François D'Haene

About

François D'Haene is a French ultrarunner born on December 24, 1985 in Lille who has achieved more at the sport's most prestigious distances than any athlete of his generation — combining a physiotherapist's understanding of the body, a winemaker's patience, and a preternatural capacity for sustained mountain running. He is the only athlete to have won UTMB Mont-Blanc four times — in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2021 — surpassing Kilian Jornet's three titles; his 2017 win came in a course record of 19:01:32 on the 174km Alpine circuit. In 2021, two months before his fourth UTMB victory, he won the Hardrock 100 in 21:45:51, setting the counter-clockwise and overall course records previously held by Jornet. His résumé includes Western States 100 in 2018, four Grand Raid de La Réunion titles (2013, 2014, 2016, 2018), back-to-back Madeira Island Ultra-Trail victories (2017, 2019), and the inaugural Ultra-Trail World Tour ranking in 2014. In October 2017, weeks after his third UTMB win, he set the FKT on the John Muir Trail — 340 kilometres through California's Sierra Nevada — in 2 days, 19 hours, and 26 minutes. Now in his early forties and with a UTMB Index of 858, D'Haene increasingly focuses on new projects including the Ultra Spirit — a community-centred race he founded in the Alps — while remaining one of trail running's most respected figures. He lives near Chamonix with his family, where he also makes wine.

Notable Wins

• — UTMB Mont-Blanc 2012
• — 2014
• — 2017 (CR 19:01:32)
• — 2021 (4× winner — all-time record)
• — Hardrock 100 2021 (overall CR 21:45:51)
• — Western States 100 2018
• — Grand Raid Réunion 2013
• — 2014
• — 2016
• — 2018 (4× winner)
• — Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 2017 and 2019
• — John Muir Trail FKT 2017 (2d 19h 26min)
• — Ultra-Trail World Tour 2014

Race History