Trail and mountain running has always been rooted in simplicity and inclusivity, lace up, get out, and race in the wild places near you. For most of us, it started locally, a fell race, an, ultra on a national trail or a mountain marathon. That spirit of accessibility and community is what makes this sport what it is.
This campaign exists because one of the world's most iconic races has made a series of deliberate commercial decisions that directly contradict those values and the consequences stretch far beyond the sport itself.
UTMB, the pinnacle of ultra-trail running, has fundamentally changed how athletes qualify. What was once a local, low-impact process has become a global travel machine, forcing tens of thousands of runners to make repeated long-distance journeys just for the chance to enter a lottery. At the same time, the mountains that host the race are visibly suffering the consequences of the very climate crisis these decisions are making worse.
This is not about being anti-UTMB, many of us dream of racing in Chamonix and I am one of those, I participated in 2023. This is about holding a powerful organisation accountable for choices that impact our climate, our communities, and the future of the sport we love.
Sign the petition here: https://forthetrail.com/petitions/abolish-utmb-running-stones
