The most enchanting thing about UTMB is that it’s hard to define “where the race actually begins” — it might begin with the first breeze in the mountains at dawn, with a gentle “Bonjour” on the town’s streets, or with casual conversations between runners about the mountains, gear and courses. The true trail running atmosphere has already seeped into every inch of the town.

This year in Chamonix began with a grand in‑person Asia‑Pacific runners’ gathering.

Before the race, UTMB, HOKA and RUNYEAH brought together the Asia‑Pacific trail community under one roof — race founders, elite athletes, and many more runners from across the Asia‑Pacific region.

There was no deliberate divide between “onstage” and “offstage”; people talked about races, running, training and gear, shared feelings about their first time in Chamonix, and discussed moments that only those who have truly run mountains can understand.

Sun Ruiyi, founder of RUNYEAH, mentioned at the gathering’s opening that UTMB is not only a race but a global platform for trail runners to exchange ideas. With more Asian faces appearing at UTMB in recent years, Asian runners have become an increasingly important part of the global trail community, and the Asia‑Pacific region is forming its own trail culture and stories.

The UTMB founders reviewed the race’s 23‑year journey — the first edition saw only 67 finishers. Since then, as more people have come to Chamonix, UTMB gradually added categories such as the CCC and evolved into today’s UTMB World Series that connects runners around the globe.

Currently, the UTMB World Series has 14 events in Asia. Mainland China will host 5 races in 2026, and a new Vietnam stop will begin in January next year. Going forward, UTMB will continue to improve inclusivity, encouraging participation from people with disabilities and other groups, while strengthening environmental principles that promote respect for and protection of nature.

HOKA co‑founder Jean‑Luc Diard mentioned that over the past two years he has attended carnivals in China and seen the heat at the Asia‑Pacific UTMB stops. The other co‑founder, Nico Mermoud, said he reunited with many old friends and made new ones.

When runners from different countries and cultural backgrounds sit together, their languages may differ, but their love for the mountains shares the same frequency. Perhaps this is the true meaning of “Together We Climb” — not that everyone must run the same course, but that we can gather because of the same mountain.

Beyond face‑to‑face exchanges, this year HOKA also partnered with Vibram to launch a community run activity specifically for Chinese runners — running through the town at dawn and into the mountains, with underfoot textures of cobbles, soft dirt and forest scree, and the vast scale of Mont Blanc before you. In that immersive mountain run, bonds between people and the connection between people and the mountain became more tangible.

Mountains may be thousands of miles apart, but runners can be so close because of shared passion — this is what HOKA has always worked towards: getting more people into the mountains and helping more people build connections with the mountains.

At this year’s UTMB races, HOKA’s elite athletes interpreted the spirit of “together climbing higher” in different ways.

In the women’s UTMB story, Emily Schmitz from the U.S. is undoubtedly one of the most moving names. At 45, she attempted the UTMB 100‑mile category for the first time. On the long sector from La Fouly to Champex‑Lac she steadily advanced, moving from 14th among the women to 3rd. In the end, with a strong finish, she completed the race in 22 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds and stood on the women’s podium.

However, Emily is not a professional trail star who became famous early. She only took her first step into trail running at age 35. At an age when most athletes have already peaked, she was just beginning her mountain journey. Over the next ten years she patiently honed herself and steadily progressed, until at 45 she stood on the world trail stage’s podium.

Emily perfectly embodies the truest charm of trail running: it doesn’t tell you when you should arrive, it simply reminds you that long‑lasting love, persistence and endurance will eventually lead us to climb the mountain in our hearts.

On the men’s CCC, HOKA’s new generation athlete Hans Troyer took third place. Youth means strength and more unknowns; trail running gives him not only a race but an opportunity to continually explore his limits.

After setting a new Asian men’s best in the 100‑mile last year, HOKA China men’s elite Silang Duoji switched to the 100‑km category this year and secured China’s top male position in 10 hours 58 minutes 26 seconds, leaving a solid mark for Eastern runners on the world stage.

Of course, the real Chamonix is not only flowers and applause — under the finish‑line spotlights, some shine while others leave with regret and heartbreak.

Another HOKA China elite, Meng Guangfu, finished second among Chinese men in the CCC but dropped in the standings after taking a wrong turn in the latter half, regrettably missing out on a top‑10 finish.

Lei Yan, competing abroad for the first time at UTMB in the OCC category, suffered cramps and saw her nutrition strategy fail, leaving her in tears in Chamonix after the race.

When Li Anna from the UTMB category arrived in Chamonix late at night, Meng Guangfu, Silang Duoji, Lei Yan and Zhi Er Shi Chu — who had been waiting at the finish — gave her the warmest HOKA Family hugs.

In Chamonix, everyone has their own mountain to climb — it might be the limits of age, a past self, or a distant place in the heart that has never been reached.

But winning and losing are never the whole of trail running. The perseverance of chasing through headwinds, the wholehearted effort, the warmth of standing side by side, and the settling of regret after leaving — these are the most moving aspects of trail running.

HOKA, born from the Alps, and UTMB, born in the Mont‑Blanc massif, share mountain DNA. As their cooperation deepens, HOKA UTMB® Mont‑Blanc has become a stage watched by trail runners worldwide, and the partnership between HOKA and UTMB will continue through 2028.

At this year’s UTMB, participants “voted with their feet,” proving HOKA’s authority as an event sponsor and the persuasive power of its equipment — on the two main fronts, OCC and CCC, HOKA’s on‑foot rate showed a dramatic lead.

At the same time, the town is accommodating more and more people: elite athletes chase limits here, everyday runners seek breakthroughs, Asian runners bring their stories, and Chinese runners are becoming increasingly familiar faces in the town.

Some run fast, some run slow; some come for rankings, some come to finish — they don’t share the same goals, but they share the same direction — toward the mountains.

This is exactly the unique connection formed after years of HOKA and UTMB cooperation. From early joint efforts to promote trail culture to now standing together on the world’s most important trail stage, HOKA and UTMB’s relationship is more than a naming sponsorship — it’s mutual growth. UTMB shows the world what mountain sports can be, and HOKA continuously brings the lifestyle of “entering the mountain, running toward the mountain, surpassing yourself” to more people.

One connects the world’s top trail racing stage, the other connects trail runners from around the world — together in Chamonix they converge on the same answer: to get more people running toward higher mountains.

The 23rd HOKA UTMB Finals have drawn to a close, but for runners UTMB is never an endpoint — after every finish there is another mountain, and the true spirit of trail running is not merely reaching one finish line but still being willing to set off with those around you when the next mountain appears.

As a top partner of the UTMB World Series, HOKA’s supported events in China now cover East China, North China, Southwest and South China. In 2025 four core by‑UTMB events were held, expanding to five in 2026, making it the most concentrated and core UTMB region in Asia — from the bamboo seas of Jiangnan to the Danxia of northern Fujian, from the loess plateaus to the hills of South China, the dream for runners to “run across the country’s mountains and rivers” is becoming reality.

As the only domestic series that grants direct access to the Chamonix UTMB Finals and features a global points system, the China by UTMB series is also HOKA’s core race vehicle for realizing its long‑term “Together We Climb Higher” philosophy in China.

©HOKA

Beyond deepening its involvement with the UTMB series, HOKA continues to root itself in China’s trail ecosystem and provides comprehensive support for local mountain sports. At the professional race level, the brand is a long‑term strategic sponsor of benchmark local events such as the Asian Trail Running Championships and the Da Wuyi Super Trail, helping Chinese trail races professionalize and internationalize, and building a high‑level competitive stage for domestic elites.

While expanding the event map, HOKA has also continued to deepen services for trail runners. Encouraging more different types of participants to take the start line has been an ongoing focus since the brand entered China.

At the community level, HOKA’s presence runs through everyday life — city morning runs, mountain training camps and nationwide runner salons are held year‑round to break down trail running’s barriers and bring the public closer to the mountains.

©HOKA

The upcoming HOKA in‑house IP event “Fei Pao Carnival” will kick off with diverse, fun, immersive mountain activities that combine running, socializing and mountain experiences for runners of all ages and levels. It encourages newcomers who long for the mountains to take their first trail steps with HOKA’s support and creates more opportunities for the public to enter trail running.

From the Alps where the brand originated to the global stage in Chamonix; from protecting elite athletes’ dreams to accompanying everyday runners; from international race layouts to deep‑rooted local trail development, HOKA fully embodies the deeper core of “Together We Climb Higher.”

“Higher” has never been only about elevation — it’s about repeatedly breaking through your own limits. “Together” has never been only about finishing a race — it’s about everyone meeting because of the mountain and connecting through running.

Together we climb higher — see you at our next mountain.