Why run UTMB?
We spoke to Isabelle Viseux-Poletti, UTMB Director for France (and daughter of UTMB founders Catherine and Michel Poletti), and Florian Lamblin, Executive Director of UTMB International, to learn more about the UTMB World Series
Q How do you choose locations for 20K races?
A Isabelle. We tend to choose destinations that suit the event as a whole, rather than just picking a place that will suit a 20K. Ultimately, we want to make all of our events special; we like places with an interesting history or identity and we choose places where we know locals are happy to host us.
Q What, in your opinion, makes the spirit of UTMB?
A Isabelle. Trail running is not just a sport – it’s a journey and an adventure too – so the location needs to have something special, or a story behind it. The UTMB 20K in Nice, for example, is the only sport event that is permitted to have a route around the peninsula at Cap Ferrat.