The 2026 UTMB has wrapped up, and this year’s "champion kit" was remarkably diverse.
Merrell takes a win, hidden niche brands step into the mainstream, domestic brand Kailas helps a veteran realize a dream, and French brand Decathlon helps a local athlete complete the UTMB Grand Slam...
In the OCC, women's champion Lauren Gregory, an ACG athlete, didn’t wear any prototype/test shoes — she ran in the year-old "holey top" + Ultrafly and pulled off a dramatic late surge.
Men's champion Frédéric Tranchand won in a pair of "non-racing" Merrell Agility Peak 6s, which may draw more attention from Chinese trail runners to this American brand.
In the CCC, women's champion Yngvild Kaspersen fell behind at one point but mounted a powerful comeback between 50–80 km; the AGRAVIC SPEED ULTRA EVO on her feet may have been the "key variable" in her reversal.
Men's champion Cristian Minoggio, a Kailas FUGA–sponsored athlete, chose the long-distance racing flagship — EX PRO. He powered up in the later stages and steadily extended his lead. At 41, moving from last year’s OCC runner-up to this year’s CCC winner, the EX PRO proved a solid backbone for him; he also heaped praise on the shoes after the race.
In the UTMB race, women's champion Blandine L’Hirondel — the French runner who had already won OCC and CCC — wore the "domestic brand" Decathlon KIPRUN’s top trail-racing shoe, the KIPSUMMIT RACE. Steady and precise, she ultimately won the title and completed the Grand Slam.
Men's champion Ben Dhiman became the first runner in the UTMB category to break the 19-hour barrier, and ASICS has emerged as the biggest winner at UTMB over the past two years.
In 2025 Tom Evens won wearing prototype METAFUJI TRAIL 2s, lifting a shoe and drinking from it as if it were yesterday — today Ben Dhiman made history in the production version.
Six champions, six brands — the era of fierce brand competition in trail running has arrived.
#UTMB #TrailRunning #TrailGear #TrailRunningBigBang
Text/Editor: Cavendish
Image credit: Trail Running Big Bang
Visuals: Max