Chamonix, capital of ultra-Trail: between mountains and wonders 🏔️🏃
First steps to the top
The link between Chamonix and ultra-trail dates back more than a century, when the first mountaineers set foot on these uncharted lands. The town quickly earned a reputation as an outpost for adventurers seeking to conquer the "roof of Europe", Mont Blanc.
Originally, the competition was run on sections of road. But the tragic fire in the Mont-Blanc tunnel in March 1999 put the event on hold until 2002, when it came to a definitive halt, a victim of declining participation.
The birth of the UTMB
The Poletti couple, founders of the UTMB
In October 2002, faced with this void, a group of nine people, led by the couple Michel and Catherine Poletti, revived the tradition. Owners of a record store in Chamonix and passionate Nordic skiers, the Polettis, already involved in organizing local sporting events, launched the Mont-Blanc ultra-trail _not imagining that it would become a worldwide event.
A totally autonomous, non-competitive adventure
On Monday at 8 a.m., from the starting point in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, participants in the race must cover a distance of 300 km, with a cumulative climb of around 25,000 metres. The race, which must be completed in a maximum of 152 hours, is totally autonomous. It is conceived as a** non-competitive adventure**, carried out in *bineor trio*, where the members of each team must stay together from start to finish.
Early successes
The first edition immediately exceeded **expectations**: the initial target of 300 participants was smashed, with 722 runners already at the start!
During this inaugural edition, participants faced extremely harsh weather, with cold temperatures, rain showers and hail falling along the route. So much so that only 67 of them managed to cross the finish line.
By 2004, there were almost 1,400 competitors, and **2,000 ** in 2005. Such was the enthusiasm for the event that registrations for the 2007 edition filled up in just ten hours, and then, in 2008, in just eight minutes for the flagship UTMB race!
This growing success even forced the organizers to limit registration to 2,500 participants to **preserve the quality of the experience and safety **on the trails.
The superlative race
In 2019, with the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to Covid, the organization recorded 26,022 applicants for the 10,000 places available.
Entries reflect a remarkable diversity, with 111 nationalities represented, runners coming not only from France and Europe, but also from China, the USA and Japan, underlining theuniversal appeal of this mythical race.
For all these reasons, the UTMB is often referred to as "the race of superlatives".
Key figures in the UTMB
Since its very beginnings, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) has been the scene of extraordinary performances. Italian Marco Olmo, at 58, captivated the world by winning the UTMB in 2006 in a time of 21h06'06", defying age limits in endurance sport.
In 2008, a young Catalan, **Kilian Jornet **, took the ultra-trail world by storm. At the age of 20, Jornet triumphed in his first participation in the UTMB, with a time of 20:56:59, despite losing time at refuelling points and incurring a 15-minute penalty. However, his victory sparked controversy due to his minimalist equipment, including a simple fanny pack and ultralight ski-mountaineering-inspired accessories. Other racers were outraged.
In 2021, American Courtney Dauwalter's victory made a lasting impression. She set a breathtaking record of 22h30'54", beating the previous women's record held by Rory Bosio.
François D'Haene is another iconic name on the UTMB. He marked the 15th edition in 2017 by winning his third, 15 minutes ahead of Kilian Jornet, despite stomach pains and cramps.
The trail economy: a financial windfall for Chamonix
With its international resonance, the UTMB is today a major economic landmark for Chamonix and its valley.
During the week of the event, the town welcomes tens of thousands of visitors, resulting in a significant increase in local economic activity, particularly for** shopkeepers, hoteliers and restaurateurs**. Economic spin-offs for the region have been estimated at around 23 million euros for 2023.
The event also attracts a great deal of media attention, with the presence of numerous journalists and a large television audience. All this contributes to the **notoriety of Chamonix **as a tourist destination and the world capital of trail running.
A godsend for "Cham", already so famous for its snow sports and mountaineering, but now in the throes of rethinking the future of tourism in the face of melting glaciers.
However, this influx also has negative consequences, such as overcrowding and congestion, particularly in natural areas and on trails. This raises environmental concerns and questions about the region's ability to manage such an influx of visitors.
The controversy
Proof that the UTMB never ceases to intrigue, since the beginning of January it has been the scene of a veritable controversy concerning the 2024 edition, which will take place in August.
Kilian Jornet and Zach Miller are calling for a collective boycott of the top fifteen male and female runners for the 2024 edition, with the aim of putting pressure on the organizers.
While acknowledging the importance and greatness of the UTMB to the world of ultra-running, the two runners express concern at what they perceive as a profit-centric** approach at the expense of athlete welfare and the sport itself**. They also deplore the lack of exchange and transparency on *theenvironmental impact of the event and its accessibility\.*
These few days of high-profile tensions have opened up the debate.
In a press release published on January 29, the UTMB management explained that "the event has grown considerably in just two years, from around 20 races in 2022 to 37 races at the end of 2023; but it will reach a stabilization phase in 2024 (41 races)".
