100km of Millau

The 100km of Millau. Such a legendary race in France. 38th edition this year, 2000 entrants, big ambiance in the streets of the main Aveyron’s city. I heard and read about this race since I started running twenty years ago. But curiously I‘d never run it before. This year I decided to attempt it just after running a good marathon in the Lofoten. The route was hilly, just like in Millau, and so I thought it would be a nice idea to test myself on that kind of ultra road races. Just after I dropped out in the utmb I started training a little bit harder for two weeks, running my first intervals cession since six month and racing (and won) two little 10k trail race. I felt quite ready.
The only thing that can interfere with that “serious” preparation is the opportunity to climb the Mont-Blanc just three days before the race with my very good friend the film maker Jean Michel Jorda. It’s a risk to take, but naturally I take it! The conditions on the Mont Blanc were perfect, pure blue sky and temperatures just behind zero. The climb is not so easy; we start at Tête Rousse and have to climb 1800m to the peak. But the view on the top is really fantastic and that’s such a big sensation to be on the top of Europa. We spend some time here, taking video for the outdoorsport magazine, and start to go down. The downhill of the aiguille du goûter is quite technical, not for a alpinist like Jean-Michel, but for a runner like me… We have to hurry a little to take the last telepherique and avoid the last 800m down to les Houches. A great day, I will never regret to do that kind of things even just before a race.
Just the time to go back to the Paris area and we are on the road to Millau with my coach and bike follower of the day (and also great friend and new boss!) Christophe Vatinel, the Trail Attitude magazine editor and diffuser of Brooks and Golite in France. We visited the first winner of that 100kms (in 1972) Serge Cottereau, an inspiring man for so much runners in France, he told us he was training 200kms per week to won Millau in that years. After a good night I feel quite ready to attempt my first 100km road race, it’s strange for a former marathoner like me but I always competed on 100km trail races before…
Going on the starting line by walk and all the participants together during 1km is quite an original warm up, typical of the Millau race. We are certainly not in a race like all the others. There is tradition here, a perfume of legendary. I started at a quite steady, not so bad, pace. The route for this beginning is gently hills, very pleasant. We run through beautiful typical village, old houses and following the river. So nice. The weather is clear, not so hot now but we know that it will be harder this afternoon. After a few kilometers I run together in a group composed by my old friend of Rambouillet Ludovic Dilmi (who ran 7:48 in a 100km earlier that year), Mohamed El Yacoubi (former professional cyclist in Africa and also a friend, we ran many kilometers in the Trans’aq together), my Savoyard friend Patrick Braems and Pascal Campet, a 2h19 marathoner. Christophe is also running with us for that first part. We are chatting, discussing and looking at the landscape, the pace is ok and it’s a nice moment. I’ve only little fears with my legs when it’s going down, few remembering of the Mont-Blanc but I think it gone be all right.
After the 30km we stay just together with Ludo, at a regular pace. The route still so beautiful but it’s quite harder now. Much more hilly. We stay on a sub 8h hours pace, which is good, but we know that it’s would be fast impossible to maintain it during the second part of the race with the big hills and the sun. I passed the marathon in 3:18, quite in a good shape. Christophe is now following me on his bike as we leave again Millau for the second loop, a go and back to Saint-Afrique, 60kms. We spoke from the race and others thinks, he take pictures and give me some good advice at the pace. He also gives me drinks and food very regularly which is a great helps. I have just to concentrate on my run, nothing else or fast. In the long uphill to the famous and impressing viaduct of Millau I run with Ludo and Jean-Baptiste Welte (he will finish 3rd) but prefer to maintain my pace and not going with them… The temperature is now quite high (27°). I maintain that good pace to Saint Afrique, after the second big hill. We just have to go back now, 30km and the same hills but on the other side…
The really very nice think is that when we go back we cross the way of the runners who stil on the way to Saint Afrique. Many of them are encouraging us, we do the same and it’s a great ambiance. At the 75th I pass Ludo. He suffers from the sun and seems to be very tired. He will find the strength to finish very courageously. Few kilometers after I saw two runners in bad conditions…I’m in place 6th at that time…But I will start to feel some discomfort also…
After the 90km two runners passed me: Anne-Cécile Fontaine (she will finish second in the woman division behind a fantastic Brigitte Bec!), the 24h race world champion, very light running style and another guys. I try to maintain a small gap and achieve it to the end of the last big downhill, but after, for the last 5k my legs are too stiff, I began to feel very tired and suffer a lot… I will lose six places during this last kms but at the finish I’m quite please with my 15th position and my time of 8h57. Now I just have to start to recover, to wait for my friends who finished just after me, and to think about my next attempt on a 100km road race… I think I will have to be on the 100kms Brooks/ultrafondus challenge next year, that’s will be a kind of professional obligation (what a work I will do!), and that can be good occasions! With a more serious training and some speed again gain I think there will be things to do…