Rémy Brassac and Sarah Vieuille win the TDS at UTMB Mont-Blanc 2026

The 2026 TDS delivered the kind of race narrative only an ultra-trail can produce, swinging between chaos, fragility and, on the other hand, strength, resilience and an impression of ease in the face of hostile conditions and formidable rivals.

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

The winner, Frenchman Rémy Brassac (Cimalp), looked like one of the granite outcrops of his native Lozère: commanding and unshakeable. It was a blend of experience and opportunism from the man who won the 2025 Endurance Trail des Templiers, another of the less glamorous races at the Millau event, much as the TDS occupies a quieter spot within the UTMB programme. It still says plenty about the calibre of the runner, placing him high in the ultra-trail hierarchy.

From the night start in Courmayeur, Italy, the 39-year-old trail runner never dropped out of the top three. In this war of attrition, with the night lashed by torrents running over the runners’ backs, Rémy Brassac absorbed the punishment, kept his head down and trusted his strength.

© UTMB

© UTMB

© UTMB

By daylight, with the sun back out, he would soon see Louison Coiffet (Salomon) drop out at the Bourg-Saint-Maurice aid station (km 51.1), the overwhelming favourite for the 2026 TDS. American Tyler Green (Nike ACG) would not remain a threat for long either. He was forced to withdraw at Beaufort (km 92.3), after moving back into second place at the end of the descent from Pas d’Ouvray.

Rémy Brassac let Clovis Chaverot (Inov8) continue to lead before watching him unravel as well at Signal (km 115). There had been warning signs a little earlier, on the climb to the Girotte dam (km 108), and Brassac took advantage to move into first. Locked into his pace and lifted by the number-one position, he never lost control of his race. Over the final 30 kilometres, including the seemingly endless climb to Col du Tricot, he kept the tenacious Annecy-based runner Pierre-Adrien Hivert (La Sportiva) at a respectable distance.

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

Ninth in this race last year, Pierre-Adrien Hivert knew how demanding the course would be. He started cautiously, then gradually picked off places until he became Brassac’s runner-up at the finish. Around 45 minutes separated the top two after 145 km and 9,500 m of climbing. Italy’s Davide Rivero completed the podium, also rewarded for a measured approach to the race.

© Franck Oddoux/UTMB

The 2026 UTMB TDS also featured an impressive showing from brothers Creuzet, Paul and Jules, who finished fifth and eighth respectively.

The women’s race became a solo masterclass from Vosges runner Sarah Vieuille (Kiprun). Coming off an extraordinary run of victories since the start of the season, with six wins from six races, the Vosges cross-country skier floated away from her rivals. None could stay on her heels, let alone match the level she produced on the day.

© UTMB

That meant having the resources to lead a race for several dozen hours. But the mindset of the athlete coached by Philippe Propage never wavered. Sarah Vieuille never looked back. She therefore did not see German runner Ida Sophie Hegemann (The North Face) fall away and record another DNF at Beaufort after starting the TDS aggressively.

© Mateo Sgambetto

Nor did she see the heroic resistance of France’s Alice Meignié, who fought hard to hold off the charge from American Alyssa Clark (On). The former French triathlete, a long-distance specialist who also raced on the road, showed exactly what she could do after winning the 6000D in early August.

© UTMB

Sarah Vieuille had no time for any of that. She powered on to the finish, taking an exceptional ninth place overall, well clear of runner-up Alice Meignié and third-place finisher Alyssa Clark. It was already one of the standout performances of the 2026 UTMB Mont-Blanc week.