Katie Schide has won the UTMB 2024 in style, by breaking the course record. The American ultra runner completed the loop around the Mont-Blanc – 176 kilometres with 10.000 metres of elevation – in 22 hours, 9 minutes and 31 seconds. Ruth Croft (New Zealand) finished second in 22:48:37. Marianne Hogan (Canada) completed the podium in 23:11:15.
Before the race, Katie Schide was already considered the big favourite. At the end of June she showed her class again by winning Western States. She ran that race in 16 hours, being only the second woman in the world to do so. The other one? Courtney Dauwalter, last year’s winner of UTMB.
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Breaking 22 hours
This year Dauwalter wasn’t starting in Chamonix. Without her big rival there, Schide gave herself another motivation; breaking the 22 hours limit. A bold plan, as the temperatures in Chamonix these days are rising to almost 30 degrees. But with the start of the UTMB in the evening and a cool night ahead, Schide went for it.
The North Face superstar did that by copying her strategy of 2022, when she won UTMB for the first time, integrating into the group of male favourites. She even passed La Giète and Trient in tenth place overall, but in the end the heath started to take a toll and on the climb to La Flégère and Schide dropped back to thirteenth.
New course record
That climb also took away her chance of finishing faster than her dream time of 22 hours. At the finish line she was 9 minutes short. “I started fast, but at the planned race pace. I was surprised to be running with the men in the early kilometres because I didn’t feel like I was running faster than in 2022. Even though I didn’t manage to run under 22 hours, I’m very proud of my performance! The last kilometres were tougher, which is why I want to thank the incredible spectators that were present throughout the trails in France, Italy, and Switzerland. Their energy carried me from the first to the last hour.”
With her 22 hours and 9 minutes Schide was 21 minutes faster than Courtney Dauwalter in 2021. Dauwalter clocked 22:30:54.
Ruth Croft finishes strong
Behind Schide a nice battle developed for the other two podium places. For most of the race it was Marianne Hogan running in second place, but in the final kilometres the Canadian ultra runner was overtaken by an unleashed Ruth Croft. The former winner of the OCC (2019) and the CCC (2015) crossed the line in 22 hours, 48 minutes and 37 seconds. With her second place she took revenge for last year, when she got sick the week before the race.”This year my build up was better. I felt really strong, thanks to my coach Scott Johnson. I tried not to take this race too seriously, but just to have fun, as I know UTMB is psychotic. In the first 50 kilometres I had some hard patches, but after that it started to pick up.”
Hogan had a bad fall, early on in the race, on the Grand Col Ferret. Yet, the Canadian refused to give up and ran the lasting 70 kilometres, without being able to use her right hand. She finished in 23 hours, 11 minutes and 15 seconds.
Lin Chen (China) came in fourth, in 24:16:33, thanks to a strong finish. The fifth place was for home favourite Blandine Hirondel. She finished in 24:35:55.
Photos: UTMB
You can find all results of UTMB 2024 here
