Blandine L'Hirondel wins UTMB in record time
Blandine L'Hirondel won the UTMB in 21:54:49, the first sub-22-hour women's finish. It is not a course record due to a delayed start and route changes.
France's Blandine L'Hirondel won the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) on Saturday, finishing in 21 hours, 54 minutes, and 49 seconds. The 35-year-old's time marks the first-ever sub-22-hour women's finish on the course, but it will not be recognized as a record due to significant race alterations.
According to organizers, the start in Chamonix was delayed by two hours because of forecast thunderstorms over the Mont-Blanc massif. The Pyramides Calcaires section was also removed from the route for safety. Runners still faced rain, wind, and cold during the opening night.
Race progression
L'Hirondel's victory was not immediate. American runner Rachel Entrekin stayed close for much of the early race. The gap between them was a mere 36 seconds at Saint-Gervais, 22.9 km in. By Lac Combal at 67.8 km, L'Hirondel's lead had shrunk to just eight seconds.
She then began to pull away decisively. By the time she reached Champex-Lac, approximately 127 km into the race, her lead over Entrekin had grown to more than half an hour. At Trient (144 km), the gap exceeded 38 minutes.
L'Hirondel's historic finish
Despite building a large lead, L'Hirondel struggled on the final descent into Chamonix, falling several times. She was roared home by the crowds. "You (the spectators) were extraordinary; I lost my eardrum in Saint-Gervais," L'Hirondel said after the race. "It will take me several weeks or months to realize what I’ve just done. It’s simply incredible."
The win completes a notable set of victories for the French athlete, who is also a two-time world trail champion and an obstetrician-gynaecologist. She is now only the second woman, after New Zealand's Ruth Croft, to have won the OCC (2021), CCC (2022), and UTMB races.
Top finishers and notable performances
Rachel Entrekin finished second in her UTMB debut, clocking 22:15:54. Fellow American Emily Schmitz took third place just a minute and a half later, in 22:17:28.
Canadian trail runner Jazmine Lowther finished fifth in 23:21:55. She placed behind American runner Careth Arnold, who finished fourth in 23:05:20. Lowther, an Arc'teryx athlete from Nelson, B.C., had a strong season leading into UTMB, including a third-place finish at the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail's 110K in April and setting an unsupported women's fastest known time on Wyoming's Teton Crest Trail in July.
Pre-race favourite Courtney Dauwalter withdrew from the race near Lac Combal, around the 70 km mark. The men's race winner, Ben Dhiman, finished in 18:16:29, but his time was also not considered a new course record due to the same route alterations and delay.
At the time of the source article's publication, only four women had officially finished the race.
