The ultra runner tells how a move from America to Europe, combined with a talent for endurance, led to him becoming one of the best off-road runners in the world.
Katie Sheed always knew she had the ability to run long distances. “Growing up, I played really competitive hockey, and my strength was always being able to run the entire rink without getting tired like everyone else,” says the American. “I had this stamina.”
What he didn’t realize, however, was that those athletic talents would eventually help establish him as one of the world’s best trail and mountain runners. The 33-year-old grew up in Maine and spent much of that time outdoors, regularly accompanying her father on hikes through New England’s gorgeous, mountainous scenery.
He’s always run, too, but it wasn’t until a PhD in geology took him to Switzerland in 2016 and he met his partner, professional runner Germaine Granger, that a whole new world began to open up to him.
An unexpected fifth place in the prestigious Livigno Sky Race in 2017 underlined his promise and provided a decisive springboard. “I’ve basically been living the sport since 2020,” he says.
Since then, he has won some of trail running’s biggest events. Twice Schide first completed the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in 2022 and then last year when he broke the 173.3 km (108 mile) record in 22:09:31 on the route, which also has a total elevation gain of 9,525m. That same summer he also won the Western States, the world’s oldest 100-mile race, in California.
This year brought success at the Hardrock 100, setting the women’s course record with a time of 25:50:28, making her the first woman to finish the notoriously difficult event in under 26 hours. Then, at the third edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in the Spanish Pyrenees at the end of September, Sheed was a convincing winner of the Long Trail 82km event.
When he sits down to talk to AW via video call, he does so from the home he shares with Grenier on the edge of the Mercantour National Park, which sits in the shadow of the southern French Alps and provides the perfect training base for a sport he describes as combining everything he loves. He is still very much in recovery mode from the efforts of the past weeks and months, but is more than happy to discuss his journey to the pinnacle of his chosen profession.
How does becoming world champion stack up against everything you’ve achieved so far?
It is a good question. Our sport is still not very organized in how competitions are organized, and with different series and different races, there is no super clear structure.
So sometimes even a race that isn’t necessarily considered prestigious can end up being extremely competitive, and the opposite can also be true. In this case, the World Championship race was quite competitive, but I know it’s hard to follow from the outside because you really have to know all the players, all the races, the distances, the terrain and the venues to really understand every part of it. That’s something trail running really needs to improve on, but hopefully we’ll get there eventually.
In terms of the World Cup, it has also changed a lot in the last few years.
I would say mountain running and vertical racing have always been extremely prestigious, and that hasn’t changed at all in the last 15-20 years, but I think we’re still trying to find our footing in how to handle marathon distance and ultra distance events.
Having said that, I’ve never been to a World Cup and it’s something I’ve always been interested in. I was excited to change it up a bit because we can get stuck in the same circle of racing, and the great thing about World Champions is that it brought something new and exciting.
It’s still a prestigious race and it’s nice to say I won, but every race isn’t always about winning. It’s about how you feel about being executed that day. I’m pretty happy with it that way and I’ve enjoyed the experience. I will be interested in going to another one in the future.
How was it different from an event like UTMB?
The week leading up to UTMB has become essentially a brand trade show, which is good. It’s what brings money to the sport and keeps the sport alive. But I feel like there are almost two events at UTMB. There’s this trade show and then there’s the race. The world champs were really just a race. It made it feel a little bit more special that it really focused on the athletes and representing the different countries, which I thought was great.
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in trail running since you’ve been involved?
All the biggest changes happened after Covid. I think there was just a renaissance in the outdoor market in general. That’s great for me, but there are always trade-offs. There are growing pains, people who were there before…always complain that it wasn’t like that before. But I think you can still find those “just like before” events if you want, and you can also ride the wave of newer, bigger events if that’s what you’re into. I think there is still something for everyone.
On the professional side, there are more people who are able to do this as a full-time job. When I had my first little partnership with some free gear and maybe travel support, you could probably count on one hand the number of people who made a living from the sport. Now there are a lot more people who are able to do this full time and really put all their time and energy into it and really optimize everything. You’re seeing times and performances, and the density of the field has just gone up.
Could you have imagined when you first started that you would end up in this situation?
I didn’t really know what sports were until 2015, so it wasn’t something I dreamed about.
When I met Germain, I think he had a lot more confidence in me than I had in myself. He generally understood the sport better than I did, and said: “You can be really, really good.” I am a competitive person, but I thought. “Oh, he’s just good,” and every year I got a little better.
My first really good result was the 2017 Livigno sky race. It’s now called the Golden Trail Series, but before that it was called the Sky Run, and it was the pinnacle of trail running of all distances. That’s what Germain was doing when I met him and I went racing with him.
I had just arrived in Europe at the end of 2016 so it was nice to have someone to show me around. I was in the following mode and took the Livino race and finished fifth.
Germaine had finished and went to the hotel room to change and come back (to meet me) as he thought he had time. I finished the race and he was gone, and when he came back he said: It was unexpected for me and it was just a huge result. People usually point to my UTMB win in 2022 as my start, but that was a long time ago.
All of that must have been a culture shock for you
When I moved to Zurich in 2016, I had never been to Switzerland before. I had only been to Europe once, and that was in Rome for a week with my high school Latin club. So that was my introduction to Europe. I think I can adapt to different places and it’s never been a big problem. I’m good at finding my routine and settling into it.
If you were to take it back, what would you say the run would give you?
It has changed a lot over the years. In the beginning, when I worked at these cabins in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, it was really because I loved hiking, being outside, finding new trails, and the feeling of being out in the mountains.
And then when I was doing masters in Utah, it was more like my daily practice. Running has always been my past time. I’m quite an introvert, and even when I was working in busy places, for my Masters, PhD, whatever, that’s when I really have to be myself. It’s always been an undercurrent over the many years and many evolutions I’ve had.
Even in college I ran every day. It was just part of my routine and I knew it was something that made me feel better throughout the day. After that, I was able to channel some of my competitiveness into sports.
I’m really goal oriented, and what all my higher education brought me too, was having goals, small steps every day, things to do. (Running) has allowed me to put all aspects of my interest into one thing.
I love being outside. I like to be active. I like having goals. I like trying to optimize. I love maps. My father was one of the original developers of the InReach mapping app. I grew up surrounded by maps and love to plan, so I think sports took everything I love and put it into one activity. At this point, it’s beyond bringing pleasure and satisfaction and time outside. It’s also my job, so some days that’s the motivation. Not often, but sometimes.
