UTMB Week 2026 Dispatches from Chamonix

This year’s UTMB week had so much excitement, with last-minute elites announcing they wouldn’t toe the line, the usual attrition drama within races, and the remarkable human stories that emerged. One of the things that stood out for me was the rising attention to the women’s events and the breakthrough performances of adaptive athletes. This really marks a growing diversification of the sport and it’s shining light in corners we really should have been looking in all along. Great forward progress for international trail and ultra running, and great racing all around!

- Kate, Founder & Director

Brits at UTMB: The Elite Racing Rundown

After years of good weather and an exceptionally bad one last year, this UTMB week was a mixed bag of conditions, which played a big part in how the racing eventually turned out. We saw some extremely hot weather for the OCC, only to have a wet and muddy start to the CCC and multiple course changes (some within the race, which definitely threw people off). However, by Friday night and with a 2-hour delayed start, conditions were optimal for the full 108-mile lap around Mont Blanc. Here’s how each race unfolded, with a particular focus on British athletes.

OCC: The Women’s Race Stole the Show 

There’s no doubt about it. The women’s race absolutely stole the show at the 60-km (37-mile) OCC, the first UTMB World Series Final race. Traditionally around 50 km long, the route has been changed quite a few times and has now settled on a 60 km course from Orsières in Switzerland back to Chamonix, taking on a high point at c. 2321 m at the Tête de Balme. With a long ascent followed by a descent in stages and a relatively fast, flat last 10 km, the challenge here was to stay in contention until the end and then run fast into town.

Britain’s Naomi Lang executed a brilliant race in her longest competitive run to date. She was running aggressively from the start, led through most of the second half and was caught by American Lauren Gregory just at the metal bridge which crosses a road before entering Chamonix. It came down to the last hundreds of metres as Lauren overtook Naomi among the Chamonix crowds, crossing the finish line with just 3 seconds margin over Naomi. It was a breathtaking race to witness - and they were so fast I couldn’t even take a picture! A brilliant debut at this race for both of them (Lauren’s finishing time is 6:08:07 and Naomi’s, 6:08:10), and they were followed in just one minute by Spain’s Sara Alonso, a fan favourite and finally stepping onto the podium here after being fourth twice (6:09:11). Jemima Farley was the next best placed British female in 22nd, followed by Holly Wootten in 26th position. 

In the men’s race, there was also drama as five of the top-10 men were stopped and held for a 5-minute time penalty after they were seen cutting across switchbacks (a hotly debated occurrence on social media). France’s Frederic Tranchand, current World and European champion, took off early and led wire to wire to secure the victory, but a steadfast Robbie Simpson did the UK proud in his fifth finish of this race, taking 8th place in just under 20 minutes behind the winner (Robbie has been third and second here before, and always in the top 10 in his previous four appearances - some consistency!). Andrew Heyes placed 44th and Jack Oates, 64th, while high-ranked Kristian Jones who claimed 5th last year didn’t race as he’s recovering from an injury.

CCC: Longer Than Ever & A Unique Finish

Weather-related changes resulted in the CCC, which is typically 100 km long from Courmayeur to Chamonix and covers most of the last section of the UTMB, being rerouted significantly on the Swiss side. There was a longer descent than usual all the way to Martigny, crossing train tracks (which ended up playing a crucial role in the women’s race) and then climbing almost 1000 m without stopping, before a short descent to Trient. This resulted in the race becoming 108 km long with 6200 m of elevation gain.

The women’s race featured three returning past champions: Miao Yao from China, Toni McCann from South Africa, and Yngvild Kaspersen from Norway. The biggest fight did end up being between them, with a leading Toni being held up by the train and allowing Yao to catch up, then a long section where the two battled before getting caught by Yngvild, who would go on to claim the win. On the British side, Gemma Hillier-Moses took 12th in her best result here (13:07:30), Imogen Ainsworth was 30th, Eve Moore 34th, and Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn 37th. 

The men’s race was also played heavily around the new longer climb, where Italy’s Cristian Minoggio got separation from the US’ Hans Troyer and went on to win, in front of a delayed UTMB start crowd. As the main race was pushed back two hours, Cristian arrived in Chamonix with 2500 starters watching on! It was the same for the full men’s podium, with the 4th to 10th place men then being held in town to allow UTMB runners to clear before running to the finishing arch. This affected the highest placed British man, Luke Grenfell-Shaw, who took home a brilliant 4th position. Keith Wigley was 28th, having overtaken a huge field from 73rd position after the first climb of the race. Ben Poole (71st) and Joe Farrelly (89th) were the next best UK results. Unfortunately, Hugh Chatfield (who was 12th at the World Championships last year) did not finish because of a previous injury resurfacing. 

UTMB: A Historically Fast Time

Cooler temperatures and a full moon contributed to ideal conditions on the first night of the 108-mile UTMB, which kicked off at the later time of 7:45 pm. This allowed the runners to completely miss any storms and also offered more daylight in different parts of the course that would traditionally have been crossed at night. A technical section that adds 20-30 minutes onto the course was also missed out. The result: Ben Dhiman ran the fastest time ever in 18:16:29 and all the men’s top 10 finishers were under 20 hours. On the women’s side, France’s Blandine L’Hirondel also made history with the first female sub-22-hour finish (21:54:49). 

The attrition that usually characterises the UTMB hit again early. Front running Brits that didn’t make it all the way around include Elsey Davis, Josh Wade (3rd place here last year), and Jonathan Albon (previous OCC and CCC winner). In the women’s race, Natalie Taylor (last year’s Ultra Tour Monte Rosa stage race winner) placed 36th, followed by Charlotte Fisher and Sarah Page, who crossed the line together in 37th. Andy Symonds ran a brilliant race for a 19th place male finish, followed by Tom Joly (28th) and Jack Chamberlain (51st). 

Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream: Dawn’s Gutsy UTMB

Dawn is originally from South Africa and has always dreamt of the UTMB, but figured it would remain an unattainable goal. However, living in the UK, the travel became more affordable, the Running Stones within reach, and the opportunity to work to get in became a very real goal. Completing the 100-miler at the Eryri by UTMB 2025 and then a 100k race at Val D’Aran gave her enough chances in the lottery, further increased by using a 30% boost reserved for runners committed to low-carbon travel. This got her in and meant she planned an early arrival in Chamonix to allow her time to recover after the long bus journey.

“I wanted to really enjoy the vibe in Chamonix, but also recover from 24 hours on the bus and get some altitude adaptations, too. So I got there a week early, climbed to Aiguille de Midi which was a huge pre-UTMB highlight. And it was amazing to do some of the activities around the event, meeting people - everyone has such a buzz, they’re either running or supporting a runner so it’s a fantastic community!” Dawn recalls. 

I asked her what she enjoyed the most about the race and she said everything! It sounds cliché, but feeling blessed to be living her dream really made the whole thing enjoyable. She ran for 42 hours, went through plenty of highs and lows, but always remembered what a privilege it was to be on the trails. 

A new element this year was the compulsory use of a red light when passing through the Contamines-Montjoie Nature Reserve, for roughly around 4 miles. This was brought in to reduce the effects of artificial white light on nocturnal animals and created an eerie atmosphere that made the long climb to the Col du Bonhomme, the first big climb of the race, all the more special under a full moon. 

Finally, “seeing people I knew at the finish and having conversations with runners on the trail was also really special. I tried to live in the moment and not rush the finish, which is such a celebration!”

Her advice: don’t go for a sprint across town to that finish arch. Hug, clap, high five everyone along the way. It’s such a special moment and it’s worth savouring. “I actually waited on purpose a little bit before the arch, as other runners were finishing, to make sure I then got my own finish celebration too. Unless you’re absolutely aiming for a time, it’s so much nicer to have that final victory jog in!” Also, make sure you take your time under the arch and take as many photos as you want, as they don’t let you back in once you head out of the finish area. 

Strong at 60: Francisca’s CCC

Francisca turned 60 in July and wanted to show women her age that they can do hard things. She is a Chamonix “veteran” having run CCC before in 2022 and then OCC for the last 3 years, so she knew the trails well and set out to enjoy the ride. With her instagram account @frangibar, she has quite a big audience of women so she “tried to show them that it’s never too late and that you are never too old to challenge yourself and do amazing things.”

The original goal was to run under 24 hours, but with the course change and bad weather that became a challenge. She lives in Spain and is originally from Chile, where she spends half the year, so rainy and cold conditions are rare and not her favourite. Additionally, CCC had a wave start and she was at the back, which meant that hundreds of runners trampled the trails ahead of her, making them more slippery and difficult. It was also tough to run the longer course, which added climbing and distance to an already challenging race.

By the time she reached Vallorcine aid station at 90 km into the race, she was struggling to eat or drink, so the last part of the race became an even bigger challenge. Luckily, as always, Chamonix delivers an experience that erases the hard final slog: “The last km was amazing, the energy from all the people cheering you on in the streets and the finish line feels just amazing!”

Beyond the Races

Before the madness of UTMB Week even began, another British runner was making history by running the routes… in a different challenge! 

Jake Catterall was planning to attempt the Alpine Connections project that legendary runner Kilian Jornet had completed last year (linking 82 Alpine summits of over 4000 m). Discovering that the risk levels were simply too high for him and his climbing partner after three days trying to climb the high summits, Jake had to plan something new (and welcomed the learnings that came with that!). Instead of letting a year’s worth of training go out the window, the idea of a “Superloop” emerged: 870 km and 61 000 m of ascent during 12 days. The Superloop covered every UTMB week race, from the shorter events aimed at young runners to the 300-km PTL adventure that is usually completed in teams of two or three. 

Reaching the symbolic finish line in front of the church in Chamonix was one of the toughest challenges, day after day. “You press “stop” on your watch and you then have to go back out again for the following route,” Jake recalls. “The toughest was finishing the UTMB loop and going and starting the TDS route immediately afterwards. I basically ran into a furnace as it was so hot that day. I struggled to drink or eat, even high-calorie drinks were tough. Even if I poured water on myself I felt too warm and my energy levels were so low… that was absolutely the hardest point of the entire trip!”

At no point did he think of quitting, though, especially as he felt that he had already “failed” the Alpine Connections. As he approached the end of the adventure, in fact, the feeling was bittersweet: “the end meant that the fun stops. I can only get so much positive energy during my challenges because I never actually think about the end.” That’s why his advice for making the most of any endurance challenge is simply: “enjoy the moment and the random place you’re in - speak to the farmer who can’t believe you’re finding yourself in the place you’re in. It’s going to feel so much more rewarding.”

You can see the full route, which involved breaking down the races into stages and sometimes having days where he ran, for example, the last part of UTMB and then the beginning miles of TDS, on this post.

Wow, what a week this has been! Some absolutely inspiring performances and heart-breaking moments along the way, and I’m coming away with renewed motivation and energy for setting goals for my next year on the trails. I crewed a few runners at the Les Contamines aid station during UTMB and the vibes were just amazing, much bigger and more fun than when I ran the race in 2022 (and I already thought it was all brilliant back then!).

Some of the standout moments for me: firstly, apart from watching the best OCC women’s race ever, following Blandine L’Hirondel on the live stream and holding my breath as she fell four times on the final descent, along with everyone else around me - you could feel us all willing her on. And secondly, once the live stream finished covering the top 10 women and men at the UTMB, I got the best surprise of the week: the camera runners went up the final descent and followed other people down on their races, too. Seeing “regular people” - amateur runners living their dream - was so refreshing, especially on the big screen in the centre of Chamonix. Such a great idea and it’s fantastic to see the organisation listening to the feedback from the public and including this in the week’s output. 

- Alecsa Stewart