4-time UTMB winner smashes Nolan’s 14 record in Colorado

It’s a rare athlete who can perform well, both in competition and when they’re not being chased to victory, but four-time UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) champion François D’Haene of France is a master of both. His latest victory is a new speed record at Nolan’s 14, a route that links 14 peaks, each more than 14,000 feet high (4,267 metres), in Colorado’s Sawatch range. The route covers about 100 miles (161 km) with almost 14,000 metres of elevation gain, and must be done in a single push, in less than 60 hours.

D’Haene bagged the supported record in 35 hours, 33 minutes and 41 seconds–smashing the previous record, set by American David Hedges, by almost four hours. Hedges was 25 at the time; D’Haene is 39. 

D’Haene won the 100-mile UTMB, considered the Super Bowl of ultratrail racing, in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2021; he ties Kilian Jornet, who has also won four times, for the most victories in Chamonix. In 2024, D’Haene won Tor des Géants, a 330-km (200-mile) race in the Italian Alps, for the first time, after recovering from a severe ankle fracture in 2022.

More on Nolan’s 14

Nolan’s 14 records are kept for both northbound and southbound routes; both D’Haene and Hedges opted to travel from south to north for their respective quests. According to fastestknowntime.com, the supported southbound record is 53 hours, 42 minutes, and is held by Andrew Hamilton. The unsupported northbound time is 41 hours and 33 seconds, set by Joey Campanelli in 2020.

Nolan’s 14 takes its name from mountaineer Jim Nolan, who first plotted the route in 1991. It was first attempted in 1998.

Mountain runner Matt Mahoney maintains an informative site about Nolan’s, here.