An Ecuadorean living in Spain, Joaquín López took third at the 2024 UTMB, in doing so becoming the first Latin American to podium at UTMB. In this interview, our first with Joaquín, he talks about his long history with trail ultrarunning, how his race for the podium played out, and why he feels a sense of responsibility for helping to make trail running more accessible to Latin Americans.
For more on how the race played out, read our in-depth 2024 UTMB results article.
Joaquín López Post-2024 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar with Joaquin Lopez. It’s the day after the 2024 UTMB and you are a men’s podium finisher. Congratulations on yesterday’s third-place finish.
Lopez: Thank you very much. It’s really a dream come true. And I know I’m still at loss for words of what this means. For all South America, I think it’s super big. And yeah, I’m just kind of speechless. It’s going to settle down sometime, hopefully.
iRunFar: I think that’s the most important thing to start with, is that you are the first Latin American podium finisher of UTMB. That is huge for your continent.
Lopez: Yeah. There’s a lot of levels in South America, it’s just that it’s difficult for us living far, don’t have the same support sometimes.
iRunFar: Right.
Lopez: I don’t know. I think that this will mark a new era, a new step forward, because maybe we have a little bit more of attention and there’s more opportunities for us. And that’s some of the reasons, I don’t know when I’m suffering in the race and I’m like… Everyone has this, why run? For me, just trying to make this sport more inclusive is one of them. So yeah, I was fighting so hard all of the race, just thinking about what was going to happen. It makes me happy.
iRunFar: I think that’s probably a really important thing to point out, that Latin American not finishing on the podium until now. It’s not about the talent, it’s about the access to the races and the resources, and then making it all the way over here in Europe, right.
Lopez: Exactly. Not just South America, we can talk about that in Africa or in China. This community, this sport is amazing and I’m pretty sure in the next few years we’re going to see a lot more inclusivity and podiums that are way more diverse than now. And it makes me excited of what’s coming.
iRunFar: Yeah, what is coming is pretty fantastic. This is iRunFar’s first interview with you. I’d love to learn a little bit about you. You are from Ecuador, but now you live in Spain and you’re a coach.
Lopez: Yeah. So I’m 32-years-old.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: I grew up in Ecuador, in Quito at 2,800 meters.
iRunFar: High altitude.
Lopez: High altitude, yeah. With big mountains in the Andes. And I went to Barcelona to do a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: And I stayed a little bit longer because I figured out that living at sea level was a little bit better for training and just being close to the races. Talking more about that inclusivity part, just paying a flight in Europe to get to all these big races or just that train, it’s easier than coming from Ecuador and having to pay so much for crossing the Atlantic.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Lopez: And I just wanted to give myself some years to develop as an athlete and being in the races that are most important in the world. And that’s a little bit of my background. And I’m the founder of Ecuadoruns, which is a trail running sports training company in Ecuador. So the community is growing in Ecuador. It’s right now actually Quito Trail by UTMB was the first big raise in Ecuador, and it has 3,000 people in there.
iRunFar: Amazing.
Lopez: Super inspiring as well.
iRunFar: You have been running trail and ultras for a little over a decade I believe, according to your results. Did you play sports as a kid? How did you find long-distance trail running?
Lopez: So I grew up doing adventure racing.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: Yeah. I don’t know if many people know about adventure racing, it’s a super small sport, more than running, also has orienteering and bikes and kayak.
iRunFar: Climbing.
Lopez: Exactly. So I started that because my brother is a race organizer and he started doing adventure races in Ecuador and I was the first one following in his steps. So I grew up running in the mountains, discovering. And more than running, maybe just exploring the mountains and doing hikes and big days outside. And when the first race of trail running came to Ecuador I was 18, I think.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: And I signed up and I won. And I was like, okay, I think… And then-
iRunFar: Was that your first race or first running race?
Lopez: Running race, exactly.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: I’ve done adventure races, but I’ve never done a running race.
iRunFar: Running full, yeah.
Lopez: It was the first trail running event in Ecuador.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: It was back in the time that there was this, the The North Face Endurance.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Lopez: Do you remember those?
iRunFar: Yeah.
Lopez: It was one of those.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: That came to Ecuador.
iRunFar: Ah, okay.
Lopez: I don’t remember the year, but it was like… I don’t know.
iRunFar: 2014, in that era.
Lopez: Exactly.
iRunFar: Yep.
Lopez: I even remember that Timothy Olson was there, he was invited to the race. And also… I don’t remember. Well it was a long time ago.
iRunFar: A few North American-
Lopez: Michael Wardian.
iRunFar: Race athletes. Ah, okay.
Lopez: Michael Wardian was there.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: Yeah, in that era.
iRunFar: Cool.
Lopez: Yeah. And I won that 50k, not the 80, the long event with all those stars.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Lopez: I always enjoyed the adventure, but I was not such a fan of biking, just mountain bike and kayaking. So I was like, okay, I want to try to develop more as a runner. From there on I started doing trail running races.
iRunFar: And now when you look at your race results, it seems like there’s really a diverse set of things that you’re doing. You don’t do all 100-mile races or long ones, though you’ve done plenty of them. And you race a lot both in Europe and also in South America. So you live now in Spain, in Barcelona, you must be going back and forth with your company and with family time, and also to race still in South America.
Lopez: Exactly. So first, I just love this sport in all the distances. My strength is over 100 kilometers.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: But I love to go to shorter events and just get super vulnerable, not being even in the top 50, maybe. Go sometimes to a Skyrunning race that is something super different.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Lopez: I did one this year and I was super scared just doing a line, super cautious. So I don’t know, it’s just fun to do, experience the sport in everything. Of course, I have goals that are ultra distance races as UTMB, but I have a lot of enjoyment in just trying a lot of stuff.
iRunFar: Lots of stuff.
Lopez: Because of work I have to go back at least one or two times to Ecuador. So for me, it’s super important to share with the community in Ecuador, more if I’m not living there. So every time I go I try to be in some races, to share with people. And it inspires a lot of people, just to see what is happening in Europe, what I’m doing, and for them to start dreaming big.
So it’s good for the development in the sport in South America. So I try to do that every year. Maybe not just in Ecuador but also in other countries of the region, because I know it will help develop just the community.
iRunFar: I love that. So moving our conversation to this race, this is not the first time you’ve raced UTMB. Was this your third finish?
Lopez: Yeah.
iRunFar: Okay. And your results started in 2019, so five years ago, and I think your time over your three finishes has improved by more than two and a half hours.
Lopez: Yeah.
iRunFar: That’s huge.
Lopez: So my first time here was in 2019. I did 22 hours 47 minutes.
iRunFar: I love that you know to the minute. Good for you.
Lopez: I try to be super planning.
iRunFar: It’s like a really good runner. Totally on it with the splits and the numbers and the details.
Lopez: Yeah. I came here just to finish the race, my goal was… It’s my first 100 miler.
iRunFar: But you were in the top 10 still?
Lopez: Yeah.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: It was my first 100 miler.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: And I was just like, I just want to finish this race. It’s my first time doing this. And I finished sixth with any expectations of doing that. So when I finished… But I finished super destroyed. It was so painful, because I wasn’t prepared for that. As soon as I was climbing to the top 10, I was already super beaten up, but I was like, I’m not going to let this go. So it was such a suffering, it was super hurt. I finished destroyed. So destroyed that I didn’t come back.
iRunFar: Like I need a couple of years to…
Lopez: Yeah, exactly. But then in 2000… Last year. No, I did TDS as well. I did TDS and I finished second in 2022.
iRunFar: TDS was ’22.
Lopez: And that gave me the confidence. I was like, okay, I now think I’m prepared for doing UTMB well. So I came back last year and I did exactly one hour less, 21 hours 47 minutes. I lowered one hour-
iRunFar: To the minute.
Lopez: To the minute, exactly. But the cool thing is that when I finished the first time I was like, I will never do less than this time. But last year when I finished, I had the feeling right away that I was able to do it better. I was like, I know I can do a better performance. It doesn’t matter the time. I know I can be better in this race.
So I started training super specific. From that moment till now I’m training now with Darcie Murphy.
iRunFar: Oh, cool.
Lopez: Who you might know?
iRunFar: Yeah.
Lopez: So we were like, okay, that’s the plan. We’re going to get you to the best position here to this race. And it worked. I’ve never felt so well physically, I’m pretty sure last, the other two times, it was more a mind kind of… I don’t know, power more than a physical power.
iRunFar: Yeah. You overpowered the physical fatigue-
Lopez: Yeah, exactly.
iRunFar: To keep going and have a good performance.
Lopez: Yeah. So now it was both things combined.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: My mind was the same energy and the same motivation and the same kind of push, but my body was with it as well. So yeah, it was the first time that I really felt like, okay, I can be fighting for positions. I deserve to be here to fight for whatever it took me. I didn’t expect to finish third, I have to say. My goal, my A goal was to do 21 hours. That will be amazing.
iRunFar: Well you did that.
Lopez: What happened is that I decided not to look. I didn’t look at the… I think I looked twice to see what time is it. But I just went all the time with just feeling, I didn’t see anything. I was just running in the moment.
iRunFar: Okay. So to talk a little bit about how the race unfolded, I think you started out kind of casually. You were outside the top 10, outside the top 25 even, for maybe the first 50k. Does that sound-
Lopez: Yeah.
iRunFar: About right? And then you started to very methodically move up.
Lopez: Yeah. So I know that UTMB, it’s crazy. The start gets people with adrenaline and it’s where you can do a lot of mistakes. And I think I try to be super conscious about how I’m feeling, regardless of what’s happening around. And there’s proof about that, Ludovic [Pommeret], he’s always doing the same. There’s proof that you can do a good race, not suffering so much at the beginning.
iRunFar: Right.
Lopez: So I can’t say that I was feeling comfortable, because still if you want to fight to be out there, you have to push. But at least I was not thinking about the rest. I didn’t even know what position I was. I was just knowing that I was eating well, that I was running to my rhythm and not worrying about anything else, and just moving forward. And, of course, I have my team that looks at me in every station, and they know if they have to tell me something. And they were just believing in you, you’re doing great, just believing in you.
And when I went to Courmayeur, it was tough. So as soon as I entered, it was like, okay, things get real from here on. You’re tough, and there’s two people here that doesn’t look so well. So top 10 is in reach. And from there on, I started super motivated to get as high as possible, but I didn’t expect to pass so many people.
iRunFar: Yeah. And I think your movement from inside the top 10 to now in podium position happened pretty quickly between Courmayeur and I think maybe you took on podium position between La Fouly and Champex-Lac.
Lopez: Yeah. So at night, I think my background from adventure racing helped me a lot in the night. I felt just… I don’t know, I felt super secure.
iRunFar: Right.
Lopez: And I’ve been many times running without sleep, so I know how my body feels in that situation. I know what to eat, what to do. Even at night it was hot. So I was wetting myself all the time in the river, stopping, just taking care of myself.
iRunFar: So smart.
Lopez: And I saw people, in Arnouvaz I passed Tom Evans and Hannes [Namberger]. I was able to see that they were not taking that much care, they were not stopping that much. And I saw and I felt stronger than them. And in there they told me that I was in top five. And I saw two lights. So I was like, wow-
iRunFar: That’s the podium up there.
Lopez: There going to be a real fight.
iRunFar: Wow.
Lopez: So in La Fouly I think I reached third.
iRunFar: And I think it’s still over 50 kilometers to go, 50 or 60 kilometers to go. So when you became in the podium position, did you grow protective and scared? And were you looking behind you or were you looking forward?
Lopez: So as soon as I went out of La Fouly there’s a descent and then you start a climb up to Champex-Lac. And I was alone and I was like, okay. They told me that Germain [Grangier] and Vincent [Bouillard] were far away. So I was like, okay, I need to be calm and just… I don’t know, I’m alone so I can do my things, don’t worry about anything.
And as soon as I started the climb, I saw four people back, four together.
iRunFar: They’re coming.
Lopez: I was like, oh no, this is going to be hard. In the aid station in Champex-Lac, as I was just about to head out, all of them came in together. So it was hard. And then the good thing is that Baptiste [Chassagne], he caught me going up to La Giete, I think it is.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: And we motivated each other a lot.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: He caught me and I was able to go in his pace and we kind of worked together. I don’t know, we were like, okay, let’s go. Even thinking more about going to the second place.
iRunFar: Right.
Lopez: And when we were getting to that Refuge, we saw Germain. But in the place that we saw Germain, we saw back and we saw Ludovic and we saw Hannes. So it was like, ah, this is going to be hard.
iRunFar: The race is not over.
Lopez: Yeah.
iRunFar: It’s only starting.
Lopez: But I have to say that in that moment I was confirmed with top five. I was like, I have to get into top five. That’s my dream. That will be more than amazing. And Baptiste is looking better than me. Germain is, I don’t think I can pass Germain. And Vincent, they told us, don’t even think about him because he’s far away.
iRunFar: Uh-huh.
Lopez: But then reaching to Trient we passed Germain. And they were like, oh no…
iRunFar: I have to think about podium.
Lopez: Now I have to think about third. So yeah, it was intense. All the race we were looking back, and we didn’t see Hannes, but we kept getting splits that he was looking better than us.
iRunFar: Not far.
Lopez: And he was not that far. But I think the best for both of us, for Baptiste and myself was that we were fighting together. So that kept us moving on.
iRunFar: Yeah. And how long did that go on with you and Baptiste?
Lopez: All the way.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: So he kind of made a move out of Vallorcine, and I was like, okay, my strategy is just to go as fast as I can and maybe I get him better, but at least that is going to keep me out of getting passed by Hannes. And I was surprised that when I started the climb, they told me it’s about four minutes. And when I was almost getting to the Refuge-
iRunFar: Of the final climb?
Lopez: Yeah.
iRunFar: So La Flégère.
Lopez: La Flégère.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: I saw him super close. It was like one minute. So it was like, okay, this is not over until the end. And I think we head out of La Flégère by two minutes and a half or something like that, like three minutes. And in the last descent, I actually was keeping time with him, but I almost fell and I was like…
iRunFar: You were pushing a little too much.
Lopez: Yeah. And I started getting a little bit of dizziness.
iRunFar: Okay.
Lopez: So yeah, I was like, okay, no, no. It is not the place to risk so much, I’m in the podium. This is already more than amazing for me. I am just going to try to take care and reach the finish line. So yeah, that was when I started hitting the brakes a little bit.
iRunFar: At the finish line, it was very emotional to watch, there were so many people, clearly South Americans, friends of South Americans. You had a continent excited for you at the finish line. Explain a little bit about what that felt like and what that was like for you.
Lopez: It’s amazing. Even I think that for us, we’re in that maybe top 10, there’s more people. But it’s amazing seeing right now, all the community there clapping for everyone that is getting to the finish line. Everyone has made such an effort to get around this big mountain. And getting here it’s so meaningful. And for me it was, I don’t know, I felt a lot of gratitude for this community, for real, just everyone being there and these vibes that are so amazing.
And yeah, seeing so many flags of South America and people talking Spanish, for me meant even more. I cried so much and even after the finish line, I still… In the doping control I was still… Every time I thought about what had just happened, I cried again.
iRunFar: I’m in doping control, but I’m so happy.
Lopez: So I don’t know, I’m kind of processing it, but it’s just so amazing. I haven’t even looked so much at my phone. But it’s such a small country, Ecuador is super small. And having this… And for me, representing such a small country. And dreaming big, it just a nice message to get out there. If you can dream for something and you can fight for it, it’s worth it.
iRunFar: That’s a fantastic way to end this interview. Joaquin Lopez, congratulations on your podium finish at the 2024 UTMB. Keep dreaming big. I can’t wait to see what you do next.
Lopez: Thank you very much.
