To UTMB or not to UTMB?
Trail and Ultra Running at a Crossroads
Registrations for the biggest event in trail and ultrarunning, the UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc), are currently open. At the same, time criticism and opposition has never been as strong, as it is now. In light of this situation, many are contemplating whether pursuing the dream of racing around the Mont Blanc massif is still worthwhile.
Since the founders of UTMB, the Poletti family, joined forces with the Ironman Group, the world of trail and ultrarunning has been buzzing with discussions. To cut to the chase, let's take a closer look at two recent Instagram posts from well-known professional athletes Zach Miller and Jack Kuenzle. These posts give us a real sense of what's on the mind of (most of) the trail and ultra running community right now.
Wait, what happened?
In case you have no idea why UTMB is the talk of the town, here are a few google requests for a nice little holiday research:
“UTMB + Ironman Group + Partnership”
“UTMB + Dacia + Main Sponsor + Criticism”
“UTMB + Whistler + Gary Robbins”
“UTMB + Corrine Malcolm + Too Outspoken”
You will be surprised about your findings. Probably not in a good way.
A sport with no soul
“What I am confident will happen is trail running will become triathlon. A sport where one profit driven race organization dominates the entire sport, and can affect change for the entire sport unilaterally. I’ve never done a triathlon, but I feel like the sport has no soul, partially due to the domination of Ironman. To make this comparison even more salient, Ironman owns UTMB.” – Jack Kuenzle
When I read this paragraph, I silently giggled. I always had an unthought aversion to triathlon. Jack Kuenzle precisely summed up my feelings in one short sentence: “The sport has no soul.” I am aware that this is a personal impression, not a valid argument, but on that point, I fully agree with Jack Kuenzle.
What I don’t agree with, is his prediction that trail running will become triathlon. I am sure trail running will keep on growing. And yes, more money will be earned by sports brands, race directors and, hopefully, also runners. But there’s one big difference to triathlon. Trail and ultra running holds on to some very specific values, mutually agreed upon by its community. Maybe that’s even the “soul” that Jack Kuenzle misses in triathlon. More on this below.
Who is the “Trail Running Community”?
Short answer: Everyone involved with the sport of trail running.
Longer answer: Mainly us, the runners, recreational and professional, the people who put up races and the brands and companies who sell trail running commodities.
Let’s take a closer look, back to front, and see what’s everyone’s role in this.
The companies
I cut this short. Big companies will simply do what everyone else does. They need customers and thus will go where the runners go. Although there is a considerable number of companies who serve trail running well, I hardly ever see any of them take the initiative or lead the way.
I’m fine with that. But when we blame UTMB for becoming “too commercial”, or “maximizing profits”, we should always have in mind that Adidas, Nike, The North Face, Salomon and Hoka, just to name a few, have been riding this train, or, better, milking this cash cow, for decades. In the most forceful way imaginable. In so doing, they are definitely a part of the problem. But, at the same time, not worth mentioning. As said before, they will go, where the runners go.
The races
That’s right, most races are companies, too. The difference is that they are much closer to the execution of the sport, than the brands and companies who only provide gear and sponsoring. In fact, races are the execution of the sport. Races are also gathering places for the trail running community and make the sport visible and discoverable to the world.
The UTMB itself is a race. Many races, for that matter. And that’s precisely where the issues start. When Ironman Group caught interest in UTMB, they didn’t want to own the biggest slice of the cake. They wanted the whole cake. That’s why they established a trail run circuit called the “UTMB World Series”, currently consisting of more than 40 races around the globe. All interwoven in the fabric of a multi-level qualifying system every runner has to submit to, if they want to participate in the actual UTMB “finals” in Chamonix. While franchising is a not-so-surprising business move, numerous companies have pulled in the past, it is rather new to our sport and has a tremendous impact on all non-UTMB races and also on us, the runners.
Races, established or new, have been reacting quite differently to the new market impact and emerging monopoly of the UTMB World Series. Some seem to have signed a cooperation deal to call themselves “by UTMB” at the first opportunity and without any doubts. Others refused the temptation. And still others joined the UTMB empire but then decided to leave shortly after, such as Transvulcania Ultramarathon.
This ambivalence among race directors became even more visible when a rivaling trail running world cup, the “World Trail Majors”, was announced in late 2023. It was widely understood as a direct reaction to the wrongdoings of UTMB and Ironman Group.
The pressure UTMB puts on race directors around the world is unquestionable. All the greater is it to see how more and more “Indomitable Gauls” stand up to the pressure and do their own thing.
We, the Runners
That’s it for talking about them. Now it gets interesting. What’s our role in all of this? As runners, we constitute the biggest part of the trail running community and, thus, have the loudest voice.
“What we sign up for, show up to, and tune in for carries a LOT of weight.” – Zach Miller
Trail running is much more a participant sport than a fan sport. The majority of us is not only passively watching, but actively engaging in it. We decide which events are sold out within hours. We decide which sought-after races we qualify for, or refuse to do qualifiers at all. We decide what experiences we talk about on the internet. We decide which races are becoming “iconic” and “bucket list” ones over the years. It’s in our hands, or under our feet, what happens to this sport. We should always be aware of that.
Elite athletes have an even more important role in all of this. They are very visible and, combined, they have millions of followers on social media. Their words carry a lot of weight. Or as Jack Kuenzle puts it:
“Trail running is at a crossroads. The decision is largely up to elites. Many people don’t recognize the impact that elites have, the media in trail largely follows them, and the race entries of the masses largely follow the media. If elites focus on UTMB and its events, that’s where the center of mass of the sport will solidify. I would never fault an elite for concluding that UTMB is good for the sport, but I do think it’s wrong for an elite to do UTMB thinking UTMB is bad and believing they, as runners, have no impact.” – Jack Kuenzle
To be honest, I am a bit disappointed that so few (none?) German elite trail runners expressed their opinion about UTMB. They surely have one.
On the contrary, it is interesting to see, how many American elite runners raise their voices against the sinister machinations of UTMB. I am saying this because Americans naturally have a much higher tolerance towards capitalist excesses than most Europeans. “Naturally” because in America capitalism and financial success, success in general, are not regarded as something bad.
With that being said, in all the comments I read about the latest UTMB fails, there was literally no one who wanted UTMB to become a non-profit organization. I agree with that. The people at UTMB have created something great over the years, and they deserve to make some money with it.
Our Values
I believe this whole controversy is not about money, anyway. At least not in the first place. It’s about values. Or ‘morals’ as Zach Miller puts it:
“As a runner, it’s not so much UTMB that I am after as it is a highly competitive, prestigious race. I don’t think we should have to sacrifice our morals, and the well-being of our sport to find that. The question isn’t if it’s wrong. The question is, is it good? is it kind?, is it helpful?” – Zach Miller
We all have our own individual values and morals, and at one point in our lives decided that they match very well with trail and ultra running.
Dylan Bowman, however, defined a concise common denominator, what he calls “Trail Culture”. On his Freetrail website, he narrows it down to four core principles:
Inclusivity – Trail running is for everyone
Community – Trail running builds relationships
Effort – Trail running stands for doing hard things
Stewardship – Trail running has to be environmentally conscious
This is a clear-cut definition that I would sign immediately. Unfortunately, UTMB has been running contrary to at least three of these four principles, since their fusion with the Ironman Group. If you understand “doing hard things” as “doing the right things”, then the number increases to four.
What I think
I am a “glass half-full” type of person. It takes a lot before I lose hope. As for UTMB, I have the gut feeling, that they will try to stay in touch with the trail running community. React to the criticism. Even admit mistakes and embrace change, like they did in the past. Sure, this dialogue must be honest and by choice, but I can imagine that it happens.
Also, none of us has a copy of the contract they, the Poletti family, signed with the Ironman Group. There’s even a chance this partnership will be terminated by one or both parties, one day. Maybe even sooner than we think. The Polettis still own the ‘UTMB’ trademark. The path back to the roots would be open for them.
As far as the growth of the sport of ultra and trail running is concerned, I have nothing but positive feelings. Every lost kid or teenager who runs trails instead of messing around is growing up well. Every burnt out adult who finds solace in the mountains is a better father, mother, friend, boss, or employee. Every alcoholic or drug addict, who learns to deal with their inner demons in the solitude of a 5-hour run alongside a roaring river, is a saved soul. Trail and ultra running does good. Let the world experience it.
And finally, the mountain doesn’t care. Running around Mont-Blanc is every trail and ultra runner’s wet dream. That’s a fact. But there are countless ways to make this happen. The trails in Chamonix and Courmayeur are (still) open to everyone. Maybe it’s a perfect time right now, to team up with a couple of friends and run the legendary UTMB loop in a couple of days just for fun. I’ve seen some sparkling eyes, lately, when I provided this suggestion.
Two weeks ago, we discussed this whole UTMB issue in our circle of friends. We wanted to make sure that everyone who (still) wants to run UTMB should do so, without feeling pressured out of it by their peer. We found out, though, that our greatest wish is to spend time together. There are many races out there and even more mountains, but only a handful of true friends. Reconnecting with what truly matters to us felt immensely gratifying.
Sources
Everything not running
Merry Christmas. The everything not running column could end like this, but it doesn’t. You know me.
Christmas used to be the last line of defense my broken family tried to maintain when I was a child. For years, my parents were desperately trying to keep a brave face, but my brother and I didn’t buy it. It was more like “playing family” instead of actually being one. We didn’t fight, like other families do on Christmas, but we also didn’t connect. At least I didn’t.
But there was also light in the darkness. Every Christmas holiday, my grandfather Horst visited us. You might remember him from another Das Z Letter. He ran the Grüntenhaus, a mountain hut on top of the Grünten, where I spent all my summer vacations. I enjoyed being around my grandpa. He was a strange character, but also very funny. And he did not let anything disturb him. At least that’s how I remember him. On Christmas Eve 1996, he didn’t return to the Grüntenhaus and moved into our home, where he stayed until he died two years later.
Today I have neutral feelings about Christmas. I do enjoy the deceleration a lot. There are no real rituals or a recurrent agenda. It’s just Lisa, Harry, Toto and me having dinner (often vegan versions of typical Christmas dishes), watching a movie and going to bed early. That’s undoubtedly what we’re going to do this Sunday, too.
Very well, said, Chris. From my perspective, I was never a fan of huge commercially-driven events and always preferred smaller local ones driven by soul, no matter whether was it trail running, running, or cross-country skiing. People we meet are a huge part of the satisfaction and experience we get by taking part in races. Seeing how much soul and love locals, for example, put into preparing and making such events happen is a treasure on its own. Therefore I agree we as a community make a choice and supporting such local events by participating is definitely a good one.
Thanks for covering this topic. It's important that we runners think about how we spend our money and how we support the sport. One thing you didn't mention is UTMB's relatively new "stone" system that requires runners to run their branded events as qualifications to enter the UTMB lottery. This is really what's driving the monopolization. I hope you will check out the second half of this post, where I also write about the brand's homogenization of events. Happy new year. https://sarahrunning.substack.com/p/getting-loopy-on-long-runs