UTMB 2017 - Support crews, the other race

For each UTMB® race, there are of course the runners, but many might not participate if they did not have a die-hard support crew made up of family and friends. Sometimes, no support crew means not finishing! Whatever the result, support crews transform an individual accomplishment into a group adventure. To pay homage to these unsung heroes, we focus the camera on Franck and Mimi, Nathalie Mauclair's husband and daughter as well as her acting support crew for the CCC.

On Thursday, August 31, in Chamonix, we meet up with Nathalie Mauclair, her husband Franck, and their daughter Mimi. The 2015 UTMB women's winner will be staning the next day at the CCC's starting line. Just a few weeks prior, the entire family was at the Hardrock 100 in the United States, where Nathalie finished in third place! At the end of this particular afternoon, Nathalie warmly greets us. Having just finished the athlete presentations at the press conference, she is focused. There is an ounce of stress in the air. "This is a race where poles are helpful and I'm not a specialist. The CCC is quick when compared to an ultra and I don't know if I'll be able to adjust my pace. The forecast calls for bad weather (cold temps, rain, and even snow)…" In the hours before the race, Franck tries to make everything as simple and easy as possible. He has already taken care of the logistics, so tonight he will help Nathalie to mentally relax.

 
The day before the race

Nathalie's gear: clothes, energy bars and drinks, and her REACTIK headlamp (of course!).

The starting line

The next day, with the sun shining in Courmayeur, our trio stands at the starting line. After a couple of warm-up runs and a few photos of Nathalie with other runners, Franck offers her a last piece of advice: wear warm clothes (-3°C forecasted for the mountain passes). At 08:45, after making a few final adjustments, bib number 3012 makes her way through the crowd of runners to stand even with the starting line. Franck and Mimi follow along the sidelines, keeping their eyes glued on Nathalie. If they ever lose sight of her they just whistle! A few minutes later, we are standing at a spot just up the road to cheer everyone on. At 09:00 the race officially starts, and at an amazingly fast pace. Nathalie runs by us with the frontrunners. We will not see her again until Ferret, Switzerland.

Making final adjustments before the race starts.

Another type of race

For us, another type of race begins. After swinging by the hotel, at 10:00 we hop into the family's yellow Chrysler Cruiser and drive off to La Fouly, passing through Mont Blanc tunnel, over Col des Montets and Col de la Forclaz passes, and through Martigny. According to her estimated split times, Nathalie should arrive around 14:00. We have little time to lose, especially with all of the traffic. We are not the only runner support crew.
In the car, the first discussion of the day begins. A medical dosimetrist by profession, Franck dedicates most of his time to coaching Nathalie, a registered nurse and now a nurse administrator. Nathalie's husband does not want to simply attend an event here and there, but play the role of support crew for all of Nathalie's races. The pace is intense, since the couple manages race scheduling and organization on their own. Franck helps to plan the races, previews the courses in advance, monitors the champion trail runner's health and well-being, takes care of all logistics, and prepares everything needed for a race and the aid stations, "just in case". His presence is especially valuable right before, during, and right after the race. Her race, in the end, is also his. He gets a twinkle in his eye when he senses that it will be a tight race out on the trail between his wife and the other top runners.
In Chamonix, we receive a live update for the CCC. The UTMB's real-time tracking system indicates that Nathalie just passed over Tête de la Tronche in 4th position, 10 minutes behind the leader. Franck wrinkles his brow, Nathalie is a little behind, but the race is far from over.
Like Nathalie, we are heading to Switzerland, just not by the same route. The first aid-station with access for support crews is in Champex. When we cross the border in Le Chatelard, Nathalie has just passed the Bertone Hut. We continue up the winding road to Col de la Forclaz Pass, drop down to Martigny, and then make our way towards La Fouly where we will have the chance to see Nathalie. In Sembrancher, we check her split at the Bonatti Hut. Nathalie is in 6th place, 14 minutes behind the leader…
   

Life on the road

Not a second to waste at an aid station

Around 12:20, we arrive in Ferret, just up the valley from La Fouly. Right at the bottom of the descent from Grand Col Ferret Pass, Franck knows of a small bridge where we can stand and watch the runners pass by. For the moment, in the surrounding alpine pasture, we take the time to eat lunch and fill several water bottles with Nathalie's preferred energy drink. Precut energy bars are placed in a plastic bag marked with the name of the first aid-station where we have access, Champex. Franck shares a bit of wisdom and experience, "I let Nathalie plan for what she wants at each aid station (food, clothing, gear…). We have a primary bag as well as a secondary bag in case we lose the first. We also take a first-aid kit, a change of shoes, and other spare gear just in case. I recommend preparing as much as possible before the runner arrives so as to be quick, precise, and efficient while also leaving enough room to deal with any potential problems. Nathalie has already won a 9-hour race with a less than 2-minute 30-second lead: while you may not gain any time at an aid station, you definitely can lose some."

Preparing a resupply bag

Nathalie crossed over Grand Col Ferret Pass 30 minutes behind the lead runner, and 15 minutes off the podium. Coach Franck can sense that "she is a bit off her game". The lead runner for the women passes by us at 13:45 and Nathalie at 14:18, in 7th place. "She is rarely this far back in a race." Ouch.

We quickly return to the car to drive to La Fouly and then Praz de Fort. The course has changed slightly due to recent mudslides, forcing racers to run downhill on paved roads for a few kilometers. While this section proves hard on the legs, it offers us the chance to more closely follow the race and to run with Nathalie for a bit. In Praz de Fort, Nathalie admits that she is tired and that her hip hurts, but she battles onward and starts the climb towards Champex.
We drive to the small mountain resort located at kilometer 55, the race's halfway point and a major aid station. At 15:45 we enter the big tent where runners will take their time to eat a full meal. At a table near the entrance, Franck and Mimi set up everything: energy bars and drinks, dry fruit, and a fresh pair of shoes. At aid stations Franck is always a bit concerned. Concerned of course about the stopwatch, but also worried about Nathalie hurting herself, even if she is not the type of person to drop out of a race on a whim…

 
At the Champex aid station

Knowing when to say enough is enough

Today is different. At 16:06, when Nathalie enters the tent, we can see that for bib number 3102, the race ends here. In addition to her painful hip, she is tired, with too much cumulative fatigue since the Hardrock 100 and back pain that refuses to go away. It is not worth pushing any further. She needs to stay healthy. The decision is made and we drive back to Chamonix in the family Cruiser.
In the car, Mimi comforts Nathalie and we talk about the race. For Nathalie, it just was not her day. Franck is unambiguous about the turn of events, "We'll have to deal with a little disappointment, but what counts is that Nathalie continues to enjoy running; it should always be fun. So for today, it was time to say stop." There will be other races, such as an upcoming Peruvian edition of the Marathon des Sables. Nathalie is really looking forward to it. For Franck, he is also looking forward to traveling with his wife and being her support crew. The next time around, he hopes that he will get to see another close race out on the trail.