Due to HOKA for sponsoring iRunFar’s protection of the 2022 UTMB.

This yr’s UTMB males’s race was billed as a possible showdown between two of the greats in males’s ultrarunning, Jim Walmsley (pre-race interview) and Kilian Jornet, with predictions that whoever got here out forward would additionally maintain a brand new course report. And whereas it initially appeared that the race would play out as anticipated, with Walmsley and Jornet buying and selling blows for the primary 142 kilometers, it might be Mathieu Blanchard who made the ultimate try to dethrone Jornet. But it surely was to not be, with Jornet breaking each earlier course data, with a big margin, in a time of 19:49:30.

The ladies’s aspect of the 2022 UTMB had an openness that maybe followers had not felt in years. With no earlier champions or clear favorites on the beginning line, as an alternative all of us ruminated in regards to the 10 or 12 ladies with the potential to win or problem for it. Even then, all of us additionally observed the deepening ladies’s discipline yr over yr, with this one doubtless requiring attending to the end line faster than is regular to safe a top-10 end. From the beginning line, Katie Schide (pre-race interview) solely relinquishing the lead for a handful of kilometers round dawn throughout a tough patch, earlier than getting her abdomen beneath management and ending with a time of 23:15:12 method in entrance of the remainder of the sphere.

Masking 171.5 kilometers (106.5 miles), the UTMB creates an aesthetic and rugged loop round Mont Blanc within the Alps. Beginning and ending in Chamonix, France, earlier than paying a go to to each Italy and Switzerland, the loop has some 10,000 meters (32,800 toes) of elevation acquire and loss. Arguably essentially the most aggressive path ultramarathon of the yr, UTMB is an occasion to behold. The ultimate and most prestigious race of the week-long UTMB Mont-Blanc pageant, it reliably attracts high expertise and a number of the largest crowds within the sport. This yr, 2,795 starters headed out from Chamonix at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 26 beneath cloudy skies with a forecast for potential rain and thunderstorms all through the night. The forecasted storms by no means actually materialized and runners loved distinctive climate all through the race.

Jornet and Schide took related paths to the win, each beginning out sturdy earlier than fading in the course of the race after which surging to the entrance when it actually mattered. And each noticed sturdy challenges from second-place finishers, Blanchard and Marianne Hogan.

A number of high runners would find yourself dropping out as a consequence of numerous illnesses, together with final yr’s third-place lady Mimmi Kotka (pre-race interview) and sixth-place man Hannes Namberger (pre-race interview).

A particular because of HOKA for making our protection of UTMB attainable!

Thanks additionally to Squirrel’s Nut Butter and BUFF® for his or her assist of our UTMB protection.

The beginning of the 2022 UTMB on Friday, August 26, 2022. Picture: iRunFar/Kirsten Kortebein

2022 UTMB Males’s Race

As anticipated, the boys took the race out quick from the beginning on the comparatively flat roads and trails from Chamonix to the village of Les Houches. Spain’s Pau Capell (pre-race interview), the 2019 UTMB winner, led a charging group by means of Les Houches, seven kilometers into the race, adopted carefully by Mathieu Blanchard, a Frenchman dwelling in Canada, and Jia-Ju Zhao and Guo-Min Deng, each of China. All the highest contenders had been in a large chase pack, settling in for the lengthy night time and day forward.

It didn’t take lengthy for Jim Walmsley (pre-race interview) of the USA to make his intentions for this yr’s race clear, coming into Saint-Gervais, at 20 kilometers into the race, within the lead, wanting sturdy and relaxed. Kilian Jornet and Capell had been simply seconds behind with Deng, Zhao, and American Zach Miller making up a chase group half a minute in arrears. They had been adopted by Frenchman Germain Grangier, Blanchard, Frenchman Thibaut Garrivier, and Yan-Qiao Yun of China.

Unsurprisingly, by Les Contamines, 31 kilometers into the race, it was shaping as much as be a showdown between Walmsley and Jornet. They got here into the help station collectively wanting relaxed, Walmsley taking the time to high-five followers, and had been shortly on their method into the night time collectively. Capell and Miller got here in simply 30 seconds again, and Grangier rounded out the highest 5, only a minute behind them.

A notable withdrawal round this time as a consequence of bodily points is final yr’s second place finisher, Frenchman Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (pre-race interview).

Climbing over the excessive Col du Bonhomme, 43 kilometers in, Walmsley, Miller, Jornet, and Tom Evans (pre-race interview) of the U.Ok. shared the lead. With 1,160 meters (3,800 toes) of climbing down simply on this one climb and way more to go, everybody within the group regarded relaxed and was shifting properly. Capell was simply 90 seconds again, making an attempt to not let the elastic to the entrance group snap in the dead of night of the night time on the run over to Col du Bonhomme earlier than the lengthy descent into the distant French outpost of Les Chapieux.

The U.Ok.’s Tom Evans on his approach to the 2022 UTMB begin line. He would finally place third. Picture: iRunFar/Kirsten Kortebein

The 4 leaders stayed collectively right down to Les Chapieux, 50 kilometers into the race, the place final yr’s winner, François D’Haene — not taking part this yr — was ready to cheer on runners. Sadly, Capell had misplaced contact with the lead group over the earlier part, coming into the help station greater than two minutes again. The remainder of the highest 9 stayed comparatively the identical with Erik Sorenson of the USA slotting in tenth for the primary time.

Coming into Lac Combal, 66 kilometers into the race, after crossing nation borders into Italy and traversing essentially the most distant a part of the course Walmsley and Jornet had solely barely pulled away, their hole to Miller and Evans hung at a tenuous minute. All 4 regarded sturdy, nevertheless it appeared like pre-race predictions of a two-man showdown had been about to be realized.

Walmsley, together with his legs and arms absolutely lined from the chilly of the night time however shirt entrance open, got here into the city of Courmayeur, 80 kilometers in, solo and within the lead, however his hole on Jornet simply 80 seconds. Each males had been shifting properly and left the help station collectively after just a few minutes. It was a big 12 minutes earlier than Evans and Miller got here by means of, staying in Courmayeur for beneath three minutes. Blanchard, wanting extra relaxed than any of the earlier 4, was additionally out and in of the help station rapidly, 18 minutes off the lead. Recognized for his slower begins and late race surges, Blanchard appeared to know precisely what he was doing.

It was by no means a query of if Walmsley or Jornet would strike out on their very own, it was only a matter of when. Walmsley was the primary to throw down a critical acceleration, coming into Arnouvaz (97 kilometers) solo and with a 2.5-minute hole on Jornet. Each had been out and in of the help station rapidly, wanting sturdy and motivated. Blanchard additionally selected the path between Courmayeur and Arnouvaz to make his transfer, coming into the Arnouvaz help station in third, wanting very managed and 14 minutes behind the leaders. He was aware of that place within the race, having completed third in UTMB in 2021. He was additionally aware of the race tactic of beginning slower, letting the leaders combat it out early and tire themselves out, after which shifting up because the quick starters dropped again. It had introduced him success the earlier yr, and he was seemingly using the technique once more. Miller and Evans continued to run close to one another, what Evans would later consult with as a “bromance” that lasted over half the race, and each regarded like they’d considerably much less spring of their step than the boys forward of them.

Dedicated to creating the transfer stick, Walmsley climbed the Grand Col Ferret at 102 kilometers with a powerful powerhike and held a five-minute hole over Jornet. Seemingly unconcerned together with his place, Jornet chatted in French with each spectators and volunteers earlier than vanishing into the night time. Shifting sooner and searching stronger over the col than the earlier two males, Blanchard continued the chase in third 17 minutes again. Miller and Evans continued to work collectively to maintain the hole manageable.

The hole between Walmsley and Jornet stretched even additional to 14 minutes by the sleepy Swiss village of La Fouly, 112 kilometers into the race. Each males had been working beneath course report tempo, and each regarded calm and picked up. Nonetheless working sturdy into La Fouly, Blanchard saved the leaders inside attain.

However Walmsley was dedicated to stretching the elastic on the sphere as a lot as he may, coming by means of Champex-Lac at 125 kilometers with 13 hours and 40 minutes on the race clock, gaining much more time on the course report and shifting strongly. It’s typically a foul concept to wager in opposition to Walmsley after he’s put his thoughts to one thing, and after a fifth place end in 2017 and DNF in 2018 and 2021 at UTMB, his dedication to the race and transfer to Europe to coach on the paths appeared to be paying off. However Walmsley can be recognized for going out quick and powerful, and it doesn’t all the time stick.

Kilian Jornet, 2022 UTMB champion. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

One may argue that Jornet was simply biding his time, letting Walmsley burn his matches out entrance. Nevertheless, there have been instances round this level within the race the place Jornet simply plain regarded like he was working, sufficient in order that all of us started to surprise if the GOAT of path working would have a crack in his armor right now. Nevertheless, by Trient at 142 kilometers, Jornet had determined to make his transfer, coming into the help station within the lead. However as an alternative of seeing Walmsley behind him, it was a surging Blanchard, lower than a minute again. It was an extended 19 minutes earlier than Walmsley would arrive, showing to be in discomfort. The dynamic duo of Evans and Miller continued to run collectively, nonetheless holding the hole to the race chief at simply over half-hour, as they’d for a lot of the race.

Because the kilometers ticked down, it was certainly a showdown between two males, besides it was Blanchard difficult Jornet, with each males coming into Vallorcine at 153 kilometers collectively, properly forward of the course report tempo. With Walmsley slowly shedding time to the leaders however nonetheless in third, eyes moved to Evans who’d lastly dropped Miller after almost an evening and a day of racing aspect by aspect to see if he may make the cross.

The 2022 UTMB males’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Matthieu Blanchard, 1. Kilian Jornet, and three. Tom Evans. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

By this time, it felt almost inevitable that Jornet would run to the win and it was no shock when he got here into Tete aux Vents solo wanting centered and quick with an 11-kilometer downhill run to the end. Blanchard by no means gave up the chase, seven minutes again, whereas Evans handed a drained however “pumped” Walmsley to fit into third for the primary time.

Jornet would end with a course report time of 19:49:30, besting each François D’Haene’s 2014 report time (20:11:44) on a course which included Pyramides Calcaires, a gnarly litttle climb and descent added to the UTMB course a number of years again, and Capell’s 2019 time (20:19:09), which didn’t. That is his fourth win at UTMB. Simply 5 minutes again, Blanchard would additionally come into the ending chute beneath the earlier course report in second place. An elated Evans would spherical out the rostrum, a stellar end for his first UTMB.

Walmsley got here throughout the road in fourth, releasing the 2 DNF monkeys on his again and ending the following step within the purpose of in the end successful this race. Miller, now not on the comeback path following surgical procedure and restoration, however absolutely again, crossed the road in fifth place.

A lot of the again half of the boys’s high 10 are runners who began gradual and bided their time, shifting up within the race’s second half, together with France’s Beñat Marmissolle, France’s Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon, Jonas Russi of Switzerland, and Romania’s Robert Hajnal. The ultimate member of the boys’s high 10, nevertheless, is France’s Thibaut Garrivier, who went out sizzling and regarded like he paid for it later, however in the end holding onto tenth place.

Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon on his approach to seventh place on the 2022 UTMB. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks

2022 UTMB Males’s Outcomes

1. Kilian Jornet (NNormal) – 19:49:30
2. Mathieu Blanchard (Salomon) – 19:54:50
3. Tom Evans (adidas Terrex) – 20:34:35 (pre-race interview)
4. Jim Walmsley (Hoka) – 21:12:12 (pre-race interview)
5. Zach Miller (The North Face) – 21:27:50
6. Beñat Marmissolle (Asics) – 21:28:14
7. Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon (Compressport) – 21:35:45
8. Jonas Russi (Hoka) – 21:46:26
9. Robert Hajnal (Altra) – 22:07:58
10. Thibaut Garrivier (Hoka) – 22:09:19
11. Andy Symonds (SCOTT) – 22:24:28
12. Thibault Marquet (CMAB) – 22:26:33
13. Alban Berson (Altra) – 22:27:39
14. Jimmy Elam (Altra) – 22:36:10
15. Guillaume Deneffe (TRAKKS Belgium) – 22:40:05
16. Jeff Mogavero (HOKA) – 22:52:00
17. Jhon Barrera – 22:54:25
18. Alexandre Boucheix (Casquette Verte) – 22:55:30
19. Mark Darbyshire – 23:03:42
20. Guo-Min Deng (The North Face) – 23:04:39

Full outcomes.

The scene on the Courmayeur help station, about 80 kilometers into the 2022 UTMB. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

2022 UTMB Girls’s Race

An American dwelling in France and eighth-place finisher at UTMB in 2021, Katie Schide (pre-race interview) got down to make her mark on the race from the start, main the ladies’s discipline after seven kilometers into Les Houches whereas being trailed carefully by the trio of Marianne Hogan from Canada, Kaytlyn Gerbin from the USA, and Hillary Allen from the USA.

Schide grew the hole over the following 13 kilometers into Saint-Gervais. With only one hour and  48 minutes on the race clock, a very uncooked opening effort, her lead over second place Hogan was already 5 minutes, and he or she had eight minutes on third place Audrey Tanguy (pre-race interview) of France. Jocelyne Pauly and Manon Bohard, each from France additionally, got here by means of in fourth and fifth with Mimmi Kotka (pre-race interview), a Swede dwelling in Chamonix, simply behind them in sixth. Fu-Zhao Xiang (pre-race interview) of China, Ragna Debats (pre-race interview), who’s Dutch however lives in Spain, and Azara García (pre-race interview) of Spain rounded out the highest 10, working collectively 13 minutes behind Schide.

Maintaining her constant and powerful tempo, Schide continued to extend her lead on the remainder of the ladies’s discipline, coming into Les Contamines at 31 kilometers with 2:50 on the race clock. By then, she’d prolonged her lead on Hogan to over 9 minutes, Tanguy to 12 minutes, and Bohard and Pauly to fifteen minutes. Tanguy was in all probability relieved to make it previous Les Contamines the place she had dropped final yr from extreme abdomen cramps. A visibility limping Kotka, who had challenged Courtney Dauwalter throughout final yr’s UTMB through the early miles of the race earlier than ending third, got here into Les Contamines almost 20 minutes off the lead in sixth and wouldn’t proceed.

Katie Schide, 2022 UTMB champion. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

Schide continued to smile coming by means of the Col du Bonhomme, at a few marathon’s distance into the race, clearly having fun with her run by means of the night time and appreciating the cheers of the spectators. Climbing one of many largest passes of the race solely appeared to make her stronger. Her hole to Hogan and Tanguy had grown to about 20 minutes as the 2 chasers crested the col. The cheers from the enthusiastic French crowd introduced smiles to each ladies’s faces as they handed by means of. The cheers continued for Bohard and Pauly, who had been nonetheless working collectively.

The group at Les Chapieux, 50 kilometers in, was enthused to see Schide, erupting in enormous cheers as she got here in. Whereas the gaps between the ladies in second by means of tenth grew and shrunk over the kilometers, Schide’s hole on the sphere had solely gone one course to this point: up. She was now greater than 22 minutes up on second place Hogan. By the point Schide received to Lac Combal, 66 kilometers into the race, the hole was as much as 25 minutes, and it might be a further 20 minutes for Tanguy to reach after that.

With 80 kilometers run, Schide got here into Courmayeur flying, spending solely eight minutes on the help station roughly midway into the race. The crowds had been thrilled to see her, offering a heat and raucous welcome as she bumped into the help station wanting easy. However for the primary time within the race so far, Hogan had began to shut the hole to the chief, whittling it down to only over 20 minutes. Smiling however with a abdomen that couldn’t deal with gels any extra, she rapidly drank a Coke and opted for pizza for gasoline. The hole between the highest two ladies and the remainder of the sphere continued to develop, and it was over an hour earlier than Tanguy, Pauly, and Gerbin ran by means of, and some extra minutes after them to the sixth lady, Emily Hawgood, of Zimbabwe however who lives within the USA.

Marianne Hogan taking second on the 2022 UTMB. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

Whereas Schide had appeared unstoppable earlier than Courmayeur, the tables appeared to show over the following 17 kilometers to Arnouvaz as night time turned to day. Schide got here in with abdomen points, clearly in a tough spot, with Hogan sizzling on her heels, now solely two minutes behind. Closing a spot of greater than 18 minutes is a feat to be acknowledged, and a feisty and powerful Hogan appeared energized by the approaching of the day and the concept of main the race for the primary time.

A struggling Schide maintained her lead over the Grand Col Ferret at 102 kilometers, nevertheless it was right down to a minute, and when the ladies’s chief arrived at La Fouly at 112 kilometers, it was Hogan as an alternative of Schide for the primary time, with a large six-minute hole. By Champex-Lac at 125 kilometers, it was nonetheless Hogan within the lead and properly beneath course report tempo, now with a 10-minute hole to second. However Schide wasn’t about to surrender, slowing right down to let her abdomen get well from its earlier tough spell, and at last consuming a cheese sandwich and beginning to transfer properly once more.

100 miles is an extended distance to race, lengthy sufficient that runners can get by means of tough spells and rebound. And that’s precisely what Schide did, regaining the lead in Trient at kilometer 142, not solely eliminating the 10-minute hole however placing a further 10 minutes on Hogan. By Vallorcine at 153 kilometers, the hole between the highest two was as much as 41 minutes, with Hogan nursing a harm left leg. By the point the pair reached the end line in Chamonix, they maintained their one-two place with Schide having prolonged the hole to some 75 minutes. It was one other 35 minutes later that we noticed the ultimate member of the ladies’s podium arrive, Gerbin.

Kaytlyn Gerbin within the early hours of the 2022 UTMB, the place she took third. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

Pauly completed fourth, the profitable conclusion of a centered day of racing. Eszter Csillag, who’s from Hungary however lives in Hong Kong, moved up in a while to take fifth. Emily Hawgood ran sturdy all day to set and keep a really related place of sixth place. Xiang held tight to seventh place with Spain’s Aroa Sio simply behind in eighth. Italy’s Francesca Pretto and Eva-Maria Sperger of Germany moved up into the highest 10 within the final 50 kilometers.

2022 UTMB Girls’s Outcomes

[Editor’s Note: We published this article before 20 women have finished, and will update it in the morning!]

1. Katie Schide (The North Face) – 23:15:12 (pre-race interview)
2. Marianne Hogan (Salomon) – 24:31:22
3. Kaytlyn Gerbin (The North Face) – 25:07:24
4. Jocelyne Pauly – 26:13:58
5. Eszter Csillag (T8) – 26:32:39
6. Emily Hawgood (adidas Terrex) – 26:37:08
7. Fu-Zhao Xiang (Hoka) – 27:14:21 (pre-race interview)
8. Aroa Sio (Craft) – 27:17:49
9. Francesca Pretto (La Sportiva) – 27:31:46
10. Eva-Maria Sperger (Salomon) – 28:15:29
11. Paulina Krawczak – 28:21:22
12. Emily Vaudan (Salomon) – 28:36:21
13. Kaori Niwa (Salomon) – 28:54:33
14. Hillary Allen (Brooks) – 29:09:43
15. Basilia Förster – 29:10:11
16. Mélanie Delasoie –  29:28:44

Full outcomes.

Jocelyne Pauly on her approach to taking fourth on the 2022 UTMB. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks

Protection Thanks

Surroundings on the 2022 UTMB begin line in Chamonix, France, on Friday, August 22, 2022. Picture: iRunFar/Kirsten Kortebein