Lessons from the Long Run: Comparing My CCC 2024 and UTMB 2023 Experiences
Disclaimer: They're both gruelling
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Every long run teaches you something. But some races, especially those that test your limits, can offer you much much more.
In 2023, I finished 12th at UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc), a result I was proud of but one that I knew I could improve on. I went there for experience and I felt that I got more than my fair share. Fast forward to 2024, and I secured 4th place at the CCC (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix). Reflecting on these two races, I noticed key similarities and differences that shaped my performances—and ultimately how I grew through the back end of 2023, 2024 and looking forward to 2025.
Training and Recovery after Western States
The training and recovery after Western States 2023 taught me a lot. In 2023 I returned to New Zealand with Michelle and we moved into our first home. It was a very exciting moment for us and one that I feel very fortunate for. However, it was a busy time. I then travelled to Europe, recceing the full UTMB course and travelled back up to altitude in Tignes, France for training. The thought process there was to train at 2,100m, keeping hold of my altitude gains made in the US. After a solid training block I moved down to Chamonix 10 days out from race day. Each of those days I was wishing for my body to freshen up. But the pop in my legs never returned.
The recovery and taper was a huge lesson that I brought forward to this year. Michelle and I travelled straight from the Americas to Europe. We took our sweet time doing a loop of Mont Blanc, although still taxing on the body it was a nice reintroduction to training. From there I stationed myself in Chamonix with the adidas TERREX team. We trained hard, but I was careful to keep a lid on things. This year chatting with coach Robbie Britton, we prolonged my taper and I went into the race encouraged that my energy levels had returned by race day.
The Terrain: Same Same (hard) But Different
The UTMB and CCC share sections of the same stunning Mont Blanc loop, but their differences in distance and elevation bring unique challenges. UTMB is the full circumnavigation of Mont Blanc—171 km and roughly 10,000 metres of elevation gain. CCC, at 100 km with about 6,000 metres of climbing, is shorter but the race more intense. Both races have climbs up and above 2,500m with both technical and flowing sections.
UTMB pushes you into deep dark places and right to the edge of endurance while you max out intensity for what is essentially a day of pain. I was out for just under 22 hours, through one complete night, while some people are out there for two full nights.
In UTMB 2023, I had to manage my energy more conservatively, knowing the brutality of the course by pushing too hard earlier on.
Strategy and Pacing: Playing Two Different Games
At UTMB, the challenge is long-term survival. After my 12th place finish, I learned the importance of conserving strength through the first half. UTMB rewards the patient, those who can pace themselves smartly and stay calm during the inevitable lows. In 2023, I probably started too hard for how I was feeling and the race wore me down, bringing deep lows way too early on. This left me feeling uncompetitive and I was never really at the pointy end of the race.
For CCC, with a smaller time window, the race is a blend of endurance and high tempo. You don’t have as much room for error. One lesson from UTMB that I applied at CCC was starting more comfortably and working into the sections that suited me. When the race transitioned into runnable sections, I was ready to push the pace. This shift in pacing strategy helped with a much more enjoyable middle section of the race. Even as I hurt towards the end.
Mental Fatigue: A Battle of Hours vs. Intensity
Both races demand immense mental strength, but in different ways.
UTMB is a marathon of mental fortitude. It’s a 20-hour or more test of willpower, where you fight through not only physical fatigue but also the psychological drain of hours spent moving through darkness, over endless ascents and descents. In 2023, I went through an incredibly dark patch, death marching over Gran Col Ferret, just before dawn. The desire to push through, especially when you’re so deep into exhaustion, is tough. But in the end, there’s only one way to get to the finish and that’s to pull yourself out of those low moments and to keep going
In CCC, the mental game comes more from the intensity than the duration. The race, though shorter, is packed with intense segments that demand a strategy of run vs hike. This year, I kept reminding myself to stay in the moment and focus on the section at hand rather than worry about the next climb or stretch. It was actually really nice to be going up Gran Col Ferret feeling good this year in the warm daylight. It was a complete contrast to the previous year.
The Takeaway: Evolution Through Experience
My journey from 12th place at UTMB 2023 to 4th at CCC 2024 wasn’t just about improving my finish time or position. It was about understanding the nuances of ultrarunning—how every race teaches you something but also demands something different from you.
What I’ve learned is that the difference between finishing 12th and 4th isn’t just about fitness. It’s about how you adapt to the race, mentally approach and attack it, and also trust the lessons from past experiences.
In every long run, there’s always another lesson. I’m excited for what the next race will teach me.
