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Ultra Tour Mont Blanc...the biggest ultra running race in the world

Friday 2nd September 2022

Phoenix ultra runner, Andy Pumphrey, shares his experience of running in this extraordinarily demanding event...

This was my third UTMB race having done the UTMB main signature race and the UTMB -TDS. The CCC is shorter, at 100K but knowing what the mountains do to your body I was respectfully apprehensive.

For this race I had four objectives:

- Get to Geneva (EasyJet not cancel our flights again).

- To finish the race.

- To get an age category podium position.

- Not upset too many French people.

(I achieved two objectives).

So after gaining my previous running qualifier entry points, I’m at the start line with some professional runners who see me coming out of the shadows like some sort of ‘Running God’. They all gasp and say “wow look that’s Andy Pumphrey we don’t stand a chance now”. I give them the courtesy nod and take my place at the front, sign a few photos and talk to the press. Off goes the alarm, time to get out of the tent and get to the start.

I’m now on the start line with about 400 runners ahead of me, and 800 behind me, nobody seems to recognise me now. Off we go with thousands of spectators cheering us off. (I didn’t dream that bit). 1k run through Courmayeur and straight up a 2,400M mountain.

I’m feeling good and pacing myself nicely. Up over the top we go and run down some technical paths, into the first aid station, all is going to plan. I’m in fourth place in my age category and because I often run the second half of a race better than most, I’m well on target to get a podium place. Then up the next mountain which is over twice the height of Ben Nevis and down the other side. Down into the next aid station ,fill up water bottles and eat some food, done about 25 miles.

Then, it hits me, I’m feeling sick, I slow down and walk/jog but the sickness feeling is not going away and about 5-10 miles later I’m sitting at the top of another mountain throwing up. I carry on, but still feel sick and when I arrive at the next Aid Station l get mixed up and go into the medical room rather than the food/drink tent. The UTMB medical team notice I look a bit green and guide me to a bed, so I decide to sleep for half an hour to see if that does the trick. When I wake, I feel a little better so I tell the doctor I feel great, she tells me I must eat something, so I agree and walk into the food/drink tent, fill up with water and put a biscuit and snickers bar in my running vest and walk out the exit. I keep going and now have about 30 miles to go, but I cannot eat and struggle to drink. My podium place is disappearing. However because my first half was reasonably quick I can still finish, if I walk or march.

Up mountain number four and almost reach the top before it hits me again, this time violently, I’m trying to throw-up but there’s nothing coming up (sorry too much detail). I sit on a rock and people run past me, they tap me on the shoulder, (all long distance runners know nothing can be done for a runner who gets RRS Runners Reaching Sickness. That person just has to get down the mountain to the next Aid Station and normally give up. I feel so rough and my body is saying “stop stop”. But there is no way I’m stopping, I know what it feels like to not complete a big race, especially one you have spent months/years training for.

Into the next food station. I decide to lay on the floor and sleep for another half hour but a Medic comes over to me and says “why not sleep on one of the made up bunks” so I follow her and before I make it to the bunk I throw-up in their rubbish bin. They guide me to the bed and the doctor talks to me, I tell him I feel a little sick and he gives me a ‘Magic Pill’. I take it and sleep for half hour and wake feeling ok ish. I thank the doctor and tell him how great I feel. I fill up my water and eat nothing.

Off I go, one last mountain to go, this one is only three times the height of that one in Snowdonia. I feel great I jog/walk/run, put my music on, even the rain has stopped, the stars are out and as that James Brown song goes “ I Feel Good”. I even pass a few people. However just 2 miles later I need to change his Lyrics to “ I feel good BUT NOT like I should. It hits me again, I’m sitting on another rock, head between legs - Deja vu.

It’s now a long 11 mile march to the finish. Another 100 people run past me, I wish them luck and an American gives me loads of fist pumps and shouts ‘Good Job- Good Job’ which made me laugh. I get into Chamonix, Its daylight, I’ve been in the race for about 22 hours. But remarkably 4 hours inside the cut off. I’m very happy that I didn’t give up and feel absolutely chuffed that I finished. After all the misery I’m actually very proud of myself. Ok, I know I did take a risk and my race plan went wrong but ‘What the Heck’.

They gave me my finishers vest which is a horrible light blue colour, probably because Hoka is sponsoring them. Paula my wife said I looked nice in it, but any comment that includes the word nice, just tells me I look naff in it. Then she admitted I look like Papa Smurf in it. (See photo)

We stayed to watch the finishers come in on the UTMB Signature Race where history was made. Kilian Jornet broke the course record and came in ten minutes under 20 hours, people said 20 hours was almost impossible but this man is just a different level to everyone else. See Kilian coming in to the UTMB finish, very inspirational.