Following the cancellation of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and all associated events, the UTMB for the planet set up by the organizers brought together the global trail running community. A real success for this first virtual edition, united and respectful of nature.
Du July 20 to August 30, 2020, UTMB for the planet brought together 17 participants from 385 different nationalities. Runners from all over the world took part in one of the four virtual races, or one of the nine partner challenges offered. In total, the runners covered 106 kilometers. That is 818 times around the Earth, and more than 284 million meters of elevation gain! This actually represents nearly 20 climbs of Mont-Blanc!
“It was the idea of bringing together all nationalities, with the ability to be able to register in the flagship distances of the UTMB in virtual races, so that people can do it from home. "
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A virtual edition open to as many people as possible
This virtual edition allowed new athletes to participate. Almost twice as many trail runners… And a much more diverse representation of nations, with a craze for runners from Malaysia, Brazil and Iran. The edition will also have been marked by an increased female presence. A very positive result in terms of openness.
UTMB for the planet: A united and committed race
The primary concern of the organizers ofUTMB for the planet has been the respect of environment. By subscribing to UTMB for the planet, the athletes have made five commitments through the charter of good conduct. They thus made at least 90% of the journeys linked to running in active mobility, public transport or carpooling. They have also reduced their waste and limited the use of plastic. The runners have also adopted environmentally friendly food.
Finally, they are also committed to reducing the material to the minimum necessary, as well as respecting the trails, flora and fauna. A real call to change its practices! But also a great opportunity to raise donations for WWF. Indeed, registration to the race is completely free, but runners have been invited to make donations. The 45 euros raised will be used to finance a program for the preservation of alpine ecosystems.
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From Japan to La Défense via Chamonix
On Instagram and #UTMBfortheplanet, urban, exotic or alpine images hang out. They let shine through the originality of this virtual challenge. In urban mode in the district of La Défense, in Colombia, in Japan, by the sea or in the Alps… Trail fans have - for their greatest pleasure - experienced a local UTMB. The founder of the UTMB, Michel poletti, meanwhile ran at home.
“I have this chance with my friends to do this challenge exactly on the Mont-Blanc territory, exactly on the UTMB course. So this project is also a bit of a homecoming, a race in almost complete autonomy with just a few points of assistance. It is both the desire to be part of the international community, to revive even a year when there are no races, to remember what we did in 2003. ”
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Don't miss the official film made at the end of the summer and uploaded a few days ago.
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