Green Garden 2024 UTMB Events Women’s Top Runners – iRunFar – GWC Mag gwcmagMarch 4, 2024039 views Race season is upon us, and as with every spring, all eyes gravitate to Chamonix, France, to see who has made it into the various events of the 2024 UTMB Mont-Blanc festival race week. For several years, this week has been considered the most competitive week of ultramarathon racing of the year, and 2024 looks to follow suit. In this article, we take a look at the top women in the 170-kilometer UTMB, the 145k TDS, and the 55k OCC as of right now. We still don’t have information on the top runners for the 2024 CCC, but we will add them to this article as soon as that information becomes available. As with any race start list, there will be drops and additions of elites, and we’ll keep the list updated as things change. You can also find the “favorites” according to the race administration here. We’ve compiled a big list of the women who look to be competitive in each of these races and listed them in alphabetical order along with a few of their results in recent years. You can also check out the other half of the race at our 2024 UTMB Events men’s top runners article. Katharina Hartmuth running to second place in the 2023 UTMB. Photo: iRunFar/Kirsten Kortebein 2024 UTMB Top Women We’ve divided this incredibly deep list of talent into three main categories, women who’ve got a top-five UTMB finish under their belt in recent years, those who have made a name for themselves in UTMB-style races, and those who have a strong chance of finishing near the top of the field. Recent UTMB Top-Five Finishers Eszter Csillag (Hungary, lives in Hong Kong) – 5th 2022 UTMB; 3rd 2023 Western States 100; 4th 2021 CCC Katharina Hartmuth (Germany) – 2nd 2023 UTMB; 2nd 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail; 1st 2023 Eiger Ultra-Trail Marianne Hogan (Canada) – 2nd 2022 UTMB; 3rd 2022 Western States 100; 2nd 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k Blandine L’Hirondel (France) – 3rd 2023 UTMB; 1st 2022 CCC; 1st 2021 OCC Maite Maiora (Spain) – 5th 2023 UTMB; 4th Istria 2023 110k; 4th 2023 Transgrancanaria Marathon Katie Schide (U.S., lives in France) – 1st 2022 UTMB; 1st 2023 Diagonale des Fous; 2nd 2023 OCC; 2nd 2023 Western States 100 Fu-Zhao Xiang (China) – 4th 2023 & 7th 2022 UTMB; 5th 2023 Tarawera 100k Headliner Women Hillary Allen (U.S.) – 14th 2022 UTMB; 2nd 2019 TDS; 1st 2019 Lavaredo Ultra Trail 50k Claire Bannwarth (France) – 16th 2023 & 21st 2022 UTMB; 5th 2023 Hardrock 100; 3rd 2023 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile Lucy Bartholomew (Australia) – 10th 2023 UTMB; 1st 2023 Tarawera 100 Mile; 15th 2019 Western States 100 Manon Bohard Cailler (France) – 3rd 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail; 1st 2021 TDS; 2nd Madeira Island Ultra-Trail (MIUT) Ruth Croft (New Zealand) – 1st 2024 Tarawera 100k; 1st 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k; 1st 2022 & 2nd 2021 Western States 100; 1st 2019 & 1st 2018 OCC Ragna Debats (The Netherlands, lives in Spain) – 1st 2022 Transgrancanaria; 3rd 2021 Western States 100; 1st 2019 CCC Abby Hall (U.S.) – 2023 6th MIUT; 3rd 2022 & 2nd 2021 CCC Emily Hawgood (South Africa) – 6th 2022 UTMB; 2nd 2023 CCC; 5th 2023 & 5th 2022 Western States 100 Mari Klakegg Fenre (Norway) – 7th 2023 CCC; 8th 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail Helen Mino Faukner (U.S.) – 3rd 2023 & 13th 2022 CCC; 1st 2023 Speedgoat 50k Ekaterina Mityaeva (Russia) – 4th 2019 UTMB; 4th 2021 TDS; 3rd 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k; 4th 2023 Mont-Blanc 90k Marta Molist (Spain) – 1st 2021 CCC; 1st 2022 Swiss Alps 50k; 6th 2021 Transgrancanaria Marathon Maryline Nakache (France) – 6th 2021 UTMB; 1st 2023 TDS; 2nd 2023 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 5th 2019 CCC Ida Nilsson (Sweden, lives in Norway) – 7th 2023 Western States 100; 1st 2023 Canyons 100 Mile; 2nd 2022 Trail World Championships Long Trail; 3rd 2018 CCC Fiona Porte (France) – 2nd 2023 TDS; 1st 2023 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 3rd 2022 Les Templiers 80k Anne-Lise Rousset (France) – 2nd 2023 Hardrock 100; 2nd 2022 Diagonale des Fous; 4th 2018 CCC Aroa Sio (Spain) – 8th 2022 UTMB; 3rd 2023 Canyons 100k; 3rd 2023 Tarawera 100k Katarzyna Solińska (Poland) – 6th 2023 & 18th 2022 UTMB; 5th 2021 CCC Sabrina Stanley (U.S.) – 9th 2023 UTMB; 2nd 2023 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile; 1st 2021 & 2018 Hardrock 100; 1st 2019 Diagonale des Fous Claudia Tremps (Spain) – 9th 2021 UTMB; 2nd 2024 Transgrancanaria; 2nd 2022 TDS Martina Valmassoi (Italy) – 4th 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail; 1st 2023 Transvulcania; 1st 2022 TDS Leah Yingling (U.S.) – 8th 2023 UTMB; 9th 2023 & 6th 2022 Western States 100 More Top Women Amanda Basham (U.S.) – 19th 2023 UTMB; 8th 2023 Tarawera 100k; 2nd 2019 CCC; 4th 2018 Western States 100 Addie Bracy (U.S.) – 5th 2023 Canyons 100k; 3rd 2023 Speedgoat 50k; 1st 2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile Naomi Brand (South Africa) – 2nd 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile; 15th 2019 UTMB Alyssa Clark (U.S.) – 1st 2023 Canyons 100 Mile; 1st 2021 Ouray 100 Mile; 7th 2019 Eiger Ultra-Trail 101k Eleanor Davis (U.K.) – 2nd 2023 Eiger Ultra-Trail 50k; 8th 2022 OCC Lindsey Dwyer (U.S.) – 5th 2023 Canyons 100 Mile Esther Fellhofer (Austria) – 1st 2023 Trail 100 Andorra 105k; 1st 2022 Eiger Ultra-Trail 155 Mile; 3rd 2022 Lavaredo Ultra Trail Nancy Jiang (New Zealand) – 1st 2023 Tarawera 100k; 8th 2019 & 5th 2018 OCC Fiona Pascall (U.K.) – 3rd 2023 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 50k; 1st Arc of Attrition 100k Emma Stuart (Ireland) – 3rd 2024 Transgrancanaria; 3rd 2023 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 1st 2023 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile Yuan-Yuan Wu (China) – 3rd 2024 Anta Hong Kong 100k; 3rd 2023 Doi Inthanon 100 Mile Eszter Csillag (Hungary) finished fifth at UTMB in 2022. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell 2024 OCC Top Women We’ve separated the list of top women into two categories for the 55k OCC, those with a race-proven resume of difficult mountainous races, and those with plenty of other strong results who we think have the potential to mix it up at the top. Headliner Women Sunmaya Budha (Nepal) – 2nd 2022 CCC; 10th 2022 Trail World Championships Long Trail Rachel Drake (U.S.) – 6th 2023 OCC; 1st 2024 Black Canyon 100k; 4th 2023 Kodiak Ultra Marathons 50k Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) – 4th 2023 OCC; 1st 2024 Tarawera 50k; 2nd 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 50k Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway) – 1st 2023 CCC; 2nd 2022 Transvulcania; 2nd 2021 MIUT 85k Oihana Kortazar (Spain) – 3rd 2023 & 6th 2022 Marathon du Mont-Blanc; 7th 2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail Toni McCann (South Africa) – 1st 2023 & 5th 2022 OCC; 1st 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 50k Dani Moreno (U.S.) – 1st 2023 Kodiak Ultra Marathons 50k; 1st 2023 Eiger Ultra-Trail 35k; 3rd 2022 OCC; 3rd 2022 Marathon du Mont-Blanc Daniela Oemus (Germany) – 5th 2023 OCC; 6th 2023 Marathon du Mont-Blanc; 6th 2023 Trail Running Championships Short Trail; 1st 2023 Zegama Marathon Judith Wyder (Switzerland) – 2nd 2023 Pikes Peak Ascent; 2nd 2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail; 2nd 2019 Sierre-Zinal Miao Yao (China) – 3rd 2023 OCC; 1st 2018 CCC; 2nd 2018 Lavaredo Ultra Trail More Top Women Valérie Arsenault (Canada) – 3rd 2023 JFK 50 Mile; 4th 2023 Speedgoat 50k Kate Avery (U.K.) – 2nd 2024 & 3rd 2023 Tarawera 50k; 6th 2022 ETC Elisa Desco (Italy) – 2022 Giir di Mont; 5th 2021 OCC; 7th 2019 Sierre-Zinal [From 2010 to 2012, Elisa Desco served a two-year doping ban from the IAAF after she tested positive for EPO at the 2009 World Mountain Running Championships.] Anna-Stiina Erkkilä (Finland) – 10th 2023 OCC; 17th 2023 Sierre-Zinal; 7th 2023 Marathon du Mont Blanc Candice Fertin (France) – 7th 2023 & 7th 2021 OCC; 1st 2022 MCC; 9th 2023 Les Templiers Julia Font (Spain) – 3rd 2023 ETC; 7th 2022 Transgrancanaria Marathon Bailey Kowalczyk (U.S.) – 2nd 2023 Kodiak Ultra Marathons 50k; 5th 2022 Sierre-Zinal; 3rd 2021 Broken Arrow Skyrace 26k Ikram Rharsalla (Spain) – 12th 2023 OCC; 1st 2022 ETC, 1st 2022 Transvulcania 45k Kim Schreiber (Germany) – 13th 2023 & 11th 2022 OCC; 4th 2023 Istria 42k Louise Serban-Penhoat (France) – 8th 2023 OCC; 10th 2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail EmKay Sullivan (U.S.) – 9th 2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail; 3rd 2023 Canyons 50k; 9th 2022 Marathon du Mont-Blanc; 2nd 2021 Broken Arrow Skyrace 26k Anna Tarasova (Spain) – 1st 2023 Trail 100 Andorra 50k; 7th 2023 Transgrancanaria Marathon Toni McCann looking absolutely shocked to win the 2023 OCC. Photo: UTMB 2024 TDS Top Women Again, we’ve split this group of top women into two categories, those who have mountain racing resumes that point toward a top finish in the 145k TDS, and a few more who we think will also run near the front of the field. Headliner Women Elisabeth Borgersen (Norway) – 6th 2019 & 7th 2018 TDS; 22nd 2023 UTMB; 5th 2022 MIUT; 6th 2019 Mont Blanc 90k Anna Carlsson (Sweden) – 3rd 2022 Diagonale des Fous; 4th 2019 TDS Elisabetta Negra (Italy) – 3rd 2023 MIUT 60k; 4th 2019 Tor de Géants Jocelyne Pauly (France) – 4th 2022 & 3rd 2018 UTMB; 3rd 2023 Eiger Ultra-Trail 101k; 17th 2023 Trail World Championships Long Trail Ariane Wilhem (Switzerland) – 1st 2022 Transgrancanaria Advanced; 17th 2021 Marathon du Mont-Blanc Wen-Fei Xie (China) – 1st 2023 Swiss Alps 100 Mile, 4th 2023 Doi Inthanon 100 Mile, 1st 2023 Golden 100 Hong Kong 100k More Top Women Morgane Cretton (France) – 11th 2021 TDS; 1st 2023 Swiss Alps 50k; 6th 2018 OCC Marie Dohin (France) – 5th 2021 TDS; 2nd 2023 Endurance Trail des Templiers 100k Ingrid Lid (Norway) – 7th 2023 TDS Anna Carlsson racing in Val d’Aran. Photo courtesy of Anna Carlsson. Call for Comments With a wide open field this year for UTMB, who do you think will come out on top? Will the lack of a dominant returning champion for UTMB affect the race strategy of the others? Ok, that’s a lot of women and many race results! See an error? Let us know in the comments! Blandine L’Hirondel finishing third at UTMB in 2023. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks