Half of UTMB Happened in the Dark
A storm pushed the start to 7:45 p.m., so the deciding moves ran under headlamps. Photographer Andy Cochrane chased them through three countries.
Thunderstorms and the threat of snow up high delayed the 2026 UTMB start to 7:45 p.m., which meant more than half of the elite race, including the moves that decided it, happened in darkness. Trail Runner's Andy Cochrane sat in the rain at the start line for four hours just to hold his spot, then spent the night editing photos while driving winding mountain roads.
From the stormy start to sunrise over the Grand Col Ferret, the high point of the course, ten hours later, he and his crew drove to three spots in three countries to catch the male and female leaders on their 108-mile loop around the massif. He calls UTMB the de facto world finals of ultrarunning, and the pressure on the photographers who cover it rises to match.
The gallery and the full night's account are at Trail Runner Magazine.