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UTMB MONT BLANC: THE FUTURE, AFTER THE NEW UTMB WORLD SERIES. INTERVIEW CATHERINNE POLETTI, RACE DIRECTOR.

Posted by on May 7, 2021 in ultra mont blanc, UTMB | Leave a comment

UTMB MONT BLANC: the future, after the new UTMB World Series. Interview with Catherine Poletti, Race Director. Our UTMB section presented the new UTMB WORLD SERIES circuit yesterday. A joint project of the Chamonix brand and Ironman, two world business leaders. An ad that opened countless questions for everyone.

Today we bring you the interview made by our group colleagues from www.carrerasdemontana.com Mayayo and Abel de Frutos, with Catherinne Poletti, director of the UTMB Group.

UTMB WORLD SERIES UTMB AND IRONMAN 
NEW ULTRA TRAIL WORLD CIRCUIT

UTMB WORLD SERIES: UTMB’S SPIRIT IN TOP-LEVEL INTERNATIONAL TRIALS.

Already in recent years we saw UTMB modify the entry method for UTMB races held in August in Chamonix that favored the finalists of the BY UTMB and UTWT races through the Running Stones and shortcuts, UTMB takes a twist and launches “UTMB WORLD SERIES”.

How does the new UTMB WORLD SERIES circuit work? The new circuit is self-represented in a big way, without complexes: “A revolution for sport that will unite the trail running community through a new integrated sports system open to all. Inspired by UTMB’s high standards, runners will be able to participate in the most beautiful events on the planet.”

This circuit will be the only way for runners to start their journey to Mont-Blanc, France, where the prestigious finals will take place. Without a doubt, a model that ironman has applied for years with its mythical finale at KONA.

And that logically, it seeks to replicate now with CHamonix as a mecca of the world ultra trail. In line with the trajectory of the rapid growth of the sport, events will be held on six continents. So they will give all runners more opportunities to live the UTMB experience on a global scale.

UTMB WORLD SERIES: CALENDAR EIGHT MOUNTAIN RACES.

While the full schedule of events will be announced in the third quarter of the year, eight world-class international events have already been confirmed in Europe, Asia and Oceania, including:

UTMB WORLD SERIES: ULTRA TRAIL CIRCUIT WITH FOUR LEVELS.

Starting in 2022, the series will integrate four levels of event:

UTMB WORLD SERIES FINALS

UTMB Mont-Blanc is where the legends of sport are forged. This iconic event will now also mean the official coronation of the men’s and women’s champions of the UTMB World Series. UTMB World Series titles will be awarded at each of the three key distances of the UTMB Mont-Blanc. Such as OCC(50K), CCC(100K) and UTMB(100M). Qualification can only be achieved by participating in one of the UTMB World Series or UTMB World Series Majors events.

UTMB WORLD SERIES MAJORS

Three Majors will be held each year. There athletes will be able to compete face-to-face in the continental Series finals in America, Europe and Asia/Oceania. Each Major will include at least one race in each category (50K, 100K and 100M) and elite finishers and fans will have at least twice the chance of entering the finals.

UTMB WORLD SERIES EVENTS

From Europe, to Asia, Oceania, America and Africa. The Events will be the best events on the planet and will be held in exceptional places in the heart of unspoiled nature. Organized to the highest quality standards to bring the UTMB adventure closer to runners around the world. Each event will include at least one qualifying race in the 50K, 100K or 100M categories.

These races will award Running Stones; 1 Running Stone will equal 1 entry into the Finals registration lottery, which will give runners the opportunity to be on the start line at Mont-Blanc. Sports stars will also be able to enter the Finals based on their outcome at Events events.

UTMB WORLD SERIES QUALIFIERS

Qualifiers will be the gateway to the Series with thousands of races around the world open to everyone. It will not be mandatory to participate in a Series qualifying race to start the adventure. However, participating runners will benefit from privileged access to Series events.

UTMB WORLD SERIES: NEW SERVICES FOR RUNNERS AND ORGANIZERS.

The UTMB World Series will provide new services for runners such as privileged access. In addition to new and more precise sports criteria that take into account the specificities of trail running. This includes developing the Performance Index as a unique UTMB Group asset. And creating new categories to classify events.

  • Performance index. Runners familiar with the sport’s first rating system will still be able to use it on the new platform to evaluate and compare their performance level. Runners with a given performance index will have privileged access to UTMB World Series event races. All this regardless of your level.
  • Four new categories based on km-effort. There will be four categories in the UTMB World Series: 20K, 50K, 100K and 100M. They will be based on km-effort, a globally recognized formula for measuring trail running distance. Considering both the distance and the cumulative positive slope for calculating the perceived distance. For example, 100M means 100 miles and represents 170 kilometer-effort.
  • Consultation of elite athletes In the process of defining the sports structure of the UTMB World Series, a significant group of elite international athletes was consulted. In this way understand your comments and opinions. Under the new sports system, to gain access to the UTMB World Series Finals, the best trail running runners on the planet must qualify by participating in the UTMB World Series Majors or UTMB World Series Events for a period of 15 months.
    • The top 10 men’s runners and 10 best female runners in each of the 50K, 100K and 100M categories in the UTMB World Series Majors will achieve a place for the next edition of the UTMB World Series Finals race of the same category.
    • The 3 best men’s runners and the 3 best female runners in each of the 50K, 100K and 100M categories at UTMB World Series Events will achieve a place for the next edition of the UTMB World Series Finals race in the same category.

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