Today the OCC race at the 2026 UTMB final got underway.

After a fierce battle, France’s Frédéric TRANCHAND led from the front and ultimately claimed victory in 5:10:08. A MERRELL-sponsored athlete, he wore the Agility Peak 6 — which is not a pure racing shoe but a technical long-distance trail shoe.

Kenya’s Nashon KIPLIMO mounted a furious late charge and finished second in 5:14:37. He was wearing the Salomon S/LAB Pulsar 4, the latest iteration in Salomon’s racing family.

Third place went to Spain’s Miguel BENITEZ, the big dark horse. An ASICS-sponsored athlete, he wore ASICS’s newly released racing model, the METASPEED TRAIL 2.

On the women’s side, the battle for first and second was exceptionally close. American Lauren Gregory took the win by a slim 3-second margin. She wore the ACG racing model Ultrafly Trail.

Second place went to Britain’s Naomi LANG, who wore the same Salomon S/LAB Pulsar 4 as the men’s runner-up.

Third place belonged to Spain’s Sara Alonso, who wore the same METASPEED TRAIL 2 as the men’s third-place finisher.

So which brand do you think is the winner? Did you expect MERRELL to top the men’s podium?