The UTMB, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, is an ultra marathon held in the mountain environment of the French Alps. The 171 km long trail takes the participants on an extraordinary journey across Europe’s highest mountain Mont Blanc, located on the French-Italian border. Every year, almost 10000 athletes from all over the world take part in one of the 7 races that this unique event offers. The UTMB race runners have to be prepared to extend the limits of not only their physical, but also mental strength in order to successfully cross the finish line. This year, a 35 years old Czech athlete experienced a major injury on the TSD track (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie). He passed away in the hospital just hours after the accident. On Wednesday August 25th, the organizers of the event received an urgent message that one of the participants fell into the Pralognan Pass. Although the rescue team immediately stepped in, provided medical aid and transported the athlete to the hospital, the Czech runner did not make it through the night. Consequently, the race was stopped and canceled for more than 1200 participants, who had not yet passed the Pralognan Pass. The 293 runners, who were already past the area of the tragic accident, were allowed to finish the trail.
