The 2022 OCC race began on Thursday, August 25 in Orsières, Switzerland, ran by Champex-Lac, Switzerland, and completed in Chamonix, France. It’s this Orsières, Champex-Lac, Chamonix point-to-point route that provides the race its abbreviated title. The OCC is 55 kilometers (34.2 miles), however with 3,500 meters (11,480 ft) of elevation acquire and a subject numbering 1,200 runners.
Neither defending champion — Blandine L’Hirondel (France) nor Jonathan Albon (U.Okay.) — had been again for this yr’s race. Each as a substitute will contest the longer CCC race. Each additionally set course information final yr in 5:45 and 5:02.
2022 OCC Ladies’s Race
Sheila Avilés (Spain) overtook longtime chief Allie McLaughlin (USA) late and ran to a 6:10 profitable time. It was certainly a satisfying win after an harm cycle. The win additionally avenged a drop at this race in 2019. Avilés dropped from June’s Marathon du Mont Blanc and earlier was seventh over 60k on the Madeira Island Extremely-Path.
McLaughlin fell clear to sixth, and Núria Gil (Spain) edged Dani Moreno (USA) for second. The pair ran 6:16 and 6:17, and had been solely 62 seconds aside.
Sheila Avilés, the 2022 OCC girls’s champion. Picture: UTMB
The remainder of the highest 10 included:
4 – Kimber Mattox (USA) – 6:22
5 – Toni McCann (South Africa) – 6:24
6 – Allie McLaughlin (USA) – 6:28
7 – Esther Eustache (France) – 6:33
8 – Eleanor Davis (U.Okay.) – 6:34
9 – Mireia Pons (Spain) – 6:35
10 – Lina El Kott (Sweden) – 6:43
The U.S. positioned three girls inside the highest 10.
2022 OCC Males’s Race
Manuel Merillas (Spain) gained a dynamic males’s race. Merillas led late, was overtaken by Antonio Martínez (Spain) close to 50k on a steep climb, after which fought again to win in 5:18. Merillas gained his final lead on the final downhill. Martínez adopted in second at 5:21.
Merillas was twenty third at Sierre-Zinal two weeks in the past, however extra impressively was second per week earlier than that on the Stranda Fjord Path Race as a part of the Golden Path World Collection. He was third at this yr’s Zegama Marathon too.
Manuel Merillas takes the win on the 2022 OCC. Picture: UTMB
The 31-year-old Martínez is new to this stage of racing and laid on the end in a mixture of exhaustion and emotion. He was thirteenth at this yr’s Zegama Marathon and gained the 2021 Cortina Path race because the undercard to Lavaredo Extremely Path.
Robbie Simpson (U.Okay.), final yr’s runner up, was third in 5:24.
The remainder of the highest 10 included:
4 – Arnaud Bonin (France) – 5:29
5 – Paul Mathou (France) – 5:31
6 – Nicolas Martin (France) – 5:34
7 – Antoine Thiriat (France) – 5:36
8 – Martin Dematteis (Italy) – 5:42
9 – Leonard Mitrica (Romania) – 5:42
10 – Andreas Rieder (Austria) – 5:49
The highest three American males had been:
12 – Justin Grunewald -5:56
24 – Jeshurun Small – 6:07
33 – Christopher Jones – 6:18
