The centre of the town is set up as you would expect an international sporting event to be. The start/finish is in the old part of the town with fabulous views of the mountains everywhere you look. It is also next to the bars, restaurants and the big screen.

As the journey progressed towards Chamonix, we passed bigger and bigger mountains. Nick and I had never been to the Alpes before, so had no idea what to expect. The excitement grew as we got closer. Little did we know that these were mere pimples compared to what Chamonix had in store for us.

On arrival, it soon became obvious that the town was host to a proper running festival. Everywhere was crowded and our balcony was a great place to witness it from.

It was such a privilege to mingle with the athletes before the start of the race. The atmosphere is electric, with a mixture of excitement and trepidation (and that was just us). Things are getting tense as the runner say good bye to their friends and family, looking up to the hills that await them.

While they heading off into the mountains, it was time for a bit of fun for us (beer and fondue). Chamonix is beautiful at night, with the mountains taking on a whole now perspective and the bars and restaurants are in full flow.

He spent about 30 seconds in the aid station and was gone. We decided the race him down the hill. Our advantage was an ultra modern, ultra quick cable car.

It was a good job that the queues were short, as he got down that hill crazily quickly.

We saw him again at the side of the river as he entered the last mile.

I’m pretty certain he’s looking at me in this picture.

’Come on Killian’

What a day that was. A day I will never forget. And this was only the first day in the mountains.

After a very good sleep in our wonderful bed in the amazing apartment, it was time for out first outing into the mountains.

The aim was to climb up to La Flegere, the last check point on the UTMB as the front runners were due to arrive. We were basically going to walk up the last hill that the runners were going to come down.

Wow, that climb is crazy, but more importantly, it must be so painful if you are coming down it having spent 2 nights on your feet in the Alpes.

There is a cafe half way up and the views are astonishing. Best cafe in the world? So far, but the one on the next day may just beat it.

The aid station was just a big tent really. I imagine that most runners just take a brief break and head down the hill.

We waited for a short period of time with the rest of the supporters. It can only be described as being like the Tour de France. The track is lined with people and there are a lot of cow bells. All of a sudden, there is a hush and people start to point. There is a small group of runners in the distance. It is Killian. Now Killian is one of my heroes. He is probably the best ultra runner of all time and gets up to some really daft stuff in the mountains. To be this close to him is a cause for real excitement. The hill he has to climb up to us is steep and long and the temperatures are pretty high. The runners coming up the hill are barely able to keep up with him. The tightly packed crowds on the hill parted and there he was, annoyingly fresh after such a long time in the mountains.

For day 2, we decided to climb the mountain on the other side of the Chamonix, the same side as Mont Blanc. As you would expect, this was just as challenging as the climb to La Flegere, but this time with added heat. You can tell by the look on their faces below.

Remember what I said about the cafe on day 1 being the best cafe in the world? Well here is the rival. At a similar height to the first one, but the path appears a lot less well trodden. It would be easy to stay here all day.