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!
Author
signed! 'Trail Running Chamonix &
the Mont Blanc region' link
...or the NEW book...
'Trail
and Fell Running in
the Lake District' buy
a copy
by Kingsley Jones.
Cicerone Press
£14.95 each
Each book has 40 trail running
routes, each with height profiles,
and full colour mapping
Features
how to adapt your
running in the mountains, and
an index of where to stay
Includes
famous races in each
region, e.g. UTMB, Langdale
Horseshoe and Chamonix VKM
