Kilian Jornet Instagram – From its inception, UTMB has been a trailblazing and unifying force in the trail running community. Michel, Catherine and their team actively engaged with the community, as key advocates for the sport and its values. Being instrumental in founding ITRA and playing a pivotal role in popularizing and structuring trail running globally. However, since they launched UTMB World Series in partnership with Ironman, there has been an increasing concern for many perceiving that the sport’s essence and its community was being overlooked. With the aim of starting productive discussions as well as showing our discontent as athletes, we initiated discussions to realign with community expectations. This involved mobilizing athletes to express concerns, not to boycott but to raise awareness. Trail running evolution, partly thanks to UTMB, has brought positives like competitive races, prize money, antidoping, media coverage and sponsorships. These developments are, in many ways, beneficial to the sport. Nonetheless, growth should be thoughtful. Lately, the aforementioned progress seems to have been marred by missteps. This has included controversial race acquisitions, neglecting or unhearing the community in what we believe are important subjects such as environmental impacts or accessibility. The UTMB board stated that some were due to misinformation and misunderstandings. After a January 23 meeting with the UTMB Board, I’m hopeful for stronger, open communication between the community, including elite athletes represented by PTRA, and UTMB focusing on the sport development with its values at the center. As an athlete in a privileged position, staying silent would be easier, but given the community’s concerns, speaking out felt necessary. By mobilizing elite trail runners, together with @zachmiller38, we aimed to foster collaboration between race boards and runners, finding common ground for the sport betterment. This isn’t about creating discord but about fostering constructive dialogue to preserve our sport’s integrity and values. By speaking up and engaging in these conversations, we strive to collaboratively grow the sport while honoring its heritage and future.