Let's turn the clock back to 2014. At that time, UTMB had just added the OCC category.
At the inaugural OCC there were few Chinese faces, but among the finishers — filled with top athletes from around the world — two Chinese names quietly appeared.
One was an amateur runner, Qu Lei, who finished in 8:41:02, placing 172nd among men and 201st overall. The following year he also tried the CCC, finishing in 25:10:25.
The other was an amateur runner, Chen Peiyao, who finished in 12:26:41, 946th overall. She later took part in other trail events; in 2025 she raced the 20KM at the Ninghai Trail Challenge by UTMB, clocking 4:34:49.
In those days Chinese trail running was still in its infancy; most participants were lone pioneers without systematic preparation, professional teams, or ready experience to follow.
The significance of these two amateur finishers went far beyond the numbers on the results sheet. It proved Chinese trail runners could stand on the OCC start line — even finishing was a historic beginning.
No one could have predicted that, just four years later, this short-distance course would become a 'sanctified ground' for Chinese trail running.
The finish in Chamonix
Conquered by Chinese speed
Time moved to August 30, 2018. Then a member of the TOREAD Feiyue team, Jia Erenjia crossed the OCC finish arch holding high the Chinese national flag.He won in 5:28:44, beating the runner-up by as much as 5 minutes 17 seconds. This was the first time a Chinese athlete defeated European and American competitors to win at UTMB.That historic victory was not an easy solo lead — the OCC's short, high-intensity nature turned the race white-hot from the start.This young man from Qinghai, making his UTMB debut, went all out from the start and stayed with the lead group. Spanish runners Pablo Villalobos and Tim Freriks clearly did not want to let him win easily and on several occasions nearly overtook him during the course.It was only when Jia Erenjia opened a decisive gap on the final big climb that the difference became clear; after cresting the top and facing the last descent, the championship was no longer in doubt.The significance of that win went far beyond the phrase 'China's first title.'Who were OCC's opponents? The trail-running powerhouses of Spain, France and Italy — athletes who grew up in the Alps with mountain genes in their blood. And Jia Erenjia, on the Alps' home turf, literally tucked the winner's trophy into his arms.In the same race, Shen Jiasheng finished sixth — at the time no one knew how this young man from Yunnan would later stir things up in the CCC.The Chinese national flag held high at the finish became one of the most iconic images of Chinese trail running on the international stage, forever engraved in China's trail-running history.In the years that followed, more and more Chinese trail runners appeared on this course, and their performances proved that winning was not a one-off.In 2019, Luo Tao placed third in the men's OCC in 5:25:24. That time was even faster than Jia Erenjia's winning time the year before (5:28:44). The course, the weather and the competition changed, but Chinese runners' speed continued to evolve.In 2023 OCC saw a collective breakout from Chinese competitors. Guan Yousheng from Guizhou finished fourth in the men's race in 4:45:49,while the winner at the time was Norway's Stian Angermund.However, Angermund was later disqualified for a doping violation and his result was annulled, and Guan Yousheng was upgraded to third — 51 seconds behind the new winner Francesco Puppi and only 30 seconds behind the runner-up. UTMB did not officially confirm the adjusted placing and issue the third-place award and prize money until 2025.Guan Yousheng thus became, after Jia Erenjia and Luo Tao, the third Chinese male to stand on the OCC podium. A honor that arrived two years late finally received its rightful recognition.Meng Guangfu and Luo Tao also delivered strong performances in that race, finishing seventh and eighth, with three Chinese men breaking into the OCC top ten simultaneously. That mirrors the historic moment in the UTMB race in 2025 when three Chinese runners also made the top ten — only the OCC did it two years earlier.In 2024, once again three Chinese men entered the top ten: Zi Juwei, Luo Tao and Zhao Hu finished fourth, eighth and ninth respectively.It must be said, OCC is becoming a lucky ground for Chinese trail running. It acts like a mirror, showing Chinese athletes' real competitiveness in middle-short distance trail events: strong short-distance explosiveness, rapid pace changes, and remarkable adaptation to high intensity.In the OCC's legend, Yao Miao's name is an unavoidable chapter.In 2018, at just 22 years old, Yao Miao burst onto the scene in the CCC, winning the race and becoming the first — and so far only — Chinese woman to win the CCC.Over the next five years Yao Miao went through a lot — injuries, slumps, and fluctuating form. In 2023 she switched to the OCC and finished third in the women's race in 5:27:07.For a former CCC champion, that bronze may not have been a full return to the peak, but it sent a clear signal: she was back.On August 29, 2024, Yao Miao won the women's OCC title for the first time in 5:54:03. She became China's first UTMB double champion (with wins in both CCC and OCC).That victory was not only technical but also a triumph of will, making up for the disappointment of the previous year's women's bronze.In the 2025 OCC women's race, Kenyan Joyline Chepngeno crossed the line first, with Yao Miao missing out by 1 minute 10 seconds.However, Chepngeno was later found to have committed a doping violation, was given a two-year ban and had her result annulled, and Yao Miao was subsequently promoted to the win, achieving back-to-back OCC titles.With that, Yao Miao completed a UTMB 'triple' (CCC champion in 2018 and OCC champion in 2024 and 2025), becoming the first Asian woman to win three UTMB titles across different categories.From that 22-year-old who stunned the CCC in 2018 to the 'trail queen' who by 2025 had collected three titles across two categories, Yao Miao's seven years mirror Chinese trail running's seven-year rise from emergence to the summit on the international stage.Looking back at Chinese runners' OCC participation, you'll find that from Jia Erenjia's first OCC men's title in 2018 — the same year Chinese trail runners began to systematically enter this category — a championship had already been secured.Yao Miao, Jia Erenjia and a large group of Chinese trail elites have, with each finishing sprint, told the world: Chinese trail running's explosiveness in middle-short distances is in no way inferior to the Western powers.The OCC course is only just over 50 kilometers, but its significance far exceeds that number. It proves Chinese trail running can not only 'endure' to get results in long-distance events, but also 'fight' to win in middle-short distances.After defending the OCC title, Yao Miao will return to the CCC this year. At this moment a new question circles every Chinese trail-running fan's mind:Who will be the next Chinese name to hold the national flag high at the finish from Orsières to Chamonix? We believe the answer won't keep us waiting long.
