Pondering the Future of Trail Running Sponsorships

PE Bétremieux, co-founder of BOOST in a post on LinkedIn:

The 2024 UTMB was a huge success, with the streets of Chamonix (or “Cham” if you’re a local or a trail runner) packed with fans.

Beyond its undeniable B2C appeal and the growing popularity of trail running, it’s worth examining how companies are capitalizing on this trend.

Looking at the UTMB sponsors, I can see five key trends for the future of trail running sponsorship.

It’s an interesting post dissecting the current landscape of brands supporting UTMB directly or ones just having a presence in town during the week. From a business point of view there are tons of opportunities for brands to align themselves with an incredible popular and well-loved product. But the key for me will still be on how UTMB and others will be able to grow the audience beyond the folks on the ground racing, supporting or spectating but online/on TV. If UTMB can get this figured out (the Tour the France is probably the product most comparable) then the floodgates of sponsorship Euros will open, and that’s the moment the non-endemic sponsors will jump.