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The 2023 OCC race left Orsières, Switzerland, at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, August 31, and despatched 1,729 runners via Champex-Lac, Switzerland, and on to the end in Chamonix, France. The purpose-to-point route via Orsières, Champex-Lac, and Chamonix, with the abbreviated race title coming from the city names, is usually referred to as the Little Swiss Sister of UTMB.
Whereas the course is a comparatively brief 55 kilometers (34.2 miles), it’s filled with a powerful 3,500 meters (11,480 ft) of elevation acquire via the excessive mountains. With a rockslide closing one of many trails between Trient and Col de Balme, runners took a barely extra direct route than in years previous, which along with cool and dry circumstances, plus the ever-increasing depth of competitors at this occasion, meant quick occasions.
Final 12 months’s winners, Manuel Merillas (Spain) and Sheila Aviles (Spain) didn’t return to defend their titles, however there have been many quick ladies and men to problem for the win.
You may as well take a look at extra outcomes from the week’s UTMB Mont Blanc pageant:
2023 OCC Girls’s Race
The depth of the ladies’s discipline for the 2023 OCC was spectacular, however after 55k, it was Toni McCann (South Africa) who bumped into Chamonix solo for the win with a time of 5:18:21. Final 12 months’s OCC fifth-place finisher put collectively a strong race begin to end and seemed completely ecstatic, if just a little bit shocked, when crossing the end line with loads of time to have a good time her win. The South African runner is coming off a string of victories this season already, together with the Davos X-Trails and Transvulcania by UTMB 50k.
The 2023 OCC ladies’s champion Toni McCann seems completely surprised at her victory. All photographs: UTMB
All eyes have been on the 2022 UTMB champion and 2023 Western States 100 second-place finisher, Katie Schide (U.S.), and he or she didn’t disappoint at this a lot shorter distance. An American residing in France, Schide has an extended historical past with the UTMB race pageant occasions, together with a further two top-10 UTMB finishes in 2019 and 2021 and a second place at CCC in 2018.
Within the closing kilometers of the race, it was clear that Schide would earn a podium spot, however it was unknown whether or not she’d have the ability to maintain off a charging Miao Yao (China). With the hole hovering at 15 to twenty seconds via the ultimate minutes of the race, it appeared potential that Yao, a 2:37 marathoner, would have the leg velocity to shut the hole on the longer-distance specialist.
However in the long run, by operating the steps and squeezing each final second out of the course, Schide was capable of maintain on to second with a time of 5:26:25. Yao completed in 5:27:07.
2023 OCC Girls’s Outcomes
- Toni McCann (South Africa) – 5:18:21
- Katie Schide (U.S., lives in France) – 5:26:25
- Miao Yao (China) – 5:27:07
- Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) – 5:36:25
- Daniela Oemus (Germany) – 5:38:22
- Rachel Drake (U.S.) – 5:40:27
- Candice Fertin (France) – 5:41:39
- Louise Serban-Penhoat (France) – 5:44:41
- Núria Gil (Spain) – 5:44:58
- Anna-Stiina Erkkilä (Finland) – 5:45:16
The 2023 OCC ladies’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Katie Schide, 1. Toni McCann, and three. Miao Yao.
2023 OCC Males’s Race
Stian Angermund (Norway) took over the lead simply over midway and by no means seemed again.
The battle for the ultimate podium spots remained shut between Francesco Puppi (Italy), Antonio Martínez (Spain), and You-Sheng Guan (China). Puppi ran a sensible race all through, staying close to the entrance, however was way back to ninth place at 23k into the race, and was capable of placed on the fuel to slowly however absolutely transfer himself into second by the tip. With a closing time of 4:44:58, he was capable of simply keep forward of Martínez, who completed on the ultimate podium spot in 4:45:19. Puppi has already had a profitable season with these shorter distances, together with wins within the Lavaredo Extremely Path by UTMB 50k and the Andersen Half Marathon Path.
2023 OCC Males’s Outcomes
- Stian Angermund (Norway) – 4:42:40
- Francesco Puppi (Italy) – 4:44:58
- Antonio Martínez (Spain) – 4:45:19
- You-Sheng Guan (China) – 4:45:49
- Jeshurun Small (U.S.) – 4:48:18
- Robbie Simpson (Nice Britain) – 4:55:33
- Anthony Felber (France) – 4:55:50
- Guang-Fu Meng (China) – 4:56:14
- Tao Luo (China) – 4:57:54
- Jan Margarit Solé (Spain) – 4:59:46
The 2023 OCC males’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Francesco Puppi, 1. Stian Angermund, and three. Antonio Martínez.
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