Ben Dhiman won UTMB in 18:16:29. The fastest anyone has ever run it.
I recorded with him in Chamonix the next morning, before the awards ceremony. He was starting to feel a little run down but still, in his words, vibing off the energy of the day before.
complete with the sounds of a train rolling through the french alps in the background… edited in post-production, of course ;)
I asked what it feels like to pour yourself into a goal and have it go well. He said he was not quite sure yet, and then said this:
"I don't think it matters too much if you succeed or not. I think it just matters that you try, and you do what you can to arrive at that point. I don't think a goal in and of itself is reliant on achieving it."
That is from a guy who had just achieved it, on his fourth attempt at the same race. Three previous UTMBs that did not go his way. He calls it trial and error and thinks it is underrated.
The part I keep coming back to is how he structures a week. A couple of non-negotiable days, harder, longer or faster. Everything else is completely open. He spends easy days staring at maps looking for a new way up a peak he has already climbed a hundred times. His line: training does not have to feel like training.
He describes it as training with the grain rather than against it. For some people that means a really simple routine. For others it means no routine at all.
When I brought up the amateur habit of turning down a run with a friend because the plan says so, he pushed back on me a little. It is fine to want the quiet. What is not fine is judging yourself for how you run.
"I think what's important is that you just do it. And if you can have fun doing it, whatever that looks like to you, I think you're winning."
Then I asked what he was proud of from the weekend, expecting something about the race.
"I'm really proud of the people around me. Really proud to be able to give this to my wife, because sacrifice goes far beyond me. People are forced to live my schedule and do my thing."
He acted out the conversation that happens at home before every big block. You really gonna leave me with all the kids on a Sunday morning again? Yeah, because we gotta win UTMB. What he is proud of is that they saw through those darker moments, and that it turned out to be for something.
It is under nine minutes and packed with good insights.
🎧 Listen to the full episode with Ben Dhiman on For The Long Run wherever you get your podcasts.
FOR THE LONG RUN: EXPLORING THE WHY BEHIND RUNNING
UTMB Champion Ben Dhiman on Winning the Biggest Race in Trail Running
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About Jon Levitt and For The Long Run
Jon is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.
