Trail running at its best as UTMB World Series celebrates incredible triple-header weekend across the globe

The world’s oldest 100-mile race – the Western States 100 Endurance Run – lived up to its reputation this weekend. Kicking off at Olympic Valley, California, Tom Evans (UTMB Index 911) and Courtney Dauwalter (UTMB Index 834) took the tape in remarkable fashion at the finish line of the 50th edition of the race in Auburn.

Finishing in a time of 14:40:22, Evans secured the fourth fastest time in the race’s history to become the first Brit to ever win the men’s race. Having finished third at his debut 100-miler here in 2019, Evans had his sights firmly set on the top spot.

With Dakota Jones (USA, UTMB Index 905) joining Evans at the front of the race before eventually dropping back to 17th place, Evans delivered a masterclass, never looking back and establishing a 24-minute buffer on second-placed Tyler Green (USA, UTMB Index 865). Anthony Costales (USA, UTMB Index 883) rounded out the podium in third, crossing the line in Auburn in 15:09:16.

“That is one for the memories, what an amazing day out on the trails. Taking the win at this race has been a dream of mine and I still can’t believe it!” said Evans, who adds the victory to an impressive list of recent results including third at UTMB® Mont-Blanc in 2022.

Dauwalter also stunned the trail running community around the world with an incredible win in the women’s race, smashing the 16-hour barrier with a record time of 15:29:34. Having won here in 2018 in a time of 17:27:00, Dauwalter regained her title in spectacular fashion, finishing sixth overall in the process.

Shaving over one hour off the previous course record set by Ellie Greenwood (USA) in 2012, the double UTMB winner went solo from the 47.8-mile mark at Devil’s Thumb, leaving Katie Schide (USA, UTMB Index 788) in her wake.

Schide, who also won the UTMB in 2022, finished one hour and fourteen minutes behind in second place, with her time also proving enough to break the previous course record. Hong-Kong based Eszter Csillag (HUN, UTMB Index 749) rounded out the podium in third after working her way through the field throughout the 100.2-mile course.

It was an unforgettable day for the 379 starters from more than 30 countries as they attempted to finish the punishing but picturesque course within the races time-limit of 30 hours. Jennifer St.Amand (USA, UTMB Index 441) crossed the line with just 21 seconds to spare, the last official finisher while Ashley Bartholomew (AUS, UTMB Index 413), father of professional trail runner, Lucy Bartholomew (AUS, UTMB Index 716) crossed the line just 2 minutes after the cut off in a heart-breaking but unforgettable finale.

Lucy Bartholomew wrote on Instagram after the race, “No words, many tears. I watched my dad battle for 30 hours and 2 minutes. I saw him run so proudly with his body and harness that ultra-attitude. Never too phased and always grateful. He was greeted by 10’s, then 100’s then 1000’s of people. People yelled his name, spoke their words of encouragement and for that final mile where I knew that he knew it wasn’t going to be a fairy-tale ending, he gave it every drip of energy!”

The third edition of Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB® also saw course records shattered, with Esther Fellhofer (AUT, UTMB Index 716) smashing the previous course record in the women’s race by over two hours. Jean-Philippe Tschumi (SUI, UTMB Index 893) and Ben Dhiman (USA, UTMB Index 859) also took the course record in the men’s race, with nothing separating the duo after 13 hours, 36 minutes and 38 seconds of racing which saw them cross the finish line together in Ordino.

“On a trail like that there is a lot of suffering but when you finish in a village like Ordino with everyone cheering, it is very emotional and an incredible feeling. There were moments during the race when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do well but I found some extra strength, it is like a rollercoaster,” said Dhiman who closed the gap on Tschumi just before the 80km mark of the race before then sticking to each other like glue.

Local favourite, Pau Capell (ESP, UTMB Index 888) rounded out the podium 13 minutes and 12 second back on the winners, also beating the course record in the process. He said, “Obviously Andorra is precious for its nature and mountains, but its people are what make it so special!” Fellhofer stormed the competition in the women’s race to take a commanding win, with her time of 17:13:03 giving her a 90-minute buffer on Yuanyuan Wu (CHN, UTMB Index 669) in second. Her time also secured her the course record by over two hours, previously set by Ildikó Wermescher (HUN, UTMB Index 670) who finished third on the day despite improving on her 2022 time by over 25 minutes.

In the 50km race, Christian Meier (CAN, UTMB Index 815) took overall victory ahead of Oswaldo Luis Medina Gutiérrez (ESP) and Marc Pinsach Rubirola (ESP, UTMB Index 855). The stand-out performance over this distance came from Anya Tarasova (ESP, UTMB Index 675) who finished 8th overall, claiming an impressive win of almost 30 minutes in the women’s race ahead of Kathrin Goetz (CHE, UTMB Index 728). Lena Glasbrenner (GER, UTMB Index 694) rounded out the podium in third, thanking the trail running community for motivating her through a rough patch in the final 20km.

Andres Garcia-Blanco (ESP, UTMB Index 848) took the win in the 21km with a time of 02:20:53. Genis Porqueras Simo (ESP, UTMB Index 826) finished three minutes back in second, with Juan Pablo Llanos (CHL, UTMB Index 752) in third. In the women’s race, Ariadna Fenes (AND, UTMB 699) defended her title from 2022, which also earned her a top ten finish overall. Laura Orgué (ESP) and Mercedes Velasco (ESP, UTMB Index 639) rounded out the podium.

With more than 2,400 runners taking to the start line from 54 different nations, it was an event to remember. Speaking after the event and having finished top ten in the 105km, Omar El Sawy (EGY, UTMB Index 639) said, “I am the biggest fan of the concept of the UTMB World Series. This is my 7th UTMB World Series race and while my focus will now turn to UTMB Mont-Blanc, I do have a bigger goal to complete the entire circuit very soon!”

View the full results for Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB here.

The stunning UNESCO World Heritage site of the Dolomites in the Italian Alps proved the perfect stage for an incredible weekend of racing at La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB®, with Jonas Russi (CHE, UTMB Index 856) and Fiona Porte (FRA, UTMB Index 742) taking the tape in the queen race after a challenging 120km course, featuring an elevation gain of 5,800m.

Russi sat within the top three throughout the race, before finally pulling away shortly after the 80km mark to lead all the way to the finish line at the stunning town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Having finished 6th at the race in 2022, it was an incredible performance by the Swiss runner to earn the top spot, ahead of Robert Hajnal (ROU, UTMB Index 869) and Georg Piazza (ITA, UTMB Index 846).

Porte stormed the women’s race, finishing over 45 minutes ahead of her nearest challenger, enjoying the finish line chute with her daughter in her arms. Second-placed Maryline Nakache (FRA, UTMB Index 740) continues to show fine form off the back of winning the 2023 Marathon Des Sables in April, while the recent Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB® champion, Emma Stuart (GBR, UTMB Index 731) rounded out an impressive podium.

In the 80km race, Andre Rodrigues (POR, UTMB Index 881) was back for redemption after a DNF in the 100-mile race in 2022. He led from start to finish to cross the line in 08:15:59, making history by also becoming the first Portuguese male to win a UTMB® World Series race. It was an international podium with Martin Halász (SVK, UTMB Index 865) and Kamil Lesniak (POL, UTMB Index 831) finishing second and third respectively.

Having finished seventh at UTMB Mont-Blanc OCC in 2022, Esther Eustache (FRA, UTMB Index 723) continues to build on her results with a win in the female race, beating Kellie Angel (AUS, UTMB Index 705) and Sandra Sevillano Guerra (ESP, UTMB Index 729) in third.

Despite rain showers and thunderstorms for the 50km race, the heat was still on for some fierce racing with Francesco Puppi (ITA, UTMB Index 912) pulling ahead of his counterpart Nadir Maguet (ITA, UTMB Index 920) to take the tape by one minute and eleven seconds. Spain’s Jan Margarit (ESP, UTMB Index 889) completed the podium in third, 24 minutes and 51 seconds back on the leader.

Irene Fuertes (ESP, UTMB Index 660) came out on top in the female race. With the top three finishing within six minutes of each other, Romana Rudolf Lojková (CZE, UTMB Index 650) and Reluca Adriana Burtea (ROU, UTMB Index 634) earning their place on the podium after finishing second and third respectively.

Daniel Pattis (ITA, UTMB Index 896) won the 20km race by three minutes and five seconds, ahead of Roberto Delorenzi (SUI, UTMB Index 888). It was an incredible battle for second and third podium positions, with Alex Baldaccini (ITA, UTMB Index 877) just nine seconds behind Delorenzi to finish third.

In the women’s race, Alice Gaggi (ITA, UTMB Index 745) finished first, with Anna Comet Pascua (ESP, UTMB Index 752) and Elisa Desco (ITA, UTMB Index 744) also putting together a fast and furious race over testing climbs to finish second and third.

From the 5-9 July, another triple-header weekend awaits the UTMB World Series with the European Major Val d’Aran by UTMB® (Spain), Restonica Trail by UTMB® (France), and Trail Verbier St Bernard by UTMB® (Switzerland) ready to welcome trail runners from around the world as the countdown to the UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix heats up.

View the full results for La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB here.