2026 UTMB Men’s Preview

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After a year of news around environmentally friendly race policies, red-light headlamp requirements, and local government challenges, the 2026 UTMB is nearly here!

The race goes off at 5:45 p.m. Central European Summer Time on Friday, August 28, and of course, it’s the year’s most competitive 100 miler. There’s a 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon cutoff to finish the 177-kilometer (110 miles) circuit of Mont Blanc for a field of nearly 2,000 runners. The three-country course again runs through France, Italy, and Switzerland before returning to France and has more than 9,900 meters (32,000 feet) of climbing.

Can this year’s men’s race be nearly wide open? Four-time winner Kilian Jornet of Spain is coming back, but he has a knee injury that caused him to drop from the Western States 100 in June and not race Sierre-Zinal in early August. American Jim Walmsley, the 2023 race winner and course record holder in a time of 19:37, is signed up too, but he’s also challenged by a knee injury that caused him to drop from this year’s Western States. Ben Dhiman, an American living in France and the 2025 UTMB runner-up, has to be the race favorite, then.

Last year’s race was one of the wettest and coldest ever, and about 20 to 30 minutes of run time were cut when the race was rerouted to avoid the exposed Pyramides Calcaires section in Italy. That negated any course record potential. The U.K.’s Tom Evans pulled away from Dhiman in the second half to win with a 33-minute gap. Evans is not returning this year after dropping from the Hardrock 100 in July.

There is prize money, too, and 119,000 Euro will go 10 deep, split evenly between the men and women, with the race winners each earning 20,000 Euro. That’s just over $23,000.

Read on to see the top entrants in the men’s race, and you can also check out the full entrants list.

Also, be sure to check out our 2026 UTMB women’s preview.

Of course, iRunFar is covering the 2026 UTMB! Tune in to our UTMB live race coverage starting at 5:45 p.m. CEST (9:45 a.m. U.S. Mountain Daylight Time) on Friday, August 28.

Returning Top 10 Men

Five of last year’s top 10 men are back. Last year’s race winner, Tom Evans (U.K.), will not return, and 2025 fifth- and sixth-place men Thibaut Garrivier (France) and Ludovic Pommeret (France) are also not on the start list for any race during the UTMB Mont Blanc festival. Last year’s fourth-place Ji Duo (China) is instead running CCC, and 10th-place Jia-Ju Zhao (China) is running OCC.

Ben Dhiman – 2nd, 19:51:37

There’s no Western States 100 in Ben Dhiman’s legs to recover from, and definitely no Hardrock 100 either, like some of the other top runners. Dhiman’s got one peak race for the year, and it’s UTMB. It takes most runners years to get UTMB even close to right, and that was the case for Dhiman. An American living in France, Dhiman dropped at UTMB in both 2024 and 2023. Last year, he finished second, 33 minutes behind Evans, for his first UTMB finish. In 2026, he’s been fifth at Transvulcania and second at the Mont Blanc 90k. Those weren’t wins, but Dhiman may very well be ready to win on the biggest stage.

Josh Wade – 3rd, 20:05:06

Josh Wade helped give the U.K. two 2025 UTMB podium spots, and he did it with a big jump, going from a DNF in 2023 to 11th in 2024 and all the way up to third last year. Wade’s UTMB prep in 2026 mirrors that of 2025. He has changed the distances in some cases but gone to the same events. Wade was third at Transgrancanaria in both 2026 and 2025. In 2026, he won the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 80k but dropped from the event’s 100k last year, and dropped from this year’s Lavaredo 80k after taking eighth at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail last year. Wade lamented the recent Lavaredo drop on social media but called it “the right thing to do when my goal for this year is UTMB.”

Yannick Noël – 7th, 21:03:41

France’s Yannick Noël knows his way around the Chamonix Valley, and in six starts at UTMB Mont Blanc festival, he’s finished every time. That’s something to celebrate. At UTMB, Noël was seventh in 2025 and 10th in 2024. In 2023, he was third at TDS, and then he was 15th at CCC in 2022, 11th at UTMB in 2021, and 12th at TDS in 2019. He likely won’t win, but is a safe bet for a strong finish. So far in 2026, Noël was 12th at the Chianti 120k, third at the MaXi-Race Annecy 100k, and first at the Lakeland Trails Ultra 100k.

Jia-Sheng Shen – 8th, 21:11:59

Jia-Sheng Shen from China has been coming to Chamonix since at least 2018. He was sixth at OCC that first year and then finished fifth, fourth, and second at CCC in 2019, 2022, and 2023. Shen moved up to the big loop in 2024 but dropped out, only to return to finish eighth last year. He’s been a little off the expected mark in 2026. He was sixth at Tarawera 100k, 16th at Transvulcania, and dropped at the Zegama Marathon.

Rod Farvard – 9th, 21:18:24

Rod Farvard was last year’s top U.S.-residing American man. It was his third and best UTMB finish after going 17th and 22nd in 2023 and 2022. Farvard reached a higher level in 2024, finishing second at the Western States 100 and 15th at CCC that same year. In 2026, Farvard has been 11th at Madeira Island Ultra-Trail (MIUT) and first at the Trail 100 Andorra 100k.

More Favorites for the 2026 UTMB Top 10 Men

Vincent Bouillard

France’s Vincent Bouillard was the surprise 2024 UTMB winner. He dropped at the 2025 Western States 100 but came back to set a remarkable course record there in June 2026. Alongside Evans, Kilian Jornet, and Jim Walmsley, Bouillard is part of a small group of men who have won both Western States and UTMB. Only Jornet has ever won both in a single summer, and he did it in 2011. If Bouillard could match that feat, it’d be extraordinary.

Kilian Jornet

Common sense says not to bet against Kilian Jornet, but I might this time. The Spanish all-timer has won UTMB four times. That was in 2022, 2011, 2009, and 2008. He’s won the Hardrock 100 five times, most recently in 2022, and the Western States 100 one time, in 2011. With two wins at Diagonale des Fous too, he’s the only man to have ever won all four of the world’s most iconic 100 milers. At shorter distances, he’s won Sierre-Zinal 10 times and the Zegama Marathon 11 times. It’s an unbelievable history, but Jornet was 43rd at this year’s Zegama Marathon in mid-May after running near the front for most of the race. Afterward, he admitted to a knee injury that was so bad that it was painful to walk down stairs. It perhaps wasn’t a big surprise when he dropped at Western States in June. Maybe Jornet’s gotten some treatment, maybe the UTMB terrain will be more favorable to the injury, maybe he’s Kilian Jornet and it doesn’t matter, or maybe that injury might again be a real problem.

Jim Walmsley

Any time Jim Walmsley lines up, there’s a chance he might win. He became the first American man to win UTMB in 2023, and he holds the race’s course record. A year after his UTMB win, he won the 2024 Western States 100 for the fourth time but dropped at the 2024 UTMB. Last year, Walmsley won OCC, and just a month later, won the Trail World Championships Long Trail. That was in September 2025, and Walmsley hasn’t finished a race since. He dropped from Western States in June earlier this year with a knee injury. Walmsley might win UTMB this year, but if not healthy, it might be his fourth UTMB drop, too.

Jonathan Albon

Four men have won both Western States 100 and UTMB, but only Xavier Thévenard has won all the UTMB World Series Finals — OCC, CCC, and UTMB. The U.K.’s Jonathan Albon could be the next to do so. He tried last year, after winning CCC in 2023 and OCC in 2021, but dropped out of UTMB. Albon’s been less good at the 100-mile distance compared to the top finishes he’s amassed at basically every other distance. He was sixth at Western States in 2024 for his only finish at the distance to date. Even so, Albon’s resume proves he has all the potential to win UTMB.

Baptiste Chassagne

France’s Baptiste Chassagne has only a little more 100-mile experience than Albon, but that includes three finishes, two of which were really good. Chassagne won the 2025 Diagonale des Fous, was second at the 2024 UTMB, and was 10th at the 2023 UTMB. That one 100 miler per year seems to be working well for Chassagne. This year, he won Grand Raid Ventoux 90k and was fourth at the Mont Blanc 90k, where he was 24 minutes behind second-place Dhiman.

Hannes Namberger

Hannes Namberger from Germany was fourth at UTMB in 2024 and is the king of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail. He won this year’s race for the fourth time and in doing so regained his course record from Dhiman, too. Namberger was second at Transgrancanaria this year too, five minutes behind winner Albon.

Zach Miller

The U.S.’s Zach Miller finished second at the 2023 UTMB after battling Walmsley. That followed a fifth-place finish in 2022, drops in 2019 and 2018, and ninth- and sixth-place finishes in 2017 and 2016. Before that, Miller won CCC in 2015. Most recently, Miller took fifth at the Western States 100 in June with a time of 14:20.

Joaquín López

Ecuador’s Joaquín López will carry a continent’s hopes around Mont Blanc, as a South American favorite. He was third at the 2024 UTMB and 32nd at OCC last year before a 13th-place run at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail. This year, López was second at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile in May behind Beñat Marmissolle.

Caleb Olson

Caleb Olson won the Western States 100 in 2025. Since then, a lot’s changed. The American no longer has the same coach, is now a full-time runner, and his 14:11 Western States time is now only the race’s sixth-fastest time. Olson hasn’t been great since that Western States win, either. He dropped early with an injury at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail, and went on to win the 2025 Grampians Peak Trail 100 Mile. After injury early in 2026, Olson was second at the Twisted Fork 30k, 25th at the Broken Arrow 46k, and fourth at the Speedgoat 50k. If Olson has his 2025 fitness, he could win.

Andreas Reiterer

At this year’s Lavaredo Ultra Trail, Italy’s Andreas Reiterer was tied for second with Tobias Geiser some 10 minutes behind race winner Namberger. He was sixth at the 2026 Transvulcania, a minute behind Dhiman in fifth, an event where he placed second in 2025. Earlier this year, he was second at the Chianti 120k, too. Reiterer has raced CCC the last five years with mixed results. He was 11th in 2025, third in 2022, and fourth in 2021, but dropped in 2024 and 2023. We think this is Reiterer’s 100-mile debut.

Chris Myers

American Chris Myers was there with Olson for much of the 2025 Western States 100 and finished second, but like Olson, did not return to the race this year. Also like Olson, he didn’t have a great end of 2025 and dropped at both CCC and the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k. This year has gone better, though, and Myers won the Mt. Fuji 100 Mile and took third at the Eiger Ultra Trail 51k.

Canyon Woodward

There are always a lot of top-level drops at UTMB, but American Canyon Woodward has made it to the UTMB finish four straight years. He was 13th in 2025, 20th in 2024, 28th in 2023, and 45th in 2022. Woodward’s improvement arc should land him in the top 10 this year. Going back to his third-place finish in 12:19 at the 2025 Javelina 100 Mile in October, Woodward has been racing on a higher level. This year, he took fourth at the Black Canyon 100k, fifth at the Canyons 100k, and eighth at Western States 100.

Drew Holmen

Like a few others, American Drew Holmen has been injured for at least part of 2026. He hasn’t raced since finishing second at the Gorge Waterfalls 100k in April. Holmen was third and fifth at CCC in 2025 and 2023, and in between, he had a tough UTMB in 2024 when finishing 41st. That CCC podium last year, though, shows high upside potential for Holmen at UTMB.

Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon 

Frenchman Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon has three top-10 finishes at UTMB where he was sixth in 2024, ninth in 2023, and seventh in 2022. His results this year haven’t been on par with what he’s done in the past. In 2025, he won the Val d’Aran 100 Mile but later had a DNF at the Diagonale des Fous. In 2024, the year of his highest UTMB finish, he placed ninth at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail.

Germain Grangier

After finishing third at the 2023 UTMB and second at Diagonale des Fous a couple of months later, Germain Grangier of France has spent the last few years trying to resolve a long-term medical issue that has caused his legs to lock up during longer races. The issue seemed mostly resolved when he finished third at the 2025 Hardrock 100, but he was a DNF at UTMB later last year, mirroring his 2024 DNF there as well. Grangier has been open about his search for answers, sharing on his Instagram that the problems ultimately come from a lack of blood flow to his legs and may be a result of nerve compression leading to ischemia, an arterial overpressure problem, or potentially an autoimmune disease. If Grangier has found a solution to the issue, he has the potential to run at the top of the field again.

Tobias Geiser

At this year’s Lavaredo Ultra Trail, Italy’s Tobias Geiser tied for second alongside Reiterer, about 10 minutes behind race winner Namberger. He didn’t do as well as Reiterer at Transvulcania and the Chianti 120k, though. Geiser dropped at Transvulcania and was fourth at Chianti. He raced CCC the last two years, dropping both times. We believe this will be his first 100-mile race.

Jean-Philippe Tschumi

Jean-Philippe Tschumi has had a lot of success at Diagonale des Fous. The Swiss runner was second, third, and second there in 2024, 2023, and 2022. At the UTMB Mont Blanc festival, he dropped at UTMB in 2025 and 2023, and was seventh at CCC in 2022.

Antoine Charvolin

French runner Antoine Charvolin shot up the ranks with a win at TDS last year. His results have been mixed since, though. He dropped at SaintéLyon at the end of 2025, and dropped at the Trail Verbier St. Bernard 80k in July of this year. In between, he won the 2026 Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 56k and was third at the 2026 European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships 52k.

Still More Fast Men at the 2026 UTMB

• Manuel Anguita (Spain) – 2nd 2025 Val d’Aran 100k; 3rd 2025 Transvulcania
• Arnaud Bonin (France) – 4th 2025 & 10th 2024 CCC
• Gautier Bonnecarrère (France) – 1st 2026 Val d’Aran 100k; 15th 2026 Transvulcania; 9th 2024 UTMB
• Raul Butaci (Romania) – 14th 2026 Transvulcania; 1st 2026 Penyagolosa CSP; 2nd 2025 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 3rd 2025 MIUT
• Pau Capell (Spain) – 12th 2026 Transgrancania Advanced; 6th 2025 TDS
• Abel Carretero (Spain) – 2nd 2026 & 4th 2024 Val d’Aran 100k; 19th 2026 Transvulcania
• Baptiste Coatantiec (France) – 5th 2026 Mont Blanc 90k; 5th 2026 Chianti 120k; 11th 2025 UTMB
• Paul Cornut-Chauvinc (France) – 1st 2026 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100k; 1st 2025 MIUT
• Guo-Min Deng (China) – 3rd 2026 & 2025 Hong Kong 100k; 11th 2025 Lavaredo 120k; 2nd 2025 Mt. Fuji 100 Mile
• Théo Detienne (France) – 2nd 2026 MaXi Race Annecy 100k; 9th 2026 Transvulcania; 1st 2025 Mont Blanc 90k
• Borja Fernández (Spain) – 4th 2026 Transgrancanaria; 6th 2026 Trail 100 Andorra 80k
• Aubin Ferrari (France) – 2nd 2026 Grand Raid Ventoux 125k; 13th 2024 UTMB; 4th Chianti 120k
• Gaby Rueda (Argentina) – 1st 2026 Val d’Aran 100 Mile; 15th 2025 & 13th 2023 UTMB
• Nicolas Gourdon (France) – 7th 2026 Mont Blanc 90k; 19th 2025 UTMB; 4th 2024 & 7th 2023 TDS
• Miguel Heras (Spain) – 6th 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 55k; 2nd 2024 Transgrancanaria
• Tom Joly (U.K.) – 4th 2026 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100k; 11th 2026 Transgrancanaria; 16th 2023 UTMB
• Kamil Leśniak (Poland) – 1st 2026 Quebec Mega Trail 135k; 11th 2026 Chianti 120k; 14th 2025 & 2024 UTMB
• Cody Lind (U.S.) – 5th 2026 MaXi-Race Annecy 100k; 16th 2025 & 7th 2024 UTMB; 8th 2025 Canyons 100k
• Richard Lockwood (U.S.) – 7th 2026 Trail 100 Andorra 105k; 7th 2024 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k; 1st 2024 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile
• Ramon Manetsch (Switzerland) – 1st 2026 Swiss Canyon 111k; 5th 2026 Chianti 120k; 7th 2024 CCC
• Ionel Cristian Manole (Spain) – 2nd 2026 Chongli 168k; 10th 2026 Transvulcania; DNF 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, & 2021 UTMB
• Beñat Marmissolle (France) – 1st 2026 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile; 2nd 2023 Hardrock 100
• Thibault Marquet (France) – 8th 2025 & 9th 2024 Mont Blanc 90k; 1st 2024 TDS; 12th 2022 UTMB
• Virgile Moriset (France) – 2nd 2025 Mont Blanc 90k; 1st 2025 Nice Côte d’Azur 100k
• Marcos Ramos González (Spain) – 12th 2026 MIUT; 3rd 2026 Transgrancanaria Advanced; 21st 2025 OCC
• Andreas Rieder (Austria) – 5th 2026 & 7th 2025 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 16th 2025 & 8th 2025 CCC
• Alexis Sévennec (France) – 18th 2024 UTMB; 7th 2023 Diagonale des Fous
• Andy Symonds (U.K.) – 1st 2026 Grand Raid Ventoux 125k; 33rd 2026 European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships 52k; 21st 2024 & 11th 2022 UTMB
• Aleksei Tolstenko (Neutral) – 1st 2026 Ultra-Trail Australia 100 Mile; 2nd 2025, 2022, & 1st 2024, 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile
• Pablo Villa (Spain) – 3rd 2026 Trail 100 Andorra 80k; 17th 2026 & 8th 2025 Transvulcania

Call for Comments

• Who do you see at this year’s UTMB men’s champ?
• Who are we too low on that’s going to spring a surprise on race day?
• Who will be the top American, and will it be for a podium finish or better?

2026 UTMB Men’s Preview by Justin Mock.