#171 Frédéric Tranchand — World Champion 2025 without shortcuts: consistency, pressure and reality

In this episode of Running Free, I sit down with Frédo Tranchand
– one of the most technically skilled and thoughtful athletes in
trail running today.


From elite orienteering to becoming World Champion in the
Short Trail at the 2025 World Mountain & Trail Running
Championships, Frédo’s journey is built on patience,
consistency, and learning how to adapt.


What stands out immediately is his grounded approach to
performance. As he puts it:


“There are no secrets in training – just consistency and doing
the basics right.”


We talk about his progression from 12th in Thailand to 9th in
Innsbruck and eventually winning gold in Canfranc — a development
that wasn’t driven by radical change, but by refining what
already worked.


At the World Championships, things didn’t go perfectly. One of
the defining moments came when everything started to fall apart:


“I started to cramp and was really struggling… I was afraid to
lose everything on that climb.”


That’s actually the final uphill in Canfranc – the moment where I
stood on the side of the course, cheering for Frédo and the other
athletes.


Instead of panic, he chose focus:


“I wasn’t confident – I just told myself: now I give everything.”


This conversation goes beyond performance. It’s about staying
present under pressure, adapting when plans break, and trusting
your process — even when it doesn’t feel perfect.


ABOUT FRÉDÉRIC TRANCHAND




Born May 25, 1988 in France




Former elite orienteer




Bronze medalist at the World Orienteering Championships
(Sprint, 2010)




World Champion Short Trail (2025)




Known for technical terrain skills, downhill speed, and race
intelligence




Currently based in Annecy, France, after several years training
in Trondheim, Norway.


WATCH THE EPISODE


This episode is also available as a video podcast on Spotify and
YouTube.


Follow Frédo on Instagram


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