One of the most astonishing trail events of the summer will take place this weekend in Champagny-en-Vanoise (Savoie), with a 5 and a 12 km offered on Sunday… in sandals.
This practice is inspired by the Tarahumaras, the Native American people of Mexico honored in
Born to run
, a cult book by Christopher McDougall published in 2009.
Like the creator of this Trail des Pieds Légers, Patrick Salmon, the twenty or so participants in this event swear by this “natural practice” of running.
A village of 1,200 inhabitants lost in the middle of a canyon in northern Mexico targeted by narcos. It is in this hardly welcoming setting, in Urique, that one of the most fascinating ultra-trail races in the world has been taking place for 18 years. Its name alone, the Ultra Caballo Blanco, gives a “Keyser Söze” dimension to an 80 km race with around 1,500 entries made famous by the American writer Christopher McDougall. With his fascinating
Born to run
, published in 2009, he recounts his dive into the Tarahumaras, an Amerindian people "who have light feet".
Understand that they are able to compete on their land with some of the best trail runners on the planet by wearing very basic sandals for the entire race.
An incredible story that has not escaped Patrick Salmon.
This medical researcher in gene therapy, based in Geneva, is organizing the third edition of his “mini-Caballo Blanco” on Sunday in Savoie.
Namely two formulas of 5 and 12 km (1,100 m of elevation gain) in Champagny-en-Vanoise (Savoie), reserved for those curious about running in sandals, or even barefoot.
"If you don't want to be injured, you have to have as little cushioning as possible"
Each summer, the Trail des Pieds Légers (TPL) attracts around twenty people who come to discover a documentary devoted to the Tarahumaras (Friday), learn how to make makeshift sandals huaraches (Saturday), then embark on the trails of the Vanoise for an initiation. collective. It is more a question here of "way of life" than of a real race with chrono and classification. Just after devouring
Born to run
in 2012, Patrick Salmon was so convinced by the "lightest possible" practice of his sport that he bought on a whim the barefootpat.org domain on the Internet.
The one who completed his first marathon in Chicago three years earlier in less than 4h30, with an astonishing rigorously kept pace of 10 minutes run-1 minute walk, explains his conversion to sandals.
“If you don't have physical problems with your big running shoes, you don't have to change anything,” he says.
But as soon as you start to have pain, blisters, it may be time to switch to minimalist shoes.
If you don't want to be injured, you need to have as little cushioning as possible, with the feet as free to move as possible, so that you instinctively resume the gesture that allows you to cushion the impact.
"
"Inconceivable to be efficient without sports shoes"
The makeover obviously didn't come overnight for Patrick Salmon, who ordered his first running sandals from a manufacturer in Colorado. "I was trying to see if I could become a Tarahumara," he smiles. It was still ambitious because it took me a year just to find the right lacing. "In 2014, this trained pharmacist, now 62 years old, completed his first marathon" with light feet "in Paris in 4:27. A time comparable to his best performances with sports shoes. In 2016, he even signed his record for a marathon, in Lyon, in 4:08, always with "minimalist shoes".
Could such a significant improvement in time also tickle the elite racing world?
“I still do not recommend sandals on a long trail, where you don't know what you will find, especially for the downhill parts”, nuance Patrick Salmon.
Elite runner within Team Matryx, Lyonnais Baptiste Chassagne (27) is categorical: “My coach advises me to walk barefoot as soon as I can on vacation to develop strong feet.
But when I see the abrasive and technical terrains of our races, it seems inconceivable to me to be efficient without real sports shoes ”.
The “technological jewel” designed for Kilian Jornet
After beating the highly prized record of Sierre-Zinal (Switzerland, 31 km and 2,200 m of elevation gain) in August 2019 with Salomon S / Lab Pulsar designed for (and with) him, Kilian Jornet announced: “These shoes are so light, it's like having nothing on your feet. "But this" technological jewel "from Salomon, like the famous Nike Vaporfly in carbon, obviously has a real sports shoe sole. No, “minimalism” has not (yet) made its mark in high-level trail running, but it has won over several fans of the race created in 2019 at Champagny.
A pulmonology researcher in Geneva, Aurélien Bringard (42) is one of them, after having "increased tendonitis" for fifteen years in the "classic" circuit of running.
“I wore orthopedic insoles on a daily basis, like most people who ran a lot in the 1990s-2000s,” he recalls.
We never questioned this system of shoes with a large cushioning.
"
"I prefer to bet on sensations than on performance"
And this until his discovery ten years ago of “minimalist shoes”, starting with these curious Vibram Fivefingers, in which the five toes are separated. "It's very light, very dynamic, but I got a stress fracture after three weeks," smiles Aurélien Bringard, who takes a year before being able to perform a 15 km outing. As long as it is, he opts for completely bare feet during his runs. "When you run at 10 km / h, barefoot, you feel a stride so light that you have the impression of fueling at 20 km / h", he summarizes, also noting that the front of his feet has expanded since this new practice.
A life without shoes that he also adopts for hiking. "We can see that some athletes take pleasure in climbing without shoes," said the person concerned. There, I go everywhere between the pebbles and it happens to me to follow friends in 2,500 m of altitude in the mountain. The downside is the descent where I put significantly more time than the climb. »Other hazards complicate the adventure, such as bits of glass regularly planted in the foot or bruised toes after having crashed into a stone. Do not count on Aurélien Bringard to question his choice of life, however: "We take the risk of small injuries but we protect ourselves from injuries to the knees and hips that would occur at the age of 60 years, after all these seasons with big shoes on. " He pursues :
I prefer to bet on the sensations than on the performances.
But most people aren't ready to see their times cut for a few months while organizations adjust.
"
A “free and pure” vision of running?
The Swiss Aurélie Hintermann (33 years old), who will also be part of the Vanoise this weekend, ensures that she no longer suffers from the slightest injury since her switch to minimalist shoes in 2013. “It teaches you to run just and naturally so as not to not screw up your joints, she confides.
It's like running in yoga mode.
It's not just cardio and the stopwatch, you have to learn to listen to your body.
By sharing these methods, we can very well make people run who do not believe they can.
"
On the sidelines of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) 2015, Patrick Salmon was able to walk in sandals with Scott Jurek, an American trail reference who participated in the 2006 edition of the Ultra Caballo Blanco traced in
Born to run
.
A privileged witness of these Tamahuaras "with a free and pure vision of running", as Baptiste Chassagne describes them.
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