Before the runners set off, our colleagues went into Chamonix town to check out this year’s UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) EXPO and see which international brands were on show.

Among these brands, footwear was the most numerous.

HOKA, as the UTMB title sponsor, besides its annual “commemorative” items, once again set up a two-level booth across the street as it did last year.

The first level was for public try-ons and purchases of new models like the TECTON X 4 and SPEEDGOAT 7; the second level featured a DJ and a showcase of the brand’s signed athletes. Stylized portraits and the athletes’ names were prominently displayed.

China-based KAILAS FUGA, along with signed athletes such as Zhao Jiaju and Guan Yousheng and its foreign signees, were all present at the venue.

They shared experiences face-to-face with trail enthusiasts and let them try products with the new sock-gaiter design, including the EX PRO, YAO (“曜” series), and DU MONSTER.

Other domestic and international brands — adidas, ALTRA, BROOKS, Salomon, LA SPORTIVA and other major manufacturers — brought new products to this year’s EXPO; more niche but refined labels like Goldwin were also present.

Some tech “suppliers,” such as the well-known MATRYX fabric technology, also had booths, and products using their materials were available for runners to examine.

The electronics/peripherals category was represented too, with booths from Garmin, SUUNTO, COROS, Shokz 韶音, and others.

Arguably the easiest sections to browse were energy nutrition and sunglasses — each had displays from more than ten brands.

If you were there, which brand’s booth would you most want to visit?

Interestingly, some brands didn’t make it into the EXPO, such as nike ACG, NORDA and Satisfy.