Under this year's UTMB spotlight, a "wave of withdrawals" became a significant signal even before the race began.

Kilian Jornet, Jim Walmsley and last year's champion Tom Evans were all absent, leaving the men's field seemingly leaderless even before the start. Last year's women's champion Ruth Croft also unfortunately announced two days before the race that she would withdraw from her title defense due to injury.

©Tom Evans

The absence of stars opened the stage for later legends and set a tone of uncertainty from the outset for this Alpine celebration.

With the 'Hall of Heroes' empty, who will step into it?

Vincent Bouillard and Francesco Puppi — two athletes who broke course records this year — were unable to show their usual form at UTMB and both fell short.

Vincent Bouillard DNF'd early in UTMN, and Francesco Puppi, even when revisiting the OCC course, could not crack the top five.

Jennifer Lichter, who won the Western States 100 women's title on her debut, finished fourth in the women's field in CCC — but she was never really in contention for the win. Riley Brady, who finished second there, placed 13th at UTMB.

Although the race's start was delayed and the route slightly adjusted for weather (avoiding the Pyramides — Calcaires section), those changes mean it won't count as an official course record.

But Ben Dhiman's 18:16:29 was still jaw‑dropping. He became the first person to break the 19‑hour barrier on UTMB, and the second American man to win UTMB after Jim Walmsley.

Even more startling: Ben Dhiman himself believed he had conserved energy. If Baptiste Chassagne and Caleb Olson had pushed a bit harder, he might have increased the pace — and a sub‑18 might not have been out of the question.

Of course, second and third also finished inside 19 hours.We must admit: UTMB has evolved from a test of endurance and survival into a 170km long‑distance ultramarathon.

For athletes, the margin for error in today's ultra‑distance trail races is shrinking.

When Blandine L'Hirondel crossed the Chamonix finish line, we witnessed another legend: she became the second trail runner after Ruth Croft to complete the UTMB Grand Slam.

She won OCC and CCC in 2021 and 2022 respectively. After four years of waiting, Blandine L'Hirondel finally reached the UTMB 'summit'.

This OB‑GYN, who once considered retirement, has become a source of pride for the French this year.

The last time a French woman won UTMB was Caroline Chaverot in 2016. In the years since, the women's field had been dominated by the likes of Courtney Dauwalter and Katie Schide. Blandine L'Hirondel finally gave the French something to cheer about.

But perhaps this is worry for worry's sake: Rachel Entrekin and Emily Schmitz, who finished behind her, are both American. What happens next year is hard to predict.

Looking at the overall data, Chinese women had a UTMB completion rate of 53.6%, 10.9 percentage points behind non‑Chinese groups. Improving the competitiveness of our female runners in the 100‑mile category is a challenge we must face.

05

Is there a European vs. American style to trail running?

Finding the balance is key

For a long time, American trail running and European mountain racing have been seen as two different beasts.

Before Jim Walmsley, Americans hadn't found the 'key' to victory. That changed in 2024 with a breakthrough from 0 to 1, and now Ben Dhiman has arguably flattened that barrier.

If you can't overcome the Alps' 'maladaptation', you simply can't claim the crown.

Jim Walmsley's method was to become an American living in France; Ben Dhiman has followed that model, though he chose the French Pyrenees.

UTMB women's third‑place finisher, 45‑year veteran Emily Schmitz, is the same — she currently lives and trains long‑term in Chamonix.

This kind of 'localization' adaptation is even harder for East Asian athletes traveling long distances.

Official statistics show UTMB completion rates of 60.3% for Japan, 58.9% for China, and 55.1% for Hong Kong, China.

East Asian athletes traveling to Europe face similar challenges — jet lag, travel recovery, familiarity with Alpine courses, and the everyday terrain they train on are all regional obstacles to overcome.

06

The OCC's '3‑second sprint to decide the win'

When attention shifts from the podium to all trail runners, the data reveals another side.

China doesn't lack top 10% world‑class athletes, but the next 25% constitute a 'participation backbone' making up 39%–49%, creating a 'dumbbell‑shaped' distribution.

The thinness of China's mid‑tier trail‑running depth is greatly magnified at UTMB.

The finish rate plunges to 58.9%, mainly due to missed cutoffs. China's rate of missing cutoffs is 18.9% — nearly three times that of non‑Chinese groups. Runners often find themselves 'still able to move, but unable to maintain the cutoff pace.'

At UTMB, withdrawals clustered in the Italian section between 67–104km — after a long descent immediately followed by a climb — which is precisely our weakness in specific skills.

From OCC and CCC to UTMB, what increases is not only distance but also the complexity of energy and nutrition management. Shen Jiasheng's DNF despite being in the top 20 in the first half of UTMB is a telling snapshot.

In the future, only when the 25%–50% 'mid‑tier' thickens will Chinese trail running be able to move from 'having a few stars' to 'being competitively strong overall'.