Masters Men at UTMB: Frodeno Runs Down the Alps in 6:31:57

• Jan Frodeno, 45, wins Masters Men in 6:31:57 (10:31/mi) across 60 km and 3,500 m+ of climbing from Orsières to Chamonix.
• Israel Garcia Membrive finishes 2nd in 6:33:49 — just 1:52 back — after climbing from 132nd among men at the opening checkpoint all the way to 55th by the finish.
• Nicolas Abbal takes 3rd in 6:47:49, posting the 54th-fastest men's split on the La Giète→Trient segment; the gap from 2nd to 3rd is a more substantial 14:00.
• 561 Masters Men crossed the finish line in Chamonix; the top 5 all broke 6:53.

Jan Frodeno, 45 years old, came into Chamonix first among Masters Men in 6:31:57 — a 10:31/mi average across a course that climbs and descends through the Mont-Blanc massif, including the 2026 edition's new high point at 2,321 m added between Col de Balme and Col des Posettes. What makes his win particularly striking is how it was built: Frodeno sat 71st among men through the first two checkpoints, drifted back as far as 80th, then systematically reeled in the field — 69th, 65th, 58th — arriving at the finish 52nd among all men. He also posted the 40th-fastest men's split on the Argentière→Finish stretch, meaning the closing miles were among his sharpest of the day.

The closest threat came from Israel Garcia Membrive, 42, who crossed in 6:33:49 — 1:52 behind Frodeno. That margin is tight, but it was earned differently: Garcia Membrive was the bigger mover of the two, surging from 132nd among men at the first checkpoint all the way to 55th at the line, and he matched Frodeno's 38th-fastest men's split on that same Argentière→Finish segment. Both men were flying late — but Frodeno had built just enough of a cushion earlier in the race to hold him off.

Nicolas Abbal, 40, rounded out the podium in 6:47:49 (10:56/mi), a 14-minute gap back to 2nd that reflects a more measured, consistent effort — his 54th-fastest men's La Giète→Trient split was strong but not quite the late-race surge his rivals produced. Chun Kit Tsang, 43, was 4th in 6:50:48, and Ezequiel Alexis Pauluzak, 41, completed the top five in 6:52:59 — the latter posting the 38th-fastest men's La Giète→Trient split, one of the sharpest mid-race segments in the entire Masters field. Guillaume Causse, 49, was the oldest in the top six and finished 6th in 6:56:52, a reminder that the Masters Men field at UTMB is no place for easy miles.