For most people, a trip to the stunning alpine region on the France, Italy and Switzerland border is a chance to admire some of the world’s most beautiful scenery.

But for Cooma athlete, Mick Sullivan, his recent trip the alps secured his place as one of the world’s fastest and fittest men aged between 65 and 69.

Sullivan has again tasted success in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) world series final, finishing first after a gruelling 100km race through the three countries.

Competing in the CCC (Courmayeur/Champex/Chamonix), Sullivan crossed the finished line under the iconic blue archway in Chamonix, 18 hours, 56 minutes after leaving Courmayeur.

In a thrilling race, Sullivan overcame an eight minute deficit in the final stage to seal his victory and standing as the number one athlete in his age category.

For most of the 100km, Sullivan was trailing a rival runner. With eight kilometres to go, he threw caution to the wind and lifted a gear.

“With just eight kilometres remaining, I managed to get data on my phone at last, and got the splits on my two rivals,” Sullivan said.

“To my horror, I noticed that KK (leading runner) had exited La Flegere (the last aid station), eight minutes before I got there, I thought he was behind me.

“I had to let it rip on the downhill and apply all my trail craft, to get to Chamonix in time.

“I just flew down the hill, throwing out safety considerations and running hard in all sections.”

The streets of Chamonix were lined up with onlookers as Sullivan ran into the French village. Cheered on by his wife, Jenny Sullivan, he finished at 4.11am. In his event (male 65-69), only five of 19 runners finished.

“The elite runners who went the extra mile and clad themselves with extra protection, ended up winning, as other runners got too cold and lost ground,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan ran through sunshine, rain, the cold and the night to complete the arduous 100km course. He traversed peaks as high as Tet de la Tronche at 2541 metres, the biggest climb of the race. The next challenge will be the Chiang Mai by UTMB world major in Thailand, at the end of the year. Sullivan will race in the 162km ultra that will involve two nights of running through the Thai jungle.