When Mandy Currie received an email earlier this year confirming her spot on the start line of the iconic Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the news was so unexpected that the Saskatoon ultrarunner, nurse, and mom thought it had to be a joke.
But the email was real — and soon Currie was training for the 171-kilometre trail race that winds through the Alps, crossing Italy, Switzerland and France. Running UTMB is a bucket list goal for many ultrarunners, but the 2025 race held an even deeper meaning for Currie: it coincided with the one-year anniversary of her sister Lisa Currey’s death. Lisa died at age 38 following a decade-long battle with cancer.
Currie crossed the finish line in Chamonix on Aug. 30, completing the race in 30 hours and 42 minutes. Back home in Saskatoon, she took time to speak with the Brainsport Times about her experience on the trail, the mindset that carried her through the Alps and how her sister’s memory was woven into every step.
UTMB is one of the most coveted ultraraces. Did it live up to the hype?
Yes, absolutely in every way! The energy throughout the week was palpable. There were other races going on from Monday to Friday and UTMB is the last. My family and I were able to watch the finish line of TDS (Traces des Ducs de Savoie 153km) and OCC (Orsieres-Champex-Chamonix 55km), so that made me excited for my own race.
The start line of UTMB was the largest I had been on and it was so cool to see so many spectators surrounding it. The first 10km were joyful, running between what felt like a sea of people. I high-fived every spectator possible and my face hurt from smiling so much. It seemed the occupants of every house, bar and restaurant were outside supporting the racers. There would be a moment of quiet where I thought the cheering was over, but then we would run through another town and the cheering would start up again well into the late hours.
Chamonix is stunningly beautiful and there seemed to be athletes everywhere. It was so fun to spot and meet some of the elites!
You ran this race on the anniversary of Lisa’s death. How did that affect your mindset throughout the run?
The focus of my run — and motivation — was honouring Lisa and accomplishing something challenging for both of us. I wanted her to be a huge part of my UTMB story.
I became quite open on social media before the race, sharing memories of her and reflecting on the year that passed without her. UTMB is something I signed up for, paid for and trained for. It was a choice and the suffering is obviously a huge part of that.
With my sister’s diagnosis and cancer journey there was no choice to back out — only the choice of how to handle the adversity. Lisa chose to fight for her health, all while choosing to enjoy life as much as possible throughout her illness.
For UTMB, I planned to enjoy the highs and tolerate the lows, knowing the lows don’t last forever. My sister had to tolerate so many lows throughout her 10-and-a-half years with cancer. She constantly found meaning and happiness, even on the hardest days. I wanted to channel her energy and mindset for my race and I think I did that quite well. I definitely had low moments and had to fight to get through them, but I found joy and hope in the upcoming kilometres. I looked forward to the small things — like dry clothing and shoes after a night of battling rain, snow and mud. I made a new friend and got to run with Saskatoon runner Flemming Sondergaard for a big chunk of the race as well.
This race became about connection. My sister truly felt her people got her through her worst days and she valued each and every friend and family member that got her through those days so much. She made time for people, she listened, and she cheered for them in each of their own endeavours. My mindset during UTMB was thriving on connection — new and old — while celebrating my own hard work and my sister’s beautiful life.
My mindset going into this race was the strongest it has ever been thanks to my people and the strength my sister has continued to show me. I truly felt her presence heavily during this experience.
How did your training in the Prairies and the Rockies prepare you to tackle the Alps?
I am working with a really experienced trail running coach, Priscilla Forgie. We worked together to make the most of where I come from. This meant an early spring race to get me physically and mentally ready for the big training blocks ahead. I spent a lot of time in the mountains this summer. This not only benefited my physical training, but also helped me to heal emotionally. I strengthened so many friendships on the trails this summer, and built new ones too. I also explored many new-to-me trails.
When I wasn’t able to get to the mountains, I spent time on the Saskatoon singletrack, Blackstrap Provincial Park and Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park. I also started to use the treadmill when weather was bad or when I didn’t have childcare. I did the Beaver Flat 50 course overnight with a great group of friends. Night running was a huge part of UTMB and this helped me practice running in the dark and managing the discomfort and fatigue of it. I also did a small portion of my mountain training solo — this is out of my comfort zone and not recommended, but it did help me find some quiet confidence in myself and time to reflect on the loss of my sister.
What do you expect to be your most enduring memory of UTMB?
Meeting my friend Mercedes. I know my sister would have loved her and loved that I made such a good friend. We met without effort and chose to encourage each other and push each other. We had an agreement that either of us could drop the other with no hard feelings, but we naturally stuck together and finished holding hands. There was no 26th-place woman this year at UTMB, just two 25th-place women as we had the exact same finish time. My sister would have loved this story and she would have been so proud of both of us. Mercedes gave me an opportunity to share about my sister on the trail and it was so therapeutic for me. We even got to see my sister’s presence in a massive rainbow among the alps — a sign I heavily associate with Lisa.
I saw lots of people on Strava and Instagram talking about how they were watching your progress remotely and cheering you on. What does all of the support from Saskatchewan’s running community mean to you?
Initially I felt vulnerable for sharing heavily prior to the race, but I know that I have so many amazing supportive people in my life that genuinely wanted to see me reach my goal. I felt so proud to be the prairie girl at a big mountain race. I saw so many messages from friends and family along the way. My husband even had a group FaceTime active on his phone when I came into the halfway point at Courmayer, Italy. Seeing the faces of my people and hearing their encouragement was so special. The support kept me on track and reminded me of how badly I wanted this race experience and what it meant to me.
If anyone in Saskatchewan is hoping to run UTMB one day, what advice would you give them?
Train hard, mentally and physically. Take it serious, but also make the training fun. Eat well, but enjoy the extra treats that big miles deserve. Find friends who support your goals.
Remember life can be short, so chase your big goals and be proud of it too!
