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An amateur runner has achieved the extraordinary after beating a field of professionals to win the world famous Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc on his first attempt.
The 106-mile race across the Alps is so challenging that of its 2,761 runners, only 1,760 reached the finish line within the cut-off time of 46 hours and 30 minutes.
Throughout this two-day period, runners had to overcome several challenges beyond the terrain, including extreme heat, cold and humidity – all while ascending more 10,000m.
But this did not stop Vincent Bouillard, 31, a Hoka engineer, from completing the feat in less than a day.
He was cheered across the finish line in 19 hours, 54 minutes and 23 seconds in a race that also saw the fastest-ever female time achieved.
To put the scale of Mr Bouillard’s win into context, since the race (also known as the UTMB) began in 2003, only three men have finished the ultramarathon in less than 20 hours.
Mr Bouillard’s victory around Mount Blanc was so unlikely that his name was not even mentioned among professionals before the starting pistol was fired.
The engineer said: “Ever since I was a child, the UTMB has been part of my life.
“I first volunteered at the race, then took on the role of supporting other runners. Today, as an engineer at Hoka, I’ve worked on projects related to the Hoka UTMB Mont-Blanc.
“Just starting the race was a dream come true. I had a plan C to finish in under 30 hours, a plan B to finish in under 24 hours and a plan A to finish in the top 10. Winning in under 20 hours was just unimaginable!”
Citing the benefits of being an amateur runner, Mr Bouillard explains that it gives him the “incredible freedom” to always run the races he is interested in as he is without other presures.
The fastest ever man to complete the race was American professional runner Jim Walmsley, who completed the course only slightly faster than Mr Bouillard in 19 hours, 37 minutes and 43 seconds last year.
But it is worth noting that Mr Walmsley was competing in this year’s race and he was beaten by Mr Bouillard.
While Mr Walmsley’s record was not beaten this year, Katie Schide, 32, an American professional trail runner, managed to cross in record time for the women’s category, winning in 22 hours, nine minutes and 31 seconds.
This was no small win either, and 21 minutes faster than the previous fastest female winner, who crossed the finish line in 22 hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds.
“The last kilometres were tougher, which is why I want to thank the incredible spectators who were present throughout the trails in France, Italy and Switzerland,” Ms Schide, who represents North Face, said.
“Their energy carried me from the first to the last hour!”
Ms Schide, who has completed the race before, admits that she did not realise that she was going so fast until she passed a significant number of male competitors in the early portions of the race.
In the end, she placed an impressive 13th out of all the runners.
