Who are the runners in the 2015 UTMB?

Race news: Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® - August 24-30, 2015

For trail-runners all over the world, participating in one of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® races is an objective. Since the first year (2003), Americans have been present at the UTMB® , the other 14 were all European. Since then, over the years, the phenomena has expanded and globalised with, since its fifth year, in 2007, representation from the five continents. More and more countries, more and more representatives from each country; the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®  has become the Mecca for trail-running, the race which has to be run at least once in one's life....

In 2015, there were 15,500 who wanted to participate. The organisation must limit participation numbers, not only in respect of the exceptional environment, but also in respect of the candidates, some of whom have crossed the world and are not coming to run in a queue. In fact, the paths around Mont-Blanc do not have the dimensions to welcome such a flow of runners and it would be difficult to ensure security for large numbers in an environment in the midst of the mountains.

There will be 7500 from 87 countries, coming from the 5 continents to start of one of the races at the end of August. 141 of them are elite at an international level...

The high ranking international athletes are runners who have an ITRA* mark superior to 800 for the men and 700 for women. These objective criteria allow the organisation to identify high ranking athletes, to give them sufficient recognition and to manage their registration fairly:

Click here for the list of elite athletes who have registered race by race.

Since 2014, the UTMB® is part of the 'Series' races in the UTWT's (Ultra-Trail® World Tour) competitive circuit, one of whose objectives is to unite, at exceptional events, the world elite.

While for  elite runners, the podium is the main objective, for more than 7300 runners, crossing the finishing line, to become a  finisher, is the final goal. For the great majority, the challenge  is that of their time against their own limits.

• Amongst them, André, 41, who had a promising career in English boxing. For health reasons, he had to stop.  He began running, without a real aim, just to unwind...  A decisive meeting and he started trail-running ... longer and longer distances!
• Or Emmanuel, 46,  responsible for a cancer surgery department: he runs for pleasure, the discovery of himself but above all for those he treats who do not have the chance of partaking in physical activity. He explains "This activity gives me the force to follow my mission of caring and bringing some comfort."
• David is a Chti (comes from Northern France) and trail-runner! Like many northerners he is a miner's son and loves his region, the slag heaps and the labour which they testify. A trail-running enthusiast, he has found a training ground on the highest slag heaps in Europe, those of Loos-en-Gohelle to prepare for his UTMB® !
• Or even Clément, 31, one of the 120 solidarity race-bibs in the UTMB®... This year, Clément is allowing himself his 'petite trotte à Clément', an itinerant year around the mountains of the world in preparation for the UTMB® and raising almost 4000€  to renovate, via the association Children's home, a primary school in Nepal.

One of the precious characteristics of trail-running is to allow all runners, elite or not, to participate in the same race with the same rules of play. This proximity between runners whatever their level, is particularly important for the UTMB® organisation. The  Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® races represent the excellence of this sport but also its diversity. The engagement, personality and the talent of each runner, elite or not, promises the display of very beautiful emotions!

Find out more at www.ultratrailmb.com - ultratrail.tv
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