We strive
The team and their personalities make the festival atmosphere singular.
A chance to learn, exchange, and get inspired between their stories, expertise and humbleness.
Carrie Tollefson
Carrie is an American elite middle distance runner from Minnesota. She was a 13-time State Champion: eight in track and five in cross country, and she was a 5-time NCAA Champion and the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the year. She was a three time US national champion and after winning the 1500m Olympic US trials in 2004, she represented the US in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She is a media commentator for many major running events, including the 2024 Paris Olympics. Carrie lives and trains in her home state of Minnesota with her husband and their three children. She inspires and motivates people to GET AFTER IT in life through her public speaking and training camps. Carrie is on the board of directors for the Brave like Gab foundation.
Meg Mackenzie
Meg is a pro trail runner for On Running and advocate for women in sport. She is driven by adventure, curiosity and trying to make the world a better place. Some of her race highlights: 3rd Transvulcania 2023, 8th at CCC 2022, 5th overall Golden Trail World Series 2019, 5th Mont Blanc Marathon 2019, 1st Ultra Trail Drakensberg 2022. This year she is aiming to give everything at CCC, her third time racing it, she wants to use all of her experience and see what she can do out there! Meg has Honours in Economics and Political Science and is a certified Master Consciousness Coach. From South Africa she now lives in Chamonix.
Ben Bradford
Ben has been a full-time IFMGA mountain guide based in Chamonix since 2013. He intersperse guiding with ski alpinisme competitions in the winter and trail running in the summer and he is an ambassador for Skitrab. Over the last few years he has targeted ultra distance events with some great results ; 11th TDS 2023, 3rd GTC 55km 2023 and 8th Verbier x-alpine. He also guides endurance athletes on alpine challenges such as Mont Blanc in a day. Ben is a father of two girls aged seven and ten.
Stephanie Howe
Stephanie was a two-time NCAA All American in cross country running and Nordic Skier in college at Northern Michigan University. Post-college she began trail running and now she is a professional runner focusing on ultra-distance trail races and sponsored by The North Face since 2010. Some of her accomplishments ; Western States 100, 2014 Champion ; Lake Sonoma 50 mi, 2015 Champion and Course Record ; UTMB 2015, 8th ; CCC 100k, 2019 4th Place. Stephanie holds a PhD in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology and she owns a Nutrition & Coaching business where she works with individuals of varied background on how to best eat for their specific goals. She will race the Mt Blanc Marathon 90k and the UTMB this summer. American, Stephanie lives in Chamonix with her son Julien.
Chloë Lanthier
Chloë is an accomplished mountain endurance athlete with over 40 ultra & trail podiums and a former cross-country mountain bike world champion. She is an international renowned expert and consultant in biomechanics, performance physiology and sport injuries. She lectures to sport orthopedic specialists, educational institutions, and at National Training Centers. She works with some of the best professional teams and athletes across a wide range of sports. A scientist for the NASA space program, she is a published author, keynote speaker, professor, and a NCCP professional running coach. She has been engage in the trail running & mountain community for over three decades across North America and in the Alps.
Chloë holds a BA of Science in Exercise Physiology and a Master in Biomechanics and Human Performance. Canadian she lives in Chamonix.
Maclean Brothers
Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean are three crazy brothers from Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2019 they become avid trail runners and in 2020 rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. The 3,000 mile journey took 35 days, 9 hours and 9 minutes. In the process, they won their class and and set three world records. They have set up a family charity called The Maclean Foundation with the mission of creating positive change through compassion and the spirit of adventure. The charity’s first impact is through clean water projects on the island of Madagascar.
Abby Douek – PT MPT CDN
Abby is a sport physiotherapist with over 20 years experience working with runners ranging from recreational to competing on the world stage. She is the owner and director of Run Raleigh Physical Therapy in North Carolina USA. She specialises in gait analysis and general biomechanics, using a range of diagnostic and treatment modalities to assess and rehab patients. Abby prides herself on providing unparalleled attention to her athletes with her keen ability to target their weaknesses and get them on the road to recovery and keep them running stronger and healthier. She is the physiotherapist for the professional road running team Puma Elite and will be accompanying their athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Rebecca Dent
Rebecca is a Registered Dietitian, MSc, BSc, IOC Sports Nutrition Diploma.
High Performance Dietitian Rebecca is on a mission to bring world-class, sound, scientific and easy to access, personalised nutrition advice to mountain athletes and ultra runners. Her knowledge and expertise is built on a solid ground of her academic qualifications and a professional career of nearly 20 years that spans working in the NHS, British Ski Academy, Sport Scotland Institute of Sport, Olympic and Commonwealth games athletes and teams. She has a wealth of experience working with recreational to world class athletes including ultra runners. She currently forms part of a multi disciplinary support staff for the Elite Trail Team, a group of elite international trail and ultra runners along with supporting her own private clients. Rebecca lives in the Chamonix valley where she combines her love of endurance and mountain sports with her passion for performance nutrition.