Race Report – UTMB 2024 – Shane O’Neill
Mark Green
Race Start.
The race starts at 6pm so I got there 3 hours early drop off drop bags about 1km from the start. I then found a place near the church in the shade, ate half a ham and cheese baguette and drank 500ml of PH1500.
Got into position 2 hours before the start, it was really hot sitting on the ground, and I found some Japanese runners with an umbrella that I sat beside and got some shade from. Then I noticed that one of the tabs on my quiver was half torn. I’ll deal with it later, put it out of my mind for the moment.
- 1 hour before start – 1 Ketone-IQ shot
- 20 minutes before start – 1 gel
I thought I would be emotional at the start, there were lots of tears around me. I find watching videos of UTMB very emotional, but standing there at the start I was ready to run through the mountain, not around it. I just wanted to get it started.
Start Line
Start to Les Houches (8.5 KM ~54 minutes)
It took about 90 seconds to cross the line, the atmosphere was crazy through town, the noise was deafening all the way to the first trail section. This was a nice wide trail rolling along, just a few steeper bits. Made it to the end of this section and onto the tarmac across the bridge and up the hill to Les Houches. Great support in the town.
I had consumed a bottle of Naak along the way so I topped that up at the Les Houches aid station, saw Mam, Dad and Victoria outside our apartment and started the Col de Vosa. Dad had a big Irish flag on the end of a stick he found while out for a run.
It’s a bit bumpy
Les Houches to Top Col De Vosa (6KM +805M 1:48 Pos 1036)
Through a small field early on then a steep tar road and eventually a gravel path, was quite steep but I was feeling good and hiking well. Used the Climb Pro feature on Garmin to monitor my progress and try to stick between 700 and 800 metres per hour. The climb was listed at (6.29Km @ 13% +809M)
There is a nice bit in the last part of the climb where you can run for about 600 metres before it turns right and climbs up again, this is the timing point, I had a wave at the live camera.
Col De Vosa
Top Col De Vosa to Saint Gervais (7KM -993M 2:55 Pos 1268 +232)
Took a tight left hand off the top of Col de Vosa and it was like going down a wall (6.29km 16% -1013M). I was very tentative for the first few hundred metres, stopped off to the side to re-tie and tighten my shoes but could barely stand still it was that steep! Put my poles away, which I should have done sooner and started easing down the descent. My plan was to do this downhill as if it was the last downhill. It was chaos all around me, people were throwing themselves down the hill as if it was a cheese roll.
Descent to Saint Gervais
I had heard that people always complain that their quads are smashed in Saint Gervais – it’s hardly surprising if you do that. About 75% of the way down I put on my headlight, but I didn’t have a buff on my head and it was really bouncing a lot and it was very annoying. But it was too steep and there were too many people around to stop to put it on. Closer to the bottom it was really dusty and slippery, the dust was being suspended in the air and causing backscatter from the lights making it hard to see. Eventually got to thee concrete stairs and onto the roads of Saint Gervais – it was almost as mad as Chamonix down there.I had drank about 1.5 bottles of Naak so I finished what I had left, got to the aid station, filled 2 bottles, had 2 cokes, grabbed a handful of Tuc crackers and got out of there. I met an Irish family who live in Saint Gervais on the way out and had a quick chat with them. Got my buff around my forehead – light way better now.
Saint Gervais to Les Contamines (11.4KM +337M 4:40 Pos 1478 +210)
Every ultra has a bad bit, this was mine. My stomach was starting to feel “Off” – I had another gel. That didn’t improve things. About 25KM in I was starting to get desperate. We were going through some rural areas and there were mini-village parties all around the place. In a panic I asked one supporter “Où sont les toilettes” and was told that there wasn’t one. At around 27k I spotted a public toilet by the side of the trail, awesome. I went up, looked at the door, vacant! Excellent, pushed the door and it was by no means vacant, there was a german guy in there. Apologies and waited outside, at the same time, a Finnish lad came along, also expecting to use the facilities. I waited for 2 minutes then gave a polite knock and about 27 impolite ones, things were starting to become desperate. I suggested that old mate shit or get off the pot, but I don’t think he was going anywhere. I abandoned this course of action after about 5 minutes and made my way as best as I could. After about 1.5km there was a sharp bend in the road and a junction with a clutch of trees so I found a less conventional solution to the problem. I felt great after sorting my stomach, and I remember thinking that if this was the one thing to go wrong then I’m good with it. The positive of the situation was that my energy levels were great. Had a gel and a ketone. I called Victoria just as I was approaching the Les Contamines aidstation to ask her to add my spare quiver to the bag they would bring to Courmayer. Into the aid station, 2 X coke, 1 X soup, 2 X Naak Watermelon, cheese, crackers, water, 2 bits of bar, wash face out the gate. No hanging around.
Les Contamines to Notre Dam de la Gorge (3.5KM +65M 5:28 Pos 1460 -18)
Left Les Contamines – running well. Here we seemed to deviate from the published GPX for a few KM. I was expecting to run on the right bank of the river on the way up to Notre Dam de la Gorge but we were well off to the left and going through rolling hills, it was all good though, I was following the markers and everyone else, my watch was being grumpy though! Passed through a few parties before I tried to have another gel – I got about half in and “computer says no” – I couldn’t take the rest of it, so I didn’t try to force the matter. This has never happened with these gels previously. So I emptied it out and put the wrapper in my rubbish bag. Then we got to the Hoka Fly zone tunnel – brilliant atmosphere. I knew I was now approaching a 10KM 1200M+ climb, so I had a drink and popped 2 salt tabs. Mam, Dad, Tors and I had visited Notre Dam de la Gorge earlier in the week and I had walked about the first 200 metres of the climb. There was lots of exposed bedrock and gravel. I passed the rocks where we had sat to eat our baguettes earlier that week and wondered what the hell I was doing. This really was the point of the end of civilisation and the beginning of the climb to La Balm and the 2449M Col du Bonhom.
Hoka Fly Zone
Notre Dam de la Gorge to La Balm (4.4KM +500M 6:30 Pos 1411 -49)
Start of the long 10KM and 1200M climb to Col du Bonhom (9.43KM 14% 1277M). It’s broken up into 4.4Km to La Balm refuge and then the rest to the summit. Plenty of steep sections with exposed bedrock, a couple of areas where there were hundreds of supporters singing, dancing, playing music – just a brilliant atmosphere. Once I reached La Balm I topped up 2 bottles of Naak had some watermelon, some soup, some coke, some Naak bars and some Tuc crackers. Grabbed some for the road and headed off up the climb to the summit. You could see a trail of headlights ahead, it would be easy to let this get to you but knowing that you would be there soon was good.
La Balm to Col du Bohnam (5.8KM +737M 8:09 Pos 1367 -44)
Continuing the climb, I was feeling really strong and focused on the climb, was delighted with that, managed to pass 93 people on the climb from Notre Dam to the Summit and I was well within myself. Climbing felt easy, and my strategy on the downhill was to conserve my legs.
Col du Bohnam to Les Chapeau (5.1KM -886M 8:56 Pos 1415 +48)
Took it easy on the downhill to Les Chapeau (5.18KM, 18%, -938M) – I was more than happy to potter along staying well within myself and not busting my quads or upsetting my knee. Legs were feeling great, everything was feeling great, energy levels good, mind good, body good. I was passed by a few people on the way down but I didn’t care – that was part of my plan, I just made sure to give people enough space to pass and everyone was very courteous. Got to the aid station and had a gear check where I needed to show capacity to carry 2 Litres, my Spare battery and my space blanket. While unpacking I took my sunglasses out of my bag and left them on a step, I then forgot to put them back in, only realising 5 KM into the next stage! But I had a plan to fix that. Filled two bottles of Naak, had some soup, 2 Coke, 2 Sparkling water, and some crackers. Out the door.
Les Chapeau to Col de la Sange (11.1KM +928M 11:21 Pos 1200 -215)
Back up to 2511 metres from 1546. The first few KM out of Les Chapeau were on a sealed road (Route de la ville de glaciers) so I had a good run along here. Had some ketones and then a sip of Naak – ups.. It was the old rotten formula that tastes like chalk and clogged nozzles. I remind myself to check the mix next time by having some in my cup and then only filling my flasks if it is right. If not, I had a number of Naak pouches with me to make my own and I knew they were the new formula. My strategy also included having two salt tablets before any large climb, so I popped two at this stage again. Getting onto the trail heading to the Col (5.32km, 14%, +740M) was amazing, you could see a trail of lights heading into the night sky, it looked like stars. I got stuck into the climb powering away on the poles. A lot of people had put their warm gear on but I was still wearing the stuff I had on at the start. An Adidas top. No arm-warmers, shorts, nothing around my neck, I was feeling fine but it was getting colder, I knew that it would be worth putting on my hard shell at the top. About 75% of the way up to the Col a crescent moon rose over the mountain, it was amazing, but I had promised myself that I wouldn’t mess about on the climbs, so no stopping – I would only stop on the way down if I needed to. Got to the top of the Col de la Sange at 5:25AM and stepped in behind the little hut the checkpoint operators had there. There was a pretty strong wind so this sheltered me while I got my hardshell out of my bag. I also confirmed my suspicions at this time that I had indeed left my sunglasses at Les Chapeaux. Technically I was now not carrying the mandatory hot weather gear, but they weren’t needed at this stage!
Col de la Sange to Lac Combal (via Pyramides Cacaris) (7.3KM -550M 13:05 Pos 1240 +40)
Off the top of the Col with my jacket, out of France and into Italy. There was about 1.2km down (1.24KM, 19%, -239M), then 2km up to the Pyramides Cacaris (1.63KM, 18%, +301M) then 3.7km down to Lac Combal (4.05, 16%, -638M). The descent from the Col was nice and flowing, then the UTMB course diverges from the Tour de Mont Blanc (TMB) and hooks a left up to Pyramides Cacaris. It was still pitch black at this time which was great because any videos I have seen from this point in the course have people there in the dawn, so I must be going ok. Up to this point I hadn’t once looked at my time, I felt that when you think something is going to take 40+ hours then looking at your watch early on and stressing about it is counter productive. Just deal with progress in the moment and the macro stuff will look after itself.
Dawn at Pyramides Cacaris
The climb to Pyramides Cacaris is rocky and technical, a mix of large slabs of rock and fist/head sizes pieces made for tough going, just as I crested the climb you could start to see the silhouette of the Aosta valley looking towards Courmayer over Lac Combal. It was a fantastic sight. The descent from Pyramides Cacaris to Lac Combal has lots of switchbacks and is very rocky and technical. I stood by a few times to leave people who were faster through. The good news though was that my legs were feeling great, no issues with my knee, I wasn’t favouring one leg over the other for drops or significant step ups etc. My mind was also in a really good place, the sun was coming up, I was feeling strong and was looking forward to seeing Victoria and my parents in Courmayer. I got to Lac Combal, took off my shell because I knew we were about to start climbing again and we had shelter from the wind. 2 X Coke, 2 X sparkling water, soup and rice, a few bits of bar, filled 2 X Naak, grabbed crackers and cheese for the road. The only extra time I took here was to pack my jacket and rearrange my bag slightly. I also packed my headtorch away.
Aosta Valley Sunrise
Lac Combal to Courmayer (12KM, +500/-1200M, 15:46, Pos: 956 -284)
The road out of Lac Combal is a lovely gravel road, very runnable. My plan was that if something looked like it could be run that it would be run so I was tipping along there eating my takeaway from the aid station. After about 1.5 km there was a right turn to start the climb to ARÊTE DU MONT-FAVRE (3.03km, 15%, +468M) – this climb had a lovely surface, the sun was rising and I was in a good place and got stuck into it. The views of the sunrise and the valleys were spectacular and I had to stop and grab a few pics. I also had a nice wave at the livecam at the top of the climb. The descent into Courmayer (8.96km, 14%, -1233M) is in two parts, The first takes you to an aid station (Maison Vieille) and then about 4Km down to Courmayer. I stopped briefly at Maison Vieille to use the bathroom and have a cup of sparkling water. Then onto the Courmayer descent. This is one thing that a lot of people had warned about. The first 2KM is just like a firetrail, then it goes into a steep technical single track, it’s kind of like coming off the top of Ironpot but goes on for about 1.2km. There are steps and a few roots. All in all, it’s not too bad, there are certainly worse later in the course that no one talks about. Once that was done I was out onto a gradually sloping tar road downhill and I started to consume whatever was left in my flasks. I also started to think about meeting the crew and was having a look around at the sights. It was then that I had my first and only stumble of the whole race, I tripped over a slight bump leading up to a sewer cover but recovered within 2 steps. This was the only time in the whole event that I wasn’t 100% focused on where my foot was going to be next. I was complacent, that wouldn’t be happening again. I remember being angry that I could get across all the madness of the last 80km only to be done by a bump in the tarmac – that wouldn’t have been good! Running through Courmayer was lovely and I got to the sports centre. My plan was to fill my bottles with Naak, then immediately go outside to my parents and Victoria. UTMB only allowed one crew to be in the athletes area, it was a nice day so I had told them to find a shady spot where we could have a picnic! I headed out and Victoria got the “Aid-Station 1” checklist. Victoria is great at aid stations, the perfect combination of treating you like a toddler crossed with a slightly drunk uni-student. I changed my top, had two mini cans of coke, a can of tonic water, and a can of ginger beer. I got rid of some of the gels I had been carrying – I still hadn’t had any gels since Notre Dam de la Gorge and had carted about 8 of the things over a load of climbs, so I rationalised the bag. I also told my father that his sunnies were getting commandeered for the remainder of the event. Luckily he had a spare pair for himself! I changed the quiver on my pack also to one that wasn’t half torn. Spent a few minutes chatting and taking photos. I couldn’t believe all the messages they had from people watching in Ireland and Australia, it was crazy. I thought this would have put me under more pressure but it had the opposite effect making me really grateful that people would give up some of their time to look at someone trying to do something crazy and fully support them. The aid station alarm went off and my dad was tasked with getting me out the gate. I would see them again at Champx Lax – hopefully in about 12 hours. I had done a spreadsheet based on a finish time of 40 hours – I reckon that was adaptable enough to go a few hours in either direction for the crew, but I was well ahead of the projections at this stage.
The Crew at Courmayer
Courmayer to Refuge Bertone (5.4km, +796M, 17:44, Pos: 1048 +92)
Out of the aid station at Courmayer we go through the town and climb steadily on the streets until we hit the trail. This was a climb (4.88km, 17%, +852M) I was very aware of because you can get baked there in the morning sun. I had put my Sahara hat on (part of the heat gear) and had my arm sun sleeves on. One thing I absolutely didn’t want was to get sunburned. I knew that could lead to a spiral of dehydration, and heat stress, so I backed off the effort and concentrated on keeping and thinking cool. I really enjoy the heat but training for the last three months has been a combination of freezing and wet so I wasn’t heat conditioned. I knew that one of the first signs that you are pushing too hard in the heat is that you start to back off on food, so my priority was to go slow enough during the heat to keep the food processing. I’ve cooked myself previously and the process to reset isn’t pleasant! There was a group of us on the climb and I was happy to let someone else set the pace even though it was slower than what I had been doing previously, but I was in no rush. Got to the Refuge, 2 X Coke, 2 X Sparkling water, a cup of coffee, I took off my shoes to clean them out, I knew I had started to get blisters on the backs of my heels (never had that before) which I put down to the volume of downhill. Topped up the bottles with Naak, grabbed some crackers for the road, dunked my hat under a tap, wet my arm sleeves and away I go.
Along the balcony section
Refuge Bertone to Arnouvas (via Bonatti) (12.7km, -254M, 20:29, Pos: 1043 -5)
This is the famous balcony section, and the views are worth the journey so far. It’s fantastic. When you see this on videos you get the impression that it’s a lovely 11k flat traverse and then a little descent to Arnovas. It isn’t flat. It’s rolling, there are some 1K+ climbs on this section, it’s net downhill in the same way that Sixfoot track is net downhill. It’s an enjoyable run with a lovely trail surface. Other trail users are really nice in this section and I feel guilty that their walk has been interrupted by a race, but they are all so accommodating and pleasant and I make sure to say thanks in whatever language I happen to be thinking in at that point. I also passed the 100km mark through here, my slowest ever 100KM! At this stage I had been running further than I have ever run, for longer than I have ever run, and with greater elevation gain than I have ever run. I got to the aid station at Arnouvas and it was like a steam room in there, the shorter the better I thought. 2 X Coke, 2 X sparkling water, soup, 2 flasks of Naak, 4 bits of Naak bar, then a handful of waffles and crackers for the road. I knew I was now heading into the biggest climb of the race, The Grand Col Ferret which is the Italy/Switzerland border.
Entrance to the Mont Blanc tunnel in the background
Arnouvas to Grand Col Ferret (5.3km, +798M, 22:12, Pos: 982 -61)
Out of the aidstation you cross a stream and then it’s straight into the climb (4.24km, 19%, +798M) up to the highest point of the route (2537M). The early slopes are not too bad, the trail surface is good, but this climb is relentless. There is absolutely no let up. It’s hot, there’s no wind, and above 2200M I’m starting to feel the altitude. I have 2 consecutive 25Minute KM. But I’m doing 25minute K’s and passing heaps of people. I was adamant that I wouldn’t stop on any of the climbs, fine, slow to a crawl, but always forward. I passed so many people who had just stopped and were lying on the side of the trail, I promised myself that if I keep going that I will have a rest at the summit. I think it would be very hard to stop 80% into something because it was hard and still have 20% of the hard thing to face into once you have had a rest. I’d rather have a break and then have some downhill!
I get to the summit, find some shade by the huts used by the race organisers and set my alarm for 5 minutes. I just sit there looking at the view into Switzerland and being really grateful to be able to cart myself up a hill to see stuff like this. I take a few photos, have a chat with a few other runners, and get myself ready for the downhill.
Having a rest at the top of Grand Col Ferret
Grand Col Ferret to Le Fouly (9.8Km, -902M, 24:10, Pos: 996 +14)
The downhill to Le Fouly is nice and runnable, not that I want to run it too hard. There is a water stop at a little place called Le Peule along the way where I have a cup of water, wash my face and wet my hat. The scenery is fantastic and stereotypically Swiss. The descent approaches a river and we run alongside the river before crossing a bridge and getting on some tar road for about 1km in to Le Fouly. I meet another Aussie, Chris, who is from Melbourne but planning to move to Katoomba – small world. Into the aid station 2 X Coke, 2 X Sparkling water, some soup, some coffee, fill Naak bottles, have some waffles, grab waffles and crackers for the road.
Approaching Le Fouly
Le Fouly to Champex Lax (15km, -123M, 26:49, Pos: 896 -100)
I’ve decided that Swiss trails are weird. One minute you could be running on a lovely crushed gravel path, gently flowing, and then go around a bend and face what MTB riders like to call a rock garden. There’s no consistency or sense to it. It’s like someone had an idea to go out into the middle of nowhere and make 150 metres of trail lovely. And then do nothing about the rest. It’s really challenging to get any kind of a rhythm along this section. We eventually get back on to some paved roads through Praz de Fort and I really start to get into my work. I’m comfortable on roads and I don’t find them monotonous because I like the progress I can make for a little increase in effort. We pass through some very Swiss villages along the way and the support is great, I know that there is a climb up to Champex Lax that people say is horrible, looking at the profile we have been effectively descending since the top of Grand col Ferret, so any kind of uphill will be challenging – so I put people’s perceptions down to that and decide to approach the climb like any other. The climb to Champex Lax (5.2, 9%, 464M) isn’t that bad. It’s just between you and your crew. In the crew instructions I had told Victoria that I should probably try to get a little bit of sleep at this aid station. About 1km out from the aid station there is a guy clapping on the side, I give them a “merci” and I realise it’s my dad. We trot the last bit to the aid station where I meet Victoria, grab a cup of soup and head to the crew “base camp”.
Buffet time at Chapex Lax
I’m in good spirits and “early” which is good – I still have no idea of the time, I don’t care. I take my top off and wrap myself in a towel, I’ve got some serious rubbing above my waistline on my back from my pack, a kid at another table sees this and his eyes almost pop out. I put some paw paw on this. I also have 2 small cans of coke, 2 ginger beer, and 1 tonic water. Some crystalised ginger. And set a 10 minute timer for my “sleep”. I have an eyemask to put that on, another towel over my head and put the phone on charge then nod off. The alarm wakes me 9 minutes later and I feel like a new man, my mother is looking at me saying it looks like I have just woken up after 9 hours of sleep, not 9 minutes! I have some ketones, add a few to my pack, restock other bits and pieces, change my top to a long sleeve OR top, and pack an additional short sleeve “Body Mechanic” top to change into before Le Flegre. I hang around a while and have some more soup and more coffee before heading out into the night for the last “Marathon” as my dad reminded me. Everything is extremely positive and I’m feeling great. I know my feet are wrecked so I decided not to change my socks as I had planned, I figured that I know they are bad, confirming it would only make it worse and I’d have that on my mind. There’s not a lot of info about the last bits of the course compared to the first 75% so we have a look at the profiles to see what I’m in for. I know that there is a little hut at La Giete which is 11Km away, so I know that’s the next brief stop.
Caffeine PowerNap
Champex Lax to Trient via La Giete (16.6KM, +550M, 30:10, Pos: 848 -48)
Leaving Champex Lax was nice, there is a lovely path along the lake, then a road climb and onto a lovely runnable firetrail and I manage to get 2 6:30minute K’s done. Soon though the dreaded Swiss trails came back to bite. I’d decided at this stage that there wasn’t really a trail where we were going, it was just go across those rocks, roots and streams. The climb up to Bovine (5.40km, 13%, 713M) is pretty characterless, rocky and boring, I didn’t mind, my climbing legs were still working and I was making good progress. Over the summit and about 1km later I reached the La Giete hut where I grabbed a quick coffee. I also changed the battery in my headlamp at that time. From there it was a horrible descent (5.3km, 13%, -776M) to Trient. There are a few bits where you can run around the Col de Forclaz but it’s mostly an obstacle course. The approach to Trient is confusing and you seem to do multiple loops to get to the aid station. I arrived at the aid station, filled 2 Naak, had 2 X coke, 2 X sparkling water, some cheese, grabbed some crackers and biscuits for the road. I thought Trient was a bit of a strange place so I didn’t hang around.
Trient to Vallorcine via Les Tseppes (12.1km, +829M, 34:40, Pos: 764 -84)
Leaving Trient is as confusing as arriving there but eventually I got onto a road that was gently climbing and easy to make some time and to eat. The main climb up to Les Tseppes (4.87km, 16%, +792M) had the majority of the climbing in the middle 2.5KM making these sections the steepest of the course. There were a lot of people stopped and sleeping on the trail, I was managing to power on. It was here that I started to “see things” . I saw a vacuum cleaner which turned out to be rocks with an interesting pattern of grass, I also saw a parked food truck which turned out to be a rock formation. The trail conditions were rocky but not as bad as the Swiss trails as we had now returned to France. The downhills (4.4km, 18%, -823M) were really now starting to hurt my feet. The entry to the aid station is again looping around the town. Into the aid station, soup, 2 X coke, 2 X sparkling water, some coffee, two bottles of Naak, then the same crackers and biscuits for the road. This combination had been working well for me so why change now.
Vallorcine to Flegere via Col de Montes (11.5km, +947M, 37:56, Pos: 723 -41)
I had driven out to Vallorcine earlier in the week to have a look and also to see bits of the OCC. I knew the climb to Col de Montes (3.88km, 5%, +194M) would be nice and gradual, so out of the aid station I set about making good progress on the climb. I passed a number of runners and eventually got to the Col where there was a road crossing and great support. From there the course was changed from the historical course to be via Tet au Bechar rather than the higher route. The climb up to Bechar was quite steep but at this stage I was well used to the climb, what was worrying me was getting down the other side. I became fixated on the ski slope at Flegere and I had an info point configured on my watch to count down to the Flegere aid station. I reached the top of the climb, came around the bend and was faced with the most technical section of the entire course (1.39km, 17%, -235M). Maybe it was, or maybe it wasn’t but at this stage every step between here and the start of the Ski slope at Flegere was hard. The terrain was brutal, rocks, roots inside the treeline as we traversed lower down the mountain than the higher route. There were sections where I needed to use my hands to lower myself down off rocks and root sections and it seemed to go on forever. Eventually we started heading up again, I looked at the Climb Pro screen on my Garmin “Climb 27/27” this was it, the final climb (3.25km, 14%, 442M). The ski slope at Flegere looks like it is about 2km long in videos, so I was expecting to exit the treeline at some point in the next 1.3 km, in reality, it is only 900meters from the tree line to the ski station, this piece was mentally the hardest part for me. It was only a few KM but it was now dawn and I am starting to feel drowsy, and it wasn’t that I wanted to be finished, I just wanted to be on that ski slope. How much further can it be? Eventually I broke through the treeline and onto the slope, I stopped quickly to change out of my long sleeve night top and into a fresh TBM top. Then powered up to the aid station at the top.
La Flegere to Chamonix (7km, -872M, 39:21, Pos: 742 +19)
I called Victoria from the top, she said I should be there in an hour, I said there was no way I would make it in an hour given the state of my feet.
On the phone leaving Le Flegere
It was only 7k but dropped 872 metres and had about 1.3km of flat at the end, so that was 872 metres down in 5 km. I started down the hill, running where I could, but being cautious to not make a mess of it at this stage. I had asked Victoria to send my dad out to meet me at the metal bridge so we could run back into town together. I passed through the La Floria restaurant – still closed, I had mixed feelings about this – delighted to be there early, disappointed not to have the experience of the crowd. I took some photos, the sun was rising and it was an amazing sight.
At La Floria before opening time – Mont Blanc and Chamonix in the background
I carefully made my way down to the metal stairs, some people had again lost their minds and were taking unnecessary risks in my book, no point ruining your day now. I met my dad at the bridge and was absolutely delighted, I crossed over and we started running along the river. I had thought of this moment, running the last 1km with my dad, almost every day since getting my entry. There is a little cross over in the course that he would run through to get back to Victoria and mam in the finish chute while I ran around the block! Coming through town was an amazing experience and I deliberately took time to enjoy it, I don’t see myself doing this again so this was it. I ran along the river, took the sharp right then easy left to see the church and the mountains under the finishing arch. I couldn’t believe I was here, I saw my family, went and gave them a hug and trotted across the line in 39 hours 19 minutes, 742nd overall with the biggest grin ever on my face. I’d done it, I didn’t know if I could run 178 KM, but I believed that if I concentrated on the process that I’d have a good shot of getting there.
Done
After the finish I met up with my family and collected my UTMB Gillet! Got a free beer and a hotdog that was dispatched quickly. I knew I then needed to have someone look at my feet so I changed into my thongs and went to the medical tent. They had a look, “blisters and fissures” – and suggested heading to the medical centre. They weren’t clear on where it was and pointed in the general direction of the UTMB village. We eventually found the medical centre, they took my name and then tell me to go for a shower at the sports centre. I head up there, grab a shower and return. They do a great job of sorting out my feet, then it’s back to the bus stop and back to Les Houches on the bus. I sleep for about three hours in the afternoon, wake up, and go for dinner. Then I have a great sleep that night and feel great the next day!
Stylish Gillet
Crew Finish Photo
Considerations:
Watch profile:
Ensure the GPS profile you are using on your watch lasts the race.
For the default Garmin setting the forecast was 26 hours battery. Changing from “Default – All + MultiBand” to “All Systems – Balanced Performance” doubled battery life. This is one run you want to have on Strava!
GPX route:
I found that not knowing the course wasn’t an issue. I had downloaded the GPX file from the UTMB website and then added info points such as aid stations, summits of major climbs, points of interest etc. This assisted massively with situational awareness. While I didn’t use the Pace Pro feature for UTMB I did use Climb Pro. Again, for situational awareness, I always knew where I was on a climb or descent, how long and how much vert was remaining, and what the general gradient was. I used these features for training runs also, even in places that I am very familiar with, just to get used to viewing the data fields. Lots of people don’t use all the functions on their watch. Learn how to get the most out of it.
Ketones:
There has been a lot of talk in the last few years about the use of ketones in endurance events so I decided to give them a go in training. I found that they worked well for me, especially for long runs. I was using Ketone-IQ and was having a shot about every 4.5 hours. I never had an energy drop and always felt mentally engaged except for about 1.5km on the second morning. Nutrition is very personal, this seemed to work for me.
General Nutrition:
I’ve been using Maurten gels for about 3 years and they have always worked for me. I had planned to have one every 90 minutes at UTMB, but in reality I couldn’t stomach them after 5 hours. I did manage to have a few later in the race during the second night and they sat ok. I think I used a total of 6 gels over the course of the race. I don’t know what it was. Luckily the combination of the Naak drink and the food I was having at aid stations was working well. I think this reinforces my attitude to not have a “nutrition plan” but to have a “nutrition strategy”. This involves knowing roughly what you need to get in and running to feel. I guess you need to know your body well to enable this and know what works and what you need.
Blisters:
I got blisters on the outside of the back of my heel, never had anything there before. On further inspection this was due to accumulation of the very fine dust on the lateral heel sides of my insoles, this in turn caused friction with my heel. Walking around town the next day I certainly wasn’t alone in having blisters in these places. Would gators have helped? I don’t know, I’ve never used them. But the dust was so fine that it wasn’t simply a matter of emptying out your shoes. The rest of my feet were perfectly fine, no black toenails etc.
Crew:
Having a crew at the event is great and a real mental boost. UTMB only has one drop bag location which is at Courmayer (81km). The flip side is that the aid stations are well stocked. My crew met me at Courmayer and Champex Lax. I’d advise people against using their crew on the first night. The only crew station on the first night was Les Contamines and it was madness there. For these early aid stations focus on getting in and out quickly. Les Contamines is only 32km into the race so realistically there’s not much that could be needed at that stage. Similarly, Trient and Vallorcine are quite close to the finish and the last thing you need at that stage is to be stopped for too long.
Aid Stations:
I found that the Aid Stations were well stocked. I had looked up what was there previously and I even did a few long runs with only the stuff that was available at aid stations. Naak Drink, Naak bars, bits of cheese, weird French dried sausage, crackers, biscuits and fruitcake. It was lucky I did because my go to gels were not working for me, so I was comfortable with switching to “real food”. The only aid stations I sat down at were the ones where I had crew, for the others I stayed on my feet. One look at the people sitting down should keep you standing, you could see the 1000 yard stare going on a fair bit and you don’t want to go down that road.
Training:
I have never enjoyed a training block so much. I felt really good throughout the whole block. I needed to take two weeks off running through this due to PRP injections in my knee but the plan was well adapted. I guess a key callout would be that if you are going to invest the time, effort and money to take part in UTMB then having a coach that will look at things holistically is vital. It’s also really important to do the non-running things. The strength and stretching is on the program for a reason, I feel that being diligent about the non-running aspects was possibly even more critical to success than the running components.
Research:
Not being able to recon the course means using whatever you can get online. I used the following videos to get an idea of the course and required gear.
Racing the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc – UTMB 2022