The great UTMB debate: One year on..

It was January 2024 and the internet and trail running world were buzzing over the emerging controversy surrounding the UTMB Group and the future of trail running.

Whilst there was no doubt a collection of smaller issues that also contributed, there were two main events that brought matters to a head.

Firstly, there was considerable backlash from Coast Mountain Trail Running (co-owned by Gary Robbins and Geoff Langford) following agreement between the UTMB World Series and Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort to host a new UTMB race on the mountain, the Ultra Trail Whistler. This effectively trumped CMTR’s own race at the same location. Many trail and ultra runners joined the chorus of dissent, questioning the ethics and approach taken by UTMB and it was seen by many as an example of a big corporate entity in the sport forcing out the local, community-based organiser.

The second event, almost certainly linked to the first, followed the public leak of an email to UTMB from the Professional Trail Runners Association (PTRA). The PTRA had been formed and fronted by Kilian Jornet and other prominent athletes in the sport to represent the interests of athletes.

The communication was interpreted by many at the time as a strong challenge to UTMB and its position within the sport. It was even suggested in some quarters that prominent athletes were promoting a boycott of the Chamonix events.

Whilst Kilian and others were quick to meet with UTMB to further discuss and clarify their position, there can be no doubt that this was the first time that such an open rift and major political turmoil had apparently emerged within trail running. It also came at a time when UTMB had changed the qualifying process for the annual World Series Finals in Chamonix. These changes were interpreted by many as further evidence of UTMB’s growing strangle-hold on the sport, much to their own commercial advantage. Even their environmental credentials were called into question following the appointment of Dacia as their presenting sponsor.

So, what was the impact of all of this in the following months?

UTMB responded to all of the concerns raised, stressing their environmental commitment, their commitment to the advancement of the sport and their commitment to supporting local communities and community participation throughout their growing portfolio of races. UTMB further stressed that whilst some of their events were directly managed by the UTMB Group, others were under license agreements with all events managed and promoted by teams local to the race territory.

Interestingly, it was several years before that UTMB acquired the Western States 100 as part of their World series although this flew under the radar to some extent as the race kept its non-profit status and it still to this day does not carry the ‘by UTMB’ addition as part of the race title.

The reality in 2024 was that UTMB’s race portfolio expanded to 41 races scheduled for that year.

Was it all just a storm in a teacup then? Alternatively, is it merely confirmation of what all the dissenting voices were saying; that UTMB has simply consolidated its position as corporately dominant in the sport?

The reality is this as I see it. Trail and ultra running are really no different from any other sport, much as some would like to think differently.

There has been a long-standing, popular view of the sport as a ‘homey’ type of pursuit; a warm and comfortable little ‘community’ of like-minded free spirits who participate for the love of running and the outdoors. Many would like to see it immune from the cut and thrust of profit-seeking commercialism. That is great in many respects and may all of the smaller-scale, more local, non-profit races continue into the future.

However, trail and ultra running are not immune from the corporate drive to expand and profit from sport and at this stage of the sport’s development, why should they be?

UTMB may now be cited by some as all that is wrong with the sport in terms of erosion of community focus, running for profit and some of the associated environmental impacts. However, let us not forget what organisations like UTMB have done to bring the sport into the public consciousness and to promote its meteoric popularity as a sport in general.

UTMB, along with some other bodies, have catapulted the sport into the mainstream of sport as a result of commercial sponsorship, innovative media and race coverage, meaningful prizes and a growing anti-doping stance.

The sport needs to wake up and take anti-doping more seriously. We have moved well beyond trail running being a niche little pursuit populated by very nice people with a love for the outdoors. It is an organised, international sport offering increasing amounts of prize money and sponsorship to ever burgeoning numbers of professional athletes at the elite levels. Anyone who thinks that all of these athletes are simply too nice to cheat is just naïve in my view.

UTMB is not the only organisation developing the sport in similar ways. The Golden Trail World Series, Merrell Skyrunning World Series and World Trail Majors, for example, are all vying in the same arena.

Companies like Aravaipa Running in the USA are rapidly expanding their influence as are others in the stage racing scene such as Marathon de Sables, Spine Race and Beyond the Ultimate to name several. So, it would be easy to single out UTMB as perhaps the largest, easiest target but UTMB is just indicative of the direction of the sport.

Now, in case I appear to come across as some kind of UTMB fan-boy, I most certainly am not. If you have read some of my other posts, you will know that I have developed an aversion for larger races. I have participated in at least three UTMB races and I did not enjoy them, for a range of reasons, but the size of the events and the number of participants just simply isn’t for me.

I did also observe that all of the UTMB races I experienced did have much the same corporate look and feel, regardless of location. Whether one likes that or not, what else could be expected from a corporate entity?

It is highly unlikely that I will run in another UTMB event and I certainly have no desire to climb the greasy pole of Running Stones and lotteries to get myself to Chamonix. The scale, route, size of field and atmosphere of the events hold no appeal. However, that is simply my personal preference, not a consequence of any kind of judgmental position in respect of UTMB as a corporate entity.

 

So, what has changed one year on?

UTMB’s 2025 race schedule now lists 50 events across the globe and there is no indication that they have stopped the process of identifying new events to subsume into the brand.

In their own marketing material, UTMB refer to the World Series Finals 100 mile race (still just referred to as UTMB) as “the ultimate bucket-list race”. They cite the CCC as “the world’s pinnacle 100K race” and refer to the OCC as “the premier 50K race”.  There is no evidence that there has been any wane in subscription to their races nor does there appear to be any less desire on the part of athletes, elite or otherwise, to cross the start line at Chamonix, regardless of the qualifying criteria.

As long as athletes continue to subscribe to the view that these are pinnacle or ‘bucket-list’ races, there are few voices to challenge UTMB’s self-acclaimed supremacy. If like me, you do not appreciate the scale, style and clamour of races that UTMB now hosts, then just abstain and find other races. There are many out there and who knows, they might even be better!

That said, UTMB should take appropriate cognizance of some of the under-lying feeling in the sport and should certainly continue to try to maximise community involvement and fringe community benefits at all of their race venues. Their race portfolio now covers all parts of the continents which should be seen as a positive step, although I personally feel that more can be done by all to support and grow the involvement of more African athletes and countries within the sport.

The emergence of top African athletes in the Golden Trail World Series has markedly enhanced diversity within trail running in general but compared to distance road and track running, African countries are still very much under-represented in the trail running world.

There can be no doubt that the events that transpired just over a year ago did serve a purpose in focusing minds on the direction of the sport. UTMB and the wider commercialisation of trail and ultra running are here to stay but with appropriate stewardship, that does not need to come at the complete exclusion of what many feel to be the essence and the spirit of the sport.