Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc sets off tonight

Chamonix has been gearing up for the start of one of the biggest events in trail running, the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB).

The official "Salon" began on Wednesday and this year is bigger than ever with over 100 exhibitor stands set up in a special village on the Place du Mont Blanc. If you want to check out the latest kit this is the place to head, many stands are also offering discounts for the duration of the event.

The week started with the Petite Trotte à Léon (PTL), a team race which the official UTMB website describes somewhat strangely as a "hallucinatory event"... The course is different each year but is normally around 300km and includes 25000m of positive altitude gain. It is run by teams of 2 or 3 people, who must remain together throughout. There are no final positions and therefore no "winners" as such, but each team who completes within the allotted 138 hours (!) receives a certificate. The runners set off on Monday evening at 22:00 and are expected to finish before Sunday afternoon at 16:30.

The Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) set off yesterday at 9am from Courmayeur, just the other side of the Mont Blanc tunnel in Italy. The course is 110km with 7100m of positive altitude gain, taking a tour through the stunning peaks of the Mont Blanc, Beaufort and Tarentaise regions of the French Alps with a little dip into Italy via the Aosta Valley.

The Courmayeur Champex Chamonix (CCC) only just set off at 10pm this morning; runners leave from Courmayeur over in Italy, pass through Champex in Switzerland and finish up here in Chamonix. The course is 98km with 5600m of positive altitude gain; the winner is expected to finish in around 11 hours and 40 minutes, so expect to see the first finishers coming in between 21:30 and 22:00 this evening.

The biggest event of them all though is obviously the Ultra Trail itself, with runners from all over the world descending on Chamonix to take part. Never will you see so much lycra and Gortex in one place.

The UTMB sets off this evening from the centre of Chamonix. Runners set off from outside the Tourist Office at 18:30 and run along the main street in the direction of Les Houches as all us sane folks cheer them on the way with a glass of wine in hand. There will be a great atmosphere in town with everyone lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the action; don't plan on driving through town or getting anywhere quickly as it will be packed.

BREAKING NEWS... UTMB START TIME DELAYED DUE TO WEATHER WARNING... CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER DETAILS...

The UTMB follows the same general direction as the CCC, passing through 3 countries and circumnavigating the foot of Mont Blanc. It is a mighty 166km though and includes a positive altitude gain of 9500m. The winner is expected to take around 21 and a half hours, with the cut-off time being 46 hours.

Last year's race was dramatically cancelled at the last minute (later than the last minute actually, as the runners had already set off!) due to heavy rain. The paths had become slippery and there were dangerous torrents running across parts of the route so for the sake of the runner's safety the race was called off. We believe this to be the first recorded incident of the French implementing a health and safety policy.

The current good weather should hold out this time round though and all eyes will be on Spanish youngster Kilian Jornet (bib 1501), winner of the 2008 and 2009 editions. Other runners to look out for are 2006/2007 winner Marco Olmo (bib 1502) from Italy and American ultra runner Scott Jurek (bib 1508). Brits Jez Bragg and Lizzie Hawker will once again be taking part; Lizzie is often the 1st female runner over the line and will be wearing bib 19, Jez won the curtailed version of last year's UTMB, so will be sporting the coveted number 1 bib. Good luck to all those taking part - we'll be there to cheer you off tonight!

Click here to watch our video report of this year's North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc >>