trailrunning-szene.at: An interview with Florian Grasel before the UTMB

Before the UTMB 2018: my interview with trailrunning-szene.at

Shortly before the start of the 2018 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, trailrunning-szene.at interviewed me. What nobody knew then was that a few days later I would cross the finish line in Chamonix in ninth place, the best UTMB result ever achieved by an Austrian.

The goal: under 24 hours

170 kilometres, 10,000 metres of climbing and a sub-24-hour target. I explained why I considered that ambitious goal realistic: an average speed of 7 km/h in ideal conditions. Looking back, I achieved it in 23:12 hours.

Calculated risk

One passage turned out to be prophetic. For the first time, I was willing to take calculated risks. I had run more conservatively at my previous UTMB starts in 2013 and 2015. In 2018, I wanted to push to my limits, and it paid off.

The UTMB as an unofficial Olympics

In the interview, I describe the UTMB as the unofficial Olympics of ultra trail running. I still see it that way. No other race combines prestige, course and atmosphere so perfectly.

Training by feel

Although I originally wanted to work with a coach, I ultimately stuck with intuitive training. Running a business requires flexibility that a rigid plan cannot offer. Looking back, that was exactly the right decision.

Read the full interview at trailrunning-szene.at.