The most enchanting thing about UTMB is that it's hard to define where "the race" actually begins — it may start with the first morning breeze in the mountains, with a gentle "Bonjour" on a town street, or with casual conversations among runners about the mountains, gear and the course.The true trail-running atmosphere has already permeated every inch of the town.

This year's time in Chamonix kicked off with a grand in-person gathering of Asia-Pacific runners.

Before the race, UTMB, HOKA and 跑野 together brought the most mountain-loving people from the Asia-Pacific trail community under one roof. There were the event founders, elite athletes, andmany more runners from the Asia-Pacific region.。

There was no deliberate separation between"on stage" and "off stage"; instead people talked about the races, about running, about training, and about gear,they talked about their first impressions of Chamonix and those moments that only people who have truly run the mountains can understand.

Sun Ruiyi, founder of Paoye Dabaozha, mentioned at the start of the gathering,that UTMB is not only a race but also a global platform for trail runners to connect. With more and more Asian faces appearing at UTMB events in recent years, Asian runners have become an increasingly important part of the global trail-running community, and the Asia-Pacific region is forming its own trail culture and stories.

The founder of UTMB looked back on the event's 23 years: the first edition had only 67 finishers. Since then, as more people have come to Chamonix, UTMB gradually added categories like the CCC and has steadily developed into today's UTMB World Series that links runners from around the world.

Currentlythe UTMB World Series has 14 stops in Asia; Mainland China will host 5 events in 2026, and a new Vietnam stop will also kick off in January next year. Going forward, UTMB will continue to improve sporting inclusivity, encourage participation in trail running from groups such as people with disabilities, and strengthen its environmental commitments, promoting respect for nature and the protection of the environment.

AndHOKA co-founderJean‑Luc Diard one co-founder mentioned that over the past two years he has run at China’s carnivals and witnessed the excitement of UTMB events across the Asia-Pacific. The other co-founder, Nico Mermoud, said he saw many old friends and met new ones.。

When runners from different countries and cultural backgrounds sit together, their languages may differ, but their love of the mountains is on the same wavelength.Perhaps this isthe true meaning of “Gongyue” — not that everyone must run the same course, but that we can come together because of the same mountain.

Beyond in-person, face-to-face exchanges, this year,HOKA also joined forces with Vibram to launch a community running program exclusive to Chinese runners — running through dawn-lit towns into the mountains and fields, with underfoot textures alternating between flagstones, soft earth and forest scree, and before you the vast, majestic scale of Mont Blanc. In these immersive mountain runs, the bonds between people and the connection between people and the mountain become more tangible.

Mountains lie thousands of miles apart, yet runners can be brought so close by shared passion; this is alsowhat HOKA has always been about —bringing more people to the mountains and helping more people connect with the mountains.

This year'sUTMB races saw HOKA’s elite athletes, each in their own way, embody the spirit of “conquering higher mountains together.”

In theUTMB women's race, American Emily Schmitz was undoubtedly one of the most moving stories. The 45-year-old, attempting the UTMB 100-mile distance for the first time, advanced step by step on the long section from La Fouly to Champex-Lac, moving up from 14th among the women to 3rd. Ultimately, thanks to a strong finish, she completed the race in22 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds, and stood on the women's podium.

However,Emily is not the kind of professional trail runner who became famous at a young age.It wasn't until she was 35 that Emily took her first step into trail running.At an age when most athletes have already reached their peak, she was only beginning her mountain journey. Over the next ten years she patiently honed herself and rose steadily, and at 45 stood on the podium at the highest stage of world trail running.

Emily perfectly embodies the truest charm of trail running:It won't tell you when you should arrive; it only reminds you that long-held love, persistence, and endurance will eventually carry us over the mountain in our hearts.

The CCC men's field also played out a passionate story — HOKA's next-generation athlete Hans Troyer took third place,Youth means strength, and also more unknowns; trail running gave him not just a race, but an ongoing chance to explore his limits.

After setting the Asian men's best over the 100-mile distance last year, HOKA China men's elite 四郎多吉 this year switched to the 100-km category, with10 hours58 minutes 26 seconds to take first among Chinese men, leaving a solid footprint of Eastern runners on the world stage.

Of course, the real Chamonix isn't only flowers and applause — under the finish-line spotlight, some shine while others leave with regret and heartbreak.

AnotherHOKA China elite 蒙光富 took second among Chinese men in the CCC, but a wrong turn in the latter half dropped his placing and he sadly missed the top ten.

Competing abroad for the first time atUTMB, HOKA China athlete 雷艳 suffered cramps in the OCC category; a failed fueling strategy left her in tears in Chamonix after the race.

And whenWhen Li Anna, competing in the UTMB category, arrived in Chamonix late at night, Meng Guangfu, Silang Duoji, Lei Yan and Zhi'er Shichu — who had been waiting at the finish for a long time — greeted her with the warmest hugs from the HOKA Family.

In Chamonix, everyone must climb their own mountain — it might be the limits of age, the self you once were, or that distant place in your heart you've never reached.

But winning and losing are never the whole of trail running; the grit of chasing through headwinds, the wholehearted honesty of giving your all, the warmth of standing side by side, and the quiet growth that comes from departing with regret — these are trail running's most moving moments.

Departing from the Alps,HOKA, together with UTMB — born in the Mont-Blanc mountains — inherently share a mountain DNA. As their cooperation deepens, HOKA UTMB® Mont-Blanc has become a stage watched closely by trail runners worldwide,and the partnership between HOKA and UTMB will continue through 2028。

At this year'sUTMB venues, participants "voted with their feet," demonstrating HOKA's authority as a race sponsor and the persuasive appeal of the brand's gear among runners —At both OCC and CCC, HOKA's share of runners wearing its shoes showed a cliff‑edge lead.

Meanwhile, the town is welcoming more people: elite athletes chase limits here, everyday runners seek their breakthroughs, Asian runners bring their own stories, and Chinese runners are becoming an increasingly familiar presence.

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

This is preciselythe unique bond formed after years of collaboration between HOKA and UTMB. From early joint efforts to promote trail running culture to now standing together on the sport's most important global stage, the relationship between HOKA and UTMB has long been more than a title sponsorship — it's a shared growth. UTMB has shown the world what's possible in mountain sports, while HOKA keeps bringing the lifestyle of "enter the mountain, run to the mountain, surpass yourself" to more people.

One that connects the world's top trail venues, one that connects trail runners from around the world — ultimately, both converged in Chamonix into the same answer: get more people, through running, to climb higher mountains.

The23rd HOKA UTMB Final has come to an end, but for runners UTMB is never the finish, because after every finish there is another mountain. The true spirit of trail running has never been just reaching a given finish line; it's being willing to set off again with the people beside you when the next mountain appears.

Asa top‑tier partner of the UTMB World Series, HOKA's event support within China now spans East China, North China, Southwest and South China. In 2025 it staged four core by‑UTMB events, and in 2026 it officially expanded to five, making the region the most concentrated and central hub for UTMB races in Asia. From the bamboo seas of Jiangnan to the Danxia of northern Fujian, from the Loess Plateau to the hills of South China, runners' vision of "running across the nation's mountains and rivers" is becoming reality.

As the country's only domestic direct qualifier to Chamonixand to the UTMB Final — the top trail racing system with a global points framework — the China by UTMB series is also the core event vehicle for HOKA's long‑term "Climb Higher Together" philosophy in China.

©HOKA

Not only deeply investing inthe UTMB series, HOKA continues to root itself in China's trail landscape, empowering the domestic mountain‑sport ecosystem across the board.At the professional level, the brand has been a long‑term strategic sponsor of benchmark domestic events such as the Asian Trail Running Championships and the Da Wuyi Super Mountain Trail, supporting the professionalization and internationalization of Chinese trail racing and building a high‑level competitive stage for domestic elites.

While steadily expanding its race portfolio,HOKA has also continued to deepen its service to trail runners; encouraging more diverse participants to take the start line has been an active, ongoing effort since the brand entered China.

At the grassroots community level, HOKA's presence runs through everyday life and into the fabric — staging year-round city morning runs, mountain training camps, and nationwide runners' meetups — breaking down trail-running cliques and bringing the public closer to the mountains.

©HOKA

Soon to launch, HOKA's own IP event "Fly Run Carnival" will offer varied, fun, immersive mountain experiences that blend running, socializing and wilderness exploration, covering runners of all ages and ability levels. It encourages newcomers who long for the mountains to take their "first wild run" with HOKA's support, and creates more opportunities for the public to step into trail running.

From the Alps, the brand's birthplace, to the global stage of Chamonix; from safeguarding elite athletes' pursuit of dreams to being a daily companion for everyday runners; from international race initiatives to deep cultivation of the local trail ecosystem,HOKA fully embodies the deeper core of "Conquering Higher Mountains Together."

Put simply,"'Higher' has never been just about elevation — it's about repeatedly pushing your own limits. 'Together we climb' has never been merely about finishing a race; it's about people meeting because of mountains and connecting through running."

Conquering higher mountains together. See you at the next one.