WATCH: Runner paraglides onto UTMB start line

French trail runner and paraglide pilot Tim Alongi took an unusual mode of transportation to reach the start line of the UTMB MCC (De Martigny-Combe À Chamonix) on Aug. 22, as he flew through the mountains via paraglider from to Martigny-Combe, Switzerland.

Alongi is from Annecy, France, only a two-hour drive from Martigny-Combe, and said the inspiration behind his UTMB paraglide was to protect the planet and to travel sustainably. He is a four-time French paragliding champion and acrobatic pilot who spends his spare time trail running and hiking in the French Alps and Pyrenees. He is currently sponsored by Red Bull and has a large following of 700,000 on his TikTok.

? Some come by train, some by car, some by bus….and Tim Alongi came by paraglider from Annecy to Chamonix

? Certains viennent en train, en voiture ou en bus…Tim Alongi est venu en parapente d'Annecy à Chamonix #UTMB2022 – © https://t.co/ntgxfT9LX4 pic.twitter.com/44kQHXbsuv

— UTMB® Mont-Blanc (@UTMBMontBlanc) August 24, 2022

MCC is one of eight races that take place at UTMB. The race starts in De Martigny-Combe and finishes in Chamonix, France; entry is reserved for UTMB volunteers, members of a sponsor organization, partners and local French/Swiss runners (i.e. people living in Valais, Aosta Valley, Savoie and Haute-Savoie). The race is approximately 40 km and features about 2,300 metres of elevation gain.

Alongi ended up finishing the MCC in a respectable time of 5:43:36 for 91st overall out of 1,000 runners.

The world-renowned UTMB begins on Friday, Aug. 26, from Chamonix. Thousands of trail runners from around the world will take on a 171 km journey around Mont Blanc and the French/Swiss Alps. You can follow all the UTMB action from Chamonix here.