How Canadians did at UTMB
Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter may have run away with the headlines, but theirs weren't the only success stories from Chamonix
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UTMB
Although this year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) emerged as an American success story, with U.S. ultra legends Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter topping the podium, Canada’s contingent in Chamonix had much to be proud also. More than 40 Canadians made the course cutoff of 46 hours and 30 minutes, and all have something to celebrate, regardless of where they placed. Here’s a look at how Canadians fared at UTMB this weekend.
Top 5
Just missing a spot on the podium was dual Canadian-French citizen Mathieu Blanchard. Finishing fourth in the men’s race (20:54:25) and second in his category, Blanchard captured second place behind Kilian Jornet at last year’s UTMB. His top-five finish comes on the heels of his sixth-place finish in the men’s race at the Western States Endurance Run in June.
“This year I decided to take on a monumental challenge by attempting the Western States + UTMB combo, and I’m incredibly proud that I did,” said Blanchard on Instagram on Sunday. He noted he struggled with “horrible leg pains” at UTMB, but that “the faces and words” of his loved ones kept him going. “I shed huge tears on the arrival (to the finish line). Tears that were definitely not a disappointment with my result but rather a reflection of the suffering I endured in this race. They also expressed the fight I had to get to that finish line and not give up.”
Top 10
Ailsa MacDonald of Cochrane, Alta., ran 25:48:54 for seventh place in the women’s race and second in her category. Her impressive performance marked a welcome return to form for the runner, who DNFed at UTMB two years ago. “Came back for redemption and left fulfilled. After my DNF in 2021 I poured my heart and soul into training for this race in hopes of making it to the finish line,” she wrote on Instagram after the race. “The ultimate goal was to finish while staying passionate about the sport. I figured if I could keep it together I could make the 172 km journey around Mont Blanc in less than 26 hours, which I figured would put me in the top 10.”
She added while there were some “tough moments” at UTMB this year, “I definitely slowed down for the last few climbs and fell back a couple of places, but I still achieved my goal.”
Top 20
Finishing just outside of the top 10 women, Toronto native Claire Heslop—who was the first Canadian to cross the finish line at UTMB two years ago when she finished in 18th place—ran 28:05:39 this year to finish in 11th and take third place, just behind MacDonald, in the women’s 40-44 category. While she delivered a great performance, a post she made on race day suggests Heslop already considered this year’s UTMB a success before it was even underway. “How is it already race day?? Already time to celebrate all the hard work and joy that got us all to the start line, and the grit and gratitude that will carry us to the finish,” she wrote.
Top 50
Ethan Peters of Fernie, B.C., who finished fourth at Canyons by UTMB in May, ran 25:04:40 on the weekend to place 36th among the men and 21st in the men’s 20-34 category.
Kelsey Hogan of Steady Brook, N.L., who this year defended her title at the Quebec Mega Trail 100-miler, ran 34:32:31 to place 41st among women at UTMB.
Top 100
Rounding out the Canadian runners who finished in the top 100 of their races were Flora Wing Yee Ching, who ran 37:08:58 to place 55th among women, and Véronique Drouin who finished in 41:12:59 to place 95th.
Here’s a look at the other Canadian finishers:
Women
Ling Li Ding (43:20:19)
Tanya Donais (45:22:28)
Men
Samuel Frigon (30:43:21)
Brandon Lewis-Tremblay (31:14:06)
James Miles (31:37:09)
John Adams (31:37:55)
Bentley Regehr (32:48:48)
Matthew Dermody (33:15:30)
Yannick Bernard (33:17:54)
Anthony Fontaine (33:50:46)
Tyler Chapman (34:26:36)
Marc Roumagnac (34:48:58)
Michael O’Farrell (34:59:25)
Ryan Lakhram (35:47:18)
Marc-Antoine Millones (36:28:27)
Yannick Dailleau (37:23:37)
Brandon Mewhort (40:02:39)
Mathieu Lendick(40:31:26)
Olivier Michaud (41:09:40)
Steve Begin (41:24:15)
Jonathan Tardif (41:24:16)
Steve Day (42:20:17)
Ben Benvie (42:26:37)
Xu Dong Wu (42:54:40)
Yong Chuang Chen (43:20:19)
Wilson Cheung (43:42:57)
Matthias Heinke (44:12:43)
Sebastian Warner (44:22:05)
Monty Christie (45:04:40)
Norman Nadon (45:16:51)
Markus Wipfli (45:22:28)
Jonathan Bolduc (45:30:36)
Jin Ma (45:34:58)
Hakime Bezza (46:01:32)
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