Alexandre Boucheix, known as “Green Cap”: “This surpassing of myself in the race helps me at work to dare more”
Alexandre Boucheix, known as the “green cap”, 30 years old, information systems coordination project manager at JCDecaux (Neuilly-sur-Seine)
Its click for the trail
In 2015, when one of his colleagues (“45 years old, father of three kids”) se ” farts “ on Monday morning by recounting his weekend running sessions. ” I do not believe it. And then, by dint of listening to him, I went running with him. A first time, two kilometers, hell. He insisted. I ended up running half marathons, marathons, then trails…and ultra trails”recount ““Green Cap”the runner nickname of Alexandre Boucheix.
His favorite distance?
At least 70 kilometers with 10,000 vertical meters. By way of training, every evening, he leaves work running from Neuilly-sur-Seine. As the crow flies, his home in Saint-Mandé is 14 kilometers away, in eastern Paris. But he systematically lengthens his route to 25-30 kilometres. And never refuse a selfie with people who recognize him on the way.
What does trail bring to him at work?
I was very anxious. I was always asking myself tens of billions of questions about fake problems. When you’re at the bottom of the hole in the race, you surpass yourself. The small daily problems are no more. I learned to put them into perspective and no longer see them as hedges that come to me. But on the contrary as obstacles that I am able to anticipate. This self-transcendence in the race helps me at work to dare more. To break down certain limits. I also found long time for me. Only in racing can I disconnect from my phone for 30 hours straight. This allows you to think but also to gain patience in everyday life.
Alexandre Boucheix
Yesterday a matter for mountaineers and experienced hikers, the trail captivates more and more CSP+ city dwellers today. “During the races, I meet a lot of leaders, HRDs… when you run 3 or 4 hours in the rain with another person, you end up telling your story. I think I network more on trail than at work. I have also been offered to lead conferences on the management of my ultra trails »he explains.
He also acknowledges having gained “Internal visibility with my company’s decision-makers. Clients, partners… tell them about my sporting achievements. They can now put a face to this phenomenon.”
From there to serve his career? “In the medium / long term perhaps because I am developing a crazy network. But here in the immediate future, it is rather the opposite. I often go to races on Thursdays at the end of the day, I regularly take time off to run abroad. So I can’t invest myself as much as I would like in my job right now. For the time being, I put my surplus energy at the service of my ultra trails because I know that it only lasts a while”.
What does the job bring him in his management of the trails?
“To prepare for an ultra trail, for example, I have to plan my food for the aid stations, but also find my 12 supply stations. Also be ultra-planned for the equipment. From project management to work »he analyzes.
Anne Magadur-Madelin: “I gained in self-confidence”
On the left, Anne Magadur-Madelin, 47, AMOA consultant at Inetum (Nantes). On the right, the same in trail outfit.
Its click for the trail
She got into trail running about ten years ago. “In the end, you need little equipment and above all you practice it when you want. It’s easier to fit into a professional diary. Thoroughly in this discipline, she is even a member of the office of a local association of 120 trail runners.
His favorite distance
Maximum 60 kilometers in the mountains. She trains 3 to 4 times a week and covers up to 45 kilometres. “To run and especially to last 10 hours, you obviously have to be physically ready. Prepare with great rigor in terms of nutrition, sleep, muscle building… But also be mentally ready. In the end, it is the head that makes the difference”.
What does trail bring to him at work?
When you launch an IT project, it’s like for a trail, you need a lot of rigor to prepare it. The trail helps me to persevere. I am now better equipped to overhaul a project if I am faced with unforeseen events. In trail running, you also learn to manage and accept your failures. It therefore helps me to put things into perspective on a daily basis and to leave stronger afterwards. Finally, as at work, it is a collective “work”. The idea is not to finish first but to reach the end. So on the trail, we help each other. One day, after 25 kilometers of running, I couldn’t catch the Babybels in my bag. I went completely white, in hyper stress, no legs… on the verge of fainting. Friends encouraged me and gave me gel to feed me. And it was back.
Anne Magadur-Madelin, 47, AMOA consultant at Inetum (Nantes)
Since she started trail running, she admits having “greatly gained in self-confidence” and in performance. “In the race, you face yourself, you have time to think. From now on, I am more composed and able to take more perspective on professional situations. I prioritize better.
Arnaud Marie: ” A trail is like a work project. I have a goal: it’s up to me to do everything possible to achieve it. »
On the left, Arnaud Marie, 42, sales and marketing director at Compex France (Mouguerre). On the right, the same, in the middle of a trail race.
Its click for the trail
In 2017, he discovered trail running. “I have always done a lot of sport to relieve the stress of a busy professional life. By embarking on the trail, I was looking for a certain well-being, disconnection and a form of escape. It is an activity that is practiced out of the noise, in the middle of nature, which allows you to think about something else and to be alone with yourself »explains this ultra-sporty frame.
His favorite distance
Up to 80 kilometers.
What does trail bring to him at work?
On the subject, Arnaud Marie has very clear ideas. First, it is a way to keep in very good physical and mental shape:
The more I exercise, the fitter I am. And therefore very dynamic to manage the teams. It also stimulates my creativity.
Arnaud Marie
Then, the trail stimulates his ability to anticipate.
During a race as at work, there are always unforeseen events to manage. In training, I therefore prepare myself to have these moments of doubt. For example, I imagine myself without any more strength, without desire… and I look for alternatives to deal with these situations on D-Day. This ability to anticipate and to project myself obviously helps me on a daily basis in my job. I anticipate as much as possible. And then, a trail is like a work project, I have a goal and it’s up to me to do everything possible to achieve it.
Arnaud Marie