France’s Germain Grangier positioned 1/3 on the 2023 UTMB, an development on his ninth-place end in 2019 and 5th in 2021.
On this interview, he talks about how his build-up differed this yr, with extra targeted coaching; how the race spread out from his viewpoint; and if he’ll be tempted to go back.
For extra on how the race performed out, learn our in-depth UTMB effects article.
Germain Grangier Put up-2023 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Sarah Brady of iRunFar. I’m right here the day after the 2023 UTMB with third-place guy, Germain Grangier. Congratulations. How are you?
Germain Grangier: Thank you. Yeah, I’m doing excellent nowadays. Yeah.
iRunFar: Ok. Did you get any sleep and the way is your legs and the entirety feeling?
Grangier: Yeah, I were given a lovely excellent quantity of sleep and the legs needless to say aren’t best, however no longer too unhealthy.
iRunFar: Ok, no longer going any place too temporarily nowadays, anyway. Yeah, so that is your 1/3 UTMB, and your easiest efficiency thus far. You’ve in the past been 9th, after which moved as much as 5th. So that you mentioned on your pre-race interview that you simply’ve more or less dedicated to it somewhat bit extra this yr with regards to spending previous couple of weeks in Chamonix, and extra explicit preparation. So, do you assume that’s what made the variation and resulted in a greater efficiency this yr?
Grangier: Yeah, I feel it’s extra like a world way, I’d say. Higher coaching for the entire yr. I used to be extra constant and did far more working than I used to earlier than. I used to go teach so much with cycling, and I feel I wished extra kilometers additionally in my legs to be extra constant all over the entire UTMB, race till the top. So, needless to say. The truth that I stayed within the valley longer this time additionally. It’s like as all the time, a multifactorial. I don’t how you can say it.
iRunFar: Ok. And the way did you in finding the stipulations then? I assumed they appeared reasonably best however I do know some other folks mentioned it used to be somewhat too humid all over the night time and that used to be a subject matter.
Grangier: Yeah. It used to be very humid. The beginning of UTMB is all the time humid, roughly. However yeah, at the terrain used to be beautiful rainy. Some snow box additionally over Col du Bonhomme. The downhill to Les Chapieux used to be actually rainy and slippery. And something used to be that it used to be actually foggy. Lots of the downhill we had to make use of the decrease settings of the headlamps as it used to be too foggy to actually see, and there used to be an excessive amount of mirrored image with the fog. However another way the temperature used to be simply best.
iRunFar: That seems like somewhat extra of an journey with the fog. So then, the primary part of the race you had been by no means too some distance again from the entrance. You had been more or less swapping positions across the best six. So how did that first part of the race really feel and had been you very relaxed to it?
Grangier: Yeah, attempted to stick in a relaxed tempo and way of thinking till Courmayeur, and notice how it’ll evolve from then. And yeah, I used to be beautiful shut from the leaders entire night time, and I stayed with many of the night time with Petter Engdahl, who’s a chum. And I additionally from time to time I do skimo racing and he’s round. So I knew him from the iciness. And yeah, we had this kind of great night time in combination till Courmayeur.
iRunFar: And then you definitely’d mentioned in the past as smartly that Courmayeur to L. a. Fouly used to be your favourite a part of the direction. So how did that move? Is that while you began to transport somewhat bit ahead into podium place?
Grangier: Yeah, that’s true then. I feel from Courmayeur to Champex I used to be by myself, if truth be told. And that’s the a part of the race I love additionally essentially the most. So I feel I took good thing about liking this phase, and being by myself, and being extra in music with my emotions, and take a look at to discover a excellent tempo. And yeah, made it to Champex.
iRunFar: Nice. After which once I noticed you simply entering Champex, you had been simply in entrance of Jim [Walmsley] by way of like part a 2d, and it used to be like, an in depth fight and prefer, a number of other folks round you. That will have to have felt reasonably intense. How used to be that phase?
Grangier: Yeah, I knew that that Jim used to be no longer too some distance, as a result of other folks had been telling me he used to be simply forward. So yeah, I catch as much as, I used to be on the finish of the, roughly the climb up Champex with Jim. And in truth it used to be best going to be me passing Jim, and I stay going. And once I noticed him working by way of me at the lake of Champex, I used to be like, k. He’s unquestionably going at every other pace now. And yeah, I attempted to buffer it first, after which I understood he used to be actually on a project.
iRunFar: Ok Did you’re feeling such as you had been somewhat bit more potent perhaps on that, like uphill bit earlier than Champex-Lac, after which it were given to the flat and he’s very speedy then?
Grangier: Yeah, precisely. It’s the very first thing I advised myself when the velocity used to be actually other. Is that k, Jim, 10 shoe, perhaps he has like, excellent trainers, or new highway trainers. After which I used to be considering k, that is unquestionably Jim’s like, easiest, like, trail. So, I used to be seeking to hang it like that. And I used to be considering I’d perhaps catch up within the steeper a part of the Bovine climb. However no, it didn’t occur.
iRunFar: And it’s nonetheless, I guess it’s the overall nearly quarter the race, nevertheless it’s nonetheless 50 kilometers to head, so you’ll be able to’t push too onerous to do anyone else’s tempo both. Did you in finding that you simply needed to hang again and no longer be too sucked alongside by way of him?
Grangier: Yeah, it’s precisely what. I took like 5 mins to take into accounts that. And yeah, if I used to be seeking to push to stick with him, I most probably would have blew up like someplace round Trient or Vallorcine. After which most probably like, perhaps shedding my podium spot. That’s why after when other folks had been announcing to me, “He’s about 8 to ten mins,” I took the splits from in the back of, as a result of I sought after to understand if I will be able to do my actual push and no longer completely blow up. But it surely ended up that the cut up with hole used to be all the time the similar, and used to be all the time like, used to be all the time the similar, so.
iRunFar: Zach [Miller] mentioned he spotted that, too, that the cut up again to you used to be consistent, and he used to be like, “Oh, no.” Yeah, after which I simply questioning, since you’ve executed this race earlier than, concerning the direction adjustments. It used to be like, somewhat other in opposition to the top this yr. Did you in finding that a lot other, or higher, or worse?
Grangier: Yeah, I already knew the brand new race path from Col des Montets to Chamonix. And I’m no longer a large fan of that, as it’s no longer actually going up. It’s numerous up and down. It’s very technical. So yeah, I feel I like to do…
iRunFar: You like the unique?
Grangier: Yeah, I want the unique. To be mountaineering then the large downhill.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Grangier: Yeah.
iRunFar: Yeah, that ultimate downhill is superb, from L. a. Flégère. Ok, nice. After which, so it is a actually excellent efficiency to get at the podium. However do you assume that is you peaking at UTMB? Or do you, would you be bold to come back again and take a look at and do higher once more?
Grangier: Yeah, I don’t know. The one factor with UTMB is that each and every time I end the race is a quicker time for me, and a greater place. So, it all the time helps to keep me within the temper of perhaps getting again to UTMB. However I don’t know but. However yeah, unquestionably attempt to do one thing higher, yeah.
iRunFar: Ok. It’s somewhat too quickly to invite that actually, anyway. After which with regards to the remainder of the yr, you’ve executed reasonably so much already. So, are you going to simply loosen up now for the fall, or have you ever anything?
Grangier: Yeah, I feel I will be able to simply stay up for the snow to land at house, and get at the skis when the situation can be nice. And I feel, yeah, I most probably can be executed like, working in racing working.
iRunFar: Ok. Great to have that modify for the iciness season anyway. Neatly, congratulations once more. Thank you such a lot for taking the day out to speak to us, and revel in your restoration.
Grangier: Thank you so much.
