The UTMB 2024 is won by Vincent Bouilard. Vincent who? Vincent Bouillard an up until now relatively unknown amateur runner from France.
The big question before the race was; who can keep Jim Walmsley from winning UTMB 2024. The answer; Jim Walmsley himself. Or better; the knee of Jim Walmsley. The American UTMB Champion took the lead just before the passage of the Fly zone Notre Dame de la Gorge, 36 kilometres into the race. He kept that lead for the next 40 kilometres. However, just before Courmayeur his knee started to play up. Walmsley picked that injury up at Western States. He decided to start anyway, but realised on his way to Courmayeur that going on would make the injury only worse.
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Walmsley and Blanchard step out
Walmsley wasn’t the only favourite who was forced to leave the race due to injury. Mathieu Blanchard had to step out as well. The French number two of 2022 and number four of 2023 had been plagued by an achilles tendon injury. Just before the race, the doctors told him he could run.
He started out conservative, but was in the chase pack by the time the runners hit the chase pack. Blanchard: “But everything turned upside down in the first big climb up, the Col du Bonhomme”, he said after dropping out. “Acute pain has started in my achilles tendon. I kept the faith, telling myself that it shall pass, but it got worse. Radiating unbearable electrical discharge over my entire leg.”
Outsiders step up
With two big names already out, it was clear that the UTMB 2024 title would go to an outsider. It went to the most unknown: Vincent Bouillard, an engineer at Hoka and the number 69 on the list of favourites, based on the UTMB Index before the race. The French amateur ran for a brief moment in third place, passing Les Contamines Montjoie, but fell back to ninth place on the climb up to La Balme. From there on, he started his rise through the ranks. At Arête du Mont-Favre he was third, at Checrouit – Maison Vieille second and when he reached Courmayeur, 83 kilometres into the race, with 4.673 kilometres of climbing done he was in the lead.
The question was, how long could he hold that lead. With all respect, Bouillard isn’t an athlete with impressive ultra and trail palmares. He was fifth at the Maxi-Race le Tour du Lac d’Annecy (France) this year, a 93 kilometres ultra, with 5.200 metres of altitude. Last year he won the Kodiak ultra marathons (160k, 5.182m+). Both races have considerably less elevation gain than the UTMB.
UTMB fan wins UTMB
Yet, Bouillard stayed strong and kept a considerable lead all the way to the finish line (19:54:23). There he still had so much in his legs, that he didn’t just high five the people at the finish line, but all those in the centre of Chamonix. A place he has been many, many times. “I’ve been coming to the UTMB since almost the beginning. I’ve been here as a spectator, a commentator, for my work at Hoka and I’ve crewed some of my closest friends. Being on the startline today was already a childhood dream coming true. I hoped to make the top 10. But winning, no. Maybe in my wildest dreams. But I did it. This is an incredible day.”
Behind Bouillard, Baptiste Chassagne slowly moved through the ranks as well. At Refuge Bertone, just outside of Courmayeur and 88 kilometres into the race, the French Nike Trail athlete was still in eleventh place, but from there on, he slowly started to pick up those who had gone out faster. At Trient, 146 kilometres into the race, the number 10 of last year’s UTMB was in second place. The place in which he would cross the finish line in 20:22:45.”For me it was very important to be here today, on the podium, because I know only the first three are interviewed, and I wanted to say: thank you Chamonix, for all the love you gave me today. And thank you, my family and friends for being there for me.”
Lopez surprises himself
Chassagne had to keep going fast the whole race, because Joaquin Lopez was never far behind him. In fact the difference at La Flégère, the last timing point before the finish, was only two minutes and 14 seconds. However, the Ecuadorian Kailas runner couldn’t close the gap and, just like last year, finished one place behind Chassagne. But this time it meant third place, in 20:26:23.
I came here, just with the idea to improve my time and give my best; no matter the result. I can’t believe I’m an hour faster. It’s amazing. This year my family is here; my brothers and cousins. They were along the route. That made a big difference. I couldn’t do anything without them. And the second thing is the training. I’ve trained like never before. Halfway last year, I decided I wanted to come back to Chamonix.”
Behind Lopez, Hannes Namberger (Germany) came fourth in 20:31:54. He made his finish a real party by getting the crowd involved and giving everyone a high five. Ludovic Pommeret, voormalig UTMB winner, finished fifth 20:57:48.
You can find all the results of the UTMB 2024 here.
