Interview with Diego Pazos, our favorite “butterfly” runner

Recently returned from Reunion Island with a nice ^4th place in the prestigious Diagonale des Fous trail, Diego Pazos is not only one of the best trail runners in the world. Originally from Lausanne with a master's degree in forensics, Diego is also the initiator and organizer of the Montreux Trail Festival, the first edition of which took place this year. In this interview, we get to know our favorite “butterfly” runner better, who shares with us his tips for succeeding on all fronts.

A: DIEGO PAZOS, WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

DIEGO: I was born in Lausanne and grew up in the Lausanne “suburb”, in Chavannes-près-Renens, I have extraordinary memories of it! I have lived in Lausanne for several years, so am I a pure local product?

A: WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER TRAILING?

D: I first discovered trail running on the Internet in the summer of 2011, seeing Kilian on the UTMB 2011 with a magnificent sunrise at the Col de la Seigne. Seeing these extreme adventurers as I called them really motivated me to take the plunge and take on this gargantuan challenge. Then, at the end of 2011, first trail race, the Sainté Lyon, 70km at night, a great experience before doing my real first trail season in 2012. Then I was taken by passion, I discovered unsuspected qualities and I progressed at the same time as my body shape changed, adapting from a stocky build to a rather skinny body. In 2016, being able to represent Switzerland at the world championship was also something remarkable, it's always a special moment to be able to represent your country in a sport, whatever it may be.

A: WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE BOW TIE?

D: The bow tie is a bit like my wife and my loved ones running with me. I already wore a lot of them before our wedding, but it's a bit of a symbol of our relationship and I decided to run with it since our wedding in June 2015. For the record, the bow ties that I wear are those that my friends gave me during my bachelor party, so they have a double meaning for me: Love and friendship!
Over time has it also become a charm?

A: YOU ARE NOT JUST A GREAT SPORTSMAN. TELL US A BIT OF WHAT YOU DO AT THE SIDE!

D: In parallel with my work and my training, I threw myself into organizing the Montreux Trail Festival, a race like no other truly combining music (to the rhythm of Queen in particular, because Montreux was Freddie's heart city Mercury) and the trail. The best example is the festive format called Freddie's Night which offers entertainment and light shows along the entire route!
Bring new impetus to trail races, unite an entire region since the great course of 164 km and 12,000 m + and a real Tour of the Vaudoise Alps and introduce my playground, where I spend most of the time. my time when I prepare for international competitions. This region of the Vaud Riviera and Alps and our beautiful canton of Vaud deserved a showcase like this for lovers of nature sports. Our mountains are beautiful and much more technical than people think... This racing festival (7 formats on the program) is a bit like the organizing committee, original, young and dynamic?
Come and discover this Ultra festive atmosphere during the second edition from July 26 to 29, 2018 ( www.montreux-trail.ch) .

A: ANY ADVICE FOR MANAGING EVERYTHING FRONT?

D: It's a bit like a puzzle, you have to put all the pieces together correctly but it's really not easy, between my trips to Bern for work, my working day and my midday training sessions, my evenings have been often dedicated to the Montreux Trail Festival but for me the most fundamental thing is my family balance. Therefore, I stay as attentive as possible to my wife so that we can free ourselves from the beaches as a couple, I also need it for my sporting balance! And in all of this the arrival of the baby will turn everything upside down but for the better I'm sure... Setting priorities is the basis in life, does it allow you to move forward?

A: HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU GIVE TO YOUR FOOD? DO YOU FOLLOW A SPECIAL NUTRITIONAL PLAN?

D: Nutrition is extremely important in the life of an athlete. I would tend to say in everyone's life, but some people are not yet aware of it or do not want to see it that way. And yet... as an athlete, I don't follow a particular diet, but I try to vary my diet as much as possible, eat a balanced diet and respect certain main principles. I am not for specific diets, I am a “flexivore” as Takinoa would say and I am convinced that you can eat healthily and in a balanced way while really enjoying yourself.
It's all a question of habit, once we have found this balanced routine, we can afford to make deviations, especially for all the end-of-year meals that will come but naturally, we will return to this balance of basis by resuming good habits once these differences have been digested? I have always followed my personal instinct, not established but inspired by several very interesting readings on the contribution of nutrition and its influence in our life in general.
From now on, thanks to Algorigin, I will be able to monitor my nutrition a little more closely, mainly to ensure that I do not have any deficiencies with the hours of sports that I practice. Ensuring that you are in good health is an essential point if you want to last and especially if you want to achieve your goals or make your dreams come true.

Read: Diego Pazos wants to cross Switzerland

A: SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED BY ALGORIGIN, HAVE YOU PERCEIVED ANY CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS IN YOUR DAILY DAY?

D: I take organic spirulina and recently AFA klamath , algae with wonderful properties. I feel that these products allow me to meet my essential nutrient needs. These nutrients are sometimes no longer available in commercially available foods that are supposed to contain them. Because the latter are no longer of good quality because of mass production, green picking of fruits and vegetables or the untimely use of pesticides.
On a daily basis, these supplements allow me to rebalance my needs, but it is also during my competitions that I feel the benefits. In addition, the results are to be expected in the medium-long term, we do not see a difference from one day to the next but gradually unless we are at the lowest at the time of the first doses, in which case we would see results quite quickly. It’s about banking on your future health.

A: WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF ALGORIGIN PRODUCTS FOR YOU?

D: Well-documented production, sensitive to the environmental challenges of the coming years and which does not rely on mass production but rather on qualitative production of spirulina for the well-being of consumers. It seems trivial but yet in our society and especially in the agri-food sector, these notions are all too rarely respected! In addition, it is a young and dynamic team, attentive?

A: WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT GOALS AND UPCOMING PLANS?

D: After this wonderful Diagonale des Fous, my last challenge of the year will be the Ultra Trail Cape Town, on December 2 in South Africa, then full of new surprises for 2018 including a big personal project and superb races. Will you know more in the coming months?

LEARN MORE ABOUT DIEGO PAZOS:

– His age: 32 years old, soon to be 33 on November 28, 2017
– Nationality: Swiss, Spanish
– Sport: Ultra Trail
– Profession: Master in criminalistics at the School of Criminal Sciences of the University of Lausanne and currently Specialized Collaborator at the Swiss Federal Police in Bern.
– Family: Soon to be dad and the happy husband of a magnificent Maya
– Prize list:

4th Diagonale des fous in 2015 and 2017
6th at the 2016 IAU Ultra Trail World Championships
1st Eiger Ultra 2016
1st 80 km Mont-Blanc 2016
4th CCC 2015
11th UTMB 2014
3rd Verbier St Bernard in 2012
Victories at the Trail de la Galinette, Ultra Trail Marao, Trail des Paccots (27km), de la Vallée de Joux (35km), Humani'trail (27km) and numerous podiums
You in 3 words: Joy of life, smiling, perfectionist

Website: http://diegopazos.ch/