The Year the American’s Took Down the Toughest Footrace in the World
The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) is the pinnacle of trail running. Every year in late August, the week-long festival of human endurance sees thousands of runners descend upon the alpine town of Chamonix. Nestled at the foot of Mont-Blanc, the village plays host to an annual spectacle whose magnetism is such that it has been dubbed “The Super Bowl of Trail Running.”
This year, UTMB celebrated its 20th anniversary; however, the story of its creation begins half a decade prior to that initial race in 2003.
In the 90s, a man by the name of René Bachelard was an eager participant in an annual seven-person relay race called the Tour du Mont-Blanc Ultramarathon, which ran until the 1999 Mont-Blanc tunnel fire forced its cancellation. When the tunnel reopened three years later, Bachelard complained to one of his ultrarunning friends, Michel Poletti, that the race was not being restored and suggested somebody put on a new event – this time racing the loop as one continuous effort.
In Poletti, Bachelard knew he was pushing against an open door. A Chamonix local, keen trail runner, and local entrepreneur, Poletti had previously attempted this non-stop navigation and was eager to try it again. Poletti spoke to his wife Catherine, and the couple met with Bachelard and legendary mountaineer, Jean-Claude Marmier, at a hotel in Chamonix the following week to try and bring Bachelard’s idea to life. By October 2002, the race was officially on the international calendar, and in early 2003, they had their first registrant. When more than 700 runners arrived on the starting line at the inaugural UTMB, the group knew they were on to something.
Since then, the race has grown tremendously. By 2005, the 5000 available spots sold out in less than a day, and in 2008, even with the race cap increased to 6000 participants, the event sold out in eight minutes. Unsurprisingly, UTMB has grown to become the biggest ultrarunning event in the world.
Four-time champion, Kilian Jornet, attributes the growth of UTMB to the romantic simplicity of the event.
“This is Chamonix, Mont Blanc – the capital of alpinism. Very few places in the world have such an aura. You run around the mountain that is the highest in Western Europe, so it’s not like it’s hard to explain.”
Trail running’s showpiece event covers over 170km with more than 10,000m of elevation. It passes through three countries, boasts Tour de France-like crowds, and is made up of unpredictable weather, cowbells, and hallucinations.
Last Sunday marked the end of the incredible carnival that was the 2023 UTMB. And this year, the focus was on the Americans.
Elite Women
With a smile planted on her face and board shorts swinging by her knees, American Courtney Dauwalter cruised into Chamonix to assert herself as perhaps the greatest ultrarunner of all time. In just 10 weeks, Dauwalter has won the Western States 100 and Hardrock 100, both in course record time, and has now travelled to France to win her third UTMB title.
Just 32km into the race, Dauwalter found herself in a familiar place: alone and at the front. Running out of Les Contamines, the American put 10 minutes into second, and by the time dawn broke on Saturday morning, she was half an hour in front of her own course record and more than an hour in front of second.
Behind her, Germany’s Katharine Hartmuth was steadily moving through the field. Hartmuth’s watershed moment came on the climb to La Giete, where she caught and passed then second and third place Fuzhao Xiang and Blandine L’Hirondel. Skilfully navigating the final descents, she eased down into Chamonix just over 24 hours after she left to claim second place in her maiden UTMB.
Meanwhile, L’Hirondel closed the gap to Xiang on the final climb from Vallorcine to La Flégère, passing the Chinese runner at the summit and moving into third in her debut 100-mile race. While Xiang struggled with stomach issues, L’Hirondel pressed on to claim bronze in front of a home crowd, crossing the line just 12 minutes behind Hartmuth.
Elite Men
In America, ultrarunning evolved from running; in Europe, it was borne of mountaineering. As such, the races on the two continents are markedly different.
Upon realising this, Jim Walmsley moved from Arizona to Arêches Beaufort with a singular focus: to learn how the Europeans race and, after doing so, win UTMB. On his fifth outing, he has become the first American man to do just that.
Walmsley’s race was not as assured as Dauwalter’s. Travelling through Italy in the dark, Walmsley was caught by countryman Zach Miller, who charged over the Grand Col Ferret climb – the highest point on the course – and left the Champex Lac aid station at 127km with a healthy lead.
By the time Walmsley reached Champex Lac, he had Frenchman Germain Grangier in tow. The pair left the aid station, running around the lake that led to the La Giette ascent, with Miller nowhere in sight.
A barely visible Jim Walmsley parts the Tour de France-like crowds as he comes through Col De La Forclaz
(Photo credit: Marzelle van der Merwe-Ham)
However, it seemed that the further the sun rose above the Alps, the more strength Walmsley was able to find. Quickly dispatching Grangier, he reattached himself to Miller’s shoulder on the long descent above Trient before storming over the next climb and convincingly back into the lead: a position he would not relinquish.
Arriving back in Chamonix, he was greeted by a massive international crowd that seemed to appreciate the struggles and near-misses he had endured at UTMB. The ultimate student of the course had finally figured out how to put together the race of which everyone thought he was capable. He broke the tape in a new course record of 19:37:43, tears streaming down his face.
Miller was next across the line, finishing just inside 20 hours and successfully holding off Grangier, who was third in 20:10:52. Grangier led three more Frenchmen to the finish as the host nation took out third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
When asked about the historic win, Jim replied: "It just feels like I get to join the strong US women contingent. They've done it again and again here, and I'm just happy to stand on their shoulders."
You can access the full results from the 2023 UTMB here.