VALHÖLL ARGENTINA 2023 BY UTMB: JOINS THE UTMB WORLD SERIES

Posted by Héctor Rubio on October 5, 2022 in trail running, trail running spain, utmb world series | 1 Comment

VALHÖLL ARGENTINA 2023 BY UTMB: JOINS THE UTMB WORLD SERIES. Our UTMB section bring us today another news for the  the 2023 UTMB® World Series: the Valhöll Argentina mountain race.

In May 2023, the Valhöll Argentina mountain race will be added to the UTMB® World Series, so it will become Valhöll Argentina by UTMB, to be developed in the province of Córdoba, 750 kilometers from Buenos Aires.

VALHÖLL ARGENTINA 2023 BY UTMB:
JOINS THE UTMB WORLD SERIES

Between Thursday 11 and Sunday 14 May 2023, Valhöll Argentina by UTMB will convene thousands of trail running runners from all over the country and the world in the alpine city of Villa General Belgrano, with challenging circuits that will represent tough challenges.

Valhöll Argentina by UTMB will open registrations in a short time and will have five thousand places between all its distances.

Preserving the brave spirit and with both the physical and mental challenge Valhöll Argentina by UTMB will pass through mountain trails that will allow runners to cross the edges, trails, forests, rivers, and the most beautiful peaks, such as the mythical Champaquí hill (second natural wonder of Córdoba), in a unique alpine context such as Villa General Belgrano and in never before visited circuits of the valley.

VALHÖLL ARGENTINA 2023 BY UTMB: THE RACES

In its fourth edition, the distances will be EPIC 125k, ADVANCE 80k, CHALLENGE 50k, COURAGE 33k, POWER 22k, EXPLORE 11k and there will be a kids test for the enjoyment of the little ones. All the routes have strong ascents and vertiginous descents through technical terrain, starting and ending in the historic center of Villa General Belgrano, providing the best scenario for what will be a unique party.

As a first and maintaining its innovative profile, this time regarding its circuits, Valhöll Argentina by UTMB presents two new distances, the EPIC 125K and the ADV 80K, where the runners will travel unique and imposing landscapes, linking the entire Calamuchita Valley by the 2 mountain ranges that surround it, Sierras Chicas and Sierras Grandes.

The tours will cross iconic sites of the province of Córdoba such as La Cumbrecita, Villa Alpina, Cerro Corona, Cerro Negro or Totora, Cerro Champaquí (highest in the province with 2,790 meters above sea level), and ending in the downtown area of Villa General Belgrano as its main epicenter, resulting in completely demanding and diverse circuits, received by the unparalleled quality of our people, showing the world incredible places in Argentina.

It is important to detail that those who choose to run in the 125-kilometer race, the challenge will be physical and mental, with a technical and demanding circuit, and that will demand every last drop of sweat.

As for the 80k race, it is an agile and runable ultra-distance circuit, which requires great preparation, but also allows to give space to runners who have done a 50k test and are looking to make the jump, dabbling in a greater distance.

VALHÖLL ARGENTINA 2023 BY UTMB: RUNNING STONES

Vahöll Argentina will be an excellent opportunity for those riders, both elite and amateur, who aspire to be in the 2023 edition in the final of the World Series in the French Chamonix Alps touring 3 countries: France, Switzerland and Italy.

It is that the EPIC distance (125k) will be awarded 4 Running Stones, while in the 80k will be given to the finishers 3. In the 50k modality, they will get 2 Running Stones and finally, those of 33k and 22k will access 1 Running Stone.

As a novelty, the first three men and the first three women will have a direct pass to the World Series final in their respective distances.

UTMB WORLD SERIES: HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Already in recent years we saw UTMB modify the entry method for the 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 gives a twist and launches this project.

How does the new circuit work? The new circuit is self-presented 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.”

IMPORTANT! This circuit will be the only way for riders to start their journey to Mont-Blanc, France, where the prestigious finals will take place. Undoubtedly, a model that Ironman has already applied for years with its mythical end in KONA. And that logically, it seeks to replicate now with CHamonix as a mecca of the world ultra trail.

The UTMB World Series seeks to be the dominant circuit of this sport. To this end, four categories have been defined: 20K, 50K, 100K, and 100M, based on km-effort.

UTMB INDEX: HOW IS IT AND HOW DOES IT WORK

Runners can register directly to the UTMB World Series Events and those with a valid UTMB Index will gain privileged access to register.

The UTMB index is based on the sport’s first ranking system and can be achieved by completing at least one UTMB® World Series Major, UTMB® World Series Event race or by participating in one of the thousands of UTMB® World Series Qualifier races around the world in the last 24 months.

The performance index created by Didier Curdy in 2014 is at the heart of the new UTMB World Series sports system. It has been applied first through ITRA and now from UTMB over the years. In this time, it has proven its relevance and quality.

The performance index will now be accessible only from the new website utmb.world. UTMB is completely separated from ITRA. It stops recognizing ITRA points and refers to its own UTMB points exclusively, both for the popular and the elite.

• Popular: It serves to pass the minimum access to be able to pay a bib, from 1 to 30 points (now renamed as “running stones”)
• Elites: elite They receive a courtesy number free of charge, if they exceed the set level, from 1 to 1,000 points. will continue to provide the level of performance of each rider participating in the UTMB World Series races.

IMPORTANT: UTMB NO LONGER RECOGNIZES ITRA POINTS.

The ITRA points that the races give to the popular will NOT be used to run in Chamonix. The ITRA ranking of elites will NO longer serve to achieve elite invitations to UTMB either.

UTMB INDEX: CAREER CATEGORIES AND PERFORMANCE INDEX

The performance index is calculated for each of the 4 racing categories of the UTMB World Series 20K, 50K, 100K and 100M.
A valid performance index is achieved by completing at least one UTMB World Series Major, UTMB World Series Event or UTMB World Series Qualifier race in the corresponding category in the last 24 months. Once a race category has been activated, all races from the last 36 months will be used to calculate the performance index.

Trail runners also receive an overall performance index calculated by combining results from all race categories. The overall performance index is available as soon as a valid performance index is achieved in a category: 20K, 50K, 100K and 100M.

UTMB INDEX: BENEFITS OF A PERFORMANCE INDEX

Runners with a valid performance index will have privileged access to register for a UTMB® World Series or UTMB® World Series Major event and will use their performance index to validate their entry into the lottery of the UTMB® World Series finals.

Privileged access * corresponds to:

• Exclusive pre-sale period
• Prices guaranteed for early booking
• Access to races on a first-come, first-served basis
  * Excluding sold-out races where a draw will be organized. In the event of a tie, the subscription will be exclusive to the holders of the performance index.

In cases where the UTMB World Series Event organization or the UTMB World Series Major requires proof of previous racing experience, runners must demonstrate that they possess a valid performance index of 50K, 100K or 100M.

Check your Performance Index in utmb.world: Here is the example of our colleague Mayayo.

In utmb.world you will find the results of your most recent races and the update of your Performance Index based on your results. The consultation is free to access, but now you can create an account at no cost to access detailed statistics and link your broker registration to your account.

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