At 09:55 Beijing time on September 16, after several days and nights of fierce competition, the 2026 TOR 330(Tor des Géants) welcomedthe arrival ofthe men's champion crossing the finish line,Chinese athlete Zhao Jiaju (凯乐石 FUGA) reached Courmayeur in 65 hours 55 minutes 22 seconds, completing this 330 KM race with 24,000 m of cumulative ascent; Zhao Jiaju not only became the first Asian to win the Tor des Géants 330, but also decisively shaved 13 minutes off the previous course record.
As of press time, Swiss athlete Jonathan Schindler (Salomon) and31-year-old German Katharina Hartmuth (HOKA) were still contesting second and third place.
At present, 31-year-old German Katharina Hartmuth (HOKA) appears poised to deliver a performance for the ages, becoming the first woman to stand on the overall Tor des Géants podium; her own previous women's course record of 79 hours 10 minutes 40 seconds is also set to be substantially lowered.
01
Race highlights
At 16:00 Beijing time on September 13, 2026, the 2026 Tor des Géants TOR330 started in Courmayeur, Italy. The course is 330 kilometers in total, with approximately 24,000 meters of elevation gain, and a 150-hour cutoff to finish.
Wearing bib number 1, Chinese athlete Zhao Jiaju is bent on claiming both the title and the record; alongside him TOR 330 Asian record-holder Zhang Weiqiang, "Seyu" Xie Wenfei, "Xiao Naoxin" Zhang Huiping and other Chinese competitors have set out on the long journey to challenge the international elite.
The men's course record for TOR 330 is66 hours 08 minutes 22 seconds, set by Belgian Victor Richard in 2025; the women's course record was set in 2024 by German athlete Katharina Hartmuth at79 hours 10 minutes 40 seconds。
It is worth noting that,TOR 330 had never before seen a female athlete stand on the overall podium.The woman who has come closest to the overall podium was from Italy Annemarie Gross; she won the women's title in 2010 and 2011 in consecutive editions of TOR330, and in both years her overall placing was fourth—just one step away from the podium.
Tor des Géants has no mandatory stages and no prescribed rest periods; the contest is not only about running ability but also about sleep and energy management, nutrition strategy, injury management and psychological resilience. Over the 330-km course athletes must travel continuously day and night, and in September Alpine nighttime temperatures often fall below 5°C, even approaching 0°C — an extreme test of competitors' gear, nutrition and willpower.
02
Leading, chasing, overtaking
On the first day after the start, Zhao Jiaju led the field at a pace faster than the men's course record; Swiss runner Jonathan Schindler steadily closed to second place, engaging in a tense tug-of-war with Zhao.
Arriving at the Donnas transition point, Zhao Jiaju was about 50 minutes ahead of the course record and roughly 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of the men's second, Schindle.
But Zhao Jiaju's rivals were not onlySchindle alone. In the women'scategory, the course record holderKatharina Hartmuth led strongly from the start, and even more remarkably, the German—who has been runner-up and third at UTMB—ran up to third overall at one point and continued cutting into the gap to the two leading men.
©tordesgeants
At the 190 km Niel aid station, even with Schindler hot on his heels, Jiaju had stretched his lead to 33 minutes. Meanwhile, Hartmuth not only held a commanding lead in the women's field but was already a full three hours faster than her own course record.
The major station at Gressoney (203.8 km), where Zhao Jiaju withdrew last year, was reached first by him this year; but due to discomfort in his feet and back, Jiaju spent as long as 30 minutes there cleaning, receiving massage and loosening up, then decided to go to sleep—meanwhile, Schindler chose to forgo sleep, spent under 4 minutes at the station and then passed him to take the men's lead.
But the situation reversed early the next morning: after effective recharging from massage and rest, Jiaju caught and passed Schindler on the tough climb toward Champoluc. At 236 km he reclaimed the overall lead upon arriving at Valtournenche, though he looked very tired at that stop and opted to take another short nap.
©kailasfuga
As the race entered its third day, the winner's identity remained in doubt.
03
Showdown, victory, making history
At 10:33 local time on the 15th, at 255 km, Zhao Jiaju extended his lead to 42 minutes. He stayed about 10 minutes at the Magia mountain hut aid station, during which he drank broth, ate a boiled egg, received a massage, and focused treatment on the tibia of his right leg.
©tordesgeants
Zhang Weiqiang sat fourth among the men, with Bai Xingzhi and Li Song 25th and 31st respectively. Zhang Huiping was second in the women's field at 208 km, and "Seyu" Xie Wenfei was sixth.
At 15:07, Zhao Jiaju arrived first at Oyace; after brief stops at Magia and Cuney his condition rebounded and he headed toward the Ollomont aid station.
At 15:31, Jonathan Schindler reached Oyace; after refueling he also took time to tend to foot pain. Katharina Hartmuth arrived close behind; she looked the strongest of the three and still capable of contesting the overall title.
© Social media
With just over 50 km to the finish and less than half an hour separating the top three, who would reach Courmayeur first remained unknown.
©tordesgeants
At 18:04, Zhao Jiaju reached the Ollomont aid station; he stayed only 3 minutes before quickly departing. Schindler used the same tactic—arriving at 18:23 and back on the road by 18:27. Katharina Hartmuth rested longer; she left only after eating a plate of pasta and drinking a bottle of cola.
©tordesgeants
The three-way chase through the final long night officially began, and in a winner poll on the race's official website 84% of respondents still believed Zhao Jiaju would be the ultimate champion.
©tordesgeants
Zhao Jiaju surged, covering Ollomont to Champillon in under an hour and a half. At 7:30 p.m. he reached that aid station and, aside from checking in for timing, made no stop. Schindler and Hartmuth arrived at the station 23 minutes and 45 minutes behind Zhao Jiaju, respectively; both briefly stopped to eat and change clothes to prepare for the coming cold.
At the Bosses aid station, 30 km from the finish, leader Zhao Jiaju finally stopped; he drank some hot soup, put on a hat and jacket, with the Col du Malatrà—the final challenge—still ahead.
©tordesgeants
At 1:12 a.m. on the 16th, Zhao Jiaju crossed the final pass in the night, leading second-place Schindler by about 48 minutes; the win for him now required only the last 15 km of downhill and flat running.
©tordesgeants
At 9:55 a.m. Beijing Time on September 16, 2026, the 2026 Tor des Géants 330 category finally saw its men's champion cross the line; Chinese athlete Zhao Jiaju finished in65 hours 55 minutes 22 secondsHe was first back to Courmayeur, making history as the first Asian winner of the Tor des Géants 330 and simultaneously setting a new course record!
Congratulations, Jiaju!
[End-of-article interaction]
Text/Editor: ECHO
Image source(s): tordesgeants/kailasfuga
Visuals: Max
