By Mathias Eichler
The adventure podcast about trail running and mountain culture. Subscribe in your favorite podcast player.
The adventure podcast about trail running and mountain culture. Subscribe in your favorite podcast player.
Electric Cable Car is counting down until the end of the year by reliving the action-filled year 2024 in trail running. Join me.
Here’s a common song from the ‘anti UTMB’ crowd:
The new UTMB stone system is bad, and a corporate money making scheme. UTMB should go back to the ITRA System.
In the past UTMB required 15 ITRA points to be eligible for the UTMB lottery, 8 ITRA points were required for CCC & TDS (at least according to the spreadsheet I had created back in 2017). Those points you could acquire by running any races where the race director decided to pay the annual ITRA membership fee (which wasn’t much, but wasn’t free either and was definitely one of the pieces that RDs complained about.)
So in any case you needed 3 races at a minimum to accumulate enough points to qualify. Even running two 100 Milers in a year wasn’t enough. You could collect them in multiple years though.
Each runner had to plan their year(s) of running according to an ITRA calendar HOPING that independent race directors would re-upp their membership with ITRA. So, if you planned year one to run certain races, and wanted to run the next year another set of races to complete your points hunt, there was no guarantee that a race director would have their race included in the following year’s ITRA calendar.
So, that’s the system we want back?
Did that make it better for runners than the current system?
The current stone system creates stability for runners wanting to run UTMB. We know where the UTMB World Series events are happening and we can plan our year around it. We could augment our index by running independent races, but that does require race directors to submit their event to the FREE event calendar on the UTMB site. Did I mention it’s free, and easy?
If the complaint is about wanting to ensure that UTMB doesn’t create some sort of chain-store juggernaut “monopoly” and needs to be kept in check at all cost then yes, sure, let’s break it apart and give runners wanting to run it a shittier experience chasing their dream.
Lotteries to enter a trail race that has limited capacity and can’t just allow 10s of thousands of runners on the trail has not been perfected.
The Western States and Hardrock lotteries are difficult and frustrating for many runners wanting to run these races. Many have given up trying to yearly get their qualifiers.
What UTMB has decided to do is that, rather than just letting people try for close to decade, over and over again to get into their races, they’d build a series that would allow a sort of triage. Folks could get a chance and taste at the UTMB experience at races all over the world. This is a work in progress, the World Series events needs to strike a delicate balance by fitting into the local community while giving you a taste of the spectacle that is UTMB in Chamonix. They are working and improving this marriage of local flair and global experience.
The alternative for UTMB is to HOPE that local race directors make the races available as qualifiers and hope that the experience locally on the ground sets runners who are wanting to come to Chamonix up for success. You could say now, that UTMB needs to try harder to appease local RDs to ensure that they are interested in being a sort of ‘feeder event’ and many rightfully might decline. Some see their race as an experience in itself, some just really don’t want to partner with others. That’s a fine perspective to have as an RD, but obviously not a tenable solution for UTMB. If they want to give access to runners from a specific region they can’t just throw their hands up in the air and say “sorry, if you live in that region you’re out of luck.
In the road marathon world it’s a sign of pride for race organizations to be a Boston qualifier. It attracts runners from all over the region, increases sign ups, and generates tourism dollars. Does it hurt the local marathon if a few fast people show up and try to get their BQ? They still pay the entry fee and are part of the event. There is a more stringent control over the accuracy of the route length, and this requires a USATF certification but beyond that I don’t see the downside.
So yes, if you don’t want to run UTMB ever, either because you don’t like Ironman, or UTMB, or France, or the Alps, or don’t care about vacation races, by all means, run any of the thousands of independent races around the courtly. They won’t go anywhere.
And yes, if your favorite local trail race was purchased by UTMB, why not reach out the RD that sold that race and is still operating it. Buy them a cup of coffee and hear their story on why they decided to sell to BIG TRAIL and stay on managing the event.
Via Instagram:
For this summer we are once again searching for enthusiastic, recreational trail running athletes who live up to the #speedup motto in the mountains. As a #trailhero you will be representing our brand on the trails for the whole season sharing your experiences with our community.
They offer some fun benefits, including free race entries… and of course their gear!
I wanted to send another quick reminder and post this separately from the article I published below:
To participate in the lottery, you need at least one Running Stone obtained in the last two years during your pre-registration for the lottery and a valid UTMB Index. Running Stones can be earned by completing races in the UTMB World Series circuit, with the possibility of obtaining 1 to 4 Running Stones per race, and even up to 8 for the Majors. Running Stones are non-perishable and cumulative. Each Running Stone gives you an additional chance to be drawn in the lottery.
To folks being unsure about this, and especially to folks who keep misinterpreting how this UTMB system works, I reiterate:
So, if you didn’t get picked in the lottery this year, rest easy, your stones do not expire – ever. Just, when you do want to pick this back up, the year prior to wanting to race in Chamonix you need to acquire a single stone (that’s running a 20K) at one of their UMTB World Series events.
And to folks who are spouting online that this system is overly focused on forcing people to run UTMB owned events, it’s just not. There’s no reason to run 2-3 UTMB owned events each year.
This message is for average runners, not elites. Their system and direct qualification possibilities are a bit different and require a bit more focus… because, hey, they are elites. Focus comes with the territory.
Can we put this to rest now? I highly doubt it.
Last week UTMB teased that they’d be sharing some data from this year’s lottery draw. Today we get some details on that via press release:
This year, for the UTMB World Series Finals – the UTMB, CCC, and OCC races – we have recorded an incredible 34% increase in registrations compared to last year.
This is probably the result a combination of things: The world is back open post-pandemic, the new stone system is fully in operation, more World Series races around the globe give runners a chance to participate in the lottery, and yes, of course, an increased interest and excitement about UTMB.
Demand is 2 to 3 times higher than our maximum capacity. Let’s talk numbers: for the UTMB, we have a 30% increase with 7,200 pre-registrations, for the CCC a 22% increase with 5,400 pre-registrations, and for the OCC, a spectacular jump of 52% with 6,500 pre-registrations.
The number of runners interested in running the full UTMB is still lower than Western States, which saw almost 10,000 runners in their lottery for the 2024 race. Of course, it’s worth nothing that UTMB offers a lot more spots to runners and thus the chance to get picked in the lottery is much higher. For the overall 2024 lottery the accumulate number comes to 19,100 runners who were hoping for a ticket to Chamonix. (Not counting their other races that don’t require a lottery.)
In last year’s press kit for UTMB 2023 they shared that 16,998 runners registered the lottery for the 2023 race. In 2023 UTMB had 2,814 starters, CCC had 2,406 and OCC had 1,953, for a total of 7,173 spots. Not all are handed out through the lottery as elites are able to qualify directly by racing the various World Series events around the world.
Despite this exceptional demand, the number of spots remains the same.
In the Alps the number of runners on any given trail aren’t locked down by permit agencies per se, thus giving the race organization some leeway. Glad that at this point they aren’t tempted to open this up. It’s a delicate balance.
For the UTMB, the average was 5.4 Running Stones, for the CCC 4 Running Stones, and for the OCC 2.8 Running Stones.
The average number of Running Stones for runners drawn in 2024 was 5.3, compared to 4.9 in 2023. The runners selected for the UTMB had an average of 6.8 Running Stones, 4.8 for the CCC, and 3.7 for the OCC.
Averages are hard to make sense of and difficult to extrapolate out what this means for the individual runner planning their year. But lotteries are also just that, a lottery that requires luck. If you were planning to run the full UTMB, I would say you should acquire at least 8 stones, which means racing at least 2 races (Or a 100M Major) before making an honest attempt in the lottery.
Ladies, your presence is growing stronger and stronger! This year, you represent 20% of the participants in the Finals, a progressive increase that marks the diversification and evolution of our sport. The numbers speak for themselves: there’s a 13% increase for the UTMB, 21% for the CCC, and 30% for the OCC.
The previous numbers didn’t paint a great picture here and that is one of the main things that many runners were complaining about to UTMB. Seeing them track the growth an highlight this shows they care, and shows that they are aware of having to continue to create positive PR around this issue.
To date, for the 2024 edition, 487 elite athletes, including 78 Top Elites, have already confirmed their participation.
This would’ve been included in an official announcement no matter what, but given the meeting with PTRA, Kilian and Zach, this is also UTMB clearly putting a stake in the ground announcing to the world that UTMB is still the top draw for elites and all is well at the spear-end of the competition.
With 40% of participants coming from France and 75% of all runners hailing from various European countries, the 2024 edition demonstrates its strong European identity.
Here UTMB doubles down and wants to remind folks that UTMB is a European product and despite the online chatter which predominantly comes from an North American audience, UTMB reserves the right to shape their product in the way they see fit and they won’t be bent to the will of the US trail dignitaries.
The 260 charity bibs for the UTMB, CCC, and OCC were snapped up in less than 24 hours!
In closing UTMB highlights their charity bibs, which are expensive, a sign of goodwill, and also a business indicator to UTMB that some folks really do have the dough and want to run this race at all costs.
This one’s personal. My race calendar for the year.
Alright, 2024, here we go! I’m ready.
(This links directly to their PDF!)
A few highlights:
These numbers are somewhat skewed due to virtual events being included in the ‘ultra category’. I didn’t know virtual events were still a thing, who knew. Anyway, lots of interesting trend data, especially for race directors.
From the official announcement:
After a solid four-year partnership, which has seen both sides go from strength-to-strength, the Skyrunner® World Series has announced that Outdoor footwear specialist, Merrell, will be the official title sponsor for the coming season.
While it seems that HOKA might be running away with this “trail shoe thing” clearly other brands are not throwing in the towel and are willing to invest heavily into our sport. This is great news.
To find a list of all the races in the Skyrunner World Series, visit ECC’s Global Race Series page.
Love that they release some of these numbers publicly (while still sadly only on Instagram), so I don’t have to dig for them:
I appreciate the transparency about their gender split here. And while these numbers aren’t satisfactory yet, this is how we can grow as a sport.
Having that many countries and cultures represented at the starting line is a fantastic display of diversity and can only happen if we let our event be truly open and inviting to others.
Ironman’s previous CEO Andrew Messick stepped down back in July of 2023. Six month later the company announced Scott DeRue to take over in the top leadership position.
Chris Foster for Triathlete, a publication part of the Outside family reports:
Today the Ironman Group announced that it has appointed Scott DeRue—an executive with experience in the luxury fitness industry and the upper levels of academia—to the position of chief executive officer of Ironman effective immediately.
DeRue previously was president of Equinox Fitness, an American luxury fitness company which operates five separate fitness brands, including hotels, an app and clubs around the world.
DeRue, 46, is also an ultrarunner and accomplished mountaineer who has claimed six of “the Seven Summits”—Everest, Denali, Elbrus, Vinson, Aconcagua, and Mt. Kilimanjaro. He recently completed the Gobi March, a week-long, 155-mile footrace through central Mongolia.
Last year DeRue completed the Gobi March, a six day stage race covering 250km in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
The new guy seems to be familiar with trail races and mountain adventures, but he has never competed in a triathlon. Does that give any indication where the company sees their growth opportunities for the coming years?
I’ve been waiting for Matt Walsh to weigh in on last week’s ‘situation’, and this weekend Trailmix finally delivered:
UTMB’s statement was the most obscure of the bunch in what is now a classic expectation from the UTMB press department. The press release sought to simply brush the email under the rug, deny that they’ve done anything wrong and offer no action plan as to how they’ll address the tension between athletes and the organisation. To call it self-serving would be harsh, but true.
I don’t find UTMB’s statement particularly obscure. As I mentioned in my summary of the official statement UTMB released, there’s a lot of gleam from. Of course they are not going to play the guessing game and publish a list of things that they think folks are mad with them about. Or do we actually believe that UTMB scrolls Instagram comments and honors these with an official response?
And on Matt’s assertion that the UTMB statement seemed ‘self-serving’: I mean, what else should an official statement by a business be? Especially in this situation where the critics (Kilian/Zach/PTRA weren’t really able to articulate what the real issues were? If they were, they would’ve said it in their respective statements. I got the sense that this meeting was more of a “getting called to the principles office” and UTMB had to play grown-ups here.
Matt calls for better journalism:
For fans, we have more PR than journalism. For athletes the only people holding the race series’ to account are themselves. Without strong governance from a professional body and a media with resources and investment, race organisations go unchecked and both fans and athletes are left frustrated and forever on a quest for understanding.
Two places to start:
Back in October Brian Metzler had reached out to all parties asking for a statement for his article for Trailrunner Magazine after the Whistler kerfuffle. Every party involved responded but Coast Mountain Trail Running, or rather Gary who wrote about the issue on his personal blog, not the company website. On a personal level this is all totally understandable but it sort of symbolizes the issue here. The various parties involved in our sport are mostly individuals and it feels more personal to call up Kilian, or Zach, or Gary, or even Corinne and ask them for statements. But perhaps that’s where the media should do more of their homework. Not just play fans of the athletes, but check in on them, with real questions.
So, I yes. We do need better media. It will make our sport better.
Suunto expands their headphone line by adding a second, slightly cheaper version to their bone-conduction headphones with the new ‘Sonic‘. The Sonic, which comes in an incredible yellow color is $50 cheaper, at $149 than their first pair of headphones, the ‘Wing’, which they released a few months ago. One of the biggest differences between the two pairs is that the Wing has a power bank – a portable station that allows you to recharge your device on the go.
I’ve not had a chance to test either pair myself, but have been using a pair of older Shokx headphones and have been enjoying idea of audio transmission – the “bone conduction” element of these types of headphones. Once DC Rainmaker… or I were able to test these in person, I will give an update.
Suunto also added a few more colors to their incredible ‘Race‘ watch. And not just colored bands, but both the titanium and the stainless steel cases come in a couple of new finishes. I’ve been using this watch for a few weeks now and it’s one of my favorite purchases I’ve made over these last few years. It’s an incredible watch for an incredible price.
Catherine on LinkedIn:
Nevertheless, we remain human beings, aware of the need to learn every day. Criticism, although sometimes difficult to take, represent opportunities for evolution. We are particularly affected when these criticisms are based on erroneous or non-existent information, because it tarnishes the trust placed by those around us and support us: our employees, volunteers, partners, service providers, the local communities that welcome us, as well as the runners participating or who dream of participating in our events.
You can only apologize for the things you’ve actually done wrong.
She concludes her personal message with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena”:
It is not the critic who is worthy of esteem, nor the one who shows how the strong man stumbled or how the man of action could have done better. All the merit goes to the one who really descends into the arena, whose face is covered with sweat, dust and blood, who fights valiantly, who is mistaken, who fails again and again – because there is no effort without failure – but who does his utmost to progress, who knows great enthusiasms, who devotes himself to a noble cause, who at best will ultimately know the triumph of achievement and who, at worst, if he fails, will have dared boldly, and will know that his place has never been among the cold and timid souls who do not know Neither victory nor failure.
This quote is in the opening of Doug Meyer’s book “The Race that Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB” (Which , if you haven’t read it yet and are remotely interested in this UTMB stuff, is a must-ready – and why wouldn’t you be, you’re readying this post).
I believe the various interpretations online of the events that transpired over the last few months and the corresponding fallout have been deeply personal for Catherine, the rest of the Polettis, and others who’ve build this organization from the ground up. Yes, they are a corporation now, and yes, that makes it easier, and more justified in some ways to criticize and complain about their movements, but like any good founder she’s taking this personal. And I for one am loving that at the helm of UTMB, in the eye of the storm of this current situation, and very much in a leadership position in our sport is a woman. A woman with a passion for this sport we call trail running and deep sense of what she wants her business to grow into and reflect to the world.
Lots of words are being tossed about, but two big words stick out to me in regards to this UTMB situation.(I’m escalated it now from kerfuffle to situation, if you’re keeping track.)
I’m not even going to answer these two questions above. What I am going to say is this:
I’ve read a lot online over these last few months. I’ve even read comments on social media (god help me), chatted with folks, and debated the issue, and here’s where I land:
Folks who call big things they don’t like or don’t understand a “monopoly” and folks who say things like “friends don’t let friends run UTMB races” and call for boycotts of organizations because they don’t like an aspect of their image are rarely seeing the full picture and are mostly not correct. Not in the short-term, not in the long term, and most of the time they don’t succeed with their doomsday fear mongering. Gate keepers, accusation screechers, and moral preachers aren’t my thing.
I want to run trails up mountains. I want dream of adventures and train my body every day so I can run the races I feel like signing up for. I trust myself and my personal radar to decipher what is a positive experience and which one matches my values and my worldview.
I want to run trails with people who feel the same way. You are my people, and this is my trail community. Trail running is adventure seeking through physical and mental challenges. (And most of all a huge privilege!)
‘Beer on the Run Podcast‘ posts their last episode and calls it quits after 133 episodes in three years.
I was honored to be on the show just over a year ago for episode 99:
This week Mathias Eichler joins Clint and Jack to chat about Spongebob, German beers, Trail Running Film Festival, race directing, life balance, the 100-mile standard, long distance trails in Europe, ESS of Olympia, and Strava art.
Back in November I had co-host of the pod Jack Rosenfeld on Singletrack.
Three years ago hosts Clint Welch and Jack posted their first episode sharing stories about trail running, beer, and everything in between. Prost and cheers to a great project and two great people.
Always the gentleman, François D’Haene posts a lengthy update on his Instagram (the official press release vehicle for micro brands and elite athletes):
I received this email, and I didn’t perceive it as a call for a boycott but as an interesting perspective on what the landscape of trail competitions is becoming.
Kilian didn’t really mean to call for a boycott, it’s not that bad you guys.
Kilian and Zach are right: there are beautiful races elsewhere, and it would be a shame to reduce trail running to the UTMB (and I don’t think that’s what the UTMB wants).
I make sure not to have two similar seasons in a row because changes are the origin of an ongoing motivation. It’s the unknown that keeps the passion away.
It’s good to build your season based on the personal challenges you’re looking for. It’s healthy. No one wants a zero-sum game here. Not even UTMB.
And after 4 years, I’m already excited thinking about the 2025 edition.
.
I already know that I will find that unique atmosphere and the numerous trail runners who, like all of us here, will touch their dreams by arriving under the starting arch in Chamonix. That’s how it is!
Francois is in for 2025.
In an article with French media published on 25 Jan, 2024 Isabelle Viseux-Poletti shares:
“We already have 60 elites registered on our races.”
So, in lieu of an actual starting list, which UTMB tends to only publish a few days before each race, I decided to try to track each runner’s announcement “as it comes across my desk”. (Oh, god what I have I started… this might get out of hand very quickly and I will cave… so, we shall see how this goes.)
The incredible eloquent Damian Hall writing on his blog about his second place finish at the 2024 Winter Spine Race:
A week later I’m still struggling to be at peace with having my best Spine performance and yet being soundly beaten. But what helps is the fact I got to, not only witness, but make a small contribution towards, a historic ultrarunning performance. Also (here comes the hippie bit) this stuff is about the journey much more than the destination – the doing, not the outcome – and I had another belting, life-affirming adventure out there; with shared moments of kindness, magical sunrises and sunsets, cold sparkly nights under the stars and armies of tiny shrews disappearing into the snow (possibly they weren’t real). Spine memories have swamped my mind ever since.
What an incredible performance, what beautiful writing, and man, that race looks incredible.
Dylan Bowman commenting on Kilian’s post on Instagram:
Thanks for the leadership, Kilian!
Still no clear statement from Dylan Bowman on the developments of the last few months.
Ethan Newberry on Twitter/X:
This literally says nothing. PR shit wrapped up in glossy PR glitter with a headline that’ll appease the masses. WTAF
Ethan’s been on a tear about this for months.
Kaci Lickteig on Twitter/X:
They expect people to read the headline, not read the content, and have everyone believing they made amends with the ultra-trail community. It’s a ploy…
“It’s a ploy”… get your tinfoil hats folks.
Andy Jones-Wilkins on Twitter/X:
So there was a meeting with the guys who wrote the email and the Sith Lords and now we’re all good?
Someone wasn’t invited to the meeting.
Look, we all get to use our social media platforms to comment and we’re entitled to our opinions. All is good. But! If trail running is supposed to be special, If there’s a precious culture that’s worth defending, or standing up for, and if said culture is supposedly been guided by well-known and accomplished trail runners/media personalities in our sport and not giant corporations, than what is on display here feels sort of not that special at all. In fact it feels small and petty. The ‘us vs. them’ mentality is tiresome and lazy. Not everything needs to be compared to going to war. And a community is not better off by rallying against an imaginary enemy.
And before you call me a shill for Big Trail I’ll add this: If we in our community cannot call each other out and hold each other to higher standards, we most certainly can’t expect ‘them’ to hold themselves to these standards.
Francesco Puppi closing his statement on his personal Instagram:
As always, as I would like to see way more in our society, dialogue is often the solution. Simply sitting down at a table and listening what the others have to say, understand their position, show empathy.
Now that is real leadership.
PTRA distances themselves from Zach and Kilian’s post:
First of all we want to clarify that the PTRA has never been involved or even aware of the email before it became public
Again, what were you thinking.
Kilian Jornet and Zach Miller explained their motivations for sending the email and wanted to stress that their intention was not to organize a boycott
Ooops, my bad.
What’s missing from this statement, which is officially signed by the Pro Trail Runners Association Board, is any acknowledgment that there were misleading stories perpetrated by the greater trail running community. As a voice for the sport it’s important to not just play watchdog toward UTMB but also hold their own accountable and take ownership of the atmosphere that was perpetuated over the last few months.
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