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Courmayeur/Champex/Chamonix (CCC) is one of the three World Series Final events at UTMB each year. CCC is known for its massive hills and technical terrain from Courmayeur, Italy to Chamonix, France. This year, Hayden Hawks led the way, mastering the course and charging to victory.
Watch: COROS APEX 2 Pro
Accessory: COROS Heart Rate Monitor
Analysis Tool: COROS Training Hub
Summer Training
This summer, Hayden targeted two major trail races. The first was the Western States Endurance Run, a premier 100-mile race at the end of June. Two months later came CCC, where he was crowned champion.
Hayden's season training trends from March through August
Hayden started his build in March, with a steady build in training load over the next few months. His load impact peaked at the end of May, and he began to reduce his load heading into WSER. After a 3rd place finish in a loaded Western States race (with a PR), he increased his mileage and intensity again, raising his base fitness back to its peak, and finally tapering for CCC.
During his peak training load, Hayden covered over 100 miles per week for 5 weeks. His training between WSER and CCC, however, was more specific and was in the range of 70-90 miles per week. With close monitoring of his volume and training load, Hayden had several months of effective training leading into CCC.
CCC 2024
Elevation plot and checkpoints for the 2024 CCC
Prior to the race, Hayden notably chose not to use poles to assist with the rugged terrain. Instead, he opted for increased mobility to run uphill instead of hiking. "It worked in 2017, I came back in 2022 and tried poles and it didn’t work," Hayden remarked. "Might as well go back to what works well. Being able to run the climbs is a big strength of mine, so why not utilize that?"
Courmayeur to Arnouvaz
CCC is well-known for its rugged terrain and brutal climbs. The first 10K features the longest climb of 4600 feet, reaching the highest peak, Tête de la Tronche. Most runners are up to the early challenge, but the subsequent climbs (there are 4 major ones remaining) tend to whittle down the pack. Hayden held back in the pack early on, reaching the first summit in 13th and arriving at Arnouvas in 16th. In the graph, the stark contrast in cadence shows where Hayden was running versus where he was hiking.
Arnouvaz to Chamapex-Lac
The next major climb is up Grand Col Ferret. The summit is 19.1 miles into the 62-mile race. As the second climb, this separates the pretenders from the contenders. Hayden emerged among the leaders, going over the peak in 1st place and reaching Champex-Lac, Switzerland in the lead alongside fellow American Adam Peterman.
Arrival in Trient
With three major climbs remaining, Hayden put the hammer down through the mid-afternoon. In the 10-mile stretch from Champex to Trient, he opened a six-minute lead on Peterman and the field. With roughly 3 hours remaining, Hayden Hawks was the favorite to win CCC.
Trient to Chamonix - The Final Stretch
After a brief 2-minute rest in Trient, Hayden attacked the next climb. After running for over 7 hours, Les Tseppes climb was not an easy one. Still, Hayden wasn't the only one feeling the fatigue - his gap on the field continued to grow. "I got to Vallorcine and I had legs. I felt really strong. This is a really good sign." Hayden said after the race. "The descents I didn’t feel as strong, but the climbs I felt really strong."
Over the final pass at La Flégère, Hayden was visibly hurting, but in high spirits when he reached the aid station. He grabbed a quick drink and started his final descent.
| Race Splits | ||||||
| Checkpoint | Rank | Elapsed Time | Time of Day | Effort-Pace | Distance | Total Elevation Gain |
| Courmayeur (Start) | -- | -- | 9:01 AM | - | 0 miles | 0 feet |
| Tête de la Tronche | 13 | 1:15:42 | 10:16 AM | 6:15 / mi | 5.8 | 4603 |
| Arnouvaz | 16 | 2:40:04 | 11:41 AM | 7:36 / mi | 16.3 | 6171 |
| Grand Col Ferret | 1 | 3:20:35 | 12:21 PM | 6:40 / mi | 19.1 | 8628 |
| La Fouly | 3 | 4:07:41 | 1:08 PM | 7:30 / mi | 25.2 | 8887 |
| Champex-Lac | 1 | 5:18:02 | 2:19 PM | 7:12 / mi | 33.7 | 10721 |
| La Giète | 1 | 6:33:19 | 3:34 PM | 8:58 / mi | 40.6 | 13382 |
| Trient | 1 | 6:58:33 | 3:59 PM | 7:56 / mi | 43.9 | 13533 |
| Les Tseppes | 1 | 7:36:56 | 4:37 PM | 7:05 / mi | 46.3 | 15774 |
| Vallorcine | 1 | 8:21:29 | 5:22 PM | 8:04 / mi | 50.6 | 16335 |
| La Flégère | 1 | 9:45:20 | 6:46 PM | 8:21 / mi | 58.2 | 19534 |
| Chamonix (Finish) | 1 | 10:20:11 | 7:21 PM | 9:26 / mi | 62.6 | 19888 |
In the final 4-mile stretch into Chamonix, he knew a personal best was possible. His 2017 victory ended with a time of 10:24:30. As the roaring crowd brought him home, the pain in Hayden's face was replaced with joy. Waving to the fans and handing out high-fives, he crossed the line in 10:20:11.
"Things were just clicking today, fueling was on point, and I felt like I finished really strong. I couldn’t ask for anything more."
-Hayden Hawks
Photo by Jose Miguel Muñoz
COROS extends a huge congratulations to Hayden Hawks for his excellent performance and win at CCC 2024! After returning from a major injury in 2023, Hayden's months of training and preparation paid off in one of the most prestigious ultra-races in the world.
