The UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) – held annually in Chamonix – is known as the world’s leading trail running event, but in recent years they have had significant criticism for ‘sportswashing’.
Sportswashing?
That came to a peak two years ago when the running community, led by the Green Runners and prominent athletes such as Kilian Jornet, criticised the UTMB’s decision to name car manufacturer Dacia as their title sponsor.
Over 2000 professional runners including Kilian Jornet, Lizzy Hawker, Emelie Forsberg, Beth Pascall, Jasmin Paris, Andy Symonds, Lucy Bartholomew, Hillary Gerardi, Ellie Greenwood, Jo Meek and Damian Halll signed a petition calling for UTMB to stop ‘sportswashing’ their brand.
Ultimately, the UTMB replaced Dacia with Hoka as their main sponsor.
New incentive to travel by low carbon transport
Last week the UTMB showed that they are listening to the public and announced a raft of measure to improve the sustainability of the event.
Following on from the points made by the lobbying athletes, they acknowledged the impact of plane and car travel on the carbon footprint of the event.
With that in mind, they have announced that athletes who demonstrate that they have travelled by low carbon transport will have an increased chance of success in the ballot (the UTMB races are always over-subscribed).
This is a significant incentive for athletes to switch to travelling by train and a laudable innovation by the UTMB. I was unlucky in the ballot twice before I eventually was selected for the 2021 race, but in future I’ll stand a better chance.
New travel planning platform
To further help athletes, the UTMB has added a new travel planning platform on their website. It will identify routes that optimize travel time and carbon impact.
Voluntary Carbon Contribution
The issue of offsetting is always contentious. I prefer policies that reduce emissions rather than defer them, but in some cases emissions are unavoidable, and in those instances, offsetting is still a welcome measure by the organisers.
However, although only introduced in December 2024, the UTMB has already raised over €20,000 for carbon projects from runners’ voluntary contributions.
Goal to reduce emissions by 20% by 2030
Finally, the UTMB has committed to reducing emissions by 20% over the next five years by 2030, as well as having an annual carbon audit.
The power of lobbying and collective action
Although this is not specifically a story about ‘snowsports’, it does relate to the mountains that we share all year round. However, I’m principally telling this story because it shows the power that collective lobbying can have.
Working together we are more powerful than as individuals and we can affect change, so keep signing petitions, keep writing to your MP, keep choosing low carbon options and the market will eventually follow…