Vincent Esmiol

About

Vincent Esmiol is a French trail runner from the southern French Alps — licensed with TRACS de Sisteron in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region — who built his ultra-trail career methodically and without a formal elite athletic background, progressing through the French mountain ultra circuit season by season through accumulated mountain experience. His breakthrough performance came at the 2025 Échappée Belle, a 152km route through the Savoie Alps with 11,400m of elevation gain, where he won in 23:38 and shattered the course record held by François d'Haene — one of the sport's most celebrated figures — by a margin all the more remarkable given the course had been extended by three kilometres in 2025. He made his debut at the Diagonale des Fous (Grand Raid de la Réunion, 165km) in 2024 and placed sixth in 27 hours, finishing just three hours behind winner Mathieu Blanchard in one of ultra running's most revered island races. He also placed seventh at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc 90km in 2025. A rising name on the UTMB World Series circuit, Esmiol embodies the depth of French mountain ultra talent building quietly outside of the sport's most established names.

Notable Wins

• — L'Échappée Belle 2025 (course record
• — 23:38)
• — Diagonale des Fous 6th 2024
• — Marathon du Mont-Blanc 7th 2025

Race History

Recent Coverage