The energy at the crammed, loud, picturesque start of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc—UTMB—is unmatched in the ultra trail running world. Perhaps the running world. Perhaps, even, the world of sport itself.
UTMB is the Boston Marathon of ultra trail running: It’s one of the oldest races of its kind, it’s incredibly hard to gain entry, and its course—more than 33,000 feet of positive elevation gain around France, Italy, and Switzerland—is one of allure.
“If you want to do the Boston Marathon of ultra running, this is it.”
Pat Holmberg-Heine
UTMB: The Pinnacle Event of Ultra Trail Running
The one-of-a-kind, 171-kilometer (104 miles) race began in 2003. The starting line takes place along a narrow stretch of road in Chamonix, France, long known as a ski and climbing town. The race follows the Tour de Mont Blanc, winding up the Alps’ tallest peak and Western Europe’s largest mountain.
The race “has this mythical status, this mythical place in the ultra trail world,” Mimmi Kotka, a Craft Sportswear athlete told me, sitting in a hotel along the Arves River, which flows through Chamonix. “It loops around the highest mountain in [Western] Europe, crosses three countries.”
Where the Best of the Best Compete
UTMB and the shorter races leading up to it “bring in a massive international field,” said Pat Holmberg-Heine, a running journalist and two-time finisher of UTMB. “If you want to do the Boston Marathon of ultra running, this is it.”
It’s incredibly difficult to gain entry to UTMB, which caps its field at 2,500 runners—nearly 10 times the size of top-tier races in the United States, like Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 (U.S. races are much smaller due to permitting issues.) Runners can qualify via an oft-confusing points system or through the race’s lottery.
Kotka and Holmberg-Heine agree that because of the race’s elite status, wildly challenging course, and the incredibly detailed and expansive media coverage, UTMB has changed the face of ultra trail racing.
“UTMB gave the sport this massive pinnacle event,” Holmberg-Heine said. “The whole world goes there to compete.”
“There’s a lot of drama [with UTMB], and that contributes to its allure,” said Kotka, who won the CCC 100K sister race in 2016. She also broke the course record in 2017 for the TDS, and competed in UTMB on two separate occasions, placing third in 2021.
“It’s quite runnable in the beginning, but then it gets worse and worse,” Kotka said. “Everyone wants to be here, it builds this pressure…It makes for great drama.”
Turning Trail Racing Into a Global Spectator Sport
The past several years the coverage, involving a massive operation of drones, helicopters, and athletes with cameras, brought the race’s 2 a.m. drama to the screens of fans all around the world.
Up until recently, if you weren’t at a 100-mile race, you probably weren’t going to see or hear it, Holmberg-Heine said.
“The media really set the bar for what coverage [of ultra trail racing] could look like,” Holmberg-Heine said, noting that irunfar.com used to be the only source for race updates and recaps.
“But then UTMB itself started broadcasting the race. It may not have been the first, but it definitely was the first [race] that had really high-quality coverage,” he said. “UTMB made this a spectator sport.”
“UTMB made this a spectator sport.”
Pat Holmberg-Heine
In addition to video and studio commentators, UTMB’s website breaks down elevation, course details, estimated times of arrival for checkpoints, and a live leaderboard.
But like anything that experiences a growth spurt, there are growing pains. UTMB partnered with Ironman in 2021, causing some concerns with those in the sport.
“With increased coverage and publicity, it’s highlighted the difference in equal coverage in gender, for example,” Holmberg-Heine said. “How much screen time are women getting in these broadcasts?”
Holmberg-Heine, a videographer, points out the difficulty of navigating how many cameras to use and where to place them.
“They’ve gotten better, but it takes learning and resources,” he said. “It’s trial-by-fire.”
As UTMB gains popularity and prestige—which can be good for developing the professional end of the sport and business—there will inevitably be clashes with the grassroots culture on which ultra trail running prides itself, Holmberg-Heine said.
UTMB’s Evolving Legacy: Champions, Change, and the Future of Ultra Running
When it comes to the future of the race, Kotka said she has “no idea” what to expect.
“UTMB and the sport are changing a lot,” she said, noting she misses the small-town feel of certain aspects of the event, including homemade honey that was once sold at the exhibition. “I’m obsessed with UTMB. You cannot do a perfect 100-mile race, but you can do a good one. I still have that on my tick tick [list].”
At this year’s UTMB, American Katie Schide, a North Face athlete, won the women’s race in a course record: 22:09:31. She won Western States earlier this year, making her only the fourth person to win both events in a single year alongside Nikki Kimball, Kilian Journet, and Courtney Dauwalter.
Hoka athlete and full-time Hoka employee Vincent Bouillard won the men’s race in 19:54:23, making him the fifth person to break 20 hours in the event.
“If you did well at UTMB you have a career,” Holmberg-Heine said. “That came out of this event more than anywhere else.”
