In the months and weeks leading up to the 2017 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the 100-miler was billed as potentially the most competitive men’s race in the history of ultra-marathons. The race attracted what was considered by many to be the deepest, most talented field in history and the course loop around the Mont Blanc Massif from Chamonix and into Italy and Switzerland is a setting unlike any other.
Despite that buildup, somehow, on this first weekend in September, the race lived up to the hype. Over 19 mostly chilly, rainy, slippery hours, Salomon athlete Francois D’haene was up to the task on his home soil, besting teammate Kilian Jornet to win his third UTMB title. D’haene finished in a remarkable 19:01:32, 15 minutes and 6 seconds ahead of the nearly-unbeatable Catalan. Both were dressed from head-to-toe in Salomon apparel, footwear and gear.
“This year’s race was a dream. Even in the last downhill, I was managing my race and very concentrated and aiming for first place,” D’haene said afterwards. “Seeing all the race supporters and also running with other elite runners helped. When we train or do other races, we don’t see each other, so I was so happy to share this with the other runners because we had a chance to talk and live this together.”
D’haene, who has cemented himself as a legend in the ultra-distance category with numerous wins and achievements over the last several years, took a steady but relentless approach on Friday and Saturday. As American Jim Walmsley set a torrid pace early, the two Salomon team stars seemed content to keep the notoriously fast starter within striking distance while not chasing too hard too soon. When Walmsley’s speedy pace eventually took its toll during the early hours Saturday morning, D’haene and then Jornet pushed past.
Jornet had fallen a few minutes behind Walmsley and D’haene by the midway point, but the three-time UTMB champ gamely ran on. After passing Walmsley, he set his sights on D’haene, the new leader, but was unable to significantly close the gap on the French winemaker. Walmsley would rally late to finish 5th.
“The biggest difference since I was here at UTMB in 2008 and 2011 is the growth of trail running and the amount of spectators,” Jornet said following the race. “This year, there was not 30 minutes between seeing supporters even in the snow and rain in the middle of the night. Also, the depth of the field and amount of elite runners was something I’ve never seen before at other ultra-races. It really pushes the racers to go even faster and you can see that in the times of the runners and the amount runners closely bunched together.”
D’haene wore the Salomon S/LAB Sense Ultra 2, a shoe he helped develop with the company that will be available at retail in early 2018, while Jornet wore Salomon’s customizable S/LAB ME:sh running shoes. Both D’haene and Jornet wore Salomon S/LAB Modular apparel, S/LAB running jackets and S/LAB Sense Backpacks (running vests).
In the women’s UTMB, winner Nuria Picas used Salomon footwear and a Salomon backpack to finish in 25 hours, 46 minutes and 43 seconds. After finishing second on two occasions, the Catalan won by the slimmest of margins, holding off Switzerland’s Andre Huser by less than three minutes.
MORE TEAM SALOMON SUCCESS AT CHAMONIX THIS WEEK
In other races leading up to the UTMB this week, Salomon team athlete Michel Lanne won the 119km TDS race in 14 hours, 33 minutes and 9 seconds. Fellow Salomon athlete Mimi Kotka won the women’s TDS in 15:47:07. The Swede finished 10th overall.
Salomon team athlete Marc Lauenstein was victorious in the 56km OCC race, followed closely by fellow Salomon athlete Thibaut Baronian in second place. Lauenstein, a dentist from Switzerland, finished in 5:19:34 seconds. Baronian was 4 minutes and 34 seconds back.
In the 100km CCC race, Salomon athlete Marcin Swierc of Poland finished second while Salomon’s Tom Owens of England was 5th.
In the 17.6km #YCC race (for runners ages 16-22), Salomon team runner Davide Magnini of Italy was the winner. In sixth place was fellow Italian Riccardo Scalet, another Salomon team member. On the women’s side of the #YCC race, Spain’s Leire Fernandez-Abete was victorious in a time of 2:07:20.
