In what is certainly the pinnacle of the trail running world, Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter were each greeted by a riveting hero’s welcome from roaring spectators as they ran into the crowded pedestrian village of Chamonix, France, four hours apart on the afternoon of September 2.
Both were stunning moments that nearly drowned out the dramatic Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc’s (UTMB) theme song, Vangelis’s “Conquest of Paradise,” blasting through the sound system. And deservedly so, as both American runners turned in remarkable efforts to win the men’s and women’s races in the 20th edition of UTMB, the de facto world championship of ultra-distance trail running.
The legendary race began at 6 P.M. on September 1 and sent runners on an arduous 172K (106-mile) loop through parts of France, Italy, and Switzerland around the Mont Blanc massif. Although the course was slightly modified this year, it included 10 major climbs and descents and entailed nearly 33,000 feet of elevation gain during the circumnavigation of the highest peak in Western Europe.
Walmsley, a 33-year-old French transplant from Flagstaff,…
