Ultra Trail Tour du Mont Blanc

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UTMB 2005 starting line
UTMB 2005 starting line

The Ultra Trail Tour du Mont-Blanc (also referred to as UTMB) is a mountain ultramarathon. It takes place once a year in the Alps, across France, Italy and Switzerland. The distance varies between 150 and 160km, with a total elevation gain of around 8500m. The race is run in one leg. Some believe that is the most difficult foot race in Europe.

While the best trailers complete the loop in slightly more than 20 hours, most runners take 30 to 45 hours to reach the finish line.

For the 2006 event, a second race Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix (half-loop) is also organised.

Contents

[edit] Logistic

A check point on the UTMB 2005
A check point on the UTMB 2005
  • The race is organised by an association called Les Trailers du Mont-Blanc.
  • 600 hundred volunteers were involved in 2005.
  • The North Face is the main sponsor of this event.
  • Runners are supposed to carry a minimum of equipment for security reasons. This includes waterproof jacket, warm clothes, food and water, whistle, survival blanket and head torch.
  • There are food and drink points along the route, every 10 to 15km. On top of that, four big "life bases" provide hot meals, beds and massages: Chamonix (France), Les Chapieux (France), Courmayeur (Italy) and Champex (Switzerland).
  • At Courmayeur and Champex, runners can collect a bag they previously left at Chamonix.
  • Runners race number contain a magnetic badge that is read at around 20 check points. Timings and rankings are then available online and by Short message service in real-time.

[edit] Route

The route follows basically the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking path, that is usually completed in 7 to 9 days by hikers. This is a loop around the Mont Blanc.

It starts from Chamonix (1035m) and goes up to the Col de Voza (1653m) to reach Les Contamines (1150m). It then climbs to the Croix du Bonhomme (2479m) before going down back to Les Chapieux (1549m), which is the first life base. The path then runs up to the Col de la Seigne (2516m) to enter Italy, follows the ridge of the Mont-Favre (2435m) before going down to Courmayeur (1190m), the second life base. It climbs again to the Refuge Bertone (1989m) and Arnuva (1769m) before reaching its highest point, the Grand Col Ferret (2537m), which also marks the border with Switzerland. The path goes down again to Praz de Fort (1151m) via La Fouly (1593m) before reaching the third life base, Champex d'en Bas (1391m). The last part includes two rather low cols: Bovine (1987m) and Les Tseppes (1932m) separated by Trient (1300m). On the descent to Vallorcine (1260m), the path enters back France, crosses Argentière (1260m) before terminating at Chamonix, its starting point.

Slight variations are applied to the route every year. In 2005, the route was 158.1km long for a total elevation gain of 8639m.

Race profile
Race profile

A more detailed profile can be found on the official web site: UTMB profile.

[edit] Participation and results

Vincent Delebarre at Champex during the UTMB 2005
Vincent Delebarre at Champex during the UTMB 2005
  • The race was first held in 2003.
  • In 2006, a bit more than 2000 registered in only 20 days, 8 months before the race, demonstrating the exponential popularity of this event.
  • In 2006, a women won the first edition of the Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix

[edit] Ultra-Trail du Tour du Mont-Blanc

Year Runners Finishers Winner Winner time
2003 722 67 Dachhiri Dawa Sherpa 20h05
2004 1383 420 Vincent Delebarre 21h06 2004 full results
2005 2000 774 Christophe Jaquerod 21h11 2005 full results
2006 2535 1151 Marco Olmo 21h06 2006 full results

[edit] Ultra-Trail Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix

Year Runners Finishers Winner Winner time
2006 1054 85 Corinne Favre 10h35 2006 full results

[edit] Ethics quick facts

Runners by night during the UTMB 2005
Runners by night during the UTMB 2005
  • Respect of the nature.
  • Solidarity between runners.
  • Explore its own limits.
  • No money prizes are given.

[edit] See also

More pictures about the Ultra-Trail Tour du Mont-Blanc:

[edit] External links

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