4-time winner and course report holder at UTMB (Extremely-Path du Mont-Blanc), Kilian Jornet, and 2023 second-place finisher Zach Miller are asking their fellow elite runners to affix them find another race to UTMB for 2024.
“In case you are receiving this, it’s since you are one of many prime athletes in our sport,” begins the e-mail, which was shared by Martin Cox, a operating coach and former professional mountain runner primarily based in Chamonix, France (the positioning of the race) on Instagram. “We’re writing to see in the event you may be excited by committing to race one another at a race apart from UTMB this yr (2024).”
Jornet’s and Miller’s electronic mail goes on, in what most individuals would describe as a really reasonable and respectful tone, to acknowledge UTMB as a “nice race” that has carried out loads for the game and created alternatives for a lot of high-level runners. However it goes on to criticize the group (consisting of UTMB, the UTMB Group and Ironman, which turned half proprietor in 2021) for rising and increasing with out regard to what’s finest for the game, “treating individuals poorly and operating over everybody who will get in [their] approach.”
Some background: in October 2023, UTMB/Ironman introduced a new ultra-trail race in Whistler, B.C., on the identical weekend as the previous Whistler Alpine Meadows (WAM) race, which went out of enterprise earlier final yr. Gary Robbins, WAM’s race director, says he was compelled out by Vail (which operates the Whistler resort) to make room for a take care of UTMB/Ironman, and plenty of within the ultra-trail neighborhood (together with former Western States course report holder Ellie Greenwood) declared solidarity with Robbins and disgust at his remedy by UTMB/Ironman. Then, on Dec. 1, UTMB race announcer Corrine Malcolm introduced she had been fired by the group for her outspokenness on varied points regarding its enterprise.
We reached out to a variety of elite mountain and path runners, together with among the prime finishers at UTMB in 2023, however have been unable to establish anybody, apart from Cox, who had truly been despatched the e-mail. Nonetheless, some athletes, together with Harvey Lewis (winner of Large’s Yard Extremely World Championships in 2023) and Leah Yingling (who completed eighth at UTMB final yr) advised us they have been in settlement with the feelings expressed. Yingling advised us she had reached out to Miller after he posted misgivings about UTMB in December, and that he responded with most of the similar concepts expressed within the electronic mail. “… his level was to impact optimistic change, and his thoughts was open to what that may appear to be and the way it may occur,” Yingling stated in a direct message.
Canadian marathoner and ultra-trail runner Reid Coolsaet advised us he didn’t obtain the e-mail, however that he helps the message. “UTMB has carried out numerous good for the game by way of creating a really aggressive occasion on an incredible course and showcasing the highest athletes,” Coolsaet stated. “For that purpose they’re being held at a excessive customary as leaders within the sport.
“The best way they’ve purchased races and made it obligatory for individuals to race UTMB races with a purpose to qualify for UTMB/CCC/OCC has ruffled feathers in a sport that was born out of grassroots races. Many ultra-trail runners don’t wish to see an Ironman scenario, the place mother and pop races with their very own flavour are pushed out.
“UTMB placing on a race in Whistler with out speaking with Gary Robbins after which letting Corrine Malcolm go was the nail within the coffin for many path runners.”
“Hopefully if sufficient elites present their dissatisfaction with UTMB, they’ll change their enterprise mannequin.”
Not everybody, nonetheless, is in favour of leaving UTMB. Cox, the previous professional runner and coach behind @vo2maxcoaching who shared the e-mail, expressed sturdy disagreement with Jornet’s and Miller’s place, saying the letter “stinks of hypocrisy” and referring to it as a “marketing campaign of hate … in opposition to UTMB.”
“UTMB has allowed Jornet and plenty of of his fellow execs to climb aboard the mountain-ultra-trail cash prepare and change into reasonably influential,” the put up continues. “So it appears to be a bit of ungrateful to then flip round and try to carry the race to ransom.”
Widespread operating coaches David and Megan Roche (who coach a number of athletes who compete in UTMB races, however who additionally didn’t obtain the e-mail) included a section on the controversy of their Jan. 16 Some Work, All Play podcast episode, expressing assist for Jornet and Miller’s place and speculating that their determination to ship the e-mail stemmed from a notion that criticism of UTMB/Ironman on social media had not introduced the specified outcomes. Nonetheless the Roches acknowledged the criticism that it’s straightforward for Jornet and Miller, who’re each on the very prime of their sport, to counsel that others forgo the doubtless very profitable sponsorship alternatives that include a robust efficiency on the August races in Chamonix; and so they made it clear they’d assist their athletes of their decision-making round UTMB (whereas hoping they’d keep away from racing at UTMB Whistler).
Jornet and Miller say they’ve “pinpointed” a race they’d like elites to race as an alternative of UTMB, however they don’t reveal which race they take into account. “… please notice this isn’t meant to be a malicious, hateful factor in direction of UTMB,” the e-mail concludes. “The thought right here is to discover a technique to apply some stress to the UTMB/Ironman group in order that we are able to impact optimistic change. It will be nice if at some point we may go to UTMB and be ok with it, figuring out that what they’re doing is making the game higher, not worse.”
