A full moon rising at the UTMB® for Xavier Thévénard and Nathalie Mauclair

The 2015 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc® took place on August 28th and 29th. For the men, Xavier Thévenard, from Team Asics Trails with whom Petzl is a partner, took home his second victory on the legendary course circumnavigating the Mont Blanc Range. For the women, Nathalie Mauclair, from Team Petzl, earned a fantastic first victory on the course, a fitting follow up to her win at the Trail World Championships in Annecy (France) in late May. During this year's event, competitors had the opportunity to enjoy a rare phenomenon commonly referred to as the "supermoon." Our two winners discuss their night running under the full moon's light.

Following the late-afternoon start beneath clear sunny skies in Chamonix on Friday, August 28, nighttime slowly fell upon the race and with it an incredible full moon that will leave lasting memories with runners and spectators for a long time to come.

Nathalie Mauclair and Xavier Thévénard share their unique experience racing in the bright full-moon-lit night.

.

Did you need to use your headlamp in spite of the bright moonlight?

NM: I probably didn't need a headlamp during such an incredible full moon. If I hadn't been competing, I would have turned it off, but since this was a race, I preferred use my headlamp through the night. 

XT: Yes, I still needed to use my headlamp in spite of the full moon. The only place where you could really turn it off was on the paved section at the start of the climb to Col de la Seigne Pass, which is what I did for 6km, since there was little risk of encountering any real obstacles. Otherwise, I left my headlamp on for the entire nighttime section of the course to stay focused and alert.

Did your headlamp's REACTIVE LIGHTING system, the technology that adjusts light output based on available natural light, still function well with the full moon?

NM: When competing, I don't always use the REACTIVE LIGHTING system. Since I 'm often lucky enough to have a support team at a race, and I know the time I need to run between aid stations, I program my headlamp in CONSTANT LIGHTING mode. I like to be able to take advantage of my headlamp's maximum lighting output. However, when training, I always use REACTIVE LIGHTING, which allows the battery to last a lot longer. I also carry a backup battery on me just in case, and I change out the battery in use when the indicator light warns that the charge is low.

XT: I did not have any problems at all, since the moonlight was constant and did not appear to affect the REACTIVE LIGHTING system.

How did you feel physically and mentally throughout the night?

NM: The weather was really mild, and I was able to run in a tee-shirt throughout the night. I was "at one" with nature, and able to raise my head as much as possible during the night to gaze at the surrounding mountains. I really enjoyed the section through the Limestone Pyramids even though it was very technical.

XT: I felt great both mentally and physically. I was happy to be charging through the mountains. The atmosphere was amazing; the full moon and star-filled sky were out of this world. I have great memories that will last forever. I never really felt sleepy, just a little tired at sunrise during the climb to Grand Col Ferret Pass..

Do you have a funny or interesting story of something that happened during the night of the race? Anything that scared you or made you laugh?

NM: During the climb to Col de la Seigne Pass, I saw a few headlamps in the mountains above me. They truly helped to guide me. Two-thirds of the way up to the pass, I turned around and saw an ocean of headlamps winding through the mountains. I stopped for a moment to enjoy the sheer beauty of what was happening, and then quickly set off again, reminding myself that I still had a race to run. It was truly magnificent.

XT: Since I drank so much fizzy water and my fellow competitors (Note: Luis, Tofol, Sage, Miguel) so much Coca-Cola, we each took turns burping! It gave us the chance to say "cheers" to each other in Spanish, French, and English. It was fun to learn a little vocabulary during the UTMB® (laughs).

Xavier Thévenard and Nathalie Mauclair crossing the finish line victorious at the 2015 UTMB^®

Moonrise during the 2015 UTMB^®

Headlamps sweeping across the mountain landscape 

Headlamps sweeping across the mountain landscape 

Nathalie Mauclair in action with her TIKKA^® RXP

Night falling upon the 2015 UTMB^®