Filipino Ultra Trail Runner Aleksis Capili on Conquering the Alps for the Fourth Time
At 49, he reflects on his latest Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc finish and how endurance sports is shaping him to become a better man.
Published on Oct 12, 2026
For most of us, the only chance we get to see the Alps is when we snap off a triangle-shaped chocolate piece from a box of Toblerone. (It's based on the Matterhorn, a near-symmetric peak in the Monte Rosa area in the western part of the scenic mountain range in Europe.) But for Filipino ultra-trail runner Aleksis Capili, the Alps are an endurance athlete's holy grail, and he just conquered it for the fourth time in August 2026.
Capili was one of the 2,406 participants in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, an annual mountain ultramarathon trail race that goes through France, Italy, and Switzerland, beginning and ending in Chamonix (France). Runners not only conquer the length of 170 kilometers for a multi-day race, but also the elevation gain of about 10,000 meters. The weather is notoriously extreme and highly changeable due to the alpine environment: about 21°C to 26°C during the day and 5°C to 12°C at night in the valleys, then plummets to -10°C to -20°C in the high mountain peaks. While it's generally sunny, afternoon clouds frequently bring showers, hail, or even snow. Capili finished the run in 43 hours, 46 minutes, and 28 seconds, ranking 1205th in his division and 1421st globally.
The Road to Chamonix Begins at 37
But Capili, who now also works part-time as a certified coach for ultrarunning, endurance sports nutrition, and strength & conditioning, hasn't always been into sports.
"Nagsimula ako mga 12 years ago. Based ako sa Bangkok before. 'Yung lifestyle ko laging nasa labas, puro trabaho. Naging interested ako sa sports para mag-change ng lifestyle kasi medyo mataba ako," he tells Esquire Philippines in a phone call more than a month after UTMB.
Like many who recently got into running, he started out with road racing at 21K.
"Nag-race ako ng dalawang beses, then nag-extend ako to 42K full marathon twice. Tapos na-realize ko, ano bang next? Inisip ko to try ultra running. So nag-start ako sa trail ultra, which is a 50K. Every time I would do a distance twice—like 50K—nag-i-increase ako to 80K, 100K, 120K, hanggang sa naging 100 miles. Mas challenging kasi," he recalls.
In 2015, he became the first male Grandmaster of the Asia Trail Master series after finishing six 75K+ ultras in a single year across Asia.
He conquered his first UTMB in 2016 with a time of 43:38:16, his second one in 2018 with 39:55:54, and his third in 2022 with 39:35:17. Capili has run ultra trails in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, and Italy. In the Philippines, he completed trail races in Clark, the Cordilleras, and Tanay in the foothills of the Sierra Madre.
When asked what pushed him to transition from the road to the trail, he simply said: "Mas masaya, mas maganda yung views." But we all know there's so much more to it.
The Discipline of an Endurance Athlete
Capili isn't exactly a full-time athlete, and like the rest of us, he has to juggle keeping a job, spending time with his family, and still getting his steps in day in and day out.
He maintains a structured routine for training. On weekdays, he runs on the road four mornings a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday) for two to three hours at a time, followed by an evening session focused on functional strength training, incline treadmill work, or a 90-minute climb on the StairMaster. He treats Monday and Friday as full rest days to allow for recovery. Every Sunday is reserved strictly for a massive seven-to-eight-hour trail block in Wawa or Timberland to simulate trail runs complete with a weighted vest, hydration flasks, and trail food. Speaking of running fuel, Capili also conditions his stomach to adapt to whatever is served at trail aid stations, whether in Asia or Europe.
"Wala, kasi the purpose is to be flexible," he says when asked about a specific diet. "Dapat kinakain mo lahat ng isi-serve sa aid stations para masanay yung tiyan mo and avoid digestion issues or stomach aches. When I race in UTMB in Europe, iba yung pagkain nila—walang rice, puro bread, cheese, and salami—so pino-program ko rin yung tiyan ko for that. Pag races sa Asia, may rice, noodles, and chips."
Aside from the physical toll, long runs that last for days (and especially nights) require a different kind of mindset.
"Lalo na pag mahaba, kailangan malakas yung mental mo. Hindi ka basta-basta maapektuhan pag may mga kasama kang nag-DNF (Did Not Finish) o tumigil na. Mental din kasi pag may kasama ka sa race tapos nag-DNF, kaya dapat tuloy ka pa rin."
What Makes This UTMB Different
While this is Capili's fourth time in the Alps, it's definitely not a walk in the park. He explained that the route is more difficult and a lot different than when he last ran it in 2022. And his mental resilience played a huge role, especially when a dark night descent resulted in a sprained ankle, forcing him to let go of his time target (sub-38) and fight purely to reach the finish line.
"Maganda na yung pacing ko, pero natapilok ako. Sa gabi nung pa-downhill, may kinukuha ako sa pocket ko and I misstepped. Good thing marunong akong mag-bandage sa sarili ko. After 30 minutes, medyo nawala yung sakit, pero puro lakad na lang ako. Sa runnable sections na walang masyadong bato, nakakatakbo ako. Pero sa technical downhills, kailangan talagang lakarin, otherwise matatapilok uli at 'di makatapos."
Like in most races, his main goal is to really complete the course.
"Iba yung mindset ko pag nasa race: I just need to finish, and I will not give up. Naka-set na talaga sa utak ko yun."
Becoming a Better Man Off the Trail
All these factors, from keeping a structured training week to cultivating mental fortitude on the trail, contribute to how he shows up off the mountain—making him a more dedicated professional, a more present husband for Jaja (his wife) and father to AJ (his five-year-old son), and a deeply grounded man in everyday life.
"Mas dedicated ako sa work at sa lahat ng ginagawa ko. Mas marunong din akong makisama sa ibang tao. On the trail at night, when you're all alone, you learn to communicate and build camaraderie with other runners. You apply that discipline and adaptability in the real world," Capili concludes.
A year shy of the big 50, Capili proves that age is never an excuse to stop pushing—or to stop becoming better.
Christa I. De La Cruz is a Palanca Award-winning writer with over 15 years of experience in feature writing for print and digital media. She earned her Sertipiko sa Malikhaing Pagsulat sa Filipino from the University of the Philippines Diliman and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from De La Salle University. Her poetry collection, "Dáyo: Mga Tula" (2026), is published by the DLSU Publishing House and Grana Books.
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