In 2018, I was on one of the press vehicles for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, the 106-mile race around the Mont Blanc massif that is widely regarded as the most prestigious event on the ultra circuit. At around 3 a.m., on September 1, a local guide led some members of the media on a hike up the Grand Col Ferret section of the course–a vaunted mountain pass between Italy and Switzerland. With its views of the Pré-de-Bar glacier and sublime panoramas of granite and sky, the Col Ferret is a highlight for the legions of hikers who travel to the massif every year.
Unfortunately, most of this mountain splendor was lost on me as I was focused on trying to keep up with our guide. We needed to get over the pass before the race leaders came through so that the photographers could get their shots. This meant pushing the pace. Never mind basking in the moonlit glories of a late-summer night in the Alps; I was just trying not to puke.
That is the UTMB in a nutshell: the tantalizing proximity of beauty and pain. According to Strava, the ascent portion of the Col Ferret features 2,540 feet of elevation gain over 2.69 miles, with…
