Kyle is the writer behind The Travel Runner. He’s a full-time traveler and adventurer who’s visited over 20 countries, including places like Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam, and Albania. He prefers a slower pace to his travels to explore destinations more in-depth and to get a feel for what life is actually like there. When he’s not writing, he’s usually off exploring trails with his fiancée, Kaitlyn.
This isn’t the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc, but that didn’t make it any less fierce. As one of the premier trail races in the Golden Trail World Series, runners showed up to display their talent.
And after an exciting Zegama 2022 race, we knew the runners would be pushing to take the lead in the overall standings.
Nicknamed “The Rollercoaster” due to its frequent ups and downs, the Marathon du Mont-Blanc takes runners up and down the staggering Mont-Blanc mountain range and puts them to the test.
And 2022’s edition truly tested runners.
But, we all know the legend of the race, so let’s dive into the Marathon du Mont-Blanc 2022 results and the second race of the 2022 Golden Trail Series.
Jonathan Albon Stays Undefeated in France
Jonathan Albon is a newcomer to the Golden Trail Series, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t immediately a favorite.
No stranger to mountain races — he’s the reigning World Trail Running Champion — this race seemed set up for his running style. And he took full advantage.
It wasn’t always looking that way, though.
Théo Détienne came flying off the line to start and held the lead for the first few kilometers before the lead pack caught up to him.
From there, the lead switched between a group consisting of Jonathan Albon, Elhousine Elazzaoui, Remi Bonnet, Petro Mamu, and Robert Pkenboi. These men stuck together and traded places until about midway through the race.
Around this time, Remi and Elhousine started to fall back, and Jonathan, Robert, and Petro continued to push the pace.
Nearing the 30k mark, however, Jonathan dropped the pedal and raced off to run by himself, leaving Petro and Robert to try and keep up. But, it was Jonathan’s to lose, and he wasn’t determined to not let it slip.
For the next 12k, he’d use his mountain running skills to excel on the uphills and downhills. But, it was a foregone conclusion.
The more exciting story took place from behind as Elhousine Elazzaoui, Davide Magnini, Ruy Ueda, and Thibaut Baronian all made pushes to get into the top five.
They would have to battle with Petro Mamu and Robert Pkenboi for those places, and battle they would.
Elhousine made the first push with Davide not far behind, followed by Ruy. But you could see Davide was pushing to pick off second place.
He’d pass him at the last aid station, and Ruy Ueda would move past Elhousine into third not long after.
These places would continue to hold with Jonathan Albon winning the race with a time of 3:35:20, Davide Magnini crossing second with a time of 3:39:41, and Ruy Ueda finishing third with a time of 3:40:42.
A great race by all the runners, especially Jonathan Albon, who remains undefeated in France!
Marathon du Mont-Blanc 2022 Men’s Results
- Jonathan Albon (GBR) — 3:35:20
- Davide Magnini (ITA) — 3:39:41
- Ruy Ueda (JAP) — 3:40:42
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (MOR) — 3:43:19
- Thibaut Baronian (FRA) — 3:47:27
- Robert Pkenboi (KEN) — 3:50:44
- Andrzej Witek (POL) — 3:51:56
- Anthony Felber (FRA) — 3:53:12
- Antoine Charvolin (CHE) — 3:53:48
- Adrien Michaud (FRA) — 3:54:11
Sara Alonso Takes Her First-Ever Win in the Golden Trail Series
It had to be coming. Watching Sara Alonso race as hard as she does, you knew it was a matter of time before she got her first win.
And Marathon du Mont-Blanc 2022 was where she’d seize the opportunity.
But, she had to battle a challenging field to get it.
Oihana Kortazar, Caitlin Felder, Anais Sabrie, Fabiola Conti, Dani Moreno, plus countless other strong female runners toed the line seeking a win.
Anais Sabrie would push into the lead within the first few kilometers and continue to hold on strong. But, seeking to chase her down were Emkay Sullivan, Sara Alonso, Dani Moreno, and Caitlin Felder.
Anais would continue to hold on to first until around the 20k mark. There, Sara Alonso would make her move and push into first place, dropping the rest of the lead pack.
Then, she’d continue to build her lead as she ran alone for the rest of the race.
Like the men’s race, it was now down to who would finish second through fifth.
Anais tried to hold on to second place, but Caitlin Felder passed her around the 24k mark. Fabiola Conti wasn’t far behind, with Emkay Sullivan and Dani Moreno giving chase.
There would be a lot of movement for the next 18 kilometers.
Caitlin would continue to hold on to second place, but Dani Moreno would come speeding from six to move into third place, with Anais close behind.
Fabiola Conti and Emkay Sullivan started to fade from the pack. Meanwhile, Marcela Vasinova would move into fifth place.
This top five would hold with a tight battle between Dani Moreno and Anais Sabrie for third.
Sara Alonso would come across the finish line to win with a time of 4:14:49. Caitlin Felder would finish almost six minutes later with a time of 4:20:21, and Dani Moreno wouldn’t be far behind, finishing with a time of 4:21:52.
The women’s race was as epic as the men’s, with the runners jockeying for position. Congrats to Sara, the young star, on her first-ever win!
Marathon du Mont-Blanc 2022 Women’s Results
- Sara Alonso (ESP) — 4:14:49
- Caitlin Felder (NZA) — 4:20:21
- Dani Moreno (USA) — 4:21:52
- Anais Sabrie (FRA) — 4:22:10
- Marcela Vasinova (CZE) — 4:24:35
- Oihana Kortazar (ESP) — 4:28:43
- Fabiola Conti (ITA) — 4:28:52
- Therese Leboeuf (FRA) — 4:29:34
- Emkay Sullivan (USA) — 4:31:17
- Julie Roux (FRA) — 4:33:52
2022 Golden Trail Series Leaderboard
Men’s 2022 Golden Trail Series Leaders
Women’s 2022 Golden Trail Series Leaders
Conclusion
The Marathon du Mont-Blanc is always an exciting and historic race to witness, and this year was no different.
It’s always exciting to see fresh faces atop the podium. And with Jonathan Albon and Sara Alonso both topping the podium for the first time, the Marathon du Mont-Blanc 2022 was the perfect event for that.
Next, the Golden Trail Series will head to Norway for the Stranda Fjord Trail Race on August 6th, 2022.