There are Over 798 Trail Races in Germany and Salty Magazine calls UTMB a Monopoly After Buying One

According to HDSport’s calendar of races, in Germany there are currently 798 events labeled ‘Trail’ for the year 2026. For the search term ‘Ultralauf’ – ultra race – you’ll get 679 results and 459 for the term ‘Berglauf’ – mountain race. ( I concede that some races might be tagged with multiple terms here, so I’m not going to add them all together!)
After last week’s explosive announcement that Plan B sold their most successful event, the Zugspitz Ultra Trail to the UTMB/Ironman Group Salty Magazine responds on Instagram with the following statement:

“Trailrunning doesn’t need a monopoly”

Now, I understand that under definitions of the Bundeskartellamt the term ‘monopoly’ is somewhat differently defined as to American law, but I fail to understand how owning 1 out of over 1,000 events in one country constitutes as a having a monopoly in our sport.

I think there’s room to call out the biggest player and hold them accountable.

The IG comment continues:

Support the independent stuff. Ask questions. Stay loud. Keep your bullshit radar sharp. Trust your gut.

I believe Salty Magazine feature a story around UTMB in every single magazine they’ve published to date.

I get that Zugspitz is beloved in Germany. It’s also the biggest trail event in the country. Emotions run high. This goes to the ‘heart of trail running’. But it’s also important to keep the conversation on a level where one actually discusses the real issues at play. Is the real worry that a foreign business just bought the biggest prize and pride in Germany trail running?

Somehow no one faults Plan B for selling to UTMB. If locals wanted the event to stay local, why did no one locally step up and step in?