UTMB, Kilian Jornet and trail running representatives ‘hopeful’ after discussing future of World Series
Representatives of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) group, champion runners Kilian Jornet and Zach Miller, and other elite runner representatives had a virtual meeting to exchange concerns about the future of the sport.
“As an introduction, Zach Miller and Kilian Jornet expressed, in their name as well as in the name of certain elite athletes, their concerns and questions regarding the direction taken by UTMB Group over the last two years through the development of the UTMB World Series, which was launched in 2022,” a UTMB statement read.
The meeting comes in the wake a leaked email that showed Spaniard Jornet and American Miller rallying other elite runners to compete in a different race to mount pressure on the UTMB.
The email said: “An absence of the top fifteen ranked male and female runners from the UTMB start line would speak volumes. It would communicate to them that we are not happy and pressure them to make some changes.”
Jornet and Miller’s wrote: “There are a multitude of things that we could point to that are concerning to us, but the gist of it is that we feel that they are not managing themselves and their event(s) in a way that has the best interest of the sport and its people in mind.”
Jornet has won the UTMB in Chamonix four times. Miller has won the CCC, the 100km UTMB event that precedes the main UTMB race in Chamonix.
The meeting between the runners and the UTMB took place virtually, and included the management of UTMB Group, represented by co-founders Catherine and Michel Poletti, CEO Frédéric Lénart, and Elites and Teams Manager Marie Sammons. And on the other side Jornet, Miller, and representatives of the Pro Trail Running Association (PTRA).
The UTMB’s statement said they discussed the development of the UTMB World Series, the sporting rules of the UTMB World Series, exchange with communities and governance.
“At the end of the meeting, everyone expressed the wish to continue this discussion to make it a fruitful collaboration for the benefit and development of trail running and its communities in the coming years,” the statement ended.
The UTMB is a week-long running festival in Chamonix and has been going since 2003. It launched a World Series in 2022 and acquired 37 “by UTMB” races world wide by the end of 2023, adding them to its World Series. Runners now have to race in the World Series to qualify for the Chamonix event.
In 2021, the IRONMAN Group acquired a minority stake to help start and expand the World Series.
The rapid growth has provoked a backlash as runners wondered if the sport was becoming too commercial.
The tension came to a head last year when UTMB announced a race in Whistler, Canada, seemingly at the expense of a local race which had been unable to get a permit despite operating in Whistler for years.
Since the meeting, the UTMB, Jornet and PTRA have all posted statements on social media suggesting the meeting was positive, although no specific change of course was mentioned.
Jornet said that the UTMB has been part of many positive changes in trail running like competitive races, prize money and anti-doping policies. But added the progressed has been “marred by missteps”.
“This has included controversial race acquisitions, neglecting or unhearing the community in what we believe are important subjects such as environmental impacts or accessibility. The UTMB board stated that some were due to misinformation and misunderstandings,” he wrote.
“After a January 23 meeting with the UTMB Board, I’m hopeful for stronger, open communication between the community, including elite athletes represented by PTRA, and UTMB focusing on the sport development with its values at the centre,” Jornet said.
PTRA echoed Jornet and said: “We hope and believe that with more transparency and better communication among the parties, the elite athletes represented by PTRA, the local communities and UTMB, many issue will be solved, always staying true to our values and common goals.”
