Quebec’s Marianne Hogan doesn’t back down easily. Her relentless drive has fueled her rise in the ultrarunning world, culminating in a remarkable third-place finish at this weekend’s 2024 UTMB 176K race in Chamonix, France. Hogan, who was second at UTMB in 2022, displayed incredible tenacity, overcoming a hard fall that left her with a dislocated index finger. Her journey has been marked by both triumphs and setbacks, making this latest achievement more impressive.
Overcoming injuries to reclaim her position
Hogan faced significant challenges following her impressive 2022 season, where she secured second place at UTMB following a third place finish at Western States 100 (WSER). In 2022, Hogan led the race in front of eventual champion Katie Schide, but was forced to slow down with 45K remaining due to a torn psoas. Reflecting on her experience, Hogan told Canadian Running about her resolve to carry through: “The more I ran on it, the harder it was to finish, but never for a split second did I consider stopping. All I wanted was to keep my second position. When things got rough, I was ready to get the job done regardless of what it took.” Despite holding onto second place and completing a remarkable WSER and UTMB podium double, the injury took a toll. Hogan’s racing career was temporarily sidelined when her psoas injury led to a sacral stress fracture, diagnosed in April 2023, necessitating an extended break from competition.
Consistency and patience
In October 2023, Hogan made a triumphant return to racing, capturing victory at the Tsaigu 85K in China. Reflecting on her comeback performance, Hogan called it “a good day to be rekindled with the concept of racing” on Instagram. She didn’t stop there—delivering a strong second-place finish at Ultra Trail Cape Town (UTCT) in November. Pre-UTCT, her joy at being back in competition was palpable; she shared her excitement on social media, saying, “Who knows what will happen on Saturday, and how the body will feel on such a short training period. But I sure as hell enjoyed these past few months, and am already excited for more long bike rides & great adventures with friends.” She followed her relatively conservative return in 2023 with two races in 2024, and paced France’s Camille Bruyas to a second place finish at Hardrock 100 in Colorado.
Hogan has commented on how her returning to running focused on the joy of the sport, rather than a need to race, and her delight in again toeing the line at UTMB was evident in her pre-race post on Instagram: “When your big race prep is also synonymous with quality time with your best buds in the mountains you know it’s been a good prep (and the actual race will just be one big bonus.”
Perseverance despite a dislocation
Hogan started Friday’s race with impressive strength, holding onto a solid second-place position through the early and middle stages. A hard fall early Saturday morning led to a dislocated index finger, but Hogan continued with her trademark unwavering determination. However, New Zealand’s Ruth Croft, a previous winner of both CCC and OCC, overtook Hogan on the final climb, securing second place in 22:48:37. Hogan crossed the finish line less than 25 minutes later in 23:11:15, improving her 2022 time by over an hour and joining an elite group of only five women to have run sub-24 hours at UTMB.
While Hogan has yet to announce her next challenge, her relentless determination, ability to overcome obstacles and passion for ultrarunning will undoubtedly keep fans cheering for her as she strides to the top of future podiums.
