Courmayeur – Champex-Lac – Chamonix 29 August 2025

Objective:

Finish race within time cut-off of 26.5 hours

That was my simple objective. In other races such as UTA100, my additonal objective was to finish strong. That wasn’t the case here – just finish! Logic was that I saw those other races as stepping stones to this one. This was my bucket list run.

I had various milestones in my mind that was in line with a 24 hour finish and was largely based off Stephen Cousins (“Film my Run”) 2018 CCC. This was just a guide and not a goal.

Equipment:

CCC cold weather gear had been declared and so I carried my standard mandatory gear including my Arc’teryx fleece throughout. Mandatory gear also included protective glasses. I missed the detail of this until the night before the race and hurriedly raced to Technique Extreme to buy the last reasonably priced photochromic glasses they had. Clearly I wasn’t the only one to nearly get caught out by this.

I carried my 125cm Gipron poles in a Salomon quiver. This was my first race with a quiver and it was perfect – comfortable and fast.

I carried some of my usual “extras”. In hindsight, I did not need to carry these extras and saving the small amount of weight and space would have been helpful.

Nutrition and Hydration:

With no drop-bags, I was reliant on crew and aid stations. I was aware the aid stations would be well-stocked but I was not sure how my stomach would take the food from the stations. I did have food from the stations including cheese, biscuit and ham at La Fouly, pasta bolognaise at Champex, soup at Trient and soup at Vallorcine.

My core base was Tailwind. Following prior races, I started with 2 flasks with 80g of Tailwind per flask – this is around 150% of normal strength. I have found this to be a good strategy for fuelling up well at the beginning of the race before stomach issues might start.

To top up supplies of Tailwind, I carried two used Hydralite tubes of Tailwind c. 50g so equivalent to one flask.
I carried another flask of Tailwind powder (80g) but this wasn’t used. I had a further strong flask with crew but this was not used either. Crew also had chips (crisps).

I carried two Cliff bars but didn’t have any of them.
I carried Cliff energy chews and had a few during the race.

For hydration, I had a full 2ltr bladder with 3 Bix cherry electrolyte tablets. By the end of the race, there was 0.5ltr remaining. This proved to be excessive because whilst there was convenience in not having to refill the bladder, given the plentiful water points, there was an excess weight of c. 1kg.

Powerade continues to be my secret weapon. Crew had bottles of red Powerade which I had at Champex, Trient and Chamonix. I carried a Hydralite tube which was sufficient for 2 flasks of Powerade. This was used at Arnouvaz, La Fouly and Vallorcine. This was highly effective.

Crew had Coke. This was effective. This was only consumed at aid stations and I did not carry between stations. The stations had a cola but it didn’t hit the spot.

Pre Race:

I took the 6:15am bus shudle from Chamonix to Courmayeur. This was highly efficient. Drop-off point was close to Sports Centre where a number of runners were resting, grabbing coffee and warming up. The start line was a 500m walk away from Sports Centre. Finishing line drop bags were left close to the start line with friendly volunteers. I simply had my Arc’teryx Atom jacket in the drop bag which I wore to the start line. The weather at the start of the race was pleasant and so I started in just a Trailblazers shirt.

I was in last start group: Wave #3. This group started at 9:30am with elites and 1st wave leaving at 9:00am and wave 2 leaving at 9:15am. Accessing position on the start line was easy.

There were plenty of toilets at the Sports Centre, bus stop, alongside start line and at the back of the starting chute. There were several queues but these all disappeared before wave 3 started.

I was able to meet up with a colleague and old friend who was in wave 1. He ended 2nd in his age group.

All waves started with the same pattern with Conquest of Paradise theme. Wave 3 had the extra warm-up of a Mexican wave!

Race:

1. Courmayeur to Tete de la Tranche 9.3km 1,390m

The start passes through Courmayeur before starting the climb. My strategy was a trade-off between not going out too fast but not gettng too caught in the bottleneck that was inevitable once we hit the single track. This meant running a little longer than some of the other runners to move towards the start of wave 3.

This strategy was largely successful as I felt the pace of the climb suited me. Poles were used after a couple of kms.

There were bottlenecks which resulted on my Garmin Ultratrail setting telling me I was resting so a quick amendment of the settings was required.

I was able to speak to some of the other runners on the climb. We also needed to call out as a rock was dislodged and hurtled towards the runners below. Noone was injured.

I arrived at the top of the climb feeling strong and it was not as scary as the elevation gain may have indicated.

2. Tete de la Tranche to Bertone 4.2km 21m

The path to Bertone is a free flowing single track although opportunities to pass (or be passed) exist. There were several hikers on the trail. The path is rutted in several places and so nimble feet are required.

It was during this sector when I started to have pain in my right foot. This was mainly noticeable if the foot rotated on a rock. The cause of the issue was not known but I started to have concerns about whether I would complete the race if the pain increased or became more frequent.

Bertone is a small aid station with water but limited other support. There is a refuge and several hikers were enjoying lunch.

By this point, my stomach was a little unsettled. In hindsight this was because of (i) the Tailwind mix being too strong and (ii) the likely impact of altitude given that Tete de la Tranche is 2,541m and most of this segment is in excess of 2,000m.

3. Bertone to Arnouvaz 12.7km 408m

The path to Arnouvaz is similar to the previous section. Whilst there is 408m of climbing, I do not recall this being challenging but rather gradual over the course of the segment.

Foot issues continued.

Arnouvaz is a well-stocked aid station but no crew support is available. My Powerade mix helped settle my stomach and I was able to have a biscuit with cheese and some meat.

4. Arnouvaz to Grand Col Ferret 4.5km 745m

This was a brutal climb!

It started immediately aier the Arnouvaz aid station. The first part of the climb felt comfortable. I was behind a tall runner who set a good pace. We passed several runners over the first 1-2kms.

At some point, the steepness caused me to pause. After restarting, my pace slowed but I caught up with the other runner who had also paused. The top part of the climb was laboured. Whilst the winds picked up, I choose to stay with the running shirt.

I sat at the top of the climb to catch-up my breath and to put my rain jacket on given the wind.

I feel that altitude was again the reason for the climb being hard as it was not overly steep relative to others. The legs were not aching but just seemed under-powered.

5. Grand Col Ferret to La Fouly 9.8km 63m

This is the first part of the long 20km downhill and the run was great. Not too technical but given the length of the descent I was keen to protect the quads. This was done.

There was a water point after about 5km. I thought this was La Fouly and so thought I was 30 mins ahead of my 24 hours schedule. By the time I was at La Fouly, I realised I was 20 mins behind!

Weather remained good.

6. La Fouly to Champex-Lac 13.6km 518m

The descent continued and legs felt good. Pretty old village before the Champex climb.

Many people had commented about the Champex climb being nasty. The climbing route to follow was clear from the base with a building visible at the top of the climb located at an obvious col.

This was one of my favourite climbs. Pace was steady all the way.

It became dark towards the end of the climb. I did not want to stop to get my head torch out of my pack and fortunately the person behind me had their torch on and provided enough light for all of us.

The final run into the aid station seemed to take an age and it was great to arrive.

This was the first aid station with support. Bron (my sister) was there and was hands on with refilling bottles and finding food. I had some pasta bolognaise which went down well. This followed the obligatory Powerade. Aid station rest time was 21 mins.

I changed my shirt at the aid station and also re-strapped my right foot as I felt the issues I continued to face could be due to my strapping being too tight. This did help as issues were significantly reduced after the re- strapping.

7. Champex-Lac to La Giete 11.2km 779m

Bron and Tony joined me as I left the Champex aid station and stayed with me for the maximum 500m allowed around the lake. It was a pity we were in the dark as I was keen to enjoy the lake views however I was expecting to be in the dark at this point.

The first part of this segment was relatively flat and pleasant. There was a good group moving together which helped. It was a wider road trail.

The climb up the Bovine then started. I had in mind that this section was more gradual but I was shocked to find that this was not the case. This felt like a very long grind and indeed my time for this section at 3:19 was slow relative to the Strava amateur average. I should have known better given there is 779m of climbing. That said, I picked up 99 places on the climb indicating others were finding it equally hard.

By the trime I reached La Giete, the rain had set in solidly and the temperature had dropped. I reached La Giete at midnight. The stop at La Giete is just a shed with a solid bovine smell! I put my thermal on at this point under my sweaty tee shirt and then had my rain jacket over the top.

By this stage, I wasn’t finding the lift I often get from electrolyte but straight water was working better.

8. La Giete to Trient 5.3km 70m

This is a largely downhill section. The trail was in good condition but given the time and stage of the race, it was taken slowly and I lost 38 places. There were some steeper descent sections. Poles were used for most of the descent.

Bron was at Trient and again helped greatly with food and flasks. I had soup. This was the last aid station where I would have crew and so I restocked my Hydralite tubes: 2 with tailwind and 1 with Powerade powder.

9. Trient to Les Tseppes 3.8km 640m

This segment has a notoriously steep climb. The distance is however short. I was very mentally prepared for this and so took it in my stride. This was a climb where headlights up in front were clearly visible. Again, I picked up many positions on this climb: 81.

10. Les Tseppes to Vallorcine 8.1km162m

This was a relatively nice descent. The lights of Vallorcine were visible from high up but never seemed to get any closer which was depressing. Eventually, I arrived at a ski lift pylon and so I was more confident I was getting there. I was feeling reasonably good at this stage and moving well. Sun was coming up.

I took a 25min rest in Vallorcine. More soup, Powerade (powder) but no need to top up Tailwind. My rear bladder with electrolyte was still plentiful.

11. Vallorcine to LaFlegere 11.1km 936m

I had walked the section from Vallorcine to Col des Montets earlier in the week and had run the section from Argentiere to Chamonix the Sunday before. I therefore thought I knew this route. The section to Col de Montets was fine. There is a slight gradient and so I didn’t run as much as I would have liked but it felt ok and I was feeling confident about the last stages of the race.

This all changed as we crossed the road and started the climb up. I had not done this first section and so although it was steep, I felt it wouldn’t last long – this was not the case: it seemed to go on forever.

I passed Argentiere (seen from high above) and so expected to start recognising the trail: I didn’t!

There was then a nasty descent section. This was steep, technical and very muddy. We had muddy sections previously but this was far worse. It was somewhere along here that I took a fall and hurt my lei middle finger. Diagnosed afterwards as damaged ligaments around knuckle. I could also feel the tension in my shoulders from all the poling work during the race.

The climb started again and remained steep and technical. Having checked Strava, my previous recce run started at the bodom of the steep descent and the start of the next steep ascent. I was hanging out to see the bottom of the ski lift knowing I was then on to the ski slopes and the final section of the climb.

This eventually happened and the climb up the ski slope was a slog but at least the end was in sight.

During this whole section, I was questioning why I was here and certainly resolving myself to never do this again. I was mentally screaming at the organisers for putting me through this and asking why they were doing this to me – ignoring the fact that I was the one that signed up! I also had 3 or 4 semi hallucinations – I thought I saw a bike on the trail ahead to find it was just some roots.

I was starting to get focused on cut-off times. Deep down I was confident I had plenty of time but I knew I had to get to La Flegere before cut-off. Prior to reaching the ski slope when the track seemed to be going on forever, the cut-off time concern mounted. All concern evaporated once I hit the slope however the hike up the ski slope was really tough.

On the climb up, I was also concerned about mandatory gear: There was an inspection at La Flegere in 2024. I realised I had left my buff with Crew at Trient. I still had a hat so I thought I was ok but it’s a lesson in passing gearing to crew when you don’t think you need it only to realise that you may contravene mandatory gear requirements.

I paused at the top of La Flegere, grabbed some aid station cola, used the toilet and set myself for the next and final stage of the race.

12. LaFlegere to Chamonix 7.1km 32m

It was a relief to make it on to the final stage of the race especially given it is a descent. I used poles to navigate the first scree section but then stored them and started running. There was a group of 10-15 of us that were moving well together. I eventually let most of them go as they were moving faster than I was comfortable with.

We passed the group of CCC running guides that were completing the whole course carrying and pushing someone in a special wheelbarrow! I thought the person was injured and they were helping him down the slope – little did I know they were completing the whole 100kms!

The level of support from everyone coming down the hill was fantastic. The constant screams of “Bravo” and “Allez” was very lifting. I could however start to feel more tension in my back and I could feel myself stooping. I consciously worked to keep a straighter back but with limited success.

I hit the temporary bridge over the road and found myself finally back in Chamonix. The level of support in the town was amazing and definitely made me feel I needed to keep running. I met Anna (my landlady) who provided great support and advised me not to go too hard through the city. Whilst I thought I took her advice, I should have just stopped and walked along the side of the river because by the time I got to the final 500m, I was totally cooked.

Around this time, my back (especially lower right) was shot and I was starting to run like a hunchback. I saw and waved to Lloyd and Liga (from Run4Adventure) as I made the final turn and lent over to my right. Bron started running next to me (filming) and I struggled to stay on my feet. I regained my balance (without causing an embarrassing fall) and limped across the line! As I came in a couple of hours before the UTMB winner (Tom Evans) the crowds were significant which created an amazing atmosphere albeit more people to see me stumbling.

Post Race:

I caught my breath and legs almost immediately after crossing the finishing line although one of the stewards suggested I took a chair which I gratefully accepted. I was just thinking that I was warming up the chair for the UTMB winner.

Within no time I was back on my feet, taking the obligatory photos under the arch and then collecting my finishers gilette.

The elation and atmosphere post race was amazing and never to be forgotten.

Training Lessons

Overall my training had been good but far from perfect. I completed the UTA100 in mid May (19:10) and felt strong throughout that race and at the finish. Therefore post UTA recovery had been good. I took it easy for 4 weeks and then started my CCC training block. I followed my usual 4 runs a week including a long Saturday run where I tried to maximise climbing as much as possible. Largely following the Streek program. I also had advice from Pete Sweeny at The Body Mechanic. Thanks Mark and Pete for getting me through this.

During the training block, I suffered with 2 colds: one stopped training for about 6 days and included a course of antibiotics. The second started the morning after my last long training run (42km, 2100m) which was 3 weeks out from CCC. This lingered and resulted in a second course of antibiotics that I took the week before CCC. My Garmin Body Battery levels were not where I wanted them to be!!

I did strength training during my CCC training block – more than I had done for my previous two 100kms. This focused mainly on isometric work.

The following sets out how I would change my training for any future adempt (no order of priority):

  1. More frequent runs I would aim for at least one more run per week. This must be short: 5 – 7kms. Would be easy run. This is line with Streeks intermediate plan.
  2. More speed work – On my regular Thursday night run (normally 12-14km), I would aim to include more speedwork. This could simply be hill reps: again in-line with Streek.
  3. Downhill running Downhill running is not one of my strengths as evidenced by the number of people passing me. I am nervous of falling and twisted ankles. More work needs to be dedicated to downhill running:
    1. Develop tactics: take time to learn and practice the tips to run downhill confidently and reliably.
    2. Plyometrics: I did not do any plyometric training – this is a mistake and is required to help with downhill running. Also consider jump rope.

4. Hiking

Whilst my hiking was strong based on the number of people I passed on the ascents, it did not feel strong. Maybe no one feels strong across 6,000m of climbing but there were many times when I did not enjoy the race and questioned why I was there. This was especially the case on the Bovine and La Flegere climbs. I had similar feelings on the Grand Col Ferret but I feel that was altitude related.

I want to investigate hiking tips – maybe change stride length? As for training, more time needs to be dedicated to hard uphill hiking. This can be on the treadmill, elliptical trainer or on the trails. Consider doing hiking with weight vest but do not run downhill with weight vest.

5. Strength

As noted, I did more strength work for CCC than I did for my previous races but it wasn’t enough. Importantly, CCC requires more overall strength (arms, core, back) rather than pure leg strength although that is needed as well. Key areas of improvements areas:

  1. Arms and shoulders: climbs require many hours of poling and moving effort from legs to upper body. Building arm and shoulder strength is key. In particular, make more use of ski-erg to build up strength.
  2. Core: More general core work especially planks, side-planks etc. Rowing also likely to be a good work-out for this

Nutrition and Hydration Lessons:

Whilst I had some initial bouts of queasiness, whether caused by too strong Tailwind or altitude, I was pleased I had no other stomach issues. It was good that I had soup and pasta along the way but with hindsight, I was under fuelled. More time needs to be dedicated to developing the fuelling strategy and executing it with more discipline. Now is a good time to experiment. I’ll be trying different products (eg Precision) and trying gels which I have never used before.

Hydration was ok noting that it was not a hot run. My Powerade strategy remains a winner and will be continued. The Hydralite tubes work well for this and Tailwind. Whereas I found electrolyte to be more effective later-on in previous races, water was more effective during the CCC for whatever reason. I certainly carried too much though and so in future, I will pay more attention to refill opportunities and lighten the load.

Future Plans:

Of course, during the race I was thinking never again but this changed, as always, post race! I still do not have ambitions to do longer races eg UTMB, TDS especially not over such difficult terrain. This is largely driven by a lack of interest in going through two nights – one is enough. I might consider a more runnable miler but unlikely.

I would like to go back and do OCC (ideally in 2026). I would like to see Champex-Lac and other parts of the route in the daylight.

I would also like to do CCC (maybe 2027) again but with the added ambition of finishing strong(er) and enjoying the journey a lot more. All this depends on the lottery of course.

To start the process, I’ve signed up UTA100 2026. Off we go again…..