UTMB Group, one of the major organizers behind the UTMB world series of ultra races world wide, has announced a major hike in prize money across the various races involved.
This means that the male and female winners of the 171km Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc – to be held in Chamonix, France at the end of August – will receive more than double last year’s prize amounts – €20,000 ($21,500) each.
The new prize fund is called the HOKA Prize purse, and it’s also making sure there’s complete gender parity in the prize money.
The winners’ prize money for the other World Series Majors – the HOKA Val d’Aran, UTMB World Series European Major (Spain, 3-7 July 2024) , the HOKA Chiang Mai Thailand, UTMB World Series Asia-Pacific Major (Thailand, 6-8 December 2024) and the HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathon, 2025 UTMB World Series Americas Major – will now be €5,000 ($5,400).
And it’s not just the winners who’ll feel the benefit: in total over €380,000 ($407,000) will be distributed among the top athletes in the various races (and the sub races such as the 55km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Orsières-Champex-Chamonix and the 100km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix). The top 10 runners at the World Series and the top five runners at the Majors will all be rewarded (with the lowest prize being €1,000 ($1,070), which is less than some athletes will spend on sneakers in a year).
“This new investment will support all athletes who juggle demanding training regimes, along with professional careers,” UTMB group announced in a press release. “Increasing prize money is of great significance to us, to our sport; it’s our obligation to the communities. We are proud to support athletes, both women and men, in fully embracing their passion and making a livelihood out of it.”
“It’s great to see UTMB continue to take steps forward in international trail running to bring together consolidated competition with a bigger prize purse,” said Jim Walmsley, winner of the 2023 UTMB 171K Final. “An increase at UTMB Finals, as well as UTMB World Series Majors, gives a lot of incentive for current professionals to prioritize these races and helps inspire the next generation of runners to pursue a career in trail running.”
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