Ludovic Pommeret | UTMB Pre-Race Interview
The Freetrail Podcast with Dylan Bowman
Preparing for UTMB: Athletes, Regulations, and Evolving Competition
This chapter explores the rigorous preparations of athletes for the UTMB race, revealing insights from the Hoka team camp and the challenges posed by French national team regulations. It also reflects on the evolution of the competition, including the increase in women's participation and changes in media coverage over the years.
This interview is part of Freetrail's coverage of the 2025 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). Our shows and athlete interviews are hosted by Dylan Bowman who sits down to talk with some of the favorites who are racing this year.
In this interview, Dylan talks to professional runner, Ludovic Pommeret (HOKA). Ludo turned 50 last month, just after winning Hardrock for the second year in a row. Ludo has had incredible success here in Chamonix over the years, a few highlights below:
- 2024 5th at UTMB
- 2023 4th at UTMB
- 2022 1st at TDS by UTMB
- 2021 4th at UTMB
- 2019 3rd at TDS by UTMB
- 2017 3rd at CCC by UTMB
- 2016 1st at UTMB
To say Ludo serves as an inspiration to us all is an understatement. Redefining what it means to age, we can’t wait to watch what he does!
Make sure to tune into all of Freetrail's coverage leading into the 2025 UTMB. All shows hosted by Dylan Bowman, with special guests listed below:
- Friday August 22nd: Top 10 Storylines of the 2025 UTMB with Tim Tollefson
- Saturday August 23rd: OCC Preview Show with Dani Moreno
- Sunday August 24th: CCC Preview Show with Hayden Hawks
- Monday August 25th: UTMB Preview Show with Sally McRae
- Tuesday August 26th: Final Predictions Show with Corrine Malcolm & Keith Byrne
- Wednesday August 27th: TDS Recap Show with Ryan Sandes & Martina Valmassoi
- Thursday August 28th: OCC Recap Show with Corrine Malcolm and Ryan Montgomery
- Friday August 29th: We’ll provide photo and video coverage of the race for the Freetrail social channels. Make sure to follow along here and @runfreetrail on Instagram.
- Saturday August 30th: UTMB Instant Reactions + CCC Results Show with Jim Walmsley & Sally McRae
- Sunday August 31st: UTMB Week recap with Corrine Malcolm
Make sure to play Freetrail's own fantasy trail running at https://fantasy.freetrail.com/events and pick 10-deep for OCC, CCC & UTMB for a chance to win sweet prizes including Freetrail swag and special items from our partners HOKA, SunGod and more!
Our 2025 UTMB coverage is brought to you by HOKA, the best people and products in the trail running business. The show is also made possible with support from Red Bull & SunGod. We're grateful for their support!
HOKA
Make sure to check out the HOKA Mafate 5, the shoe Hayden was wearing during his interview and the CCC Preview show recordings today!
The Mafate 5 is a shoe with plush cushioning for tough terrain. A pinnacle product for technical trail, the Mafate 5 goes the extra mile with more cushioning and protection than ever before. Built tough for mileage chasers, this tenacious trail runner helps maintain control during long haul efforts with our Rocker Integrity Technology™ and protects from trail debris with an optional ankle gaiter. Finished with a soft, springy foam just underfoot and impact-absorbing foam near the sole, the Mafate 5 is grounded in aggressive Vibram® Megagrip traction lugs. No doubt, this is the shoe our team will be wearing on the trails all week in Chamonix!
SunGod
A longtime friend of Freetrail, we’re grateful for SunGod’s support of Freetrail’s UTMB coverage this year! SunGod makes performance eyewear worn by the world’s top trail running athletes.
Use code FREETRAIL10 off SunGod products at https://sungod.avln.me/c/xfOAIzPFAeSd
Freetrail Pro members receive a deeper discount on SunGod, available after you sign up at https://freetrail.com/pro
Red Bull
Thanks to one of Dylan’s longest sponsors for supporting our coverage of UTMB. To get your daily dose of epic adventure content, follow @redbulladventure. Make sure to also check out the latest season of Red Bull’s How to Be Superhuman podcast for immersive stories of incredible achievements in trail running and beyond.
Freetrail Links:
Website | https://freetrail.com/
Freetrail Pro | https://freetrail.com/pro/
Patreon | / dylanbowman
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/runfreetrai...
YouTube | / @freetrail
Freetrail Experts | https://freetrail.com/experts/
Dylan Links:
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dylanbo/?hl=en
Twitter | https://twitter.com/dylanbo?lang=en
LinkedIn | / dylan-bowman-06174380
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