PAU CAPELL - BREAKING 20

Pau Capell is the 2019 UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc) champion and during 2020 was working with The North Face product development team on VECTIV ™ as well as attempting to set various FKTs on trails he has a personal connection with. Pau’s biggest 2020 project was the audacious attempt to break 20 hours on the UTMB course in the absence of fellow runners and thousands of supporters that would normally line the UTMB route.

From an outsider’s point of view setting out to break 20 hours for the UTMB course without other racers or the usual UTMB crowd was very ambitious. You must have a very high confidence level in your ability to perform. Are you currently in the best shape (mentally and physically) of your life? 2020 has been a complicated year and the training has been different. I trained at home during the lockdown and then, when we could start training in the mountains, I did the best adaptation I could. In this case, I think that in a normal year I could arrive in the best shape but I did everything I could to try and achieve #breaking20.

You got to test the prototype of the Flight VECTIV ™ during Breaking 20 (171km 10,000m+) and you were inside your target times for the first half of the challenge. Could you notice the difference between these shoes and your previous The North Face trail running shoes?

The new shoes are very different. The feeling you get when you use them is like wearing a glove on your foot. Also, the new technology allows you to move faster because they have a carbon plate and the feeling is incredible. If you want to break times you need the best technology.

Can we expect another attempt on Breaking 20 in 2021? Yes! I hope to be #breaking20 in the official race, but if not, I will try it again on my own.

You’ve been working closely with the The North Face footwear team while they’ve been developing VECTIV ™ technology. What’s the most important feedback you gave that’s been incorporated in the finished product? For me comfort was very important. Of course, we also wanted the new technology to aid speed, but comfort over long distances without problems is crucial.

What’s the biggest VECTIV ™ technology highlight for you? The biggest highlight is the propulsion I feel when I run – you really notice this compared to other shoes.

You seem to be a very balanced person. Can you share your approach to life with our readers? For sure. The first thing is to give value to life. We live in a society that is moving too fast, every year society is changing, and we need to stop and take fresh air. That is why I love life intensely and sharing it with the people I love. I could win all the races in the world but if I don't share the journey and the results with my family and friends, what sense would it all make? I have a sentence that I created when I started running: "Fight for your dreams and love the people around you". Step by step you can make history, but for every step I need family and friends with me. When I finish a race, after I cross the finish line, I search for my family to share together this big moment with a big hug!