With four prior victories, François D’Haene is a favorite at the 2025 UTMB. In the following interview, François talks about his enduring history with UTMB, his Nolan’s 14 fastest known time in the U.S. in early July, and what his recovery from Nolan’s and UTMB training has looked like.
For more on who’s racing, check out our in-depth men’s and women’s previews and follow our live race coverage starting Friday.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to access it.]
François D’Haene Pre-2025 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar with François D’Haene before the 2025 UTMB. How are you, François?
François D’Haene: Nice.
iRunFar: Good to see you here in your home.
D’Haene: Yeah, thank you.
iRunFar: Yeah. So, the last time we spoke on camera was for Hardrock, or around Hardrock, and you had a rough go there. What happened? You were coming back from injury. What wasn’t there yet?
D’Haene: I think everything. No, I think I was sick 10 days earlier. And yeah, I think my body was not as expected on that. Yeah, I had a very tough day. And at the beginning, I was not confident at all. But I think there’s a small percentage of chance maybe it can be okay. But yeah, so I really like that race. And I want to try it, because you never know. But no, I think if I continue, I go like, in a wall. And yeah, in my mind, I have tradition, too. And I was still thinking it’s maybe possible to get back and recover. And finally it was.
iRunFar: Yeah, I knew you had a very good Tor des Géants.
D’Haene: Yeah, it was a magical experience. And yeah, you learn a lot of stuff. It was a nice travel. It was very, very nice.
iRunFar: And with Tor des Géants, did you feel like yourself again? Because there was a tough period with the injury, and then the tough Hardrock.
D’Haene: Yeah, yeah. I think not myself again, because like Diagonale des Fous, I feel myself again in like, adventure adaptation, but not as fast as I would like. And yes, in Tor des Géants, finally I have some nice pace. I have some nice moments. And yeah, for me, it was a race that I was expected since many, many years. I was stressful about such a long race. And so finally, maybe it was a good idea to go there. And I have very nice memory.
iRunFar: Some people have had a big challenge recovering from doing very well at Tor des Géants because it’s a very long, hard effort. When did you feel like you recovered fairly quickly?
D’Haene: No, no, I don’t recover very quickly. But yeah, I was very stressful about that because as you say, many athletes never recover and stop their career after. So that’s why I was stressful about going there. And that’s why, too, after the race, I did not any plan. I just take time with my friend and just listen when I want to go in the mountain or not, and want to play or not. And so, yeah, I really take time.
iRunFar: And you’ve continued your fitness. You set an FKT on the Nolan’s 14 route. What was that like? Because it’s a mix. You’re trying to perform, but also it’s a solid mix to your spirit and adventure.
D’Haene: Yeah, yeah. No, Nolan’s is quite special. It’s very technical, but this is what I like, to play with the map. Yes, to record, to scoot off the road, to have a team, to play with friends. This is part of my sport, too. It’s not only competition. Each year, I try to do an adventure or FKT. So it was really important for me. And that’s happened very well. It’s a crazy place. The summits are very nice, very technical. Not too technical, but technical enough to stress you a bit. So it was very nice.
iRunFar: Yes. And you’ve been here at UTMB four times. You’ve won four times. Does that create pressure, confidence, or is that irrelevant?
D’Haene: It’s not irrelevant, of course, but no, I’m pretty happy to be back again. And now, yeah, each time that I came, I had quite some good memories. So I hope to be able to do the loop again, and as fast as possible. Yeah, sure.
iRunFar: And you feel that your training has gone well, and you feel you can run up to your best?
D’Haene: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Physically and my training was very nice. So now we never know how the body can answer us. So I hope it will be okay. And yeah, I’m really happy to be there again with some amazing runners.
iRunFar: Merci beaucoup et bon courage.
D’Haene: You’re welcome.
