MICK Sullivan of Cooma has won the 65+ age class in the blue ribbon 176 km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) final in France. He completed the gruelling mountain course in just under 40 hours.

Created in 2003, the UTMB is the most prestigious trail running race in the world, it draws the top professional runners, plus it's also open to amateur runners if they make the entry criteria and are then lucky enough to be drawn from the lottery for a start.

With 176km and 10,000 meters of positive elevation gain, more height than Mt Everest, the course circumnavigates Mont-Blanc through Italy, Switzerland and France, starting and finishing in the main square of Chamonix.

More than 2800 runners started in this year's event, it's a tough mountain challenge over a number of high mountain passes. It has numerous long and steep climbs followed by eye watering technical downhills that quickly reduced the number of competitors, with more than 1000 withdrawals before the 2024 event finished.

Mick and his wife Jenny took up trail running events after retirement from managing ski lodges in 2016. They wanted an activity to challenge them through later life and certainly found that. What began as a simple passion has now become a full time pursuit.

Though Mick had always been relatively fit, he had to add in strength training to supplement the natural loss that occurs through ageing.

Jenny provided critical support at the allowed points from about the half way in Courmayeur, Italy, through the night time Swiss section and up to the finish in Chamonix. Having aid station support helps with a quicker transit so the runner can get back out on course.

The largest trail running festival in the world is the UTMB festival, a week long series of celebration and events ranging from 15km to 176km, with 11000 runners taking part in the various races. Around 100,000 people throng to the Chamonix valley for an exciting week to spectate, support, sponsor or participates.

UTMB is the final blue ribbon event, on a par with the Tour de France for cyclists, or the the New York or London marathons for road runners. It is the series final fed into by over 50 events worldwide, including the Ultra Trail Kosciuszko and Ultra Trail Australia events that Mick used as part of his entry qualification process.

Accessing the UTMB final is challenging, as one must first qualify for the race then go through the ballot process. This was Mick's fourth attempt at the lottery to finally get that ticket to the big event. It would be his first full 100 mile race.

Additional challenges runners must face are two nights of running in the dark with headlamps.

The sleep deprivation is severe by the second night out. Narrow paths in steep and precipitous terrain that requires sure footed technique to avoid falling off the trail, there has been two deaths from this in recent years.

There is a list of mandatory equipment that each participant must carry for safety in the mountains. Feed stations are spread out along the course, but they only help supplement the nutrition rather than replace it.

With this mandatory gear and all the other necessities like food and hydration needs the running vest weigh around 6kg.

There are cut off times runners must make at most aid stations, these are especially tough in the early and latter parts of the event. This helps weed out the slower runners before they head off into the mountains in the dark.

If the weather is good, then the scenery on the circuit is magnificent, with many views of Mt Blanc, other nearby peaks, glaciers and flower studded alpine meadows. The UTMB route has many common sections shared with the famous TMB (Tour de Mount Blanc) trail, that more than 15,000 hikers do every year.

In the Swiss town of Champax lac, Mick was informed that he was in second place in his age class. A British runner was about one hour and 15min ahead at that point.

The rest of the international field were comfortably behind. Mick got his only sleep in the event of 10min and feeling refreshed he decided to pursue the Brit.

Mick had run conservatively through the first 125 km of the event to have spare energy for the last part, which would be at night and is more technical.

By the next aid station at Trient, Mick had reduced the gap to 15min. Running at night in technical terrain a runner needs sharp focus and sure footing to handle the steep rocky descents.

Training around Cooma in the Snowy Mountains has enabled Mick to develop the skills required to excel on the trails in the Alps.

Through the final Swiss sections Mick picked up the pace, over took the Brit soon after Trient and forged on wanting to make Chamonix in under 40 hrs. The field was now tiring after 160km but Mick was running strong, over taking many runners and had the race of his life.

Daytime now and back in France on familiar trails, it was not long and Mick navigated the final long descent to go through the big finish archway in Chamonix in 39 hour 40 min.