Three Americans Take on Two of Europe’s Biggest Trail Races

The UTMB and the CCC are two of the toughest trail races in the world.

Chamonix – a hub for every adventure from mountaineering to skiing – is home to the finish line for both of these races.

The UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) spans 170 kilometers across three countries. Runners climb over 33,000 feet of elevation gain—that’s more than climbing Everest from sea level.

The CCC is no picnic, either. The acronym stands for Chamonix-Courmayeur-Champex, and it’s a 101 km race with more than 20,000 feet of climbing.

These three Nike athletes – David Laney (UTMB), Zach Miller (CCC) and Tim Tollefson (CCC) – set out to prove that Americans could stand on one of the most prized podiums in Europe, as historically, locals have dominated these races.  While we won’t spoil the ending of this fantastic film by Billy Zang, that wasn’t the case in 2015.

Watch the full film here. It might just inspire you to get outside and run.