The terraces on Carrer du Dr. Paccard are excellent viewpoints of what is going on in Chamonix, the epicenter of mountain ultramarathons that anxiously awaits the start this afternoon, at 6:00 p.m., of the queen race of the Ultra Trail del Mont -Blanc (UTMB), 170 kilometers with 10,000 meters of positive elevation gain. The Catalan Kilian Jornet will look for his fourth victory if, finally, he is on the starting line. On Wednesday he announced that he had tested positive for covid a few days ago and that he had no symptoms, but that it will not be until today, following the recommendations of his doctor, when he will decide if he participates.
The races already started on Monday but today the most awaited race in the UTMB galaxy starts, the one that goes around the Mont-Blanc massif and in which 2,795 people have registered, of which 9.7% are women. In addition to Jornet, if he comes out, other favorites are Jim Walmsley, from the USA; the German Hannes Namberger, the French Thibaut Garrivier, the Chinese Jiaju Zhao or the Catalan Pau Capell, who won in 2019 with a record time of 20h19m07s. Capell's great dream is to one day drop below 8:00 p.m., although he considers 2022 to be a transition year, after recovering from an injury in 2021. "Getting below 9:00 p.m. is a good time to reach the top ten And finishing in less than 20 hours is the project of my life but I don't know when it will be achieved", he commented yesterday afternoon.
In women, stand out the Dutch based in Catalonia Ragna Debats; Azara García de los Salmones from Cantabria; the American Katie Schide or the French Audrey Tanguy and Manon Bohard. American Courtney Dauwalter, winner of the last two editions, is not in Chamonix this year. It should be remembered that in 2021 she finished seventh in the general classification (22:30:55) of the 1,521 athletes who managed to finish.
For García de los Salmones, already recovered from an injury that kept her away from the mountains for four months, until last May, this is her first 170-kilometre race.
Runners from all over the world mix this week in Chamonix with high mountain guides who return from accompanying their clients to the top of Mont-Blanc and with tourists who spend their holidays in this alpine destination. The bustling boulevard dedicated to Michel-Gabriel Paccard, the first person along with Pierre Balmat to crown Mont-Blanc in August 1786, is a kind of stage where amateur athletes roam happy to be able to compete in the same events as the ultradistance stars. The clothing that dominates is shorts and technical shirts from fashion brands, the latest sneakers and ultra-light backpacks. Sports stores and those dedicated to selling all kinds of clothing and gadgets with the UTMB logo are overflowing and are recovering from the years of the stoppage due to the pandemic. Chamonix is the great trail bazaar.
Yesterday, the Catalans Sheila Avilés and Núria Gil got the first and second position of the OCC, of 55 kilometers and 3,500 meters of positive elevation gain, with times of 6h10m16s and 6h16m93s, respectively, while in men the Leonese Manuel Merillas came first ( 5h18m29s) and the Valencian Antonio Martínez (5h21m01s), second. On Tuesday, the veteran Ludovic Pommeret, from France, won the TDS, of 145 km and 9,100 meters of slopes, followed by the Ecuadorian Joaquín López, investing 18h37m04s and 19h32m09s, respectively. After crossing the finish line, López took a short break and a shower to run to assist his partner, María Vallejo, a participant in the same event. They both temporarily reside in Barcelona, where he is pursuing a master's degree in sports training, and she is in political science, spending a time of 33h16m59s.
The winner was the Italian Martina Valmassoi (22h42m47s) followed by the Catalan Claudia Tremps (22h59m38s).
The UTMB, which includes seven races with 12,100 registered, is something like the biggest festival in Chamonix. The public relations machinery of the big brands lands in this town of less than 9,000 inhabitants to organize promotional events. The director of the lucrative UTMB brand, Isabel Poletti, says that each participant, a total of 12,200 in the seven races, arrives with at least two companions. “Chamonix is at 100% occupancy, just like the towns within a 30-kilometre radius,” Poletti specifies, announcing that in 2022 they will carry out a study on the economic impact of this event.
