UTMB Launches Redesigned Runner’s Dashboard, and “MyUTMB+”

Amidst the flurry of TRE announcements and distractions UTMB announces a comprehensive updated, upgraded, and redesigned dashboard for runners. In the past this piece always has served a few functions:

• World Series race registration entry point for events owned and operated by the UTMB Group
• Display and summary of stones, index and eligibility for the Finals
• Section to update communication preferences and personal info

It was clear that an update of this section of the website was highly overdue to support the growing event series.

Just ahead of the lottery for the 2026 UTMB Finals the new design is now rolled out to all runners. And here’s what we got:

• A fullscreen layout displaying one’s personal UTMB index and number of stones, the main elements one comes here for.
• An invitation to sign up for your next race – makes sense.
• Below that a list of past achievements.
• Then we’ll have a new section called MyUTMB+ – more on this in a little bit.
• And below that a selection of various links to news and merch.

The focus on the index and stones makes it really straightforward to check where one is at and to what Finals event one can apply for. This is all on point, so far.

MyUTMB+

Just the name alone: Every product with a + added to it has either failed or people have revolted against it. Five, maybe already ten years into everyone corporation adding a + behind a word or their name and we all know what this usually means: “how can we extract more money out of you”.

Practically this section is new and essentially a ‘rewards system’ for frequent flyers of the UTMB World Series. Every corporation has been doing this for decades, every consumer signs up voluntarily or not, but mostly ends up hating it. Now UTMB has its’ own “+”. Here is what it does offer:

• special discounts to products from partner brands. Alright this is a reasonable thing to include, even though 12% off at Suunto, when they have sales every other month seems … not worthwhile. But it’s a great way for corporations to track their ROI, that’s why this exists.
• Below that special offer section is a big table labeled “My Rewards” and this is where things gets interesting (or really really boring, depending on your mood):

For each race you complete, or engagement with the brand, you earn points, and your points put you into one of three categories: “Explorer”, “Trailblazer”, “Summiter”. The more points you have, the more perks you receive. And the big advantages you get for being a ‘summiter’ (the highest tier) is priority access, private sale opportunities, and special booster treatment for the 2027 Finals registration. Translation: Run lots of UTMB events, get priority in the registration queue. A reward for loyal fans.

I say this again: every corporation feels the need to roll out a system like this, and train their customers like lab rats to accumulate frequent flyer miles, shopping rewards points, and other little treats, that forever feel out of reach, can always get tweaked to just not be worth anything to the consumer, but offer endless tantalizing ways to market and sell a products.

Strategically I believe this “feature” will show us a glimpse of how UMTB is planning on addressing the eventual pinch point where races in their series get too manifold and runners accumulate too many stones so that their lottery chances diminish – like we will witness tomorrow at the annual heartbreak day of the Western States and Hardrock lotteries. By introducing a tiered system the casual flyer might have stones, but will have to wait at the gate and will get a shitty crammed seat at the back of the airplane with no overhead bin space available. The loyal UTMB stone chasers on the other side will sit up front with a glass of champagne in hand. (Can you tell I just spend too much time at overcrowded airports?)

I am so tired. And of course the UTMB critics will laugh at me and tell me “told you so”.

And while I might get back at them and suggest that this is “harmless in the grand scheme of things” (I mean, they could’ve announced a peace prize for our mad king instead) it’s just so tiresome and sad. When corporations gets too big and have too many growth hackers and systems optimizers with MBAs on staff, products like these get shipped. “We’re leaving money on the table” someone in the C-suite yells, and the faithful underlings dedicate resources to extract cash from their customers rather than just do about anything better with their time and resources. Consumers are tired of being treated like cattle and even if they might not revolt, the bored and stale taste in their mouths will make the once exciting product feel mediocre and lame.

Maybe my sentiment here is heightened by three days looking at foams on shoes inside an air conditioned conference center. After a couple of good night sleeps I will feel different about all this and ready to chase indexes, stones, points,… and what else comes next. After all I do want to be “summiter” in a super shoes, who doesn’t.

Or maybe all of this just presents a huge chance for the next innovator?

Folks choose trail running because they want adventure in their lives. Want to be wild, experience freedom, flirt with risk, feel excitement only time in the mountains can bring. My trail run should not feel like standing in line at Starbucks. The more trail running “grows up”, “becomes corporate”, gets their “act cleaned up”, the less it actually reflects the reason why people choose this sport in the first place.