Lining up for her fourth lap round Mont Blanc, the American residing in France, Katie Schide, arrives on the 2024 UTMB simply 9 weeks after successful the 2024 Western States 100. On this interview, she talks about her restoration after racing in California, what retains bringing her again to UTMB after successful it in 2022, and the elements of the race she’s most trying ahead to.
For extra on who’s racing, try our in-depth ladies’s and males’s previews and observe our dwell race protection beginning Friday.
Katie Schide Pre-2024 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Megan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Katie Schide. It’s a few days earlier than the 2024 UTMB. Right here we discover ourselves once more. Katie, how are you?
Schide: I’m doing effectively. Yeah. Joyful to be again. Effectively, we’ve been right here a bit, nevertheless it’s all the time good to be again.
iRunFar: Yeah. Or weren’t you a shock beginning entrant on this entrance checklist as of late or is that this one thing that you simply’ve been planning however we didn’t find out about?
Schide: It wasn’t an excessive amount of of a shock. We have been required to register in January and I registered, however I did take the runner’s insurance coverage simply in case I canceled. That’s how, I wasn’t certain, I needed to attend till after Western States and simply put every thing on Western States after which determine after if I had the motivation mentally, if it made sense, if I felt okay, if I actually needed to do it. So I assume it’s a semi-surprise.
iRunFar: A deliberate unplanned plan.
Schide: Yeah, precisely.
iRunFar: So it has been near seven weeks since we noticed you on a scorching afternoon on the end line of Western States. Speak us via what these weeks have appeared like. I believe you may have traveled so much, you’ve rested so much, and also you’ve educated a bit?
Schide: Yeah, I haven’t traveled an excessive amount of. I went dwelling, I got here again to the south of France two days after Western States, after which spent three weeks at dwelling within the south, after which we got here up right here on the finish of July. So yeah, we’ve been right here for simply over a month now, and that was all the time the plan as a result of yeah, my accomplice, Germain was all the time certain to do UTMB, so it was all the time the plan to return and-
iRunFar: Whether or not you have been going to do a protracted race, a medium race or not a race.
Schide: No race, or, yeah.
iRunFar: So yeah, straight dwelling after Western States, a little bit little bit of time at dwelling after which now you’ve develop into a Chamonix Valley native?
Schide: Yeah, nearly. Effectively, we have been staying on the finish of the valley, a bit eliminated. However yeah, we got here in so much to benefit from the meals and low and see a couple of individuals.
iRunFar: And the way in regards to the restoration and conversion of the physique and thoughts from all issues Western States now to all issues UTMB? How’s that been for you?
Schide: Yeah, it’s been actually cool usually because I had quite a lot of enjoyable taking over this problem of Western States. Nevertheless it simply felt so good to return again and be within the locations that I favor a little bit bit extra and yeah, I get the poles out, put on an actual backpack once more. It type of simply felt like beginning a brand new sport and I used to be fortunate to not have any massive accidents or something popping out of Western States, in order that made it comparatively easy, I assume. I believe final 12 months I performed it fairly protected. Everybody instructed me UTMB after Western States and I listened and I did OCC and actually loved that.
iRunFar: And it turned out effectively for you.
Schide: Yeah, it was nice, and I’m actually joyful I did that and this 12 months I knew kind of the way it feels to do Western States, the way it feels to coach for it, the way it feels to return again. So I simply had a bit extra expertise with how every thing felt.
iRunFar: Yeah, so I believe you type of talked about the thoughts there. You felt just like the distinction between the game of Western States working and the game of UTMB working was sufficient of a transition that this feels recent to you?
Schide: Yeah, it does really feel fairly recent, particularly as a result of I took a 12 months off UTMB and I’ve already completed three UTMBs, so taking the 12 months off type of gave me the prospect to overlook it a little bit bit, and it additionally made me really feel prefer it’s not one thing I’ve to do. Not that I ever actually felt that, however I type of put it on myself that it was my greatest focus of the entire 12 months, which it’s, I’d say, I imply principally everybody on the beginning line. I’m in type of a novel place that I did already end the race. That was actually my focus 100%.
iRunFar: Effectively, end and do actually good at too.
Schide: Yeah, and that’s a bonus for certain. And now I’m tremendous joyful to be right here understanding that I, simply having the previous to look again on and simply see what Western States coaching can deliver me in direction of this race.
iRunFar: Yeah, I actually loved a social media submit you stated the opposite day about how you may have a brand new confidence in regards to the elements of this course that you simply have been much less assured about prior to now, the extra runnable stuff, courtesy of a few years of targeted time on Western States. Yeah, simply speak about that for a second.
Schide: Yeah, it’s the factor that all the time, I believe it scares many of the French path runners is the quick or the fast-pacedness of Western States. How a lot do it’s a must to run. Yeah, you’re actually working nearly your entire race, and that’s fairly uncommon in Europe to discover a race so lengthy that’s like that. So it’s one thing that additionally scared me as a result of yeah, it’s extra how I got here into the game. It was not from a conventional highschool cross-country working or highschool, faculty, cross nation/monitor background, however extra from the facet of mountaineering.
And so I really feel like I actually targeted on my weaknesses for 2 years now, and yeah, I’d miss a few of that specificity that I had coming to the race prior to now. However I’m simply to see the place that places me.
iRunFar: Fascinating for me is that any person such as you who’s already had a profession defining efficiency or type of all you can ask for at a earlier UTMB earlier than, however you’re again for both extra, higher, completely different, one thing alongside these strains. Simply trying again at your prior UTMB experiences, what do you’re taking from those who you’re like, “Oh, I need to simply press repeat and do one thing I did very well once more,” or one thing like, “Hmm, let’s attempt that completely different.”?
Schide: Yeah. I’ve had some sophisticated moments on this course and a few nice ones.
iRunFar: Isn’t it such a European strategy to say that?
Schide: Yeah, I’m selecting up the French English. Yeah, I’ve had some fairly dangerous moments on this racecourse. However I believe that’s additionally what all the time made me probably the most proud on the finish was simply persevering with even when issues have been actually dangerous. And it’s one thing that helped me so much in 2022 is simply being at these factors the place I felt good and saying, “Oh wow, I really feel so significantly better than the final two occasions I used to be right here.”
And it’s one thing once I did have a fairly low second in 2022 that bought me via it as a result of I used to be like, “Hey, I felt this dangerous for a 100K prior to now and I made it so I can really feel like this for an hour or two.”
However this 12 months I believe the factor that’s actually motivating me is it’s one thing that in the end made me probably the most to do it once more was simply the feminine begin checklist is trying so good and-
iRunFar: So good.
Schide: … I actually need to be right here for it. We had simply such a terrific group of girls at Western States and we noticed what that delivered to all of us, and I need to be a part of this group of girls. I believe it’s going to be much like Western States with simply the entire prime 10, the entire prime group of girls is simply actually going to deliver these occasions down. Not that the course is ever precisely the identical. There are heaps little adjustments.
iRunFar: It adjustments yearly.
Schide: However on the whole I believe it’s going to be a extremely quick, robust 12 months.
iRunFar: Seeing the occasions get simply objectively sooner and sooner.
Schide: Yeah. And never only for the primary one or two, however for everyone.
iRunFar: For me in relation to the ladies’s competitors, that’s the brand new dynamic that each one of you’re taking part in with in these races, is that there’s actually no room for rather more than a little bit blip or a little bit drawback. In case you drop fairly a methods again, say 5 years in the past at ultras, you can nonetheless make your approach ahead via the pack. I believe these days might have come and gone for ladies’s ultrarunning at a race like this.
Schide: Yeah, we’re nonetheless not fairly, sadly, we don’t have fairly the density to be the boys fairly but, however quickly it’s coming and it’s thrilling to see that. It makes us all deliver our performances to a brand new degree understanding we don’t have this area to mess up an excessive amount of.
iRunFar: It’s an attention-grabbing race. You had a humorous social media submit the opposite day about like, “Oh, we’re going to go across the mountain and do all these climbs and descents and by no means summit something.” Nonetheless, it’s a unprecedented course in simply so many various methods. You already know it effectively, you’ve run it a few occasions, you’ve educated on it. Are there sure simply panorama facets or geography facets that you simply’re pondering, I can’t wait to do this once more?
Schide: I don’t run at night time in coaching fairly often. Fairly hardly ever. That’s all the time one thing that’s the most important, it’s fairly uncommon in coaching you’d exit and run for your entire night time for that lengthy. And in order that’s all the time the type of cool half the place you’re like, wow, we’re out right here and everybody says you see the road of headlamps. It’s actually these are particular moments.
Apart from that, I do know the landscapes fairly effectively at this level, so it’s not normally new. However yeah, I do attempt to take a second to search for and simply be like, wow, that is actually lovely. Sadly, among the finest elements will hopefully be at night time for me.
iRunFar: Fingers crossed they occur within the nighttime.
Schide: And lacking Tete aux Vents final two years has been unlucky as a result of that’s also-
iRunFar: Actually lovely.
Schide: … a fairly good spot, however we’ll be within the timber this 12 months.
iRunFar: Yeah, simply transient glances of the terrain as you’re climbing. It’s humorous to listen to you additionally point out the night time as being one in every of your favorites. It looks as if that’s only a favourite of all people.
Schide: I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite factor. It’s type of the factor that makes ultrarunning extra particular to me than simply going out for a long term as a result of I wouldn’t usually select to do this.
iRunFar: It’s additionally type of completely different right here since you concurrently do the night time through the extra distant a part of the course too. So it’s like you may have this actually wild and loopy night for 40K and then you definately go to darkish and relative like path vacancy after which daytime comes once more. It’s wild and loopy all day lengthy. It’s simply, I don’t know, that interaction of day and night time and folks and never individuals is simply attention-grabbing.
Schide: The race for me is de facto these sections between Contamines and Courmayeur after which Courmayeur and Champex-Lac, it’s fully completely different than once you see your crew each couple of hours on the finish. So it’s quite a lot of issues to handle and all the time tense once you’re going via your plan on the final minute, making an attempt to place the best issues and by no means actually understanding the way it’s going to prove.
iRunFar: Yeah. Effectively, I’ve a sense it’s going to prove simply okay for you, or higher than okay, let’s say. Better of luck to you in your, what is that this, your fourth lap?
Schide: My fourth UTMB.
iRunFar: Better of luck.
Schide: Thanks.
