UTMB 2019: Ultra X Are Going. Are You?

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Earlier today, the ballot results for the 2019 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) were released. A massive congratulations to all that have earnt a place at the start line and commiserations to those that missed out.

Over 8,000 lucky runners will be heading to Chamonix for a week-long celebration of trail running and we have some good news…

…we will be seeing you there!

For those involved, the next eight months will be full of hard work, and at times some will experience self-doubt. However, come August, it will all have been worth it. Not only will you be a part of one of the great single stage ultramarathons but you will be supported by the Ultra X team!

Earlier today, the ballot results for the 2019 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) were released. A massive congratulations to all that have earnt a place at the start line and commiserations to those that missed out.

Over 8,000 lucky runners will be heading to Chamonix for a week-long celebration of trail running and we have some good news…

…we will be seeing you there!

For those involved, the next eight months will be full of hard work, and at times some will experience self-doubt. However, come August, it will all have been worth it. Not only will you be a part of one of the great single stage ultramarathons but you will be supported by the Ultra X team!

What is UTMB?

UTMB is a single-stage mountain ultramarathon first held in 2003 and occurs every year around the end of August in the Alps, and follows the route of the Tour du Mont-Blanc through Switzerland, Italy and France. Over the course of the week there are several races of varying distance and format. However, the main event will always be the original, which is a recognized Ultra-Trail World Tour event.

Both one of the largest and most difficult races there is, UTMB has strict entry requirements attained by accumulating enough race points through qualifying trail races over the previous two-year period. Although this has changed over the years due to the demand for places, the current requirement is 15 points. To put this into context, an Ultra X event will earn you between 5 and 6 points (the maximum for any race is 6).

The race covers a distance of approximately 171 kilometres (106 mi), and a total elevation gain of around 10,040 metres (32,940 ft). By way of illustration, Everest is 8,848! The winners will do it in just over 20 hours, however the majority are likely to spend more like 40 hours out on course, and can expect to spend two nights on the move as the race begins on Friday night. Over the last three years, there has consistently been over 30% of competitors that do not make the finish line.

 

What are Ultra X doing there?

UTMB is above all an inner journey and a unique experience. This is what Ultra X are all about.

We have a 14 person chalet in the center of Chamonix complete with hot tub, chef and masseuse providing YOU with #theultraXperience. We will be hosting our team, athletes and film crew, but we also have a few rooms reserved for YOU, our community.

In addition, Sam one of the Ultra X Co-Founders is racing the 2019 event, and over the next 8 months is going to be sharing his preparations, advice and tips from some of the experts who have conquered the course before.

If you are doing any of the races this year and would be interested in staying in the Ultra X chalet or are keen to learn more about the race please fill in the form below.

We are going to be in Chamonix all week, supporting, talking all things ultra and perhaps even giving some Ultra X goodies away. Make sure to drop in and say hi!

See you all there, and good luck with training.

To express your interest in joining our chalet, just fire an email over to sam@ultra-x.co.