So You Want to Run UTMB? Here’s How to Qualify.

Some races are alluring because of the scenery. Others for the sense of adventure. And yet more for their prestige and competitive spirit. UTMB checks every box.

But of course that’s what makes this race so popular.

Running 100 miles through the night, hauling your weary body over 32,800 feet of climbing and dragging it down the same amount of descent, and contending with whatever weather the alps decide to throw at you may be a monstrous athletic feat. But the true test begins with figuring out how to qualify for UTMB.

There are “Running Stones,” which, unlike kidney stones, you want to seek out. There are qualifying races. And there is the lottery. There are also auto entries, which speedsters at the elite level and in their age groups can earn.

And there is luck. In a testament not to the ease of the process but rather to the collective IQ of the trail running community, an unprecedented 8,900 people applied for a total of 2,300 spots into Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc last year—a 23% increase from the year before.

We can’t help you improve upon your 25% chance of lottery success. But we can ensure you actually know how throw your name into the hat. After much number crunching, rigorous research, and investigative reporting, here’s how to qualify for UTMB (otherwise known as Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc, and, redundantly, UTMB du Mont-Blanc) and the other UTMB World Series Finals races—the 100K CCC and 60K OCC.

What is UTMB?

A quick primer for the uninitiated: Starting and ending in the magnetic trail running mecca of Chamonix, France, at the base of Mont Blanc, UTMB simply circumnavigates the mystical massif looming above.

About 2,300 lucky runners embark on this 106-mile journey with a whopping 32,808 feet of climbing and descending through France, Italy, and Switzerland. They climb endless switchbacking trails to grassy balconies, run through tiny villages teeming with fans, and contend with weather ranging from hot and humid to cold and stormy before finishing on the cobbled streets where they began.

The 6 p.m. start enhances the adventure, ensuring even those vying to break the tape must run through a full night.

What started as a stand-alone race in 2003 has transformed into a weeklong acronym circus. These races include, and are not limited to, the PTL, TDS, and MCC.

PTL, aka the Petite Trotte à Léon. The only thing that is petite about this race is perhaps its prestige compared to UTMB. Teams of two or three traverse 300K (186 miles) of rugged, unmarked terrain around Mont Blanc in less than 152 hours.

TDS, otherwise known as Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie, is a more technical individual challenge for the more adventure-inclined, is the 90-mile black sheep of the family.

MCC, or Martigny-Combe-Chamonix, provides a 40K treat for locals and volunteers.

While those three races, along with a handful more, take place on the same week, they are not technically part of the UTMB World Series Finals, which, as the name implies, serves as the championship for the UTMB World Series, a global race series created by Ironman after it bought UTMB two years ago.

In addition to the crown jewel of UTMB itself, the Finals races include Orsières-Champex-Chamonix (OCC), a 60K that climbs 11,000 feet as it makes its way from the Swiss Valais region to Chamonix.

And there’s Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC), the 100K “little sister” of UTMB that plays out as a fast, competitive 101K race with 20,000 feet of climbing.

How to Get Into UTMB (and the Other UTMB World Series Finals Races)

So you want to run UTMB, CCC, or OCC. You’re going to need to go on a journey to collect stones. No, not stones along the trail, although that would be logistically easier and considerably less expensive. You need to collect at least one Running Stone, which you earn by finishing any of the races at the 64 UTMB World Series events around Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.

In other words, much like the Ironman model on which it’s based, if you want to race at the championship, you have to qualify at a UTMB event. But unlike the Ironman model, qualifying only grants you access to the lottery, which opens in mid December and closes about a month later. It does not ensure a spot on the start line.

To enter the lottery, you also need a valid UTMB index, a metric of your performance at UTMB races over the previous 36 months.

What is This Running Stone Thing?

Think of a Running Stone as a lottery ticket. Every stone you collect is another chance for your name to be drawn in the lottery. Every UTMB World Series race gives out one to four stones, depending on the race distance, except for the three UTMB World Series Majors races at which the number of Running  Stones is doubled.

Running Stones do not expire. However, to participate in the lottery, you must collect at least one Running Stone within the last two years.

If you’re hell-bent on upping your lottery chances, you can boost your Running Stone collection in two ways: race more UTMB World Series events, or choose the longer UTMB World Series races. Every UTMB World Series event offers race distances from roughly 15K to 100 miles.

What is a UTMB Index?

You earn a valid UTMB Index by completing any UTMB World Series race within the last 24 months. Once you check that box, all of your UTMB World Series race results from the past 36 months are factored together to determine your UTMB Index.

If a valid UTMB Index seems redundant with earning a Running Stone when it comes to getting access to the UTMB World Series Finals lottery, that’s because it is. Don’t worry about it. Once you complete any UTMB World Series race, you can indeed enter the lottery for the next two years. And remember, the more Running Stones you earn, the greater your chances of getting selected become.

Elites and Top Age Groupers

If you’re a top ultra-trail runner, congrats, you can skip all of the above and race your way into OCC, CCC, and UTMB du Mont-Blanc. The top three men’s and women’s finishers at any UTMB World Series race in the 50K, 100K, and 100-mile category automatically earn entry into next year’s OCC, CCC, and UTMB du Mont-Blanc, respectively. The number of auto-qualifiers expands to 10 men and women at the three UTMB World Series Majors races, for a total of about 250 elites racing their way into the Finals.

Top age groupers can also race their way into the UTMB World Series Finals races at the UTMB World Series Majors, where a total of 225 age group spots for next year’s UTMB Finals are up for grabs.