UTMB Announces Deeper Collaboration With Strava

Another one of these press announcements I would love to link to for more detail, but for now the Instagram link will have to do:

UTMB^® World Series, the global circuit for trail runners, and Strava, the leading digital platform for active people, have today announced a global collaboration and published a combined data story depicting the evolution of trail running.

This announcement got sort of lost in this week’s collective anti-doping conversation, but this partnership seems quite promising. Personally I am more of a story guy than a data guy but in trail running we’re big on vibes and short on data. More data will make for better stories – I hope.

More from their Instagram announcement:

To mark the occasion, we combined our data to unveil a joint data story that reveals how trail running has evolved over the past 3 years, and where it’s headed next. 

The results?
Barriers are breaking. Participation is rising. And more women than ever are embracing the sport, not just as runners, but as racers. 

For UTMB to partner with a reputable data source to bolster their own story-telling is a great move. And for Strava to be in the news for something else than another AI announcement is also a great move.