Rory Bosio (The North Face) once again showed her 100-mile prowess by placing second to Ellie Greenwood at the Western States 100 in June. (Rory’s post-WS100 video interview) After three great runs there, this year’s The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc will be her first 100-miler that’s not Western States. In the following interview get a sense for how her great attitude should get her through any adversity she might face on race day.
[Click here if you can’t see the video above.]
Rory Bosio Pre-2012 TNF UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell here of iRunFar with Rory Bosio before the 2012 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. How are you, Rory?
Rory Bosio: I am tres manifique!
iRF: Excellent! Is this your first trip to France?
Bosio: It’s the first trip in the summertime, and it’s my first time racing over in Europe. I’m very excited.
iRF: Have you gotten good beta from your North Face teammates?
Bosio: I’ve picked a few brains, for sure. I’ve probably asked too many questions. I seem to have gotten a good idea, but I also like the element of surprise. So I just kind of filter through what I want to hear.
iRF: Nice. It was interesting because after Western States this year we were talking about how that’s the only 100-mile race you’ve ever run. You live there; your family’s there; you know the course inside and out. What’s it like coming here—you’ve never raced in Europe…?
Bosio: It’s really, for me, exciting. I just feel so inspired by all the scenery. To me, it’s just like one of those things where I can’t wait to get out on the trail and see everything and eat some prosciutto sandwiches at the aid stations… I’m looking forward to it.
iRF: The weather forecast is…
Bosio: My kind of weather.
iRF: You’re going to have some Sierra Cement in the Alps.
Bosio: Yeah. I’m actually hoping it might snow a bit instead of rain; I might be happy with that. But you know, it’s the same for everyone. I’ve got my good North Face jackets to keep me nice and dry, so I’m not too worried about it.
iRF: You ran Western States early in the season, and I’m sure it was your early season focus. There are some big climbs, but it’s a fairly fast, runnable course. What have you been doing since then to prepare for Mont Blanc?
Bosio: Yeah. I’m not too rigid in my training. My favorite type of running anyway is to climb to the top of a peak and run back down. Of course, we don’t really have—I live in Tahoe, but we don’t have anything that really compares to the Alps. I’ve been doing a lot of hilly runs, and then my favorite afternoon activity or cross-training is to ride a clonker of a cruiser bike up, like, a 12,000’ climb—it gets the quads going.
iRF: That doesn’t sound very fun, but whatever floats your boat.
Bosio: It’s fun.
iRF: Then you get to cruise down with a nice view of the lake.
Bosio: Then you get to cruise down, yeah. That’s the idea. I plan on hiking a lot, and I love hiking, so…
iRF: You’ve done that some in your training? You’ve sort of mixed it in?
Bosio: Yeah. I came and my family came over to Switzerland around this time last year, so I kind of got a preview of what running in the Alps is like. I like it.
iRF: It’s different. Are you going to use poles at all?
Bosio: No, because I’m afraid I’d injure myself somehow. I’d stab myself. I never practiced with them, and I’m not coordinated enough to use them. I’ll do the European hands on the legs to push myself forward.
iRF: So are you going to go with a hydration pack or system with a reservoir?
Bosio: Yeah, I have a pack, a reservoir, which is how I train at home on long runs, so I’m comfortable. I actually like running with a pack to keep my hands free.
iRF: Have you done any training with your full kit?
Bosio: Not necessarily. I’d done training with a lot of weight on my back. I have a dog, and he refuses to carry his dog food. So I’ve got to put it on my back and carry it when we go on a long run. So I’ve carried a lot of stuff.
iRF: Muling?
Bosio: Yeah, I’m muling.
iRF: So what are you most excited about this weekend?
Bosio: I think… I just think the trails. I saw a little bit of the trail on this past week. And getting out there was just such a release; it was great. Being in town is great, but I can only do so much window shopping before I get antsy, so I’m just like, “Get me out on the mountain!”
iRF: Window shopping the mountain.
Bosio: Yeah, window shopping the mountain: Trail! Trail! Trail! We went up to the Aguille du Midi yesterday and it was just like, “I’m in paradise; this is great.”
iRF: You are.
Bosio: Yeah, this is paradise.
iRF: Well hopefully, I know you don’t mind the weather, but hopefully it clears up a bit so you can enjoy the views.
Bosio: Yeah, it sounds like Saturday midday—at least the reports I’ve read—sounds like it’s kind of clearing by midday. So we’ll see.
iRF: So you’re coming back down the valley and you’re looking up at the…
Bosio: Yeah, I guess so. I haven’t really looked up at a map to know where we’re going to be. I hear there are 1,200-2,000 other people doing this race.
iRF: Just follow the other people.
Bosio: Yeah, you get lost and you’ll always end up in some cute little village.
iRF: Yeah, if you get off course you’ll be stuck in some cute little village.
Bosio: Yeah, I’ll get a little café, a little croissant, and I’ll head back out.
iRF: Excellent. Well, best of luck out there this weekend, Rory. Have fun!
Bosio: Yeah, thanks! I will! Thanks to you guys at iRunFar. [To the reader:] DONATE, they do a great job! That’s my plug.
iRF: Thank you, Rory!
