Runners discover the pearl of the French Riviera and stunning Mediterranean coastline at Nice Côte d'Azur by UTMB, as UTMB World Series gears up for South Korean adventure at TransJeju by UTMB

The second edition of Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB® lived up to its promise, as runners uncovered the jewels of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis while testing their limits. With four race distances on offer, it was an adventure between alpine mountains and forest, before winding towards the City of Nice and its legendary Promenade des Anglais.

With 400 runners taking on Ultra-Trail Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, it was the French runners that shone on the 165km course with 8,400m+ elevation. Gwendal Moysan (UTMB Index 816) crossed the line first in 22h22’25'', and with French counterpart Paul Zunino (UTMB Index 788) finishing in third an hour later. Belgium runner, Guillaume Deneffe (UTMB Index 823) interrupted the French domination by taking second place in 22h56’30''.

Taking on his first 100M race, Gwendal Moysan said, “I had bad feelings at the start of the race, but I took my time. At kilometre 85 I took the lead but didn’t really want the pressure. I managed to widen the gap but was a little scared towards the end of the race as I had lost a lot of time in certain sections. The victory is extraordinary, and this is one of my most successful races!”

In the women’s Race, Laura Van Vooren (BEL, UTMB Index 679) took first place in 27h10”58'' ahead of pre-race favorite, Yuri Yoshizumi (JPN, UTMB Index 749) who crossed the line in 27h52’54''. Ildiko Wermescher (GER, UTMB Index 669) completed the international podium.

The 100K race from Roubion to Nice featured a stacked elite field, including Jim Walmsley (USA, UTMB Index 940) who comes off the back of his UTMB® win just a month ago during the first Finals of the UTMB® World Series. With the second highest UTMB Index of the weekend, Thibaut Baronian was one of the main challengers, alongside Simon Gosselin (UTMB Index 875) and Theo Detienne. Walmsley came out victorious again, finishing in 11h21'05'' ahead of Simon Gosselin in second and the Italian runner, Philipp Ausserhofer in third place after 11h55’13'' of racing.

Among the women, British runner Eleanor Davis (UTMB Index 735) won after 13h49’20”, almost an hour ahead of Finland’s Marjo Liikanen (UTMB Index 709) who came in second place ahead of Italian Giulia Vinco (UTMB Index 706).

It was a magical start for the 50K race from Sablettes beach in Menton, with the orange glow of the sunrise setting the scene as runners headed off towards the balconies of the Riviera. Last year’s 100M winner and local favorite, Hugo Deck (FRA, UTMB Index 879) finished second behind winner, Andreas Rieder (AUT, Index 839) who crossed the line in 06h21’41”. Norwegian Morten Antonsen (UTMB Index 781)  completed the podium in third place.

In the women’s race, Marine Quintard (FRA, UTMB Index 709) took the first spot on the podium ahead of American Jessica Brazeau (UTMB Index 703) and Norwegian Ingrid M Due-Gundersen (UTMB Index 610).

New for 2023, the town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat hosted the last start of the weekend as part of the 20K between the Cap Ferrat peninsula and the city of Nice. It was the perfect setting for runners to have fun and benefit from the sporty and accessible format. The French athletes shone on their home stage, with victory for Frédéric Tranchand (UTMB Index 905) in 1h34’06”, followed just three minutes later by Pierre Castets (UTMB Index 821). Just over one-minute behind, Italian Nadir Maguet (UTMB Index 919) took third place.

Italian Sara Lagomarsino (UTMB Index 661) took first place ahead of two French athletes, Jeanne Barraud (UTMB Index 576) and Charlène Kleitz (UTMB Index 618) in the women’s race, finalizing an incredible weekend of podiums and performances.

All results from the weekend are available at the following link.

For the first time, the UTMB® World Series heads to the volcanic island of Jeju, off the south coast of Korea for the TransJeju by UTMB® on October 7-8. Over 3,300 runners from around the globe will get the unique chance to discover the stunning UNESCO World Natural Heritage site via its volcanic landscapes, beautiful beach resorts and flourishing fauna and flora.  

Race Director, Byeungsik Ahn looks forward to welcoming runners to the heart of the Hallasan Mountain National Park; “Since 2016, TransJeju has been developing into the largest trail running event in South Korea, with runners coming from near and far to experience the unique event. It is an honour to be part of the UTMB World Series in 2023 and we look forward to welcoming more runners from around the world, while making dreams come true with the chance to qualify for the UTMB World Series Finals held each year end of August in France (Chamonix), Switzerland and Italy.” 

As the second-largest city in South Korea, Seogwipo will play host to the start and finish of the four race distances on offer, promising an unforgettable setting at its rocky volcanic coastline. Trans100K and Trans50k participants will conquer the highest peak in South Korea atop the Halla volcano. At the summit, runners will discover the crater lake at 1,950m, with various mythical stories as to how it earned its name of Baengnokdam [White Deer Lake].  

With Running Stones also available in the Trans20K, three race distances will offer the chance for runners to secure an entry in the lottery to participate in the UTMB World Series Finals held during Dacia UTMB® Mont-Blanc. The Trans10K provides the perfect introduction to trail running via ever-changing scenery and accessible trails.  

Starting at Jeju World Cup Stadium, the Jeju100K race has attracted some of Asia’s top trail running talent. After having suffered a DNF on UTMB® race at Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc last month, Jiaju Zhao (CHI, UTMB Index 899) will be back for redemption. He’ll be facing competition from many of his countrymen, including Ji Duo (UTMB Index 881) who ranked 14th on the UTMB race 2023, and Tao Luo (UTMB Index 877) who finished 9th on the OCC during the first UTMB World Series Finals in August. Representing Portugal, Helio Fumo (UTMB Index 848) will also be one to follow, having finished 21st on CCC® 2023. Minchul Koh (UTMB Index 790) will be the top ranked athlete representing South Korea.  

The battle will also be intense between Asian women, with Kanako Edamoto (JPN, UTMB Index 668) who already took a fantastic 2nd place in the Okushinano100 2023 and 38th position on the CCC last summer. Running in the 100K race, she’ll face Xiaolei Fu (CHI, UTMB Index 655) and Arika Ito (JPN, UTMB Index 644) who’ll be back on the tracks for the first time in 2023. South Korea will also be well represented with athletes such as Soyoung Park (UTMB Index 623) who ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively at Untangodo Skyrace 2023 (50K) and TNF100GANGWON 2023 (50K), and Jinhee Kim (UTMB Index 618) who ranked 1st during Jeju Trail Running 2023 (50K) in May as well as during Black Yak Trail Running 2023 (50K) in April.

After an incredible 4th place finish in the women’s category on the UTMB® race at Dacia UTMB Mont Blanc 2023, Fuzhao Xiang (CHN, UTMB Index 762) is looking forward to taking on a shorter distance on Trans50K. Having gone from strength to strength over the years, Xiang will look to build on her 2nd place finish from 2019 and hunt down the top spot at the event’s inaugural year as a UTMB World Series event.  

“Jeju Island is a place that I personally adore. I competed in the 50K in 2019 and also met some running friends from China there. After the race we stayed on the island for a week to travel around and I still have fond memories of it. I will return to run the 50K again this year and hopefully improve my result then treat myself to a good Hallasan BBQ after the race!” said Xiang.  

Ruy Ueda (JPN, UTMB Index 896) will also be vying for a podium spot in the men’s Trans50K race, and the opportunity to experience the UTMB experience closer to home. Having finished 2nd at Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc ETC in 2022, TransJeju by UTMB could be the perfect race for Ueda to confirm his journey back to the UTMB World Series Finals in 2024. By his side on the start line, it will be interesting to follow Chinese athlete Guangfu Meng (UTMB Index 871) who recently ranked 8th at OCC, as well as South Koreans Jisub Kim (UTMB Index 847) and Jongyoul Kim (UTMB Index 721) who finished 2nd at the beginning of September on the 20K of WTR Chiaksan Trailrunning 2023. 

Follow all the action live on live.utmb.world.