Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui has risen through the ranks of sub-ultra distance trail running since turning professional in 2018, and has become the man to beat on the global Golden Trail World Series circuit. This year, he reset the course record on the iconic Marathon du Mont Blanc, and became the first African man to win the Golden Trail World Series. We caught up with him to hear about what this means to him, and to learn more about his journey to this point.
Elhousine Elazzaoui, the 2024 Golden Trail World Series Finals men’s Final winner. Photo: Golden Trail World Series/Grand Finals/@risingstory_@colinolivero
Elazzaoui grew up in the desert of Southern Morocco, as part of a nomadic family. His parents ran a small tourism agency and provided camel trekking tours of the desert, known as camel caravanning, and it was in helping with this that Elazzaoui found his feet as a runner. He said, “I’d tell my dad I wanted to go fetch the camels, and then I would run after them. I started a long time ago at age 12, and won my first race in 2006.”
Later on, Elazzaoui worked in the family business, guiding groups in the mountains and desert, something he still does in the off-season to this day. He said, “Today I am an official guide in Morocco, certified by the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism.”
While the young Elazzaoui began running as a solo hobby around his native desert, his talent was quickly noticed by the visitors brought in by the family’s business. He said, “The people who came to my place would see me running and encourage me. They brought me sportswear and shoes. Once I had a bit of means for clothes and shoes, I started participating in national competitions, and I was also invited to compete in the African championships, and I’ve won several races in Morocco and in federal and national competitions.”
Despite some success at road running — with a 10-kilometer personal best at 29 minutes — Elazzaoui’s passion and strength has always been in off-road running. He said, “Even though I’m an athlete, it’s tough on the road and I find my joy in mountain running.” He dabbled in a multitude of distances, winning the 2018 Morocco Race 80k and placing second in the 2019 Ultrabericus Trail 66k in Italy, before honing in on sub-ultra, circa 30- to 40-kilometer races. He said, “I always liked the shorter distances, starting from 30k.”
Elhousine Elazzaoui on the way to winning the 2024 Golden Trail World Series Finals. Photo: NNormal/Toni Perelló (@toni_perello)
In 2018, Elazzaoui moved to Switzerland to take the next step in his blossoming running career. He said, “I left my home to participate in Europe in 2018, to develop my talent and to gain a lot of experience in trail running and to participate in international events.” As regards the huge life change that this was, he said: “Of course, there are differences in seeing another culture, another way of life, but I’m lucky. I found good people who love sports, and they helped me develop my talent, and thanks to this sport, which brings cultures closer together.”
In 2019, he won the Swiss Golden Trail National Series, and first participated in the Golden Trail World Series. He had mixed results, placing third in the 21k Dolomyths Run, running down the field in 31st at Sierre-Zinal, and suffering a DNF (did not finish) in his first Marathon du Mont Blanc.
Elazzaoui’s 2019 national series win secured him a place in the 2020 Golden Trail World Series Finals, where he placed fourth amongst the best in the world. The championships involved completing a 111k stage race, which Elazzaoui said was one of the hardest races of his life, on wet terrain far outside of his comfort zone. The result cemented his belief and desire to compete at the highest level. He said, “For me, I really like the Golden Trail circuit, it feels like family. It’s a professional event, the organization is perfect, there are always the world’s best athletes to challenge.”
In his 2021 season, he again had mixed results. On a good day, he won the 2021 Swissalpine Davos 43k, but again failed to finish the Marathon du Mont Blanc.
As he accrued experience, Elazzaoui learned from his mistakes and gradually started to achieve more consistent results. He placed fourth in the iconic Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon in 2022, and improved to second in 2023, a result which he repeated in 2024, finishing behind 11-time winner Kilian Jornet. He said of the iconic Spanish race, “Zegama is Zegama. I always enjoy participating in this race, and this year I’m happy with second place because there I met my new team, and also Kilian, and we were like a family, and I really like this race. The event is a global event like no other in the world. The spectators and the people along the course cheer you on throughout the race.”
The top five men of the 2024 Zegama Marathon (l-to-r): 4. Luca Del Pero, 2. Elhousine Elazzaoui, 1. Kilian Jornet, 3. Bartłomiej Przedwojewski, and 5. Manuel Merillas (with his dog Zar). Photo: Zegama Marathon/Roger Salanova
Elazzaoui runs for Jornet’s brand NNormal, a brand and a team that he finds fitting because of its concern for the environment, and also because of the strength of his teammates — he strives to surround himself with, and compete against, the best athletes.
The Marathon du Mont Blanc, too, would go on to be a defining race in Elazzaoui’s career, and one by which he has measured his progress. He again failed to finish it in 2021, moved up to fourth place in 2022, before eventually winning the 2024 edition. He said, “In past years, I never finished this race well, but this year, I returned renewed with new experience and a new team, and I easily won the Mont Blanc Marathon.” In the 2024 edition of the race, Elazzaoui traded places with Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet, but thanks to his astounding downhill speed, managed to pull away before the finish and secure victory in a course record time of 3:30:10.
A smiling Elhousine Elazzaoui at the finish of the 2024 Marathon du Mont Blanc. Photo: NNormal/Toni Perelló (@toni_perello)
As the Golden Trail World Series traveled to the U.S. in September 2024, he secured back-to-back wins in the Headlands 27k and the Mammoth Trail Fest 27k.
Some four months after the Marathon du Mont Blanc, Elazzaoui and Bonnet did battle again, at the Grand Final of the Golden Trail World Series, held in Switzerland in October, and Elazzaoui again emerged victorious — with that, also claiming the overall series win. He said afterwards: “I’m so happy, this is my dream come true! I’ve been wanting to win the GTWS for five years, and this year I announced that I was really going to do it, so I was under a bit of pressure. But I did it! I was really confident in the downhill and I knew I could go for victory. I’d like to thank all the spectators who urged me on and gave me their full support.”
Elazzaoui took pride in winning the series, not just for himself, but for his home continent of Africa, as yet underrepresented in trail running. He said, “It’s with pride that I am the first African who has won this series, that’s a big story. Recently, I have inspired many young people in Africa and around the world with my patience and resilience to achieve this dream. But this victory did not come alone. There was the NNormal team that helped me, there was training, and there were a coach and friends to whom this victory is owed.”
Although he works with a coach, Elazzaoui’s training varies week-on-week, and he does not follow a structured training plan. Whatever the approach, it surely seems to be working, and when asked about plans for next year he simply said; “I am convinced that it will be the best, and I am just getting started.”
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