UTMB Legends to be celebrated during Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc 20th anniversary

UTMB® World Series has launched UTMB Legends, a new initiative which will recognize and celebrate individuals who have an exceptional record of success on the trails as well those that have made an outstanding contribution to UTMB® since its inception in 2003.

In a fitting celebration of UTMB’s 20th anniversary edition in August this year, UTMB Legends will welcome all 22 previous winners of the legendary race as its first inductees.

Recognising the extraordinary skill and talent of the runners who have graced the competition since the first race, the 12 women and 10 men who have won the gruelling race, which crosses France, Italy and Switzerland, will become the first UTMB Legends.

To officially welcome the first inductees, many of them will be welcomed to Dacia UTMB® Mont-Blanc in August this year, to celebrate, reflect and share the race that made them legends, where they will attend the start and finish of the UTMB to support all runners. Each will receive a personalized bracelet engraved with the UTMB course during a special celebration ceremony on Wednesday 30th August, and a select few will take the opportunity to run the UTMB in a relay format to relive the moment together.

With an incredible five wins to her name, Lizzy Hawker (UK), has won on the pebbled roads of Chamonix more than any other individual in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

“I never felt like I did anything extraordinary. I just liked doing those long trips in the mountains. This race piqued my curiosity for a while. I wanted to see what I was capable of doing. At that time in my life, UTMB really captivated me. Do my best, that was the goal. But it turned out that it allowed me to win five times,” Hawker commented.

With four wins a piece, François D’Haene (FRA, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021) and Kilian Jornet (ESP, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2022) lead the male legends, with the later the first person to have broken the 20-hour barrier, finishing the course in a record 19 hours, 49 minutes, and 30 seconds in 2022.

Comparing his first win in 2008, with his most recent in 2022, Jornet said: “In 2008, I thought I could win if I managed to run all the way and not walk. I had realized that, even while jogging, I was able to do it. I had prepared for that.

In 2022, the UTMB was the final goal of a season where I wanted to perform on short and long courses. I knew I could win, but it wasn't that important. Above all, I wanted to have a good race. To prove that it was possible to alternate formats with adequate training. And, of course, if I was at my level, I had to fight for victory. But if I had finished 2nd or 3rd with the same performance, I would have been happy anyway.”

Other multiple male winners include Xavier Thévenard (FRA, 2013, 2015, 2018) and Marco Olmo (ITA, 2006, 2007).

With five inductees, the American’s dominate the female list, including multiple winners Krissy Moehl, who won the first edition in 2003 and again six years later in 2019; Rory Bosio with back-to-back wins in 2013 and 2014; and Courtney Dauwalter who won in 2019 and 2021, setting the women’s course record of 22 hours, 30 minutes, and 35 seconds, and who will return to UTMB in 2023 for the first ever UTMB World Series Finals.

Speaking about what it is that keeps drawing her back to UTMB, Dauwalter, said: “On this race, you realize that thousands of people have passed before you for many years and have followed this same route. It's really cool. The setting is stunning. It’s so beautiful and the atmosphere is super cool. There are so many ingredients that make this race attractive. And then there is actually the level of competition, which you don't see in many races. To be able to line up in the middle of all these incredible women is an opportunity that does not come along often.”

As well as celebrating runners who have made a huge impact on the sport, UTMB Legends will also welcome individuals from the wider spectrum – such as race directors and volunteers - whose achievements have contributed to the legacy of UTMB.

UTMB Legends will exist online at UTMB.World/Legends with content dedicated to celebrating its inductees. A place for celebration and nostalgia, fans will be able to relive the moments made famous by those most influential in the sport and find out more about the Legends.

On Wednesday 30th August, the first 22 individuals will officially become UTMB Legends when they receive their personalized UTMB Legends bracelet during the celebration ceremony. Each is produced by a local artist and made from recycled silver and leather and presented in a wooden box created with materials from the Mont-Blanc valley. Bracelets have long been a symbol of UTMB races, with every runner who has previously taken part in the Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc or a UTMB World Series race receiving one. 

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, during the Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc week there will also be a special film screening and book signing of La Course en Tête by Alexis Berg and Aurélien Delfosse, which tells the story of the elites who helped shape the history of UTMB.  

• Dawa Sherpa (NPL), 2003

• Vincent Delebarre (FRA), 2004

• Christophe Jaquerod (SUI), 2005

• Marco Olmo (ITA), 2006 / 2007

• Kílian Jornet (ESP), 2008 /2009 / 2011 / 2022

• Jez Bragg (UK), 2010

• François D'Haene (FRA), 2012 / 2014 / 2017 / 2021

• Xavier Thévenard (FRA), 2013 / 2015 / 2018

• Ludovic Pommeret (FRA), 2016

• Pau Capell (ESP), 2019

• Krissy Moehl (USA), 2003 / 2009

• Colette Borcard (SUI), 2004

• Lizzy Hawker (UK), 2005 / 2008 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012

• Karine Herry (FRA), 2006

• Nikki Kimball (USA), 2007

• Rory Bosio (USA), 2013 / 2014

• Nathalie Mauclair (FRA), 2015

• Caroline Chaverot (FRA), 2016

• Núria Picas (ESP), 2017

• Francesca Canepa (ITA), 2018

• Courtney Dauwalter (USA), 2019 / 2021

• Katie Schide (USA), 2022