UTMB 2026: Frédéric Tranchand and Lauren Gregory win the OCC

You don’t often get the chance to run past your own home and celebrate a victory before you’ve even reached the finish line. If the gap between Frédéric Tranchand (Merrell) and Kenya’s Nashon Kiplimo (Salomon) had been more substantial, the Frenchman might well have savoured the moment a little more as he passed just a few strides from home.

Since May 2026, the 2026 short trail running world champion has been living in Argentière, around 9 kilometres from the finish of the OCC on Chamonix’s Place du Triangle de l’Amitié. Tranchand knew this final section inside out, having trained on it regularly. He had even taken the time to run the OCC route beforehand, getting to know every metre and every rock on the 61.4 km, 3,300 m elevation-gain course, which he was tackling for the first time.

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At this level of performance and depth, races are decided by the smallest details, and the French winner’s local knowledge was surely worth something. At the very least, it gave him an “extra boost of confidence”, as he admitted at the finish.

Staying out front for 50 km with all those top runners chasing you isn’t easy

Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet (Salomon), also well known in the area after winning the Mont-Blanc Marathon twice, in 2023 and 2026, had made the first move. He was leading at the top of the course’s first climb, at Champex-Lac (7.2 km), but the ski mountaineering champion was forced to withdraw a few kilometres later, leaving the lead to Frédéric Tranchand.

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“When Rémi got injured and I moved into the lead, I didn’t really know where the others were, he explained at the finish. I tried to stay focused. I was pleased to hear that the gaps to the runners behind were growing, and more worried when I realised they were closing. Staying out front for 50 km with all those top runners chasing you isn’t easy. But in the end, I used it as good pressure, even though I had some doubts towards the finish. I was starting to get side stitches, I couldn’t really move fast, I was beginning to crack and I was hurting all over. ”

I didn’t want that to affect the final, flat section, where a bunch of runners were faster than me.

Known for his climbing ability and agility on technical terrain, honed notably on the SkyRunning circuit, the former orienteering champion had targeted the early stages of the race to try to break clear of his rivals. “I wanted to play to my strengths, which is why I found myself out front so early. I knew that on the flat at the end, there were a bunch of runners who were faster than me, so I didn’t want it to come down to that. ”

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The strategy worked, but only just, thanks to Kiplimo’s remarkable resilience, which earned him second place, 4:30 behind, and a blistering late charge from Spain’s Miguel Benitez (Asics), who overtook France’s Sylvain Cachard (Hoka / Alltricks) in the final kilometres.

“I’ll remember this victory for a long time, said the 2026 winner. Winning an UTMB race is truly the Holy Grail. The atmosphere is incredible, people cheer you on everywhere. It’s a crazy experience, absolutely unique! ”

The women’s race produced an even more dramatic finish. American Lauren Gregory (Nike ACG) won after a monumental sprint through the packed streets of Chamonix. She beat Britain’s Naomi Lang (Salomon) by just three seconds. Lang had led for much of the race before being passed in the final kilometre. Spain’s Sara Alonso (Asics) finished third, one minute behind second place.

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