The Mont-Blanc Marathon
The creation of the Mont-Blanc Marathon
The Cross du Mont-Blanc was born on July 1, 1979, on the initiative of the Club Alpin Français (CAF) de Chamonix, chaired at the time by Georges Costaz and Christian Roussel, both keen runners. For the first edition, 450 participants took to the valley's trails, finishing in Planpraz.
Over the next 24 years, the Cross du Mont-Blanc grew to attract almost 1,000 participants every year. In 2003, the race took a turn and became the Mont-Blanc Marathon: the legendary 23km was joined by the 42km it is still known for today. This was followed by the creation of the 10km, more accessible to the general public. From then on, registrations grew exponentially, to the point where the number of runners able to register for the Cross and Marathon had to be limited from 2010 onwards. The Mont Blanc Marathon then continued to develop, with the creation of the Kilomètre Vertical in 2011, the 80km in 2013 (which later became the 90km), and finally the Duo Etoilé and Young Race Marathon in 2015.
The event takes on another dimension in 2018 with Salomon's creation of the Golden Trail World Series, of which the 42km Mont Blanc Marathon will be part until 2024.
Today, the Mont-Blanc Marathon brings together over 10,000 runners every year, taking part in 8 unique races in the Mont-Blanc massif: the 90km, 42km, 23km, 10km, Kilomètre Vertical, Duo étoilé, Young Race Marathon and Mini-Cross.
Founded in 1905, the Club des Sports de Chamonix is an association under the law of 1901, with 25 sports sections and 4,000 members. It also organizes 3 international events: the "Kandahar" Ski World Cup, the Climbing World Cup and the Mont-Blanc Marathon.
We have a number of missions: to promote access to sport for the entire population of the Chamonix valley; to enable competitors to progress to the highest level; to offer a wide range of competitions, from local events to the world's biggest.
Our values
Because we are the privileged witnesses of climate change, the Mont-Blanc Marathon is committed to offer the valley's inhabitants and visitors an innovative model for sporting and cultural events, designed to reduce environmental impact in a sustainable way.
- Commitment
- Respect
- Excellence
- Conviviality