With four Europeans in the Hardrock top 10 this year—two Frenchmen, one Spaniard and one French woman—the old continent has demonstrated again how deep and capable its elite ultra trail running field is. Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, 30, is not a fast runner à la Tom Evans or Jim Walmsley. He’s more of a mountaineer similar to Kilian Jornet or François D’Haene. He won Hardrock by 50 minutes over Beñat Marmissolle, another Frenchman, and more than 2 hours ahead of the first American, Courtney Dauwalter. Aurélien grew up playing soccer and didn’t start running until 19. He took the time to reflect on his win with us and other things ultrarunning related, including the upcoming UTMB and the Diagonale Des Fous in the Reunion Island in October.
URM: For your first Hardrock and second 100-miler, you had an impressive race. You led from the start and never seemed threatened. Did you plan for the race to go as smoothly?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: The storyline was ideal, indeed. I ended up alone almost immediately, and the splits just kept growing. I never had the pressure to deal with anyone coming back strong behind me. I had imagined that Beñat would be with me much more, but it didn’t happen.
URM: How well do you know Beñat Marmissolle? Did you discuss a possible French strategy to implement before racing against the Americans, particularly runners like Jeff Browning and Arlen Glick?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I had never met with Beñat before this race. I met him at the start, but we went our own way during the event, and there was no European or French tactic per se. After the first kilometer, I had a good 10 seconds on everybody and didn’t think it through. I was feeling great and had an incredible day. I never thought that I was running too fast. I felt terrific, and I persevered.
URM: Did you arrive ahead of the race in Colorado? Which parts of the course had you explored and trained on?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I came two weeks before the race, and I had run everything from Ouray, mile 58.6, to the finish. I also trained on a few uphills, like Dives Little Giant Pass, Green Mountain / Stony Pass Ridge and Handies Peak, the race’s high point. I knew I would have to run at night, so my main recce goal was to run the night parts before the event. I didn’t know the first third of the race, but I would run it during the day with fresh legs, so that was not a problem. In the end, I regretted not having spent a little bit more time on the course before the race because there are places where the marking was not as good as I wished it had been, and I came close to missing a few turns here and there. Fortunately, I had the course on my watch, which saved me.
URM: It is quite a trip from France to Colorado, of course, but Hardrock is also quite a mythical event where a few Frenchmen have done well. Julien Chorier won in 2011, Sébastien Chaigneau won in 2013, and, of course, François D’Haene won in 2021 and finished second last year behind Kilian Jornet. Did you analyze how they did it and get inspired?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: Oh yes absolutely! I love to research this kind of stuff. I looked at all their times, all the splits. I also looked at some of the women’s results and compared them with some of the men’s results.
URM: Hardrock is quite an American race. Most winners have always been from the US except for 1997 when Great Britain’s Mark McDermott and Mark Hartell won the male race in a tie. It’s only recently that other nations have repeatedly reached the top of the podium. Frenchman Julien Chorier started the trend in 2011, followed by Chaigneau, Jornet, D’Haene and yourself for the men, and New Zealander Anna Frost and Frenchwoman Caroline Chaverot for the women. Did you have this in mind when you came to Silverton? Did you think about beating the Americans on their turf or not at all?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: No, I didn’t. I believe the only real danger would come from Beñat Marmissolle this year. I knew that Dylan Bowman, for example, wasn’t at his top, and I wasn’t too concerned about the others. Moreover, when I think about racing in the US, it seems no other race is like Hardrock at such a high altitude. I know of the Western States Endurance Run and the San Francisco 50/50 Endurance Runs, and they both run much faster. In my opinion, American ultra trail runners are, above all, fast runners and not so much mountaineers like the Europeans who grew up and lived in the Alps.
URM: I agree. The real issue about Hardrock is to get a bib number. People still think it’s easier for the elites like you, but that’s not the case.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: No, it’s not at all the case. Take Ludovic Pommeret, for example, another elite Frenchman. He’s qualified four times already and has yet to get a slot at the lottery. It’s the same with my team member at Compressport, Diego Pazos from Switzerland. He has qualified six or seven times and has never been selected.
URM: It’s an exciting subject. Nowadays, the three most prestigious races of ultra trail running on the planet, Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in Chamonix, are all extremely hard to get into. It is annoying, but there’s no easy fix. Would the race in Chamonix be more accessible than the two others?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I’m now looking at my 2024 season, and to get a bib for UTMB in Chamonix in August 2024, I am planning an event this coming September in Kandersteg, Switzerland. It’s the Wildstrubel by UTMB. I’ll only run the 70k course (43.4 miles), and I either have to win it or get 800 points, which is not easy but probably more accessible than for any amateur out there.
URM: Your next significant objective is the Grand Raid de la Réunion, aka La Diagonale Des Fous, a 102-mile race with 33,500 feet of climbing happening next October (19-22) that Beñat Marmissolle won last year. That must make you feel good since you beat him at Hardrock with a margin of over 50 minutes. You’ve tried La Diag’ three times, and you had to DNS three times because you injured yourself before each trip. As much as you’d like to win this race, it’s like a curse. I guess it’s fair to ask you if you will have recovered from Hardrock by then.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I took two weeks back home doing nothing at all. I attended a wedding and spent time with my family and friends but didn’t run at all. Overall, I had no weariness, global fatigue or any severe stiffness in my legs after Hardrock. I think I was able to recover quite nicely. There are three months between the two events—that’s plenty of time. I am going to arrive at La Diagonale feeling fresh, both mentally and physically.
URM: La Diagonale Des Fous is a race that is not that well-known in the US, and the course is much less runnable than Hardrock or UTMB, with tons of uphills and downhills, but also a steel ladder here and there, and potentially quite dangerous portions. People have fallen and died in the past. It’s also low in altitude, which makes it easier, but it’s tropical and can be hot and humid. On top of that, all the uneven stairs in the jungle can become painful and severely impact the knees of the unprepared runner. I ran it in 2008, and I remember local runners agreeing that all those stairs killed the knees. What’s not to like?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: You’re right. I know the course quite well, almost entirely. It’s ideal for me. The uphills are brutal, and so are the downhills. It’s also technical. I’ll be comfortable unless it’s a scorching day. I’m not a heat guy. Hardrock was hot during the day and bothered me a little, but I was excellent at night. At 13,000 feet, I only wore a t-shirt when my pacer, Ludovic Pommeret, wore a jacket and neck gaiter. In the winter at home, I do a lot of Nordic skiing. I was also born in the Alps, so I cope well with the cold. But yeah, La Diagonale won’t be cold.
URM: What sport did you do when you were younger?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: Like most French kids, I was a soccer player. I played competitively until I reached 16. I have never done any athletics and was never into trail running. I also competed in skiing beginning at age 12. I stopped skiing around 18–19, and that’s when I started trail running. I have solid legs and super-strong quads, which is an excellent advantage for the downhills. I started my running career with trail running, to which I quickly added road biking. Now, during wintertime, I do a lot of Nordic skiing. I have to say that there are quite a lot of European elites who grew up playing soccer.
URM: You’re sponsored by Compressport, a compression Swiss brand. I feel like compression gear is not as popular as before. We see fewer trail runners and triathletes wear compression as we used to, 10 to 15 years ago. Why are you using compression, and how do you use it?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I’ve been using compression since I started trail running at 19. I wore Compressport products on my calves before they sponsored me. I use calf compression whenever I run for over an hour and a half. What I like about compression the most is the muscle support. I have had a small periostitis for a while and feel the difference in whether I wear compression sleeves on my calves. The tissues attached to the bone are stabilized, and it doesn’t bother me that much. I also use it for my thighs in ultrarunning, which makes a difference, but the most important use is for the calves. It’s just a great feeling. People often ask me if it bothers me or doesn’t keep me too hot, but my answer is always no because the compression is controlled and the fabrics are light. It’s not a tourniquet.
URM: Regarding heat, are you interested in running Western States?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I think it’s not a race for me. In 2021, when I finished second at UTMB, I was granted a bib number, but I didn’t take it. The question of participating didn’t even cross my mind. Hardrock was only my second 100-miler, and many other races suit my running profile better. I don’t think I’d like to train for Western States. It would require way too much running for me. I may do it later in my career because it’s a myth, but it is not my current focus. My pillars are Hardrock, La Diagonale des Fous and the UTMB. Then, there are races like the MIUT (Madeira Island Ultra Trail) in Portugal, the Transgrancanaria in Spain and Lavaredo in Italy.
URM: As long as you’ve not won UTMB and Le Grand Raid, aka La Diagonale des Fous, you’ll stubbornly return to run them?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: Well, no, I’m not sure I’d be that extreme, but those, indeed, are two of my three favorite races. For Hardrock and La Diagonale, the travel part is also something that I enjoy very much. I like to get to know different cultures and other ways of life. Even if it’s technically France, it’s a different lifestyle on Reunion Island. I love thinking that I’m on holiday and at the same time, I am preparing for a big race. My motivation on the start line is even more significant. I noticed it many times, like in the Canaries or Madeira.
URM: Did you get the chance to bring your family along to Colorado? I know your baby had his first birthday while you were in Silverton.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: That’s right, but both my girlfriend and our baby stayed home. Logistically speaking, it was much easier because our kid takes two naps a day, which would have made it too hard for us, especially since I went ahead of the event to run and do all my recce. But I came to the US with my aunt, parents and two friends, and we all had a wonderful family time.
URM: What about traveling to Asia? There are potentially a few races there that would suit your profile. It’s also kind of an ever-growing market.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: Well, either the races are mythical to me, again, like Hardrock, UTMB or Diagonale des Fous, or there is a vital championship going on there, like possibly UTMB will have it in the coming years if they decide to move it out of Chamonix. I went to Japan in 2015 after being invited through a partnership for a race I had won in France, and I liked it very much. I have not visited any other countries in Asia, but the cultures attract me, and I would love to return.
URM: Interestingly, the 100-mile distance is so trendy among the amateurs and the elite, but it makes very little sense because it is such a challenging distance.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: I agree. One of the main differences between 100k and 100 miles is that for a 100k race, as an elite, you only spend a portion of the night running, or even not at all in most cases. Also, the last 2–3 hours of a 100k race is usually the start of your exhaustion. You can go on with that exhaustion for a few more hours, possibly even having nutritional issues. But it turns into an impossible mission if it happens to you on a 100-mile, with 35–40 miles to go. You can’t race for 10 hours more and not eat. It doesn’t work, and it never will. It’s just biology. Did you know half of the elite runners drop out at Courmayeur during UTMB Chamonix? That is a fact. And why is that? It’s because we reach this cute Italian village after about 50 miles, and it’s the middle of the night. If you’re late, feeling bad and it’s cold or even raining, and there are 50 more miles to go, where there will be a minimal amount of people along the trails to cheer you up, it will be a very dark place for you to go. It’s the same at La Diagonale after Cilaos: you’re at 72k (mile 44.7), ready to embark into the Mafate sector, from which you can only exit some 50k later (31 miles). If anything happens to you, you’re stuck. That’s the type of place where you will think twice before going in.
URM: Did you watch your time during Hardrock or pace yourself with your smartwatch and its heart rate monitor?
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: No, I actually never do that. I analyze it all after the race, but during an event, I’m not particularly eager to look at my watch, whether it’s for my timing or my heart rate. I only rely on my feelings. I think you can pace yourself when others are running with you, but since I was all alone and feeling exceptionally well, I just listened to my feelings and went along with my breathing. I had a great day, what can I say? I came to Hardrock for confirmation that my UTMB time of 20 hours and 58 minutes was no accident. I knew it wasn’t. This sport is no magic, but I somehow needed to prove it.
URM: We wish you the best for the Réunion. I’m sure a win is what you want and, hopefully, what you’ll get.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz: Yes, thanks! A victory there would be a dream come true, slightly better than winning Hardrock. We’ll see. I’ve been there three times already and was never able to start. I’ll be happy just to be there and do my race.
For a video of the entire interview in French, go to youtube.com/@lacerationsavecgaeldutigny