The numbers don’t lie—there’s no other race like UTMB.
The statistics around UTMB are staggering. From 10,000 meters of elevation gain to record-finishing times, here’s a look at the competition for 2025. (Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images)
Updated August 22, 2025 01:18PM
Each August, the UTMB World Series Finals transforms Chamonix, France, into the epicenter of trail and ultrarunning. Otherwise known as UTMB Mont-Blanc, the event—held this year from August 25 to 31—attracts thousands of athletes and even more fans for a weeklong festival of running, featuring eight races of varying lengths and terrain.
The crown jewel? Simply called Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), this flagship event is one of the most demanding and prestigious endurance races on the planet. First held in 2003 with only a few hundred competitors, UTMB has grown into a must-watch (and for many, a must-race) event, drawing millions of viewers as athletes tackle more than 100 miles of technical trails and nearly 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) of elevation gain.
Don’t miss a moment of the action. Tune into the free livestream on OutsideTV starting on August 29 at 2:30 a.m. ET/August 28 at 11:30 a.m. PT. Outside+ members can watch the on-demand replay at any time.
A Look at the Iconic UTMB Race by the Numbers
5:45: The time of evening UTMB kicks off on August 29. (It’s starting 15 minutes early this year due to slight course re-route during the early miles thanks to a landslide.)
22: Years the race has been in existence, first launched in August 2003.
50: Qualifying events leading up to the World Series Finals throughout the year; spread across Oceania, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America.
1: UTMB series race required to complete in order to gain a “Running Stone,” also known as single entry into the lottery for a place in UTMB.
32: Percent chance one has of gaining entry to UTMB through the lottery.
2,761: Number of runners who crossed the start line of UTMB in 2024.
1,760: Number of runners who made it to the finish line in 2024. (That’s a 64 percent finishing rate.)
67: Finishers of the inaugural race in 2003, which was run through a cold rain with hailstones. (Some 722 started.)
118: Nations represented in 2024, across all races and distances.
174: Distance in kilometers (108 miles) of the 2025 course.
9,900: Meters of positive elevation on the course.
3: Countries traversed along the course—France, Italy, and Switzerland.
65°F /19°C: Predicted high in Chamonix in late August based on historical data. (The predicted low? 46°F or 8°C in town, and much colder at the high points at night along the course.)
46 hours and 30 minutes: Cut-off time for all participants.
19 hours 37 minutes, and 43 seconds: Men’s course record, set by American Jim Walmsley in 2023.
22 hours, nine minutes, and 31 seconds: Women’s course record, set by USA’s Katie Schide in 2024, eclipsing the previous mark by more than 21 minutes.
5: Most UTMB wins by any individual in event history, set by Lizzy Hawker of the UK (2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012).
4: Most wins by a male runner: François D’Haene (France, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021) and Kilian Jornet (Spain, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2022). D’Haene is back again this year to try and make it five.
5: Men who have finished the UTMB loop in under 20 hours: Vincent Bouillard, Kilian Jornet, Mathieu Blanchard, Zach Miller, and Jim Walmsley.
10: Number of times an American woman has won UTMB: Krissy Moehl (2003, 2009), Nikki Kimball (2007), Rory Bosio (2013, 2014), Courtney Dauwalter (2019, 2021, 2023), and Katie Schide (2022, 2024).
20: The age of Jornet when he won his first title in 2008 as the youngest entrant in the field.
58: Age of the oldest winner of UTMB, Marco Olmo (Italy) in 2006.
7: Women who finished the inaugural UTMB in 2003.
3,000: Women participants across all UTMB Final events in 2024, up 4 percent from the previous year. (Out of 10,000 participants total.)
1: Bib number for American Courtney Dauwalter, former course record holder and top-ranked runner on the women’s side. If anyone is going to challenge her, it’s most likely 2024 runner-up Ruth Croft (New Zealand).
€20,000 (~$23,200 USD): Prize money awarded to the male and female winners.
50,000: Estimated spectators and supporters in Chamonix during UTMB week.
2,000: Volunteers from 15 different countries, plus 18 French, Italian, and Swiss municipalities of the Mont Blanc region.
16 million: Livestream views in 2024 across eight events, with over 165 hours of coverage.
7: Languages in which the 2025 UTMB livestream will be broadcast: French, English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian, and Thai.
