23km A historic race
23km du Mont-Blanc
Created in 1979, the Cross du Mont-Blanc will celebrate its 45th edition in 2024.
This friendly race, whose course has remained virtually unchanged since its creation, will take you in the footsteps of the discipline's pioneers.
All in the midst of a dazzlingly beautiful panorama.
To take part in this race, you'll need to have some mountain running experience, be comfortable on all types of terrain and be self-sufficient for several hours. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that a runner without an UTMB performance index above 270 points has very little chance of finishing the race, so it is more advisable to take part in another Mont Blanc Marathon event.
Before registering, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the course, profile and estimated time table, so that you are fully aware of the difficulty of this race. The time limits indicated take into account any slowdowns you may encounter, and we strongly advise you to plan your race with a margin in relation to the time limits.
Race course
Semi-autonomous short trail. Open to Espoirs category and above
Waves: 6 starting waves
2,000 runners maximum
Maximum time: 6 hours
2 full feed stations
1 finish refreshment station
Course description
Starting from the paragliding area, the course gradually climbs up the Chamonix valley, passing through the hamlets of Les Bois and Le Lavancher to reach Argentière (1250m).
Runners bypass Argentière to reach Le Planet via the Chemin des Rambles. They then head for Montroc along the local road, before picking up the footpaths again to reach the hamlet of Tré le Champ, a pretty village just before the Col des Montets, and continuing along the south-facing balcony towards La Flégère.
After crossing over to the magnificent Combe de la Charlanon (1812m), the race continues on a lovely balcony trail overlooking the Mont-Blanc Massif, which will take runners all the way to the finish.
The organizers draw runners' attention to the fact that, depending on the systems and settings used, GPX tracks can give very different results (from 1485m to 1981m of positive ascent for the 23km).
Delivery of race numbers
Number pick-up at Place du Mont-Blanc by appointment only:
- Thursday June 27 from 09:00 to 21:00
- Friday June 28 from 09:00 to 21:00
At the 23km race number collection, runners must bring their race bag with them, including all compulsory equipment for timing chip fitting and equipment checks. Numbers will not be issued to runners who fail to present their bags and equipment.
No race numbers will be issued on Saturday morning before the start of the race.
Compulsory equipment
- Cell phone.
- Minimum 0.50-liter water supply.
- Waterproof jacket with hood (gore-tex type) adapted to your size.
- Whistle.
- Survival blanket.
- Tumbler.
Recommended equipment depending on weather conditions
- Cap.
- Tights.
- Gloves.
Time barriers
The time limits given below are for guidance only, and may be altered if necessary for the safety of participants. In the event of adverse weather conditions, and for safety reasons, the organization reserves the right to stop the event in progress or modify the time limits. All decisions will be taken by the race jury.
A runner arriving at a time barrier after the deadline will be disqualified. The lower right-hand corner of the race number will be "cut out" by the race marshal, and the runner will be asked to take public transport back to Chamonix. Should the runner wish to continue the course, his or her number will be collected by the station chief and the runner will no longer be considered a participant in the 23km du Mont-Blanc, and will therefore no longer be under the responsibility of the organizer.
Anyone disrespecting the volunteers in charge of this function will be permanently banned from all Mont Blanc Marathon events.
- Montroc feed station (km 12 ): start time of last wave + 2h30.
- La Flégère feed station (km 18 ): start time for last wave + 4.30 hrs.
In the case of a wave start, time barriers are calculated according to the start time of the last wave.