Due to HOKA for sponsoring iRunFar’s protection of the 2022 UTMB.
As per typical, the depth of expertise on this yr’s UTMB girls’s area is staggering, and it was laborious to know the place to attract the road when scripting this preview! The absence of final yr’s winner and course document holder Courtney Dauwalter leaves the race large open to quite a lot of hopefuls able to taking the win. Amongst them are earlier high 10 UTMB finishers, in addition to earlier winners of different UTMB Mont-Blanc pageant occasions just like the TDS and CCC trying to graduate to the primary occasion — however, notably, nobody on this record has gained UTMB earlier than.
It goes with out saying that the UTMB is the final word season finale and the highpoint of the ultra-trail working calendar. The race, which follows the stunningly stunning Tour du Mont Blanc path, takes in 171.5 kilometers (106.5 miles) with over 10,000 meters (32,800 toes) of climbing, traversing three nations earlier than weaving its method again to Chamonix, France.
A particular due to HOKA for making our protection of UTMB potential!
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Tune in to our reside protection of UTMB beginning at 6 p.m. CEST (10 a.m. MDT within the U.S.) on Friday, August 26. You’ll be capable to observe all of the motion proper right here on iRunFar!
Be sure you take a look at our in-depth UTMB males’s preview for a take a look at the boys’s race!
The Favorites to Win the 2022 UTMB
Ragna Debats
Spanish Dutch runner Ragna Debats is in nice form and shall be robust to beat on this yr’s UTMB. A professional at laborious mountainous ultras — to date in 2022 she’s gained the 126k Transgrancanaria and the brutal Istria by UTMB 100 Mile. She suffered a DNF on the 2022 Lavaredo Extremely Path 120k, as a consequence of a hamstring problem, which has since been resolved and sat out this yr’s Western States 100 to give attention to UTMB. The yr earlier at Western States, she had positioned third in a really aggressive time of 17:41, and was excessive on our one’s to look at record for this yr’s race till she determined to withdraw. As a neater build-up race, she gained the 72k race on the Montreux Path Competition on the finish of July of this yr. Except for a DNF final yr, she has good kind at UTMB occasions too, having gained the 2019 CCC in 12:10, one of many quicker profitable instances on the total route.
Sweden’s Mimmi Kotka is the best inserting returning runner from final yr’s UTMB, the place she positioned third, having run in second for a lot of the race, at instances placing stress on the final word winner and document setter, Courtney Dauwalter. She has robust kind in UTMB-specific races, having gained each CCC, in 2016, and TDS, in 2017. She acquired off to an excellent begin in 2022, profitable the 120k Lavaredo Extremely Path. She is presently primarily based in Chamonix and recurrently seen consuming up the UTMB trails along with her four-legged coaching accomplice, Enzo, and residential benefit will certainly be an element.
Audrey Tanguy
Audrey Tanguy of France has gained the TDS twice — on the previous 120k course in 2018, and within the inaugural yr of the tougher prolonged course in 2019. Earlier this yr she ran a powerful second behind Courtney Dauwalter on the 115k Madeira Island Extremely-Path (MIUT), and one other second (behind OCC course document holder, Blandine L’Hirondel) within the 46k Path du Ventoux. She positioned sixth within the 2021 Western States 100, however then subsequently failed to complete UTMB later that season. This yr, she declined her place on the beginning line of Western States and is more likely to be fairly centered on a great efficiency at UTMB.
Final yr’s TDS winner, Frenchwoman Manon Bohard, has not been twiddling her thumbs this previous yr! She gained the 76k Path de Calabri, in a small area, simply two months after TDS. This yr she gained the 80k race on the Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Competition and the 76k Path Verbier St Bernard by UTMB, each in very robust instances. She failed to complete the 30k race on the Montreux Path Competition on the finish of July, however probably simply wanted a little bit extra restoration time, three weeks on from the 80k in Innsbruck. Bohard has robust outcomes at a variety of extremely distances, however following on from a DNF on the 170k SwissPeaks Path in 2020, this shall be her second try at her first 100 miler.
Extra Prime 2022 UTMB Girls’s Runners
Jocelyne Pauly, of France, completed third on her final outing at UTMB, in 2018, and there are many indicators that she’s able to one other comparable efficiency. She positioned second within the Tor des Géants 330k in 2019 and has had loads of wins in France to date this yr — together with the Senpereko Path 80k in March, the Path des 3 Pics 56k in June, and the Grand Path de la Vallée d’Ossau 72k in July. Her earlier high-profile wins embrace the Grand Raid des Pyrénées 180k and the Endurance Path des Templiers 100k, each in 2017.
Azara García
Spain’s Azara García had an outstanding 2021, profitable Transgrancanaria, Extremely Pirineu 100k, and Extremely Sierra Nevada 100k, to call however just a few. She additionally took fourth on the 2021 Lavaredo Extremely Path. This robust yr didn’t come out of the blue, as she has a prolonged again catalog of fine outcomes, together with two extra wins at Transgrancanaria in 2017 and 2020, and the Zegama Marathon in 2015. She has some UTMB-specific expertise in that she positioned second within the 2019 OCC, however this shall be her first 100 miler.
Frenchwoman Lucie Jamsin positioned seventh on the 2021 UTMB, having additionally positioned fourth at Transgrancanaria earlier that yr. This yr, she took sixth at Transgrancanaria, however shaving a little bit off her time in tougher climate situations, which suggests she’s in fine condition and needs to be a top-10 contender once more this yr.
One factor I failed to seek out when researching the USA’s Katie Schide’s earlier extremely kind, was proof of a single DNF. She persistently will get it proper and finishes robust. A French resident lately and no stranger to those trails, this shall be her third try at UTMB. She’s had two fairly comparable runs at it, ending sixth in 2019 in a time of 27:22, and eighth in 2021 in 27:39. She’s additionally positioned second in CCC in 2018 and gained the Mont-Blanc 90k in 2019. She’s in fine condition this yr too, having gained the Val d’Aran by UTMB 105k in July, and may be capable to climb increased up the sphere this time round.
Emily Hawgood
Emily Hawgood, who’s from Zimbabwe and lives within the USA, positioned tenth at UTMB in 2021, having simply positioned seventh at that yr’s Western States 100. Having already demonstrated that she has the bouncebackability to tug off the tough double, she’s going for it once more this yr and has robust potential for a excessive inserting. Her climb from seventh place on the 2021 Western States 100 to fifth in 2022 would possibly on paper seem like a marginal acquire, however anybody following the 2022 race will know that she ran an absolute stormer. She was out entrance with winner Ruth Croft for a lot of the race, earlier than finally falling again, however nonetheless completed robust and an hour faster than final yr. If she will be affected person with the pacing, and with extra 100-mile expertise below her belt, she is effectively able to climbing additional up the highest 10 at UTMB too.
Hillary Allen from the USA has had some nice runs within the Alps, together with a powerful second place within the 2019 TDS and third within the Mont-Blanc 90k in 2015. She additionally has two wins within the 50k race at Lavaredo Extremely Path — in 2016 and 2018 — within the Dolomites. Extra just lately, she gained the 2021 MIUT and, as a part of her construct up, just lately positioned third in a aggressive area on the San Juan Solstice 50 Mile. She failed to complete final yr’s UTMB and continues to be on the hunt to complete her first 100 miler, however with all her related expertise the additional distance needs to be effectively inside her scope, and she or he may do effectively.
Sabrina Stanley
Sabrina Stanley of the USA has had some nice 100-mile runs, together with wins on the Hardrock 100 in 2021 and 2018, and Diagonale des Fous in 2019. She additionally positioned third on the Western States 100 in 2017, albeit in a much less aggressive than typical girls’s area. She positioned fourth at MIUT in 2021 and gained the 2022 Quest for the Crest 50k earlier this yr, and though she hasn’t raced at UTMB earlier than she’s reportedly been coaching on the route all summer season and needs to be effectively ready.
China’s Fu-Zhao Xiang was simply exterior of the highest 10 on her final run at UTMB, ending eleventh in 2019. This was a climb up from twentieth the earlier yr, knocking 2.5 hours off her earlier time, so she’ll seemingly be trying to proceed that development. She additionally just lately completed an in depth second behind Ragna Debats within the 72k on the 2022 Montreux Path Competition. Different standout outcomes embrace a win on the Extremely-Path Mt. Fuji 100 miler in 2019, and second within the Hong Kong 100k in 2019 and Transgrancanaria in 2020.
Marianne Hogan
Canada’s Marianne Hogan has a protracted historical past in triathlon and ultrarunning, however has been going notably effectively these previous couple of years. She positioned second within the 2021 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k. Then in 2022, she gained her method into the Western States 100 with a victory on the Bandera 100k, a Golden Ticket race, and went on to take third at Western States. She appears to have recovered effectively from that occasion and is busy coaching and recceing with associates in Chamonix and needs to be effectively acclimatized and good to go.
Nonetheless Extra 2022 UTMB Girls to Watch
Hungarian Eszter Csillag, who lives in Hong Kong, is a runner on the ascendency and one to look at in her 100-mile debut. She positioned fourth at CCC final yr simply 4 months after giving start — be taught extra about that in our in-depth profile. Since that she took fifth within the 2022 Transgrancanaria and just lately positioned second within the 50k Eiger Extremely Path. She was on the beginning record for the canceled Mont-Blanc 90k, and shall be additional keen this time round for her run round Mont Blanc.
Poland’s Katarzyna Solińska positioned second on the 2022 Lavaredo Extremely Path, simply 20 minutes again from one among our race favorites, Mimmi Kotka, so she must be taken severely for UTMB. She additionally positioned fifth at CCC final yr and took eighth on the 2021 Extremely Pirineu 100k.
Brittany Peterson
Brittany Peterson of the USA has a depth of expertise that arguably ought to place her a little bit additional up this preview, however she’s not been racing at her finest this yr. She didn’t end the Canyons by UTMB 100k and had a troublesome run on the Western States 100, which she gutted out for a good Sixteenth-place end. She additionally doesn’t have actually robust UTMB-specific kind, having failed to complete the race final yr and positioned nineteenth within the 2019 CCC. She has, nonetheless, confirmed herself prior to now to be very robust over 100 miles, having positioned second and fourth at Western States in 2019 and 2021, respectively, and a powerful second behind Camille Herron within the 2021 Javelina Jundred Mile. She additionally gained the Black Canyon Extremely 100k early in 2021, and if she will be able to resurrect that earlier high kind, she has robust wild card potential.
Kaytlyn Gerbin is one other USA runner with very good outcomes to her identify who doesn’t appear to be racing at her finest this yr, though she did set a quickest identified time on the 78k La Vuelta al Hielo in February, and is simply again from a multi-day mountaineering traverse within the U.S.’s Cascade Vary. She gained the 2019 and 2020 Transgrancanaria however positioned eighth this yr, a pleasant bit again from her earlier instances on the route. Different robust previous outcomes embrace second within the Western States 100 in 2018 and sixth in 2019 — however in a quicker time of 18:13 — and a win on the Bear 100 Mile in 2018. She has demonstrated that her finest is excellent, however even her below-par days are fairly stable so she shouldn’t be too far off the mark.
The phrase “fascinating” is bandied round so much in these previews, nevertheless it actually shall be fascinating to see how Belgian crossover athlete Manuela Soccol fares at UTMB! In 2016 the elite marathoner represented her nation within the Olympics and she or he has a PB of two:37 for that self-discipline. On the paths, her standout end result was a win on the Tarawera 100k in 2020 in a time of 9:39. For context, this was simply 18 minutes over Ruth Croft’s time for her course-record-setting win the next yr. She additionally gained her first extremely, the 63k Cappadocia Extremely Path in 2019. When it comes to each distance and elevation, UTMB shall be an enormous step up for her, however she can be registered for the Javelina Jundred Mile later this yr and seems dedicated to pursuing the 100-mile distance.
Aroa Sio
Aroa Sio of Spain joins the rising variety of athletes taking the Western States 100 and UTMB in a single season. She’s had a great yr to date, having certified for Western States with a powerful third-place end on the 2022 Canyons by UTMB 100k, and completed twelfth in a deep girls’s area at Western States. Her earlier robust outcomes embrace a win within the 85k at MIUT in 2019, and fifteenth on the CCC later that yr.
This shall be Japan’s Kaori Niwa’s fifth UTMB and her outcomes have been persistently stable. Her finest was a fourth-place end in 2017 and her most up-to-date was thirteenth place final yr. She raced 5 100 milers in 2021 alone, taking third within the Thailand by UTMB 170k and the Lake Biwa 100 Mile, second within the Val d’Aran by UTMB 162k, and profitable the Mt. Fuji 100 Mile Problem. She shouldn’t be too far again from the motion.
Even Extra Prime 2022 UTMB Girls to Watch
- Claire Bannwarth (France) – 4th 2021 Tor des Géants
- Elisabeth Borgersen (Sweden) – sixth 2019 & seventh 2018 TDS
- Naomi Model (South Africa) – third 2020 Tarawera 100k; fifteenth 2019 UTMB
- Isabelle Dragon (France) – 1st 2021 Endurance Path des Templiers 108k; thirteenth 2021 TDS
- Basilia Förster (Italy, lives in Germany) – eighth 2021 TDS; thirteenth 2017 UTMB
- Claire Heslop (Canada) – 18th 2021 UTMB
- Mariya Nikolova (Bulgaria) – ninth 2018 UTMB
- Eva-Maria Sperger (Germany) – sixth 2022 MIUT; 1st 2019 Grossglockner Extremely-Path 110k; ninth 2019 Transvulcania 73k
- Alissa St Laurent (Canada) – 2nd 2022 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile; fifth 2018 TDS; sixth 2017 UTMB
- Anna Troup (U.Okay.) – 1st 2021 Lakeland 100 Mile; 1st 2021 Backbone Race Summer season Version 268 Mile
- Emily Vaudan (Switzerland) – fifth 2021 MIUT
Some high girls pose for a selfie earlier than the 2021 UTMB. Picture: Jean-Baptiste Joly
Beforehand, However No Longer on the 2022 UTMB Entrants Checklist
- Camille Herron (USA)
- Beth Pascall (U.Okay.)
- Jasmin Paris (U.Okay.)
- Luzia Buehler (Switzerland)
- Anna Carlsson (Sweden)
- Leah Yingling (USA)
- Kirsten Amundsgård (Norway)
Name for Feedback
- So, who’s your cash on to be the 2022 UTMB girls’s champion?!
- Who do you assume would be the most improved returning runner?
- Who do you assume would be the finest newcomer?
- Is there anybody we haven’t talked about who you assume needs to be right here too?
