UTMB 2021 Race Report — Will to Run

Arriving in Chamonix felt like a return to the glory days. I was back in trail running paradise for the Superbowl of mountain ultras and my 3rd UTMB.

I came to the start line fit, strong, and prepared after enlisting the help of Coach Damian Hall (5th place at the 2018 UTMB). Jen couldn’t make it to crew this year, so Keith Knipling – the man, the myth, the legend – came all the way out to help.

Race day arrived with clear skies and cool weather. It would be cold and windy up at high altitude, but otherwise we had great conditions for the lap around Mont Blanc. If all went well, I hoped to best my time of 28:23 in 2019, but that was a perfect race and would be tough to top. Most of all I wanted to enjoy the ride, soak in the experience, and finish this epic adventure.

It was good to be back in Chamonix. It hasn’t changed.

Whew, the glaciers are still there (for now)

We had stellar weather leading into the race. I stayed low and did only 1 shakeout run.

Start to Courmayeur: Back in Black

Despite running the race twice before, I still felt terrified and excited. There really is nothing like the UTMB start line. It was also emotional hearing the tribute to the runner who died in the TDS race a few days earlier. It was a sobering reminder of both the risks we face in the mountains and that life can be short. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.

The first 50km went incredibly well. I had a blast and enjoyed every minute of it. While many things were different (masks, new aid station protocols, etc.), it was so good to see the UTMB ambience and community still in full effect. Keith navigated the insane Contamines aid station brilliantly and made sure I was fueled up for the long 8 hours to Courmayeur.

I made excellent time to La Balme and started the big, steep climb up to Bonhomme at 8,300 feet. Half a mile before the summit, I finally relented and put on my jacket. It was cold and foggy up high with limited visibility, and I had to really focus on footing until we got back below the clouds.

I arrived at Chapieux with 50km and 10,000 feet of climbing done in 6h38min, 22 minutes up on 2019 splits. A big chunk of that came on the climb to La Balme, where I struggled in 2019. Most importantly, I was fueling very well and running a manageable pace – UTMB is all about the long game!

Keith asked me after the race what my favorite part of UTMB is, and aside from “all of it”, it is the 20 mile stretch from Chapieux to Courmayeur. While nighttime can be rough in 100 milers, between a 6pm start and lingering jetlag, I’m always wide awake during this section. We crossed into Italy and the wild, remote section of the course with clear skies, stars shining down, and headlamps snaking up and down the mountain. Moments like this are why I freaking love this crazy sport.

I continued passing people as we ascended Col de la Seine and realized the field had gotten thin. There were lots of headlamps far down the mountain but not many people around me. We crested the Col and ran the short descent to the relatively new Col Pyramides section, which we ran in 2019 but not in 2017 due to weather. Last time I was very negative on this challenging, rock scramble, boulder field diversion and made terrible time on it. But knowing what to expect is helpful, and I resolved to try to enjoy this section and run it well.

A gibbous moon had come out and reflected off the surrounding glaciers. I was able to appreciate the magnificence of Col Pyramides and managed to move much faster this time around. After refueling at Lac Combal, I bumped into an American who lives in Geneva. He’d run UTMB in 2017, and it was great chatting with him. I love the climb up Mont Favre and the steep descent on the other side. The moonlight continued reflecting off the Italian side of Mont Blanc, and it was a special night out in the mountains.

The descent down to Courmayeur is a doozy, going down over 5000 steep feet. My toes were getting banged up in my Speedgoats, which slowed me down a bit on the super steep part, and I made a mental note to change shoes in Courmayeur.

I rolled in exactly on schedule at 11h45min (4:45am). Keith had everything all ready for me after taking a 3am bus from Chamonix – I’m a lucky guy to have such a great friend! Last time I was 14 minutes in Courmayeur, which isn’t too bad, but I wanted to shorten that a bit and told Keith to set an alarm for 6 minutes. I changed shoes, put on sunscreen, and applied some Body Glide. I wolfed down Pringles, ginger ale, and avocados. I beat the alarm and spent only 7 minutes there, which put me almost 30 minutes up on my 2019 splits.

As I left Courmayeur, I was already in the top 100. Life was good …

Courmayeur to Champex-Lac: Under Pressure

The climb out of Courmayeur is a real kick in the teeth. I just wanted to match my split here and then make up time on the subsequent traverse. I managed to do just that, passing several runners and hitting Bertone while it was still pitch dark.

I was still fully stocked up, so I motored straight through the aid station for the ~6 mile traverse up at 6,500 feet. Daylight slowly arrived and illuminated the Mont Blanc massif, always a big highlight during UTMB. I was making good time but was surprised that I needed to pull off the trail for a pit stop, after going not that long before. After 55+ miles my legs were far from fresh, but I moved well and got to Refugio Bonnati another 4 minutes up on my 2019 splits.

Dawn hits on Monte Bianco. Always a magical time at UTMB.

After a great 60 miles, for some reason the wheels flew right off. I was fading fast and had low energy. I tried my best to refuel at Arnouvaz – nothing really looked good to me, but I ate what I could. They also said we had to put on an extra layer before going up the monster climb to Grand Col Ferret. I already had my jacket on but dug another layer out of my pack and headed out.

Grand Col Ferret is a monster when you are feeling good, but it is quite a special thing when you feel like garbage at the bottom. All I will say about it is that I got to the top a bit after 9am, and I was somehow still in 77th place. I wanted nothing more than to eat some food, lay down, and take a nap. But it was freezing cold and windy, and none of that was going to happen.

I started off the descent from Ferret pitifully slow. The wheels were now fully off, and I felt weak and exhausted. After a few slooooow miles, we hit a farmhouse. It had warmed up, so I took off a few layers and wallowed for a bit. I meandered down to La Fouly, going far slower than I should on the descent, and I was getting passed regularly.

Finally, we hit town and then the aid station. I stopped for a while here trying to get food down, but again I struggled to find anything appetizing. I debated a quick nap, but I didn’t think it would really help that much. There was a bathroom here, which I had to use again. Everything seemed to be going through me, and I just felt weak and exhausted.

I got back out on the trail and was able to do some slow running for a bit, but I had to pull off into the woods AGAIN – this was getting to be a serious issue. We hit some very runnable trails and dirt roads, but I was just feeling worse and worse, walking some easy downhill sections. I had to pull over again for a bathroom in the town and just felt totally gutted.

I was exhausted, drained, and sleepy. We had a 2-mile, 1500 foot climb up to Champex-Lac. I focused all of my being on just getting there and honestly didn’t know what would come after that. A had the foresight earlier to text Keith that pizza might be helpful, so at least there was that to look forward to.

I trudged into Champex-Lac, now 1h15min behind my splits and feeling terrible. It was time to do some soul searching.

Champex-Lac to the Finish: Don’t Stop Me Now

I honestly didn’t know how I could possibly continue or if I even wanted to. I’ve proved I can do this twice, so it isn’t a big deal to quit, right? Isn’t it better to just keep the perfect memory of my 2019 race? Shouldn’t I stop rather than go through hell to finish at least several hours slower than I had before?

No. UTMB is an amazing, beautiful adventure, and many people would give anything to be where I was right then. And in the words of William Wallace: “I didn’t get dressed up for nothing.” Keith didn’t fly out to crew only for me to drop at Champex-Lac. Jen and the family didn’t put up with all my training for me to give up. I was going back out no matter what, and I was going to finish this thing. Really it was never a question. I just had to give myself the pep talk.

Seeing Keith was such a huge boost by itself. But if I was going to continue, I had to do a BIG regroup and reset here. Keith had miraculously delivered on the pizza. I ate two slices, drank a bunch of ginger ale, and headed to the back of the aid station for a quick nap to reset my angry stomach. I set an alarm for 10 minutes and woke up a bit before. I had two more pieces of pizza, lots of ginger ale, and avocado.

I know how hard the course is from Champex-Lac to the finish. I trudged out of the aid station now 1 hour behind my 2019 time and terrified of what I was about to face in my compromised condition. I gave Jen a call for a morale boost and told her it was going to be a 31-32+ adventure. I made my way slowly out of town and down the first part of the descent before the big climb. I had to pull off into the woods again – are you kidding me?

4 or 5 runners blew by me like I was standing still, and I was well outside of the top 100 now. But my stomach was settling. I went from walking to 12-minute miles. Then I got to 11-minute miles. Then in the 10s. I caught back up to 1 of the runners who passed me. Now I was down in the 9s. My stomach finally felt ok. And the big calorie bomb at Champex-Lac was kicking in – my energy was back. I threw in the headphones and started pumping ACDC.

I was back! I flew past 3 people like they weren’t moving. I was running hard up the first part of the climb, and I felt fresh after the 5-hour rough patch. It was time to drop the hammer. I pounded up the climb to La Giete, and for a while it was an adrenaline rush as my body came back to life. I settled down to reality after a few miles but kept moving well and passing runners. After a stunning section above treeline, we hit the top of the climb and started descending to La Giete.

My 2019 run from Champex-Lac to the finish took me 8h20min, and I consider that my best stretch of running in any ultra. Not a single runner passed me, and I moved up about 50 places in the field. This time, when I hit La Giete I was 11 minutes ahead of my 2019 splits despite the first 3 miles still being so slow. I was fired up – it was time to dig deep to see if I could salvage a good performance.

I got to Trient 13 minutes up on 2019 splits. Keith was ready to go, and I was in and out fast. Pizza, ginger ale, chips in the aid station with pizza, ginger ale, and gels for the road. I started the brutal climb up to Catogne, and it was back to reality now after pushing so hard on the last section. My legs hurt, and the going was tough, but this was time to give it what I had. My parents sent excited texts: I was back on the hunt. Jen was sending lots of encouraging words, knowing exactly what I was going through. Huge shoutout to Christine, Adam, and Damon, who kept sending messages and were so encouraging as I got my race back on track.

I passed a few more runners climbing up Catogne and had another good split. Sub 30 hours was miraculously back in the cards now, which would be a meaningful UTMB achievement. Finishing in 30, 29, and 28 hours had a nice ring to it.

The Trient glacier as we climbed up Catogne

The descent to Vallorcine is so hard. You still have a lot left to go, but the legs are so trashed at his point. I poured on everything I had and tumbled into the aid station. This was another quick stop. Pizza, ginger ale, avocado with coke and pizza for the road. Keith said I could finish in sub 30. In a flashback to 2019, I told him “I’m finishing sub-29”.

I raced out of Vallorcine, running up the climb to Col des Montets. I was going to give this thing everything I had. I ran a great spit to Montets, and Keith was there again to cheer / film me going through! I was like a possessed man going up Tete aux Vents. I kept passing runners and red-lined the 3,000-foot screaming steep climb.

It seemed to never end, but I crested the top 4 minutes faster than 2019 and was able to still enjoy full daylight. I pushed the rocky, technical section to Flegere and managed to fall and get some good cuts on my arm. Ok Will, take it easy and make sure you get to the finish!

The lighting was amazing as we crested Tete aux Vents

I’m amazed at how happy I looked here after grinding so hard up the 3,000 foot climb!

I asked the good folks at the Tete aux Vents checkpoint to take a pic. They seemed slightly perplexed, but I told them “I’ve got time.”

Shortly before Flegere, I had to turn on the headlamp. I charged through the aid station, stopping only for a cup of Coke. The first 3 miles of the downhill was painful as always. It is steep with some technical miles through the trees with rocks and roots. Finally we hit La Floria, and I picked up the pace.

I hit the final km through town and was surprised by how hard emotions hit me. While it was my 3rd trip here and not new territory, there is just something special about this finish. And having such a low point during the race and digging so deep to turn it around made it especially meaningful.

There were lots of people out in town as it was still before 10pm. I rounded the bend for the final finish chute and broke into a walk to soak it in. I high fived the crowd and was surprised to see a screaming Dylan Bowman cheering for me – thanks man! I moseyed over the finish line in 28:48 – 76 place and 3rd American man (courtesy of some high attrition from the elites).

I was elated. Keith was there, and I gave him a big hug and thanked him for everything. I could not have done this race without him and shudder to think how it would have played out from Champex-Lac without him. He rocked a very difficult crewing gig, and I am forever grateful!

Coach Damian Hall was there to greet me and congratulate me as well. He has been amazing to work with, and I’m unquestionably fitter than I was 2 years ago. While it wasn’t a perfect day out there, my fitness carried me through. Thanks, Damian!

Skinny dude flexes at the finish line. The Chamonix crowd was amazing as always!

Jen and the boys watched the live feed back home. As always, the biggest thanks goes to Jen for supporting me and tolerating this madness. I can’t wait to get back to Chamonix again with the whole family.

The day after the race was the clearest yet

There truly is nothing like UTMB out there. Despite their relationship with Ironman and the impact of Covid, it was heart-warming to see UTMB maintain the atmosphere and community that makes it so special. If you think you may want to run it someday, all I can say is to chase the dream – it is worth it. And I would love to help you get there, so don’t hesitate to reach out!