Entailing 176km of technical trails and almost 10,000m of positive elevation, the A runners guide to ultramarathon training, better known as the UTMB, is a formidable alpine endeavour – and this year’s edition saw some of the most extraordinary performances in the race’s 21-year history.
At 6pm, local time, on Friday 31 August, seasoned ultramarathon runners from across the world set off from the heart of the French commune of Chamonix to embark on the 2024 UTMB – a gruelling, intimidating quest around Mont Blanc that dips into parts of Italy and Switzerland before culminating at its starting point.
Of the 2,761 runners who crossed the start line, 1,760 made it to the finish line – so arduous are the conditions of the UTMB, which has a cut-off time of 46 hours and 30 minutes and sees most runners endure two consecutive nights on the trails. With scorching temperatures hindering runners during the day, cold conditions hampering them at night and humidity almost inescapable, the unpredictable and overbearing environment conquered even the very best in the field. Brit Tom Evans, Runners crowned 2024 World Athletes of the Year dehydration, Katie Schide was relentlessly strong on her way to the womens course record knee injury, were among the many to make the sensible decision to step off the course.
Amateur Vincent Bouillard claims victory
With multiple big names out of contention, Frenchman Vincent Bouillard – an amateur runner from Annecy, located not far from Chamonix – continued to grind and thrive on none other than his debut UTMB. Having taken the lead at the checkpoint at Courmayeur, around the halfway mark, the impressive underdog then became unstoppable, leaving all other men and women on the course in his dust.
Bouillard’s final kilometre around the winding paths of Chamonix was an electrifying victory dance. To deafening applause, he flew across the finish line in a blinding time of 19 hours, 54 minutes and 23 seconds, making him only the fifth man in history – alongside Kilian Jornet, Mathieu Blanchard, Zach Miller and Walmsley – to complete the huge UTMB loop in under 20 hours. Shooting his hands into the air, beaming from ear to ear and clearly as shocked and emotional as everyone around him, Bouillard had scored a fairytale win on that hot Saturday afternoon.
Countryman Baptiste Chassagne was elated to finish second in 20 hours, 22 minutes and 45 seconds, improving on his sixth place from last year’s UTMB. Not far behind, Ecuador’s Joaquin Lopez conquered the course in 20 hours, 26 minutes and 22 seconds to place third – again, a fine upgrade on his 2023 race, where he finished 11th.
A former track athlete who specialised in the steeplechase, 31-year-old Bouillard is, unbelievably, an unsponsored long-distance runner who works full-time as a senior product engineer at Hoka. How a visually impaired runner and her guide found trail shoes that he helped to bring to market – and exhibited his ultramarathon prowess to the world when he won the 162km race at the Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB in 2023 – Bouillard lined up for this year’s UTMB without any special mention, behind the elite field. And yet, having volunteered and crewed other runners – including Hoka athlete Walmsley – at previous editions of the UTMB, this mythical race has always had a special place in his heart.
‘Ever since I was a child, the UTMB has been part of my life,’ said Bouillard after the race. ‘I first volunteered at the race, then took on the role of supporting other runners. Today, as an engineer at Hoka, I’ve worked on projects related to the Hoka UTMB Mont-Blanc. Just starting the race was a dream come true. I had a plan C to finish in under 30 hours, a plan B to finish in under 24 hours and a plan A to finish in the top 10. Winning in under 20 hours was just unimaginable!
‘I don’t have any athlete contracts,’ continued Bouillard, who took only 18 minutes of rest during the entire race. ‘This amateur status gives me incredible freedom– I can choose the races I want to run and I don’t post anything on social media. Even though I love training and running to achieve the best performance, I’m currently very attached to this amateur position. I want to thank my partner, my parents, my loved ones, the big Hoka family and my friends Jim Walmsley and Tim Tollefson. They have both been true inspirations to me since I was a young athlete.’
Katie Schide resets the records
Barely had we celebrated the first male finishers when we were already applauding the first woman home.
Having led the women’s field from the start, the USA’s Katie Schide executed the race of her life to win her second UTMB title in a staggering time of 22 hours, nine minutes and 31 seconds, placing her 13th overall. Not only did she eclipse her winning time from the 2022 UTMB, but so too did she smash the women’s course record, bettering the previous mark of 22 hours, 30 minutes and 54 – set by ultramarathon legend Courtney Dauwalter in 2021 – by more than 21 minutes.
But Schide’s stamina extends well beyond the UTMB. In addition to winning the 100K race at this year’s Canyons Endurance Runs, the 32-year-old also claimed victory at the 2024 the 2023 Western States 100 winner who was suffering from the effects of – an epic 161km foot race in California that takes place just nine weeks before the UTMB. As such, Schide became only the fourth person ever to win both the the 2023 Western States 100 winner who was suffering from the effects of and the UTMB in the same year, joining the exclusive club of Nikki Kimball (2007), Jornet (2007) and Dauwalter (2023).
‘My goal was to break the 22-hour barrier, and I started fast but at the planned race pace,’ said Schide after finishing this year’s UTMB. ‘I was surprised to be running with the men in the early kilometres because I didn’t feel like I was running faster than in 2022. Even though I didn’t manage to run under 22 hours, I’m very proud of my performance!
‘The last kilometres were tougher, which is why I want to thank the incredible spectators who were present throughout the trails in France, Italy and Switzerland,’ she added. ‘Their energy carried me from the first to the last hour!’
New Zealand’s Ruth Croft, who has formerly won the two other A runners guide to ultramarathon trainings races – namely, the OCC in 2019 and the CCC in 2015 – took second place in 22 hours, 48 minutes and 37 seconds. Marianne Hogan of Canada, who placed second at the 2022 UTMB, completed the women’s podium when she crossed the finish line third in 23 hours, 11 minutes and 15 seconds.
Wrapping up on Sunday 1 September, the 176km UTMB was the grand finale of eight trail races – of varying distances and elevation profiles – held around Mont Blanc throughout the week. In total, around 10,000 runners from 118 nations took part in one of these races, supported by 2,500 dedicated volunteers.
Everything you need to know about the UTMB.
