Lining up for her fourth lap round Mont Blanc, the American dwelling 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 girls’s and males’s previews and observe our reside 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 nicely. Yeah. Completely satisfied to be again. Properly, we’ve been right here a bit, nevertheless it’s at all times good to be again.
iRunFar: Yeah. Or weren’t you a shock beginning entrant on this entrance record as of late or is that this one thing that you simply’ve been planning however we didn’t learn about?
Schide: It wasn’t an excessive amount of of a shock. We had 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 the whole lot on Western States after which resolve after if I had the motivation mentally, if it made sense, if I felt okay, if I actually needed to do it. So I suppose 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 by what these weeks have regarded like. I feel you’ve 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 residence, I got here again to the south of France two days after Western States, after which spent three weeks at residence 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 at all times the plan as a result of yeah, my accomplice, Germain was at all times certain to do UTMB, so it was at all times the plan to return and-
iRunFar: Whether or not you had been going to do an extended race, a medium race or not a race.
Schide: No race, or, yeah.
iRunFar: So yeah, straight residence after Western States, a little bit little bit of time at residence after which now you’ve change into a Chamonix Valley native?
Schide: Yeah, virtually. Properly, we had 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 just a few folks.
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 plenty 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 form 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 suppose. I feel final yr 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 nicely for you.
Schide: Yeah, it was nice, and I’m actually joyful I did that and this yr I knew roughly 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 the whole lot felt.
iRunFar: Yeah, so I feel 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 yr off UTMB and I’ve already accomplished three UTMBs, so taking the yr off form of gave me the possibility 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 yr, which it’s, I’d say, I imply principally everybody on the beginning line. I’m in form of a singular place that I did already end the race. That was actually my focus 100%.
iRunFar: Properly, 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 convey me in the direction of this race.
iRunFar: Yeah, I actually loved a social media publish you mentioned the opposite day about how you’ve a brand new confidence in regards to the elements of this course that you simply had 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 discuss that for a second.
Schide: Yeah, it’s the factor that at all times, I feel it scares a lot of the French path runners is the quick or the fast-pacedness of Western States. How a lot do you need to run. Yeah, you’re actually working virtually the whole 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, school, cross nation/observe background, however extra from the aspect of climbing.
And so I really feel like I actually targeted on my weaknesses for 2 years now, and yeah, I would 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: Attention-grabbing for me is that any person such as you who’s already had a profession defining efficiency or form 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 traces. Simply trying again at your prior UTMB experiences, what do you are taking from those who you’re like, “Oh, I need to simply press repeat and do one thing I did rather well once more,” or one thing like, “Hmm, let’s strive 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 technique to say that?
Schide: Yeah, I’m selecting up the French English. Yeah, I’ve had some fairly unhealthy moments on this racecourse. However I feel that’s additionally what at all times made me probably the most proud on the finish was simply persevering with even when issues had been actually unhealthy. 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 after I did have a reasonably low second in 2022 that obtained me by it as a result of I used to be like, “Hey, I felt this unhealthy for a 100K prior to now and I made it so I can really feel like this for an hour or two.”
However this yr I feel the factor that’s actually motivating me is it’s one thing that finally made me probably the most to do it once more was simply the feminine begin record is trying so good and-
iRunFar: So good.
Schide: … I actually need to be right here for it. We had simply such a fantastic 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 feel 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 convey these occasions down. Not that the course is ever precisely the identical. There are tons little modifications.
iRunFar: It modifications yearly.
Schide: However usually I feel it’s going to be a very quick, sturdy yr.
iRunFar: Seeing the occasions get simply objectively quicker and quicker.
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 every one of you might be taking part in with in these races, is that there’s actually no room for far more than a little bit blip or a little bit downside. In the event you drop fairly a methods again, say 5 years in the past at ultras, you can nonetheless make your means ahead by the pack. I feel 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 lads fairly but, however quickly it’s coming and it’s thrilling to see that. It makes us all convey our performances to a brand new degree understanding we don’t have this house to mess up an excessive amount of.
iRunFar: It’s an fascinating race. You had a humorous social media publish 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.” Nevertheless, it’s a rare course in simply so many various methods. it nicely, you’ve run it a few occasions, you’ve educated on it. Are there sure simply panorama features or geography features 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 not often. That’s at all times one thing that’s the largest, it’s fairly uncommon in coaching you’d exit and run for the whole night time for that lengthy. And in order that’s at all times 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.
Aside from that, I do know the landscapes fairly nicely at this level, so it’s not often new. However yeah, I do attempt to take a second to lookup 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 reasonably good spot, however we’ll be within the bushes this yr.
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 certainly one 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 future as a result of I wouldn’t usually select to do this.
iRunFar: It’s additionally form of completely different right here since you concurrently do the night time throughout the extra distant a part of the course too. So it’s like you’ve this actually wild and loopy night for 40K and you then 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 other people and never folks is simply fascinating.
Schide: The race for me is absolutely these sections between Contamines and Courmayeur after which Courmayeur and Champex-Lac, it’s fully completely different than whenever you see your crew each couple of hours on the finish. So it’s plenty of issues to handle and at all times disturbing whenever you’re going by your plan on the final minute, attempting to place the best issues and by no means actually understanding the way it’s going to end up.
iRunFar: Yeah. Properly, I’ve a sense it’s going to end up 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.