Frenchman François D’Haene has lengthy been one of many largest names in 100-mile path operating.
In current reminiscence, he engaged in a gripping head-to-head with, and finally completed in second place to, Kilian Jornet on the 2022 Hardrock 100.
This adopted his win the earlier yr, throughout which he set a then course file, and a win on the 2021 UTMB — his fourth victory on the race revered by many as the head of ultra-trail racing — a win depend equalled solely by Jornet.
He additionally has a number of victories to his title on the Madeira Island Extremely Path, Diagonale des Fous, and numerous extra of the best profile path ultras the world over.
A grasp of his craft, D’Haene’s relaxed and seemingly unflappable demeanor makes his achievements all of the extra spectacular to look at. And this is the reason ultrarunning followers have missed his presence from begin traces this previous whereas, as a sequence of accidents took him out of racing for greater than a yr after the 2022 Hardrock 100.
Nevertheless, he has gratefully turned a nook, and is primed for a full return within the 2024 season, with one other Hardrock 100 and a debut on the Tor des Géants taking heart stage on his racing schedule. We caught up with him to find out about his return from harm, and to get an perception into his day-to-day life as he prepares for the season forward.
François D’haene on the end of the 2022 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
The Sluggish Onset of Harm
For D’Haene, his harm saga started in June 2022, when he felt a ache in his left heel, following a minor fall in a stream, which developed right into a persistent niggle. He shared, “I managed to run Hardrock with a little bit of discomfort.”
Whereas his preliminary restoration from Hardrock was positive, and he managed one other coaching race with solely gentle ache, in late September when he started to ramp up coaching for the 2022 Diagonale des Fous, the issue grew to become inconceivable to disregard.
He sought assist, and the analysis was a big bone edema on the calcaneus — a fluid build-up on the big bone of the heel — which expanded and developed right into a fracture.
After making the tough determination to withdraw from the 2022 Diagonale des Fous, D’Haene took a while to recuperate from the harm earlier than resuming coaching — however the saga was not over but.
François D’Haene on a coaching run within the mountains. Picture: Alexis Berg
Upon coming back from a coaching run at some point, he suffered a extreme collapse of his proper ankle, and was taken instantly for x-ray, which confirmed a triple fracture of the malleolus — the ankle bone — and required quick surgical procedure, and a roughly six-month restoration interval.
The Rehabilitation Street
By January 2023, D’Haene was properly sufficient to attend CERS Capbreton in France, a specialist sports activities rehabilitation facility, for an intensive two-week program of remedy and rehabilitation workouts. He recalled that he arrived on crutches, and left two weeks later in a position to resume biking and get his foot right into a ski boot.
Though he was nonetheless unable to run, resuming snowboarding supplied some return to normality for D’Haene, who builds a ski season into his coaching and racing yearly, as his house mountains lend themselves properly to this combine.
He advised iRunFar: “[Skiing is] higher in winter and I prefer to be extra seasonal. My hometown in France is Arêches-Beaufort. The ski race Pierre Menta, I stay 200 meters from the beginning line.”
He went on, “The mountain vary round my hometown is known as Beaufortain, and that is the place I prepare quite a bit. For a few years now, I’ve chosen races that permit me to coach simply round my home, in order that’s why throughout winter I attempt to not take part in path operating races, and simply do them in summer time. I’m joyful to have the ability to prepare round my home. It’s a really good playground, with some very good trails to coach on.”
Though returning to the slopes for snowboarding felt like an enormous milestone for D’Haene, he nonetheless needed to be cautious, and was restricted at first to 45-minute periods. As he gained some energy, he returned to CERS Capbreton for a second, extra intense, block of rehabilitation — with a concentrate on constructing towards a protected return to operating.
His first operating steps had been taken with the help of an anti-gravity operating machine, which allowed him to apply the operating movement, however eliminated a lot of the load and affect. By way of endurance and perseverance, by early summer time in 2023, he was in a position to run as much as 12 kilometers on the flat, and made the primary tentative steps within the mountains to return to path operating.
However one other setback was in retailer. A ache offered itself in his decrease again, which an MRI revealed to be two new stress fractures within the sacrum — a bony construction within the decrease again adjoining the pelvis.
With the ski season over and operating as soon as once more off the desk, the ever-resourceful D’Haene turned to biking, which was sufficient to maintain him till late August 2023, when he may lastly resume operating and be a part of his pal Jim Walmsley in a few of Walmsley’s preparation for UTMB.
Whereas naturally his thoughts started to float to races he wish to run — and when to time a closing surgical procedure, and the downtime that will go along with it, to take away the screws and plate in his ankle — he had a objective of a special sort to work towards within the fall.
Organizing the Extremely Spirit Occasion
Collectively along with his spouse, Carline, D’Haene organizes the multi-day path operating occasion, Extremely Spirit, within the couple’s house mountains, with the occasion happening late in September.
As D’Haene described it, “Extremely Spirit is a race however it’s an journey too. For me it’s very good to prepare it. We found one other window of the path operating scene to make one thing a bit totally different to the opposite races, with intimacy, authenticity, and encouragement alongside the way in which.”
D’Haene in race director mode on the 2023 Extremely Spirit. Picture: Paul Viard Gaudin/Extremely Spirit
Extremely Spirit is a crew occasion, and all crew members should begin and end collectively, which D’Haene feels provides enormously to the spirit of it. He went on, “It’s throughout two days and we sleep within the mountains all collectively, we glance after one another, and on the finish of the journey we’re all like an enormous household.”
Staging the occasion requires a big funding of time, however as D’Haene put it, “It takes a variety of time however, like each organizer, should you depend your hours within the group you’ll do nothing. For us it’s a variety of power however a variety of pleasure too.”
Returning To Racing on the 2023 Diagonale des Fous
As soon as Extremely Spirit had been efficiently wrapped up, and with a tentative return to operating nonetheless going properly, D’Haene made a last-minute determination to return to an outdated favourite, Diagonale des Fous, the long-lasting 100-mile race which takes place on Réunion Island.
Though D’Haene has beforehand gained the race on 4 events, this yr his aspirations and motivations for operating had been very totally different. “After all, I approached it otherwise than my previous racing,” he shared, with the run being extra about finishing the course safely, and rejoicing within the distinctive atmosphere of certainly one of his favourite programs.
It was a cautious effort, however he nonetheless managed to complete in eighth place.
A grateful François D’Haene ending the 2023 Diagonale des Fous in eighth place. Picture: Simon Dugué
One Closing Surgical procedure
Following Diagonal des Fous, D’Haene had yet another surgical procedure to take away the screws and plate inserted in his ankle. He mentioned, “It’s not a small surgical procedure, however it’s quite a bit simpler than the primary surgical procedure. I simply took one month to relaxation, after which at first of December 2023, I used to be in a position to begin once more on the bicycle after which to ski earlier than Christmas.”
Once we spoke in early February 2024, he shared: “Now my coaching is kind of good. I’ve had one month and a half of a variety of snowboarding, I did greater than 100 hours snowboarding final month, so I feel my [fitness] is getting higher and higher. I nonetheless have February and March to get in form and begin my path operating season like common. So, I’m fairly assured and so joyful to be out once more.”
Trying Forward to a 2024 in Sports activities
Though he has mapped out a season with a lot of build-up races, D’Haene revealed, “My massive objective this yr shall be Hardrock 100 after which Tor des Géants. I’m so joyful to again within the Hardrock journey. I’ll attempt to share it with my household this yr, and to journey early to acclimate, and to take time within the space. And for me it’s not two targets, it’s one massive objective to have the ability to make the 2 adventures collectively.”
The roughly 330-kilometer (205-mile) Tor des Géants shall be D’Haene’s longest race but, and he mentioned: “I’ve to reach recent at Hardrock, as a result of after I’ve to have an extended summer time to organize for Tor des Géants.”
He’s enthused on the prospect of venturing into the unknown with Tor des Géants, and mentioned, “It will likely be an enormous journey for me, as a result of I don’t know this race, and it will likely be fascinating to attempt to make this lengthy, lengthy, lengthy journey. I’m very enthusiastic about it.”
Aosta Valley the place the Tor des Géants takes place. Picture: Joe Grant
A Lifetime of Multitasking
Maybe the key to D’Haene’s relaxed and balanced perspective to racing is that he doesn’t have the time to be singularly centered. In addition to being an athlete, race director, husband, and father of three, he has additionally been pursuing a enterprise of one other sort.
For 12 years, D’Haene and his spouse operated a winery and wine exportation enterprise. The 2 are taking a step again from the enterprise now, and he mentioned: “It was arduous to do every part, so simply across the COVID-19 pandemic, we determined to alter our lives a bit, and to drive much less and to maneuver much less, so we determined to cease the wine manufacturing. We nonetheless have 5 or 6,000 bottles to promote, to play with, however we don’t do the exportation anymore.”
When requested about how he manages to divide his time between the pillars of enterprise, coaching, and household life, he shared thoughtfully: “I attempt to not divide my time, I attempt to give my time.”
He went on, “For household commitments, my enterprise, and my coaching, I attempt to not make any sacrifices and to be current and to be pretty much as good as potential — as a father and as a husband — and I attempt to answer the media, and to be skilled if I can. I attempt to prepare quite a bit and race and to be pretty much as good as potential in efficiency on the path.”
A lifetime of multitasking definitely works for D’Haene, who mentioned: “I like every part [that I do] and I don’t wish to concentrate on one aspect, so I attempt to do all of it. I feel it’s a stability between all these pillars.”
Having overcome such a tumultuous time with out ever dropping his cool, the 2024 return of François D’Haene shall be a pleasure for ultrarunning followers to look at unfold.
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François D’Haene on a moonlit run. Picture: Alexis Berg
