| This year Team Adaptive has grown to welcome 14 extraordinary athletes from around the world, each with a unique story, background and relationship to disability or illness. United by their love for the trail and a shared determination to break down prejudice, these athletes will take on the various races of HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc. More than a symbolic presence, together they demonstrate that difference in no way diminishes determination, courage, or an ability to achieve the extraordinary. Among them are returning athletes from the 2024 edition — back with even greater ambition and a fresh set of challenges to conquer.“Our vision is simple: one day, we won’t need to explain why Team Adaptive exists. One day, it won’t be about inclusion – it will just be about sport. That day, our mission will be complete,” said David Poletti, Head of operations and territory relations, HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc, and Boris Ghirardi, Team Adaptive Manager. |
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| Unique journeys, one collective adventureTeam Adaptive 2025 brings together athletes living with visible and invisible disabilities — they are united by their passion for pushing boundaries and their love of the trail.ETC: American Dani Aravich, a Paralympian born with agenesis – an absence of – the left forearm, returns to the trails with her characteristic grit and positivity. MCC: The Spanish duo Maria Petit — a blind Catalan athlete who has climbed Kilimanjaro — and Alberto Estrada, who lives with Parkinson’s disease and discovered in trail running a powerful way to maintain mobility. They are joined by France’s Paul Fontaine, who continues to defy cystic fibrosis through running. OCC: France’s Claire Verzaux, born with agenesis of the right forearm; Franck Derrien, an ultra-trail runner with Asperger’s; Guillaume Pick, a nature-loving athlete born deaf; Nicolas Ronget, a visually impaired physiotherapist from Lyon; and Spanish Paralympian Pol Makuri Redolad Garcia, born with hemiparesis, a weakness of one side of the body. CCC: French athletes Julien Veysseyre, a below-knee amputee and 2023 cross-triathlon world champion, and Jonathan Naboulet, a quadriplegic following a rugby accident, will be joined by South African Travis Warwick-Oliver, a below-knee amputee and founder of the organisation Rejuvenate SA. UTMB: France’s Fanny Barbara, who overcame the complete removal of her left lung, will be joined by Yanis Debaud, a former rugby player now living with partial paralysis in his right foot due to nerve injury. |
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| “Less talk, more action. We want to demonstrate that performance and passion have no boundaries,” said Boris Ghirardi, Team Manager, also known affectionately as ‘Robot Foot’. |
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| About Team Adaptive: Launched in 2024, Team Adaptive was created to reimagine the place and visibility of disabled athletes in trail running. More than an inclusivity initiative, it champions a sport where diverse journeys and stories are not just recognised — but truly celebrated.In 2025, Team Adaptive returns with fresh energy and inspiration. With new collaborations, surprise announcements, and meaningful initiatives set to unfold throughout the year, its mission remains clear: to help redefine how disability is perceived in trail running. |
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Image – ©UTMB – high-res photo