We Analyze the 2026 UTMB Elite Start Lists

What are you up to during the final week of August? The only correct answer is canceling all of your plans to tune into the 2026 UTMB World Series Finals from August 27-30.

With the iridescent Mont Blanc Massif serving as the most jaw-dropping background in all of trail running—if not all of sport—this weeklong festival of racing will rouse even the most reluctant trail-curious folk. But after an ungodly, unforgivably long wait for UTMB to finally release the start lists, we can finally, officially say the lineups for the three marquee events are absolutely stacked. Finally.

Those three events are: OCC, a 60K on Thursday, August 27; CCC, a 101K on Friday, August 28; and the crown jewel, the 108-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) later that day. (That’s not to discredit the other alphabet soup of races happening throughout the week, which get increasingly competitive each year, and 2026 is no exception. Fresh off victory at Sierre-Zinal, Romania’s Madalina Florea will headline the women’s race at the 20K ETC, for example.)

To give you a taste of exactly how deep the depth is, by my count of entrants reasonably expected to actually compete at UTMB, CCC, or OCC, there are no less than 16 previous champions—including defending UTMB champion Ruth Croft, who’s won all three. Add to that another 22 who have landed on the podium, and of course a list of darkhorse contenders hungry to prove themselves.

After injuries forced previous UTMB champs Kilian Jornet and Jim Walmsley to drop out of the Western States 100 earlier this summer, will they actually toe the line? How will 2026 Breakout Runner of the Year and overall Cocodona 250 champ Rachel Entrekin fare at her first dance around Monty B?

Buckle up for our full breakdown of the best of the best and the best, darkhorse contenders, and our favorite storylines of the 2026 UTMB World Series Finals.

Bonjour from Mont Blanc! We’re on the ground in Chamonix, France, to bring you behind-the-scenes coverage of the 2026 UTMB World Series Finals. Check out Trail Runner’s guide to the 2026 UTMB.

Who to Watch at UTMB

What’s compelling about UTMB, other than its 108-mile aesthetic loop around Mont Blanc, is it’s a true all-around ultrarunning test. With about 33,000 feet of climbing and descending, UTMB is like climbing up and down Mount Everest—from sea level. Excelling here requires incredible hiking, downhill, pure running, mountain, and tactical abilities. Little executional mistakes early on can lead to big blow ups later, and the night start invariably wreaks havoc on the field by sunrise. (Lest we forget: It snowed overnight last year!)

Top Women Contenders

Call me crazy, but it’s Ruth Croft’s race to lose. She’s the consummate professional who’s been single-mindedly focused on this race for four years.

• Ruth Croft (New Zealand)—The Kiwi returns as the defending champ, which in some cases I’d actually call a detriment (the pressure!) but Croft has a mind of steel that she is perpetually honing. Sure enough, she recently told us she’s focused on her mind game over the past year. And she also feels like she left time on the table en route to her win last year. Terrifying!
• Courtney Dauwalter (U.S.)—it would simply be downright rude not to mention the three-time UTMB champ next. Sure, she imploded over the final 30 miles last year, falling from first to 10th. I’m not sure exactly how much of that breakdown was due to the inclement weather overnight (she also suffered in the snow at Cocodona last year), but one thing is certain: She returns with even more hunger and curiosity than ever.
• Rachel Entrekin (U.S.)—2026 is shaping up to be the year of Courtney vs. Rachel, veteran vs. youth, blonde Coloradan vs. blonde Coloradan. Dauwaulter narrowly took the victory at the Chianti Ultra-Trail 120K in March, with Entrekin returning the favor in an overall win and course record at the Cocodona 250 in May. Like Dauwalter, she’s clearly got the leg speed and the endurance to excel here, as well as perhaps a sprinkle of beginner’s luck.
• Blandine L’Hirondel (France)—The national pride of France knows how to show up on the biggest stages. She won CCC in 2022, multiple world championships, and finished fifth at her UTMB debut in 2024. In May she won the Transvulcania 73K, a popular early-season test piece.
• Sunmaya Budha (Nepal)—She’s finished runner–up at CCC in 2022 and the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships 82K last year, and proved she’s in fine form with a win at the Laverado 120K in Italy this June.

Mystery Picks

Per usual, there’s a handful of athletes attempting the notoriously tricky Western States 100-UTMB double, which inherently puts them in my crap shoot division. Leading that charge is Riley Brady (U.S.), the 2026 States runner-up who will be attempting their first UTMB after DNFing CCC last summer. Abby Hall (U.S.) is trying the double for the second year in a row after winning States and dropping out of UTMB. This year she dropped out of States—does that bode better for her odds here? Fuzhao Xiang (China) powered through a wonky ankle to finish seventh at States. The UTMB World Series Finals has historically not gone super well for her when she attempted the double (a DNF at UTMB and 13th at CCC), but she finished fourth here in 2023. Fiaona Pascall (U.K.), who finished eighth at States this summer, took 15th at the 2025 CCC after a fifth-place finish at States.

More to Watch

Lucy Bartholomew (Australia) is basically a guaranteed top 10 after finishing seventh, 10th, and 10th here over the past three years. They may be in their forties, but Ida Nilsson (Sweden) and Eszter Csillag (Hungary) have the speed and trail experience to excel. Martina Valmassoi (Italy), who took seventh at the world champs 82K last year and has finished in the top 10 at UTMB, seems to be rounding into form at the right time after an early-season injury. She started the year with two DNFs, but Lin Chen (China) has won three races this summer—including a 100-miler in China in July. Too soon?

More Americans to Watch

It’s a big year for the moms, with Leah Yinglang, Rachel Drake, and Careth Arnold all making their UTMB debuts. Both Yinglang and Drake have finished in the top 10 at Western States. Arnold won TDS, the burly 90-miler during the UTMB World Series Finals week, last year. But she also just raced the Hardrock 100, where she finished second. I won’t be surprised to see Anna Louden, Shea Aquilano, or Emily Schmitz run their way into the top 10 on a good day.

Top Men Contenders

The men’s race could be a clash of the titans—or it could be anyone’s game. That’s because we have:

• Vincent Bouillard (France)—The 2024 UTMB champ very well might have been my top pick for the win, but he just won Western States two months ago. And only one man has ever pulled off the double in the same year (Kilian Jornet, 2011)…I’m not saying Bouillard’s not my top pick…but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he DNFed. I’ll be surprised by pretty much anything in the middle.
• Kilian Jornet (Spain)—I have even less confidence in the GOAT after he dropped out of Western States around mile 30 due to injury. His one Strava activity from after that suggests he’s healthy, maybe. If so, he’s a four-time champion here for a reason.
• Jim Walmsley (U.S.)—An injury also forced the 2023 UTMB champ (and four-time Western States winner) also DNFed from States this June. We’ve got one piece of videographic evidence to suggest he’s also healthy enough to be running. Whether he’s up for the full lap remains to be seen, but if so, he’ll be hard to top.
• Ben Dhiman (U.S.)—The 2025 runner-up only has one place to go. If you haven’t heard of Dhiman, it’s because he lives in Europe—historically a prerequisite for American men to win this race. (Keeping in mind, of course, that only one American man, Jim Walmsley, has done so.) While his focus once again is clearly UTMB, he showed signs of good fitness by finishing in second, by less than a minute, at the Mont Blanc 90K on what he called untapered legs.
• Jon Albon (U.K.)—He’s won OCC, he’s won CCC; there’s only one logical end for the former obstacle course racer world champ…although he did DNF UTMB last year due to a leg issue. He started 2026 off with a bang (three big wins) before DNFing the Mont Blanc 90K.
• Josh Wade (U.K.)—The Brit has proved he’s got what it takes to nail this loop: He finished third last year.
• Hannes Namberger (Germany)—He’s finished top 10 here three times, including fourth in 2024, and he recently won the Laverado 120K in commanding fashion.
• Rod Farvard (U.S.)—The former Western States runner-up finished ninth here after dropping from States earlier that summer. This June he won the very challenging Andorra 105K, indicating the mountain legs are there.

Mystery Picks (Who All Happen to be American)

Last year’s Western States champion Caleb Olson went all-in on UTMB this year, but he also suffered a femoral bone injury over the winter. Similarly, Drew Holmen, who finished third at CCC last year, spent much of the late spring and early summer recovering from a fall at the Gorge Waterfalls 100K (where he still managed to finish second). Could coming in a little underbaked benefit them both? And then there’s States-UTMB prospective doubler Zach Miller, who nailed his Western States debut with a fifth-place finish. He’s finished as high as second at UTMB. He’s joined by Canyon Woodward, who took 13th here last year and nailed his Western States debut this summer to finish eighth—and hence makes his prospects for full recovery and prep by now iffy.

More to Watch

Chris Myers (U.S.), the 2025 Western States runner-up, has been over in Europe for the past month in his single-minded lead-up to his UTMB debut. He dropped out of CCC last year, which we’ll chalk up to the trickiness of the States-UTMB double. Don’t overlook Babtiste Chassagne (France), who finished second here in 2024 and won the prestigious Diagonale des Fous last fall, or Joaquin Lopez (Ecuador) who finished just behind Chassange at UTMB. Yannick Noel (France) finished seventh here last year, and Jiasheng Shen (China) was eighth.

Who to Watch at CCC

While it’s basically the final two-thirds of the UTMB course, don’t be fooled: CCC is an entirely different beast. Top runners will run line to line in daylight and are fresh for the first monster climbs of the course. Translation: It’s a race track stuffed with vert. That profile has lent itself to loads of American success over the years, including David Sinclair and Drew Holmen going two-three last year.

Top Women Contenders

Previous CCC and OCC champion Toni McCann (South Africa) returns to avenge a tearful DNF last year. She’s joined by another previous champ, Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway), although she’s coming off a heartbreaking DNF over 90 miles into Western States. Watch out for two-time OCC champ Miao Yao (China), who’s moving up to the 100K distance here for the first time. This year’s Western States champ and course record-holder Jenn Lichter (U.S.) will either continue her heater of a season or it will catch up with her. Finally, while she took 15th here last year, Lingie Chi (China) has been practically unbeatable on the Asian circuit.

There’s a strong American contingent capable of finishing top-10, including Dani Moreno (U.S.), who also DNFed here last year. She looked money at the Broken Arrow Skyrace 46K in June, but recently DNFed the Ragged Mountain 50K in New Hampshire. Robyn Lesh (U.S.) finished seventh last year and has been running well all year. Klaire Rhodes (U.S.) is a stellar short-course trail runner who’s proven she has the endurance to excel here—she qualified for the long trail world champs in 2025—although she was recently attacked by a bear on a training run at home in Alaska. Erin Clark (U.S.) finished seventh here in 2022 and has incurred a string of bad luck and injuries in the years since—she’s due for a good day once again.

Top Men Contenders

David Sinclair (U.S.) is the top returner after finishing second last year, and he’s unflappable. He’ll be challenged by the likes of Cristian Minoggio (Italy), who finished second behind Jim Walmsley at OCC last year, and Benjamin Roubiol (France) who finished second behind Walmsley at the world champs a month later. Eli Hemming (U.S.) has won OCC and led the charge for much of this race last year before fading to seventh; if he’s figured the 100K distance out he’ll be hard to top. Guangfu Meng (China) will be looking to improve upon his sixth-place performance.

Hans Troyer (U.S.), who led much of the first half of Western States this summer, will be looking for redemption after eventually dropping out; the curveball is that it’s his first European race. Eric Lipima has refound his groove this year—and is coming in with three years of experience at CCC. Short course phenom Bart Przedwojewski (Poland) could mix it up at the front at least for the first half—and maybe the whole way if he’s built up the endurance.

Who to Watch at OCC

The burliest of the three UTMB World Series Finals races got even burlier this year. OCC is 5K longer for a total of 60K (37 miles) and packs nearly 12,000 feet of climbing. The crux is the Col de Balme, a climb unique to this race that often splits the field wide open. But the new course high point, Tête de Balme, could further throw a wrench in things. Performing well here requires legspeed, a high-octane engine, and nimble footwork.

Women to Watch

I’m just going to say it: OCC is Tove Alexandersson’s (Sweden) race to lose. The 33-year-old Swedish phenom has won world championship gold medals in no less than six different sports—including a stratospheric victory at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships 45K, where she won by over 30 minutes. She backed that up with a record-shattering win at the perpetually-stacked Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon in May.

The best of the rest is headlined by two-time runner-up Judith Wyder (Switzerland) and Sara Alonso (Spain), who had to sit out last year’s race after getting kicked by a cow in training. I’m particularly intrigued to see how American track-turned-trail stars Lauren Gregory and Makena Morley fare at their first UTMB World Series Finals—I would not be surprised to see one or both of them on the podium.

Men to Watch

Can this be the year short course demi-god Remi Bonnet (Switzerland) puts it together at OCC? I wouldn’t say the new course particularly suits him given it’s even longer, but after two DNFs here and an outstanding 2026 campaign that includes a win at the Mont Blanc Marathon in June, it’s about time. He’ll be challenged by Frédéric Tranchand (France), who finished second at the Mont Blanc Marathon this summer and won the world champs 45K last fall.

Sure, Daniel Pattis (Italy) won the Laverado 50K in June, but I’d generally put Francesco Puppi (Italy) at the top of my picks—though it’s worth noting that he’s recovering from an outstanding second-place performance at Western States. Christian Allen (U.S.) has led this race previously before dropping; if he can take care of himself through the first half (as well as contain his excitement) watch out people. And finally, don’t count out Trail Runner’s associate editor, Cade Michael (U.S.), who has the fitness to kill it if he can keep his cramping issues at bay.