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2021 UTMB Events Men’s Top Runners

The top men’s entrants for the 2021 UTMB, CCC, TDS, and OCC races.
By on February 19, 2021 | Comments
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UTMB logoThe UTMB race administration has released results of the lottery draw for the 2021 edition of all its events. High-level athletes are considered separately, as the race administration holds many spots for them. In the weeks before the draw, the race administration made public the top runners who have been given entrance into the 2021 races. A few top runners gained entrance through the lottery.

Here you can search the full entrants lists for all the UTMB races, six events spread over a week. Also on this page are lists of the “favorites” singled out by the race administration. In this article we preview the most competitive four events. The 171-kilometer UTMB is the week’s main event, and sees the deepest competition. The CCC is 101k, TDS is 145k long, and the OCC is shorter at 56k.

The entrants lists will evolve as the year progresses, as elites may be allowed late entrance, and not all who intend to start will be able to. Then we have the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic that could affect the UTMB events. We’ll update this article sporadically throughout the year.

Let’s take a deep look at these four men’s race fields. We list each section in alphabetical order and additionally provide a recent and relevant result or two for each man to help identify him. Kindly note that we’re using race results from before April of 2020 after which almost every globally competitive race was canceled and the racing of most top runners was limited due to the pandemic.

Be sure to also check out our article on the top women’s runners at the 2021 UTMB events.

2021 UTMB Top Men

[Editor’s Note: We’ve published our updated UTMB men’s preview ahead of the race!]

We divide the top UTMB men’s entrants into a couple categories, “Recent Top-Five Finishers” who’ve finished in the top five since 2010, “Headliner Men” who have proven performances at long mountainous ultramarathons with deep international competition, and “More Top Men” who we think have potential to finish in a top-25 position.

Recent Top-Five Finishers

  • Pau Capell (Spain) – 1st 2019 & 6th 2017 UTMB; 3rd 2018 & 6th 2015 CCC; 1st 2016 TDS
  • François D’haene (France) – 1st 2017, 2014, & 2012 UTMB
  • Javi Dominguez (Spain) – 9th 2019, 10th 2018, 5th 2016, & 3rd 2013 UTMB
  • Jordi Gamito (Spain) – 3rd 2018, 10th 2017, & 12th 2015 UTMB; 5th 2016 & 2014 TDS
  • Gediminas Grinius (Lithuania) – 8th 2017, 2nd 2016, & 5th 2014 UTMB
  • Robert Hajnal (Romania) – 2nd 2018 UTMB; 4th 2019 Madeira Island Ultra Trail
  • Damian Hall (U.K.) – 5th 2018 & 12th 2017 UTMB
  • Scott Hawker (New Zealand) – 3rd 2019 & 11th 2017 UTMB
  • Ludovic Pommeret (France) – 1st 2016 UTMB; 3rd 2019 TDS; 3rd 2017 CCC
  • Hallvard Schjølberg (Norway) – 4th 2018 UTMB; 4th 2019 TDS
  • Jason Schlarb (USA) – 4th 2014 UTMB; 1st 2018 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile
  • Xavier Thévenard (France) – 2nd 2019, 1st 2018, 1st 2015, & 1st 2013 UTMB
  • Tim Tollefson (USA) – 3rd 2017 & 2016 UTMB; 1st 2019 Lavaredo Ultra Trail
  • Jim Walmsley (USA) – 5th 2017 UTMB; 1st 2019 & 2018 Western States 100

Headliner Men

  • Mathieu Blanchard (France, lives in Canada) – 10th 2019 CCC; 13th 2018 UTMB
  • Sage Canaday (USA) – 5th 2020 Tarawera 100k; 2nd 2019 Pikes Peak Marathon
  • Nicolas Gregoire Curmer (France) – 5th 2019 TDS; 1st 2019 Diagonale des Fous
  • Guo-Min Deng (China) – 3rd 2020 & 4th 2019 Vibram Hong Kong 100k; 6th 2019 Lavaredo Ultra Trail
  • Tim Freriks (USA) – 1st 2017 The North Face 50 Mile Championships; 1st 2017 Transvulcania
  • Germain Grangier (France) – 9th 2019 UTMB; 5th 2018 CCC
  • Remigio Huaman (Peru) – 6th 2019 Transvulcania; 6th 2018 & 5th 2017 Marathon des Sables
  • Jing Liang (China) – 2nd 2020 & 2019 Vibram Hong Kong 100k; 2nd 2019 Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji [Jing Liang tragically died along with 20 others at the Yellow River Stone Forest 100k in late May 2021.]
  • Can-Hua Luo (China) – 11th 2019 UTMB
  • Zach Miller (USA) – 9th 2017 & 6th 2016 UTMB; 1st 2015 CCC
  • Dmitry Mityaev (Russia) – 2nd 2019 & 3rd 2018 TDS
  • Diego Pazos (Switzerland) – 6th 2020 Transgrancanaria; 5th 2018 TDS; 5th 2015 CCC; 11th 2014 UTMB
  • Min Qi (China) – 2nd 2018 CCC; 1st 2018 Vibram Hong Kong 100k
  • Ryan Sandes (South Africa) – 11th 2019 Western States 100; 5th 2019 Tarawera 100k
  • Pablo Villa (Spain) – 1st 2020 & 2nd 2019 Transgrancanaria; 1st 2019 TDS
  • Ho-Chung Wong (Hong Kong) – 7th 2019 UTMB; 1st 2019 The North Face Hong Kong 100k
  • Yan-Qiao Yun (China) – 6th 2019 & 11th 2018 TDS
  • Jia-Ju Zhao (China) – 11th 2019 CCC

More Top Men

  • Jon Aizpuru (Spain) – Top 3 last 4 editions of Ultratrail Ehunmilak
  • Sébastien Camus (France) – 10th 2019 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 4th 2018 Madeira Island Ultra Trail
  • Franco Colle (Italy) – 1st 2018 Tor des Géants
  • Regis Durand (France) – 8th 2018 TDS
  • Dani Garcia (Spain) – 4th 2018 Reventon Trail; 5th 2017 Trail World Championships
  • Maxime Grenot (France) – 7th 2019 TDS
  • Moisés Jimenez (Venezuela, lives in France) – 16th 2019 UTMB; 10th 2018 TDS
  • Harry Jones (U.K.) – 15th 2019 UTMB; 8th 2018 CCC
  • Mario Mendoza (USA) – 14th 2019 CCC; 6th 2018 Trail World Championships
  • Jerome Mirassou (France) – 6th 2018 TDS
  • Hannes Namberger (Germany) – 12th 2019 CCC; 10th 2019 Transvulcania
  • Paddy O’Leary (Ireland, lives in the USA) – 9th 2019 Vibram Hong Kong 100k
  • Giulio Ornati (Italy) – 11th 2019 TDS
  • Isaac Riera Castro (Spain) – 9th 2019 Lavaredo Ultra Trail; 10th 2018 CCC
  • Andris Ronimoiss (Latvia) – 6th 2018 CCC; 11th 2018 Trail World Championships
  • Santos Gabriel Rueda (Argentina) – 9th 2019 TDS; 4th 2019 Eiger Ultra-Trail
  • Stefano Ruzza (Italy) – 7th 2018 UTMB
Pau Capell - 2019 UTMB champion

Pau Capell, 2019 UTMB champion. Photo: iRunFar

2021 CCC Top Men

Here are the top CCC men’s entrants:

  • Pere Aurell (Spain) – 1st 2018 Transvulcania
  • Thibaut Baronian (France) – 7th 2019 Pikes Peak Marathon
  • Dylan Bowman (USA) – 2nd 2018 TDS
  • Patrick Bringer (France) – 2nd 2019 Mont-Blanc 90k; 1st 2018 Les Templiers
  • Kris Brown (USA) – 13th 2019 & 10th 2018 Western States 100
  • Sylvain Camus (France) – 8th 2019 Diagonale des Fous; 2nd 2017 TDS
  • Matt Daniels (USA) – 4th 2019 Western States 100
  • Marco De Gasperi (Italy) – 4th 2018 CCC
  • Aritz Egea (Spain) – 4th 2019 Pikes Peak Marathon
  • Mohamed El Morabity (Morocco) – 2nd 2019, 2018, & 2017 Marathon des Sables
  • Thibaut Garrivier (France) – 2nd 2019 CCC
  • Jared Hazen (USA) – 2nd 2019 Western States; 1st 2019 & 2nd 2018 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile
  • Luis Alberto Hernando (Spain) – 1st 2019 CCC; 2nd 2015 UTMB
  • Drew Holmen (USA) – 4th 2019 The North Face 50 Mile Championships
  • Stephen Kersh (USA) – 7th 2019 Western States 100
  • Janosch Kowalczyk (Germany) – 1st 2018 Ultra-Trail Cape Town; 10th 2018 & 11th 2017 Trail World Championships
  • Jorge Maravilla (USA) – 10th 2017 CCC
  • Nicolas Martin (France) – 2nd 2018 & 2017 Les Templiers
  • Sam McCutcheon (New Zealand) – 7th 2019 CCC
  • Jia-Sheng Shen (China) – 5th 2019 CCC
  • Andreu Simon Aymerich (Spain) – 2nd 2019 CCC
  • Juan Somohano (Spain) – 6th 2019 CCC
  • Pablo Villalobos (Spain) – 4th 2018 OCC
  • Pei-Quan You (China) – 1st 2020 Vibram Hong Kong 100k
  • Zhen-Long Zhang (China) – 9th 2019 CCC
2018 Trail World Championships - Luis Alberto Hernando champion

Luis Alberto Hernando on his way to winning the 2018 Trail World Championships. Photo: iRunFar

2021 TDS Top Men

These are the top TDS men’s entrants:

  • Fabien Antolinos (France) – 8th 2018 Mont-Blanc 90k; 5th 2015 UTMB
  • Tòfol Castanyer (Spain) – 10th 2019 & 4th 2018 TDS
  • Cristofer Clemente (Spain, lives on the Canary Islands) – 2nd 2018 Trail World Championships
  • Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (France) – 2nd 2018 Madeira Island Ultra Trail
  • Tom Evans (U.K.) – 1st 2018 CCC
  • Mike Foote (USA) – 6th 2019 Oman by UTMB 130k; 5th 2013 UTMB
  • Francisco Freitas (Portugal) – 20th 2019 & 21st 2018 UTMB
  • Benoit Girondel (France) – 1st 2018 & 2017 Diagonale des Fous
  • Florian Grasel (Austria) – 9th 2018 UTMB
  • Antoine Guillon (France) – 4th 2018 Diagonale des Fous
  • Weston Hill (New Zealand) – 13th 2019 Transvulcania; 12th 2018 CCC
  • Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon (France)  – 9th 2019 Madeira Island Ultra Trail; 9th 2018 CCC
  • Daniel Jung (Italy) – 7th 2018 Transvulcania
  • Martin Kern (France) – 12th 2019 UTMB
  • Rob Krar (USA) – 1st 2019 Leadville Trail 100 Mile; 1st 2015, 1st 2014, & 2nd 2013 Western States 100
  • Tom Owens (U.K.) – 4th 2019 UTMB
  • Seth Swanson (USA) – 1st 2019 Bighorn 100 Mile; 4th 2015 UTMB
  • Alberto Vinagre (Spain) – 10th 2020 Transgrancanaria

2021 OCC Top Men

These are the top men’s OCC entrants:

  • Jonathan Albon (U.K.) – 1st 2019 & 4th 2018 Trail World Championships
  • Stian Angermund-Vik (Norway) – 1st 2019 OCC
  • Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) – 8th 2019 Sierre-Zinal; 1st 2018 Zegama Marathon
  • Ivan Camps (Spain) – 4th 2019 & 7th 2018 CCC
  • Thomas Cardin (France) – 4th 2020 Trail du Ventoux
  • Oriol Cardona (Spain) – 3rd 2019 Limone Extreme SkyMasters
  • Marc Casal Mir (Andorra) – 2nd 2018 Matterhorn Ultraks
  • Oscar Casal Mir (Andorra) – 4th 2019 Yading Skyrun
  • Davide Cheraz (Italy) – 5th 2020 Trail du Ventoux
  • Samuel Dávila (Venezuela) – 2nd 2019 Marathon Pirineu
  • Pascal Egli (Switzerland) – 1st 2018 Run the Rut 28k
  • Petter Engdahl (Sweden) – 3rd 2019 Transvulcania
  • Hayden Hawks (USA) – 1st 2020 Black Canyon 100k; 1st 2018 Lavaredo Ultra Trail
  • Eren-Jia Jia (China) – 1st 2018 OCC
  • Cody Lind (USA) – 1st 2019 Run the Rut 50k
  • Tao Luo (China) – 3rd 2019 OCC
  • Antonio Martínez (Spain) – 8th 2019 Trail World Championships
  • Marc Pinsach (Spain) – 1st 2015 & 2nd 2014 OCC
  • Ruy Ueda (Japan) – 1st 2019 Limone Extreme SkyMasters; 2nd 2016 CCC
  • Stephan Wenk (Switzerland) – 13th 2019 Sierre-Zinal
2019 Trail World Championships - Jonathan Albon champion

Jonathan Albon winning the 2019 Trail World Championships. Photo: iRunFar

Top Runners Not Currently on Any 2021 UTMB Event Entrants List

Notably, some of the top finishers in the UTMB festival’s recent history are not currently on the entrants list of any 2021 races. 

  • Jiří Čípa (Czech Republic) – 3rd 2019 CCC
  • Kilian Jornet (Spain, lives in Norway) – 2nd 2017 UTMB; 3-time UTMB champion

Call for Comments

  • Who do you think could win the UTMB, CCC, TDS, and OCC men’s races?
  • Wow, that’s a ton of fast runners and amazing results! With so many names and races, we surely missed a couple top runners or made a couple mistakes. Leave a comment if you think someone should be included on these lists or if you see an error.
UTMB sunrise

A Swiss sunrise greets racers during UTMB. Photo: Kirsten Kortebein

Related articles:

  1. 2021 UTMB Events Women’s Top Runners The top women's entrants for the 2021 UTMB, CCC, TDS, and OCC races....
  2. 2020 UTMB Events Top Runners Lists of the top entrants for the 2020 UTMB events....
  3. 2022 UTMB Events Men’s Top Runners The top men’s entrants for the 2022 UTMB, CCC, TDS, and OCC races....
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Meghan Hicks

Meghan Hicks is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar. She’s been running since she was 13 years old, and writing and editing about the sport for around 15 years. She served as iRunFar’s Managing Editor from 2013 through mid-2023, when she stepped into the role of Editor-in-Chief. Aside from iRunFar, Meghan has worked in communications and education in several of America’s national parks, was a contributing editor for Trail Runner magazine, and served as a columnist at Marathon & Beyond. She’s the co-author of Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running with Bryon Powell. She won the 2013 Marathon des Sables, finished on the podium of the Hardrock 100 Mile in 2021, and has previously set fastest known times on the Nolan’s 14 mountain running route in 2016 and 2020. Based part-time in Moab, Utah and Silverton, Colorado, Meghan also enjoys reading, biking, backpacking, and watching sunsets.