UTMB Partners with Aonijie

UTMB today announced a 3 year global partnership with Chinese outdoor brand Aonijie:

UTMB World Series and Aonijie join forces to deliver an exceptional experience for athletes and trail running enthusiasts across the globe.

This partnership replaces longterm sponsor Camelbak as UTMB’s hydration pack supplier. On one side it’s kind of funny to have a dedicated hydration pack supplier sponsor (In German that would’ve been just one single compound word!) on the side, UTMB has made the mandatory kit a standard for ultra races and increasingly the elite runners have their custom packs (showcasing their sponsor logos and hiding the Salomon logo) and everyone else has the regular Salomon ones. So, clearly there’s room for a brand to position itself as competitor. And further, UTMB as a truly global racing series has the chance to attract global bands interested in shaking up and reshaping the landscape of established outdoor businesses and brands we’ve come to associate with trail running. For example Aonijie doesn’t just make hydration packs, but poles that look very similar to market leader LEKI’s and toe socks that look like Injinji’s.