Jules Henri

UIMLA Mountain Leader and Trail runner
I discovered mountain hiking at a young age with my parents, visiting different refuges in the Alps and in my region. When I was 12 years old I got my first race bike, and a beautiful adventure started where I discovered a fascinating universe. Cycling became a huge passion and I traveled more and more kilometers discovering my region. I increased distances and when I was 16 years old I would take 150-200km trips in the mountain.
At 17, I decided to take a rather crazy challenge: the Tour du Mont-Blanc in 1 day in road bike (320km and 8000m+). I rode a lot during those years and I participated in some cyclosportives during the summer. Trail remained unknown to me. In 2005, I was a volunteer in the UTMB and I thought that all those trailers were a bit crazy. The next years, the CCC was created, and since I was too young to participate I helped my brother.
I decided to start in trail in 2007 with the CCC and I trained only for cycling. The race went quite well and I took a big step towards the race of all races, I planned the UTMB for 2008.
I started to get more and more into trail and to enjoy more and more running in the mountain during the summer. I participated in many trails to get prepared to the UTMB. The initial 60km of the Mont Blanc were a true suffering with gastric problems, but I managed to finish the race. I needed to try it again in 2009 to prove myself. This race was like a dream, and I arrived 27th at Chamonix.
I got more and more invested in this sport, and after the UTMB of course I dreamed of the Grand Raid in the Reunion Island! I ran and arrived 15th in 2010 after an UTMB truncated by bad weather conditions.
But returning from Reunion, I started thinking about a new incredible race: Tor des Géants!
During 2011, because of a professional change, I could dedicate more time to my favourite sport and I could improve a lot during a great season, having been the winner of Tor des Géants, which is considered the hardest on foot endurance test in the world.
Currently, I practice ski-alpinism in winter, and my summers are dedicated to trail, with a lot of bike-trail mixed trainings. The objectifs remain the same, to
go beyond my own limits and to discover the mountains! I can also share my passions by teaching ski in winter and being mountain leader in summer, as well as supervising trail stages around Mont-Blanc or diverse hikes.