The women's field in the 2026 UTMB Finals has just produced its final result. After 174 km of hard racing, French home athlete Blandine L HIRONDEL 21:54:49 claimed the title, with Rachel ENTREKIN and Emily SCHMITZ finishing second and third.
In this race Blandine was in the lead pack from the start, with fierce competition and positions changing frequently. It was not until the 68 km Lac Combal checkpoint that, after overtaking Rachel ENTREKIN to move into first, the race fell under Blandine’s control and she opened out into a solo lead.
In the following stages Blandine steadily extended her advantage, holding a 42-minute lead by the time she reached 155 km Vallorcine. On the final climb before the finish, La Flegere, physically pushed to her limits, Blandine was carried forward by surging crowds and, moved to tears, she wept.
She ultimately reached the Chamonix finish first in 21:54:49 to take this year’s UTMB women's title, becoming, after Ruth CROFT, the second female athlete to complete the UTMB Finals triple of OCC, CCC and UTMB — a “complete Grand Slam.” She is also the first French female winner of UTMB in ten years.
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Text/Editor: HP
Image source: Paoye Da Baozha
Visuals: Max
