How were the French able to sign an unprecedented Top 5 in the wake of François D’Haene?

From our special correspondent in Chamonix,

OK, the last two foreign winners of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (171 km and 10,000 m of elevation gain), the Spaniards Kilian Jornet (2011) and Pau Capell (2019) were unfortunately not in the game. Nonetheless, no one imagined seeing five French tricolors this Saturday grab the first places at the world trailhead summit. And what about the fact that this hegemony is being held back by a woman, in this case the incredible American Courtney Dauwalter, winner of the women’s table and sixth overall in 10:30 p.m. 20 Minutes looks at this historic day of glory for the French trail runner, carried by its leader François D’Haene, titled for the fourth time … in four participations!

François D’Haene still boss

As you might expect, there was a Hardrock 100 effect for François D’Haene. Winner for the first time in July of this legendary ultra of 160 km and 10,000 m of D + in the United States, the runner Salomon showed more difficulties than in 2012, 2014 and 2017. “In six weeks, the recovery has not could not be optimal, confirms his manager Jean-Michel Faure-Vincent. It is the first time that the pain falls on him at this point on the UTMB. His legs were screaming and until the end, no one was serene in the team. We have familiarized ourselves with new limits, it is up to us to find a way to push them further. “

In the meantime, no one has been able to take advantage of his slack in the night from Friday to this Saturday after Courmayeur (78 km), and certainly not his two fiercest rivals announced, Xavier Thévenard and Jim Walmsley, both forced to give up even before the second part of the race. The Beaujolais winegrower finally reached Chamonix in 8:46 p.m., twelve minutes ahead of Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, a gap that he often managed to stabilize.

“I was going much faster in 2017, recalls the person concerned. There, I had to deal with strange sensations in the descents. I was a little worried because of my hard legs. This victory was really hard to get. An exchange with his former partner at Salomon Michel Lanne, this Saturday morning at Champex, was in this sense tasty.

Go, go, go, you grit your teeth.

– I’ve been serving them for a while.

– Yes, but you know how to tighten them. “

The day before, the former winner of the CCC and the TDS announced: “There is no doubt that this great steak will still give us great emotions”. A happy omen, as usual one would be tempted to say when it comes to François D’Haene (35) on an ultra major.

A very ambitious succession

European vice-champion of skyrunning in 2017, Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz had never before participated in an ultra format of 160-170 km. The passing exam is more than successful for the 28-year-old Savoy, who has managed with authority to finish second to François D’Haene. Happy with his race, Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz did not hide his ambition at the finish line “to want to come back to win the UTMB”.

The other Frenchman completing the podium will undoubtedly share this dream. 13th in the event in 2018, Mathieu Blanchard (34) has an atypical profile, after having started trail running a year earlier in Canada… and participated in the Koh Lanta show in 2020. “It’s incredible for me to to make a podium on the UTMB, I do not realize, he indicates. But at the same time I told myself for 50 km that I could go for first place when I discovered that François was starting to have leg cramps. If Ludovic Pommeret (4th), winner of the event in 2016 is a 46-year-old adventurer, the last member of the prestigious French Top 5 of the weekend, Germain Grangier (31) is a great hope.

#UTMB
Relive the arrival of Mathieu Blanchard who completes the men’s podium of the UTMB®️ Mont-Blanc 2021!

#UTMB2021 #UTMB4YOU pic.twitter.com/tFszM49SPy

— UTMB® (@UTMBMontBlanc) August 28, 2021

The American curse continues

Jim Walmsley may regret having soaked up a big rhythm on Friday evening, alongside François D’Haene, between the Col du Bonhomme (43 km) and Courmayeur (78 km). At the end of this key supply of the race, the three-time winner of the Western States 100, suffered from the cold in the Italian Alps (up to 5 ° C felt) and retired. In 18 editions, all the greatest American ultra-trail specialists tried their luck in vain in Chamonix, while at the same time, four American women were able to glean this major title, like Courtney Dauwalter in 2019 and 2021.

The president of the UTMB group and co-founder of the event Catherine Poletti tries an explanation: “Jim Walmsley explained to me that in the United States, the ultras are long but much more rolling than with us. Women often have to walk, unlike men. They have therefore learned to walk fast, and on the UTMB, it is essential to walk quickly. Jim is probably unbeatable in the Western States, but he’s used to the heat of Arizona, not the cold of our nights ”.

Jean-Michel Faure-Vincent adds: “The French riders undoubtedly have more experience in the mountains and they prefer to lose 30 seconds to cover themselves more before dark. It can be part of the details that play on a UTMB. “

Superior preparation and motivation on the French side

The faults of favorites were multiple, with also the Americans Tim Tollefson and Timothy Freriks, the Spaniards Pablo Villa Gonzalez and Jordi Gamito, the Russian Dmitry Mityaev… “It is not totally a surprise because I think that the sanitary conditions of this years have meant that few internationals have been able to come and train as usual by spending time in our mountains in July, confides Catherine Poletti. The French had this advantage during the various confinements. “

They also have an extra soul on “their” event, which is the most anticipated of the year. “For us, the UTMB is really a special race,” recalls Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz. There is an additional motivation and it is perhaps more difficult to give up here. This observation is valid for several hundred amateur runners, who are attacking their second night on the trails around Mont-Blanc this Saturday, and who hope to complete Sunday “the ultra of a lifetime” before the time barrier set at 4:30 pm.