UTMB 2026: Walmsley, Dhiman, Bouillard, Chassagne, Detienne… Who are the top contenders?

From 24 to 30 August, the 23rd HOKA UTMB® Mont-Blanc will welcome one of the deepest fields in its history, boosted by the UTMB® World Series Finals, bringing together athletes who qualified all season across the circuit, including the UTMB, the 100-mile (100M) championship race.

Men’s field: experience vs the new wave

The crown jewel of the week, with its 174 km and 9,900 m of climbing, is shaping up as one of the season’s must-watch races. The 2026 start list brings together some of the biggest names in UTMB history, along with a new generation of challengers.

With reigning British champion Tom Evans absent, his American ASICS Fuji Trail teammate Ben Dhiman (runner-up to Evans last year) suddenly has a real shot at moving up one step, all the way to the top spot he’s been chasing since his breakthrough run last season. Known for monster training blocks (more than 100 hours of training in July), Dhiman has raced three times before this UTMB: the Mont Blanc 90 km, where he finished 2nd in June, and Transvulcania, where he took 5th in May.

But “Big Ben” won’t have it easy. Lining up against him, among others:

Catalan star Kilian Jornet (team NNormal) was listed among the entrants. But he pulled out on 20 August, still battling a knee injury. He even said on social media that surgery is the next step. The sport’s GOAT won’t be chasing a fifth win this year after his UTMB victories in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2022.

American Jim Walmsley (team Hoka) is another crowd favorite in Chamonix. Now based in Arêches-Beaufort and keen to show off his French progress, he won UTMB in 2023 (the first American to do it) and took the OCC in 2025. He’s back this year on the main event with the aim of winning again, even if he, too, has questions about his body after it let him down at Western States (DNF), the only race he’s been able to start since claiming the Trail Long world title last year. He’ll certainly arrive fresh, but maybe short on racing miles and rhythm…

France’s Vincent Bouillard (team Hoka), the surprise UTMB winner in 2024, has since backed it up, notably by setting a new record at Western States last June. But the Western/UTMB double is always a tricky bet, and Bouillard is also the kind of athlete who loves to turn the script upside down.

Another French threat, Baptiste Chassagne (team ON), 2nd in 2024, will be there too, having been quietly cooking his race plan for months with the meticulous attention he’s known for. A season start in Italy at the Chianti Marathon (7th), a break in May after winning the Grand Raid du Ventoux, a 4th place on his first go at the Mont Blanc 90 km, then two more recent outings over short, punchy formats (Montée du Nid d’Aigle 20K/2,000 m+ / 6th place, and Trail du Fornet 36K/2,820 m+, winner): all signs point to an ON athlete arriving in peak spirits for an UTMB he dreams of running in under 20 hours, like a few others…

In an ultra, where anything can happen, you also have to mention these dark horses:

American Zach Miller (team The North Face) and his trademark all-gas-no-brakes style, with little interest in calculators or conservative strategy, which already carried him to 2nd at UTMB in 2023.

Frenchman Théo Detienne (team Brooks), runner-up at the Maxi Race 100 km in May, will be looking to continue his 100-mile apprenticeship after last year’s DNF, and deliver on the promise people see in him.

Young French talent Baptiste Coatantiec (Team Nike ACG), 5th at Ultra Chianti behind experienced names like Vincent Bouillard, Andreas Reiterer and Thomas Cardin, is another to watch after another 5th place at the most recent Mont Blanc 90 km.

Germany’s Hannes Namberger (team Dynafit), winner of the Lavaredo Trail 120 km in June and 2nd at Transgrancanaria earlier in the season, will lean on his experience to push for a Top 5, or better, as will Italian Andreas Reiterer (team La Sportiva).

The Chinese contingent, which saw three runners crack the top 10 in 2025, won’t be in the background this year either. They can count in particular on Jiasheng Shen (team Salomon), 8th last year and determined to confirm his place among the world’s elite.

Women’s field: Ruth Croft, Courtney Dauwalter and Blandine L’Hirondel headline

The women’s race looks just as exceptional. New Zealander Ruth Croft (team Adidas Terrex) returns to defend her crown and could etch her name even deeper into UTMB history. The reigning champion put together a serious Southern Hemisphere winter: a win at Ultra-Trail New Zealand (Tarawera) on home soil, then 2nd in the Australia Ultra Trail 50K in early spring, before sealing her return to Europe with a win at the MaXi Race 58 km in Annecy.

Up against Croft: a very strong American squad led by “The President,” Courtney Dauwalter (team Salomon), who confirmed her entry late and will be hunting a fourth UTMB title (after 2019, 2021 and 2023), after last year’s race slipped away from her.

All eyes will also be on her compatriot Rachel Entrekin (team Norda), who made headlines in the spring by winning overall the Cocodona 250 (250 miles, about 400 km). It will be only the American’s 2nd race in Europe after a first experience at Chianti Ultra Trail earlier this year (3rd). A third American to keep an eye on is Riley Brady (team Nike ACG), 2nd at the latest Western States and winner of the Canyons Endurance Run in April.

Among the other contenders, France’s Blandine L’Hirondel (team Kiprun) will no doubt be chasing another podium after tasting it in 2023 (3rd). Winner of the 2025 Diagonale des Fous and the CCC in 2022, the gynecologist and sports physician brings serious course knowledge, despite a final build-up disrupted by injury.

Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha (team Kailas Fuga), winner in June at Lavaredo Ultra Trail and 2025 long-trail world vice champion, and Australia’s Lucy Bartholomew (team Salomon), three-time top-10 finisher across the last three editions and 2nd at Lavaredo Ultra Trail this year, could also shake up the hierarchy and play at the sharp end.