Tor des Géants 2026: Jiaju Zhao and Katharina Hartmuth triumph in the Tor330, while Franco Collé wins the Tor450

At 3:55 a.m. on Wednesday, Chinese trail runner Jiaju Zhao crossed the finish line at the Jardin de l'Ange in Courmayeur to win the TOR330 – Tor des Géants in a new fastest time of 65h55'22, beating the previous mark set by Franco-Belgian runner Victor Richard in 66h08'22. In trail running, however, the notion of a record is always relative: the course followed by runners is never exactly the same from one edition to the next, and weather conditions can also affect the final time.

Either way, a new chapter in the race's history has begun. Across 16 editions, no Chinese athlete had ever stood on the podium of this gargantuan event, which features 25 passes above 2,000 m, let alone on the top step. The previous best result was Wei-Qiang Zhang's sixth place in 2025. Zhao is now the first Chinese winner of the event, as well as the first non-European athlete to win the TOR330.

© ZZAM Agency / Marco Oriente

Starting from Courmayeur at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 13, Zhao was already leading at La Thuile (km 19) after two hours of racing, ahead of compatriot Xingzhi Bai. At the Valgrisenche aid station (km 48.5), he held an 11-minute lead over Switzerland's Jonathan Schindler.

Zhao went through the first night without sleeping, extending his lead to one hour and 40 minutes at Pontboset (km 138.5). He then held off the Swiss runner's charge, with Schindler closing to within 27 minutes at Colle della Vecchia (km 185).

At the Gressoney aid station (km 204), where Zhao arrived at 9:42 p.m. on Monday, he chose to take his first proper rest, while Schindler slept at Champoluc (km 222).

© ZZAM Agency/Stefano Coletta

© ZZAM Agency / Marco Oriente

© ZZAM Agency / Marco Oriente

© ZZAM Agency / Nicola Biagetti

© ZZAM Agency/Leonardo Turo

© ZZAM Agency/Nicola Biagetti

On Tuesday morning at Valtournenche (km 237), the gap between Schindler and Zhao was 43 minutes. From there, the closing stages became an exercise in heroic resilience.

At Ollomont, after 222 km of racing, Zhao passed through with just 22 minutes in hand over the Swiss runner and 34 over Katharina Hartmuth. At Col Champillon (km 297), the gap was 35 minutes. But during the third night, between Bosses (km 310) and Col Malatrà (km 319), the Chinese runner found his rhythm again and was able to finish alone.

© ZZAM Agency/Marco Oriente

At the start, I was aiming for the win and the record, but by midday yesterday I was so tired that I stopped thinking about it. I just wanted to finish. At Ollomont, I thought the others were far behind, then I found out Jonathan was 19 minutes back. Last night, I saw his headlamp in the distance. With less than 50 km to go, I felt good and decided to speed up and finish the race. At one point, I felt my soul leaving my body, a sensation I hadn't experienced in years. Last year, after I dropped out, I said I would come back to win. Many people can say that, but not everyone can do it. I want to be an example: there are no limits, mental or physical. Mental strength is my biggest asset, and it comes from leaving home before I was 20 and working as a delivery rider without knowing where I was going.

Born in Guizhou in 1995 and raised in Hunan, Jiaju Zhao discovered running in 2014. For years, he trained while working as a home-delivery driver. Today, he is one of the strongest and most experienced ultratrail runners in China, with around 100 races to his name, victories at Mont Fuji 100 and Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB, and four wins at Chongli 168. His latest came in July 2026, along with a course record, while he also placed 10th at the 2025 UTMB.

© ZZAM Agency/Stefano Coletta

Switzerland's Jonathan Schindler finished the 2026 Tor des Géants in second, less than 50 minutes behind the winner. Another Chinese runner completed the men's podium, placing fourth overall: Weiqiang Zhang.

France's first finisher, Jérémy Goguet, came sixth overall and fifth among the men. Aurélien Jacoutot placed eighth overall, with Martin Perrier 10th.

There were really a lot of people everywhere along the course, and that gave me a lot of energy. I planned to sleep both nights so I could stay fresher. Towards the end, I hoped to catch Zhao before Bosses, but he was too strong.

Germany's Katharina Hartmuth finished third overall and first woman in the Tor330. It was her second Tor des Géants title, following her 2024 victory. More significantly, she became the first woman in the event's history to reach the overall podium. She managed it by staying within a few dozen minutes of the two leading men for three days, with just 15 minutes of total sleep.

© ZZAM Agency/Andrea Testa

© ZZAM Agency/Stefano Coletta

© ZZAM Agency/Stefano Coletta

On the first day, I felt really good. On the second, not quite as good because of sore feet and blisters, but my legs always did what they needed to do. Yesterday, I realised I was under 75 hours, then under 72, then under 70. I couldn't believe it. I knew Zhao and Schindler were ahead and not far away, but I never thought about winning overall. I was focused on my own race. Of course, seeing Jonathan at the aid stations made me happy: it showed me I was right there, in contention.

China's Huiping Zhang took second in the women's race this evening, ahead of Brazil's Manuela Vilaseca, who finished third, Italy's Melissa Paganelli, who was fourth, and France's Claire Bannwarth, who finished fifth.

© ZZAM Agency/Elisa Mapelli

Italy's Franco Collé won the TOR450-Tor des Glaciers in 122h01’57, on his first attempt at the longest race on the programme: 450 km and 32,000 m of elevation gain across the Aosta Valley's wildest trails, with only a GPS and a roadbook for navigation. Collé had already won the TOR330 – Tor des Géants four times, in 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023.

© Stefano Coletta

He finished ahead of Germany's Volker Fohrmeister, runner-up in 2024 in 126h22’41, and Italy's Alessandro Roncato, third in 130h29’23. France's Jean Claude Letellier finished fourth in 132h17’50.

To be honest, I underestimated the pace a little. I thought things would be more relaxed compared with the TOR330, but there was no way to ease off. The terrain is completely different: scree, glaciers, isolated sections where you can't run, and the mountain also demands a great deal of concentration. The TOR450 left its mark on me. I used the TOR330 strategy and quickly realised it was completely wrong. Breaks are essential, because on some exposed sections at night, you need to stay lucid. As the race went on, I started stopping for half an hour before every difficult section and eating something substantial, because you then spend six or seven hours in the middle of nowhere before the next refuge.