François D'haene: The Ultra Spirit on Competition, Winemaking & Running Mountains

The Rich Roll Podcast

Rich Roll

Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement, Society & Culture

4.8 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2022

⏱️ 107 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Meet François D’Haene. One of the greatest (some say the greatest) ultra-distance trail runners in the world, French superstar François is a former physiotherapist turned winemaker who has collected 36 victories and 51 podiums across some of the most prestigious and challenging races in the world. His palmarès include taking victory at UTMB an astonishing four times, a record only recently matched by Kílian Jornet this year. In 2017, François clocked the fastest-ever traverse of the 210-mile John Muir Trail. And in 2021, he won the Hardrock 100, one of the most difficult trail ultras, breaking the overall record previously held by Jornet. Beyond the glow of ultra superstardom, François keeps things simple—a lifestyle that prioritizes his family as a dad to three. And an approach to sustained excellence that values community, connection, and nature over race results and rewards. It’s this disposition—a rare balance many athletes of his caliber struggle to master—that I find most compelling. And it’s the focus of today’s fascinating exploration. Today we explore the elements of François’ mastery. We parse his humble and grounded approach to craft—and how this mindset has contributed to sustained success and career longevity at the highest level of sport. In addition, we discuss the principles that drive him, the details of his training regimen, the allure of nature, advice for tackling your first ultra, and many other topics. But more than anything, this is a conversation about the tension between the rigors of pursuing mastery and the value of important life experiences beyond the parameters of sport. Read: Show notes. I should say up front that François’ French accent can be a bit thick at times, but if you listen closely and aren’t tempted to increase the playback speed, you should be able to follow him just fine. Captions are available on YouTube if you want to capture every word. Today's Sponsors: Outerknown: outerknown.com InsideTracker: insidetracker.com/RichRoll Native: www.nativedeo.com/rrp Squarespace: Squarespace.com/RichRoll Athletic Greens: athleticgreens.com/richroll Note: this conversation was recorded on June 30, 2022. On July 15, 2022, François placed 2nd at the Hardrock 100, 14+ minutes behind Kílian Jornet. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with François—may this exchange leave you equally enriched. Peace + Plants, Rich

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're struggling with your diet, just can't sustain those healthy eating habits you're not alone.
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0:25.6	Okay, let's do the show. If you achieve your dream too fast, then okay, you can have some
0:33.3	wizardry, but if it hits a big dream, no matter if it's take you one year, two year,
0:38.6	three year, five years, maybe it's maybe a better dream if it's take a long time to achieve it.
0:44.6	And so I think it's very important to have this kind of progression, to have different days,
0:48.4	to have different history, to take time to meet the people, to discover yourself. On one
0:53.2	on one night, no matter the time. You just want to finish it for the first one or the last one or
0:59.4	the same goal. It's just to achieve this adventure and this journey and it's so hard and so
1:05.2	interesting to do, but it's not impossible because it's could be just working, just running, and if
1:12.0	you go it slowly, I'm sure it's possible, but you have to be really passionate about that, and you
1:18.6	have to know why you do that. Running one on one night, it must be something that you feel in
1:24.9	your ear and you are really motivated about that, because of course it will be hard, but if you know
1:31.4	why you are here, if it's a dream, I'm sure it's possible to do it.
1:35.2	The Rich Roll Podcast
1:48.9	Hey everybody, welcome to the podcast. My guest today is one of the greatest, some say the greatest
1:55.9	ultra-distance trail runners in the world. His name is Francois Den, and although that name
2:02.7	may not be as ubiquitous as Killian Jornays, at least outside the Insular Ultra World,
2:10.8	make no mistake. This man who calls the Alps home is just an absolute beast. Among his countless
	...

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