CCC 100k Race Info

Date

8/31/18

Location

Courmayeur, Italy to Chamonix, France

Avg Temps f.

41/60

Gain/Loss in ft

6100m/6280m 20,013ft/20,603ft

ft/mile gain

319

Highest Elev.

8,477

Start

9am

Surface

Trail

Time Limit

26.5 hours

Sunrise/set

6:51am/8:13pm

Furthest Aid

17km / 10.6m

Summary: Deemed the “little sister” of UTMB, 100+ mile race starting/finishing in Chamonix, France, CCC (Courmayeur, Champex, Chamonix) is a point to point course starting in Courmayeur, Italy and ending in Chamonix, France (after passing through Switzerland), and this is (nearly, as it starts out a little different) the last 100k of the UTMB 100 mile course. The race starts on the same morning as UTMB starts, only at 9am vs. a 6pm UTMB start, and runners have just as challenging of a course with ~20,000 feet of gain to tackle in the 100k.

Lessons Learned from Race Reports

Be sure you know the obligatory equipment – you will be required to show it at packet pickup and throughout the race. They give sheets of paper with a random list of items to check, such as spare headlamp, rain jacket, etc, so you don’t know what they will check for each time.
Be sure you and your crew know the crewing rules – no crewing at all outside of the designated crewing tents at each aid station (ie, no blankets set up on the ground outside the aid station). Only 1 crew member inside the crew tent at a time.
Be sure to read all the rules, which include obligatory personal insurance for Search and Rescue, as one example
If crew drive through the tunnel from Chamonix to Courmayeur to the start, it’s at a 100 Euro round trip cost, so know that ahead of time!
Past years have seen re-routes because of snow and bad conditions up high, so be mentally prepared for changes and physically prepared with gear for every condition
The race starts out with around 2km of pavement, so it allows runners to spread out a little before the single track trail
Even if the race starts out sunny, conditions can be completely different at the top of the Grand Col Ferret
Poles are really helpful if it’s rainy, as the mud can be quite slick
The climb up to Grand Col Ferret can feel never ending, and the trails get quite technical on the downhill to La Fouly
The last climb will feel relentless
Be sure to have a great headlamp, as it’s likely nearly everyone in the race will run in the dark.

Elevation

Total gain/loss: 6100m/6280m or 20,013ft/20,603ft

Ft/mile gain: 319

Total climbs: 6 main climbs – 4x~2000-2500ft, 2x~1500ft

Longest climb: ~2500ft from mile 51.2-56.2

Steepest climb: ~2400ft from mile 17-20

Map/Elevation profile

Aid stations

Total aid stations: 8

Furthest distance apart: 17km (10.6 miles)

Locations: km markers 15, 22 (drinks only), 27, 41, 55 (warm meal available), 72, 83, 94 (drinks only)

What’s available: See listing, along with allergy and vegetarian information, on the Refreshments page.

Crew access

Access Locations: You can see runners at km markers 27 (Arnouvaz) and 41km (La Fouly), but you can only assist them at km markers 55.8 (Champex-Lac), 72.1 (Trient), and 83 (Vallorcine)

Crew instructions/directions: You can drive to each aid station (bring your passport!) or the race has shuttle buses that take you to each stop. Be sure to review the rules and regulations of the bus (no children under 3, sorry Paavo 🙁 There is also a train from Chamonix to Vallorcine and it’s easy to go to and from, but be sure it runs when you’re thinking of seeing your runner, as it might be in the middle of the night.