Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc Express Mont Blanc Express
In 17 days (on August 30), at 16:30 Paris time, in the town of Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps on Europe’s rooftop, the annual world-renowned extreme endurance race — the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) — will take place. Over 2,300 trail running enthusiasts from around the globe, along with more than 1,300 event volunteers, will come together to make UTMB a reality and take pride in it.
The French, known for their romance, are not only adept at crossing boundaries in sports but also brimming with athletic inspiration. They have always enjoyed trying and challenging more thrilling areas of sports. Beyond the world-famous traditional French events that are widely recognized — such as the Tour de France, the French Open, and the Paris-Dakar Rally — the French have been awarded the greatest contribution prize for “creating sports.” The world’s first trail race, the Raid Gauloises, the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert of Morocco, the globally popular sport of parkour, and paragliding over mountain slopes were all created and promoted by the French. Moreover, the French have a deep understanding of the philosophy of modern mountaineering, and the town of Chamonix in the Alps is the birthplace of modern mountaineering and a sacred site for alpine skiers. However, when summer arrives and the snow melts and the trees flourish, there emerges the UTMB “Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc,” which serves as a summer outdoor activity complement to the Mont Blanc region.
In August 2003, the first UTMB Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc had 722 trail running participants. The entire race route followed the famous European Tour of Mont Blanc hiking trail. This route crosses three countries — France, Italy, and Switzerland — with a total distance of 166 kilometers and an accumulated elevation gain and loss of 9,400 meters (which an average person would need 6–7 days to complete). That year, 67 people finished within the time limit, and Dachhiri Dawa, a Sherpa, won the championship with a time of 20 hours and 5 minutes.
In 2004, the number of applicants for the second UTMB Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc skyrocketed to 1,400. Ultimately, 420 finished within the time limit, and Vincent Delebarre won the championship with a time of 21 hours and 6 minutes.
In 2005, all 2,000 registration slots were filled within 7 weeks. 774 people completed the race, and Christophe Jaquerod won the championship with a time of 21 hours and 11 minutes. British female Elizabeth Lizzy Hawker became the first woman to participate in the UTMB.
In 2006, considering the negative effects brought by the expanding scale of the race, the organizers decided to introduce the CCC category to divert some participants from the UTMB. The Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) category, also known as the half-course of UTMB, follows a route from Courmayeur in Italy to Champex in Switzerland to Chamonix in France, covering a distance of 98 kilometers with an elevation gain and loss of 5,600 meters. In the end, 1,151 participants finished the UTMB category, and Italy’s Marco Olmo won the championship with a time of 21 hours and 6 minutes. He is a legendary figure in UTMB history — he won the UTMB championship at the age of 58, joining the sport relatively late when others had long stopped intense competition. He was a farmer and a driver for most of his life. Though his opponents were younger and stronger, he refused to give up. He prepared for a year and was determined to win to prove he could do it. Since then, whenever Marco Olmo competes in UTMB, his bib number is always 1.
In 2007, the UTMB organizers began introducing the concept of certified races. Because registration slots had become extremely hard to get, in order to ensure fair access to the limited spots and reduce individual risks due to ability gaps, UTMB categorized and rated other races, establishing a qualifying race list.
To enter the UTMB category, participants must earn a minimum of 5 points, limited to two qualifying races (in 2013, the minimum points required for UTMB entry was raised to 7); the CCC category requires at least 1 point; the TDS category requires at least 2 points.
The introduction of the qualifying system and point-based entry did not dampen the enthusiasm of endurance runners. On the contrary, they showed great support for the new system. In 2007, all 2,000+ registration slots were filled within 10 hours. Eventually, 2,319 participants started the race, and a record-high 1,437 finished. Marco Olmo once again claimed the championship with a time of 21 hours and 31 minutes.
In 2008, 2,000 registrants signed up within 7 minutes, and all slots were filled within 5 weeks. Out of 2,500 participants, 1,269 completed the race, and Kilian Jornet, a 23-year-old Spanish phenom, stood out with a time of 20 hours and 58 minutes, becoming the youngest champion.
In 2009, the growing number of applicants had become too much for the UTMB category to handle, so the organizers introduced the Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) race to help distribute the crowd. The TDS race, also known as the Path of the Dukes of Savoy, follows a historical transport route from Geneva to Nemours. The La Petite Trotte à Léon (PTL) category, a team-based event also known as the Lyon Trek, covers a distance of 250 kilometers with an elevation gain and loss of 18,000 meters. As a result, in 2009, out of 2,500 participants, 1,382 finished the race. Kilian Jornet defended his title with a time of 21 hours and 33 minutes, becoming the second double champion in UTMB history.
The 2010 UTMB was completely disrupted by an unexpected heavy rain. First, 2,500 UTMB participants were called back shortly after starting, waiting for the rain to stop before continuing. But when the rain persisted, the organizers had to reroute them to the 108-kilometer course. Many participants were heartbroken — the race they had prepared for a whole year was unfortunately “canceled.”
In the following 2011 and 2012 UTMB events, the race distances were shortened due to heavy rain and snow on the day of the event. Although the scenario of the world’s top extreme endurance race having its distance cut for three consecutive years due to weather may sound dramatic, it also disappointed many participants. Therefore, the UTMB organizing committee prepared a 170-kilometer alternate course this year, ensuring that in case of severe weather on race day, participants could still complete a full UTMB.
Among the UTMB categories in the Mont Blanc race, the highest-ranking Asian is Japanese trail running legend Yoshikazu Hibino, who secured 4th place in the men’s division in 2008. The first Chinese participant in the UTMB was Zhejiang native Chen Penbin. In the 2009 UTMB TDS (105km) category, he achieved 27th place. With the rise of extreme endurance trail running in China, the 2012 UTMB saw mainland athletes such as Yunyao Qiao, Rongling Xing, Bin Bai, Long Huang, and Chunyan Chen lining up at the start lines of various UTMB categories.
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