‘Back for another lap’ – Katie Schide confirms she will bid for second UTMB victory

The 2022 UTMB women’s champion Katie Schide has announced she will have a second crack at trail running’s biggest race at the end of this month.

The French-based American won an absorbing battle with Canada’s Marianne Hogan to take the coveted title in Chamonix two years ago.

And she’s gone from strength to strength this season, notching an emphatic victory at the Canyons Endurance Runs in late April before a brilliant success at Western States where she became only the second woman – after GOAT Courtney Dauwalter – to break the 16-hour barrier for the 100 miles.

‘See you soon’

UTMB takes place in exactly three weeks on 30 August and writing on her Instagram page alongside a photo of her on the finishing straight in Chamonix, Schide said: “Coming back for another lap 💃🏼

“It’s an idea that’s been brewing for a while now, just needed some time to be sure my body was also feeling up for it.

“Only a couple ultras bring this kind of female start list and I can’t imagine not being part of it.”

And she rounded it off by saying: “À bientôt pour UTMB by UTMB®️2024”. That translates to ‘see you soon’.

No Dauwalter showdown

It will be the usual stacked start list for UTMB this year, though it won’t include Dauwalter who notched an unprecedented Western States / Hardrock / UTMB treble in 2023.

We’ll be building up to UTMB over the next three weeks but Schide looks sure to go off favourite on the women’s side.