Majida took on the legendary Marathon du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, a demanding 42km trail race with 2,540m of elevation gain. She had looked at the 2022 winning Master 4 time of 7:43 and was determined to do even better. Here, she shares her race story from the inside, capped by an outstanding performance: she crossed the finish line in 7:20, placing 859th out of 2,279 finishers!
In 2015, after meeting a friend who ran, Majida joined a running club and attended two training sessions per week. Since retiring in 2021, she has moved into a more consistent endurance training routine, running three to four times a week, and sometimes more. “I’m hooked on my training schedule, I check it every morning 👍 ”. With RunMotion Coach, of course!
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How did your Marathon du Mont-Blanc go?
I’m absolutely delighted with my performance! I was in great physical shape and pleasantly surprised by how well I was able to surge uphill, which allowed me to overtake runners efficiently. I told myself to accelerate and my legs followed, it was amazing!
Despite a challenging course that becomes more technical from Le Tour onwards, around kilometre 13, I felt a little apprehensive on the descents. So I played it safe to avoid any falls. In the end, everything went well for me. And what a joy it was to discover at the finish that I had won the Marathon du Mont-Blanc in my age group, M5! What an achievement, I’m so proud of myself!
How did you manage your Marathon du Mont-Blanc preparation?
After the Valencia Marathon, where I didn’t reach my four-hour target, finishing in 4:20, I learned to better manage my nutrition before and during the race. I haven’t had any injuries, and I also enjoy ski touring in winter and cycling to complement my training.
What motivates you to run?
Having fun while setting myself realistic goals.
What encouraged you to download and try the RunMotion Coach app?
It was an app that was recommended to me. I first tried it for my Geneva Half Marathon and was quickly won over, so I later upgraded to the Premium version.
What do you like most about the app?
I really like the personalised training plans and the design, although the app could be even more interactive.
What is your next sporting challenge?
My next sporting challenge will be the Trail des Mineurs, a 15km trail race with 850m of elevation gain. Once again, my goal is to win my age group and finish ahead of the first M4 runner.
Congratulations, Majida, what an achievement! You can be incredibly proud of yourself. We can’t wait to see your next results!