UTMB - Everything you should know!

We take a look at what the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) is all about and tell you what you should really know about this iconic race series.

At the end of August is one of the world’s most famous trail races, the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. The Poletti family who founded the race back in 2003 probably didn’t realise how incredibly popular their race would become. It’s not only provided a platform for amateurs to test themselves on the alpine trails around the tallest mountain in Europe, but also provided a stage for runners such as Kilian Jornet and Lizzie Hawker to become big names in the trail running world. It’s this combination of the UTMB and the incredible feats of the runners who take part that has captured the imagination and awe of many the world over.

2023 was the 20th anniversary year of the race and during the last 20 years the race and those running having continued to evolve. This year there will be 8 races, the shortest 15km and the longest 300km. The UTMB Mont Blanc are the finals for the UTMB World Series, currently 36 from all over the globe. Each race, part of the UTMB World Series, provides the opportunity to take part in the UTMB World Finals, in Chamonix. Last year was particularly exciting as we watched Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter win the headline race.

What started as an idea has now become arguably the focal point of trail running races. In order for runners to make it to the finals they need to take part in any UTMB race series, which on completion gives them a stone (the possibility of entering the finals ballot) as well as an index. The index needs to correlate with the distance of the intended race but an index can be obtained from any index recognised race. The more stones, the higher the chance of getting a place. Finally, none of the UTMB Mont Blanc races provide stones. So just to get to the start line is a challenge!

Like most years there will be some big names stepping out onto the trails, but 100 miles in the mountains is a long way, so it’s not always the favourites that make it to the podium.

You may have found yourself to be one of the lucky handful of people to get into this year’s UTMB World Final’s or maybe it’s something like you’d like to do in the future! It’s an incredible feat and a truly unforgettable experience of a lifetime. But the route which the UTMB headline race follows, the Tour du Mont Blanc has been around for a lot longer than most people know.

Some facts about the route

It was Horace Bénédicte de Saussure in 1776 who was the first known person to walk the whole route (he also made the 3rd summit of Mt Blanc and features on a famous statue in Chamonix dedicated to its ascent after coming up with the idea, offering a reward who made the first ascent)
The route is normally hiked in around 10-12 days
Run the Wild will be run guiding the route in September for their 12th year.
Most people navigate the TMB anticlockwise, as does the UTMB
The original TMB route, like the UTMB has changed over many years and has a lot of variants to explore, take a map if you’re going self-guided!
The highest point is just over 2,500m on the border with Switzerland
It’s one of just a few routes where you need to carry your passport, as you pass through 3 different countries

Facts about the races

The first Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc race was held in 2003, 772 runners started, only 67 finished
France has the highest number of entrants
Around half of the runners are aged 40-49 years old and only 10% are female
More than 30% on average DNF on the UTMB
The overall winner will complete the race in around 20 hours
Elizabeth Hawker (UK) has been the first female 5 times, a record unbroken
Kilian Jornet won last year in a record time of 19 hours 49 minutes
There used to be no prize money for winning the UTMB
For 3 years in a row from 2010-12 the UTMB couldn’t follow the complete circuit due to horrendous weather, it was also cancelled due to the COVID pandemic in 2020
Whilst the UTMB is taking place, Chamonix contains enough lycra to shrink wrap the planet (who knows? but there is a lot!). There are around 50,000 spectators, 10,000 runners and 2,000 volunteers who support the race series, but the population of Chamonix probably swells by 100,000 in total. That’s 100 visitors for every resident.
46 hours and 30 minutes is the cut-off
It’s much more enjoyable to run the route over 6 days and we’ve never had a DNF!