The UTMB Mont-Blanc 2022 ends after a week that will be remembered with incredible record times

August 31, 2022

• Nearly 14M views and 100M minutes of videos viewed (UTMB Live and highlights) on the new live.utmb.world platform and the official social networks of the UTMB Mont-Blanc. This corresponds to 188 years of UTMB videos watched continuously!
• 650,000 fans on the official UTMB Mont-Blanc social networks, including 50.000 new fans who have joined the community
• Official content generated 2.4M interactions from fans on the event platforms
• 2M users have viewed 21M pages on the UTMB Mont-Blanc and the UTMB World Series official websites
• 50.000 fans have created an account on the new MyUTMB space
• The media impact of this 2022 edition of the UTMB Mont-Blanc will be at least twice as great as during the 2021 edition which had already smashed all the records

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – 18,832,266 views on social networks, 964 articles, 460 accredited journalists. The UTMB Mont-Blanc has kept all its promises and enhanced its visibility in France and internationally. Each race was packed with sporting achievements and emotions.

From Monday, the MCC saw local runners, volunteers and partners enjoying themselves in the mild weather. The French runners Candice Fertin and Ludvik Fernandes won the women’s race and the men’s race respectively, on a slightly longer trail of 2.5km and a 250-metre climb.

Tuesday night was a sad for all, with the race organisers and the entire trail community mourned the death of a runner on the PTL. The event was maintained, and the Gabioud brothers completed the extended tour of Mont-Blanc side by side and crossed the line in 100 hours and 47 minutes.

The temperatures were up for the first edition of the ETC on the UTMB Mont-Blanc, but the heat did not prevent the runners from performing at their best, the Moroccan Ikram Rharsalla winning the women’s race in 1 hour and 49 minutes and the Spaniard Jan Margarit Sole claiming victory in the men’s in 1 hour and 24 minutes.

The TDS saw the Italian Martina Valmassoi run a stunning race to claim victory in her first participation in the World Trail Summit. The podium reflected the international aspect of the event, with the Spaniard Claudia Tremps second and the German Katharina Hartmuth third. As for the men’s race, the Frenchman Ludovic Pommeret won the TDS hands down for the second time, ahead of the Ecuadorian Joaquin Lopez and the Frenchman Elias Kadi.

On the OCC, Spain was honoured with the victory of Sheila Aviles and Manuel Merillas. Both The women’s and the men’s event could boast of a double win with Nuria Gil Clapera finishing second for the women and Antonio Martinez Perez for the men. Despite a new route introduced this year which passes through the Col de Balme, the record times where maintained or improved. The American Dani Moreno finished third in the women’s race and Britain’s Robbie Simpson completed the men’s podium.

On the CCC, despite unpredictable weather, the elites set new record times with Blandine L’Hirondel winning in 11 hours and 40 minutes and Petter Engdhal in 9 hours and 53 minutes. The reigning trail running champion, Blandine L’Hirondel, broke the record by more than an hour, no less! The Swede Petter Engdhal, was 30 minutes faster than the previous time held by Thibaut Garrivier. Nepal’s Summaya Budha and Abby Hall finished second and third respectively. The Briton Jonathan Albon and the Italian Andreas Reiterer completed the top 3 for the men’s race.

There was record rainfall on this UTMB and the runners were all keen to improve on record times. Kilian Jornet and Mathieu Blanchard both achieved the feat of finishing in under 20 hours, in 19 hours and 49 minutes and 19 hours and 54 minutes respectively. Kilian, who had not won on the UTMB since 2011, celebrated his comeback as he equalled François d’Haene record win. The Briton Thomas Evans completed the podium in a fantastic time of 20 hours and 34 minutes. The American Katie Schide claimed victory in the women’s, after leading the race until La Fouly, where she was overtaken by Marianne Hogan to then take pole position on the climb to Champex. The women’s podium was made up of Katie Schide, the Canadian Marianne Hogan and the American Kaytlyn Gerbin.

This Sunday the founder of the event Michel Poletti was welcomed by a clap line at 12 noon and ended the event he created with his wife in 2003 in a fine moment with emotions running high. At 4pm, the elites greeted the last finishers on the line and brought to a close this 19th edition of the UTMB Mont-Blanc. See you next year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UTMB® Mont-Blanc during the last week of August.

Key figures – from the 22nd to the 28th of August 2022:

• 2.000 volunteers and members of the organisation
• 19th edition
• 10.000 runners
• 104 nationalities
• 100.000 spectators over the week
• 460 accredited media from 34 countries and 964 publications
• TF1’s 1pm bulletin Sunday 28th of August

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CONTACTS

UTMB Mont-Blanc Press officer

Hugo Joyeux

T: +33 4 50 53 47 51

hugo.joyeux@utmb.world

Fretté Rogerson PR Press officer

Sabina Mollart Rogerson T: +44 7922 140148

sabina@fretterogerson.com