Did UTMB Ruin My Dream?
The Ox
3,090 views
I watched UTMB on television for years before I ran it.
From a sofa in the south-east of England, it looked impossible. The mountains, the distance, the runners who seemed to belong to a different category of person entirely.
I didn't tell anyone I wanted to do it. I just thought it.
Eight qualifying races. Three years. And then — Chamonix.
So did it live up to the dream? Did competing in the most famous ultra marathon in the world ruin the thing I'd been chasing for years?
Honest answer — in this film.
Including the nosebleed in Geneva airport. The portaloos. The German runner who said the quad-killer descent into Courmayeur was fun. And what Valentina told me the week after I got home.
THE QUALIFYING JOURNEY — IN ORDER
UTS 50K — Snowdonia
Grand Trail du Saint Jacques — France
Wildstrubel 70 — Switzerland
Arc 50M — Cornwall
UTS 100K — Snowdonia
Wildstrubel 110 — Switzerland
Arc 100M — Cornwall
UTS 100M — Snowdonia
UTMB Mont Blanc — Chamonix
WATCH THE QUALIFYING RACES
Arc of Attrition 100 — Surviving Storm Ingrid — Arc of Attrition 100 – Surviving Storm Ing...
Wildstrubel 110 — Conquering Epic Climbs in the Swiss Alps — Wildstrubel 110: Conquering Epic Climbs in...
No Crowds. No Glory. Just Grit | UTS 100K — No Crowds. No Glory. Just Grit. | My UTS 1...
I Didn't Know If I'd Finish Until The Last Mile | UTS 100M 2026 — I Didn't Know If I'd Finish Until The Last...
THE FULL UTMB SERIES
I Took The Train To UTMB. Here's Why — And Whether It Matters | Part 1 — AM I READY?
42 Hours. One Secret. The Hardest Race Of My Life | Part 2 — Video
CHAPTERS
0:00 — The Dream
1:30 — What Was UTMB From The Outside
3:17 — The Journey — Eight Races, Three Years
4:39 — The Start Line
5:38 — The Race
8:13 — After The Dream
11:03 — The Answer
MY COACHES
Training plan and race support — Steve at Zone2 Coaching
Instagram: zone2coaching
Strength and conditioning — Valentina Poxley
Instagram: valentinapoxley
10 Comments
Brilliant video again Ox as always.
Standing on the start line in Chamonix, I wasn't sure whether the race would live up to what I'd imagined.
Did it?
And has there ever been something you worked toward for years — a race, a goal, anything — that turned out different from what you expected? Drop it below.
Did UTMB Ruin My Dream?
The Ox
3,090 views
I watched UTMB on television for years before I ran it.
From a sofa in the south-east of England, it looked impossible. The mountains, the distance, the runners who seemed to belong to a different category of person entirely.
I didn't tell anyone I wanted to do it. I just thought it.
Eight qualifying races. Three years. And then — Chamonix.
So did it live up to the dream? Did competing in the most famous ultra marathon in the world ruin the thing I'd been chasing for years?
Honest answer — in this film.
Including the nosebleed in Geneva airport. The portaloos. The German runner who said the quad-killer descent into Courmayeur was fun. And what Valentina told me the week after I got home.
THE QUALIFYING JOURNEY — IN ORDER
UTS 50K — Snowdonia
Grand Trail du Saint Jacques — France
Wildstrubel 70 — Switzerland
Arc 50M — Cornwall
UTS 100K — Snowdonia
Wildstrubel 110 — Switzerland
Arc 100M — Cornwall
UTS 100M — Snowdonia
UTMB Mont Blanc — Chamonix
WATCH THE QUALIFYING RACES
Arc of Attrition 100 — Surviving Storm Ingrid — Arc of Attrition 100 – Surviving Storm Ing...
Wildstrubel 110 — Conquering Epic Climbs in the Swiss Alps — Wildstrubel 110: Conquering Epic Climbs in...
No Crowds. No Glory. Just Grit | UTS 100K — No Crowds. No Glory. Just Grit. | My UTS 1...
I Didn't Know If I'd Finish Until The Last Mile | UTS 100M 2026 — I Didn't Know If I'd Finish Until The Last...
THE FULL UTMB SERIES
I Took The Train To UTMB. Here's Why — And Whether It Matters | Part 1 — AM I READY?
42 Hours. One Secret. The Hardest Race Of My Life | Part 2 — Video
CHAPTERS
0:00 — The Dream
1:30 — What Was UTMB From The Outside
3:17 — The Journey — Eight Races, Three Years
4:39 — The Start Line
5:38 — The Race
8:13 — After The Dream
11:03 — The Answer
MY COACHES
Training plan and race support — Steve at Zone2 Coaching
Instagram: zone2coaching
Strength and conditioning — Valentina Poxley
Instagram: valentinapoxley