There is, in my opinion, no mountain location more inspiring than the French town of Chamonix, which perhaps explains why, a year after following the world’s best ultra-runners around the Alps’ highest peak as a spectator, I found myself back at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc for my own 100km race.
Interest in ultra-running — typically defined as any foot race longer than 50km — has boomed in the past decade and the UTMB has become the de facto world championships. Founded in 2003, initially as a 106-mile (171km) race around Mont Blanc, the event has expanded into a week-long festival that attracts major sponsors and some 10,000 runners to eight different races, now broadcast to millions of fans around the world.
Ultra-running, by any definition, is a strange endeavour and the mountain variety can seem particularly cruel. My race, the CCC, is equivalent to almost two and half marathons and includes 6,100 metres of lung-busting ascent over perilous Alpine passes.