UTMB Mont-Blanc

Results: 2026

1680 of 2407 starters finished.

The start was delayed two hours to 19:45 because of forecast thunderstorms and the Pyramides Calcaires section was removed, shortening the route to roughly 174 km and 9,700 m of ascent. Both winning times were run on that modified course.

Source: iRunFar — 2026 UTMB results. Checked September 14, 2026.

Event Overview

The 174 km UTMB World Series Final circles Mont Blanc through France, Italy, and Switzerland with about 9,700 m of climbing.

Course & Terrain

Mountain loop around Mont Blanc, starting and finishing in Chamonix and crossing France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Col de la Seigne (2,511 m), the crossing into Italy
• Courmayeur Sport Center at km 83, the halfway base
• Grand Col Ferret (2,527 m), the crossing into Switzerland
• Champex-Lac at km 130.5
• Final descent from La Flégère to the Chamonix finish

The route follows the Tour du Mont Blanc and other mountain trails around the massif. The official 2026 course data gives the full loop as 176.9 km with 10,000 m of climbing and descent, from a low point of 809 m at Saint-Gervais to a high point of 2,565 m at the Col des Pyramides Calcaires. The first night brings the climb from Les Contamines over the Col du Bonhomme (2,329 m) and the Croix du Bonhomme (2,448 m), then the Col de la Seigne (2,511 m) into Italy. Next come the technical Pyramides Calcaires detour, which was cut for weather in 2025 and 2026, the Arête du Mont Favre (2,412 m) and the Grand Col Ferret (2,527 m) into Switzerland. The final 46 km from Champex-Lac add three more climbs: to La Giète (1,876 m), to Les Tseppes (1,936 m), and from the Col des Montets past the Tête de Béchar to La Flégère (1,875 m). Course markers are reflective, with no paint on the trails. Poles are optional, but runners who use them must carry them from the start.

The race starts on Friday evening, so the whole field crosses the Col du Bonhomme in the dark, and runners near the time limit spend two nights on the course. UTMB expects runners to cope alone with night, wind, cold, fog, rain or snow at altitude, and it can add weather gear to the mandatory list up to 24 hours before the start. Recent editions show the range. The 2024 race was run in heat, according to iRunFar. In 2025 a storm led the organizers to cut the Pyramides Calcaires section. In 2026 forecast thunderstorms delayed the start by two hours and removed the same section, and runners met cold and strong winds at Lac Combal, about 67 km in.

Format & Support (as run)

Why This Race Matters

Catherine and Michel Poletti created the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2003, when 722 runners set off from Chamonix. The race circles the Mont Blanc massif on the Tour du Mont Blanc trails through France, Italy and Switzerland. It has run every year since then except 2020, when the pandemic canceled it. Since 2023 it has been the 100-mile final of the UTMB World Series, so the sport’s best 100-mile runners line up alongside about 2,500 amateurs. Kilian Jornet and François D’Haene have won it four times each, and Lizzy Hawker won the women’s race five times. In 2026 Ben Dhiman (18:16:29) and Blandine L'Hirondel (21:54:49) ran the fastest times in race history, on a course shortened by weather.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men (full course): Jim Walmsley (USA), 19:37:43, 2023
• Women (full course): Katie Schide (USA), 22:09:31, 2024
• Fastest men’s time on a weather-shortened course: Ben Dhiman (USA), 18:16:29, 2026 (about 174 km)
• Fastest women’s time on a weather-shortened course: Blandine L'Hirondel (France), 21:54:49, 2026 (about 174 km), the first women’s time under 22 hours

Preparing for a Race Like UTMB Mont-Blanc

The fixed-distance race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Runners with a UTMB Index in the 100K or 100M category and several Running Stones banked
• Experienced mountain 100-milers who want the World Series final and the sport’s biggest stage
• Runners comfortable with one or two nights on high, exposed cols

Planning Notes

• Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
• Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Print a pace band for your goal time
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist