On
the Chamonix trail running calender there is one race
that dominates all the others; the Ultra Trail du Mont
Blanc, or UTMB as it's affectionately known. Each year
Chamonix welcomes thousands of ultra trail runners from
all over the world to compete in the race.
The UTMB starts in Chamonix,
and makes a full circuit of Mont Blanc,
with
over 9000m of vertical height gain, and a total distance
of 170km. It is no small wonder that this race is one
of the hardest ultra trails in the world, and why it fills
up so quickly with runners each year. Unless you have
been in Chamonix during the UTMB week, you would find
it hard to comprehend how caught up in the event all the
locals are, and how the race dominates the town with all
the shops selling merchandise and equipment. The
atmosphere is electric, but absolutely nothing beats the
emotion of the start of the main race from through the
town streets
and off into the mountains,
with the music of "Conquest
of Paradise"
by
Vangelis thundering over the speakers and the roar of the crowd.
It is impossible not to be caught up with the spirit of this
event, whether you are a runner or a spectator, and for any
trail runner it is the race that one must attempt once in your
life! Only about half the competitors finish the race, despite
tough entry criteria and each of the runners gaining sufficient
qualification race points. It's no surprise that this is the
Holy Grail of trail running races.
There
are actually four races held during the UTMB 'week' in
Chamonix. The shortest race is the CCC that is 98km long
with 5600m vertical, starting in Italy in Courmayeur,
then passing through Champex in Switzerland, finishing
in France in Chamonix. There is a slightly longer but
more technical race called the Traces du Ducs du Savoie,
the TDS which starts in Courmayeur and passes Mont Blanc
to the west, to return to Chamonix. A three person team
event called the Petit Trotte a Leon PTL is the longest
event, run over up to five days in stages with nights
in mountain huts. The blue ribband event is the Ultra
Trail du Mont Blanc, and the UTMB starts and finishes
in Chamonix in France, and circumnavigates Mont Blanc
through Italy and Switzerland. The winners of this race
take just under 24 hours, with the last finishers having
run through two days and two nights non stop!
