Now that the cobbled streets of Chamonix have cleared out and we’ve maybe started to catch up on sleep, the 2024 UTMB feels especially historic.
An American stood at the top of the podium in each of the three UTMB World Series Finals races: Eli Hemming of Kremmling, Colorado, won OCC in his debut. Cedar City’s Hayden Hawks emerged victorious at CCC for the second time. And American ex pat living in the Maritime Alps of southern France Katie Schide shattered Courtney Dauwalter’s course record en route to her second win at UTMB.
In case that isn’t enough, full-time Hoka product and innovation engineer Vincent Bouillard shocked the world by winning the men’s race at UTMB in the third fastest time ever. His fairytale story inspires us all to dream bigger.
But the results only tell a small fraction of the story. Runners like Adam Peterman fought back from two tough years coming off a pelvic stress fracture to land third on the podium at OCC and earn a coveted Golden Ticket for the 2025 Western States 100. Others fell, rolled their ankles, and suffered from crippling nausea and vomiting that ended their days early. In UTMB, 64.4 percent of the men made it to the finish line, and 57.7 percent of the women. And thousands of family members, friends, and spectators navigated tunnel traffic, limited parking, and sleep deprivation to cheer home the nearly 10,000 runners taking part in the races of UTMB week.
Just like the competition, the live coverage continues to level-up. The equality between the men’s and women’s race coverage, while not perfect, was unparalleled, with camera runners and drones following the top three in each field. And of course, the action extended far beyond what was captured on the livestream. For over four days straight, our small but mighty team drove through three countries, hiked in the dark, ran under the blazing sun, and desperately searched for cell signal and wifi to capture the three races that comprise the UTMB World Series Finals championships: OCC 57K, CCC 101K, and UTMB 166K. Here’s a look at our favorite shots encapsulating these iconic events.
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OCC: Orsières-Champex-Chamonix
It may sound “short” compared to UTMB, but it’s not for the faint of heart. OCC is a highly competitive 57K from Orsières, Switzerland, to Chamonix, France, with over 11,000 feet of climbing and descent.
Allie McLaughlin of the U.S. raced OCC for the third time. She finished 15th in 6:33:46.
David Sinclair refuels and rehydrates with ultrarunning’s greatest elixir: soda.
The queen of consistency. With her fifth place this year, New Zealand’s Caitlin Fielder has finished in the top six at her four OCCs.
Switzerland’s Remi Bonnet was in the mix at the front of OCC until he took a hard fall and was forced to DNF.
Short course superstar Judith Wyder of Switzerland put her technical descending talents to work to nab a second place finish at OCC.
Eli Hemming of Kremmling, Colorado, made his move on the Col de Balme. Despite fading on the final climb up and over La Flegère, including stopping at one point to put his hands on his knees, he won OCC in his debut.
China’s Miao Yao backed up a third place finish last year with a win at the 2024 OCC. In fact, the 2023 women’s OCC podium swept the UTMB World Series Finals races this year. Last year’s winner Toni McCann of South Africa won CCC, and the 2023 runner-up Katie Schide won UTMB.
Despite a wrong turn which cost him about two minutes, Francesco Puppi of Italy took second for the second year in a row.
CCC: Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix
Previously seen as the “little sister of the UTMB,” CCC has become a respected race in its own right with a demanding 101-kilometer course that ascends over 20,000 feet. It just about covers the last 100K (62 miles) of the UTMB course, which offers an in-depth preview for many runners with UTMB dreams.
Heather Jackson cools off on the way to Champex-Lac, Switzerland and an eventual fifth place finish at CCC—the highest of any American woman in the race. All three UTMB World Series Finals races took place on very hot and humid days, with temperatures creeping into the 80s.
Utah’s Caleb Olson fought through some deep mental lows to finish 12th at CCC.
Hoka teammates Adam Peterman and Hayden Hawks hug after their third and first places, respectively, at CCC. They both battled through months of injuries over the past two years to make it back to the top of the sport.
South Africa’s Toni McCann ran fearlessly off the front to win CCC in her 100K debut. Thanks to her win at OCC last year, she’s now won two of the three UTMB World Series Finals races. She’s in elite and exclusive company with just Miao Yao, Xavier Thevenard, Ruth Croft, Jon Albon, and Blandine L’Hirondel, who have also pulled off the double. (Thevenard also won UTMB in 2013, 2015, and 2018.)
UTMB: The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
The marquee and last event of the week-long series, UTMB completely circles its namesake summit in just over 100 miles with a whopping 32,808 feet of vertical gain—more than it would take to summit Everest from sea level. About 2,761 runners attempted to traverse the course’s 10 alpine summits in under 46 hours 30 minutes. Only 1,760 of them finished.
If you think you can ease yourself into UTMB, think again. Starting downtown Chamonix, UTMB goes out hot and fast to the neighboring town of Les Houches before runners hit the first climb of Col de Vaza.
The 6 P.M. start time ups the ante yet creates a spectacular environment for spectators into the night.
Dmitry Mityaev smiles while being greeted by an electric crowd at Notre Dame de la Gorge.
The night decimated the men’s field. Of the 20 top ranked men, only five finished. Notable DNFs included frontrunners 2023 champion Jim Walmsley and 2022 third place finisher Tom Evans.
After a long night, sunrise comes as a welcome sight.
Ruth Croft of New Zealand bet that she could go out more conservatively than much of the elite field and pick women off over the second half of the race. It worked. She nearly even-split the race to reel in about five women and take second in her first UTMB.
Age is just a number after all. France’s Ludo Pommeret ran a judicious race to finish fifth at age 49 and just six weeks after his course-record win at the Hardrock 100.
Once again it was very hot.
The iconic pink church in Trient, Switzerland, at 146K is a welcome sight. “Just” 30K and two major climbs to go.
Full-time Hoka product and innovation engineer Vincent Bouillard shocked fans when he surpassed Jim Walmsley to take the lead UTMB. He never looked back. Bouillard crossed the line first in 19:54:23—the third fastest time in history.
Whatever you do, don’t bet against Katie Schide. The 32-year-old American backed up her win at Western States in June to win her second UTMB—21 minutes under Courtney Dauwalter’s course record time in 22:09:31.