Race report: The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® - August 25-31, 2014
Photos: 2014 winner François D'Haene © Pete Aylward
7,500 runners set out for the adventure of one of the 2014 The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® races. The weather conditions were such that each event took place along the anticipated routes. Most of the runners were able to achieve their dream: to be a Finisher. (73% finishers for the CCC®, 40% for the UTMB® at 12h00, 68% for the TDS® and 92% for the OCC). It is in the sunshine that the athletes are continuing to cross the welcoming finishing line in Chamonix, up until the time barrier of 46 hours, which will be on Sunday at 15:30!
Yesterday afternoon, the French François D'Haene achieved a second victory for the UTMB®, after his first in 2012. In 20hrs 11mins, he realised a new reference time for the event, approaching the symbolic twenty hour bar for the race. François D'Haene explained that he had experienced a very testing and nervous trip, setting a wild rhythm from the beginning of the race to discourage his adversaries. But three Spaniards accompanied him: Tofol Castaner, Luis Hernando and Iker Karrera. The Iberians tried, each taking their turn, to shake the rangy 28 year old French runner but progress was complicated by the cloudbursts which poured on to the paths. In the early hours, again dry and reassuring, François D'Haene's effort was going to be productive : « If I wanted to make a difference, it was at la Fouly (108 km) or Champex (122 km) where it was necessary to try something.
Because after then the route was complicated for making a difference. » A strategy which paid, finally at La Fouly where he pulled away from the pack.His opponents give in and the victory was outlined for the vine grower who settled in Beaujolais three years ago. Iker Karrera, apparently with stronger legs than Tofol Castaner, is not going to break the holy alliance with his fellow countryman, and waited for him at the top of Flégère to cross the finishing line hand in hand and finish as equals.
Photos: Fourth placed Fernanda Maciel and third placed Nuria Picas © Pete Aylward
For the girls, the American Rory Bosio, defended the title, maintaining her crown after 23hrs 23mins effort. « On the first part of the route I was tense. In the rain, I didn't feel good. I was very stressed in the muddy sections, I was afraid of falling, slipping.". That is why without doubt why Rory was prudent at the beginning of the race sticking behind her two principal adversaries, Nuria Picas (ESP) and Nathalie Mauclair (FR). But then nobody was going to see her again, she was even going to flirt with the top 10. She slowed at the end of the race to finish 14th scratch. Once again, Nuria Picas took the role of the first dauphine. Winner of 3 Ultras this year (The North Face® TransGranCanaria, Ultra-Trail® Mt Fuji and The North Face® 100 Australia), she is the leader of the Ultra-Trail® World Tour, but the Catalan did not succeed in conquering the top step of the podium of the UTMB®, taking second place for the second year in succession.
On the third step of the podium, the radiant Nathalie Mauclair, continues to enrich her list of prizes after only 5 seasons of running. "Initially, I was fixed on the TDS®. But I wanted to set a new challenge to boost the end of my season, with the UTMB®. If it had been predicted five years ago that I would be on the podium, I wouldn't have believed it. I am delighted with this position, and I experienced a super adventure!"
On Friday in the CCC®, the Catalan Pau Bartolo and the young French girl Anne-Lise Rousset wrote their names on the winner's board. 5th in the Templiers last year and winner of the 80km of the The North Face® TransGranCanaria this year, Bartolo shook off his adversaries. Christophe Périllat and Antoine Gay extracted their places on the podium after a last heroic descent overtaking René Rovera.
Anne-Lise Rousset also has difficulty in believing it. At the age of 26, she has won one of the most prestigious races on the calendar, benefitting from the abandonment of the title holder Caroline Chaverot. The Catalan has revealed herself during the 2014 season, by realising a time of 14hrs 28mins, in front of the Spaniard Cristina Bes. It is a first success for her first 100km race.
Sunday 12:00. There are still numerous runners on the paths trying to reach the finishing line. In the these ultra-endurance races, all the finishers are winners.... the public understand that and, as throughout the night, there are still thousands waiting and applauding the runners. That is also the UTMB®.
Photos: British runners Robbie Britton (54th), Dan Anderson (36th) and Andrew James (27th) © Pete Aylward
TDS® Results
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Number of participants: 1584 of whom women: 172 (10.86% of participants)
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Number of finishers: 1075 (67.87% of participants) of whom women: 114 (10.60% of finishers) (66.28% of participants)
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Total number abandoned: 509 (32.13% of participants)
Men
1- Xavier Thévenard (FR) -14hr10min37sec
2- Samir Tamang (NP) - 14hr45min33sec
3- Jordi Bes (ES) - 14hr47min47sec
Women
1- Teresa Nimes Perez (Es) - 18hr41min12sec
2- Lisa Borzani (IT) - 19hr40min54sec
3- Nerea Martinez Urruzola (ES) - 20hr48min35sec
OCC Results
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Number of participants: 1199 of whom women: 300 (25.02% of participants) ?????? Number of finishers: 1109 (92,49% of participants) of whom 274 women (24.71% of finishers and 91.33% of participants)
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Total number abandoned: 90 (7.51% of participants)
Men
1- Nicolas MARTIN (FR) - 5hr07min45sec
2- Régis DURAND (FR) - 5hr23min59sec
3- Marc PINSACH RUBIROLA (ES) - 5hr25min50sec
Women
1- Sonia GLAREY (IT) - 6hr37min40sec
2- Sandrine MOTTO ROS (FR) - 6hr57min59sec
3- Stéphanie MATTEI (FR) - 7hr03min05sec
CCC® Results
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Number of participants: 1945 of whom women: 262 (13.47% of participants)
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Number of finishers: 1423 (73,16% of participants) of whom women: 183 (12.86% of the finishers) (69.85% of participants)
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Total number abandoned: 522 (26.84% of participants)
Men
1- Pau BARTOLO (ES) - 11hr21min16sec
2- Christophe PERILLAT (FR) - 11hr50min47sec
3- Anthony GAY (FR) - 11hr52min18sec
Women
1- Anne Lise ROUSSET (FR) - 14hr28min48sec
2- Cristina BES GINESTA (ES) - 14hr43min55sec
3- Aline GRIMAUD (FR) - 15hr11min36sec
Photos: Run247 contributors Kirsty Reade and Gemma Bragg. All smiles at the finish - Gemma and Jez Bragg © Pete Aylward
UTMB® Results
Statistics- Figures valid 31/08/2014 12:15:32
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Number of participants: 2434 of whom women: 200 (8.22% of participants)
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Number of finishers: 982 (40.35% of participants) of whom women: 56 (5.70% of finishers) (28.00% of participants)
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Total number abandoned: 843 (34.63% of participants)
Men
1 - François d'Haene (FR) - 20hr11min44sec
=2 - Tofol Castaner Bernat (ES) - 20hr55min42sec
=2 - Iker Karrera Aranburu (ES) - 20hr55min42sec
Women
1- Rory BOSIO (USA) - 23hr23min20sec
2- Nuria PICAS (ES) - 24hr54min26sec
3- Nathalie MAUCLAIR (FR) - 25hr47min35sec
PTL® Results
Statistics - Figures valid at 31/08/2014 12:15:32
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Number of participants: 103 of whom women: 7 (6.80% of participants)
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Number of finishers: 37 (35.92% of participants) of whom women: 1 (2.70% of participants ) (14.29% of participants)
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Total number abandoned: 23 (22.33% of participants)
Les Patrouilleurs célestes - 115hr41min06sec
Alain STEEMAN
Bernard GODON
Team up & down - 122hr04min27sec
David Chalumeau
Sébastien SHEARN
Rupicapra - 122h04min43sec
Denis BOSSONEY
Bernard EVREUX ABANDONED
Xavier JOURDHEUIL ABANDONED
For more information, visit: www.ultratrailmb.com & ultratrail.tv
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Twitter: twitter.com/TNFUTMB
