Kilian Jornet and Jim Walmsley to face off this weekend in Italy

This weekend, Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB is set to deliver an electrifying showdown as three of the trail-running world’s titans—Spain’s Kilian Jornet, Jim Walmsley of the U.S. and the reigning UTMB champion, France’s Vincent Bouillard—line up to race 120K race through Tuscany’s picturesque landscapes. The event, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, offers five races, but all eyes are on the marquee distance, which promises to have fans on the edge of their seats—and you can watch the drama unfold live.

The 120K course begins and ends in Radda, Italy, a medieval village nestled between Siena and Florence. Runners will traverse a route that passes 25 ancient castles, winding through vineyards and over rolling hills with a total elevation gain and descent of more than 5,000 metres. The race serves as the second-to-last Golden Ticket race before the 2025 edition of Western States 100 (guaranteed entry for the top two male and female finishers). The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s categories of the 46K, 73K and 120K races will also earn automatic entries into OCC, CCC and UTMB, respectively, at the 2026 UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix, France.

Who to watch

If you’re a fan of the sport, you know this is big—four-time UTMB champion Jornet and four-time Western States 100 champion Walmsley (who also holds the UTMB course record, set in 2023) don’t often race each other. Add in Bouillard, who shocked the trail world by winning UTMB last year after Walmsley dropped with an injury, and this 120K has all the makings of a classic. While Jornet has pulled off some wildly impressive FKTs in recent years, he may be running on fumes after the birth of his third child (with fellow ultrarunner Emelie Forsberg) last week. Meanwhile, Walmsley and fellow Hoka athlete Bouillard have been scouting out the course in Tuscany, and while Walmsley has already secured a spot in this year’s WSER, Bouillard will be hoping to punch his ticket.

Kilian confirmed IN for Chianti Castkes 120k this weekend! #utmbworldseries pic.twitter.com/DfUg8fvKiB

— Liam (@aidstationfireb) March 20, 2025

The women’s race won’t disappoint, either. Defending champion Azara García de los Salmones of Spain, who in 2024 finished more than an hour ahead of her closest competitor, will return to line up against American ultrarunner Abby Hall, an accomplished veteran who took fifth at Black Canyon Ultras in February and who looks determined to chase a Golden Ticket. Fiona Pascall from the U.K. should provide some fierce competition, after winning the Mozart 100 by UTMB in Austria in June.

More distances, more excitement

The other distances at Chianti Ultra Trail also feature stacked fields. In the 20K, Morocco’s Elhousine Elhazzaoui, fresh off a record-setting win at the 2024 Marathon du Mont-Blanc and the overall Golden Trail World Series title, will face Italy’s Giacomo Forconi, a short-course specialist who racked up six wins last year across 50K and 20K races. The 46K has its own showdown, with 2024 OCC champion Francesco Puppi of Italy going up against Kenyan speedsters Kevin Kibet and Timothy Kibett, both known for tearing up fast, mountainous courses. The women’s race is equally stacked, featuring 2024 Sierre-Zinal winner Joyline Chepngeno of Kenya and Zegama champ Sylvia Nordskar of Norway. Over in the 73K, Italy’s Andreas Reiterer, who took third at UTMB last year, will battle Sweden’s Petter Engdahl, a former CCC champion. On the women’s side, Poland’s Martyna Mlynarczyk and Germany’s Rosanna Buchauer—who finished second and third at CCC 2024—are set for another fierce matchup.

How to watch

Tune in to the live stream with sure-to-be spectacular footage (of both athleticism and beautiful Italian scenery) kicking off at 4 a.m. local time on Saturday morning (11 p.m. Friday ET).

For more information about any of the races at Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB, head here.