M40-44 at UTMB 2026: Bouyoud Surges Through the Night to Take the Crown

• Julien Bouyoud wins in 22:13:04 — a 14:48/mi average across 145 km and 9,500 m+ of gain, finishing ahead of Mickael Gasc (2nd, 22:53:46) by 40 minutes and 42 seconds.
• Bouyoud's charge was relentless: he entered the men's field at 69th place early on, then climbed to 17th, 14th, 11th, and ultimately 9th among all men — posting the 2nd-fastest men's split on the Les Contamines Montjoie→Col de Tricot stretch along the way.
• Garrett Grove and Forest Woodward both clocked 29:26:08, with Grove edging ahead for 12th and Woodward settling for 13th — separated by a sliver of time that the clock barely shows but the finish order makes clear.
• Jerome Herragne (5th, 26:48:05) was the field's great climber from the back, moving from 232nd among men at the first checkpoint all the way to 35th by the finish, including the 13th-fastest men's split on the Remontée le Signal E→Signal S segment.

Julien Bouyoud's win was earned in stages, not in a single burst. He started the night — UTMB's CCC-sibling departs Courmayeur at 23:50 — buried in the men's field at 69th, but by the time the course wound through the Beaufortain region toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice, he was already climbing the standings. His 2nd-fastest men's split on the Les Contamines Montjoie→Col de Tricot section was the move that defined his race: a sustained surge through one of the course's most demanding passages that separated him from the rest of the M40-44 field for good. He crossed into Chamonix in 22:13:04 — the only finisher in this group to break 23 hours.

Mickael Gasc gave him the most credible challenge. Starting the race in 8th among men — a blistering early position — Gasc faded through the middle sections before steadying to finish 12th among men and 2nd in the M40-44 group in 22:53:46. His 6th-fastest men's split on the Séez→Bourg Saint-Maurice - Entrée leg shows he still had real speed late, but Bouyoud's lead by then was insurmountable. Vincent Jadas rounded out the podium in 3rd (25:08:54), having run a patient, progressive race — moving from 74th among men at one point all the way to 19th by the finish, with the 13th-fastest men's split on Entre deux Nants→Pas d'Outray.

Further back, the race told a story of quiet persistence across 104 finishers. Alexandre Vionnet Fuasset (4th, 25:31:43) started 104th among men and finished 20th — one of the most disciplined climbs through the field of the day. And Jerome Herragne's journey from 232nd to 35th among men, landing 5th in 26:48:05, was a masterclass in pacing a race this long: 145 km through the Alps rewards patience, and Herragne collected that reward in full.