I used to change the screensavers on my laptop and smartphone every month or so. But I have had the same picture on both for almost exactly a year now. It is the photo above of my kids meeting me in Chamonix, France, in the final few metres of 2016’s 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB). After the birth of said children, and that time Danny Dyer put the phone down on me, it felt like the greatest moment of my life.
I only placed 19th, yet the generous crowds treated me like I’d won the thing. The surge of euphoria was huge. The chronic soreness in my legs temporarily erased. My kids didn’t know or care how well I’d done, they just thought the whole thing hilarious. And soon went back to calling my Pooh Head.
The UTMB is the Tour de France of trail, ultra and mountain running. There are tougher 100-mile races, and wilder, more technical courses. But this is the big one; the world’s most popular and prestigious trail race. Around 2,300 people from over 90 countries – nearly 1,000 of whom won’t complete the circuit around Mont Blanc which nips into Italy and Switzerland. On top of the distance, the 10,300-metre of ascent – and more painfully, the descent – make it the equivalent of 10 Snowdons (or 14 times via the popular but shorter Pyg and Minerss tracks).
And never before in trail-ultramarathon running has there been a field as stacked as 2017’s UTMB. A Frenchman has won for the men’s race for the last five years, but the sport’s biggest star and three-time winner, Spaniard Kíllian Jornet (remember that guy who ran up Everest twice in a week? Oh and then won the notorious Hardrock Hundred despite dislocating his shoulder at mile 13), is returning for the first time since 2011.
Frenchmen François D’Haene and Xavier Thévenard have both won UTMB, twice, and both return. To see those three pitched against each other in a race known for its kamikaze-fast starts and, not coincidentally, high DNF rate amongst elites, is enthralling enough. But the race’s perennial subplot is that despite having many of the sport’s biggest stars, no US athlete has ever won the men’s race.
If UTMB was decided on Strava uploads or self-flamed pre-race hype, American Jim Walmsley would win it. The only runner with a higher ITRA (International Trail Running Association) ranking than Jornet is highly talented. But 100-mile races require a unique skill set, and in his two to date he hasn’t shown he understands that.
The deservedly popular Zach Miller – similarly fast and furious – returns, having lead the race for much of 2016 before fading (he’s also won UTMB’s little sister race, the 63-mile CCC). Simply to watch these two race each other has fans’ mouths watering. Yet the Americans who’ve raced UTMB the smartest are David Laney (3rd in 2015, 4th in 2016), Tim Tollefson (3rd in 2016; 2nd at CCC in 2015) and Jason Schlarb (4th in 2014), who all return. Jeff Browning, too, is a textbook 100-mile runner.
Other European favourites include Lithuanian Gediminas Grinius (2nd in 2016), Spain’s Tòfol Castanyer (2nd in 2014), Miguel Heras (2nd in 2013) and Pau Capell (several Ultra-Trail World Tour wins) and Norway’s Diderik Hermann. British hopes lie with France-based Andy Symonds, who won the Lavaredo Ultra Trail in 2016 and has hardly raced this year to prepare fully for UTMB after a DNF last year. Other Brits to keep an eye on are Kim Collison, Casey Morgan and Danny Kendall.
But Brits are disadvantaged. It’s tricky to train for the Alps’ quad-hammering 1,000m ascents and descents in the UK. The heat, altitude and too much French cheese can also trouble les rosbif. Jez Bragg won a shortened version (due to severe weather) in 2010, but otherwise US-based Ryan Smith has posted the best British performance on the full course, placing eighth in 2015.
However, in the women’s race, Derbyshire-based doctor Beth Pascall is a podium contender. The debutante will duel with 2016 winner France’s Caroline Chaverot – who’s won just about every race she’s entered in the last 18 months – compatriot Juliette Blanchet (4th in 2016), Switzerland’s Andrea Huser (2nd in 2016), Spain’s Núria Picas (2nd in 2013 and 2015), Brazil’s Fernanda Maciel (4th in 2010 and 2014) and America’s Magdalena Boulet (5th in 2016), Stephanie Howe Violett (8th in 2015) and Kaci Lickteig. Brits Sophie Grant (10th in 2016), Anna-Marie Watson and Sabrina Verjee could all do well.
Despite a huge boom in popularity, trail-ultramarathon running is still a niche activity in Britain. So it’s both exciting and frustrating to see what a huge sport it is just across the Channel. The crowds at UTMB give it a city marathon feel. Cameras are everywhere. Families gather by campfires halfway up mountains ringing cowbells long into the night. Shouts of “Bon courage!” echo around the valleys.
In the two previous years, I’ve loved the crowds, the competition and the course, especially the night-time section; bright moonlight bouncing back off the huge white peaks, stars blending with the long zigzag of headaches, the whistle of invisible marmots.
My personal fascination is to see how close I – aged 41 (but only five in running years) with two young children and working typical self-employed hours – can get to the professional, full-time runners with sub-2:20 marathons who train regularly in big mountains. I was thrilled to finish in 25 hours and 12 minutes last time, but some issues were holding me back and I think I can do a little better. Even if it simply comes down to how much I’m willing to suffer.
Though I know I’ll be cursing the next sentence during the race, I love 100 milers. Above all because, as legendary US runner Ann Trason said, running 100 miles is like living a whole year in one day. I love the visceral adventure, the rawness and vulnerability, the unusual amount of time spent in the present moment, the sense of feeling alive – even if alive can be pretty ouchy.
Equally, 100 milers have great potential to deposit you in a puddle of your own tears, vomit and smellier bodily fluids. Either way, I’ll be thinking a lot about that finish line on 1-2 September. Hopefully it’ll provide me with a new screensaver.
The UTMB starts at 5pm (GMT) on Friday 1 September and can be followed live at http://utmbmontblanc.com.
- Damian Hall is an outdoor journalist and midlife crisis ultra-runner. You can find more of this type of hogwash at @damo_hall and www.damianhall.info
What I wear to conquer the UTMB
Inov-8 Trailroc 285
My Inov-8 Trailtalons were superb last year, but I’m tempted this time to try the new Trailrocs. As well as unrivalled grip on rock and stony terrain, they’re comfortable and deceptively well cushioned, while a gnarly plastic toe-bumper protects me in that ‘kicking rocks seems like a good idea’ phase of the race.
Inov-8 waterproofs & race vest
Inov8’s new superlightweight (an impressive 108g) Ultrashell waterproof meets UTMB’s strict kit-list rules, while the new Inov-8 Ultrapant waterproof trousers weight just 86g. We must carry leg cover and waterproof leg cover, so I take two pairs of these in my excellent, versatile Inov-8 All-Terrain Pro Vest.
Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Trekking Poles
‘Cheat sticks’ help your legs last longer. While there are lighter and stronger ones, these are the perfect compromise between the two. They’re quick and easy to get out and put away, don’t give my hands issues and wrist straps mean I can eat while using them.
Nutrition
I love 33Shake’s gels made from all-natural, mostly organic ingredients. CLIF’s caffeinated Shot Bloks keep me ticking over during the night. And when it’s harder to get vital calories in, Mountain Fuel powders go down well.
Petzl MYO
The MYO isn’t Petzl’s newest or brightest torch, but it’s a great compromise between lumens (280 – 370 in boost) and weight (168g), while the 26g E-Lite is the perfect back-up (we have to carry two torches)
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