On Instagram, they are more than 45,000 to follow the wanderings of Maxime Gautier. This 24-year-old Guadeloupean, keen on sport and adrenaline, explores his native island far and wide in search of hidden rivers and the assault of majestic cliffs to “discover all that Guadeloupe hides in terms of nature and bring it to light”. This Thursday at 5 p.m. (Guadeloupe time, so 11 p.m. in mainland France), he embarks on his greatest personal adventure: doing the “touw” (“tour in Creole”) of Guadeloupe in 72 hours, or 310 kilometers. walk.
“There’s a voice in my head that thought it would be a nice challenge,” he laughs. It took him four years to go down this path. In the meantime, he got injured and launched the Clean my island association in September 2019 with his best friend Olmar. Together, they organize garbage collection sessions throughout the archipelago, raise awareness in schools and set up punchy actions such as the installation of 240 panels with the mention “Guadeloupe is too beautiful to become a garbage can”, especially in tourist areas. “In total, we have collected just over 600 tonnes of waste since our beginnings,” says Maxime.
Five big challenges as preparation
“I am one of those who take risks to try to achieve their dreams,” he says. For a year, he prepared himself physically and mentally, with a mini-budget thanks to three local companies including Jogger’s and Gémo. “I led the life of a professional athlete without the professional aspect since I didn’t earn any money. In Guadeloupe, we are less publicized than in France and in Europe”, he regrets.
A trail buff since he was 13, Maxime had to get back into the swing of things after six years without running. He set himself five big challenges that “taught him to manage the mental dimension”. First stage: the Transkarukera Guadeloupe (90 km and 4,500 km of elevation gain), completed in 8:30 p.m. in June 2022. Then a cycling tour of Guadeloupe of 305 kilometers carried out two months later in 11:15 a.m. For the third stage, he concocts a solo Ironman, before completing twelve loops of Soufrière, the volcano in Guadeloupe located at an altitude of 1,467 m.
On March 9, Maxime Gautier succeeded in his fifth and final challenge: making the round trip of the GR G1 (or Trace des alizés), “hell” according to the young adventurer. This trail crosses the island of Basse-Terre from north to south, from the towns of Vieux-Fort to Sainte-Rose, following the ridge line in the Guadeloupe National Park. It is reserved for experienced hikers, due to the humid tropical climate of the archipelago and the arid routes. “No one had ever tried it. I passed in 78 hours. It represents 180 km and 11,600 km of elevation gain. It’s a great feat and a great psychological struggle against myself,” he recalls.
Between the challenges, Maxime trains almost every day with the program of running in the forest and on the asphalt, swimming and cycling. In terms of muscle building and stretching, since January he has been able to count on Jérémie Pierre, sports coach and co-owner of the Simply Crossfit gym in Jarry (Baie-Mahault). “Someone told me he was going to do this challenge and I sent him a message directly telling him that I was going to do this tour of Guadeloupe with him,” says the coach. He will finally make half of it, Basse-Terre, alongside Maxime. “The goal will be achieved even if you have to walk or crawl,” laughs the coach, who hopes not to injure himself along the way. The duo got to know each other through challenges shared on social networks and long training sessions of 2 hours, four to five days a week.
Learn more about yourself
Since childhood, Maxime Gautier loves to trudge, and the one who talks about it best is his mother Emeline. “At 15, he left for a trail. He didn’t have the right shoes but he went on for hours with bleeding feet. He has an exceptional physique and mind, ”she says. Proud of him, she will be by his side with his brother, his best friend Olmar and more than 500 people who have joined a WhatsApp group to support him. “We want to inspire people to excel at their level. We therefore invited them to live their challenge and travel the kilometers they want,” explains Maxime. “He doesn’t like to say ‘I’, he always says ‘we’. He wants to stay humble, ”points out his mother Emeline.
This experience also has a special flavor because “it’s kind of the purpose of my chapter in Guadeloupe before leaving to continue my life of challenges and exploration elsewhere”. Hyperexcited by “this final exam”, he will give everything. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to fail, even though I’ve learned that failure is part of success,” he philosophizes.
How does he imagine the future? Filled with new challenges from all over the world, to challenge the biggest ultra-trail competitions such as the UTMB, the Hardrock 100, the Marathon des Sables or the Diagonale des Fous. Maxime also dreams of the GR 20 in Corsica, of doing a Tour de France by bike, the Hexatrek hikes. “And everything I don’t know yet,” he concludes. There’s too much for one life, but I’ll do my best. “And also why not rub shoulders with athletes he admires like Kilian Jornet or Mathieu Blanchard, also born in Guadeloupe.