One of the greatest trail running races and festivals in the world is happening in Chamonix, France from August 22-28 – the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc or UTMB, which many consider the de facto World Championship of trail running. Nearly 10,000 athletes will compete over 7 races of various distances throughout the week, culminating with the main event, the 105-mile circumnavigation of Mont Blanc taking runners on a tour of the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps … with over 30,000 feet of total vertical gain.
The events that are held during the UTMB festival include:
- UTMB – 170km
- TDS – 145km
- CCC – 100km
- OCC – 55km
- PTL – 300km (team event)
- MCC – 40km
- ETC – 15km
- YCC – various (youth)
The race has stringent qualifying criteria which require runners to complete designated ultra distance races around the world. Just completing those races to earn points is an achievement in itself. However, those points do not alone guarantee your spot on the starting line. The athlete must then enter a lottery drawing and be selected in order to register.
DPMR Members & Friends Head to Chamonix
This year, of the 514 Americans who were lucky enough to gain entry into one of the races, DPMR and friends will be proudly represented by 10 of them (that we’ve confirmed). We know this is a DPMR record, and though we haven’t confirmed this, we think this may also be the most runners being sent by a single U.S. club! And if we missed anyone, please let us know in the comments below.
As with any race, the training will be hard but for this particular race, the runners will need to prepare for the extreme vertical ascents and descents of the trails in the Alps. Over the next few months leading up to the race, we will follow the progress and profile our members as they prepare for UTMB.
- Krissi Polenz – OCC
- Stephanie Evans Jacobs – CCC
- Sean Flanagan – CCC
- Alexander Humenetskyj – CCC
- Jeff Reifers – CCC
- Steve Rowberry – CCC
- Helen Mino Faukner – CCC
- Todd Vogel – UTMB
- Steve Woo – UTMB
- Mike Kreaden – UTMB
We wish everyone the best of luck in their prep and we look forward to featuring them over the coming months!
Profile 1: Our UTMB Runners
This month we interviewed the runners taking on the main event race, the 105-mile UTMB – Steve Woo, Mike Kreaden, and Todd Vogel.
STEVE WOO
You’ve crossed the finish line in Chamonix twice now in two different races. What made you want to do it a third time?
First of all, the races there, the energy is so amazing. After my first year I told myself I’d come back every year if I could. I love it there and the entire race week is absolutely phenomenal. It’s like no other race in the World. It is trailrunning’s Super Bowl or Tour de France. When I first did the CCC race in 2017 I thought that may be as long of a race as I wanted to do. I couldn’t imagine myself going any further than 100k. But you know how it goes – every race is a gateway to the next one if you have a good experience. It was a hard race but I’ve suffered through harder before. And 2017 was the year I broke my back and I only had 3 months of training prep. I knew I could go farther and faster with better preparation and a full recovery from my injury. I stepped up to the TDS in 2019 which I thought was only going to be slightly longer, but it ended up being longer than I wanted to go (that year they added 20 miles for a total distance of 93). Many Pros I heard considered TDS to be harder than the UTMB race. So that gave me a lot of confidence to want to take on the UTMB which is what really sparked my interest from the beginning after seeing the movie “Curiosity” and meeting Rory Bosio.
In the February “Ask the Board” section of our newsletter you said your audacious goal was to finish UTMB in 30 hours. Tell me about that?
Putting a time goal on a race that you should be happy to finish is audacious! I do tend to overshoot out of overconfidence in my ability. I did TDS in 31 hours but I felt like there’s a lot more I could have done in preparation. UTMB is longer by 12 miles, and 5000’ more vertical, so shaving an hour on top of that seems like a tall order. But I have this formula I use when aiming for time goals. It’s the top pro time + 50%. I figured 20 hours + 10. So that’s how I get 30.
Talk to me about your preparation. How are you preparing for UTMB? And are you doing anything different for this race that say TDS or any ultra for that matter?
I actually plan to do a lot of hiking with a ton of vert and steep vert. The trails in the Alps around Mont Blanc are very dramatic. They go straight up the mountain. There aren’t generous switchbacks like we see here in our area. Half the race I expect to be hiking and that’s quite different than running.. When I did CCC in 2017, I noticed I was terrible at hiking. One thing I found that has made my hiking better since then is backcountry skiing and skimo racing. The motion of skinning uphill is like hiking but with weights. And as poles are a necessity at UTMB, I will be well practiced and my muscles well conditioned from using ski poles. Of course, downhill skiing is good strength training for running downhill. It’s no doubt, some of the top trailrunners in the world do skimo. I’m not sure why more trailrunners don’t do it during the winter, but it’s my secret stealth training now. I went all in this year with a full season of skimo, so hoping that translates. With skimo season is over, I’m starting to run. I’ll be working with the same coach as last year – my friend Chris Lundy who got me thru Castle Peak and to a marathon PR two months later. The one thing different is I’ll be focusing a lot more on nutrition – particularly dialing race nutrition. That’s going to be the key for me.
What do you think your greatest challenges will be? Fears or concerns? Keys to your race?
For me, it will be nutrition (as mentioned) – getting enough calories. Long races have always been a challenge for me. Also dealing with the lack of sleep. There were times at TDS during the night where I struggled to stay awake. I definitely fear hallucinating while on course!
Other than that, not starting out too fast.. People get way too excited from the beginning and want to get the hole shot and ahead of everyone on the trail. The key is to be patient and budget my energy.
Where does the UTMB rank on top of your list of goals and accomplishments?
I’m not sure if there would be any greater accomplishment in trail running for me personally than finishing this race. From the process of qualifying to racing amongst the worlds best around majestic mountains, in one of the most storied races, this is the top for me.
MIKE KREADEN
How/Why did you decide to wanted to run UTMB?
Back in 2010, I created a bucket list of races to do. Western States, Leadville, and UTMB were the iconic races that I dreamed of doing. At this point, UTMB is the final race to check off my list. I run ultras because of my love for moving through the mountains and challenging myself with BHAGs. I can’t think of a better place to cap off my bucket list than in Chamonix, the birthplace of mountaineering and the penultimate mountain town.
What are your thoughts about the race as you are training for it right now?
My thoughts are locked in on the experience. The training leading up to the race, spending time in the Cham valley, exploring the alps with my wife and kids. I am living the experience every day up until the race.
What are your goals for the event?
To master my pace and nutrition during the first 78K so that I am on top of my race and able to enjoy the moment. This will be the longest “time on feet” for me, so I am wary of setting time goals as I venture into the unknown. At this point, my goal is to finish before sunrise on Sunday (35 hr sounds about right!).
How are you going about training for it?
I have been working on building my base by cross-training between running and backcountry skiing. May kicks off my first big block in the training schedule, and I have a few training camps that I am doing in May and June to get my fitness up to par. My last training block (mid-July to mid-Aug) will be spent in Chamonix, immersed in the culture and running on the technical trails of the UTMB. I think that the key to successful training will be to have a lot of experience training on technical terrain, with more vert than I am used to.
What do you think your keys to success will be for preparing and racing it?
Success for me will be to stave off injury and get to Chamonix in July healthy and fit. My last big racing season was 2019 and after 3 big races, I ended up with bilateral hamstring tears. That took a long time to heal and I am cautious and mindful of staying healthy so that I can keep running.
Have you run at UTMB before? Have you previously completed a 100-mile race?
I was able to get into CCC back in 2017 (not enough points for UTMB) and this confirmed my desire to return and experience the full journey around Mont Blanc. I have completed Western States 3 times and I kicked off my 100-mile bucket list by completing Leadville back in 2012. I am approaching UTMB with a deep respect for the distance and the reality that it will be an adventure in every sense of the word!
Is this your first time racing in Europe or another country?
CCC in 2017 was my only other experience racing in Europe. I have become a fan of skyrunning and I am hoping to go back to Europe to participate in some of those races in the future. I have raced in Canada as well — Canadian Death Race (2018 and 2019), Sinister 7, and Black Spur Ultra.
Anything else you’d like to share related to this endeavor?
This year marks many milestones in my life … 35th wedding anniversary, retirement, and aging up to the “senior” age group (60). I’m grateful for the opportunity to share this experience with my family and friends. I hope to see you in Chamonix!
TODD VOGEL
How/Why did you decide to want to do this race?
UTMB wasn’t really on my radar until 2018 or so. I love adventure running most of all, especially mountain running. I also dig Europe and travel, so UTMB is a natural fit. I can’t get over the image I see of the finish in Chamonix, with people leaning over the barriers to wave at and touch the runners, cobblestone streets, historic multi-story stone buildings rising over the narrow city streets. What a classic start/finish!
What are your thoughts about the race as you are training for it right now?
Well, I’ve had two orthopedic surgeries in the past 8 months including complete hamstring reattachment back in September, so just getting back to a solid base is my focus. Things are lining up, and I went into the first surgery with a great long distance base, so I’m optimistic, but realistic too. I think I’ll be ready, but (see next question) I think just finishing is a more likely goal than, say, hoping for some kind of decent age group place.
What are your goals for the event?
To finish strong, spent, having had the wheels stay on.
How are you going about training for it?
I have to admit that I’m much less disciplined about my training than I was say four years ago. Now I just try to make sure I get the miles and elevation in and don’t worry so much about sticking to a schedule. That said, big weeks for me are 90 miles and maybe 10 – 15k’ gain. When I’m really ramping up I try to run 50 or 60 miles in a day every month (and very few other miles in that week). I try to take two non-running days a week, but, ironically, if I’m short on time, and not able to get my longer runs in then I usually run every day just to get the distance. I count walks and hikes in my miles, too, so 90 miles may not be as much as it sounds like, since I do a lot of hiking.
What do you think your keys to success will be for preparing and racing it?
I’ve put the work in doing hard self-supported mountain runs over the years. I know how to manage myself in the mountains and how to problem solve. Training is the icing on the cake. That said, you can’t fake your way through a hundred mile mountain race. It will be key for me to reach certain benchmarks in my training. If I can run a solid self-supported 50 late next month I’ll know I’m on track. I’ve got TRT 100 in July, which will be another good benchmark (and hopefully my 7th finish at that race).
Have you run at UTMB before? Have you previously completed a 100-mile race?
Haven’t run UTMB before, but have a few 100’s under my belt including the Bear, TRT as mentioned, Pine to Palms, Western States, and some others, and was lucky enough to get 8th at the 2019 Tahoe 200.
Is this your first time racing in Europe or another country?
I’ve worked and played in Europe and other countries, but haven’t ever done a race out of the lower 48.
Anything else you’d like to share related to this endeavor?
I feel some carbon footprint guilt traveling so far just to do a run, but it’s the world we live in. Hopefully other areas of my life offset some of the footprint, like net zero for energy both at home and at the store I own with my wife.
Next Month’s Feature: The DPMR Women at UTMB!
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