Blandine L'Hirondel

"Taking care of yourself is the key to longevity."

Blandine L'Hirondel

Biography

Born on 3 March 1991 in Caen, Blandine L’Hirondel is one of the leading names in world trail running. A practising OB-GYN, she reached the very top with two Trail World Championship titles (2019, 2022), a European title (2022), victory at the Diagonale des Fous (2025), and a historic triumph at UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2026 (21:54:49, 26th overall), becoming the first Frenchwoman to win the race in 10 years.

Discipline

Trail / Ultra-trail

Race distances

Ultra (50K–100M)

Nationality

🇫🇷 France

Date of birth

3 March 1991

Hometown

Caen (born), Alençon (club)

With KIPRUN since

2022

Follow Blandine

Key highlights

UTMB Winner (2026)

A landmark victory on the world's most prestigious 174km ultra-trail in 21:54:49, placing 1st woman and 26th overall.

Diagonale des Fous Winner (2025)

A landmark win on one of the sport’s toughest and most iconic races in Réunion Island.

Two-time Trail World Champion (2019, 2022)

Two world titles that cement her status among the very best ultra-runners in history.

Away from racing, Blandine L’Hirondel follows another demanding path: medicine. An OB-GYN, she’s deeply interested in health and performance, with a strong focus on female physiology. More recently, she has also returned to training through a sports medicine qualification, driven by the desire to keep connecting field experience, prevention and high performance. To better balance her goals, she has adjusted her professional set-up accordingly. Alongside KIPRUN, she stays true to the same principle: longevity, progress, and performance with purpose.