The 2023 OCC race left Orsières, Switzerland, at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, August 31, and despatched 1,729 runners via Champex-Lac, Switzerland, and directly to the end in Chamonix, France. The purpose-to-point course via Orsières, Champex-Lac, and Chamonix, with the abbreviated race title coming from the city names, is incessantly known as the Little Swiss Sister of UTMB.
Whilst the path is a rather brief 55 kilometers (34.2 miles), it’s filled with an outstanding 3,500 meters (11,480 toes) of elevation achieve throughout the top mountains. With a rockslide remaining some of the trails between Trient and Col de Balme, runners took a quite extra direct course than in years previous, which in conjunction with cool and dry stipulations, plus the ever-increasing intensity of festival at this match, supposed rapid occasions.
Remaining 12 months’s winners, Manuel Merillas (Spain) and Sheila Aviles (Spain) didn’t go back to protect their titles, however there have been many rapid men and women to problem for the win.
You’ll be able to additionally take a look at extra effects from the week’s UTMB Mont Blanc pageant:
2023 OCC Girls’s Race
The intensity of the ladies’s box for the 2023 OCC was once spectacular, however after 55k, it was once Toni McCann (South Africa) who bumped into Chamonix solo for the win with a time of five:18:21. Remaining 12 months’s OCC fifth-place finisher put in combination a forged race begin to end and regarded completely ecstatic, if somewhat bit stunned, when crossing the end line with a variety of time to have a good time her win. The South African runner is coming off a string of victories this season already, together with the Davos X-Trails and Transvulcania via UTMB 50k.
The 2023 OCC girls’s champion Toni McCann seems to be completely shocked at her victory. All footage: UTMB
All eyes had been at the 2022 UTMB champion and 2023 Western States 100 second-place finisher, Katie Schide (U.S.), and he or she didn’t disappoint at this a lot shorter distance. An American residing in France, Schide has a protracted historical past with the UTMB race pageant occasions, together with an extra two top-10 UTMB finishes in 2019 and 2021 and a moment position at CCC in 2018.
Within the ultimate kilometers of the race, it was once transparent that Schide would earn a podium spot, nevertheless it was once unknown whether or not she’d have the ability to grasp off a charging Miao Yao (China). With the space soaring at 15 to twenty seconds throughout the ultimate mins of the race, it gave the impression conceivable that Yao, a 2:37 marathoner, would have the leg pace to near the space at the longer-distance specialist.
However after all, via working the stairs and squeezing each and every remaining moment out of the path, Schide was once ready to carry directly to moment with a time of five:26:25. Yao completed in 5:27:07.
2023 OCC Girls’s Effects
- Toni McCann (South Africa) – 5:18:21
- Katie Schide (U.S., lives in France) – 5:26:25
- Miao Yao (China) – 5:27:07
- Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) – 5:36:25
- Daniela Oemus (Germany) – 5:38:22
- Rachel Drake (U.S.) – 5:40:27
- Candice Fertin (France) – 5:41:39
- Louise Serban-Penhoat (France) – 5:44:41
- Núria Gil (Spain) – 5:44:58
- Anna-Stiina Erkkilä (Finland) – 5:45:16
The 2023 OCC girls’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Katie Schide, 1. Toni McCann, and three. Miao Yao.
2023 OCC Males’s Race
Stian Angermund (Norway) took over the lead simply over midway and not regarded again.
The combat for the general podium spots remained shut between Francesco Puppi (Italy), Antonio Martínez (Spain), and You-Sheng Guan (China). Puppi ran a wise race all the way through, staying close to the entrance, however was once way back to 9th position at 23k into the race, and was once ready to position at the gasoline to slowly however certainly transfer himself into moment via the top. With a last time of four:44:58, he was once ready to simply keep forward of Martínez, who completed at the ultimate podium spot in 4:45:19. Puppi has already had a a hit season with those shorter distances, together with wins within the Lavaredo Extremely Path via UTMB 50k and the Andersen Part Marathon Path.
2023 OCC Males’s Effects
- Stian Angermund (Norway) – 4:42:40
- Francesco Puppi (Italy) – 4:44:58
- Antonio Martínez (Spain) – 4:45:19
- You-Sheng Guan (China) – 4:45:49
- Jeshurun Small (U.S.) – 4:48:18
- Robbie Simpson (Nice Britain) – 4:55:33
- Anthony Felber (France) – 4:55:50
- Guang-Fu Meng (China) – 4:56:14
- Tao Luo (China) – 4:57:54
- Jan Margarit Solé (Spain) – 4:59:46
The 2023 OCC males’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Francesco Puppi, 1. Stian Angermund, and three. Antonio Martínez.
