I started running when I was 16, when students are normally obliged to take it as a sport in high school. One of my best friends was training with the French team and aiming for the Olympic Games in the 800-meter category. Together with another friend, we used to encourage him, and we ended up training together.

What sparked your interest ?

It gradually emerged because of the simple rules relating to this discipline: the more you run, the better you become, while combining it with a lifestyle that tends to reduce alcohol and poor eating habits. When you start jogging, you go through a painful stage when you wonder how anyone can enjoy this activity. And then after a while, you begin to realise that it’s no longer an effort, that you are just gliding along and revelling in it. Besides which it gives you a good conscience because you know you are working off any dietary or drinking excesses !

What’s your finest memory?

At a recent edition of the Laureus Sport Awards, I had a chance to talk with members such as Edwin Moses* and Kip Keino**, who explained that training was not enough in that winning was 50 % in the mind.

Of which performance are you most proud? My last marathon in Hamburg in 2010, especially when the finishing line was in sight and that I had to draw upon my last remaining strength to cross it and savour this unique moment with friends.

What would you see as the ultimate objective ?

To line up at the start of the legendary Berlin, London and New York marathons, and just for fun the one in Médoc, France, where you run in disguise and everyone sips vintage wines from the castles during the stopovers !

The dream location where you would love to run?

I’ve long since acquired the habit of taking my running shoes with me wherever I travel, and of taking the opportunity of running through the still slumbering city very early in the morning. The best running routes are definitely in New York. Hong Kong offers breathtaking views, and I also love to run in the large Italian cities with their very special morning light.

How does this passion influence your professional life?

Believing in the value of long-term effort in order to reach a goal is a fundamental belief that can apply to many areas of professional life. Moreover, this sport enables me to try out various new Montblanc models.

* American athlete considered the all-time greatest 400-metre hurdle specialist

** Kenyan athlete who launched the tradition of runners from the high plains