Let's turn the clock back to 2014. At that time, UTMB had just added the OCC category.
At the inaugural OCC, there were very few Chinese faces on the start line, but amid a finish list packed with the world's top athletes, two Chinese names quietly appeared.
One was a recreational runnerQu Leicompleted the race in 8:41:02, placing 172nd among men and 201st overall. The following year he also ran the CCC category, finishing successfully in 25:10:25.
The other was a recreational runnerChen Peiyaofinished in 12:26:41, 946th overall. She later entered other trail races; in 2025 she ran the 20KM category at the Ninghai Trail Challenge by UTMB, posting a time of 4:34:49.
In those days, Chinese trail running was still in its infancy; participants were mostly "lone warriors" with no systematic preparation, no professional teams, and not even established experience to follow.
The successful completion of the OCC by these two recreational runners meant far more than the numbers on a results sheet. It proved that Chinese trail runners had the ability to stand at the OCC starting line—even simply finishing was already a historic beginning.
No one could have predicted that, just four years later, this short-distance course would become the place where legends are made for Chinese trail running.
The finish in Chamonix
was conquered by Chinese speed
Rewind to August 30, 2018, when he was still a rider for the Toread Feiyue team.Jia Erenjiahe crossed the OCC finish arch holding the Five-star Red Flag high.He won in 5 hours 28 minutes 44 seconds, ahead of the second-place finisherby as much as 5 minutes 17 seconds. This was the first time a Chinese runner had beaten European and American competitors to take a title at the prestigious UTMB.This historic victory was not an easy solo run—the OCC’s short, high-intensity format had the race heating up from the very start.This runner from Qinghai,a young man making his UTMB debut, gave everything from the opening and stayed in the lead group throughout.Spanish runners Pablo Villalobos and Tim Freriks clearly didn’t intend to let him win easily; several times during the course they nearly overtook him.It wasn’t until 贾俄仁加 opened a decisive gap on the final big climb that the race was settled—by the time he crested the top and faced the final descent, the title was no longer in doubt.The significance of this win was far greater than the four words “China’s first title” can convey.Who were the OCC competitors? The trail-running powerhouses of Spain, France and Italy—athletes raised in the Alps with mountain DNA in their blood. And 贾俄仁加, on the Alps’ home ground, literally wrested the winner’s trophy into his arms.In the same race, 申加升 finished sixth; at the time no one knew what waves this young man from Yunnan would later stir up in the CCC.That Five-star Red Flag held aloft at the finish became one of the most iconic images of Chinese trail running on the international stage, forever etched into the history of Chinese trail running.In the years that followed,more and more Chinese trail runners appeared on this course, and their performances proved that winning was not a flash in the pan.In 2019, Luo Tao finished third in the men's OCC category with a time of 5 hours 25 minutes 24 seconds. That time was even faster than Jia Erenjia's winning time the previous year (5 hours 28 minutes 44 seconds).The course changes, the weather changes, the competition changes—but Chinese runners’ speed has continued to evolve.At the 2023 OCC, Chinese athletes registered a collective breakout. From Guizhou,Guan Yousheng finished fourth in the men's division with a time of 4 hours, 45 minutes and 49 seconds.The winner at the time was Norwegian Stian Angermund (Stian Angermund).However, Angermund's result was later annulled for a doping violation, and Guan Yousheng was consequently promoted to third place.He finished 51 seconds behind the new champion Francesco Puppi (Francesco Puppi) and only 30 seconds behind the runner-up.It was not until 2025 that UTMB formally confirmed the result adjustment by letter and issued the third-place title and prize money.Guan Yousheng thus became the third Chinese male athlete to reach the OCC podium, after Jia Erenjia and Luo Tao.A honor two years late finally received its rightful recognition.Meng Guangfu (蒙光富) and Luo Tao (骆滔) also delivered strong performances in that race, finishing seventh and eighth respectively, giving three Chinese men simultaneous top‑ten finishes in the OCC. This parallels the historic moment in the UTMB field in 2025 when three Chinese runners also placed in the top ten—only the OCC achievement came two years earlier.In 2024, once again three Chinese male competitors broke into the top ten: Zi Juwei, Luo Tao and Zhao Hu finished fourth, eighth, and ninth in the men's competition, respectively.It must be said that the OCC is becoming a “lucky ground” for Chinese trail running. It acts like a mirror, revealing Chinese trail runners’ true competitiveness in middle‑short distance off‑road events: strong short‑distance explosiveness, rapid pace changes, and remarkable adaptability to high intensity.In the OCC’s legend, Yao Miao’s name is an inescapable chapter.In 2018, at just 22, Yao Miao burst onto the scene in the CCC by winning the title, becoming the first Chinese woman to win a CCC and, to date, the only one.Over the next five years Yao Miao endured a great deal—injuries, slumps and fluctuating form. In 2023 she moved up to the OCC and took 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 summit,” but it sent a clear message: she was back.On August 29, 2024, Yao Miao won the OCC women’s title for the first time in 5:54:03. She became China’s first UTMB double champion(having claimed titles in both the CCC and OCC categories).This victory was not only a technical one but a triumph of will, making up for the disappointment of last year’s women’s bronze.In the 2025 OCC women’s race, Kenyan Joyline Chepngeno (Joyline Chepngeno) crossed the line first and Yao Miao missed the win by 1 minute 10 seconds.However, Chepngenowas later found to have committed a doping violation, received a two‑year suspension and had her title annulled; Yao Miao was subsequently upgraded to champion, securing back‑to‑back OCC victories.With that,姚妙 completed a UTMB "triple crown" (2018 CCC champion; OCC back-to-back champion in 2024 and 2025), and became the first Asian female athlete to win three UTMB titles across different categories.From the 22-year-old who burst onto the scene in the 2018 CCC, to the "trail queen" of 2025 who has claimed three championship trophies across two categories, 姚妙's seven years mirror seven years in which Chinese trail running rose from making a mark to reaching the summit on the international stage.Looking back at Chinese runners' participation in the OCC, you'll notice that when 贾俄仁加 first won the men's OCC title in 2018—virtually the same year Chinese trail runners began to systematically compete in that category—the championship was already in hand.Yao Miao, Jia Erenjia and a large group of other Chinese trail-running elites have told the world time and again with each crossing of the finish line:China's explosive strength in middle- and short-distance trail racing matches that of the traditional European and American powerhouses.The OCC course is only a little over 50 kilometers, but its significance far exceeds that number. It proves that Chinese trail running not only can grind out results over long distances, but can also fight for championships at middle and short distances.After defending her OCC title, 姚妙 will return to the CCC this year. Right now, a new question is already circling in the hearts of every Chinese trail-running fan:Who will be the next Chinese name to raise the national flag at the finish line from Orsières to Chamonix? I believe we won't have to wait long for the answer.
