UPDATE – What a lineup: Jon Albon, Rémi Bonnet, Francesco Puppi, Sylvain Cachard, Eli Hemming, Robbie Simpson, Judith Wyder, Clémentine Geoffray, Miao Yao, Caitlin Fielder, Dani Morena and Sara Alonso. The UTMB OCC is going to be a battle between the world’s best ultra runners and the world’s best short distance runners.
Jonathan Albon (Great Britain) won last year, and in 2023, the UTMB CCC. He knows how it is to do a hundred kilometres around Mont-Blanc. Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) won the Golden Trail Series last year. He knows how to be fast in these mountains. At the OCC they will go head to head.
UPDATE: Jon Albon announced this afternoon that he won’t be racing: “After Western States I’ve had some niggles. I was hoping to be ready just in time, but unfortunately the body isn’t quite ready. Good luck to everyone hitting the trails this week. I’ll be cheering you on.”
RELATED: Marie Dohin and Thibault Marquet win UTMB TDS
Judith Wyder versus Sunmaya Budha
Judith Wyder (Switzerland) won the Marathon du Mont-Blanc this year. She knows how to be fast on this terrain. Sunmaya Budha (Nepal) was third at the Transvulcania La Palma Island 100k earlier this year, and finished second at the CCC in 2022. She knows how to dig deep. At the OCC they will go head to head.
These are just two of the battles that will be fought at the UTMB OCC tomorrow, Thursday August 29, 2024. The smallest sister of the UTMB always has a strong field, but this year it’s extreme. All elite athletes that normally race the Golden Trail Series are here. All great athletes that normally race the UTMB races are here. The outcome is unpredictable.
Photo: UTMB
You'll find the whole starting list here.
