Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running1 Sep

The Problem with Hating UTMB

UTMB is the center of trail running for one week every year, and somehow the people most frustrated by it keep showing up. After a week in Chamonix, I came home thinking the problem with hating UTMB is that the race keeps complicating the argument against it.

The fan experience is better than the criticism suggests, TDS might be the hardest race of the week, the women are racing with ego, and some of the most interesting parts of UTMB have almost nothing to do with racing. Ten observations from inside the chaos, including what brands keep getting wrong, what Chamonix reveals about status in trail running, and why everyone should be reading Raz Rauf.

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Presented by Kiprun.

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Topics / Timestamps

00:00 Introduction
02:36 The Critics Are at UTMB
08:12 UTMB Doesn’t Have a Fan Problem
12:24 TDS Might Be the Hardest Race at UTMB
16:26 The DNSs Aren’t About Professionalization
20:38 The Women Are Racing With Ego
24:57 UTMB Isn’t Just About Running
28:20 The Ultimate UTMB Flex Is Not Needing Chamonix
30:34 Brands: Embrace the Chaos
32:21 Read Raz Rauf. Read Running Sucks.
35:45 Limiting Brand Activations Made UTMB Better - The Chamonix Mayor was Right

Resources / Links

Related Episodes

Cocodona Has a Fan Problem

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

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