UTMB 2024 Preview

UTMB Mont-Blanc, the Final of the UTMB World Series, takes place around the Mont-Blanc massif this weekend. It’s one of the most followed and anticipated races in the ultra running calendar, where many of the world’s best runners head to Chamonix to take on the ultimate trail running challenge. 

We’ve covered everything you need to know about UTMB here. There are seven main races over the course of a week, though most attention is on the three main races: the 50km OCC, the 100km CCC, and the 100 mile UTMB.

If you want to watch the action, then you can see it all on the UTMB Mont-Blanc YouTube channel, where they are following the top 10 men and top 10 women in the main races, with commentary and analysis throughout. 

Here’s what to know and look out for in UTMB. 

UTMB PREVIEW 2024

The Big Loop around Mont Blanc is the 100 mile (or more like 107 mile) race with 33,000ft of climbing (170km and 10,000m), starting and finishing in Chamonix, with 2,300 people running the ultimate alpine ultra race. 

The women’s race will be one of the most competitive in UTMB history based on the UTMB index of the top racers (that’s a score amassed from performances in UTMB World Series races and other races around the world), meaning the race will be faster and stronger at the front, and deeper throughout. All without Courtney Dauwalter, the course record holder who won UTMB in 2019, 2021 and 2023. 

It’s going to be a multinational group of women chasing for the win, including the top four finishers at this year’s Western States, and many women with previous top five finishes at UTMB. It should be an exciting race. 

USA’s Katie Schide won UTMB in 2022, and won Western States this year, and she’s going for a rare Western States-UTMB double. 

China’s Fuzhao Xiang was 4th at UTMB last year, and second at this year’s Western States. 

Hungarian Eszter Csillag was 5th at UTMB in 2022, and third at Western States for the past two years. 

Zimbabwe’s Emily Hawgood was second in CCC in 2023, and sixth in UTMB in 2022, and fourth in this year’s Western States. 

New Zealand’s Ruth Croft is running her first UTMB having won OCC twice and CCC once. She’s aiming to be only the second person to win all three headline UTMB races after Xavier Thévenard. She won Western States in 2022, but didn’t run this year so might be fresher than some of the other women.

France’s Blandine L’Hirondel was third in UTMB last year, and other top five UTMB finishers in the race include Spain’s Maite Maiora and Canada’s Marianne Hogan.  

In the men’s race, last year’s champion and course record holder American Jim Walsmley is back, looking for a repeat win and to claim the Western States-UTMB double, having won the famous American 100-milers a few months ago. Jim will be the favourite, but he’s got tough competition. 

Britain’s Tom Evans has had a strong build up to this year’s race and will be looking to build on his third place in 2022 and the disappointment of a DNF in 2023. 

France’s Mathieu Blanchard was second at UTMB in 2022 and fourth last year. His countryman Germain Grangier was third at UTMB last year.

But it’s also a race with a deep field of elite men, and over 100 miles anything can happen.