It is to ultra-trail what the World Cup final is to football: the event not to be missed, the one that enthusiasts dream of, the driving force behind a discipline that has been steadily gaining ground since its creation, and whose success continues to grow, even swell, at the risk of losing what has forged its prestige.
Because, like the World Cup, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) has become a commercial label in its own right, a source of considerable revenue, a flourishing brand exported all over the world and a highly coveted promotional tool. But some no longer recognize the values of simplicity, generosity, sharing, and respect for nature that gave birth to the event just 20 years ago.
Between August 28 and September 3, 10,000 runners of 118 nationalities and 100,000 spectators are expected in the 18 towns of France, Switzerland and Italy crossed by the eight races ranging from 15 to 300 kilometers. The 2,300 participants taking part in the flagship race – 171 kilometers and 10,000 meters elevation gain, or the equivalent of four end-to-end marathons and two Everest climbs from base camp – set off from Chamonix in the French Alps at 6 pm on Friday, September 1. The first finishers are expected to arrive back in Chamonix some 20 hours later, and the last at 4:30 pm on Sunday, after two days and nights of effort.
In the early hours of August 30, 2003, 663 ultrarunners of more than 20 nationalities were at the start in Chamonix's church square. Only 67 of them made it to the finish line, watched by a sparse and bewildered public. Many, like the columnist of Le Dauphiné Libéré, saw this "rolling mill of the peaks" as nothing more than "a sum of suffering," but the survivors can take pride in having contributed to the birth of a myth.
In just three editions, the number of runners tripled, and the number of finishers increased tenfold. Ten years later, the number of French trails inspired by this example had made the same leap, from 150 to 1,500. Now in its 20th year, the "Race of a Thousand Winners," where the last to finish is celebrated as triumphantly as the first, is more coveted than ever. But conditions have changed.
In 2007, the 2,377 spots available were snapped up in eight minutes, and almost 5,000 applications were rejected. "We've gone from dream-makers to dream-breakers," lamented UTMB France head Isabelle Viseux-Poletti, daughter of the event's founder Catherine Poletti. The following year, a draw replaced the first-come, first-served rule, new events were added over the years, and then a points-based qualification system, to be earned in other races, had to be added to the selection process. Since 2022, the pass has been reserved for those who have performed well in other UTMB-labeled events – there are now 38, across all continents. This exclusivity can sometimes cause irritation. Have the promoters of the founding values of ultra-trail given in to the siren call of profit?
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