Listen to the full interview with Jazmine Lowther (a lightly edited version aired on Kootenay Morning on September 7, 2026):
By Jaime Frederick, Local Journalism Initiative
Last weekend in Chamonix, France, Nelson ultramarathoner Jazmine Lowther placed fifth in an international field at the prestigious UTMB Mont-Blanc (UTMB) trail running race.
It was Lowther’s first time competing in the full 174-km distance at UTMB, which is sometimes referred to as the “Tour de France of running.” The rugged course incorporates more than 10,000 metres of elevation gain through the French, Italian and Swiss alps. Lowther placed fifth, in a stacked field of elite women, finishing in a time of 23 hours, 21 minutes and 55 seconds. The winner, Blandine L’Hirondel from France, set a new course record in 21 hours, 54 minutes and 49 seconds.
- Blandine L’Hirondel (France) – 21:54:49
- Rachel Entrekin (USA) – 22:15:54
- Emily Schmitz (USA) – 22:17:28
- Careth Arnold (USA) – 23:05:20
- Jazmine Lowther (CAN) – 23:21:55
Lowther also finished first in her age group among 20- to 34-year-old women. She says she is proud of her result and to have finished in the top 5 in the fastest women’s field in the race’s 23-year history.
“Obviously, this year was extra special, being the most competitive women’s field to date,” she said. “And we saw that with record amounts of women under the 24-hour time. Yes, the course was modified, but we also had perfect weather conditions and everything.”
Lowther said she faced some low points during the race, including pain in her hip flexors after the initial fast, flat 30 kilometres, as well as some nausea during the night. But ultimately she was buoyed by the massive crowds of fans and spectators along the route.
“The streets are lined with people,” she said. “There’s hundreds of thousands of people there. This year, they did say it was a record number for spectators as well. And it totally blew my mind. I think when you’re watching the livestream, you think it’s only happening in certain locations along the course, but literally this year it was all the way from Chamonix, from the start, along all the roads, through all the towns. If we went up a trail, there were still people.”
UTMB will be Lowther’s last race for this season but she’s already making plans to return to UTMB again someday.
“I’ll go back. I think during it, I was like, ‘man, this is crazy.’ And then afterwards, talking to my coach and my partner, we’re like, ‘no, yeah, let’s go back.’ And it was just so special. It just felt like a big lifetime experience. And I think for me, my main goal was to be in the top 10 and I’m hugely proud of my effort. I think it just… you can leave something on the table, ‘Oh, I learned this and this.’ And I can see why people get addicted to doing UTMB a few times.”
Photo of Jazmine Lowther at UTMB Mont-Blanc courtesy Jazmine Lowther/@peakpixelcafe on Instagram.
