Published : 12/20/2021 - Our advice , Trail & performance

Meeting with Stephen Roux, ultra trailer

Ambassador and member of Team Guidetti Performance since its creation in 2020, Stephen turned to ultra in 2019. Discover his career, his training habits, his 2021 results and his ambitions!

Can you tell us about your sport, trail running?

Trail running is a race, mainly in the mountains, with both positive and negative elevation gain. Distances range from 5-10km to 160km. It's one of the rare disciplines where there are so many differences between the different formats.
It's a very young sport, only about twenty years old. At first, we talked about mountain races, steep climbs, from 20 to 30km. Now the distances are getting longer, 160-200km, and even beyond 300km with extreme formats.

What qualities are necessary to practice trail running?

The main quality, in my opinion, more than anything else, is mentality. You have to know how to hurt yourself and push through the pain. I draw a parallel with cycling: all the pros are pretty much at the same level, the difference is in the mind. It's the same in ultra trail.

You also have to be a complete runner: be efficient on the flat and on hills.

What do you particularly like about trail running?

Running is a sport with few constraints: you can do it whenever you want, with little equipment, and it doesn't require any preparation time or approach time.

Of course, I appreciate the wide open spaces, the atmosphere in the middle of the mountains, the calm.
It's sometimes a bit hard to get out, but once you're outside, you're happy!

Ultra trails also allow you to travel, to combine running with vacations.

How long have you been practicing this sport? How did you get into ultra?

I've been trail running for 10 years, mostly under 50-60 km (like the Sainté Lyon). I had never spent more than 10 hours on a race until my first experience on the Diagonale des Fous in 2019.

I got into ultra quite by chance. I signed up for the Diag with a friend but we didn't think we'd be accepted! In the end, we were drawn and I finished 50th in 32 hours! I realized that I managed long distances well compared to my competitors, that I managed to maintain the pace.

Since then, I've done two other ultras, in 2021: the Corfoux Trail and the UTMB. And now it's these 100-160 km distances that I prefer.

But to participate in these long distances, you have to train for shorter formats. The pros do 4 ultras max per year, for me it will be 1 or 2. You have to set one or two big goals for the year and put in slightly shorter trails in between.

Do you prefer to run alone or with others?

I mainly run alone. But in winter, I practice more with friends because it's easier to motivate yourself to go out when it's cold! The same goes for long runs or pre-race reconnaissance. Even if the levels may be different in a group, it doesn't matter; what matters is the distance covered.

I'm lucky to live in the mountains, to be able to train on flat ground as well as on hills, and to be well used to the altitude!

What are your results for the 2021 season?

I started the 2021 season in Greece with the Corfu Ultra Trail over 114 km. The race went very well; by the halfway point, I was 1 hour and 30 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. I crossed the finish line in first place with a 3-hour lead (in 13 hours and 30 minutes), but I finished limping due to a stress fracture in my foot. Which earned me a month without sport, then a gentle return to it for another month.

Then I did the Duo des Fiz in Passy with my brother (25 km), a trail that we won!

My foot hurt again so I did a lot of cycling and only four long outings between the end of July and the end of August.

I finished 8th in the Trail des Hauts Forts and finally I embarked on my first participation in the UTMB. With only about ten outings in 3 months, I was a little apprehensive... I had estimated that I would finish in 27 hours (50th place) at best or in 30 hours in the worst case. After a cautious start and very long breaks, I finished in 25h59 in 35th place!

What is your best memory?

Arriving at the UTMB at 7 p.m., at aperitif time, in a great atmosphere, at the same time as the first women.

But also my start on the Diagonale des Fous, my first ultra, where stress and excitement mixed.

What is your training routine?

During the week, every day or every 2 days, I do short outings (around 10-15 km). On weekends, I do longer runs of around 3 to 4 hours.

A month before an ultra, I do a run of around ten hours to get a good workout in my legs.

To perform well in an ultra, you need to run at least 70 km per week (150 for the best), especially during specific periods.

We're talking about time, but we also need to talk about elevation. I try to alternate weeks with a lot of elevation gain and weeks with flatter terrain.

Whenever there's an elevation gain, I use my Guidetti Platinium Aéro Perf poles.

In winter, I also do muscle strengthening indoors and ski mountaineering. I do more flat and flat terrain, depending on the weather and snow.

Cycling is also a good complement, especially for elite runners, but personally, I don't have the time to do it. It's also a good alternative when you're injured.

Overall, I do an average of 10 hours of sport per week, which isn't much compared to other ultra trail runners who are more around 15-30 hours.

What are your ambitions for the 2022 season?

My big goal is to do the UTMB again, in less than 24 hours (TOP 15) by reducing the number of breaks at refreshment points. My second big goal is the Lavaredo in Italy at the end of June.

I'm also going to do the Corfu Ultra again, which is a good way to restart after winter.

Interview by Aurélie Joubin on December 6, 2021.

Arriving at the UTMB, at 7 p.m., at aperitif time, in a great atmosphere, at the same time as the first women.