Kris Climbs to 5th place at UTMB OCC
The UTMB OCC is the World Series Finals for the 50k race distance. This year, Kris qualified to run it for the second time in a row, after placing sixth in the 2024 event and following up with a string of wins in 50k “by UTMB” events. He improved his time and placing in one of the most competitive men’s 50k races in recent years.
This year’s OCC race was nothing short of atypical. The weather changed radically compared to the previous years’ hot conditions, leading the organisation to alter the course to keep runners away from high altitudes as much as possible while a storm was brewing. This also led to the course being longer (61 km compared to the “usual” 57 km), whilst keeping the same overall elevation (3,400 m) but adding on a more runnable, flatter finish. Additionally, with the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships taking place just a month later, many of the longer-course specialists opted to enter the OCC instead of the longer UTMB Finals (CCC or UTMB). The result was an extremely dense men’s field, with world-class athletes like Jim Walmsley, Petter Engdahl, and Adam Peterman choosing to race this shorter event.
Kris ran a measured race in conditions not too dissimilar from those he trains in back home in Scotland. He came into the OCC after a string of 50k victories at Kullamannen Seventh Seal, Arc of Attrition 25-miler, and Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 50k, well prepared and ready to put on a great performance.
After battling closely with men’s leader Jim Walmsley and the other podium contenders, Kris stormed into Chamonix 22 minutes faster than last year, climbing one step higher in the rankings for a fantastic fifth place. An amazing performance among the world’s best, congratulations!
Many thanks to Trail Fans for taking photos of Coach Doug and Kris before and during the race.