30-year old Katie Schide hailing from Maine, USA was victorious at the grueling Ultra Trail Mont-Blanc Marathon that loops around Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe. Preparation and an emphasis on being in touch with her own feelings are keys to her win, as Schide told CGTN's Tian Wei in a recent interview.

Schide says that she was always grateful for being healthy and always made sure she was taking care of herself properly. Her goal this year was to just focus on herself. She says, “I wanted to just focus on how I was feeling, not to focus on what anybody else was doing. It’s really hard to do that in a race when you are looking at how the person next to you is doing. But I kept reminding myself that I feel good and that I am going to go at a pace that I know I can manage.”

Schide had finished her PhD in geology shortly before training for the UTMB in the summer. Once she began training, she hired a new coach that opted for a less strenuous training regimen than before. He focused on more rest and recovery days between days with longer runs. 

Schide makes a point that no one, not even a trail runner like herself, feels strong all the time. "It's about accepting those times when you don't feel strong and just saying this isn't a good point, accepting that, and then trying to find a solution."