UTMB 2021 Results: King François & Queen Courtney Continue to Reign

This year, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) race was just as expected: amazing. And the UTMB 2021 results were, in some races, as expected.

The performances from the top athletes this year were something to behold. There were battles back-and-forth between the top three places throughout the races. This made for an event I couldn’t look away from—even when I had work to do.

So, let’s take a look at the UTMB 2021 results.

See the UTMB 2022 results here!

OCC 2021 Results

OCC is the “shorter” race, as was mentioned in my preview of UTMB. The race spans 55 km (34 mi) with almost 3,500 m (11,480 ft) elevation gain. In past years, runners went out hard, treating this race like it’s a marathon—not an ultramarathon.

This year was no different.

Men’s OCC Race Results

Robbie Simpson and Jonathon Albon had an epic battle over who would secure the win on the men’s side. They traded positions and ran with each other for much of the final leg of the race.

The deciding moment came on the climb to La Flégère—the final climb of the race. Nearing the top, Robbie Simpson held a slight advantage over Jonathon Albon and maintained it until the descent.

However, Jonathon Albon had other plans. He adopted a hiking strategy behind Simpson—a strategy he had clearly been practicing—and quickly gained ground on him.

He passed him on the right, still climbing, and created a gap between him and Simpson. This is why we hike the hills!

Albon didn’t look back after the aid station at La Flégère. He tore off down the mountain toward Chamonix—finishing three minutes ahead of Simpson in five hours and two minutes.

Albon’s time set a new course record, besting Stian Angermund’s time in 2019 of 5:19.

Simpson joined his compatriot from the UK at the finish line with a respectable 5:05.

Petter Engdahl of Sweden would come in three minutes after Simpson, finishing with a time of 5:08.

Fun Fact

The top four men’s racers all bested Stian Angermund’s course record from 2019.

OCC Men’s Top 10

1. Jonathon Albon (GBR) — 5:02
2. Robbie Simpson (GBR) — 5:05
3. Petter Engdahl (SWE) — 5:08
4. Thomas Cardin (FRA) — 5:14
5. Hayden Hawks (USA) — 5:20
6. Nicolas Martin (FRA) — 5:21
7. Peter Fraňo (SVK) — 5:27
8. Antoine Charvolin (FRA) — 5:28
9. Kevin Vermeulen (FRA) — 5:29
10. Moritz Auf Der Heide (GER) — 5:33

Women’s OCC Race Results

On the other hand, the women’s race wasn’t nearly as close.

Blandine L’Hirondel of France came out of the gates flying, and she never let her foot off the pedal.

Almost halfway into the race, L’Hirondel had an eight-minute gap on the second-place runner. This would eventually expand to a 22—minute lead by the end of the race!

Blandine would come flying across the finish line with a fantastic time of 5:45—which was five minutes faster than the course record set by Ruth Croft in 2019.

This performance was a clinic by Blandine L’Hirondel.

While Blandine absolutely outclassed her opponents, the rest of the field was much closer.

The second, third, and fourth-placed women would all finish within five minutes of each other.

The battle to watch in the women’s race didn’t even involve first place and instead focused on second through fifth place and who would make a move to secure their spot.

It would be Mathilde Sagnes (FRA) who made a move to secure second. Her petite frame came flying around the corner in Chamonix and continued with a strong pace through the finish line to finish with a time of 6:07.

It was a good thing Mathilde held this pace, as the third-place finisher would come in three minutes later with a time of 6:10. Interestingly, she had gained five minutes on Sagnes just in the last section of the race.

Fun Fact

The top three women’s runners—Blandine L’Hirondel, Mathilde Sagnes, Caitlin Fielder—are all Hoka athletes. So, Hoka swept the podium in the 2021 OCC women’s race.

OCC Women’s Top 10

1. Blandine L’Hirondel (FRA) — 5:45
2. Mathilde Sagnes (FRA) — 6:07
3. Caitlin Fielder (NZA) — 6:10
4. Anna Comet (ESP) — 6:12
5. Elisa Desco (ITA) — 6:18
6. Henriette Albon (NOR) — 6:27
7. Candice Fertin (FRA) — 6:28
8. Jasmin Nunige (CHE) — 6:33
9. Taylor Nowlin (USA) — 6:33
10. Virginia Pérez (ESP) — 6:34\

CCC 2021 Results

The CCC is the “middle” race between OCC and UTMB. Runners traverse 100 km (62 mi) with 6,100 m (20,000 ft) of elevation gain.

While runners don’t come out as hard as OCC, the race still contains blazing paces and surprises as the race draws out.

Men’s CCC Race Results

Stian Angermund (NOR) has been on a tear on the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS)—winning every race he has entered.

He looked to carry that momentum into the CCC, and it was evident from the start.

Stian set off at a breakneck speed, leaving the field in his dust cloud as he did.

The only question was if he would be able to maintain it for the long haul. If he could, a CCC victory was no doubt in his hands.

However, it all unraveled for Stian at about the midway point. The pace wasn’t sustainable for him anymore, and he was forced to drop out of the race with a hip injury.

This set the table for Thibaut Garrivier (FRA) to have a chance for the win. And he seized the opportunity. Taking the lead near the 60k mark, he never looked back.

About 40k later, we would see him crossing the finish line with a time of 10:23—besting the course record set by Hayden Hawks (USA) in 2017 by one minute.

Coming in second would be Scott Hawker—the third-place finisher at UTMB in 2019—with a time of 10:47.

Thibaut Baronian (FRA) would come in six minutes later, finishing third with a strong time of 10:53.

Men’s CCC Top 10

1. Thibaut Garrivier (FRA) — 10:23
2. Scott Hawker (NZA) — 10:47
3. Thibaut Baronian (FRA) — 10:53
4. Andreas Reiterer (ITA) — 10:57
5. Hugo Deck (FRA) — 10:58
6. Janosch Kowalczyk (GER) — 11:06
7. Riccardo Montani (ITA) — 11:16
8. Abel Carretero (ESP) — 11:16
9. Baptiste Chassagne (FRA) — 11:18
10. Pere Aurell (ESP) — 11:30

Women’s CCC Race Results

The women’s race mirrored the men’s race in terms of position changes.

Petra Ševčíková (CZE) led for most of the race, but you could see the pack was eager to hunt her down.

This moment came with about three hours left in the race. Marta Molist (ESP) sped past Petra and didn’t look back.

Marta would race to Chamonix, finishing with a time of 12:50.

The hunt for Petra wasn’t over, though. Abby Hall (USA) would eventually overtake her as well, finishing in second with a time of 13:04.

Petra would come in 17 minutes later, finishing with a time of 13:21.

The course record for the women’s CCC was never in any real danger, as all the racers were well off the course record pace for most of the race.

Miao Yao (CHN) holds the course record of 11:57 she set in 2018.

Women’s CCC Top 10

1. Marta Molist (ESP) — 12:50
2. Abby Hall (USA) — 13:04
3. Petra Ševčíková (CZE) — 13:21
4. Ester Csillag (HUN) — 13:43
5. Katarzyna Solińska (POL) — 13:49
6. Meryl Cooper (GBR) — 14:18
7. Agnese Valz Gen (ITA) — 14:18
8. Sara Escobar Carron (CHE) — 14:22
9. Meg Mackenzie (ZAF) — 14:27
10. Frederica Zuccollo (ITA) — 14:37

UTMB 2021 Results

And now for the main event—UTMB. The 171 km course (106 mi) with over 10,000 m of elevation gain is the ultimate endurance test.

With so many greats toeing the line, everyone was eager to see who would push the pace and set the tone for the rest of the race.

Men’s UTMB Race Results

This race was the story of the French and how they dominated this year’s UTMB.

The expected runners shot out of the gates to take the lead. This consisted of François D’Haene (FRA), Jim Walmsley (USA), and Xavier Thévenard (FRA).

However, only one of these men would stay in the race for the whole duration, and it would be three-time (now four) winner, François D’Haene.

There was a theme in this race (and every race before). Survive the night, and you have a good chance to place high. We would see many of the top runners drop out, including Jim Walmsley, Xavier Thévenard, Tim Tollefson, and Tom Owens.

François led from the beginning and never let up. Running by himself for much of the race, François would come into Chamonix to a raucous crowd cheering him to his fourth win at UTMB—a record in the UTMB race. He finished with a time of 20:45:59.

The second and third-place finishers were relative surprises for most people—in fact, I didn’t even mention them in my UTMB preview.

Finishing in second place was a Frenchman also, Aurélien Dunand—Pallaz, who finished with a time of 20:58:31.

And finishing in third was another Frenchman—the top five were all from France—Mathieu Blanchard. He finished with a time of 21:12:43.

Men’s UTMB Top 10

1. François D’Haene (FRA) — 20:45:59
2. Aurélien Dunand—Pallaz (FRA) — 20:58:31
3. Mathieu Blanchard (FRA) — 21:12:43
4. Ludovic Pommeret (FRA) — 21:38:44
5. Germain Grangier (FRA) — 21:52:47
6. Hannes Namberger (GER) — 22:22:06
7. (Tie) Diego Pazos (CHE) — 23:00:10
8. (Tie) Gregoire Curmer (FRA) — 23:00:10
9. Mathieu Clément (CHE) — 23:08:05
10. Ho Chung Wong (HKG) — 23:17:40

Women’s UTMB Race Results

With no disrespect to any other runner, the women’s race can be summarized in one name: Courtney Dauwalter.

Courtney came out of the gates and owned this race from the get-go. There were moments where other women challenged her—like Mimmi Kotka—however, it never seemed like the race ever got out of Courtney’s control.

By kilometer 102, no one was near Courtney. At least, no women were near Courtney. Instead, Courtney was on the hunt, tracking down the leading men and passing them.

Courtney continued on this tear for the rest of the race, eventually finishing with a time of 22:30:54. That’s right, go ahead and take a look at the men’s top 10.

Courtney beat four different men to place 7th overall, and 1st in the women’s race. An absolute masterclass of a performance.

In addition, she crushed the course record as she racked up her second UTMB win. The reigning champ continues to hold her title.

Again, I want to add, the women Courtney ran against are no slouches. They are all elite runners and would put many to shame and send them home crying (including the man writing this). But Courtney could not be outdone on this day.

An hour and a half after Courtney’s finish, Camille Bruyas came across the line, finishing with a great time of 24:09:42.

Mimmi Kotka would come in an hour after Camille, finishing with a time of 25:08:29. This would round out the top three.

Women’s UTMB Top 10

1. Courtney Dauwalter (USA) — 22:30:54 (Course record)
2. Camille Bruyas (FRA) — 24:09:42
3. Mimmi Kotka (SWE) — 25:08:29
4. Marion Delespierre (FRA) — 25:54:22
5. Luzia Buehler (CHE) — 26:06:17
6. Maryline Nakache (FRA) — 26:40:48
7. Lucie Jamsin (FRA) — 23:00:10
8. Katie Schide (USA) — 23:00:10
9. Claudia Tremps (ESP) — 23:08:05
10. Emily Hawgood (GBR) — 23:17:40

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