Last weekend, Suunto athlete, Kilian Jornet won the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc for the third time in his career. The UTMB is 170 km long with 9,700 meters of elevation gain in the mountains of the Mont-Blanc massif. It is considered to be one of the most difficult and prestigious races in the world of Trail Running.
"This year's UTMB has been very special, as it has probably been the UTMB race with the highest level. Just looking at the list of competitors was scary," said Kilian after coming in first with a time of 20:36.43 hours.
Kilian says, “The weather conditions were really tough. We set off with rain and snow in the highest areas, which made the first part of the race particularly tough. This context, however, brought about some remarkable moments, such as the sunrise in Col de la Seigne, the light, the moon still visible, the sun, the snow and some impressive colors. It was an incredible moment.”
For most of the race Kilian ran with a group of runners, some of his closest friends. But 25 km out from the finish line in Chamonix, he sprinted away from the group and kept his distance until the very end. The public shared a warm welcome to the Catalan racer. “The UTMB is a very special race. This year I felt the public’s support in all the areas, no matter whether French, Italian or Swiss. There were a lot of people supporting and cheering me on. It truly was a very special experience.” says Kilian.
For the next few days Kilian is going to rest up and get himself ready for the race on September 17th in South Africa, part of his 5 Races, 5 continents project.
Results: UTMB Mens
1. KILIAN JORNET. 20:36 h. (Team Salomon)
2. IKER CARRERA. 20:45 h. (Team Salomon)
3. SEBASTIEN CHAIGNEAU. 20:55 h. (Team North Face)
Results UTMB Women's
1. Elisabeth HAWKER. 25:02 h. (Team North Face)
2. Nerea MARTINEZ. 27:55:34 h. (Team Salomon)
3. Darcy AFRICA. 28:30:28 h. (Team Pearl Izumi)
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