Running News Daily

Ben Dhiman has delivered a performance for the ages at UTMB Mont-Blanc, rewriting the history of the iconic 100-mile race with a stunning course-record run of 18:16:29.

The American ultrarunner took control of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc at La Balme, 41 kilometres into the race, and once he moved to the front, he never surrendered the lead. More than 130 kilometres later, Dhiman arrived in Chamonix on Saturday afternoon to complete a remarkable journey through the Alps in 18:16:29 — becoming the first man to finish UTMB inside 19 hours.

It was an extraordinary display of endurance, strength and determination, but Dhiman’s achievement becomes even more impressive when placed in the context of the conditions surrounding this year’s race. Organizers altered the course on the eve of the event, removing the Pyramides Calcaires section on the Italian side and delaying the start by two hours because of forecast thunderstorms.

Those changes left the field facing a 173.6-kilometre course with approximately 9,700 metres of elevation gain. Despite the demanding terrain and the revised race conditions, Dhiman maintained an astonishing level of consistency from the moment he took control.

His winning time demolished the previous course record of 19:18:58, set by Britain’s Tom Evans in 2025, by an astonishing 1 hour, 2 minutes and 29 seconds. This was not a marginal improvement to an already formidable mark; it was a seismic leap that has dramatically reset the benchmark for one of the world’s most prestigious and demanding ultramarathons.

The scale of Dhiman’s progression is perhaps best illustrated by what happened 12 months ago. He finished second at UTMB last year in 19:51:37 on a nearly identical course. This time, he returned to Mont-Blanc and was 1 hour, 35 minutes and 8 seconds faster, transforming a runner-up finish into one of the most dominant performances in the race’s history.

Even more remarkable was his efficiency over the enormous distance. Dhiman spent just 9 minutes and 23 seconds stopped across the entire race, allowing him to maintain momentum while his rivals battled the relentless demands of the mountain course.

For years, the UTMB course record has represented the outer limits of human endurance. Vincent Bouillard’s 19:54:23 in 2024 and Jim Walmsley’s 19:37:43 in 2023 demonstrated the extraordinary level required to attack the race at record pace, while Kilian Jornet’s 19:49:30 in 2022 further underlined the rapid evolution of elite trail running.

Tom Evans then raised the standard to 19:18:58 in 2025.

Now Dhiman has taken it to an entirely different level.

Behind the runaway winner, Baptiste Chassagne produced a superb performance to finish second in 18:47:38. Caleb Olson completed the podium in 18:48:24, but his fight for second provided one of the race’s most dramatic closing chapters.

Olson was still 6 minutes and 32 seconds behind Chassagne with seven kilometres remaining, yet he unleashed a remarkable final descent, covering the closing section in just 29:08. His late surge brought him within touching distance of second place, ultimately finishing only 46 seconds behind Chassagne.

Beyond the clock and the final standings, Dhiman’s triumph was a powerful demonstration of what it takes to master ultra-trail running. The challenge demanded patience, concentration and an extraordinary ability to keep moving when fatigue was at its most unforgiving. Every climb, descent and technical section tested his limits, but Dhiman remained composed when it mattered most.

For Dhiman, crossing the finish line after such a gruelling Alpine journey represented the culmination of a remarkable transformation. After 18 hours, 16 minutes and 29 seconds of relentless effort, he could finally celebrate not only becoming the 2026 UTMB champion, but also establishing a new benchmark that could stand for years.

And his record-breaking run has immediately opened another fascinating chapter for the sport.

Can anyone break the 18-hour barrier?

With more than an hour removed from a record that had stood at 19:18:58, the once-unthinkable 18-hour mark suddenly feels closer than ever. Yet breaking it would require another extraordinary combination of sustained speed, climbing power, descending skill, nutrition, favourable weather and near-perfect execution across the immense Alpine course.

Dhiman has set the bar exceptionally high.

The 19-hour barrier has fallen.

The 18-hour barrier is now the next frontier.

While Dhiman’s historic victory has already brought the men’s race to a spectacular conclusion, the mountain is still holding its secrets in the women’s competition. The women’s race remains underway, with Blandine L’Hirondel leading through Vallorcine as the battle for the women’s UTMB crown continues toward Chamonix.

Mont Blanc has a new king, and the next chapter of UTMB history has already begun.

Montreal’s Mathieu Blanchard has confirmed he will toe the start line at Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc in two weeks, joining an elite lineup that organizers of the 171-km race are billing the strongest elite field since the race began 20 years ago.

Blanchard will be vying for his third consecutive podium finish in Chamonix on Sept. 1. He ran last year’s race in 19 hours, 54 minutes and 50 seconds to finish a close second behind Spain’s Kilian Jornet, who ran 19:49:30 for a new course record. In 2021, Blanchard finished third behind French runners François D’haene (20:45:59) and Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (20:58:31).

In June, Blanchard ran 15:37:02 to finish sixth in his Western States Endurance Run debut. He told Canadian Running after the race that Western States presented a uniquely difficult challenge: “I pushed through, I fought hard, my body was super painful like never before,” he said, adding he was proud to earn the “mythic buckle” awarded to Western States winners.

Among the giants of trail running Blanchard will be up against at UTMB is British runner Tom Evans, who ran the fourth-fastest time in Western States history (14:40:22) to win this year’s men’s race, and who finished behind Blanchard at last year’s UTMB to place third (20:34:35).

“I’m incredibly enthusiastic about the idea of taking part in the UTMB this year,” Evans recently told UTMB. “I’m coming into the event in a much better position than last year when I was fresh from a knee operation. The race is so full of history and for the 20th anniversary, I want to be part of the story by doing a Western States 100 Endurance Run and UTMB double. It’s a big challenge and with the strength of the peloton, it won’t be easy, but it’s a contest I’m looking forward to and believe I can achieve.”

In addition to Jornet, this year’s men’s field will see the return of American Jim Walmsley, who finished fourth in last year’s race (21:12:12) and who has held the Western States course record (14:09:28) since 2019.

Other notable entries in the men’s field include Swiss runner Jonas Russi (winner of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB 2023), fellow Swiss runner Jean-Philippe Tschumi (who shared victory at the 100K Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB with the American Ben Dhiman) and Sweden’s Petter Engdahl.

Arguably the most compelling storyline from this year’s UTMB will be American trail running phenom Courtney Dauwalter‘s quest for the triple crown following her resounding victories at Western States (where she ran 15:29:33 to smash the 16:47:19 course record set by Canadian Ellie Greenwood in 2012) and Hardrock 100 (where she set a new course record in 26:14:08). The Golden, Colo.-based runner won UTMB in 2019 (24:34:26) and again in 2021, when she set the current women’s course record (22:30:54).

She stands to face fierce competition from an elite field that includes New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (who finished second at Western States last year), Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth (winner of this year’s Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB), Italy’s Martina Valmassoi (winner of the 2022 TDS in Chamonix) and Hungary’s Eszter Csillag, who finished fifth at last year’s UTMB.