Triathlon legend Jan Frodeno goes outside his comfort zone to take on epic UTMB challenge

Three-time IRONMAN World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Jan Frodeno admits he is taking a huge step outside of his comfort zone after confirming his ‘possibly dumb’ decision to compete in next month’s gruelling OCC UTMB event across the Swiss Alps.

Regarded as the ultimate challenge for mid-distance and ultrarunners, the 55KM trek – nicknamed ‘The Little Swiss Sister’ – forms part of the UTMB World Series Finals and represents a major shift in discipline for the German athlete.

Keen to test himself over new distances and terrains, he accepts there is a chance that he has bitten off more than he can chew with this latest test, particularly as he has left himself with very little time to prepare properly for an energy-sapping run which will see him climb 3,425 metres in elevation on a rocky trail course from Orsières to Chamonix.

Frodo admits it’s a big ask

Writing on his blog website, the Frodissimo Times, the 43-year-old Beijing gold medalist said: “It’s peak vacation season. The time when most people hit pause, and many endurance athletes start shifting gears toward the second half of the season.

“You’re either tapering, peaking, or pretending you’re not behind schedule. Some are in prime shape, others nursing quiet injuries, many caught somewhere between the calm of midseason and the chaos of what’s still to come. Finally, the fear of missing out has gotten the better of me, and I may well have bitten off more than I can chew.

“In August, I’ll toe the line at the OCC UTMB – 55 kilometres of steep, rocky beauty from Orsières to Chamonix. I’ve long heard of the Mecca of trail running and figured I should see it at least once. It’s trail running in its most honest form: altitude, suffering, scenery, and an uncomfortable number of descents that would make a mountain goat reconsider its life choices.

“For someone not exactly known for his power-to-weight ratio, this is way out of my comfort zone. The timeline, thanks to a few injuries and crashes, throws out any textbook preparation. With only five weeks to get ready, this is possibly a spectacularly dumb idea. But also, exactly what I needed. The gravity, the element of uncertainty and excitement that I’ve always loved about a goal.”

Has Frodeno bitten off more than he can chew this time? (Photo – PTO Tour).

With his three IRONMAN World Championship titles (2015, 2016 and 2019), his third place (2014), Olympic triathlon gold and various 70.3 gold and silver successes, he is just hoping that his legs remember what they were once capable of.

Scaring yourself is good

“There’s something quietly powerful about setting out to do something that scares you a little. The kind that makes your inner voice go, ‘Really? That’s the plan?” he said. “Exercise becomes directionless. Productive, maybe, but often just scratching an itch. Lock in a date, a location, a distance well outside your current comfort zone, and suddenly everything sharpens. “Your mornings have direction. Your decisions tighten. That late-night dessert, the skipped session, the ‘maybe tomorrow’ excuse, they all meet resistance from something bigger. Big goals create small habits. It is the simple, repetitive actions over time that build the capacity for larger achievements. I do, after all, have a few years of running in my legs – let’s hope they remember.”

From Orsières in the Valais canton of Switzerland, the runners are promised some incredible scenery as they progress through to Champec-Lac and Trient. Crossing the Franco-Swiss border by the emblematic Balme pass and its panorama on the Mont-Blanc massif, the finale of the trail sees competitors ascend into La Flégère before dropping back into the centre of Chamonix for what will be a most welcome finish line.

“It’s not about proving anything,” adds Frodeno. “I’ve crossed enough finish lines for that itch to be thoroughly scratched. It’s about becoming something new again. A guy who can suffer on trails. Who can go long and slow and quiet. Who trades watts for views and cadence for calm.

“Even if only for one event, and even if I spend most of it apologising to my legs. The risk of falling short is part of the appeal. If you knew you could do it, it wouldn’t be worth chasing.”

The OCC (Orsières – Champex – Chamonix) event is one of three which now form the iconic Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc World Series Finals held from August 25 to 31, with the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc taking competitors on a 106-mile trek through France, Italy and Switzerland, and the CCC (Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix) setting a 101km challenge.