Dhiman Wins UTMB, Second American Man to Take It

Ben Dhiman won the 2026 UTMB Mont-Blanc on Saturday, finishing the 174-kilometre race in 18:16:29. He is only the second American man ever to claim the title at trail running's most prestigious ultra-marathon.

A delay, then a decisive early move

A tempest forced a two-hour rain delay at the start in Chamonix. Once running, the early kilometres saw a compact lead group trade positions. Baptiste Chassagne of France held a slight lead at Les Contamines, 32 kilometres in.

Dhiman took control shortly after, moving ahead at Notre-Dame de la Gorge. By Les Chapieux at the 52-kilometre mark, his margin had stretched to seven minutes. The separation only grew from there.

Alone through the night, into the record books

Under a full moon and strong winds at Lac Combal, Dhiman's lead ballooned to 14 minutes. He passed the race midpoint calm and focused, pausing for barely two minutes with his crew before pressing on alone through the darkness. As day broke over Grand Col Ferret, his advantage stood at 22 minutes.

The chasers pushed hard, but Dhiman never relented. He crossed the line in Chamonix more than half an hour ahead, the first man in history to finish this event inside 19 hours. A course reroute meant the time would not stand as an official record, yet it outpaced François D'Haene's revered 2017 mark by over 45 minutes.

Chassagne finished second in 18:47:38, and Caleb Olson took third in 18:48:24. Three men broke the once-untouchable 19-hour barrier on the same day. "Unbelievable," Dhiman said at the finish line, shaking his head and embracing his family.

This was Dhiman's fourth attempt. He dropped out in 2023 and 2024 before finishing second last year. The American, who lives and trains in the French Pyrenees, had targeted his climbing weakness this season, logging 30 percent more vertical gain in training.

The work delivered a victory built on patience and relentless forward pressure.