Photo: Davos X-Trails/Maximilian Gierl

At almost 53 (!) years old, Jasmin Nunige won the king's distance of the Davos X-Trails over 68 km and 3,300 meters of elevation with a new course record. For the local hero and former Olympic cross-country skier, it was already her ninth triumph in Davos. She had previously won the legendary Swissalpine, the predecessor event of the Davos X-Trails, eight times.

Davos X-Trails

The Davos X-Trails are my home race. For this reason—and especially because last year's edition had to be canceled due to weather—I really wanted to be there this year. As a member of the Adidas Terrex Team, I am still very ambitious and active and also participate in international races.

Training Routine

Usually, after breakfast and some office work in the morning, I do a running session. In the afternoon, I work in my practice as a masseuse and mental coach. In the evenings, I follow up with some mobility or breathing exercises. Once a week, a strength session is on the program, and twice a week, a mobility or stability training. Rest days are not really my thing. They occur, if at all, on training days when it would be difficult to fit in a running session.

My weeks have no fixed structure. This means the long run does not always take place on Sundays but can also happen during the week. With my six to seven running sessions—I run at most once a day—I cover 80 to 120 kilometers, which usually include many meters of elevation. However, throughout the year, there are also phases where I deliberately run flatter to maintain speed and the feel for faster movement.

Favorite Training

It's hard for me to settle on a single training. Spontaneously, I would mention the long run in the mountains. For example, 35 kilometers with 2,000 meters of elevation in four and a half hours at a relatively brisk pace with a good rhythm. Despite my age, I still enjoy hill runs or track training a lot.

Track Training

Although I am a trail runner, I really enjoy track training. The higher speed and dynamics, which often get lost in ultras, come fully into play. That's what makes it so appealing to me, as I feel like a runner at heart.

Age

For a long time, age was just a number for me. But since my 50th birthday almost three years ago, I notice that I need more recovery and that my performance is declining. Accepting this is not always easy for me—especially when I'm out with the younger athletes of the team. But I'm working on it and am happy about what I can still achieve.

Recovery

I make sure to get enough sleep and eat well. Additionally, I invest a lot of time in visualizations, breathing, and relaxation exercises for the mental area, as we have enormous potential there. I enjoy it and it brings me a lot.

Multiple Sclerosis

This inflammatory nerve disease has been with me for 15 years now. Just like others have recurring back problems, I have MS. Flare-ups occur whenever I overexert myself. For example, when I train too much, have a lot going on at work, and then something unexpected comes up. Over the past years, I have learned a lot and now notice when I need to slow down to stay healthy.

Key to Success

I have been doing competitive sports at a high level for over 30 years. This is only possible because I have always prioritized a healthy body and mind. Short-term successes were never my goal, nor was the risk of harming myself in the long term. It was made easier for me because it has always been a privilege for me to pursue sports so ambitiously. Whether I succeed or not doesn't matter, as I don't have to earn my living from it and don't define myself by it. This takes a lot of pressure off and allows for better performances because I am more relaxed.

As a second key, I would describe the three pillars of family, sport, and career. If things aren't going well in one area, the other two areas catch me.

Pace, Pulse, or Feeling

I usually check the intensity based on my feeling. However, I always wear a heart rate monitor and look at the values after training. In 80 to 90 percent of cases, the heart rate value matches my feeling exactly.

My Strength

Basically, I would describe my discipline and sense of duty as my strengths. In running, it's my quick recovery ability, my technical skills, and my mental strength. In races that are 50 or 100 km long, the latter becomes proportionally more important compared to a "normal" road race.

My Weakness

I find it hard to relax and always feel like I need to do something. And in terms of running, it's the really long steep, technical up- and downhills.

3 Tips for Trail Runners

• 1.

  Optimize your nutrition before, during, and after training or competition. 

• 2.

  Always remind yourself why you are doing this. It shouldn't be about getting as many social media likes or a high UTMB index, but about your joy in moving in the fantastic mountain world. 

• 3.

  Be open to new things. Try different trail variants and go through the trail running world with open eyes.

Insider Tip

There is still a huge potential lying dormant in our brains. It's better to skip a training session and instead do breathing training two to three times a week.