HOKA Ambassador Becs Gentry Takes on 101 Kilometres at CCC

competitors for a course that demands endurance, climbing strength, careful pacing and technical skill. The route includes 6,050 metres of elevation gain, presenting a very different challenge from the road races that have shaped much of Gentry’s athletic career.

The race is sometimes described as the “little sister” of the full UTMB, but the description does not make the task any easier. CCC requires runners to travel more than 100 kilometres across mountain terrain, climb major Alpine passes and manage changing weather conditions over many hours.

The event’s distance and vertical gain require athletes to prepare their legs, lungs, nutrition and mindset for a long day in the mountains. For Gentry, the preparation has meant embracing bigger climbs, more technical terrain and a new way of measuring progress.

Trail running does not always reward an athlete with simple pace targets. Conditions can change quickly, terrain varies constantly and every climb and descent demands a different physical response. That adjustment is part of what makes the experience meaningful…