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At 6 p.m. on August 30, more than 2,500 runners will take to the streets of Chamonix, France, to begin their 176-kilometer (109-mile) loop around Mont Blanc, otherwise known as the 2024 UTMB.
Many of the top women have already finished a major 100-mile event this year, with the top four women from the 2024 Western States 100 lining up for UTMB — Katie Schide, Fu-Zhao Xiang, Eszter Csillag, and Emily Hawgood. Joining these four are a cadre of women with a history of running UTMB quickly — Marianne Hogan, Blandine L’Hirondel, and Maite Maiora — all of whom have finished in the top five of UTMB in the past two years.
Joining these women are a whole host of others who have proven their speed on mountainous courses but have never run UTMB before, such as Ruth Croft, and those, like Manon Bohard Cailler, who haven’t managed to put together a solid lap of Mont Blanc yet, but have shown the potential to run near the front of the field.
And with defending champion and course-record holder Courtney Dauwalter and last year’s second-place finisher Katharina Hartmuth not on the start line this year, it seems like it’s anyone’s race to win. The depth of talent in this year’s women’s field is sure to create exciting racing.
For those not familiar with the race, UTMB roughly follows the Tour du Mont Blanc route around the iconic European mountain, starting in Chamonix, France, and visiting Italy and Switzerland before returning to Chamonix. Over the course of the 176k race, runners cover nearly 10,000 meters (32,700 feet) of elevation gain, see some incredible Alps scenery, and experience some of the most enthusiastic support in the ultrarunning world.
A special thanks to HOKA for making our coverage of UTMB possible!
Tune in to our UTMB live race coverage starting at 6 p.m. CEST (10 a.m. MDT in the U.S.) on Friday, August 30, right here on iRunFar. Stay tuned!
Be sure to read our in-depth 2024 UTMB men’s preview for a look at the men’s race.
2024 UTMB Women’s Favorites for the Win
Katie Schide, an American living in France and former UTMB champion, is a late entry to this year’s race, and one could argue a favorite to win the event. After a dominant win at the 2024 Western States 100, where she finished second in 2023, Schide now lines up for a completely different style of racing from the net-downhill and hot and dusty trails of California that she excelled on just a few months ago. Schide is no stranger to UTMB, having finished it three times, with a win in 2022 and a sixth-place finish in 2019. In addition to her win at the Western States 100, Schide also won the Canyons 100k earlier in 2024. Her 2023 results include a win at Diagonale des Fous and a second-place finish at OCC. The big question will be whether she’s had enough time to recover from her massive Western States 100 effort at the end of June.
Blandine L’Hirondel of France may be considered the host country’s favorite this year after finishing third at UTMB in 2023. She is the highest placed finisher from 2023 who is returning this year. Unlike many other women lining up, she’s focused on 50k and shorter events this year, including the Marathon du Mont Blanc 20k and the European Off-Road Championships 58k. She’s no stranger to the UTMB events, winning the 2022 CCC and 2021 OCC, setting course records at both events. In 2023, she placed fifth at the Zegama Marathon, and in 2022, she won the Trail World Championship Long Trail.
New Zealand’s Ruth Croft was set to race her first UTMB last year but was forced to withdraw before the start due to illness. Croft has been on a roll in the past eight months, winning the 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k, 2024 Tarawera Ultramarathon 100k, and 2024 Transvulcania Ultramarathon. These results indicate that the Kiwi is on form for her debut UTMB. She’s no stranger to racing in the area and won OCC in both 2018 and 2019. She also won the Western States 100 in 2022 and placed second in 2021. Her results also include a win at the 2021 Les Templiers.
One should never count out Marianne Hogan of Canada when it comes to UTMB. She finished second in 2022 in her debut at the event. Earlier this year, she won the Swiss Canyon Trail 100k and placed sixth at Transvulcania. As with many other women in this field, she’s had a strong showing at the Western States 100 in the past, with a third place in 2022. In 2023, she finished second at the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k.
Lining up for her fifth UTMB, China’s Fu-Zhao Xiang has plenty of experience and course knowledge to rely on. She’s also part of the women’s contingent aiming for the Western States 100-UTMB double, coming off of a strong second place at the California event. Xiang is the picture of consistency and has come away with wins at the Mount Yun 50k and The North Face 100 Ultra Trail Challenge Moganshan 30k already this year. As for her UTMB finishes, she placed fourth, seventh, 11th, and 20th in 2023, 2022, 2019, and 2018, respectively. She was also fifth at the Tarawera 100k and won the Doi Inthanon 50k and Translantau 130k in 2023. In 2020, she finished second at Transgrancanaria.
Eszter Csillag is also looking to double up with the Western States 100 and UTMB. The Hungarian runner, now living in Hong Kong, is coming off a strong third place at the 2024 Western States 100 and is looking to improve on her fifth place at the 2022 UTMB. In 2023, she had a disappointing UTMB with a DNF and is surely bringing lessons from that experience to the start line this year. Csillag was also third at the 2023 Western States 100, and won the Translantau the same year. She was fourth at 2021 CCC.
Spain’s Maite Maiora is lining up with the experience that comes from a third-place finish at UTMB in 2019 and a fifth-place finish in 2023. While 2021 saw her DNF the race, she’s sure to use the knowledge gained from two prior laps around the mountain for this go-around. Thus far in 2024, she’s finished third at both Val d’Aran 100k and Madeira Island Ultra-Trail (MIUT), results that follow up a strong 2023 season that included a win at the Trail Alsace Grand Est 100 Mile and fourth places at Val d’Aran 100k, Istria 100k, and Transgrancanaria 50k.
Known for her ever-present smile, Emily Hawgood is back at UTMB after finishing second at CCC in 2023. The Zimbabwean living in the U.S. is fresh off a fourth-place finish at the Western States 100 earlier this year and a win at the Chianti Ultra Trail 74k. She’s finished UTMB twice before, in sixth and 10th in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Her Western States 100 finish this year is on the tail of two fifth-place finishes at the event in 2022 and 2023, and a seventh in 2021.
Sabrina Stanley of the U.S. finished 9th in the 2023 UTMB after not starting the 2022 edition due to a COVID-19 infection. The two-time Hardrock 100 winner, both in 2021 and 2018, is clearly comfortable on mountainous 100-mile courses and is surely looking to improve on last year’s result. While she’s raced more locally in 2024, including winning the Silverton Alpine Marathon 50k, she has a whole host of high results in Europe, including a second place at the 2023 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile, a fourth in the 2021 MIUT, and a win at the 2019 Diagonale des Fous.
Other Top Women at the 2024 UTMB
Manon Bohard Cailler has DNFed her past two attempts at UTMB in 2023 and 2022, but that doesn’t mean she should be counted out for the 2024 edition. The Frenchwoman won TDS in 2021 and placed third at the Trail World Championships Long Trail in 2023. That year, she also won MIUT by a 52-minute margin in a dominant performance. In June of 2024, she placed second at the Swiss Canyon Trail 100k.
Ragna Debats, who is Dutch but lives in Spain, had a string of strong results to close out her 2023 season and start 2024. She placed second at the Javelina 100 Mile and Doi Inthanon 100k at the tail end of 2023 before placing second at the Desafio en las Nubes 50k and fourth at the Tenerife Bluetrail 72k in 2024. In prior years, she won the 2022 Transgrancanaria and placed third at the 2021 Western States 100. She also won CCC in 2019. However, she has recently been diagnosed with IMO (intestinal methane overgrowth,) which she talks about on her social media. She ran and finished the 2024 Western States 100 post-diagnosis, but not competitively, and it remains to be seen if she will run UTMB. We wish her all the best for a return to full health.
Anne-Lise Rousset Séguret started out her 2024 season with a pair of second-place finishes at MIUT and High Trail Vanoise 20k. The Frenchwoman had a successful 2023 with a second place at the Hardrock 100 and a win at the Wildstrubel 70k. In 2022, she placed second at Diagonale des Fous and was fourth at the 2018 CCC.
Martina Valmassoi of Italy didn’t finish UTMB in 2023, her first attempt at 100 miles, but she had a strong win at TDS in 2022, which indicates her ability to do well in this race. Earlier in 2023, she placed fourth at the Trail World Championships Long Trail and won Transvulcania. To start off 2024, she won MIUT.
Known more for her prowess at the shorter and more technical races, Hillary Allen of the U.S. returns to UTMB to try to improve upon her 14th-place finish in 2022. In 2019, she placed second at TDS and won the Lavaredo Ultra Trail 50k. Then, in 2021, she won MIUT. Since then, she’s placed second at the 2022 Speedgoat 50k and won the 2022 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile.
France’s Claire Bannwarth is known for her ability to run incredibly long distances and is surely looking to improve upon her 16th and 21st placings at UTMB in 2023 and 2022, respectively. When it comes to longer distances, there aren’t many better than her, and she’s raced more miles in 2024 than the other women in the field, winning the 400k Montreux Trail Festival, the 185k Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls, and the Lake Zurich 100k. She also placed fourth at MIUT, second at the Tahoe 200 Mile, and eighth at the Hardrock 100. And those races were after winning the 420k Winter Spine Race to start out 2024.
Abby Hall of the U.S. is lining up for her first UTMB after three finishes of CCC, including placing third in both 2023 and 2022 and second in 2021. She was second at the 2022 Transgrancanaria and sixth at the 2023 MIUT.
Ekaterina Mityaeva is racing as a neutral athlete in this year’s UTMB and is coming to the event after a win at the Mont Blanc 90k, an improvement over her fourth-place finish at the event in 2023. She also placed third at the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k in 2023. Mityaeva is no stranger to racing in the Mont Blanc area, with fourth-place finishes at the 2019 UTMB and 2021 TDS. She also placed third at the 2021 MIUT.
After finishing second at the 2023 TDS, France’s Fiona Porte returns to Chamonix for her debut UTMB. Her successful 2023 season also included a win at Lavaredo and a win at the Maxi-Race Annecy, where she placed second in 2024. In 2022, she placed third at Les Templiers.
Aroa Sío of Spain returns to UTMB after an eighth-place finish in 2022 and a DNF in 2023. She started her 2023 season with a pair of third-place finishes at the Canyons 100k and Tarawera 100k. This year, she’s started the season with fifth place at MIUT.
Before placing sixth at UTMB in 2023, Katarzyna Solińska of Poland may have been known as a shorter-distance specialist. She’d placed 18th in her debut UTMB in 2022, which was also her first 100-mile race, after placing second at Lavaredo earlier in the year. She was also fifth at CCC in 2021. Earlier this year, she won the Trail Verbier St Bernard, a repeat of her performance from 2023.
Lucy Bartholomew of Australia has expanded her focus from just running in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t put together a strong performance around Mont Blanc. In 2023, she placed 10th at the event in addition to winning the Bandera 50k and Tarawera 100 Mile. That year, she also placed second at the Ultra-Trail Australia, a result that she repeated in 2024.
While Claudia Tremps of Spain may have had a DNF at the 2023 UTMB, she’s had a good start to her 2024 season that could point toward the potential of a strong performance this time around. Just this year, she’s placed second at Transgrancanaria, Istria 42k, and Trail Andorra 100k. In 2022, she placed second at TDS, and the year prior, in 2021, she was ninth at UTMB.
Claire Heslop of Canada finished 11th at the 2023 UTMB, a significant jump up in the placings from her 18th and 19th place finishes in the event in 2021 and 2022, respectively. This year she’s showing strong form with a third place at the Tenerife Bluetrail 110k and a 10th place at the Hardrock 100.
Japan’s Kimino Miyazaki is no stranger to the UTMB course, having placed 15th in 2023 after a 24th-place finish in 2022. She had a strong 2023 season with a win at the Istria 100 Mile and a second place at the Tarawera 100 Mile. She was also eighth at the Doi Inthanon 100 Mile in 2022. While her 2024 season hasn’t started off quite as strong, she placed second at the Restonica Trail 110k in July, showing that the form is there.
Emily Vaudan of Switzerland finished 13th in UTMB in 2023 and 12th in 2022 after a DNF at her debut at the event in 2021. Her consistency and commitment to the event point toward a potential top-10 finish this time around. In 2022, she won the Trail Verbier St Bernard 110k and was third in the 2020 Swiss Peaks Trail 315k, showing that she’s comfortable with the 100-mile distance. She started off her 2024 season with a 16th at Transgrancanaria.
Marta Molist of Spain had breakout seasons in 2021 and 2022, winning several high-profile events, including the 2021 CCC, 2021 Tenerife Bluetrail 70k, 2022 Swiss Alps 50k, and 2022 Mozart 75k. Her 2023 season and start of 2024 have been relatively quiet, but a win at the 2023 Ultra Pirineu 100k shows she is back in good form.
After finishing sixth at the 2021 UTMB, Maryline Nakache of France came back to Chamonix to win TDS in 2023. That same year, she placed second at Lavaredo. To start off 2024, she placed a strong third in the Mozart 100k and won the Trail Nivolet-Revard 58k and the Trail Sainte-Victoire-Le Cézanne 40k.
This will be American Helen Mino Faukner’s first run at UTMB after two finishes at CCC, where she placed third in 2023 and 13th in 2022. She’s better known for her speed over shorter distances, with wins at the 2023 Speedgoat 50k and Kodiak Ultra Marathon 21k, and a win at the 2024 Desert Rats 50k.
Relatively new to ultrarunning, Mari Klakegg Fenre of Norway had a strong 2023 season, finishing seventh at CCC and eighth at the Trail World Championships Long Trail. Her fourth place at Val d’Aran 50k earlier this year, as well as her win at the Skogvokteren Ultra 90k, indicate she’s on form.
Núria Picas of Spain first raced UTMB in 2013 and placed second. She was also second in 2014 and won the race in 2017. She returns to the event after finishing third at Val d’Aran 110k in 2023, as well as winning the Ultra Pirineu 100k in 2022.
While Emma Stuart of Ireland, who lives in the U.K., is relatively new to ultrarunning and will be new to UTMB, she’s found plenty of success in the 100-mile distance in her relatively short time with the sport. In 2023, in what seems like only her third year of racing ultra distances, she won the Tor des Géants, Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile, and the Arc of Attrition 100 Mile and placed third at Lavaredo.
Still More Fast Women at the 2024 UTMB
- Johanna Antila (Finland) – 10th 2022 CCC; 2nd 2023 Transgrancanaria 85k; 2nd 2022 Lavaredo 80k
- Amanda Basham (U.S.) – 19th 2023 UTMB; 3rd 2023 Broken Arrow Skyrace 46k; 1st 2023 Kodiak 100k
- Alessandra Boifava (Italy) – 1st 2024 Istria 100 Mile; 5th 2023 Lavaredo; 7th 2023 Transvulcania
- Alex Borsuk (U.S.) – 4th 2023 Canyons 100 Mile; 8th 2022 Gorge Waterfalls 100k; 1st 2020 Orcas Island 100 Mile
- Addie Bracy (U.S.) – 14th 2024 & 5th 2023 Canyons 100k; 3rd 2023 & 1st 2022 Speedgoat 50k; 1st 2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile
- Naomi Brand (South Africa) – 6th 2024 Ultra-Trail Australia; 2nd 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile; 6th 2023 Lavaredo
- Lin Chen (China) – 1st 2023 Doi Inthanon 100 Mile; 1st 2023 Chongli 200k; 2nd 2023 Trans Jeju 100k
- Rong-Rong Chen (China) – 21st 2023 UTMB; 1st 2024 Chongli 100 Mile; 5th 2023 Doi Inthanon 100 Mile; 2nd 2023 Amazean Jungle Thailand 100 Mile
- Alyssa Clark (U.S.) – 1st 2023 Val d’Aran 25k; 1st 2023 Canyons 100 Mile; 1st 2021 Ouray 100 Mile
- Alexis Crellin (U.S.) – 20th 2023 UTMB; 8th 2024 & 3rd 2019 Speedgoat 50k; 2nd 2023 Canyons 100 Mile
- Mélanie Delasoie (Switzerland) – 15th 2022 UTMB; 7th 2024 Eiger Ultra Trail 54k; 6th 2024 MIUT
- Lindsey Dwyer (U.S.) – 1st 2024 Miwok 100k; 4th 2024 Canyons 100 Mile; 1st 2024 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile; 5th 2023 Canyons 100 Mile
- Ida-Sophie Hegemann (Germany) – 2nd 2024 Istria 100 Mile; 15th 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail; 3rd 2023 Istria 110k
- Keely Henninger (U.S.) – 3rd 2024 Black Canyon 60k; 1st 2023 Black Canyon 100k; 9th 2021 Western States 100
- Stephanie Howe (U.S.) – 4th 2019 CCC; 7th 2024 Transgrancanaria 84k; 6th 2023 Val D’Aran 100k; 6th 2018 & 3rd 2015 Western States 100
- Tara Fraga (U.S.) – 9th 2023 & 11th 2022 CCC; 1st 2024 Gorge Waterfalls 50k; 5th 2023 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile
- Nancy Jiang (New Zealand) – 8th 2024 Lavaredo; 1st 2023 Tarawera 100k; 8th 2019 OCC
- Anna Li (China) – 34th 2023 CCC; 1st 2024 Mount Yun 100k; 3rd 2023 Ultra-Trail Ninghai 100k
- Emilie Maroteaux (France) – 3rd 2023 Doi Inthanon 100k; 3rd 2023 Diagonale des Fous; 2nd 2023 Swiss Canyon Trail 115k; 5th 2023 MIUT
- Inês Marques (Portugal) – 2nd 2024 Istria 110k; 6th 2021 Lavaredo 50k; 3rd 2021 Transgrancanaria
- Oana Mihalcea (Romania) – 3rd 2024 Desert Rats 100k; 4th 2023 Les Templiers; 2nd 2023 Trail Verbier St Bernard 140k
- Fiona Pascall (U.K.) – 1st 2024 Mozart 100k; 1st 2023 Julian Alps Trail Run 100 Mile; 3rd 2023 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 55k; 1st 2023 Arc of Attrition 82k
- Manuela Soccol (Belgium) – 1st 2023 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100 Mile; 1st 2020 Tarawera 100k
- Eva Maria Sperger (Germany) – 10th 2022 UTMB; 2nd 2024 Eiger Ultra Trail 100k; 1st 2024 Tenerife Bluetrail 110k
- Audrey Virgilio (Switzerland) – 3rd 2024 & 1st 2023 Swiss Canyon Trail 115k; 1st 2023 MIUT 85k
- Laura Van Vooren (Belgium) – 1st 2023 Nice Côte d’Azur 100 Mile; 3rd 2023 Mont-Blanc Marathon
- Katie Wright (U.K., lives in New Zealand) – 18th 2023 UTMB; 5th 2024 Tarawera 100k; 1st 2021, 3rd 2023 & 2nd 2019 Tarawera 100 Mile
- Yuan-Yuan Wu (China) – 4th 2024 Val d’Aran 110k; 3rd 2024 Hong Kong 100k; 3rd 2023 Doi Inthanon 100 Mile; 1st 2022 Chongli 132k
Women Previously Entered But No Longer Racing the 2024 UTMB
- Katharina Hartmuth (Germany) – 2nd 2023 UTMB; 3rd 2024 Hardrock 100; 1st 2024 Trail Andorra 100k; 2nd 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail; 1st 2023 Eiger Ultra Trail
- Jazmine Lowther (Canada) – 4th 2022 CCC; 2nd 2022 Transgrancanaria; 1st 2024 Speedgoat 50k; 1st 2022 Canyons 100k
- Ida Nilsson (Sweden, lives in Norway) – 3rd 2018 CCC; 6th 2024 & 7th 2023 Western States 100; 1st 2023 Canyons 100 Mile; 2nd 2022 Trail World Championships Long Trail
- Leah Yingling (U.S.) – 8th 2023 UTMB; 10th 2024, 9th 2023, & 6th 2022 Western States 100
Call for Comments
- What predictions do you have for this year’s race?
- Did we miss anyone who you think could end up on the podium?
