Reflections on the UTMB

Race founder Catherine Poletti addressing the crowds

An eventful year for the UTMB with the races significantly effected by poor weather for the third year in a row. The late change of the route meant that the challenge for the competitors was very different being only two thirds of the distance and ascent of the actual UTMB. For the leading athletes this would equate to a night race arriving back in Chamonix on Saturday morning. However only one percent of the nearly 2500 runners who'd registered opted not to race the new course.

UTMB 2012 winner Francois d'Haene

2012 UTMB Champion & 5 time winner Lizzie Hawker

The UTMB 2012 podium

Every athlete involved in the UTMB has a story to tell, a fact recognised by the organisers in their press conferences and which is very much part of their ethos. In a truly international competition there were eight countries represented in the top 10 competitors from the from both the mens and womens races.

The North Face athletes were having an interesting day at the office. Seb Chaigneau was always going to have a challenging event. Just 6 weeks ago he suffered a badly cut knee in a fall which required 25 stiches. Early on last night he fell again and cut the other knee. By argientiere his vision had deteriated to such an extent that he was packed off to hospital to get checked out. The good news is he's all fine

Zigor Iturrieta was running well when again a fall at Contamine in the tricky conditions robbed him of the chance of being competitive. In the spirit of the event he opted to walk the rest of the course finishing well down the order but having had an adventure as the organisers had promised.

 Lizzie Hawker at the awards ceromony

The day belonged to 'Queen Lizzie' who received the biggest cheer of the day as she stepped onto the stage to receive her cowbell for her fifth UTMB win. Earlier she'd look almost embarrassed as she explained she wasn't one hundred percent fit having battled injury this season. Nevertheless she was 16th overall, the first time a women has featured in the top twenty. Asked about her motivation to go for a 6th title the phrases top ten and course record were mentioned. 

There are three others events in the UTMB festival of ultra running. The longest is the PTL or La Petite Trotte a Leon. This multi day experience for teams packs in 290km and 22,000m of climbing. They'd been blessed with good conditions earlier in the week but this weekends weather system had laid down 40cm of snow at the Col de la Seine. Thinking outside the box a herd of cows were driven over the pass to create a track for a few of the teams!

 Dawa Sherpa facing the press

The TDS (Sur la Traces des Ducs de Savoiewas) won by the legendary Dawa Sherpa, winner of the very first UTMB and still the holder of the fastest time. Like the CCC but slightly harder this race also starts in Courmayeur but heads clockwise around the Mont Blanc massif to finish in Chamonix after 114km and 7150m of ascent.

Tofol Bernat (in white) leading the CCC field through Courmayeur

The CCC (Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix) race featured many of the North Face UK Sales and PR team putting minds, bodies and kit to the test. The climb over the Col Grand Ferret in deep snow in very cold but windless conditions was certainly a memorable challenge. The course had been slightly shortened missing out the first and last climbs but this doesn't detract from the herculean effort of Tofol Bernat who raced back to Chamonix in under nine hours. His reward - the amazing experience of rounding the final corner and coming face to face with the whole UTMB field cheering him home, something that even twenty four hours later left him visibly moved.

 

A amazing event to be part of and it may have planted a small seed in my mind! Huge thanks to the team at North Face for the invitation to follow Jez Bragg and for a very memorable night out in the rain watching thousands of runners go through the experience of the UTMB. I hope the ladies at Geneva airport who were having a little competition counting the blue gillets, which were awarded to all finishers, realise what they really mean to thousands of runners.

UTMB & CCC 2012 Footage

2012 ULTRATRAILTV - CCC® GRAND COL FERRET by UltraTrailMontBlanc

 
2012 ULTRATRAILTV - UTMB® CONTAMINES by UltraTrailMontBlanc
 
22012 ULTRATRAILTV - UTMB FINISH by UltraTrailMontBlanc

Amazing scenes in Chamonix...

  

The smiles and grimaces tell the story as these competitors make their way through the streets of Chamonix and the last few meters of the shortened Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 The finish line in sight

The drama is too much for some of the spectators!

... and finally Chamonix

The Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix

VIDEO - The final run into Chamonix :)

Original route - Trient

 One of the local experts

VIDEO - 2011 action from the Trient

UTMB Round Up

Waiting for the winner

A grey and cold Saturday has dawned in Chamonix with the cloud base even lower. In the half light Francois d'Haene loped across the line to a decisive UTMB victory, half an hour up on second placed Jonas Buud. A further 16 minutes back was Michael Foote who had made up a huge number of places in the last few kilometers. It was only after he crossed the line that he realised he'd achieved 3rd! In a great gesture Francois returned down the course to applaud a few CCC competitors he'd overtaken in his sprint finish.

Winner of the 2012 UTMB Francois d'Haene

 

Jonas Buud crosses the line in second place

Jonas Buud very happy with his performance

Michael Foote finding out he's on the podium

The story of the day belongs to Lizzie Hawker who has now won the race 5 times. After an indifferent season due to injury she felt the shortened course played into her hands and enjoyed a comfortable victory in 12:32:13 placing 16th overall despite not being fully fit. Comparing this time to her predicted splits on the origional UTMB route she'd still have been in the lead somewhere on the Col Grand Ferret struggling through deep snow! An amazing level of motivation to keep coming back to such a demanding event and perform at this level.

The indomitable Lizzie Hawker crossing the line

Facing the media with a smile!

Alongside the leading UTMB finishers, the CCC competitors continued to stream across the line, many overcome with emotion after having battled with the conditions for nearly 24 hours.

History of Tour du Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc massif from above Verbier

The UTMB is based roughly on the Tour du Mont Blanc, the most popular long walk in Europe which is traversed by 10,000 people each summer. The 170km and 10,000m of ascent are usually completed in 10-12 days although a large number of variations exist.

Back in 1767 Horace Benedict de Saussure and a group of friends, guides, porters and mules circumnavigated the Mont Blanc massive from Chamonix via the Col du Bonhomme, Col de la Seigne, Courmayeur and Grand St Bernard Pass.

A further sixty years passed until JD Forbes, a eminent Professor of Natural Philosophy completed a circuit in 1839. It then grew vastly in popularity during the Victorian era with a number of luxurious and heavily supported expeditions.

Most trekkers will spend the nights in the mountain huts or refuges which dot the landscape. These cover the whole spectrum from accommodation which should be demolished and the guardians retired through to almost four star luxury. The 'chocolate chaud' at the Rif Elena is worthy of a Michelin star.

Original route - Champex to Chamonix guide

 The final and toughest sector into the Chamonix Valley (168km)

VIDEO - Champex to Chamonix

Original route - Champex

Checkpoint 22 at Champex Lac

VIDEO - The haven of Champex Lac at 122.4km

 A couple of supporters on the long drag up to Champex

Original route - Grand Col Ferret

VIDEO - footage of runners crossing the Grand Col Ferret from 2011

Mid race update

 Lizzie Hawker storming through Les Houches for the second time

Well it's been a long and soggy night with it's fair share of drama. The start was delayed as for the first time in the history of the event the winner of the CCC arrived in Chamonix before the start of the main event. Forcing his way to the line against a tide of 2800 fresh runners would have been a very cruel joke. In the end Spaniard Tofol Castaner Bernat triumphed in a stunning time of 8:57:04.

Tofol Bernat having his kit checked before the start of the CCC

Once the race was underway we drove up to St Gervais expecting to see Jez through in the leading pack. However a quick phone call revealed that he'd had a few problems and wasn't on his game so had opted to retire at St Gervais. He'd been with the leaders until the first climb from Les Houches where he slipped steadily back with nothing in the tank. A tough call but the right one in the circumstances. A hot toddy and crepe was just what the doctor ordered and he was back in Chamonix to see his fiancee Gemma complete her first CCC in 16:35.

With Jez out of the running we turned our focus on four time champion Lizzie Hawker who was having a good race. Lizzie is also on the North Face team having won the UTMB in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2011 with a second in 2009. We watched her come back through Contamine in 24th place and 25 minutes up on her nearest rival while a stream of slower runners were still checking in for the first time. By Les Houches she was up to 17th with a number of other runners in her sights. We'll be back out again in a couple of hours to see her finish.

A special mention must go to the checkpoint staff in Les Houches who were keeping their spirits up, despite the rain, with plenty of singing and dancing. They were also offering bucket loads of support to every competitor. It created a really good atmosphere which was much appreciated after the chaos and a few grumpy marshals at St Gervais.

Leaving St Gervais in the rain with a long night ahead

 Very soggy conditions at St Gervais

 Would Sir like banana with that?

 The 1000 yard stare of the ultra distance runner

 

Lizzy at Contamine for the second time

Original route - Courmayeur to Champex guide

Climbing out of Courmayeur on the way to Champex (122.4km)

VIDEO - Courmayeur to Champex

Original route - Courmayeur

Mont Blanco from the Italian side

VIDEO - 2011 runners reaching Courmayeur after 77.1km

Original route - Les Chapieux to Courmayeur guide

The second quarter of the race to 77.1km

VIDEO - Les Chapieux to Courmayeur

Original route - Les Chapieux

VIDEO - Action from the 2011 race at Les Chapieux

Qualifying for the UTMB

 Dave Jack clocking 24:01:05 for his Bob Graham Round!

Due to the severity and popularity of the UTMB the organisers have specified a number of qualifying races which must be completed in the preceeding two calender years if a runners application is to be successful. The UTMB itself is limited to 2300 runners.


The qualifying standards have been set at 7 points from a maximum of 3 races in the last two calender years. The UTMB website has a long list of 800 events which have been awarded points based on their distance and the overall challenge. A third are based in France, another third in the US and the rest are spread widely across the world including the UK. I've detailed a small selection of the UK based races to demonstrate that even gaining a place in the UTMB is a huge achievement. Then it's a simple matter of 168km and 9600m of ascent and descent!

4 points

Bob Graham Round
Lakeland 100

3 points

Fellsman

Ramsey Round

Dragon's Back

2 points

Old County Tops

Lakeland 50

Longmynd Hike

London to brighton

1 point

High Peak Marathon 

OMM (A Class)

Notre Dame de la Gorge

VIDEO - Competitors coming through the Notre Dame de la Gorge checkpoint in 2011

UTMB Kit Requirements

Crossing old snow in a snowstorm on the TMB

Based on my own experiences on the Tour du Mont Blanc earlier this summer the weather really can change in a few minutes. We regularly had rain, snow, and sunshine in a few hours. Initial forecasts have suggested snow falling down to 2000m during this years UTMB. The organisers insist on a minimum kit list for safety reasons although personally I'd be carrying a wee bit more than this for an event of this length.

• Mobile phone
• Personal cup (150ml minimum)
• 1 litre of water
• Two torches with spare batteries
• Survival blanket
• Whistle
• Strapping bandage
• Spare food
• Waterproof jacket with hood
• Long running tights (or a combination of leggings and long socks which cover the legs completely)
• Additional warm top (180g midlayer OR 110g midlayer & windproof)
• Cap or bandana
• Warm hat
• Warm and waterproof gloves
• Waterproof over-trousers
• Identity papers for border
• Rucksack

Surprisingly there is no requirement to carry a map and compass as the route is well marked and marshaled. In addition to the list above many competitors will use trekking poles to help protect their legs and aid stability especially in the latter stages of the race.The organisers will also transport a bag of clothing to Courmayeur at just under half distance so runners can have a change of kit and resupply.