TRAIL RUNNING
Hawks and McCann secure 100K CCC wins at UTMB Mont-Blanc
Nepali trail runner Rashila Tamang endures a tough day on her debut to finish 42nd in the 100K Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix race in France.
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Tamang endures a tough day to secure 42nd place among 1,636 finishers
Nepali trail runner Rashila Tamang has completed the challenging 100K CCC race at the UTMB Mont-Blanc.
Despite battling food-related issues and cramps, Tamang persevered to cross the finish line in 15 hours, 45 minutes and 7 seconds, securing 42nd place out of 1,636 female finishers.
Another Nepali athlete, Sworupa Khadka, also had a notable performance, finishing in 50th place with a time of 16:57:08.
In an Instagram post, Tamang expressed her gratitude to her supporters and reflected on the tough yet rewarding experience.
“Thank you to everyone who followed me throughout the day along the CCC course,” the 23-year-old ultra-runner wrote. Reflecting on the experience, she described it as “a very long and hot day in the French Alps.”
Representing the T8 team, Tamang shared that she felt strong during the first half of the race. However, after 30 km, she encountered food-related issues that led to multiple bouts of vomiting.
“I couldn’t eat anything, and in the second half, I started cramping, which made the day even longer,” she wrote. At one point, after running 80km, she considered giving up. “I rested for half an hour at a checkpoint, and after feeling a bit better, I pushed myself to the finish line.”
CHAMONIX, France: American Hayden Hawks and South African Toni McCann have displayed remarkable efforts to win the men’s and women’s 101km Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) race at the UTMB Mont-Blanc in the French resort Chamonix.
Hawks, an American trail runner, triumphed seven years after his previous victory, while South African McCann dominated in her maiden effort at the distance since winning the OCC last year. Full results
The men’s race, which started on Friday and concluded on Saturday, was intensely competitive, with a pack of top athletes jostling for the lead. As the kilometres ticked by, the American duo of Hawks and Adam Peterman gradually picked up their tempo after keeping a low profile, steadily widening the gap between themselves and the chasing pack.
After a battle that remained uncertain until the final kilometres, Hawks emerged victorious, completing the race without using poles in 10 hours, 20 minutes, and 11 seconds. This was 4 minutes and 20 seconds faster than his victory in 2017. Slovakian Peter Frano finished 6 minutes later, after making a remarkable comeback from 7th place to pass Peterman, who completed the podium in 10:28:50.
“I’m very happy to share this podium with Peter, as we have had many great battles over the past few years,” Hawks told reporters afterwards. “It was also great to share it with Adam, especially as we were both injured last year and during this challenge, we supported each other a lot to overcome those tough moments.”
Toni McCann’s triumph on debut
In the women’s race, McCann, who experienced a rough patch between Champex and Trient, claimed victory with a time of 11 hours, 57 minutes, and 59 seconds. Martyna Mlynarczyk of Poland finished in second place with a time of 12:11:12, and Rosanna Buchauer of Germany completed the podium with a time of 12:16:55.
Shortly after crossing the finish line, McCann said, “The CCC is my first ever 100K. I am used to shorter distances and didn’t know how I would handle this new distance. During my rough patch at Champex, I made sure to think of my family, and that gave me the strength to keep going. I want to thank them for their unwavering support.”
Gabioud brothers conquer PTL in under 100 hours
Earlier, the AlpsXperience team of the Gabioud brothers, Jules-Henri and Candide, from Switzerland’s Valais region, won the Trotte à Léon (PTL) course. They conquered the 304-km course, which included a staggering 24,500 metres of elevation gain, crossing the historic finish line in Chamonix in just under 100 hours.
The Gabioud brothers have accomplished this extraordinary feat for the fourth time, embodying the mountain values of camaraderie, commitment, and adventure. When asked about the key to their success, the brothers responded, “There is no secret; you just have to love and respect the mountain.”
On Monday morning, 120 teams set out on the PTL, a race cherished by mountain sports enthusiasts for its demanding nature. This legendary course traces the iconic Tour du Mont-Blanc, requiring teams to navigate the unmarked, high-altitude terrain of France, Italy, and Switzerland. The route winds through the rugged Aiguilles Rouges, the Valais region, the Aosta Valley slopes of Mont Blanc, and the wild Beaufortain area before descending back to Chamonix.
