Trail Race Report: Nice UTMB 50k 2025
Again?
Yes, if you look at this blog's archives, you'll see a post from 2023 about the (almost) same race: back then it was a 62k and 3300m of elevation, and I ran it with Pierre.
I want to run the CCC again in 2026, after my DNF in 2024. You need to go through a lottery to run the CCC, and the more Running Stones you have, the more changes you get. I had 4 Running Stones with my Saint Jacques 100 Miles, so I wanted to gain a few more to increase my chances.
Pre Race
So here I am again, on the way to Nice by train. I was supposed to arrive at 5pm, giving me plenty of time to pick up my bib, have dinner and rest before waking up at 5am the day after.
But the Paris metro decided otherwise - I missed my train so had to take the next one, arriving in Nice at 8pm, rushing to pick up my bib before the booth closes.
Here's the swag they gave to runners:
a folding fan and a lemonade
I still managed to eat properly as I bought some plain rice and ate it onboard the train to Nice.
Once at the Airbnb, I prepared my bag for the day after, and went to bed.
The Race
I slept 6.5h, which was OK, but I was a bit tired as I recently changed job and got a bit busy, and it would show during the race afterwards.
Goal
The main goal was to grab 2 more Running Stones.
On top of that, I was hoping to run the race in around 8 hours, and if not achievable plan B was 8 to 9 hours.
As you will see below, I learnt from my mistake at Ultra des Maures and did not focus too much on that time.
Profile
The race was a 55 kms and 2100 meters of elevation. Unlike 2023, the start line was in Eze, a nice village - although we barely saw it as the start was shortly after dawn - but we would run nearby and would even get back at Col d'Eze at km 38.
Gear
Adding this section to keep track of what I used for the races :)
- Bag: I initially wanted to use the Wise Sherpa Max I recently bought and validated on a few runs, but in the end I decided to stick to the Instinct Eklipse I already used on several races, as I didn't want to introduce something new / not fully tested. I also used the Instinct belt that I loved at the Ultra des Maures - so useful to carry my poles!
- Food: to avoid stomach problems, I tested and validated some salted food from Meltonic: salted peanut puree, and salted honey gel. I also brought the usual Atlet purees and Naak bars.
- The rest (rain jacket, cap) was "business as usual".
Start
I was in the second wave, starting at 7:45am. The shuttle dropped us off at 6:10, so waiting was a bit long - I'm glad I had my sleeves and jacket to warm me up a bit.
For one time, the first kilometers were nice and there was no bottleneck after 5 minutes (hello CCC!) as the roads then trails were wide enough.
Aid Station 1 (km 9)
- Arrived at: 9:15am (5 minutes earlier than my prediction)
- Stayed 2 minutes
- Didn't take anything, I just swapped one empty flask against a full one in my bag
- Mood/shape: good
- Moments:
- I started slow and had plenty of runners overtaking me. This was done on purpose as I didn't want to "get sucked" into the start, run too fast, only to regret it later in the race
Aid Station 2 (km 22)
- Arrived at: 11:15am
- Refilled water and drank a bit of cola
- Stayed ~5 minutes (3 minutes more than my prediction)
- Mood/shape: good
- Moments:
- I fall 2 kms before the aid station (didn't see a root), just god some bruises but I had a nice calf cramp - which fortunately didn't last.
Aid Station 3 (km 32)
From there, I realised that 8 hours would not be doable, so I switched to plan B which was "8 to 9 hours, if possible" and took it easy: no pressure, do my best but the most important was to finish the race in good shape, and avoid walking at the end (which would happen if I'd push too hard!)
- Arrived at: 1pm
- Refilled water and drank cola
- Stayed ~10 minutes (had to take a bio break!)
- Mood/shape: still good, switching mindset allowed me to stay positive
Aid Station 4 (km 45)
- Arrived at: 3:15pm
- Refilled water, drank cola and water, poured water on my head
- Stayed 9 minutes
- Mood/shape: good, I knew there were only 10 kms left and I was still strong physically
Arrival (km 55)
- Arrived at: 4:44pm
- Total race time: 8:59:27 - so sub-9h!
- Moments:
- 4 kilometers before the finish line, I decided it was time to speed up a bit, and to overtake as many runners as I could
- I switch my watch display to the map, which meant I had no idea what time it was
- In the end I passed the finish line short of 9h!
And here's the swag for finishers:
a beer glass and a nice towel
Wrap Up
What went well
- Physical preparation: I focused a lot on it, to avoid muscle pains, and it really paid off. I kept running on flat surfaces or "false flat", and of course downhill - overtaking many runners. What a difference with my first trail races (X-Trail Corrèze, Trail du Petit Ballon) where I would end the race mostly walking because of hamstring pains!
- Start slowly but surely: as shown below, I was in the lower end of racers at aid station 2, but kept gaining places along the race:
Things to improve
- Food: again, I struggled after 4-5 hours: disgust/nausea when trying to eat, one more time cola saved me (although UTMB is using powder that they dissolve in water, so not real cola - but that's a good point to avoid using plastic).
Having a "short" race also helped, I knew it would be alright, but for my next Ultra I will need to work on that.
Tags: Running