Preparing well for an adventure race

Tom de Dorlodot, renowned paraglider and adventurer, tells us about his preparation for and participation in the Red Bull X-Alps. Along the way, he explains how an athlete can best prepare for this kind of top-level competition.

Red Bull X-Alps, an adventure race of superlatives!

© Sebastian Marko

Have you heard of the Red Bull X-Alps? This competition has a reputation for being the toughest adventure race in the world!

The event involves crossing the Alps mountain range by paragliding only… or on foot, depending on whether weather conditions are favourable or not. This adventure is only accessible by selection, and it sees around 32 athletes compete against each other in an incredible contest of more than 1,150 km, over 10 days and across 6 countries.

It's above all a race for paragliders, but over time it has also made room for "ultra runners" who fly extremely well (like the runner-up in the 2017 competition: winner of legendary races such as the Ultra Trail de la Côte d'Azur, a participant in the UTMB, etc.). In the Red Bull X-Alps, a poor paraglider pilot who happens to be an excellent runner has no chance of success. On a good day, an experienced pilot can hope to fly up to 150 km. So the winner is whoever has flown the most, or the best!

How do you prepare for an adventure sports competition?

The key to success is always the same: prepare well and surround yourself well. And plan for every eventuality before the competition. All of this guarantees peace of mind and good concentration during the event.
Of course, Tom trains when he's in Belgium, but he also favours training in real conditions (bivouacking in New Zealand, crossing the Alps, ski touring in the Valais, etc.). For him, it's the only way to really rack up the volume over several days.

7 important rules before or during a competition

Tom shares his best tips for anyone taking on an adventure competition:

1. Preparing means testing yourself

A few months before the race, I set off along the Red Bull X-Alps route with a friend… who is also a competitor in the event. This let me "break in" 2 pairs of shoes, test my navigation equipment, make a few adjustments and scout the route in real conditions.

2. Have friends and trust them

They're the ones who set the pace of my training programme. On Monday evenings, I go mountain biking with Owen, on Tuesdays I go running with Sofia, Wednesday is interval training, Thursday is climbing with Nico… Being well surrounded also means being well supported. When motivation is low, or when you're in doubt, they're there. We often take part together in one event or another – a half marathon, for example – in the run-up to the X-Alps. That lets us gauge where we stand and get into competition mode.

3. Travel light

I often repeat it: "light is right". The lighter, the better. And too bad if it sometimes turns into an obsession over the smallest detail… I go as far as cutting the labels off clothes, shortening the handle of my toothbrush, removing unnecessary straps on my backpack… My paraglider weighs only 3.4 kg, and my full pack stays under 9 kg.

© John Stapels

4. Analyse the figures and data

Of course, you have to listen to and respect your body and its rhythm. But the tools available today let us track this progress in a more scientific, measurable way. A fitness test helps you see where you stand. A connected watch is a valuable tool for tracking and interpreting my training. The Garmin Fenix 5 I use gives me my heart rate, my VO2 Max, my pace, elevation gain, and distances covered… It's a real training partner.

5. Eat well

During my first participation, I lost around 10 kg in 9 days. Quite a radical diet! Energy expenditure is such that you absolutely have to anticipate it and make up for it as much as possible. Now I'm followed and advised by a great nutritionist, and I try to stick to a few good habits.

I eat healthily and with variety, using seasonal produce, avoiding too much fat, salt or sugar. That said, I know it's also important to treat yourself, so I don't deny myself a good pizza or a good cone of chips… that's also part of the balance, both for body and mind.
But during the race, you have to be able to cope with days involving 90 km of walking and 2,500 m of elevation gain. During these efforts, I drink between 5 and 7 litres of water a day and eat in a way that lets me take in the nearly 7,500 calories my body needs daily. That means you don't have to deny yourself, and you can enjoy the things you love to keep going: a well-chilled energy drink, dried fruit or a good bar of Belgian chocolate…

6. Rest well

© John Stapels

It may sound paradoxical, but training well is, above all, about resting well! That's when the training you've done is really absorbed by the body. Good nights' sleep are important. You also need to learn how to nap.

Quite seriously, in an event like the Red Bull X-Alps, you reach thresholds of extreme endurance where you have to be able to stop, take a 15-minute micro-nap, and then set off again, recharged. Napping is a real skill to learn too! :-)

7. Surround yourself well

Behind every athlete, there's an incredible team. That's also what can make the difference. I surround myself with positive, motivated, professional people. Although the level of support has become ultra-professional in recent years, I still bet above all on people and their values. You have to have fun, enjoy yourself. And share a first common goal: getting home in one piece.

Unwavering motivation

© Honza Zak

Before setting sail aboard the Search Projects sailboat with his wife Sofia, Tom de Dorlodot once again had a date with this competition in June 2017, alongside the best paragliders in the world. The Red Bull X-Alps takes place every 2 years, and this was his 6th consecutive participation.

He shares with us what motivates him to take on this challenge of superlatives:

"At selection time for each new edition of the Red Bull X-Alps, a little inner voice asks me: 'Tom, why do you keep going back?'… It's true, it's a huge challenge: extreme fatigue, muscle pain, sometimes dangerous flying conditions, the cold, the rain, the mountains and the humility they demand… Not always very encouraging. And then, straight after, I also think back to those exceptional flights at 4,000 m altitude, to the genuine camaraderie between athletes, to the magnificent places you discover, to the adrenaline… And so, every time, I sign up again! But that decision is made at least a year in advance, because an adventure like this can't be improvised.

The next edition of the Red Bull X-Alps will therefore take place in 2019. Which still leaves a little time to forget the hard knocks and keep only the best of the 2017 edition… and to see you at the starting line for my 7th participation! Feel free to take a look at the photos and videos on the event's official website: www.redbullxalps.com.**

Tom."

Cover photos: © Sebastian Marko, John Stapels & Honza Zak

Read Tom's other tips in the series "Travel and adventure"