Staying in Les Houches with friends, the latter will discover this race, unlike Deneffe who will participate for the 3rd time. Various reconnaissances carried out this summer have confirmed his long-standing feeling: “It’s not a race that makes me dream. My mountains in Switzerland are more beautiful (he has lived there for five years). And during the reconnaissances, there were far too many people on the trails…”
Nevertheless, after a “sensationless” summer, marked by a big disappointment at the 90 km of Mont Blanc (21st man) and two average “short” races (Montreux and Sierre-Zinal), the 34-year-old from Stavelot seems to have found new energy and motivation at the right time.
“After Chamonix, where I left very disappointed, I consulted a sports psychologist and a French specialist in ultra-trail nutrition,” he explains. “We worked well and I got answers to my questions. I can’t wait to take part in this UTMB. Firstly because I’m starting to find this wait very long. Then because the current field (Walmsley, Blanchart, Pommeret…) motivates me. It’s incredibly dense. I have bib number 65. That means that 64 guys from the SAS elite are ranked higher than me in the ITRA…”
Race plan? “Stay focused on my feelings and on me only. I want to arrive relatively fresh in Courmayeur. Then, we pick up as many runners as possible and we hold on…”
Race goal? “To run the most accomplished race possible. I dream of a time under 22 hours (which could put him in the top 10).”
L’Échappée Belle, the toughest ultra trail in Europe (Photos & Videos)
