Blandine L'Hirondel - Trail Runner Profile

Blandine L'Hirondel is a French ultrarunner and obstetrician-gynaecologist who won the 2026 UTMB in 21:54:49, becoming only the second athlete after Ruth Croft to complete the OCC (2021), the CCC (2022) and UTMB. She has also won two Trail World Championship titles, in 2019 and 2022.

Blandine L'Hirondel quick facts

  • Age: 34 or 35 (born 1991)
  • Nationality: France
  • UTMB Index: 815 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
  • ITRA score: 801 (as of 29 August 2026, ITRA profile)
  • Key results: Chamonix set: OCC (2021), CCC (2022), UTMB (2026): 2nd athlete ever; World titles: 2019 and 2022; UTMB 2026: Winner, 21:54:49

UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.

Country: France · Team: Kiprun · Specialities: 100 miles, 50–100km

Right now: Won the 2026 UTMB, becoming the second athlete ever to complete the OCC-CCC-UTMB set.

Key facts

  • Chamonix set: OCC (2021), CCC (2022), UTMB (2026): 2nd athlete ever
  • World titles: 2019 and 2022
  • UTMB 2026: Winner, 21:54:49
  • Profession: Obstetrician-gynaecologist

A doctor on the world's hardest trails

L'Hirondel practises as an obstetrician-gynaecologist alongside racing. She won the Trail World Championships in 2019 in Miranda do Corvo, Portugal, then took a second world title and a European title in 2022, the same year she won the CCC.

The Chamonix set, one distance at a time

She built up through the UTMB Mont-Blanc distances rather than starting at 100 miles: the 55km OCC in 2021, then the 101km CCC in 2022 in what stood as a course record. UTMB itself took three tries: third on her 2023 debut, fifth in 2024, then a win in 2026 in 21:54:49, the first French woman to take the title since Caroline Chaverot in 2016.

Where she is right now

Her 2026 UTMB win came in a women's field reshaped by absences: Courtney Dauwalter dropped out, Ruth Croft withdrew before the start, and Katie Schide missed it with injury. L'Hirondel held off Americans Rachel Entrekin, in 22:15:54, and Emily Schmitz, in 22:17:28.

How Blandine runs

L'Hirondel is a championship-honed racer who carried her short-trail speed into the longest distances. Her two Trail World Championship titles came over 44km in Portugal in 2019 and 78km in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022, where she won by more than 12 minutes, and that background still shows in how comfortably she handles fast, technical descents deep into a 100-mile race.

She built up through the UTMB Mont-Blanc distances one at a time: the 55km OCC in 2021, the 101km CCC in 2022, and then UTMB itself after a third place on her debut in 2023 and fifth in 2024. Each step added experience of longer efforts, night running and fuelling without losing the speed that made her a world champion.

She is also a practising obstetrician-gynaecologist, which means fitting elite training around a demanding medical career. Her racing reflects that efficiency: purposeful, well paced and focused on a small number of big targets.

Where Blandine is strongest

Technical Alpine terrain across every UTMB Mont-Blanc distance, from the 55km OCC to the 174km UTMB, which she won in 2026 in 21:54:49. Very few athletes have won across three such different distances.

She is also a proven championship racer at shorter ultra distances. Her strengths lie in technical mountain courses rather than in very fast, runnable 100-milers or multi-day races.

The edge. Range. Few athletes have won across three such different UTMB Mont-Blanc distances.

What you can learn from Blandine

1. Move up through the distances patiently

L'Hirondel won at 55km and 101km before winning at 170km. Building through distances lets you learn pacing, fuelling and night running in stages. Each step is a chance to make mistakes when they are less costly.

2. Your debut result is not your ceiling

She was third at her first UTMB, fifth at her second and won at her third. A disappointing second attempt does not mean your first was a fluke or your limit. Keep learning from each race and stay focused on the long-term progression.

3. Keep technical skills sharp at every distance

Her technical descending comes from years of shorter, faster racing. Even if you are training for an ultra, keep regular technical downhill practice in your week so you can still move well when you are tired.

4. A demanding career and serious running can coexist

She combines elite racing with a medical career. If your time is limited, plan your training around your work rather than against it: protect a few key sessions each week, keep the rest flexible, and choose a small number of goal races.

Selected results

Year Race Result
2026 UTMB 1st (21:54:49)
2024 UTMB 5th
2023 UTMB 3rd (on debut)
2022 CCC 1st (course record)
2022 Trail World Championships 1st
2021 OCC 1st
2019 Trail World Championships 1st (Miranda do Corvo, Portugal)

A selection, not a complete race history.

Official profiles

Compare yourself with Blandine

  • ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
  • Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the 2026 UTMB women's race?

Blandine L'Hirondel of France, in 21:54:49, the first French woman to win since Caroline Chaverot in 2016.

What is the OCC-CCC-UTMB triple crown?

Winning all three UTMB Mont-Blanc races. L'Hirondel became only the second athlete to do it, after New Zealand's Ruth Croft, with her OCC win in 2021, her CCC win in 2022 and her UTMB win in 2026.

Is Blandine L'Hirondel really a doctor?

Yes. She is a practising obstetrician-gynaecologist alongside her racing career.

Runners with a similar profile

  • Katie Schide (United States): UTMB course-record holder, Western States champion, Hardrock record-breaker and world champion over 82km.
  • Ruth Croft (New Zealand): The first woman to win the OCC, the CCC and UTMB: the complete Chamonix set.
  • Jim Walmsley (United States): The first American man to win UTMB, and the athlete who redefined how fast a 100-miler can be run from the front.
  • Anton Krupicka (United States): Won Leadville twice as a virtual unknown, then spent two decades as the sport's most recognizable minimalist.

Sources and verification

Checked against the following sources on 2026-08-29:

Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/blandine-lhirondel

Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.