UTMB and Ironman join forces for World Series and pathway to Chamonix, replacing ITRA points and Ultra-Trail World Tour
- The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc adds Tarawera in New Zealand and Ultra-Trail Australia to its list and are looking for races in North America
- Runners can enter the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc lottery after running just one of the World Series events, though the more they do the better their chances
The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) Group has announced the launch of the UTMB World Series – a global, multilevel circuit of trail running races organised in partnership with Ironman Group.
The series is the new qualification system for the original UTMB in Chamonix and will replace the Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) from 2022.
The World Series will comprise at least 30 major trail running races. The UTMB week in Chamonix will now double as the World Series Finals, with the winners of the 50km (OCC), 100km (CCC), and 100-mile (171km) races being crowned as champions.
To qualify for the finals, all runners will have to complete at least one World Series event, gaining one ‘running stone’ – a ticket for the lottery to get a place in Chamonix. The more World Series events a runner completes, the more running stones they get and the higher are their chances of winning the lottery.
Running stones have no expiration date. Runners can accumulate them over the years and then decide when to activate all of them together in a single lottery event. The system is exactly the same for both elite and amateur runners, but the top three finishers in the World Series events gain automatic entry to the UTMB in Chamonix.
