In the early autumn of 2011 in the Alps, mist and clouds wrapped the peaks and the course was wet and rugged. At that time Chinese trail running was still in its infancy, and very few athletes had set foot on the international elite trail scene.
When the vast majority of Chinese runners still didn't know what UTMB was, the CCC entry list already contained two names that would prove profoundly significant for Chinese trail running:Yun Yanqiao and Xing Ru-ling are the two earliest known Chinese runners to have competed in that category.
At that time 运艳桥 had just left university; newly in the workforce, he carried a pure love for trail running and went to compete in Europe on his own.
On his first challenge of a 100-km international course he ran a steady, methodical race, overcoming high-altitude hypoxia, unfamiliar foreign course conditions, and large diurnal temperature swings, and ultimately finished in 12:07:40, placing 14th overall.
Also in that edition, 邢如伶 was a nurse who had worked for nearly thirty years at a township hospital; her years of shift work had never dimmed her love of running. As one of the country's first-generation trail running enthusiasts, she relied on years of accumulated endurance and extraordinary willpower to complete the race in a hard-fought 16:55:51, finishing 28th among 207 female entrants.
That year the two of them accomplished one thing together: they drew the first mark of Chinese trail running on the CCC map.
In 2012 another Chinese female runner took the baton from 邢如伶. 陈春艳, who had already made a name for herself across multiple outdoor disciplines, finished 14th among women in 14:14:59, pushing Chinese women's rankings in the CCC field forward by a large step.
In the years that followed Chinese athletes' presence in the CCC steadily increased. By 2017 there were 67 Chinese entrants in the CCC. 闫龙飞 finished in 12:27:11, 33rd overall, becoming the top Chinese finisher in that edition.
From two people in 2011 to 67 in 2017, Chinese trail running completed a quiet but determined expansion in the CCC field.
China's strength
Standing on the top podium
In 2018 the finish line in Chamonix was completely ignited by two Chinese trail runners.That year the CCC field had 2,147 starters. After the race began, 祁敏's strategy was to take the lead from the start; he held the lead for more than nine hours, leading the field for 90 km.But at the final aid station, the British runner Thomas Evans, who had been 10 minutes behind, caught up and passed him, checking in 12 seconds ahead. Ultimately,Qi Min finished as the men's runner-up in 10:50:07. He became the first Chinese man to stand on the CCC podium.On the women's side,22-year-oldYao Miaomade a stunning debut — it was her first UTMB — and she crossed the line with a commanding 30-minute lead over the runner-up,taking the women's title in 11:57:46 and cutting the course record by a full 15 minutes. She became the youngest champion in CCC history and the first Asian woman to win the race.This young woman from the mountains of Guizhou didn't put on running shoes until she was 14, yet with a sweeping victory she told the world: Chinese trail running is no longer here to "participate" — it's here to "win."After seven years of focused work in the CCC category, Chinese trail runners have made the leap from "taking part" to "contending for titles." The gap closed is not just a dozen places on the results sheet but a jump in the overall strength of Chinese trail running, breaking the longstanding dominance of European and American athletes on this race's podium.Beyond the champions
more Chinese names lit up Chamonix
In 2019 Shen Jiasheng won the HK100 in 10:22:02; prior to that he had taken first place in all five 100-km races he'd entered. That year was also his first attempt at the CCC — he ran a steady, controlled race and stood out in a field full of strong competitors.Shen led up to CP5; although he was later overtaken, he still finished fifth in 11:12:01. That placing was already impressive at the time, but he was clearly not satisfied.Behind him, Zhang Zhenlong was ninth in 11:35:48; Zhao Jiaju was eleventh in 11:47:50.In 2022 Shen Jiasheng returned to the CCC and finished fourth in 10:29:21 — one race, one-place improvement. Moving from fifth to fourth may seem small, but it signaled that he was becoming increasingly familiar with and stronger on this Alpine 100-km course.In 2023 Shen ran UTMB for the fourth time and the CCC 100 km for the third time. In 10:22:30 he took second place, losing by just 8:05 to a British runner out of 1,650 starters.That result not only improved his standing as the best-performing Chinese athlete on the course, it also equaled the highest placement for a Chinese runner in the category — the mark set by Qi Min in 2018. From fifth to fourth to runner-up, Shen Jiasheng has been steadily evolving.After crossing the line he lifted his young son and embraced his wife as the lights of Chamonix fell on the family. The young man who ran alone in the Alps five years ago is now a husband, a father, and one of Chinese trail running's most consistent standard-bearers in the CCC category.Since then, more Chinese names have continued to emerge in the CCC field.In 2024 Zhang Huohua ran steadily in the top five throughout and ultimately finished fifth. Tang Jingyan, having overcome the injury problems of the previous year, returned to the course and finished sixth in the women's race in 13:10:44.In the 2025 CCC, Tang Jingyan was ninth in the women's race in 12:42:54. "The Great Demon King" Chi Lingjie made her CCC debut and placed 18th in the women's category. Although they didn't reach the podium, they remain an unmistakable force among Chinese women in this discipline.On the men’s side, Meng Guangfu finished sixth in 10:31:36, taking top Asian finisher.To be continued
Who will be next?
Meanwhile,This year, Yao Miao will return to the CCC field after an eight-year absence. After dominating the OCC category for two consecutive years (back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025), she has chosen to return to this familiar 100 km course.She made her name here in 2018 — what kind of performance will she bring us this year?The Chinese story in the CCC differs from that in the UTMB category. In the CCC, it took only seven years — from Yun Yanqiao and Xing Ruling’s first appearances in 2011 to Qi Min and Yao Miao sharing the podium in 2018. Alongside Shen Jiasheng’s strong showings, this reflects the rapid rise of China’s overall trail-running level over the past decade-plus; those who came later are standing on the shoulders of their predecessors.Today the CCC podium is no longer exclusive to European and American athletes; Chinese names have appeared there several times. Who will be the next this year — a first men’s title, or another women’s victory?
