2026 UTMB Results: Ben Dhiman and Blandine L’Hirondel Win

The post 2026 UTMB Results: Ben Dhiman and Blandine L’Hirondel Win appeared first on iRunFar.

It was an incredible day of racing around the Mont Blanc massif for the 2026 UTMB, and at the end, American Ben Dhiman (pre-race interview) and France’s Blandine L’Hirondel prevailed.

Dhiman, who lives in France, should be used to weather-affected races by now. Dhiman won this year’s event after a weather-delayed start, improving on his runner-up finish from last year’s race highlighted by epic storms, while L’Hirondel won the women’s race to become only the second woman ever to win UTMB, CCC, and OCC.

Dhiman took the lead before 40 kilometers and never looked back, running away from the field to finish in a historically fast 18:16:29, the fastest time ever run at UTMB, but not a course record because of a last-minute course changes. Dhiman made the pre-race proclamation that he wanted to win UTMB one day, and he executed a near-perfect race to do so.

France’s Baptiste Chassagne finished second in 18:47:38, holding off a late charge from American Caleb Olson, who finished third in 18:48:24. It was the first time any man ran faster than 19 hours at UTMB, and three of them did it on the same day. The entire men’s top 10 was under 20 hours.

In the women’s race, L’Hirondel pulled away from American star Rachel Entrekin (pre-race interview) about halfway through the race to finish in 21:54:49, the first time a woman has broken 22 hours. With the win, L’Hirondel completed the esteemed triple crown of wins in all three of the UTMB World Series Finals races. Entrekin held on to finish second in 22:15:54 in her UTMB debut, while in a breakthrough performance, American Emily Schmitz used a stout second half of the race to finish third in 22:17:28.

One major factor, of course, is forever outside of runners’ control: weather. Mother Nature has a funny way of reminding the thousands of runners and spectators who is truly in charge. If last year’s race will be remembered for its abysmal weather, this year’s will be remembered for its late start. Due to a tempest forecast for the scheduled race time of 5:45 p.m. local time in Chamonix, France, race organizers announced a two-hour rain delay.

What awaited runners after that delay was the biggest race in trail and ultrarunning, a three-country, 173-kilometer (107 miles) circumnavigation of Mont Blanc with more than 9,900 meters (32,000 feet) of elevation gain, traversing through France, Italy, and Switzerland before returning to the packed streets of Chamonix. Because of the wet weather, this year’s course was rerouted to avoid the technical and exposed Pyramides Calcaires section in Italy, so, like last year, there was no potential for a course record.

Read on for the full race details.

2026 UTMB Men’s Race

The prevailing feeling entering this year’s race was that the men’s field was wide open. Last year’s winner, the U.K.’s Tom Evans, did not return to defend his title after dropping from the Hardrock 100 in July. Jim Walmsley (U.S.) and Kilian Jornet (Spain), two of the sport’s giants and past UTMB champions, meanwhile, both announced about a week before the race that they would also not be on the start line in Chamonix, with both runners battling injuries after dropping out of the Western States 100 in June.

While Evans, Walmsley, and Jornet were notable absences, Ben Dhiman (pre-race interview), an American who lives in the French Pyrenees, was a notable returnee. Dhiman finished 33 minutes behind Evans last year, surviving last year’s bad weather to deliver the signature performance of his career up to that point. After addressing his self-diagnosed weakness of climbing in training this year — in his pre-race interview he said he completed 30% more climbing this year than at the same point last year — and finishing fifth at Transvulcania and second at the Mont Blanc 90k this year, Dhiman entered as many people’s pre-race favorite.

There would be no shortage of competition, though. Last year’s third-place finisher, the U.K.’s Josh Wade (pre-race interview), was back, as was France’s Vincent Boiullard, who set the course record at Western States in June and who emerged from relative obscurity to win the 2024 UTMB. Bouillard headlined a characteristically strong group of French runners at the race, which this year featured Baptiste Chassagne, who finished second at the 2024 UTMB, Yannick Noël, Gautier Bonnecarrère, and Antoine Charvolin. Then there was the American contingent of fan favorite Zach Miller (pre-race interview), himself coming off a strong fifth-place finish at his Western States debut, Caleb Olson, the 2025 Western States champion making his UTMB debut, Drew Holmen, and Rod Farvard.

After early miles characterized by pack running and a few lead changes, it was Chassagne who came through Les Contamines at 32k with a slight lead in 2:45 elapsed. Behind him, though, was a stout pack of runners — Miller, Dhiman, Bouillard, and Farvard — with Charvolin, Bonnecarrère, Chris Myers, Olson, and Holmen rounding out the top 10 less than a minute back. Dhiman had taken the lead at Notre-Dame de la Gorge at 36k, but there was still little separation among the top five.

By Les Chapieux at 52k, though, Dhiman had opened up a gap, with Chassagne coming through in second, seven minutes behind him. The Italian duo of Andreas Reiterer and Tobias Geiser had entered the top 10 by that point, both about 14 minutes back.

Under a full moon, cold temperatures, and strong winds at Lac Combal at 67k, Dhiman had extended his lead to 14 minutes ahead of Chassagne, with the rest of the top 10, including Olson, Holmen, Geiser, and Miller, all roughly 18 minutes back of the lead. Germany’s Hannes Namberger (pre-race interview) was right behind Reiterer in eighth.

The next stop was Courmayeur, the unofficial halfway point of the race at 81k, where runners get to see their crew during the long nighttime hours. Dhiman entered alone, in 7:50 elapsed, looking calm, unfazed, and chatting with his crew member as she stuffed his pack and he drank from large bottles of liquid. He pulled on his headlamp and, almost exactly two minutes later, was back running. About 16 minutes after Dhiman had left, Chassagne came through in second, moving quickly, changing his shirt, and receiving passionate advice from his crew. Chassagne seemed to want to leave the aid station before the next runners entered, for a psychological advantage.

He was right to hurry: Reiterer, Bonnecarrère, Geiser, and Joaquín López all came into the aid station within 25 seconds of one another, just as Chassagne was leaving. There were several runners in the aid station at the same time, and López, in particular, looked strong, scarfing down some food at the table and making quick work of the aid station. Miller was next, followed closely by Olson and Holmen, a strong American trio. Switzerland’s Gian Marchet Schicktanz rounded out the top 10 at Courmayeur.

From there, though, Dhiman only extended his lead, and it soon became clear that everyone else was racing for second place. As the sun was rising by Grand Col Ferret (104k), Dhiman had a 22-minute lead over the second-place Chassagne, and just before Vallorcine at 155k, the lead had grown to more than half an hour. Dhiman looked calm and focused, never letting his foot off the gas.

On the final descent to Chamonix, Dhiman was a man on a mission, his arms loose and eyes focused. Through the streets of Chamonix, he finally allowed himself to smile, grabbing the finishing tape and holding it triumphantly over his head. As he ambled around the finish line after the race, he looked in shock, shaking his head and embracing his family.

Ben Dhiman won UTMB in a blazing fast time of 18:16:29, the first time in the race’s long history that someone has broken 19 hours on a full 100-plus-mile loop, although not on the standard course of recent years.

Behind him, the race for second was on. While Chassange occupied that spot for the majority of the race after Dhiman broke away, Olson started to make up ground. From Courmayeur, where he was eighth, Olson began to move up steadily: seventh at Refuge Bertone (87k), sixth at Refuge Bonatti (94k), fifth at Arnovauz (99k), and fourth at Grand Col Ferret (104k).

López, who finished third at the 2024 UTMB, was fighting to do the same again. He stayed in the final podium spot for much of the second half of the race and held an almost eight-minute lead over Olson at Grand Col Ferret. But Olson kept chipping away, and by Trient at 144k he was less than five minutes behind López and moved more quickly through the aid station.

Olson officially made the pass between Les Tseppes (148k) and Vallorcine (155k), leaving Vallorcine nearly two minutes ahead of López. Olson wasn’t done, though. Chassagne had an 11-minute lead over him at Vallorcine, but by La Flégère at 167k, Olson had cut it to less than seven minutes.

Olson continued to press, and Chassagne began to fade. Both runners were on the final descent to Chamonix at the same time, with Olson trailing by less than a minute. After more than 170 kilometers of racing, second place was going to come down to a sprint finish. Spectators lining the streets of Chamonix, famously boisterous already, were enthralled by a battle between these two men on incredibly tired legs.

Close to the finish line, Chassagne, who ran with his head determinedly forward as Olson gave chase, finally allowed himself to look back, letting out a cheer when he realized that he was going to hang on. In the end, Baptiste Chassagne finished second in 18:47:38, and Caleb Olson was third in 18:48:24.  The top three men all finished faster than the never-before-broken 19-hour mark.
López, meanwhile, had been passed by France’s Virgile Moriset, who had an incredibly strong second half of the race. Moriset, who was second at last year’s Marathon du Mont Blanc 90k but had three DNFs this year entering UTMB, was in 20th place at Lac Combal (68k) before going on a tear of picking off runners. By Arnouvaz (99k), he had moved into 14th, and at Grand Col Ferret he had broken into the top 10. Exiting Vallorcine, he was almost five minutes behind López but continued to move well, and by La Flégère he had passed him. Virgile Moriset crossed the finish line in Chamonix to finish fourth in 19:00:23. Joaquín López was fifth in 19:06:48.

2026 UTMB Men’s Results

1. Ben Dhiman (Asics) – 18:16:29 (pre-race interview)
2. Baptiste Chassagne (On) – 18:47:38
3. Caleb Olson (Nike ACG) – 18:48:24
4. Virgile Moriset (Asics) – 19:00:23
5. Joaquín López (Kailas Fuga) – 19:06:48
6. Hannes Namberger (Dynafit) – 19:13:51 (pre-race interview)
7. Gautier Bonnecarrère (La Sportiva) – 19:23:16
8. Antoine Charvolin (On) – 19:40:33
9. Yannick Noël (Inov8) – 19:51:42
10. Jean-Philippe Tschumi (Kailas Fuga) – 19:58:24

Full results.

2026 UTMB Women’s Race

Until about two days before the race, the story of the women’s race centered around New Zealand’s Ruth Croft, a consummate professional who won last year’s UTMB in the notorious weather to add to her already glowing trail running resume. Croft is the only woman to have won all three UTMB World Series races — UTMB, CCC, and OCC — and she seemed to be strong and fit entering this year’s race, set to return for another loop. But on Wednesday, Croft posted on Instagram that she would not be running UTMB this year, writing that her “heart and mind want to be elsewhere.”

Croft’s absence left a void at the top end of the women’s race, and the question was who was going to fill it. American Courtney Dauwalter (pre-race interview), one of the most accomplished runners in the sport, was back after winning the Hardrock 100 this summer, while fellow American Rachel Entrekin (pre-race interview), who won the Cocodona 250 earlier this year, was set to make her UTMB debut. France’s Blandine L’Hirondel, who has won OCC and CCC and placed top five twice at UTMB, was seeking to join Croft as the only other triple crown winner, while Lucy Bartholomew (pre-race interview) of Australia was looking to cap off an impressive season and improve on her three straight top-10 finishes at the race.

L’Hirondel took control of the race early, building a small lead over Entrekin at Saint-Gervais (21k). Careth Arnold (U.S.), who was second to Dauwalter at this year’s Hardrock less than 50 days ago, ran with Bartholomew, about two minutes back of the lead, while Canadian Jazmine Lowther came through soon thereafter in fifth.

By Les Contamines at 32k, which was where Dhiman asserted control in the men’s race, Bartholomew had passed L’Hirondel and Entrekin to come through with a small lead. American Abby Hall, the 2025 Western States 100 champion, had moved into the top five alongside Lowther, while Dauwalter was in seventh.

By Les Chapieux at 52k, the top three had retained its composition but shuffled its order. L’Hirondel, looking smooth, came through with a one-minute lead over Entrekin, with Bartholomew four minutes behind in third.

Under a full moon in the dark and cold at La Combal (67k), L’Hirondel and Entrekin came through nearly together and had broken away from Bartholomew and Hall, who were third and fourth, respectively, about 14 minutes back. Arnold was behind them in fifth, while Emily Schmitz (U.S.) was about two minutes behind Arnold in sixth, and Poland’s Katarzyna Dombrowska had broken into the top 10. Unfortunately, this was the last checkpoint Dauwalter would cross, as she dropped from the race at Arête du Mont-Favre.

L’Hirondel and Entrekin continued their battle through the night. Entering Courmayeur at 81k, the unofficial halfway point of the race, L’Hirondel had built a nearly five-minute lead over Entrekin, her headlamp illuminating her ever-present smile. But by Refuge Bertone (87k), Entrekin had gained a bit of ground and was just over three minutes back.

It was the closest Entrekin would get the rest of the race. L’Hirondel began to gradually pull away, using her deep knowledge of these trails to power her through the early morning hours. By Grand Col Ferret (104k), L’Hirondel’s small lead had grown to 15 minutes, and at Champex-Lac at 128k, it had more than doubled. L’Hirondel was running fast and smooth as she made her way toward the tail end of the famous race.

From there, it was simply a matter of getting to the finish line, as her lead over Entrekin had grown to over 40 minutes by Vallorcine at 155k. Despite taking a gnarly fall and limping on the descent to Chamonix, L’Hirondel made her way to the finish line alone. In the end, Blandine L’Hirondel won UTMB in 21:54:49, completing the career UTMB Mont Blanc festival triple crown and cementing her status as one of the best runners in the world on these trails.

Behind L’Hirondel, the race for second place was on. Using an incredibly strong second half of the race, Schmitz, who was 20th at last year’s CCC, began to move up in the field and make up ground on Entrekin. Schmitz was seventh at Courmayeur but fifth by Refuge Bertone (87k) and fourth at Arnovauz (100k), only five minutes behind Arnold and looking like she was ready to chase a podium spot.

She was. Schmitz had passed Arnold on the descent between Grand Col Ferret and La Fouly (114k) and built a four-minute lead over her by Champex-Lac to take control of third place. At that point, too, she was less than 10 minutes behind Entrekin, and by the time they got to Vallorcine, Schmitz was a mere two minutes behind her.

In the end, though, Entrekin used her formidable legs and toughness to hold her off. In her UTMB debut, Rachel Entrekin finished second in 22:15:54.

Emily Schmitz, meanwhile, finished third in 22:17:28, a career-defining breakthrough for a relatively unheralded runner entering the race.

Despite being passed late, Arnold held steady, and a top-five finish seemed all but assured. Indeed, Careth Arnold finished fourth in 23:05:20, completing an impressive Hardrock-UTMB double.

And the closer award might have to go to Jazmine Lowther. She was in 14th place, more than half an hour out of fifth place at 81k in Courmayeur. She moved up the field to eighth by Grand Col Ferret, but still 32 minutes out of fifth. By Trient, the Canadian moved up into seventh, 20 minutes out of fifth, and she was still 22 minutes behind fifth-place Dombrowska in Les Tseppes at 148k. At 155k in Vallorcine, she still ran in seventh, 23 minutes out of fifth. Then, watch out! Just 12k later in La Flégère (167k), Lowther had made up that gap and passed both Bartholomew and Dombrowska to move into fifth, the position she’d finish in with a final time of 23:21:55.

2026 UTMB Women’s Results

1. Blandine L’Hirondel (Kiprun) – 21:54:49
2. Rachel Entrekin (Norda) – 22:15:54 (pre-race interview)
3. Emily Schmitz (Hoka) – 22:17:27
4. Careth Arnold (Altra) – 23:05:20
5. Jazmine Lowther (Arc’teryx) – 23:27:34
6. Katarzyna Dombrowska (On) – 23:27:34
7. Lucy Bartholomew (Salomon) – 23:44:29 (pre-race interview)
8. Antonina Iushina – 23:49:58
9. Anne Cécile Thévenot (Mac Sport) – 24:02:00
10. Anne-Sofie Pollestad – 24:04:56

Full results.

Coverage Thanks

Thanks so much to the following individuals who helped iRunFar cover this race: Tim Peeters; Deki Fourcin; Julien Dekens; Chloe Naquin; Luca Yannick; Monique Stuut;  Martin Salzer; Bruno Keustermans; Steve Scobie; Elaine Battson; Jaja Ferrer Capili; Hector Rubio; Marco Gulberti; Gabe Joyes; Olivia Rissland; Marissa Harris; and Ellie Greenwood.

2026 UTMB Results: Ben Dhiman and Blandine L’Hirondel Win by Robbie Harms.