A Trail Runner’s Tour of Chamonix
If you’ve spent any time in and around Mont Blanc, you’ve probably gotten to know the trails. You’ve scoured Strava heatmaps to find the best routes and used our guidebook in search of the big mountain views and the flowy trails.
But how well do you know the rich history of trail running in Chamonix, the village itself? Even if you think you know it, you’re sure to be surprised with a few new discoveries.
On this short tour, we take you around the heart of Chamonix, visiting some of the town’s many trail running landmarks.
Some of this history is shared from the book, The Race that Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB® by Doug Mayer with permission from the publisher. Excerpts are italicized.
Ready? Here we go…
Start: Saint Michel Church
Our Chamonix tour starts at the 300 year old Saint Michel Church in the Place du Triangle de l’Amitié.
Before Chamonix was known for mountaineering, it was inhabited by a handful of hearty farmers and a group of monks, who settled alongside the Arve river. Today, their memory is preserved in the Saint Michel Church. Most of the original structure has been damaged and rebuilt, but its initial construction dates back to 1119.
In more recent centuries, the church has figured prominently in the history of trail running– and that history goes all the way back to August 8th, 1897, when the church was the start and finish of a trail race to the summit of Brévent in the Aiguilles Rouges – just behind and 1,500 meters above the church. Ten guides from the Compagnie des Guides participated.
It was Chamonix’s first recorded trail race, and it foreshadowed a certain race that would come 106 years and a few weeks later, UTMB® Mont Blanc. (More on that to come.) If you’ve ever seen the start of UTMB, you probably recognize the church behind the sea of more than 2,000 hopeful trail runners.
In recent years, the Fastest Known Time, FKT, from Chamonix to the summit of Mont Blanc has started and finished from these church steps.
- On July 11, 2013, Kilian Jornet reset the current FKT with a time of 4:57:32
- On June 21, 2018, Kilian accompanied his partner, Emilie Forsberg, as she set the women’s FKT in a time of 7:53:12.
- Five years later, on June 17, 2023, Chamonix valley local and Run the Alps staffer Hillary Gerardi shaved more than 26 minutes off Forsberg’s time– on a slightly longer route which she adjusted due to safety concerns from the effects of climate change.
Now, let’s take a few steps away from the church, to the center of Place du Triangle du l’Amitié, or the Friendship Triangle, named to honor the connections between Italy, France, and Switzerland.
Place du Triangle
Place du Triangle might be the most famous location in the world for trail running. Why? In addition to the FKTs up to western Europe’s high point, a number of notable trail running moments take place here every year.
- Club des Sports Mont Blanc Marathon. Each June, this series attracts runners from around the world. Runners can participate in a variety of events and distances:
- Marathon: The Mont Blanc Marathon starts and finishes at the Place du Triangle, covering 2,450 meters (8,038 feet) of climbing along the way. Current record holders are Killian Jornet, 3 hours 23 minutes, and Elisa Desco, 4 hours 3 minutes.
- 90km: Like the Marathon, the Mont Blanc 90km race starts and finishes next to the church. Runners tackle 6,220 meters (20,406 feet) of climbing on this technical and demanding course. Records are currently held by Xavier Thévenard, 10 hours 23 minutes, and Caroline Chaverot in 12 hours 38 minutes, both from France.
- Mont Blanc Vertical Kilometer: This punchy VK takes runners from its starting point at the Place du Triangle to Planpraz in a relentless climb with an average grade of 27%!
- Duo Étoilé: Perhaps the most beloved of the events, this partner event starts at the Place du Triangle just before dusk. Teams of two must stay together throughout the race, finishing where it began, and crowds of cheering spectators.
- 23km Cross du Mont-Blanc: This mid-distance race begins at the Place du Triangle and takes runners along scenic trails before reaching its finishing point at Planpraz.
- Trail des Aiguilles Rouges. This early fall race spans 54 kilometers (33.6 miles) and climbs 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), starting in the Place du Triangle and taking runners along the Aiguilles Rouges mountain range.
Throughout the trail running season, it’s common to see runners setting off for the Vertical Kilometer (VK) or, in French, Kilométre Vertical (KV) from here– look for the runners starting their GPS watches as they head uphill! Place du Triangle even hosts an annual relay organized by Chamonix’s trail running club, CMBM. The race, which takes place in the middle of July, is run by a team of two, for a total of six 750-meter loops.
There’s one more race series that takes place here, which you might have heard of – UTMB’s annual World Series Finals. Now, let’s head off on the first few minutes of the 100-mile UTMB course around Mont Blanc.
Follow the start of UTMB Mont Blanc
While most ultra races begin in the early hours of the morning, the UTMB starts in the late afternoon. At 6pm, Vangelis’ “Conquest of Paradise” fills the air, and runners begin their 171 km (106 mile) loop around the Mont Blanc range. Each runner has 46.5 hours to finish the loop, back to the St. Michel Church.
From the Saint Michel Church and Place du Triangle, let’s walk the route of the UTMB as it heads out of Chamonix. Take a right onto Rue du Paccard, the main pedestrian street through town. Imagine the streets lined with thousands of roaring spectators and the sounds of ringing cowbells, as racers sprint away from the start and turn the corner.
Continue down Rue du Paccard just over 500 meters, until you reach a roundabout. You’ll pass Big Mountain Bar on the left – a favorite hangout for both locals and tourists alike offering a variety of craft beers. This is a popular spot post-trail run, and it is not uncommon to find their outdoor patio full of running vests on a sunny summer afternoon.
At the roundabout, turn left onto Avenue de Courmayeur. Continue over the bridge and through the next roundabout. The Chamonix Sud bus station will be on the right. At the next roundabout, take a left onto Rue du Lyret.
At their home on this tiny street, UTMB started to take shape around Catherine and Michel Poletti’s kitchen table. Without means for a separate office space, it doubled as an office. They gathered here with friends and volunteers who believed the race could become something someday. (Exact address not listed to protect the Poletti’s privacy).
Continue down Rue de Lyret. Turn left at the Av. de l’Aiguille du Midi. Tucked into a corner, you will find Moody Coffee. Drop a pin here, you’ll want to come back! This is our favorite Chamonix cafe, a great place to grab a coffee in the morning or an iced coffee post-run.
Continuing down the Av. de l’Aiguille, you will find the Morgane Hotel at the end of the street.
Morgane Hotel
The Morgane Hotel marks the site of a key moment in UTMB history that was a bit of a standoff between Club des Sports and the volunteers who started the race.
After the success of the first edition of the race, which the Polettis and the volunteers had operated under the Club des Sports, both parties wanted control of the race. The Polettis had ambitions and dreams for it and wanted to take the lead, and of course all of the volunteers had worked very hard to make the race a success. The Club des Sports, however, was interested in keeping this new race. Finally, Chamonix’s mayor intervened, calling a meeting at the Morgane Hotel. In the end, the race was awarded to the volunteers. The future of UTMB was forever shifted that day.
Maison UTMB, the UTMB Group’s World Headquarters
Turning right onto Chemin du Sapi from the Morgane Hotel, you will find a roundabout at the end of the street. Make a left here, passing under a stone bridge. Shortly after the bridge, on the right hand side, you will find a small maison, identified with large letters: UTMB.
From its humble beginnings, aiming to recruit just 300 participants for its first edition, the UTMB has grown into a huge, global event. With this growth came the need for further partnerships and financial backing. In 2021, UTMB and Ironman joined forces. With the newfound support, UTMB was able to create a worldwide race series.
It is in this maison, the present day UTMB headquarters, where everything UTMB happens!
Place Balmat
Continue on Rue du Lyret for just a minute, then turn left and stop on the bridge over the Arve River.
You’re now standing on the start line of the first UTMB.
772 runners from around the world gathered here at 4AM for the first edition of the UTMB on August 29, 2003.
That morning, as runners gathered on the starting line, nerves were high. Conditions in the mountains were downright terrible. Just days prior, a heat wave that had overtaken Europe had suddenly flipped – now, as it rained in Chamonix, snow fell in the high mountains.
Runners gathered nervously. With little information, many were uncertain about what to expect. One runner, Krissy Moehl, had flown in on her honeymoon from the US. It was her first time racing in the Alps and she was awestruck by the mountainous terrain. As the race took off, Moehl felt strong. She moved through the trails with ease, first in the women’s field. On the men’s side, a Nepalese mountain guide had taken the lead. Unlike Moehl, Dawa Sherpa was familiar with the trails around Mont Blanc. But, as night approached, the projected storm arrived. Sherpa, recalling the race, had a clear memory of the stormy night saying, “I remember at the aid stations, the volunteers were taking shelter behind boulders, trying to stay out of the weather.” Almost twenty hours after initially leaving Place Balmat, he crossed the 150 kilometer race. Nine hours later, Moehl arrived as the first woman. Remembering her first UTMB many years later, she said, “Honestly, I was wrecked.”
Getting to the Final Stretch
Turn towards the Casino behind you and follow the Rue de la Tour around a curve and past McDonalds on your left. Continue straight for 150 meters towards Place du Mont Blanc, taking a left at the roundabout. At the Alpina Hotel, you’ll rejoin the route of a number of trail races that come into town from the walkway beside the Arve River, including MCC, OCC, CCC, UTMB and the Marathon du Mont Blanc. All of these race courses coincide as they finish back at Place du Triangle de l’Amitié in the heart of Chamonix.
Take a left onto Rue Joseph Vallot. At the corner of Passage de l’Androsace, right after the SuperU market, we’ll take a quick turn down this alley for about 50 meters, for a final bit of Chamonix trail running history at the Hotel Faucigny.
Hotel Faucigny
The Hotel Faucigny is an important location as the birthplace of UTMB.
Catherine and Michel Poletti gathered a group of like-minded runners together at the Faucigny with a common goal, “to organize a trail race around Mont Blanc – and not run in stages or as a relay, but in one continuous effort.” Numerous attempts had been made in the past, including a 7-person relay and a multi-day stage race, but none had been successful at creating a race that would take runners around the loop in one continuous effort.
Records reflected, “locals Jacky Duc and Christian Roussel, who in 1978 ran around Mont Blanc in 24 hours and 45 minutes. During that period, Duc was the caretaker of the Refuge du Plan de l’Aiguille, a mountain hut high above Chamonix. He went on to run the loop solo a year later in 21 hours, 40 minutes.”
The Polettis knew it was possible. Their goal was to find 300 runners who would be interested in running the race. As word spread about the race, much to their surprise, interest around the world sparked. Registration filled quickly, and they decided to expand, opening the field to 500 runners.
Finish Line
Retrace your steps to arrive back on the Rue Joseph Vallot. Here, you will take a right, heading in the direction of the Place du Triangle. This is the final stretch of the race. With almost 171 kilometers in their legs, UTMB runners coming down this road know the end is near. No matter the hour, the streets are lined with crowds, cheering on runners as they take their final steps.
While the arrival of the first runners always draws a crowd, the final runner is just as highly anticipated:
The last finisher became known as the Lanterne Rouge, a nod to the red lantern on the caboose of old-school trains. Unlike the top runners, the final finishers of UTMB have run through two nights on the course. They arrive in Chamonix to roaring crowds, often looking more than a bit dazed. UTMB’s awards ceremony is choreographed to include the arrival of the Lanterne Rouge. Top racers and volunteers form a corridor in front of the finish line, while other volunteers part the sea of onlookers waiting for the awards ceremony at the world’s most important trail race. The Lanterne Rouge takes the stage alongside trail-running luminaries. It’s a touching visual reminder of the scope and breadth of the trail-running community.
From L’Atelier Cafe, runners in all of these races can hear their names being announced. They run over the bridge that served as the original start and finish for the first edition of the UTMB, and finally running the final meters to cross the finish line, directly in front of the Chamonix’s Mayor’s office.
So much trail running history has happened at this finish line over the last several decades, much of it watched by hundreds of thousands of viewers online.
In addition to the races of the Marathon du Mont Blanc and Trail des Aiguilles Rouges, six UTMB-related races finish here. They include:
- PTL – Petite Trotte à Léon: This team event is one of the most demanding of the UTMB, spanning 300 kilometers (186 miles) and gaining around 25,000 meters (82,020 feet) of total climbing. Unlike the other races of UTMB, this course is unmarked and requires teams to stay together at all times, carrying their food, gear and navigational tools to complete the route, which takes around 6 days.
- TDS – Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie: While the TDS is often thought of as a secondary event to UTMB, the course is oftentimes considered more challenging. Runners cover 145 kilometers (90 miles) and climb 9,100 meters (29,855 feet), making it the UTMB event with the most amount of vertical gain per kilometer!
- MCC – Martigny-Combe to Chamonix: This 40 km race (25 miles) is designed for locals and volunteers, taking place slightly before the main events begin.
Then, there are the three races that make up the UTMB Mont Blanc World Series Final:
- OCC – Orsières-Champex-Chamonix: Named for the central villages it passes through, this 55 kilometer (34 mile) event is fast, furious, and highly competitive, attracting some of the world’s best shorter ultra distance runners each year.
- CCC – Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix: The CCC is the middle event covering 100 kilometers (60 miles). Don’t be fooled, this event might be longer than OCC but it is highly competitive and top runners move quickly over this rugged terrain!
- UTMB – Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc: The queen event! This course covers 171 kilometers (106 miles) and climbs 10,000 meters (32,808 feet), crossing through France, Italy, and Switzerland. Runners are allowed up to 46.5 hours to complete the course but the fastest runners blaze through the route in slightly under 20 hours!
Of all of these races, UTMB is by far the most renowned. A few of the most famous moments include:
- Killian Jornet’s first victory at just 20 years old. He would go on to win the race four times, setting the course record in 2022 after an 11-year gap!
- Lizzy Hawker’s four wins. In 2005, Lizzy Hawker set the course record in her debut UTMB, covering the course in 26 hours, 53 minutes.
- Courtney Dauwalter’s win and triple crown. In 2023, Courtney Dauwalter not only won the women’s race, she also raced the triple crown of ultra events, also claiming wins in Western States 100 and Hardrock 100!
And now it’s time for coffee at Moody, certainly a spot on the map for today’s Chamonix trail runner! (Co-owner Ian Dove is himself an avid trail runner, and often runs from his home on the trails in the valley, to and from work!)
In this video Run the Alps staff and friends show you around our home of Chamonix, France.
Video: Milo Zanecchia
Buy the Book
The Race that Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB® by Doug Mayer with a note from Kilian Jornet is now available from Helvetiq and wherever books are sold.
Read More About Chamonix
2024 Edition: The Trail Runner’s Underground Guide to Chamonix
Run the Alps Underground Guide to UTMB® Week in Chamonix
What to Expect Visiting Chamonix for Trail Running
Tags: guide, Trail Running, UTMB®
