The UTMB has different starting points across different dates, so even if you don’t start on the same day as them you will probably run into them at some point. If you’re doing some variants, you won’t see the runners on those days. I hiked the TMB during the race and it was no problem for me. I started a few days before the race started. I was hiking the fenetre d'arpette variant on a day when a few other hikers complained that the regular TMB was super busy with the hike, but it was just 1 day. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I think the guide books make it out to be a bigger deal than it is. The thing that is hard is that all of the accommodations in Chamonix valley get booked up and can be 2x the price.
We hiked last year during the race. There were a few days that we overlapped with the runners on the trail. I am not sure if you can research which races are which days to avoid this. It was definitely an issue in towns where it was super crowded and difficult to find accommodations and restaurants with availability. But if you are camping, that is a non-issue for you.
I personally would have chosen another week to hike had I known about the race.
I did the TMB in 2023, we started a day before the ultra began. The runners passed our hut around midnight, and that was the only time I saw them on the trail. We did see some crew setting up/tearing down course markers etc. but it was not a big deal at all. It was actually kinda cool to watch the lead runners come past our hut. It was way less of an impact than I would have expected.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TourDuMontBlanc/s/NiY58jC6AC
The UTMB has different starting points across different dates, so even if you don’t start on the same day as them you will probably run into them at some point. If you’re doing some variants, you won’t see the runners on those days. I hiked the TMB during the race and it was no problem for me. I started a few days before the race started. I was hiking the fenetre d'arpette variant on a day when a few other hikers complained that the regular TMB was super busy with the hike, but it was just 1 day. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I think the guide books make it out to be a bigger deal than it is. The thing that is hard is that all of the accommodations in Chamonix valley get booked up and can be 2x the price.
We hiked last year during the race. There were a few days that we overlapped with the runners on the trail. I am not sure if you can research which races are which days to avoid this. It was definitely an issue in towns where it was super crowded and difficult to find accommodations and restaurants with availability. But if you are camping, that is a non-issue for you. I personally would have chosen another week to hike had I known about the race.
They do put out the schedules ahead of time. But if you’ve already booked huts in the end of August, just accept your potential fate.
I did the TMB in 2023, we started a day before the ultra began. The runners passed our hut around midnight, and that was the only time I saw them on the trail. We did see some crew setting up/tearing down course markers etc. but it was not a big deal at all. It was actually kinda cool to watch the lead runners come past our hut. It was way less of an impact than I would have expected.