Ultra-Trail® du Mont Blanc - UTMB® 2021

Published : 08/31/2021 - Categories : Stories

It's the biggest week in Ultra Trail and after a 2 year hiatus, the return of Ultra Trail Mont Blanc was even more significant in 2021 for brands, athletes and spectators alike who all gathered in Chamonix in the French Alps last week. Thanks to the UTMB® organisation for their relentless work to allow over 50,000 people from around the World who share the same passion for the sport of Ultra Trail, join together in a safe environment to celebrate everything we love about this sport and this race.

UTMB® started with 2,347 runners at 5 p.m on Friday, the crowd was just as huge as previous years for the most highlighted race of the week, with spectators thrilled at the return of the biggest ultra trails in the World. The 171.5km race is the pinnacle of the sport and ultimately the biggest race of UTMB® week!

An exceptional elite men's field ensured a fast start and very competitive race. A big contingent of our Compressport International Team, gave us plenty to cheer for. Race favorites François D´Haene and Jim Walmsley pushed the pace early, but Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz was never far behind, running with an elite group of 3 men together for over half of the race. Not far back, Ludovic Pommeret, Diego Pazos and Gregoire Curmer were having an incredible race too, fighting on despite the race's difficulty.

At Champex-Lac, Dunand-Pallaz made his move and left the feed zone in 2nd place. With the 3rd place finisher, coming strong from behind, our Frenchman continued to push and never seemed in doubt. He kept a distance of around 15 minutes to the World´s best; D´Haene, crossing the line in 2nd place after an enormous 20h58´31¨.

Never say die Ludovic Pommeret was again amongst the first finishers with 5th place, while Diego Pazos and Gregoire Curmer crossed the line hand-in-hand for equal 8th place, closing out an impressive race for Compressport Athletes! Vincent Viet and Jeremie Marin finished in 17th and 32nd place respectively..

I am really happy with this 4th place. I am happy with how I managed the race. I tried to keep my pace and at the end maybe some of the lead guys slowed down a little, but I always tried to stay as constant as possible. I had some problems with my knee on the flat, but I could push uphill and downhill ok, so I could manage. It´s true that it is the chocolate medal and I would have preferred to be inside the top 3, but I am really satisfied with this result and the guys ahead of me were very strong.

Ludovic Pommeret

First of all, it takes place at my home in Chamonix and it is always with great pleasure to be there at the start among the best runners on the planet and to be able to cross the finish line once more at home. For me, it was a really great adventure that I had the chance to share with Diego. A very beautiful moment of sharing with him and the whole Compressport team. We decided to spend the night together and in the end we spent the remainder of the race together. There was a lot of fun along the way. I also felt in very good form despite a very difficult working season. It´s a positive point for the future…

Grégoire Curmer

The CCC® race started Friday at 9 a.m. and the top runners finished the 100k race later that same day, not long after the UTMB® had commenced. The course runs from Courmayeur, Italy through Champex in Switzerland and back to Chamonix in France, while clocking up 6,100 m of elevation gain. After his 2nd place performance in 2019, Thibaut Garrivier was on a mission to go one place better.

He took the lead after 60km and ran away from the front the rest of the way. The win marked a comeback from a year-long injury cycle, and a step up from his 2019 runner-up finish. Garrivier’s time bettered Hayden Hawks’s 10h24 run from 2017 for a new course record in a time of 10hr23´

TDS® started on Tuesday, with 145 kms from Courmayeur, Italy to Chamonix, France. It’s one of the most challenging courses of the week with 9,100 m of elevation gain.

This year’s edition was marked by tragedy which beset a runner from the Czech Republic when they died due to injuries sustained in a fall during a technical descent around 62.5 kms into the race.

In the front runners, one of our French athletes; Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon remained calm and collected, gradually making his way through the top 10, to arrive in 3rd place after 19h34´. An incredible result for the young Frenchman.