19th January 2026

Juan Delafenetre - The world as a journey

This interview presents Juan Delafenetre, an Argentinian trail runner and coach for whom ultra running is less about results and more about exploration, limits, and lived experience. Drawn to the simplicity and intensity of running, he describes ultra trail as a double journey, through wild landscapes and through the inner self. His participation in the Beast 100M at Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB became a powerful encounter with solitude, nature, and personal responsibility, leaving him with a deep sense of respect for the place and a strong desire to return. For Juan, running among roots and toward the horizon means self-reliance, problem-solving, and embracing the raw magic of moving forward into the unknown.

Brief introduction:

Who are you, and what are, for you, the most notable results you’ve achieved so far?

My name is Juan Delafenetre, I’m 38 years old, I’m Argentinian, and trail running is my life. Even though I’ve achieved some good race results, they were never the most important thing. When I chose my passion —and life led me away from my family and my country— I realized I was really searching for my limits and new adventures. Sometimes what others see as a defeat or a great success is, for me, just the beginning of a search: an experience, a lesson, a strategy. Something that on race day only you truly understand… or you’ll discover along the way.

1. How did your trail running career begin?

I don’t even remember when I started; it was a long time ago. I’ve always loved sports and tried many different ones, but running had something special: its simplicity. No planning needed—just get changed and go. Any time, anywhere, without worrying about anything else. Then what everyone knows happens: you never really stop. It pulls you in and becomes part of your daily life. For me, ultra trail is pure magic. The human ability to endure and achieve something like this still amazes me: running for days in the mountains, with changing weather, with your body evolving every second. It’s a double adventure: everything happening around you… and everything happening, at the same time, inside you.

2. Who are you when you’re not running, and how much of that “you” do you bring with you on the trail?
(Sometimes running brings to the surface things we don’t see in daily life. What part of you emerges when you’re alone with the mountains?)

When I’m not running, I work as a running and trail running coach, sometimes quite strict and structured. In my daily life, I’m an organized person, focused on details and always searching for efficiency. I believe the mountains are where spontaneity is born. There is no order there—things simply happen and surprise you. From problems that need to be solved to reaching a summit and suddenly facing a sunrise that takes your breath away. Or those simple, unique moments when there is only silence: an incredible landscape, the soft whistle of the wind, and your own solitude. Moments where it’s just you… and nothing else around, fading into the distance.

3. Which race did you participate in at BUR, and what did this race tell you about yourself?
(About limits, courage, surrender, joy… What did you learn or relearn about yourself during the hours spent on the trails?)

I took part in the 100-mile distance, Beast 100M. It was a great adventure. For me, being so far from my country already made it special. When I arrive in a new place —in this case Câmpulung Moldovenesc— the feeling is incredible. I arrived by train, watching the mountains along the way, thinking that I would spend an entire day there, discovering the place and exposing myself to whatever might come. That mix of curiosity and intrigue that such powerful landscapes create. There was no fear. I knew I might encounter bears or other animals, but I wanted to live the full experience. I met incredible people, connected with other runners, and experienced unique moments, spending many hours alone. The experience was completely positive. Not just because of the race itself, but because of the moment in the year. I felt strong: my body responded, and my mind stayed focused. It was a valuable lesson… and one that made me want to return.

4. Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB is a race, but also a state of mind. How does this place, nature, people, energy feel to you?
(What kind of connection did you feel between yourself and the space you passed through? How did Bucovina touch you?)

Bucovina is intrigue, curiosity, wild terrain, energy. The energy of entering a place where animals live in their natural habitat, moving through it with respect, feeling everything around you. Because there, you are the visitor. You move through without leaving a trace, but carrying that moment inside you. It’s an incredible feeling, difficult to put into words.

5. If you were to tell runners who’ve never been to Bucovina about the Bucovina Ultra Rocks experience, what would you want to convey beyond words?
(What emotion, image, or moment should they feel to understand what it means to be here?)

I would say only one thing: you have to be there. You have to feel it.

6. What does the idea of running among roots and looking toward the horizon mean to you?
(What keeps bringing you back to your origins, and what pushes you ever further?)

The magic of moving through such vast places, crossing mountains and solving problems. There, you are alone, and everything depends on you—moving, deciding, and moving forward. It teaches you a lot about overcoming yourself. I also love running at night. Spending hours with a headlamp in the darkness, surrounded by silence, where the only sounds are your footsteps or the wind. Then you start to see a light, and another one… suddenly a village, people cheering. And then, once again, darkness. You’re alone again. These are incredible sensations.