Words by Andy Waterman
Photos by Chris Alonso, Diego de la Iglesia Rodríguez
This summer, 24-year-old Nico Liu completed the TransPyrenea (900km), UTMB (171km), and the Tour de Geants (330km) all in a single season. He’s the first person to complete that triple, and while it was a staggering achievement in itself, for Nico, who grew up in China and now lives in the Swiss Jura, there’s more to running than results: every mile is an experience to savour, and the sense of community you build at events, whether you’re running or volunteering, creates a sense of connection that transcends the quantification of the results sheet.
While many athletes focus on cutting time, Nico is focused on truly experiencing every moment, every view, and every interaction. So long as you make the cut-off, why rush?
His approach was put to the test on the 900km TransPyrenea. An event of that distance is less a race than a pilgrimage, and Nico treated it as such. "I just wanted to take time in the mountains," he says. "I wanted to enjoy myself". His strategy was built around joy, not speed. He planned for 5-6 hours of sleep each night and deliberately avoided running in the dark when there were no views to keep him inspired. "I wouldn't do the race during the night," he explains, "because I couldn't enjoy anything".
One of the advantages of racing in Europe is that even in the mountains you’re never far from civilization. Forget gels, Nico’s nutrition plan looked more like a culinary tour. He focussed on solid food, stopping to buy "salamis and cheese" from local farms and enjoying the distinct regional cuisines as he crossed from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. He even stopped most lunchtimes for "a glass of beer if I encountered a bar or restaurant", followed by an early afternoon nap in nature.
Most runners would require a significant period of downtime to recover from such a long event, but Nico, who found himself on the Atlantic coast of France, travelled cross-country back to the Alps to Chamonix to volunteer and then participate in UTMB, the world-famous 170km tour of Mont Blanc.
"I took the train and headed to Chamonix," he recalls, "and then I immediately started doing volunteer jobs".
For Nico, volunteering isn't a chore, it’s a core part of his identity as a runner. He's been volunteering at races since he was young, from ski events to marathons. It’s how he first found his community and a way he continues to "give something back". His time on the other side of the aid station table gives him a unique perspective and has helped him to get to know the people who really make ultrarunning happen – the organizers, the volunteers, and the runners.
"It's like a call back," he says. "You were cheering for the people and now these people and the volunteers are cheering for you when you’re doing these races."
This community-first mindset was put to the ultimate test at UTMB. The race began with intense rain that turned to snow at altitude. Nico saw elite runners suffering, their races ending with their inability to maintain body heat. He made it to the Courmayeur aid station at 82km, roughly halfway, 14 hours in. He was cold, and his A-goal was gone.
Here, at the race's emotional crux, Nico made a choice. He didn't panic or push into a death march. He didn't quit. He did what he does best: he embraced the moment and optimized for joy. "I just gave up this plan," he says. Instead, he put on all his clothes, he rested, and he leant on the community of volunteers, enjoying their company and the sense of being in it together. "I spent one or two hours staying in the base time chatting with the volunteers that I know," he says.
In that moment, Nico redefined his race. He decided “to really cherish every step.” Speaking on the Mount to Coast podcast, he told us, “you could only have one first race of UTMB". He let go of the pressure, happily "wasted" time, and planned to finish on the third day, just a couple of hours before the final cutoff. He started taking two- or three-hour breaks at aid stations. He slept. He ate. He talked. And he finished with "no stress".
This is Nico’s philosophy. It’s not about being the fastest right now. It’s about building a foundation for a long, healthy, and happy life in the sport. "I just don't want to lose how I enjoy the race," he says.
In a sport built on pushing limits of time and distance, his approach is challenging and inspiring. When you remove the pressure to do everything as fast as possible, you open up the possibility to find joy rather than intimidation in the mountains. "I just want to share the other way of ultrarunning," he explains. "We just go in a way that we enjoy it". His approach is working. He recently received a message from a high school student who was struggling. "She just said to me that she really got influenced," he says, and for Nico, that is the real win. "That makes me really want to continue to do this and keep sharing."
Technical Note
Putting in this many miles requires indestructible gear. For Nico’s 900km (562 mile) TransPyrenea, with 56,000 metres (183,700 ft) of elevation gain, he relied on a single pair of shoes.
"I only used one pair of T1s," he says. "I don't know how this pair of shoes did it, but they did." He had a backup pair in a drop bag but never used them. "I just feel really, really shocked by this durability,” he says.
He then used a fresh pair for the combined 500km of UTMB and the Tour de Geants. One summer, three epic events, two pairs of shoes and a testament to transcending distance.
Discover more about Nico Liu by tuning into the full podcast.