Ultra-trail: A year after his feat, Limoux native Aurelian Sánchez returns to the start of the Barclays, the world’s toughest foot race.

Ever since he stumbled onto the running trail less than ten years ago while living in the United States, the Oude native has always Barkley in the skin. This is now the case in the literal sense of the word as he had tattooed on his right calf many of the elements that make up the folklore of the test, which was presented as the hardest and most difficult in the world. The inhospitable jungle of the lost Frozen Head Park Somewhere between Nashville and KnoxvilleA book whose pages the contestants must tear out to prove their passage at different points in the course… and the famous yellow barrier from which the 33-year-old engineer from Limoux set off for the second time, shortly before Wednesday at 5:30am local time, When the fictional organizer of the race, Lazarus Lake, As per tradition, puffed on his cigarette to start the race.

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Since the first edition in 1986, Only 17 runners completed the five loops – Approximately 160 km and a total elevation gain of 20,000 meters – each to be completed in less than 12 hours, otherwise you will be eliminated. Aurelien Sanchez, the first Frenchman to achieve the feat last year in 58 hours, 32 minutes and 12 seconds, knows he will hardly do better, but his almost obsessive story with Barkley is far from over. “I think it happened almost too fast. That it was a dream, that it was so beautiful.”he told AFP in late January near his home in the suburbs of Toulouse. “It’s a challenge that remains intact every year, with a lot of questioning and introspection.”

There is no privilege to be among the 40 participants

Having failed several times before being initially accepted in 2023, the outgoing winner did not have a pass this year: he had to go through the normal application process again to receive it. “Letter of condolence” Only about forty participants were sent. Once the media demands of the first week after his victory subsided, his life quickly returned to normal, between his job as an engineer in the automobile industry and his weekend training in the hills south of Toulouse or in the Pyrenees. “I know what I am worth and above all what I am not worth”He testifies with unmistakable humility. “It’s never a foregone conclusion. I managed to finish it once, but I can’t pretend to finish it every year.”

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There are so many factors that come into play in 60 hours of racing that it is impossible even for such a brain to control everything “methodical and artificial” than that. “It’s a big puzzle where we have to put all the pieces together.” That explains. “Mental, physical, attitude, nutrition, sleep is a part of …” Not fast enough to compete on other terrain with the best trailers on the planet like the Catalan Killian Jornet Or Francois d’HainSanchez finds a race with Barkley that perfectly suits his abilities and his philosophy. “He is an ordinary person, who seems ordinary, but who does not realize the potential he has for such events. He can suffer a lot”L’Equipe salutes his friend and runner in a documentary by Explore Guillaume Calmettes, four appearances and as many fumbles at Tennessee. The two Frenchmen, united, began the 2024 edition with the somewhat crazy dream of finishing together. This time make sure the 60 hours of suffering don’t pass too quickly.