I finished UTMB 2024 on my first try: 109.6 miles and 32,529 feet of elevation gain in 34 hours, 40 minutes and 57 seconds. The first 20 miles were so bad I thought I'd have to drop, then I passed hundreds of people overnight, fell apart again around Champex-Lac, and got saved by an entire pizza at Trient. Here's the full story: before, during and after.
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Quick facts
- Distance: 109.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 32,529 feet
- Finish time: 34:40:57, crossing the line at 5 a.m.
- Training: 16 weeks on my Advanced 100 Mile Training Plan
- Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 6
- Fueling: my own drink mix, about 70 g of carbs per hour early on, plus pizza
- Drop bags: just one, at Courmayeur
Before: the training plan
I used my Advanced 100 Mile Training Plan, How to Train Like Kilian Jornet and Jim Walmsley, for the 16 weeks before the race. It did a great job of kicking my butt and getting me ready for all the insane elevation and distance at UTMB.
I probably could have gotten by with the original 100 mile training plan. But I was so nervous about not finishing that I wanted absolute proof I could do this race, and the harder plan gave me that confidence. I also don't think I would have finished in the time I did on the normal plan.
Before: race week
I showed up three days before the race, and my whole family was there to support me and crew me at some of the later aid stations. We rented a sweet cabin in Les Houches so I could relax and get ready.
Then my mom tested positive for Covid. My wife and I immediately moved out of the cabin and found a new Airbnb until the start. Not ideal conditions at all, but stuff happens.
When I started packing, I realized UTMB has only one drop bag for the entire race, at the halfway point in Courmayeur. My 100 miler the year before had three drop bag spots, so I didn't need to see a crew at all. Luckily my family had rented a car, so the drop bag situation didn't hurt too much. But one drop bag for a 110 mile race? Come on, UTMB.
On race day I wasn't feeling well. I thought I might have Covid, but I tested negative. I just had aches and pains all over and felt kind of feverish. Maybe my body was adjusting: it was super hot back home in Nice and very cold up in Chamonix.
During: the first 20 miles were hell
The first 20 miles were so bad I thought I was going to have to drop out. I had no power in my legs. I couldn't climb and I couldn't run the downhills. The only thing I could do was run on flat terrain, and if you know UTMB, there isn't much of that.
Then after mile 20, things just started looking up. My legs came back. I have no idea what happened.
From mile 22 to mile 28 there's a huge mountain with 4,000 feet of climbing, and I was flying the whole way up. I'm not exaggerating: I passed something like 300 people on that climb.
A word on the congestion: for the first half of the race you're basically waiting in line. It's pretty frustrating, going slowly and climbing up embankments to pass people. I'm not sure what UTMB could do about it, other than maybe staggering the start so half the field goes first.
It was the middle of the night by then, but the view was incredible: hundreds of headlights winding up the mountain ahead of me, and thousands weaving down the mountain behind me. I didn't film any of it because I was locked in. I just needed to get up that mountain.
At the top I ran into a famous ultrarunning TikToker, told him I loved his videos, and then flew down the other side.
During: fueling and the night
I made it down to the 50 km aid station at Les Chapieux feeling great. I refilled my bottles with the fuel mix I brought myself, because I wanted to be sure I was getting my full carbs. Up to that point I was averaging about 70 grams of carbs per hour and feeling strong.
I went through that aid station at 2 a.m., wide awake and cruising. Between there and the next aid station at Lac Combal, over about 10 miles, I passed another 150 people.
After Lac Combal the sun started to rise, and it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen: huge tall mountains with huge glaciers coming down them. One of the best mornings of my life.
During: Courmayeur and Grand Col Ferret
Courmayeur is the halfway point, at mile 50. By then it was getting harder to take in liquid calories, but I was still doing pretty well on calories overall. I grabbed some chips from my drop bag and kept going.
I felt like I was flying through aid stations, but I was actually taking about 15 minutes at each one. That's not fast by any means, but I was going through as efficiently as I could.
The section after Courmayeur had the most incredible views of the race: glacier after glacier, huge mountains and green hills. I loved it.
By Grand Col Ferret, the highest point of the race, I wasn't moving as fast as before Courmayeur, but I was still passing about 20 people per checkpoint.
During: falling apart at Champex-Lac
From Grand Col Ferret to the next major aid station at Champex-Lac, things took another big downhill. I called my crew and begged them to get me a pizza at Champex-Lac. They told me there wasn't a pizzeria anywhere near them, and they were already at the aid station waiting for me. I was devastated.
Luckily there were french fries at that aid station. My crew chief ran out, grabbed some and brought them back, and I ate them as fast as I could. It felt so good to have something hot and solid in my stomach.
I spent 30 minutes at Champex-Lac, the longest I spent at any aid station. Everything was locking up and cramping: my back, my shoulders, my feet, my legs. I could barely walk. But for some reason I was still 100 percent certain I was going to make it to the finish line.
Champex-Lac is at mile 80, and the next aid station, Trient, is at mile 90. In those 10 miles I got passed by two people, the only time in the whole race anyone passed me.
During: pizza at Trient
Guess what was waiting for me at Trient? An entire pizza. Pizza is my secret weapon in ultramarathons. I spent 18 minutes there and ate the whole thing. I was starving, and it powered me through the rest of the race. I felt 100 times better.
During: the last 11 miles
At Vallorcine, the last crewed aid station at mile 98, I finally found out how far I had left. I didn't have a GPS watch during the race, since none of my watches have enough battery, and I was tracking on Strava on my phone, which died mid race and had to be recharged, so the mileage was all off. I knew Courmayeur was halfway, but besides that I had no idea. It didn't really matter. All I was focused on was the finish line.
So I asked my crew chief, and he said 11 miles. That was all I needed to hear. I'd watched the UTMB livestream so many times that I knew it was just three little hills to the finish. I death marched those last three climbs, hit the last aid station at the top of the final mountain, and knew it was 7 km downhill to the finish.
The finish in Chamonix
It didn't feel real. Finishing UTMB had been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. For over a decade I'd dreamed about running into Chamonix and crossing that finish line, and it was finally coming true, on my first try. Words can't describe those last 7 km.
It was 5 a.m. when I came into Chamonix. The streets were silent, but as I came down the finish chute my whole family was there cheering for me. It's something I will never forget.
Going into the race I had exactly one UTMB stone and my 100 mile qualifier. I really should not have gotten into UTMB this year. Getting in, training for it, going in injury free and finishing was the greatest feeling ever. If you're trying to get in yourself, here's how to check how many running stones you have.
After: dust, fever and three days of sleep
What made it feel real was how terrible I felt afterward. The heat kit was required this year, so it was a hot one, and the whole course was so dusty. I don't think I've ever inhaled that much dust in my life. Between the dust and putting my body through the wringer, I got really sick. For three days after the race I had a fever that would peak and break over and over, so I was either sweating or freezing, and I was so sore. I think I slept more than I was awake those three days.
Gear
Shoes: a big shout out to my Hoka Speedgoat 6s. I washed them after the race and they look brand new, and the lugs are still in great condition. They were the perfect choice for UTMB. (Here's why I picked the 6s over the 5s.)
Everything else: basically the same gear I used at my 100 miler the year before.
The vest: probably the most shocking part of my gear. Before the start, part of it was already falling off, and one section was just see-through mesh. I was sure the mesh would break and my stuff would fly all over the trail. It probably wasn't the best idea to carry all my mandatory gear for 100 miles in that vest, but I liked it, I didn't really have another option, and it worked. It also matched the goblin aesthetic very well.
Want to know more about me and how I got here? Check out my about page, or read my 2022 Nice 100 mile race report. Questions about UTMB? Leave them in the comments on the video and I'll answer them there.