Words by Like the Wind – Photography supplied by New Balance and SportsShoes
For many, entering into the sport of trail racing is a daunting idea. For those who live in cities, or places with limited trail access, it can be a challenge to feel empowered to race on trails. Even for experienced runners, both on and off the trail, racing in the mountains or the woods is a different ballgame. There are countless unknowns. What if I get lost? What if the hills slow me down? What if I feel out of place in the community? Particularly for women, people of colour and members of the queer community, breaking into the world of trail racing can seem an intimidating feat.
The races at the Marathon du Mont Blanc, though, are the antithesis of the usual trail-racing clichés. The trail race series, originally founded in 1979 as Cross du Mont-Blanc before becoming the Marathon du Mont Blanc in 2003, has grown over its many years to include eight trail races of different lengths that venture into the Mont Blanc massif. More than 10,000 runners come every year to participate in the races, each of them with different backgrounds, experiences and ability levels. The race series has specifically adjusted its design and range of races to accommodate all kinds of runners, offering everything from a kids’ race to a 10K to a 90km race. “[Twenty years ago,] the philosophy of doing mass races, that can be run alongside great champions with the only goal being to finish, did not exist in France,” says Fred Comte, director of Club des Sports Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. “Very quickly, we arrived at the ultra trails where the race wasn’t necessarily about setting a time… the simple fact of finishing the race is a victory.”
At this year’s Marathon du Mont Blanc, which took place from 26 June to 29 June, New Balance invited athletes with varied experience levels and backgrounds to participate in the trail series – an effort to increase the diversity and inclusion within the race environment. The athletes invited finished their races feeling empowered and strong – not only because of their training, but also because of the welcoming atmosphere, with its diverse and approachable courses.
Julia Maris, a runner from Munich, Germany, participated at the Marathon du Mont Blanc alongside other members of MovingMinds – a Munich-based run club she founded earlier this year. Julia says that living in the city centre of Munich made training for a trail race somewhat difficult, due to the lack of trail access, but she and other club members still prepared as best they could within the city. MovingMinds is centred around diversity and celebrating different cultures – and a main principle of the club is promoting ‘run-life balance’. “We meet up at a bar, actually, and it’s just like a ‘European summer night’ type of thing,” she says.
Julia is usually a long-distance road runner who thrives in the half-marathon and marathon distance, so trail racing – and trail running in general – were both new to her when she showed up at the start line of the Marathon du Mont Blanc 10K. She hadn’t slept much the night before – perhaps due to a couple of pre-celebratory glasses of wine, she admits. “I didn’t know how the challenge was going to be for me, I was just trying to go with the flow.”
She ended up loving it. The race felt like a balance between challenging and fun (about 70 percent challenge and 30 percent fun, Julia calculates). She loved being in the mountains. The vibe of the community helped her to lean into the challenge: the hundreds of other people running around her kept her distracted; the kindness of strangers helped her to feel more prepared. “I didn’t have gels on me,” she says. “A guy was nice enough to give me one before the race.”
The support and sponsorship of New Balance also made a big difference for Julia and her club, as they were given shoes and apparel to don for each of their respective races. “Everyone looked like a pro,” Julia says. “With the grip of the shoes, I could go downhill so fast because I really trusted them. I’ve never had trail shoes, I didn’t even have hiking shoes until last October. I could go all out because I trusted the equipment, which also helped me really lean into the whole experience.”
Julia was positively surprised that New Balance invited all types of people in Europe to participate in the race series. “On the trail, I saw a few Black people from Black Trail Runners and I met them, which is so cool because I’ve been following them online,” says Julia, who is also Black. “It’s just cool to see everyone running.”
Black Trail Runners member Juliette Denny ran the 46km trail at the Marathon du Mont Blanc. A SportsShoes.com athlete, Juliette was invited to participate in the race by New Balance, a partner of SportsShoes. Juliette is an experienced road and trail racer, but similarly to Julia, living in Brighton in the UK makes it difficult to hit the trails frequently. “But I prefer running on the trails because it’s more of an adventure,” she says.
Even though she is an experienced racer, Juliette still felt the pre-race jitters – like any other athlete about to start a race. “I was nervous because it’s a big race with lots of elevation,” she said. “I did a race in Switzerland with fairly similar elevation, but each race is different. The conditions are different. I just take it as it comes and kind of treat it as its own independent race.”
Being in Chamonix was a huge draw for Juliette to participate in the race series – the views and mountain scenery are spectacular, she says. But the biggest pull to participate for Juliette was visibility for people of colour. “I want to focus on improving diversity on the trails,” she says. “From a people of colour perspective – and a people from different backgrounds perspective – we’re not anywhere near diversity yet. And so if I can help be a visible presence on days like today and give other people a model to look at, that’s ultimately what I’m aiming for.”
Eli Vernon, a 10K race participant, ran the race (which has 320m of elevation gain) in a blazing 51 minutes. “The course was lovely,” she says. “Some parts were quite runnable, some quite technical.” But the best part of the race, she says, was the atmosphere. “It was brilliant. It felt like a big celebration of trail running.”
Eli attended the race with her young son, whom she pushed around the race venue in a stroller after she finished. The race series is family-friendly: there is a free mini-cross race for youngsters in an 800m, 2km and 3km distance, depending on age group.
Marathon du Mont Blanc was also a family affair for three members of the Champagne family, who travelled from Quebec, Canada to run the 10K race. Elisabeth, her mother-in-law Lucie and sister-in-law Marie-Sophie ran the race together, with a focus on lifting each other up and experiencing it as a group. Lucie is a veteran runner who runs up to four road marathons a year, her latest being the Boston Marathon. But her focus at Marathon du Mont Blanc was just to soak in the majestic settings and be with family. “We had agreed to split depending on how we were feeling, but we stuck together,” Elisabeth says.
Another highlight of the race for Lucie was the quality of the trails. They were well-maintained and Marie-Sophie agreed that the route was well-thought out and accommodating for all runners.
So yes, entering the world of trail racing can be daunting, but choosing the right race certainly helps. When it comes to a diverse and inclusive community, varied terrain and beautiful views, the Marathon du Mont Blanc has everything – it’s simultaneously the perfect entry to trail races for newbies and a gorgeous mountain adventure for trail-running experts. It’s an event suitable for clubs and families, as well as elite athletes. It’s a series where runners aren’t just focused on finishing but also belonging. “It’s still a race,” Eli says, “but everyone is supporting each other.”
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