If you visit Chamonix, the French mountain town nestled at 1,037m above sea level, in the last week of August, you’ll find yourself surrounded by thousands of trail runners from across the globe. They’re here to run one of the seven races put on by Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) over the course of seven days, culminating in the big one – the ultramarathon itself.
At 105 miles long, looping all the way around Mont Blanc and passing through three countries, it’s not so much the distance that makes it a challenge – although that’s one major part of it. It’s more the five-figure elevation gain over those 105 miles. A total of 10,000m – higher than Everest – results in the ultimate physical test that, for a select group of ultrarunners, is hard to resist.
