On January 23rd 2024, a meeting between UTMB, Kilian Jornet, Zach Miller and the Pro Trail Runners Association was held. The meeting was initiated by UTMB after an email that Kilian and Zach sent out to the top 15 ranked men and women trail runners (based on the UTMB index), expressing concerns on the current direction that UTMB, the UTMB Group and Ironman have taken, asking for feedback to the athletes and whether they might be interested in committing to racing each other at a race other than UTMB in 2024. After the email became public through a third party on social media, it led to several misunderstandings and misinterpretations, creating a lot of drama around it. The intention of the meeting was to clarify the respective intentions, positions and future goals in a constructive way.

First of all we want to clarify that the PTRA has never been involved or even aware of the email before it became public: it was a legit initiative from Zach Miller and Kilian Jornet. We needed to clarify the PTRA position because it was mentioned by the third party Instagram post creating a big confusion. Furthermore, we want to underline the fact that since last year the PTRA has been closely working with UTMB on several topics, such as the elite qualification systems, the pregnancy deferral policy, environmental issues, the geographical accessibility and diversity document. Different members of the PTRA are involved in these ongoing projects and conversations. That doesn’t mean agreeing in everything UTMB does, but working together in a trustful and constructive way for a better sport (not only for the interests of the elite athletes). In this meeting, the PTRA expressed the need for a more transparent communication in order to better understand the intentions and the decisions of UTMB and avoid further problems and misunderstandings in the future. It was agreed that a meeting will be organized between all the PTRA members and UTMB to ask questions and express concerns related to the circuit operation.

Kilian Jornet and Zach Miller explained their motivations for sending the email and wanted to stress that their intention was not to organize a boycott, a word that has only been used by some media, but mostly to give voice to a common sense of frustration and dissatisfaction shared by many elite runners on how UTMB has been operating on many levels: elite athletes, race organizers, local communities and any participant to the sport of trail running. Their concerns are mainly related to the quick growth of UTMB and some of their decisions and actions, which, although legit, have not always been ethical and respectful for the trail community. They foresee that with better communication and with a closer connection to the community, these problems can be mitigated.

The UTMB leadership replied to many of the concerns that were expressed, pointing out that their main intention is to strive to make the sport better, at any level, but that with the rapid growth that they have experienced in the last two years they may have made some mistakes. We all agree on the good things and benefits UTMB has brought to the sport of trail running: we all care about the sport and we all want it to grow and expand, in a sustainable way.

We believe we are in a defining moment in our sport. The trail running is growing and becoming more professional, which is good for everyone, but it comes with many risks associated. We feel that now is the moment to act before it’s too late and we lose some of the values that make this sport unique. UTMB is one of the stakeholders leading this growth in many ways, but with this leadership comes a big responsibility. At the same time, we believe that it’s healthy that the elite athletes can express their concerns and hold the circuits, races and federations accountable for their acts. That’s why PTRA was created at the end of 2022, to give voice to a group of runners from all over the world that want the best for the future of our sport. We truly believe that this can be achieved by talking and working together in an open and trustful way, not via any boycott, threats or some of the words that have been publicly mentioned. With this aim, the conversation between PTRA and UTMB will be continued and closer communication will be activated in order to prevent events like this from happening in the future. We all want to work together for a better and more responsable sport. 

Signed by the Pro Trail Runners Association Board