Mathieu Blanchard opens up about potentially tackling two legendary ultra-trails. A unique interview beyond traditional media coverage.

Will you be participating in the UTMB this year?" This is the question Mathieu Blanchard gets several times a day for months now. Despite consistently ranking in the top 5 of the world's most prestigious ultra-trail since 2021, Mathieu hasn't made his decision yet. He is keeping his options open, with a clear goal for the 2024 season: to be at his peak for the Diagonale des Fous in October. Slightly worn out by the media pressure in Chamonix but still enchanted by its magic, Mathieu shares a candid and heartfelt conversation from his base camp in Les Deux-Alpes. As a founding member of Näak, he speaks with genuine trust and delivers a bluntly refreshing interview. You’re a winner baby!

"Today, my ambition for the UTMB is simple: to give my best and win."

Mental coaches are increasingly teaching athletes to speak of ambition rather than goals. Do you agree with this distinction? If so, what is your ambition for this UTMB? Is it an ambition in terms of approach or result?

In my view, ambition and goals are different but should work together. They complement each other. When I was still a baby ultra-trailer, my goal was to finish the UTMB. Now, my primary goal is to be healthy and fit at the finish line. Only then does ambition come into play. For me, it involves the level of performance I aim to achieve. Today, my ambition for the UTMB is clear: to give my best and win. I've participated four times, done four reconnaissance runs, and secured two podiums. I couldn’t claim otherwise. I'm not saying I will win, but I am training and prepping myself to do so.

"I’m not saying I will win, but I am training and prepping myself to do so."

Did winning the Maxi-Race, in a highly competitive context, unlock something in your quest to win the UTMB?

Yes, absolutely. Taking the lead almost from the start and maintaining it to the end is something. I proved myself that I could handle leading a race. Although the imposter syndrome still lingers after all those years, I’ve come to realize you can’t win the UTMB by chance. If you look at the past winners, they were confident at the start line. They prepared themselves to lead the world's greatest ultra-trail. They were ready. They knew how to act and react. For If you do otherwise, you get in your head and wait for others to catch up because you think you started too fast. Boxers and MMA fighters inspire me in this respect: they enter the ring with the conviction that they will come out victorious. Recently, I’ve been more at ease with this mindset. It’s not about arrogance but transparency about my mental preparation to achieve this dream.

"You can’t win the UTMB by chance: past winners were confident at the start line."

In 2024, you announced the Diagonale des Fous as your primary goal, creating uncertainty about your participation in the UTMB...

Yes, that’s deliberate. It is very clear for me: the Diagonale is my main goal, and the UTMB is a plus. I want the freedom to skip Chamonix if I’m not at my peak or if participating could jeopardize my ambition for the Diagonale. Being at my peak doesn’t necessarily mean being ready for the UTMB; it means being convinced I can successfully tackle both. If my coach’s training plans aren’t paying by early August, I won’t start the race at the end of the month. I’ve made this agreement with myself.

"If my coach’s training plans aren’t working by early August, I won’t start the race at the end of the month. I’ve made this agreement with myself."

When you say the UTMB is not your main goal, what does that imply for your approach to the event? How will it differ from years when the UTMB was the centerpiece of your season?

The aim is to be at my peak at the end of August with minimal fatigue. I’ll manage this on two levels. On a macro level, I’ve decided to travel less and respond to fewer requests. I’m settled in Les Deux-Alpes, feeling serene. While travel and adventure are wonderful, they can harm performance. On a micro level, I’ve changed my training. I did a lot of ski mountaineering this winter to regenerate and develop other skills. I’ve also hired a coach, Adrien Séguret, who relieves my mental workload. I no longer stress about overtraining or undertraining; I trust his guidance. This is especially crucial for the pre-competition tapering phase, which I struggled to manage alone. Lastly, I’m focusing on freshness. I used to think I needed a 12-week block to be in shape for the UTMB. Now, I’m more relaxed. I know from experience and from my body’s memory that I need fewer hours and kilometers to reach my full potential. Mental and physical freshness will be key to achieving this incredible double challenge.

"I’ve changed my training."

Which intimidates you more: the Diagonale or the UTMB?

The Diagonale scares me less than the UTMB. Why? Because rough, if not borderline hardcore terrains scare me less than smoother, rolling trails. My engineering background and adventurous spirit enjoy the problem-solving aspect of complex trails. The more challenges an ultra-trail involves, the more I like it. I trust my ability to handle them. Also, the competition is less intense at the Diagonale; there aren’t 30 professional runners at the start. The Diagonale will hurt just as much, but it scares me less! That’s how it is!

"The Diagonale will hurt just as much, but it scares me less!"

Deep down, are you truly aligned with saying the UTMB is not your main goal this season? Isn’t it a way to relieve some pressure?

Absolutely not! The Diagonale excites me as much as the UTMB! However, I do feel immense pressure regarding the UTMB. For example, after my Maxi-Race victory, specialized media kept asking, ‘So, Mathieu, what about the UTMB?’ It’s sometimes hard to ignore this pressure, especially when you weren’t initially programmed to be a top-level athlete and started later. So yes, having the Diagonale as my main goal might be a way to ease this media pressure. Perhaps by giving myself more freedom to fail at the UTMB, I’m actually giving myself more chances to succeed.

"By giving myself more freedom to fail at the UTMB, I’m actually giving myself more chances to succeed."

Aren’t you afraid this dilemma will resurface at the wrong moment, as something unacknowledged you’ve hidden from yourself? For instance, what will be your decision at kilometer 100 of the UTMB if you’re not in the race to meet your ambition or if you feel it’s costing you for the Diagonale?

(A moment of reflection) That’s an excellent question. I admit I hadn’t thought of that yet... Now that you bring it up, I feel I need to answer it before the UTMB starts, to go through the internal process to know how to react if it happens. (Another moment of reflection) Clearly, I don’t want to exhaust myself for the Diagonale, but I have strong values of respecting the race and the volunteers who make these exceptional emotions possible... I’d find it cowardly to abandon. But I’d also find it reasonable... I need to think it over! (Smiles)

"I’d find it cowardly to abandon. But I’d also find it reasonable... I need to think it over!"