Hawker Wins Unprecedented Fifth North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc Women's Title

ALAMEDA, CA- The 10th edition of The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc concluded on September 2nd 2012 with several The North Face athletes leaving Chamonix, France with top finishes, including an incredible fifth win for Lizzy Hawker of the UK.

Extreme weather conditions - including heavy rain, glacial wind, and slippery mud and rock - forced organizers to establish a new route for The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc races. The headline UTMB race was revised to trail only through France, starting in Chamonix, Friday 31th August at 7pm, for a distance of 64 miles at 6000 D+, with 2,482 participants.

The 36-year-old Hawker, who is the only athlete ever to have achieved the coveted title five times (2005, 2008, 2010, 2011 & 2012), finished a strong 45 minutes ahead of second place finisher Francesca Canepa of Italy and ranked 16th in the race overall. Other notable performances by The North Face athletes included a fourth-place finish in the women's field by 28 year-old Rory Bosio of Soda Springs, CA, who was the first American to cross the finish line with a time of 13:43:10. Helen Cospolich of Breckinridge, CO finished 17th and in the top 200 overall with a time of 15:57:36.

"Sometimes the best race is not when you win but when you overcome the inner competition," said Hawker. "This year shows you have to look inside of yourself and stay in the moment. You can't control the weather. I'd like to thank all the supporters and volunteers for all their encouragement."

On the men's side, The North Face athlete Mike Foote of Missoula, MT crossed the finish line in third place, just 16 minutes behind the second place finisher Jonas Buud at 11:19:00.

"It was wet, rainy and miserable the first half, but at about 50km I just committed to race my hardest," explained Foote. "I just kept thinking about my family and friends back home in Montana, and my cross country team and it got me though it."

The eleventh edition of The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc will take place August 26-September 1, 2013.

For more information regarding The North Face athletes, race highlights, special interest footage including interaction between support crews, volunteers and athletes, and further detailed results, visit:

web: www.thenorthfacejournal.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thenorthface
twitter: http://twitter.com/TheNorthFaceEU
web TV : www.ultratrail.tv

The North Face® UTMB®: Women's Category
Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Hawker (UK) 12h:32h:13s
Francesca Canepa (ITA) 13h:17m:01s
Emma Roca (ESP) 13h:23m:37s

The North Face® UTMB®: Men's Category
François D'Haene (FRA) 10h:32m:36s
Jonas Buud (SWE) 11h:03m:19s
Mike Foote (USA) 11h:19m:00s

About The North Face®
The North Face®, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snow-sport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snow-sport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company's website, www.thenorthface.com.

About The North Face® Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc®
The North Face® Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc® 10th Edition takes place from August 27th - September 2nd 2012 in Chamonix, France. The 10th anniversary edition is set to host 6,000 competitors from 73 different nations who take part in the four races. The headline race, The North Face® UTMB®, one of the most respected ultra trail courses in the world, is a 168km circuit of Mont-Blanc with competitors running through France, Italy and Switzerland, crossing 10 high elevation mountain passes, with an accumulated positive height gain of 9,600m. The CCC® is the 100km race with 5950m gain elevation; and TDS is 112km with 7150m gain elevation.

Contact:
Jessica Hollister
The North Face
510.748.2594
jessica_hollister@vfc.com

Pat Burek for The North Face
Finn Partners PR
212.715.1542
pat@finnpartners.com