are you going to make any changes or do you consider your eating strategy to be up to scratch?

I think I've got that part down. I'm going to make a small adjustment, but a marginal one. I've noticed that I find it hard to eat solids after a few hours of exercise. From now on, I'm going to give priority toles compotes​​.  And quite early on in the race. Also, at the refreshment posts, instead of the rice of previous years, I'm going to prefer mashed potatoes.

If we go into more detail about your nutrition strategy, can you tell us about your relationship with food, beyond saying that it's obviously a key factor in ultra-trail performance?

Yes, it is! I think we've heard enough to understand that nutrition plays a major role in ultra-trail running. If you don't, there are several options: you're deaf, you live in a cave or you're very ill-willed! On a more serious note, I treat my diet like my physical training. Considering that the competition is the culmination of everything you put in place beforehand, on a daily basis. You're not going to perform well because you've just had a good week's training, but because you've been consistent for several months! The same applies to diet. If you eat like a pig all year round but think that doing the job a few weeks in advance is enough, then you're mistaken! “If you eat like a pig all year round but imagine that doing the job a few weeks beforehand is enough, then you're barking up the wrong tree!”

 « Si tu manges comme un cochon toute l’année mais que tu imagines que faire le job quelques semaines au préalable suffit, alors tu te fourvoies ! »

When and how did your adventure with Baouw begin?

I'm originally from Savoie, but I also have a bit of a cycling background, which I practiced with a view to performance between the ages of 15 and 21. In this sport, it's all about performance! We consumed energy gels and ultra-chemical sports drinks all the time. One day, a dentist friend warned me that this could have a deleterious effect on my teeth. And I have a saintly horror of the dentist. It scared the hell out of me! From then on, I looked for alternatives. The relationship with Baouw began naturally in December 2020, thanks to a friend, Nicolas Martin, Baouwer from the start, and Benoit Nave, one of the co-founders, who has also been my osteopath for many years. ​

Have you felt a noticeable gain in terms of pleasure and performance since you embarked on this new adventure?

Clearly. On several counts. Firstly, because I know I'm giving my body everything it needs to train, recover and perform, without jeopardizing my health. And my teeth! Thanks to healthy,barset​ with no additives or preservatives. Secondly, in terms of values, it's a real match between us! We operate on a short circuit. They've never had to send me a single endowment, because every time, I take pleasure in visiting them to collect it in person, in Annecy. Last but not least, I highly value their genuine passion. The example of Chamonix is eloquent in this respect: they slave away 10 hours a day at the exhibitors' show for the whole 1 week, and yet on Saturday, come wind, snow or storm, they're there on the side of the road, cheering you on!   

“The Baouw teams toil 10 hours a day on the exhibitors' show floor for the whole 1 week, and yet on Saturday, come wind, snow or storm, they're there, on the roadsides, cheering you on!” ​

To conclude. This race is your priesthood. A long way of the cross. What's your dream? When will you consider the mission accomplished?

I've already got the scene, extremely clear, in my head. Ludo Collet, the event's announcer, hands me the microphone just as I've crossed the finish line, asks me a question and I reply: “Listen Ludo, I don't think I'll ever be able to do better than I did today! I'm absolutely certain of what I'm telling you: I delivered my best! I won't be the first, but I'll be my own first. Today, it's 20 out of 20 for the Ferrari pupil. And only then will I achieve a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that will stay with me for the rest of my life! After that, I'll be able to serenely become an obese speaker!

'After that, I'll be able to serenely become an obese announcer!'

© Justin Galant, Ugo Ferrari, Pascal Rudel, John.rltstudio