UTMB Announces Changes to Direct Qualification Process

Another cryptic and rushed announcement by UTMB, shared only on Instagram:

The direct qualification rules for the UTMB World Series Finals evolve (UTMB, CCC and OCC) to allow top runners in every category to qualify closer to home, while protecting lottery access for the entire community.

In the comments on the post UTMB shared some more details:

To be clear on the why: this change allows top runners to qualify closer to home while capping direct slots at Majors (from 210 down to 60) to avoid overcrowding the Finals and preserve lottery chances for the community.

We aren’t removing age group qualifications – a new system dedicated to age categories across the whole circuit will be announced shortly. In the meantime, Majors still double your Running Stones for the lottery.

In the Trail Talk WhatsApp group UTMB’s Fabrice Perrin shares some insight on the vague timing of the announcement:

Context on the timing: Val d’Aran registrations were about to open, and we didn’t want anyone signing up thinking they could still qualify for the Finals through their age group… if that’s no longer the case.

So we chose to say it now, even though the replacement pathway is still being finalised… Not ideal, I know, but better than letting people find out afterwards.

It’s not about shutting age-groupers out, quite the opposite. More soon.

This seems to be the first major adjustment of the UTMB qualification process since its inception. How major, will yet to be seen. But what is clear is that with the continue growth of the World Series and the continued demand by athletes to race one of the Finals UTMB has a lot of wiggle room to tighten the screws in various places.

In any case, in two weeks I’ll be at Kodiak getting myself my 2 (Major!) stones for the year. – And no, I’m not gunning for an age group place anytime soon.