HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc: Surprises amongst the men and the fastest women’s race of all time

Press Release / 31.08.2024

HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc: The UTMB continues to uncover great stories in the men's race and to surprise with the fastest women's race of all time
 
The UTMB® once again delivered on all its promises! After 21 editions, the flagship race of the HOKA UTMB® Mont-Blanc continues to amaze. After a blistering start, the night proved gruelling for many of the male favourites, while the women continued to set new performance records. Despite the intense heat, the athletes gave it their all once again, supported by a crowd sending positive energy throughout the course.

Here is a re-cap from an extraordinary finale!

Amid injuries and fatigue, many top contenders were forced to abandon, including: the pre-race favourite and defending champion Jim Walmsley (USA - UTMB Index 935), the British athletes Fiona Pascall (UTMB Index 755) and Tom Evans (GBR - UTMB Index 917), plus Ida-Sophie Hegemann (GER - UTMB Index 731), Emma Stuart (UTMB Index 727), and the French athletes Mathieu Blanchard (FRA - UTMB Index 901), Anne-Lise Rousset (FRA - UTMB Index 752), and Thibaut Garrivier (FRA - UTMB Index 903).

The magic of the UTMB: An unforgiving night for the favourites and the incredible race for Vincent Bouillard

An underdog aiming for a top 10 finish, Vincent Bouillard (FRA - UTMB Index 832) from the Haute-Savoie region was ranked 69th among the favourites at the start. The Frenchman went on to surprise everyone by taking the lead at Courmayeur and never faltering to claim the ultimate prize. A product engineer at HOKA, he had started to make a name for himself in shorter races, before his first 100M victory in 2023 at the Kodiak Ultra Marathons™ by UTMB®.

After a perfectly managed race, Vincent Bouillard is the unexpected success story of this 2024 UTMB edition. He managed to maintain a steady pace throughout, finishing in 19h54'23'' and becoming the 5th in UTMB history to complete the Mont-Blanc massif loop and return to Chamonix in less than 20 hours, joining the list among his predecessors Kilian Jornet Burgada and Mathieu Blanchard in 2022, plus Jim Walmsley and Zach Miller in 2023.

Full of surprise and emotion, Vincent Bouillard said: “Ever since I was a child, the UTMB has been part of my life. I first volunteered at the race, then took on the role of supporting other runners. Today, as an engineer at HOKA, I've worked on projects related to the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc. Just starting the race was a dream come true. I had a Plan C to finish in under 30 hours, a Plan B to finish in under 24 hours, and a Plan A to finish in the top 10. Winning in under 20 hours was just unimaginable!”

He added: “I don't have any athlete contracts. This amateur status gives me incredible freedom: I can choose the races I want to run, and I don't post anything on social media. Even though I love training and running to achieve the best performance, I'm currently very attached to this amateur position. I want to thank my partner, my parents, my loved ones, the big HOKA family, and my friends Jim Walmsley and Tim Tollefson. They have both been true inspirations to me since I was a young athlete.”

Following closely behind, Baptiste Chassagne (FRA - UTMB Index 875) finished in 2nd place with a time of 20h22'45''. The Frenchman focused his entire season on the UTMB, preparing in Combloux and looking to improve on his 6th place finish in 2023. Today, he ran a smart, well-controlled race, before putting in a big effort at Champex-Lac.

Joaquin Lopez (ECU - UTMB Index 860) secured 3rd place with a time of 20h26'22'', adding this result to his resume that includes several prestigious finishes: 2nd in the TDS® in 2022, 11th in the UTMB in 2023, and 3rd in the 100M of the Trail 100 Andorra™ by UTMB® in 2024.

The Fastest ever Women's Race

A comet! From one end of the course to the other, Katie Schide (USA - UTMB Index 826) dominated the 176 km and 10,000 m of positive elevation. Using the same strategy as in 2022, she led the women's race by integrating into the group of male favourites. From that point on, her competitors never saw her again. Light on her feet at the Bovine climb and always smiling, she left behind a strong field of athletes, delivering a true trail-running masterclass.

After 22h09'31'' of racing, the American crossed the finish line in 1st place and 13th overall! Year after year, she continues to build a legendary 100M record with her first UTMB win in 2022, a victory in the 2023 Grand Raid De La Réunion - La Diagonale Des Fous, and in 2024 a series of wins: in April the 100M at the HOKA Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB®, in June the 100M at the Western States™ 100 Endurance Run, and now the UTMB at the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc.

At the finish, Katie Schide spoke in front of an emotional and enthusiastic crowd. She said: "My goal was to break the 22-hour barrier, and I started fast but at the planned race pace. I was surprised to be running with the men in the early kilometres because I didn't feel like I was running faster than in 2022. Even though I didn't manage to run under 22 hours, I'm very proud of my performance! The last kilometres were tougher, which is why I want to thank the incredible spectators that were present throughout the trails in France, Italy, and Switzerland. Their energy carried me from the first to the last hour!"

Another key point in the women's race was at Champex-Lac, where Blandine L'Hirondel (FRA - UTMB Index 799), despite huge encouragement from her loved ones, was overtaken by Ruth Croft (NZL - UTMB Index 792). The New Zealander, who won the OCC in 2019 and the CCC in 2015, put together a perfectly executed race to finish in second place in 22h48'37''.

Known for her resilience and consistency at the highest level, Marianne Hogan (CAN - UTMB Index 764), who had been in 2nd place for a long time, eventually finished 3rd despite suffering a potential fracture to her finger. In 2022, she finished 2nd at the UTMB despite a psoas tear and delivered a clear race this time, battling with Blandine L'Hirondel and Ruth Croft to cross the finish line in 3rd place in 23h11'15''.

Team Adaptive

On the Team Adaptive side, welcomed for the first time at the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc and composed of 12 athletes with disabilities or who have overcome illness, American athlete Amy Winters (USA - UTMB Index 443), a below-knee amputee, was unfortunately forced to abandon shortly after the start. French athlete Guillaume Pick (UTMB Index 488), who is hearing impaired, delivered a strong performance on the legendary Tour du Mont-Blanc, and is currently expected to finish on Sunday morning.