Yeah we'll have to see about Kilian. It's one thing whether he starts the race at all, and it's another thing whether he feels the effects of covid and DNFs. I think if he's not close to 100% once he starts moving he will just drop out. But I don't know his thought process.
I am ready to be wrong about Jim Walmsley. He has certainly switched up his approach, introducing more skiing in the winter as well as some biking, and moving to France to train this year. He's going all in on replicating the exact steps of the people who actually have success over there.
I was shocked how few people have actually won the mens race - Kilian (3), Francois D'haene (4), Xavier Thevenard (3), and Marco Olmo (2). There have only been 6 other winners ever. I feel like I was fed a narrative that American men should be ashamed of their failure to capture UTMB, but idk, it just seems like there has always been 1-3 dominant european beasts spanking everyone.