{"id":17041,"date":"2026-09-04T17:19:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17041"},"modified":"2026-09-04T17:19:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:19:51","slug":"the-fastest-shoes-at-utmb-were-full-of-surprises-we-break-it-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17041","title":{"rendered":"The Fastest Shoes at UTMB Were Full of Surprises. We Break It Down"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Published September 4, 2026 11:08AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The 2026 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB)<\/a> started ominously, with evening thunderstorms calling for a two-hour delay and a slight course reroute. But by the time 2,406 runners got rolling out of Chamonix the skies had basically cleared. And in the end, near-perfect concisions and a particularly fast course were simply a perfect storm for a super fast race.<\/p>\n

America\u2019s Ben Dhiman<\/a> (and last year\u2019s runner-up) ran away from the field on the first major test piece up Col du Bonhomme before the 40K mark. He ultimately finished in 18:16:29, earning the first sub-19-hour time in the race\u2019s history. French national treasure Blandine L\u2019Hirondel matched it on the women\u2019s side, becoming the first woman to break 22 hours with a 21:54:49 finish. She\u2019s just the second woman (and third person) to win all three UTMB World Series Finals races, OCC, CCC, and UTMB.<\/p>\n

The editors of Trail Runner<\/i> were on location in Chamonix, France, checking out the new gear<\/a>, watching the race unfold, while putting together a list of the fastest shoes at UTMB 2026. I\u2019ve personally used many of these shoes, so I include my own testing notes below, just in case you\u2019re interested in emulating the elites (at least in what you\u2019re wearing, anyway).<\/p>\n

On the shoe side, this was one of the more interesting UTMB races I\u2019ve covered. The diversity of brands worn by the top-10 men and women was fascinating. Among the top 10 men and women, 15 brands were represented. And there were more niche shoe companies represented in the field than I\u2019ve ever seen, brands such as Kiprun, the shoe brand from Decathlon; Kailas Fuga from China; Canada\u2019s premium running shoe brand Norda; and Dynafit, best known for their ski mountaineering equipment.<\/p>\n

As someone who tests pretty much every trail shoe, I can tell you these brands all make solid shoes but often don\u2019t get the attention they deserve. The 2026 UTMB<\/a> changed that. Here\u2019s what the top 10 men and women wore, and my take on each.<\/p>\n

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Men\u2019s Top 10<\/h3>\n

Women\u2019s Top 10<\/h3>\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Place<\/span><\/td>\nAthlete<\/span><\/td>\nCountry<\/span><\/td>\nTime<\/span><\/td>\nFootwear<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/span><\/td>\nBlandine L\u2019Hirondel<\/span><\/td>\nFrance<\/span><\/td>\n21:54:49<\/span><\/td>\nKiprun Kipsummit Race<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/td>\nRachel Entrekin<\/span><\/td>\nU.S.<\/span><\/td>\n22:15:54<\/span><\/td>\nNorda 055<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/td>\nEmily Schmitz<\/span><\/td>\nU.S.<\/span><\/td>\n22:17:28<\/span><\/td>\nHoka Prototype<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/span><\/td>\nCareth Arnold<\/span><\/td>\nU.S.<\/span><\/td>\n23:05:20<\/span><\/td>\nAltra Prototype + <\/span>Altra Mont Blanc Carbon<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/span><\/td>\nJazmine Lowther<\/span><\/td>\nCanada<\/span><\/td>\n23:21:55<\/span><\/td>\nArc’teryx Sylan 2<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/span><\/td>\nKatarzyna Dombrowska<\/span><\/td>\nPoland<\/span><\/td>\n23:27:34<\/span><\/td>\nOn Cloudultra Pro<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/span><\/td>\nLucy Bartholomew<\/span><\/td>\nAustralia<\/span><\/td>\n23:44:29<\/span><\/td>\nSalomon Prototype<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/span><\/td>\nAntonina Iushina<\/span><\/td>\nUnattached<\/span><\/td>\n23:49:58<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/span><\/td>\nAnne C\u00e9cile Th\u00e9venot<\/span><\/td>\nFrance<\/span><\/td>\n24:02:00<\/span><\/td>\nMac Sport<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/span><\/td>\nAnne-Sofie Pollestad<\/span><\/td>\nNorway<\/span><\/td>\n24:04:56<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Fastest Shoes at the 2026 UTMB \u2013 Men<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ben Dhiman (1st) and Virgile Moriset (4th) <\/b>\u2013 <\/b>Asics Metafuji Trail 2<\/b><\/h3>\n
Ben Dhiman wore Asics Metafuji Trail 2 on his way to winning 2026 UTMB. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman, Asics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This marks the second year in a row that an Asics shoe has crossed the finish line first. Ben Dhiman went with what worked for his second-place finish last year and ran the Asics Metafuji Trail 2 again. I just reviewed the Metafuji Trail 2<\/a> and was impressed with its speedy, agile ride. Asics clearly has its eyes on trail running at the highest level.<\/p>\n

The Metafuji Trail 2 features A-TPU, Asics\u2019 highest-performing midsole foam, surrounded by firmer EVA to control and stabilize the soft foam. Embedded in the foam is a newly designed X-shaped carbon plate. The shoe is fast. I can see why Dhiman wore it again this year.<\/p>\n

Baptiste Chassagne (2nd) <\/b>\u2013 <\/b>On Cloudultra Pro<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Baptiste
Baptiste Chassagne wore the On Cloudultra Pro en route to his second runner-up finish at UTMB. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman\/On)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Baptiste Chassagne wore the On Cloudultra Pro, which, in my opinion, is a hugely underrated shoe. I can\u2019t tell if it was the first version or the second, but I\u2019ve seen the second version, and it\u2019s very similar to the original, which is good news. The original uses two layers of a PEBA foam<\/a> (softer over firmer) with 38 millimeters of stack under the heel, but it runs like a lower-stack shoe. It\u2019s one of the very few high-stack shoes, if not the only one, I feel comfortable wearing in Santa Barbara, California, where the trails are very rocky and technical.<\/p>\n

Caleb Olson (3rd) <\/b>\u2013 <\/b>Nike ACG Ultrafly<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Third
Third place Caleb Olson chose the Nike ACG Ultrafly. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman\/Nike)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Coming in strong at the end, Caleb Olson<\/a> went from eighth at the Courmayeur halfway point to third at the line. He wore the Nike ACG Ultrafly, Nike\u2019s second-generation trail supershoe. It features Nike\u2019s ZoomX, the original super foam found in the Vaporfly, here contained by a textile wrap in the forefoot to reduce side-to-side squish. The ACG Ultrafly is one of the heavier racing-focused shoes at 10.1 oz for men\u2019s size 10 and women\u2019s size 11.5, but makes up for it with responsiveness. I\u2019ve found it to be one of the more stable carbon-plated super trail shoes<\/a> thanks to a wide base.<\/p>\n

Fastest Shoes at the 2026 UTMB \u2013 Women<\/b><\/h2>\n

Blandine L\u2019Hirondel (1st) <\/b>\u2013 <\/b>Kiprun Kipsummit Race<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Blandine
Blandine L\u2019Hirondel won UTMB in the Kiprun Kipsummit Race. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman\/Kiprun)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In front of a home-country crowd, Blandine L\u2019Hirondel<\/a> became the second woman to win OCC, CCC, and UTMB. She wore the Kiprun Kipsummit Race, Kiprun\u2019s highest-performance trail shoe. The French brand was founded in 2008 under Decathlon, the world\u2019s largest sporting goods retailer, and launched in the US in April 2026.<\/p>\n

While I haven\u2019t tested the Kipsummit Race on the trails, I have tried it on and was impressed with its bouncy, airy feel. It uses an A-TPU midsole with an embedded carbon fiber plate. At 9.0 ounces for men and 7.8 ounces for women, it\u2019s incredibly light for a shoe with a 37.5\/31.5mm stack height.<\/p>\n

Rachel Entrekin (2nd) <\/b>\u2013 <\/b>Norda 055<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Rachel
Rachel Entrekin finished second in the Norda 055. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman\/Norda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-time Cocodona 250 winner Rachel Entrekin<\/a>, who signed with Norda in December 2025, wore the brand\u2019s latest shoe, the 055. Norda has steadily gained a loyal following, and Entrekin\u2019s second-place UTMB finish has put the brand in the spotlight. I\u2019ve been testing it, and it\u2019s my favorite Norda shoe by far. At first, it feels a little chunky because it sits so high on the ankle, but it\u2019s surprisingly fun and fast.<\/p>\n

As always, Norda nails the intersection of aesthetics and function. I can\u2019t tell you how many people stop and ask what shoe it is. The TPEE midsole is soft but very responsive. The upper uses tough-skinned, bio-circular Dyneema that really secures the foot. The $325 price tag is steep, but as carbon fiber and superfoams make their way into trail footwear, it\u2019s not a lot more than comparable models.<\/p>\n

Emily Schmitz (3rd) <\/b>\u2013 <\/b>Hoka Prototype<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Emily
Emily Schmitz wore the only proto on the podium. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman\/Hoka)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hoka used UTMB week to debut its new Tecton X 4<\/a>, a $247 trail super shoe with parallel carbon plates and dual-layer PEBA foam with PROFLY X construction. But in not unusual for Hoka\u2019s top athletes, Schmitz elected for a shoe not on the market. When we asked Schmitz about her podium-landing shoe, she said simply that she wore \u201cthe prototype.\u201d Well, two pairs of the prototype (she changed shoes midrace), but she told Trail Runner <\/em>they were the same.<\/p>\n

From the outside, this undisclosed proto looks relatively similar to another Hoka trail super shoe, the Rocket X Trail. Inspired but the road variant, the Rocket X, the Rocket X Trail<\/a> is Hoka\u2019s trail racer designed for less technical terrain. The Rocket X Trail is made with an H-shaped parallel carbon fiber plate and ATPU midsole and has a more aggressive rocker than the Tecton X 4, and features slightly smaller (3 mm) lugs.\u00a0Schmitz is a monster descender, so it\u2019s possible she\u2019s willing to trade a little stability for speed as she negotiates the more technical parts of the course. But it also looks like this shoe, if it is indeed a proto of the Rocket X Trail 2, has gotten a major update with a radical midsole geometry which may help give it some more stability.<\/p>\n

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Published September 4, 2026 11:08AM The 2026 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) started ominously, with evening thunderstorms calling for a two-hour delay and a slight course reroute. But by the time 2,406 runners got rolling out of Chamonix the skies had basically cleared. And in the end, near-perfect concisions and a particularly fast course were simply<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}