UTMB, an internationally renowned race organization, shapes trail running communities worldwide with increased access to their UTMB World Series. In addition to what many fans of the sport refer to as the trail running Super Bowl, The UTMB races held annually each August in Chamonix, France (also the UTMB World Series Final), the UTMB World Series hosts over 50 events in continents including Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
The mission statement for the series explains UTMB’s commitment to the trail running community, building higher quality events worldwide and providing more opportunities to reach the World Series final: “UTMB® World Series is the world’s ultimate trail running circuit that allows all runners to experience the UTMB adventure through the best, leading international events. Built on the values of fair play, solidarity, protection of our environment and delivering an exceptional local experience, the UTMB World Series gives runners the chance to live the UTMB adventure close to home and to begin their quest to HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc and the UTMB World Series Finals.”
In the following article, I speak with Florian Lamblin, Executive Director of UTMB International, and Paul Huddle, Senior Director of Global Trail Running Operations for the Ironman Group, who share thoughts on my questions about the future of the UTMB World Series. We explore the unique American trail running culture, UTMB spirit and values, benefits to race partnerships in the World Series, and much more.
UTMB World Series in North America
There are currently seven UTMB Word Series events held on US soil, and plans for more in the future. In 2022, the UTMB partnered with the historic US races Kodiak Ultramarathons and the Speedgoat Mountain Races. Both of these races introduced American trail runners to the UTMB race series experience, UTMB values and provided opportunities for runners to take part in the World Series final in Chamonix France. Lamblin speaks on the brand’s investment in the American trail running audience, “The sport is very strong and growing in the US. Also, our founders, the Polettis, have always invested in the US trail running scene, particularly on the West coast, and these partnerships have come to be very natural.”
When it came to the Speedgoat Mountain Races in particular, Lamblin spoke on several enhancements to the event that have arisen through four years of partnership with the event, “The partnership has helped the race grow in terms of new race formats. While Speedgoat has always been known for being one of the most challenging 50-kilometer races in the US, the UTMB partnership has introduced new race distances and helped the shorter 26K and 11K races grow in popularity.”
UTMB’s Paul Huddle.
As for future American races in the UTMB World Series, Paul Huddle shares the brand’s commitment to provide more race opportunities geographically. Currently, six of the seven races in the series are in the west (California, Utah and Colorado), while only one is on the east coast (Grindstone 100 in Virginia). Huddle explains in more detail the brand’s commitment to explore new locations across the US, “If you want to qualify or obtain running stones that will help you get into the final, you have to come to the west. That’s a long trip for anybody from the east. So, we’re trying to find locations in the other parts of the US that can accommodate events that fit in with the local community while giving people both a great running experience and opportunity to race in Chamonix.”
While plans are in the works for more races in the US, Lamblin explains that UTMB takes its time when adding new World Series events, “It’s quite a process and we do not rush the partnerships. We’ve worked with races for several years before finally adding them to the series. We allow things to develop naturally and take their time. If it’s not the right fit, we won’t force the partnership.”
American racing spirit
American trail races have a long, deeply rooted trail running history that is in many ways vastly different from The UTMB and European trail running culture. Huddle explains some of these differences and how the World Series partnerships in America have led to growth in both ends—for UTMB and local US trail races, “Everybody is united by the same general love of being outdoors. People simply love being in nature and exploring new places on foot. The thing I noticed in Europe that’s different from the US is how big their races are. A relatively normal-sized race in Europe has 3,000 people where a typical race in the US is probably 100 to 150 people.”
Huddle also notes a major difference in US trail systems and land preservation efforts, “In Europe, one might feel like they’re running in remote wilderness but then they crest a hill and there’s a mountain refuge that has a bar, restaurant or maybe even a place to sleep. In the US, the natural places are preserved more for nature and wildlife. While Europe still certainly has regulations to protect the environment, the general access and cultural attitudes to public lands are the biggest difference.
“In spite of the differences between American and European trail running races, the UTMB World Series does not expect the US racing culture to change to fit the European mold. Instead, UTMB aims to preserve local race spirit while providing the benefits of the unique UTMB racing culture and atmosphere that runners are drawn to from around the world.”
UTMB’s Florian Lamblin.
Lamblin says, “Our partnerships are first and foremost about balancing the UTMB spirit and local values. Small races can stay small and just because UTMB itself is of a larger scale or has a certain course profile doesn’t mean that every race in the series has to be exactly like it.”
Huddle echoes Lamblin’s sentiments on preserving the intimate nature of the American racing scene while still encouraging growth and new ideas, “It’s not about making every race in the World Series look more like UTMB, it’s about creating events that represent the best form of trail running a given location has to offer. There’s room for both smaller, more intimate races, as well as larger races with lots of participants.”
Global growth
When it comes to organizations that have grown the sport of trail running, UTMB is at the top of the list. Listed below are several reasons UTMB has been at the center of the sport’s growth:
Historic UTMB races in Europe have reached participation numbers in the thousands consistently year after year.
UTMB races in Asia and Africa are growing the sport in areas where it has not traditionally been popular.
Elite athletes from around the world are drawn to UTMB races as the place to challenge themselves against the best in the world and earn sponsorship deals.
While the UTMB races in Chamonix France are not an official “World Championship,” many fans of the sport view it as the most competitive trail running showdown of the year (a.k.a. The trail running Super Bowl). The Golden Trail Series, WMRA Mountain Running World Cup, Skyrunning, and several other international organizers have conducted popular finales that bring participants from around the world together to compete, but UTMB is widely regarded as the most popular.
Photo credit: Christophe Pallot
Huddle speaks on how the UTMB final compares to other major finals in the sport, “The UTMB races are much more participatory than other championships in the world.” In contrast to the annual Golden Trail Series Final and World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (held in odd-numbered years), UTMB maintains the mission to welcome runners of all abilities to participate, not just elites.
Huddle explains this mission, “Trail running, in general, is a participatory sport. People are going to be much more interested in participating than watching. That’s not to say that there aren’t ways to innovate and have the sport be compelling for people watching outside of the sport, but currently that’s the state trail running is in. UTMB is about giving all types of runners from all over the world chances to compete on the global stage.”
Lamblin concludes on this same point, “The goal of UTMB is to bring together runners from around the world and honor the values of diversity, equity and stewardship on the startline.”
Learn more about the UTMB organization, view current athlete world rankings and visit their racing calendar here.
