The Extraordinary Endurance of the Human Species (0 TO 100)

We hypothesize, based on field and scientific data, that setting a very ambitious goal such as completing a mountain ultra-marathon could motivate sedentary and inactive individuals not only to begin training but also to follow a progressive yet extremely ambitious program that has not yet been studied comprehensively. Indeed, the effects of intense and prolonged endurance training (18 months) on the health and performance of completely sedentary individuals have never been investigated exhaustively.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy Volunteers
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Intensive training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Léonard FEASSON, MD Phd; Phone Number: +33 (0)4 77 82 83 00; Email: leonard.feasson@chu-st-etienne.fr
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Céline LECLERCQ-TRAUTVETTER, CDP; Phone Number: +33 04 77 82 94 27; Email: Celine.LECLERCQ-TRAUTVETTER@chu-st-etienne.fr

Study Locations

• France
  • Saint-Etienne, France, 42055
    • Recruiting
    • CHU de Saint-Etienne
    • Sub-Investigator: David HUPIN, MD
    • Sub-Investigator: Clément FOSCHIA, MD
    • Sub-Investigator: Philippe BOIRON, MD
    • Sub-Investigator: Rémi VASSEUR, MD
    • Contact: Léonard FEASSON, MD Phd; Phone Number: +33 (0)4 77 82 83 00; Email: leonard.feasson@chu-st-etienne.fr
    • Sub-Investigator: Renan PLANCHER, MD
    • Sub-Investigator: Laurent GERGELE, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Affiliation to social security.
• Informed consent signed.
• Male or female, aged 25-50.
• Sedentary (>6h/day sitting) and inactive (no regular training), assessed by GPAQ questionnaire.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Chronic joint or cardiac diseases.
• Neurological disorders.
• Legal protection status.
• Moderate to severe depression (BDI-13 > 7) or use of antidepressants/anxiolytics.
• Use of banned substances.
• Excessive alcohol or caffeine consumption.
• Pregnancy.
• Inability to understand or consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Endurance training; From March 1, 2026 to August 2027, participants will follow individualized coaching: starting at 5-6 hours per week and progressing to 7-10 hours (rarely 15 hours) per week before mountain ultra marathon	Behavioral: Intensive training; participants will follow individualized coaching: starting at 5-6 hours per week and progressing to 7-10 hours (rarely 15 hours) per week before mountain ultra marathon

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Transition from sedentary lifestyle to regular activity and completion of a 100 km ultra-trail	Percentage of participants who (i) become sufficiently active to be ready to start the Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) 100 km ultra-trail of the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc, and (ii) complete the 100 km CCC race.	up to 18 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Safety and tolerance of progressive endurance training	Rate of injuries or adverse events reported weekly, and dropout rate over the 18-month training period.	Weekly reporting during the 18-month intervention period
Feasibility and adherence to the endurance training program	Proportion of scheduled training sessions completed by participants and the percentage of participants finishing the 100 km CCC ultra-trail among those who started the race.	up to 18 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 3, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 28, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 26, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Healthy volunteers; Sedentary; Ultra-endurance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Sedentary Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 25CH172; ANSM (Other Identifier: 2025-A01697-42)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: we are not decided for the moment

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No