Motivation

Q&A with The North Face athlete Pau Capell

On the eve of the world's biggest trail race, our SportsShoes ambassador Ben Mounsey chats to The North Face athlete Pau Capell about his season so far and his training and preparation for this year's 170km trail race around Mont Blanc.

You can check out Pau's Road to Breaking 20 video below;

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[BEN] Hi Pau, thank you for taking the time for this interview, I know that you are deep in training and preparation for the 170km trail race around Mont Blanc. Speaking of which, have you just been running? (Pau is dressed in his running kit and sat in his car taking this interview on his phone)

[PAU] Ah yes, I had a good run today and I finished at 4pm (it's now 6pm) so I had plenty of time. Sometimes it’s good to have these interviews to take my mind away from Mont Blanc training.

Am I right in thinking that you are now training on the Mont Blanc course? I saw that you were in Courmayeur on your latest instagram post.

Yes, today I have run from Courmayeur to Champex Lac, but now I have just returned to Chamonix where I have been staying. Tomorrow I will finish the last stage from Champex to Chamonix. I normally I do the full route over four days as part of my training – I try to do this every year so you could call it superstition - I’m a very superstitious person.

Will you stay in Chamonix now and continue to train here until the race?

No, after tomorrow I will leave for home and then return to Chamonix one week before the Mont Blanc race. In the days leading up to the race I won’t train much, maybe 1-2 hours, just to keep moving but not intensely – it’s just enough.

And how are you feeling both physically and mentally prior to this year’s Mont Blanc race? Are you feeling strong and confident?

Yeah, although it depends on the day – it’s complicated with my mental health. Some days I feel good and some days I feel a little disturbed about the race and about the competitors. When I only think about the performance it’s a problem. But physically I feel good. I’m running the times that I’m supposed to do – maybe for breaking 20, or maybe for around 21 hours.

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Pictured: Pau Capell in action wearing The North Face VECTIV x Elvira Collection

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That’s really great to hear. I can see that you are having a good year so far in terms of athletic performances – you were 2nd at Transgrancanaria and also you won the Ultra Cote D’Azure in July. This must give you plenty of confidence going into the Mont Blanc race?

Yeah, the year has been really good so far. I had a plan of different races and the only one that was not good was Laverado Ultra Trail because I had COVID and I tried to compete, but when I hit 70km I upset my body and I couldn’t continue running. But the other races have all been really good and I was running in Turkey last weekend and feeling really strong. But this is the Mont Blanc Trail Race and anything can happen, so we will see.

I know that last year you had a serious injury (knee) which disrupted your season. Have you fully recovered from this now?

Yeah, so it was really hard for me being injured, both physically and mentally - I didn’t find it easy at all. After lots of rest and recovery I started to feel well again, but even today I’m not completely without problem and I think that this is an injury I will have to manage all my life. I can run but often it is painful, it really all depends on the number of kilometres that I run. But when you run a race like the 170km loop of Mont Blanc it is a painful experience, so although my knee will hurt, my whole body will hurt - which means I don't notice it as much.

Just going back to the point you made about your mental health. Do you think a lot of this is because of the pressure that is put on you as one of the favourites to win the race and because there is always an expectation on you to perform? Is this something you have had to learn to manage over the years?

Exactly that - I have to try and manage it. When I’m focussed on a goal, I’m focussed 100% and I know that if the result is not what I expect, then the pressure builds in my mind. And people talk a lot – although they want the best for the athletes, they want and expect me to try and win again and sometimes I have to switch off and try not to listen. I just try and stay focussed and look after my mental health. Sometimes the pressure is worse than the training. I also think that’s why it’s sometimes better not to always use social media. I tell myself not to listen and in the build-up to a big race, it’s more important to spend time with your friends and family. I try to distance myself in another world, not in the world of Chamonix (for example) and I live in that world in the days leading up to a big competition.

Over the last year I’ve also been working with a psychologist and it’s really good to have these kind of experts and professionals around you because they teach you how to manage and cope with these intense and pressured situations.

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Pictured: Pau Capell in action wearing The North Face VECTIV x Elvira Collection

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Let’s talk about some of the other athletes who will be contesting the Mont Blanc Trail Race this year. Who do you consider to be your biggest rival/s?

I think Kilian (Jornet) and Jim (Walmsley) are the clear favourites for the race. Kilian is the best in the world and has earned his place in trail running history and Jim is the best in the USA. But after them there is a group of around ten athletes of a very similar ability, including myself, who all have a great chance of winning if these two leading athletes push too hard and explode. This second group might not be the favourites to win, but they don’t have the same pressure to perform.

I know that ‘Breaking 20’ at Mont Blanc has long been a goal of yours. Is this still the aim?

Ooh I don’t know, I would love to try obviously, but it’s not the goal of the race. I have to stick to my own tactics from the start, like I did in 2019, and focus on my times. The plan is not to try and break 20, but instead to measure my effort and run a good time. If I feel strong in the last part of the race and I still have the legs, then who knows, perhaps I can run close to 20 hours.

In terms of kit, let’s talk about what you will wear for the Mont Blanc Trail Race. Are we likely to see you in a pair of this season’s The North Face trail shoes, or will you run in prototype for future release?

No, I think that I will run with the Flight VECTIV®, the current model that is on sale right now. I do not like to race in prototypes designed only for me, because if I have a good race then I want other people to know that I am wearing the same shoes as them. I am not a superstar and I don’t have special shoes that are beyond the reach of the everyday athlete.

I will also take the VECTIV Enduris, just in case my knee is painful. This way I will have another pair of shoes that offers a bit more cushioning and support on the trail.

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Pictured: Pau Capell in action wearing The North Face Flight VECTIV x Elvira Trail Shoes

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Whilst we’re talking about the VECTIV series, I had the privilege of visiting the All Triangles workshop earlier this year and seeing how they work closely with athletes to invent, test and develop all of the trail shoes for The North Face. How much of an involvement have you had in the research and development of the VECTIV range?

I have been involved with VECTIV and the All Triangles from the very beginning of the relationship, almost three years ago. Our team of athletes explained what we needed and together we have managed to create a really fantastic range of high-performance trail shoes. I remember the first prototype and there were some things I wanted to change and it was really amazing that were able to make these improvements. The athletes all work really closely with the AT team, we share a lot of emails and we regularly visit Annecy to discuss the shoes. The result is that we have a really great product that we can all be very proud of.

I have been testing a prototype of the VECTIV 2.0 in training (due for release in early 2023) and there will be some key differences next year, but they will still feature some of the same great characteristics of the first edition. I think that for the shoes designed for the ultra-distances, there will be more benefits for the ‘normal’ athlete to enjoy, especially those who will spend many hours on their feet and need a shoe to support them for 1-2 days of continuous running.

I think what’s important here is that the brand works with an open mind and takes the advice and opinion from athletes of all abilities. If you only listen and work in one way and with one type of athlete, then the results will only be good for a small number of people. I think this is what makes the relationship between The North Face and All Triangles so special. The team works with our professional athletes, but also local runners and a range of every ability.

Many of our Sportsshoes customers are new to the sport of ultra-distance trail running and are looking for advice and encouragement to help them start their journey in the sport. Do you have any good tips for them?

The first one is to try and train on a realistic level and slowly build up, don’t try to do too much too soon. When I first started running, I began with a distance of 10km and slowly worked my way up – next reaching 15km, then 20km and so on. Over time, I realised that I had some ability to run the longer distances, but it’s a slow process and one that sometimes people forget. Progression takes time and it’s important to follow this advice to prevent any serious injuries and set-backs.

Moving on to my second tip - if something motivates you then do it. And equally, if something doesn’t motivate you, then don’t do it. Some people stand on the start line of a race because they have an entry and feel like they have to do it, even if they already know in their mind that they are not going to finish. I say why start in the first place? This only generates unnecessary pressure, creates stress and generates bad feelings. If you want to enjoy life, then you need to do things that give you a smile. So, if you want to run 100 kilometres or the Mont Blanc race and this is what motivates you, then do it. Train hard, enjoy the process and do it. Don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t do it, because when you’re successful, you can go back to that person and say ‘look, I’m a finisher’. If you have a plan and a process then anything is possible.

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Pictured: Pau Capell in action wearing The North Face VECTIV x Elvira Collection

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That’s really great advice. Finally, just going back to the subject of the Mont Blanc race, which many people consider to be the biggest and best trail race in the world. Is it your favourite race? And if not, which race is?

The 170km loop of Mont Blanc is a good race, for sure – I love it. It was the race that first motivated me to run, because I remember I was at the finish line and I was watching one of my friends who won the race from Courmayeur to Chamonix and when I saw him I was like ‘I want to be this guy’. And this is now why I train a lot. But for me, it’s not the best race in the world, despite it being so iconic and beautiful, because a few years ago, I ran Ultra Trail Mount Fuji and it was magic. The atmosphere around the mountain was just incredible. Both the culture and the race itself are very different to anything I’ve ever experienced.

I really love Patagonia too. I competed in Patagonia Run and some parts of the course take your breath away. The people there are fantastic, they support you and they love you and this is a really nice feeling when you travel. I have also raced in Australia and the landscape, the people and the atmosphere are all very different again. Every race I have ever done is different and I remember and enjoy the best parts of them all.

Thanks Pau, it’s been really great speaking with you and we wish you the very best of luck at this year’s Mont Blanc race and for the rest of the season!

You can follow Pau Capell and all his running adventures here

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