Haute-Loire Dad Runs UTMB for Twin Daughters’ Hearts

Florian Virat, a resident of Haute-Loire, France, will compete in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) later this year, dedicating his run to raising awareness for his twin daughters’ heart conditions. Virat, aged between 40 and 44, is a member of the Club Athletique Brioude and Team Petit Coeur de Beurre.

The UTMB, considered one of the world’s most challenging trail races, will see Virat navigate the Alps. He is running to support his daughters, who have undergone heart surgery. According to his UTMB profile, Virat has an UTMB Index of 497-498 as of February 11, 2026.

Virat recently completed La Romagnatoise 2026 – La ronde des plateaux on February 1, 2026, finishing 125th out of 185 participants with a time of 5:00:03 over a 38 kilometer course with 1465 meters of elevation gain. He also participated in the TRAIL DES LIONS NOCTURNE 2026 – La grande Nocturne on January 17, 2026, placing 115th out of 235 runners with a time of 2:54:54 over 25.5 kilometers and 931 meters of elevation gain.

Prior to 2026, Virat completed the Tour Du Nipalou 53km in October 2025, finishing 84th out of 1427 participants with a time of 7:13:09. He also ran the Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB® in June 2025, finishing 513th out of 1665 runners in 6:55:07 over a 52.8 kilometer course. His performance at La Romagnatoise 2025 in February 2025 saw him finish 91st out of 213 participants with a time of 4:34:04. In October 2024, he completed the Festival Des Templiers – BOFFI FIFTY in 7:36:14, finishing 302nd out of 877 runners.

Virat’s racing history also includes the TRAIL DE VULCAIN 2024 – Ultra Volcanique (77km, 2870m+) in March 2024, which he completed in 12:19:14, finishing 353rd out of 505 participants. He also ran La Romagnatoise 2024 in February 2024, finishing 88th out of 144 runners in 4:22:53. His earlier results include the Trail des 4×1800 in July 2023 and the Les Trails du Sancy – Grand trail du Sancy in September 2022, the latter of which he did not finish.