UKC

Does anyone know where I might be able to follow the races that are taking place in the coming days? 

A live stream would be great but I am just not sure if it's recorded that way.

Kilian journet is out this year but hoping that our very own Tom Evans can make a mark after winning Western States!

Https://montblanc.utmb.world/races/UTMB

This is what we have for tracking via email. Not sure if it’s what you’re after: https://live.utmb.world/?utm_campaign=MB%202023&utm_medium=email&_h...

Last few years there's been a live YouTube feed so I generally pipe this to my tv and leave running. It's actually like watching a (low budget) TV show. Commentary quality was always a bit random but mixed, but it sounds like they've added some bigger (and hopefully more knowledgeable) names to the team. 

The website has loads of feeds too so you can check out individual cameras at certain points. The commentary I think is only for CCC onwards though. 

Looking forward to it. Last year was genuinely exciting in the last third of the race with Kilian/Walmsley/Blanchard putting on a good show. 

It looks like the weather will be perfect too. Really unsettled now after several weeks of a brutal heatwave but looking like it will be dry and not too hot next weekend. 

Big hopes for Courtney Dauwalter to do the WSER/Hardrock/UTMB triple! 

thank you, looking forward to it!  I'll check youtube and post the link back here for others to share too.

Weather update - raining and cold. Giving me a good reason to do the work I brought with me rather than go running up high. Weather forecast is for much nicer on Friday. We shall see. 

A mate of mine is running the TDS right now - pretty terrible conditions. Climbing to Cormet de Roseland now - when  did it in 2018 that section out of BSM was rerouted due to bad weather but think its OK this year.

Greg, are you racing later in the week? Bib number to share?

4658 - CCC - racing is a strong word to use

Weather has perked up quite a bit and due to improve. We've also just had the "normal kit" text, so that is nice too! 

The section from Bourg to Cormet de Roselend has been rerouted using some lower road sections to avoid Passeur de Pralognan.

I guess they're taking no chances. If I remember right that's the section where a runner fell and died in 2021. When I did the TDS in 2018 it was rerouted there too so no idea how dodgy the section is. With the new midnight start time at least everyone will do it in daylight these days. 

Best of luck to you - enjoy the spectacle and make sure you soak up the atmosphere on the final run into Chamonix (unless you're fast and you arrive in the early hours of the morning!)

That's the one.

I ran it last year, for anybody that has plenty of experience of rocky mountain terrain it is not too serious IMO.  Sadly not all the competitors will have a lot of experience and the addition of fixed ropes means that anyone could be swept off their feet by someone blindly swinging about on the ropes.

Shes been showing great form recently,go courtney.

this looks like it could the live stream

youtube.com/watch?v=9Nxzyb53s_c&

which one did you each run, thats very cool to have taken part.  

What is the difference between each of the below?

 UTMB®, CCC®, TDS®, PTL®, OCC, MCC & YCC.

I started with the CCC in 2017, did the (old) TDS in 2018 and did the UTMB proper in 2021. 

UTMB is the umbrella term for the festival of races but also the original Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc headline race which starts on Friday evening. 171km loop starting and finishing in Chamonix in a counter clockwise loop via Courmayeur and Champex in Italy and Switzerland taking in 10,000m if elevation.

Kilian Jornet set a course record last year under 20 hours but the official cutoff in 46. Because of the start time even the pros have to run a full night, but most mortals run through two consecutive nights so it's a bit of a mental challenge. 

The TDS starts in Courmayeur and finishes in Chamonix via Col de Petiti Saint Bernard, Bourg St Maurice, Beaufort and finishes in Chamonix. When I did it, it was only 120-odd km but more technical and bit more rugged than UTMB and more vert per km. They've since increased the distance to around 150km and many argue it's now harder than the UTMB. It started midnight on Tuesday. 

CCC starts in Courmayeur and after a small variation basically is the last 100km of the UTMB. Starts tomorrow morning at 9am ish

OCC is 50km from Orcieres to Chamonix. I think MCC is reserved for locals and volunteers and YCC is a specific youngsters race. 

PTL is more mountain marathon, orienteering style in pairs or threes for 300km over most of the course of the week.

All of the above from memory so may have mistakes. 

The whole thing is a massive circus that really polarises runners. You can only enter (by lottery) after having amassed enough points acquired by running accredited races (which organisers have to pay to be accredited for) so naturally many people don't take a favourable view. In fact the UTMB organisation have recently gone a bit down the ironman triathlon route in the way they're running a series of world events which I don't think anyone is massively in favour of. 

However as an ultra runner there's nothing like it. Literally thousands of spectators and amazing organisation. The atmosphere is incredible and all three races were experiences that were worth the effort of getting there for me. 

really informative post this, thank you very much for the detailed reply.

If I wanted to apply for the OCC for next year, when do you think the time is to do it?

I am just on the website as well, how do you see which races will allocate points?

thank you for your help

PS do you have any UK runs lined up?

That one seems to have stopped and is a replay. This is the current live one (CCC set off an hour ago). Worth watching the next couple of hours because the rolling terrain and views are stunning through the Italian side up to the Col Ferret.

youtube.com/watch?v=tCwSntDeK5Y&

Well done, I see you finished this morning is a very respectable time. Chapeau. Hope you enjoyed the experience. 

The UTMB proper is turning out to be quite exciting with Jim Walmsley and Zack Miller battling out on the climb up to the Col de la Forclaz (which had a crowd that made it look like the Aloe d'Huez of trail running). 

Courtney Dauwalter leading the women's race although she looked pretty tired at Champex-Lac. 

some 'live' reporting in the Dauphiné

https://www.ledauphine.com/sport/2023/09/01/utmb-qui-va-succeder-a-kilian-j...

The live coverage and commentary on the site video stream is surprisingly good this year. Although the American commentators inability to even try to pronounce French names properly is beginning to grate. Still better than last year and some nice insights, and to be fair there's a lot of airtime to fill. 

https://live.utmb.world/utmb/2023

I've given up following Dauphiné links as the site is so annoying to read with an overload of ads. 

Thanks, I went kaboom over Grand Col de Feret - heat got me, and I didn't hydrate enough. Took until about Champex Lac to sort it out. Ho hum. 

Had a good day out though. Lovely warm evening. 

Its not the greatest site but much better with an adblocker

very TDF when the leading woman summited the last col? (-55 min ago)..

i'm watching this:

youtube.com/watch?v=gz2cesv9BM4&

Was it as hot as Welsh 1000m peaks 2021? Well done!

new record?

It sounds like it isn't a new ecord due to the route change.

Goodness no. That was brutal!