"There are places with 300m of drop where it's better not to fall!": Germain Grangier and Katie Schide from the French Riviera talk about their podium finish on one of the toughest trails in the world

The discipline is so demanding and subject to imponderables that it would be shaky to draw implacable conclusions. But despite everything, some trends emerge, and some trail runners have a real propensity to play the leading roles as soon as the start is given. In the vast world of ultra-trail, 100-mile (160km) races are considered behemoths, and managing to swallow them is already an achievement in itself. Germain Grangier and Katie Schide, however, don't really juggle these considerations. Based in Isola 2000, the two trail runners have their place at the table of the greatest and have just once again justified this status.

High-altitude racing and "intellectual fog"

On Saturday, July 12, the Frenchman and the American took the start of their first Hardrock 100. On the menu, 160km and 10,000 meters of elevation gain in the Colorado mountains. A hostile terrain likely to turn even the most experienced runners upside down. "It's complicated to participate in the Hardrock for the first time," analyzes the 35-year-old runner. "The average altitude is 3,500m with about ten passages around 4,000m. That leaves a lot of questions hanging. We planned things but we had no experience of such a race at all..." "Serge," his nickname, and Katie had gone there a month and a half earlier to acclimatize and put as many advantages as possible on their side. "Altitude slows down your digestion and affects your lucidity," Grangier continues. "Sometimes, you're a bit in an intellectual fog. The response to altitude is very individual and binary: if genetically you don't respond very well, you'll acclimatize, but you'll never be the equal of someone who has a very good response to it."

“95% of the time, there is no network on the route”

Challenging trails and rivers to cross also made up this cocktail that can sometimes turn sour. "95% of the time there is no network on the course. There are places with cliffs and 300m drop-offs where it's better not to fall!" The duo from the Alpes-Maritimes had seen other things and quickly settled into the top places of the peloton. Germain Grangier third in pursuit of Ludovic Pommeret and Mathieu Blanchard, Katie Schide first in the women's race and settled into the Top 10 (6th) with a comfortable lead over second-placed Manon Bohard. These positions were held until Silverton with respective times of 24h04'10'' and 25h50'25''.

Grangier, problem solved

For the former, it's a new podium finish at one of the monuments after the Ultra-trail du Mont-Blanc (3rd in 2023) and the Diagonale des Fous (2nd in 2023), but also a return to the forefront after several withdrawals and a shaky body. "I had leg problems that were difficult to explain last year. After 12-13 hours of racing, my muscles would contract and my legs could no longer support my body. This time they worked! It's super cool to have solved this problem!"

Schide in a closed circle

For her partner, it's a victory (in record time) that takes her into a new world: at 33, Katie Schide has now won all four majors (UTMB, Diagonale, Western States, Hardrock 100) and joins the Kilian Jornet-Courtney Dauwalter duo in a very closed circle. "A pride? Yes, of course! At first I didn't think I could win the Western," admits the native of Maine, in the far northeast of the United States. "When I did it (2024), it gave me hope that it was possible to win all four." On Saturday, she especially tried not to spread herself too thin to keep the key. "People who follow from the outside might think we're in competition mode the whole time, but competition is more about pushing yourself to surpass yourself. There are cycles, especially on a mental level. You give your best and in the end, you've earned your place (smile)." The former, in this case, as is often the case for the woman some rightly call the Empress.