Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc

Single-stage mountain ultramarathon held in Chamonix, France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) is a single-stage mountain ultramarathon trail race on a course of about 170 km around Mont Blanc, first held in 2003.

DateEnd of August
LocationFrance Chamonix, France
Event typeUltramarathon trail race
Distance174-kilometre (108 mi)
Quick facts Date, Location ...
Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
Finish line in 2015
DateEnd of August
LocationFrance Chamonix, France
Event typeUltramarathon trail race
Distance174-kilometre (108 mi)
Established2003
Course recordsMen: Jim Walmsley 19:37:43 (2023) Women: Katie Schide 22:09:31 (2024)
Official sitehttps://montblanc.utmb.world/
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The race follows the route of the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland, beginning and ending in Chamonix, France.[1][2][3]

The race is approximately 170 km long, with about 10,000 m of elevation gain.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] It is the longest and flagship race of UTMB Mont-Blanc, the annual event week held around Mont Blanc at the end of August. Within the UTMB World Series Finals, the race serves as the 100M-category Final.[11][12][1][13][14][15]

The race has been described by running media as one of the most competitive and prestigious trail ultramarathons in the world.[16][17][18][19]

Catherine and Michel Poletti founded the race in 2003.[20][21][22][23][24]

Route

The route follows the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking path that is usually completed in 7 to 9 days by hikers. This is a loop around Mont Blanc.[4][5][25][26][27]

It starts from Chamonix (1,035 m) and goes up to the Col de Voza (1,653 m) to reach Les Contamines (1,150 m), which is the first life base. It then climbs to the Croix du Bonhomme (2,479 m) before going back down to Les Chapieux (1,549 m). The path then runs up to the Col de la Seigne (2,516 m) to enter Italy, and follows the ridge of the Mont-Favre (2,435 m) before going down to Courmayeur (1,190 m), the second life base. It climbs again to the Refuge Bertone (1,989 m) and Arnuva (1,769 m) before reaching its highest point, the Grand Col Ferret (2,537 m), which also marks the border with Switzerland. The path goes down again to Praz de Fort (1,151 m) via La Fouly (1,593 m) before reaching the third life base, Champex d'en Bas (1,391 m). The last part includes two rather low cols: Bovine (1,987 m) and Les Tseppes (1,932 m), separated by Trient (1,300 m). On the descent to Vallorcine (1,260 m), the path re-enters France and crosses Argentière (1,260 m) before finishing at Chamonix, its starting point.

The route varies slightly every year, sometimes for safety reasons.

In 2010, the route was 166 km long with a total elevation gain of 9500m.

Race profile

Logistics

A check point on the UTMB 2005
  • Runners must carry a set of "mandatory equipment" for safety reasons. This includes a waterproof jacket, warm clothing, food and water, whistle, smartphone, survival blanket and two head lamps.[28]
  • There are food and drink points along the route, every 10 to 15 km. In addition, four big "life bases" provide hot meals, beds and massages: Chamonix (France), Les Chapieux (France), Courmayeur (Italy) and Champex (Switzerland).
  • Pacers are not permitted in UTMB events.
  • At Courmayeur for UTMB and at Cormet de Roselend for TDS, runners can collect a drop bag they previously left at Chamonix or at Courmayeur.
  • Runners' race numbers contain a magnetic badge that is read at approximately 50 check points. Timings and rankings are available online and by text message in real-time.
  • It is conducted under the regulations of the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), the governing body for trail races in the Mont Blanc and Alpine region.
  • The race relies largely on volunteers to operate the course and staff aid stations. 15,000 volunteers were involved in 2015.

Participation and results

Vincent Delebarre at Champex during the UTMB 2005

The race's popularity and its entry rate grew significantly since it was first held. The number of entrants doubled from 700 in 2003 to 1,400 in 2004. In 2005, the limit of 5,000 runners was reached 7 months after registration opened. In 2006, the organisers decided to create the CCC to allow more runners to take part. The registrations were sold out in only 2 weeks. In 2007, it was decided that runners must qualify, by running qualifying races beforehand and gaining points. That year the limit of 5,000 runners was reached less than 24 hours after registration opened. For the 2008 event, 6,000 runners registered in only 8 minutes, 5 months before the race. For the 2009 event, the qualifying criteria were tightened to limit the number of qualifying runners, and a draw was introduced to make entry fairer, giving an equal chance to all qualifiers, and making registration more orderly. Despite the stricter criteria, 10% of qualifying entrants were still denied a place, so the organisers raised entry standards still further for the 2010 event so that selection would be based more on capability and experience than luck of the draw.

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants automatically receiving a 55% refund and given the option of reserving a spot for 2021, 2022, or 2023.[29]

Ultra-Trail du Tour du Mont-Blanc

More information Year, Distance ...
Year DistanceRunnersFinishersWinner MaleTimeWinner FemaleTimeNotes
2003 153 km72267Dachhiri Dawa Sherpa Nepal20:05:59Kristin Moehl United States29:38:242003 full results
2004 155 km1383420Vincent Delebarre France21:06:18Colette Borcard Switzerland26:08:542004 full results
2005 155 km2000773Christophe Jaquerod Switzerland21:11:07Elizabeth Hawker United Kingdom26:53:512005 full results
2006 158 km25351152Marco Olmo Italy21:06:06Karine Herry France25:22:202006 full results
2007 163 km23191437Marco Olmo Italy21:31:58Nikki Kimball United States25:23:452007 full results
2008 166 km25001268Kilian Jornet Spain20:56:59Elizabeth Hawker United Kingdom25:19:412008 full results
2009 166 km25001383Kilian Jornet Spain21:33:18Kristin Moehl United States24:56:012009 full results
2010[a] 88 km24001127Jez Bragg United Kingdom10:30:37[a]Elizabeth Hawker United Kingdom11:47:30[a]2010 full results
2011 170 km2361 1133Kilian Jornet Spain20:36:43Elizabeth Hawker United Kingdom25:02:002011 full results
2012[a] 103 km2483 2122François D'Haene France10:32:36[a]Elizabeth Hawker United Kingdom12:32:13[a]2012 full results
2013 168 km24691686Xavier Thevenard France20:34:57Rory Bosio United States22:37:262013 full results
2014 167 km24341582François D'Haene France20:11:44Rory Bosio United States23:23:202014 full results
2015 170 km2561 1631Xavier Thevenard France21:09:15Nathalie Mauclair France25:15:332015 full results
2016 170 km25551468Ludovic Pommeret France22:00:02Caroline Chaverot France25:15:402016 full results
2017[a] 167 km25371687François D'Haene France19:01:54[a]Núria Picas Spain25:46:43[a]2017 full results
2018 170 km25611778Xavier Thevenard France20:44:16Francesca Canepa Italy26:03:482018 full results
2019 170 km25431556Pau Capell Spain20:19:07Courtney Dauwalter United States24:34:262019 full results
2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[29]
2021 170 km23461521François D'Haene France20:45:59Courtney Dauwalter United States22:30:542021 full results
2022 170 km27951789Kilian Jornet Spain19:49:30Katie Schide United States23:15:122022 full results
2023 172 km26931757Jim Walmsley United States19:37:43Courtney Dauwalter United States23:29:142023 full results
2024 176.4 km 2761 1760 Vincent Bouillard France 19:54:23 Katie Schide United States 22:09:31 2024 full results
2025 175.3 km 2492 1665 Tom Evans United Kingdom 19:18:58 Ruth Croft New Zealand 22:56:23 2025 full results
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Ultra-Trail Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix

More information Year, Distance ...
Year DistanceRunnersFinishersWinner MaleTimeWinner FemaleTimeNotes
2006 86 km1054854Alun Powell United Kingdom10:53:17Corinne Favre France10:35:552006 full results[dead link]
2007 86 km16091332Julien Chorier France10:19:46Andréa Zimmermann Switzerland12:28:052007 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2008 98 km2032 1318Guillaume Le Normand France12:26:04Lucy Colquhoun United Kingdom14:33:372008 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2009 98 km1865 1266Jean-Yves Rey Switzerland11:40:47Chantal Begue France16:51:002009 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2010 98 km2004 1677Xavier Thevenard France11:57:13Maud Giraud France14:07:382010 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2011 98 km1907 1591Emmanuel Gault France10:10:25Virginie Govignon France12:47:112011 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2012[a] 86 km1913 1585Tofol Castañer Bernat Spain08:57:04[a]Ellie Greenwood United Kingdom11:17:24[a]2012 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2013 101 km1910 1320Jordi Bes Spain11:23:01Caroline Chaverot France14:12:002013 full results Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2014 101 km19451423Pau Bartolo Spain11:21:16Anne Lise Rousett France14:28:482014 full results Archived 2016-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
2015 101 km2127 1470Zach Miller United States11:53:32Ruth Croft New Zealand12:54:532015 full results Archived 2016-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
2016 101 km2123 1386Michel Lanne France12:10:04Mimmi Kotka Sweden13:42:462016 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2017 99 km 2155 1742 Hayden Hawks United States 10:24:30 Clare Gallagher United States 12:13:57 2017 full results Archived 2018-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
2018 101 km 2147 1622 Thomas Evans United Kingdom 10:44:32 Miao Yao China 11:57:46 2018 full results
2019 101 km 2132 1578 Luis Alberto Hernando Spain 10:28:49 Ragna Debats Netherlands 12:10:33 2019 full results
2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[29]
2021 101 km 2009 1578 Thibaut Garrivier France 10:23:26 Marta Molist Codina Spain 12:50:48 2021 full results
2022101 km17271341Petter Engdahl Sweden09:53:02Blandine L'Hirondel France11:40:552022 full results Archived 2022-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
2023101 km22281650Jonathan Albon United Kingdom10:14:25Yngvild Kaspersen Norway11:51:222023 full results Archived 2022-08-28 at the Wayback Machine|2023 full results
2024 101 km 2269 1636 Hayden Hawks United States 10:20:11 Toni McCann South Africa 11:57:59 2024 full results
2025 101 km 1641 Francesco Puppi Italy 10:06:02 Martyna Młynarczyk Poland 11:41:55 2025 full results
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Ultra-Trail Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie

More information Year, Distance ...
Year DistanceRunnersFinishersWinner MaleTimeWinner FemaleTimeNotes
2009 105 km632 480 Patrick Bohard France14:01:48Fernanda Maciel Brazil17:17:432009 full results[dead link]
2010 105 kmcancelled
2011 110 km1180 781 Franck Bussiere France15:51:37Jolanda Linschooten Netherlands20:57:322011 full results[dead link]
2012 114 km1464 633 Dachhiri Dawa Sherpa Nepal14:37:07Agnès Herve France19:07:002012 full results[dead link]
2013 119 km1528 1022 Arnau Julià Bonmatí Spain15:09:59Nathalie Mauclair France17:36:412013 full results[dead link]
2014 119 km1588 1076 Xavier Thevenard France14:10:37Teresa Nimes Perez Spain18:41:122014 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2015 119 km1807 1214 Pau Bartolo Spain14:26:40Andrea Huser Switzerland16:35:292015 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2016 119 km1794 1060Pau Capell Spain14:45:44Delphine Avenier France18:46:242016 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2017 119 km18181251Michel Lanne France14:33:09Mimmi Kotka Sweden15:47:072017 full results
2018 121 km17991329Marcin Świerc Poland13:24:00Audrey Tanguy France16:05:222018 full results
2019 145 km17851091Pablo Villa Gonzalez Spain18:03:06Audrey Tanguy France21:36:152019 full results
2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[29]
2021 145 km 433 212 Erik-Sebastian Krogvig Norway 18:49:58 Manon Bohard France 23:11:14 2021 full results
2022145 km17741072Ludovic Pommeret France18:37:04Martina Valmassoi Italy22:42:472022 full results Archived 2022-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
2023145 km1649998Christian Meier Canada19:36:35Maryline Nakache France23:37:572023 full results Archived 2022-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
2024 145 km 1874 1111 Thibault Marquet France 18:59:36 Marie Dohin France 24:06:01 2024 full results
2025 145 km 1935 1207 Antoine Charvolin France 18:22:17 Careth Arnold United States 22:58:52 2025 full results
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Orsières-Champex-Chamonix

More information Year, Distance ...
Year Distance Runners Finishers Winner Male Time Winner Female Time Notes
2014 53 km 1200 1109 Nicolas Martin France 5:07:45 Sonia Glarey Italy 6:37:40 2014 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2015 53 km 1442 1317 Marc Pinsach Rubirola Spain 5:21:38 Celia Chiron France 6:41:53 2015 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2016 55 km 1413 1232 Xavier Thevenard France 5:28:37 Mercedes Arcos Zafras Spain 6:54:13 2016 full results Archived 2017-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
2017 55 km 1565 1468 Marc Lauenstein Switzerland 5:19:34 Eli Gordon Rodriguez Spain 6:12:16 2017 full results
2018 55 km 1572 1478 Erenjia Jia China 5:28:44 Ruth Croft New Zealand 5:53:09 2018 full results
2019 55 km 1605 1474 Stian Angermund-Vik Norway 5:19:24 Ruth Croft New Zealand 5:50:14 2019 full results
2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[29]
2021 55 km 1464 1359 Jonathan Albon United Kingdom 5:02:57 Blandine L'Hirondel France 5:45:08 2021 full results
2022 55 km 1511 1190 Manuel Merillas Spain 5:18:29 Sheila Avilés Castaño Spain 6:10:16 2022 full results
2023 55 km 1729 1643 Stian Angermund Norway 4:42:40 Toni McCann South Africa 5:18:21 2023 full results
2024 57 km 1764 1534 Eli Hemming United States 5:11:48 Miao Yao China 5:54:03 2024 full results
2025 61 km 1568 1418 Jim Walmsley United States 5:00:35 Miao Yao China[b] [30] 5:35:13 2025 full results
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Results by nation

Updated after the 2025 editions.

UTMB

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CCC

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TDS

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References

External links

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