Sports
Manuela Vilaseca's Tor des Géants Podium Redemption
After meniscus surgery, an airlift rescue, and asthma attacks, the Brazilian earned 3rd place in 82h31m.
In an interview with Stemma Na Trilha, Manuela Vilaseca details her breakthrough in 200-mile racing and her extreme Tor des Géants strategy. Running on just one hour of sleep over 82 hours and 31 minutes, she secured third place and one of the fastest women's times in race history.
Manuela Vilaseca's journey through 200-mile and extreme ultra-distance races became a story of absolute resilience following a period of career uncertainty. At the end of 2023, after parting ways with her primary sponsor, the Brazilian faced doubts about continuing in elite competition. The spark to press forward came when she discovered the Cocodona 250, an ultramarathon that ignited a new obsession with the format and redefined her relationship with long-distance endurance challenges.
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The rescue nightmare and the lesson of exercise-induced asthma
The road to the podium at Tor des Géants was filled with dramatic moments. In her first attempt, Manu lined up just six weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery. While her knee held up through kilometer 200, the combination of extreme altitude, cold temperatures, and intense physical strain triggered a severe case of exercise-induced asthma. At kilometer 260, at Rifugio Cunéy, suffering from dangerously low oxygen saturation and acute respiratory distress, she had to be evacuated from the mountain by helicopter and rushed to a hospital in Aosta.
Having previously dropped out of the 200-mile Cocodona race for similar asthma-related issues, she realized she needed a rigorous medical and physical approach. Ahead of her return to Tor des Géants, she developed a strategy focused on substantial cardiovascular conditioning to mitigate respiratory crises. Manu divided the high-altitude course into ten training segments, supported logistically by her husband Gerard, arriving at the starting line ready to manage the unpredictable variables of the race.
Overcoming an early crisis to contend for the podium
The start of the race demanded early speed to avoid bottlenecks on the initial technical singletracks. Heat caused severe early dehydration on the descent into La Thuile, where Manu arrived exhausted and watched seven competitors pass her. Keeping her composure in an event that spans dozens of hours, she regained her rhythm during the climb to Rifugio Deffeyes and began silently moving up the field.
By the time she reached the Donnas life base at kilometer 150, the Brazilian had climbed into the women's top 5 and joined the battle for the podium. In the section between Donnas and Gressoney—widely considered one of the most grueling elevation profiles on the route—Manu managed her pace alongside elite competitors like Britain's Claire Bannwarth and leading Asian runners, maintaining a steady stride on the steep ascents of Alpenzu.
Only one hour of sleep across 82 hours of racing
Her sleep strategy proved to be a decisive factor in securing a historic result. Manuela slept for only about one hour across 82h31min of racing. In Donnas, noise in the cot area prevented her from resting, leaving her with only an involuntary two-minute micro-nap at Rifugio Barmas. Her only scheduled sleep stop occurred at Gressoney (kilometer 200), where she rested for 30 minutes before heading back out onto the trail.
The tactical decision that cemented her bronze medal came at the Valtournenche life base. Instead of stopping for a shower, massage, or extra sleep, Manu opted to skip the comfort to maintain her racing momentum and extend her gap over her closest rivals. The effort earned her 3rd place overall among women, posting the sixth-fastest women's time in the history of Tor des Géants.
The biomechanical demands of endless descents
For Manuela, the key technical differentiator for finishing and competing at the front of Tor des Géants lies in muscular endurance during steep downhill running. The course features continuous descents stretching up to 30 kilometers, requiring dedicated eccentric muscle preparation to withstand the pounding and sustain steady running speed all the way to the finish line in Courmayeur.
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