Val d’Aran by UTMB ready to host European UTMB World Series Major in the heart of the Pyrenees

Press Release / 07.07.2023

The UTMB® World Series heads to the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees, with 5,400 participants from 80 nations lining up for the third edition of Val d’Aran by UTMB®, 5-9 July. As the only 2023 European UTMB® World Series Major, it will be full focus for athletes looking for the opportunity to ring the iconic bell located under the finish arch in Vielha.
As a UTMB World Series Major,  the Top 10 male and female runners in the 100M, 100K and 50K categories will automatically qualify for the corresponding race at the UTMB World Series Finals. That combined with Age Group Qualifications will see 225 runners granted direct access to the UTMB World Series Finals. All finishers will be rewarded with double Running Stones, making it all to play for in the stunning but unforgiving Pyrenees Mountain range. 

With Val d’Aran considered the ‘Essence of the Pyrenees’, the VDA 100-mile course promises to showcase the very best of the area as runners leave Vielha, Spain to tackle two 2,000m+ peaks early in the race before sharing the unmissable features of the 100km CDH course, including the largest glacial lake cirque in the Pyrenees which boasts more than 50 majestic lakes.

Both courses welcome talented professional runners from around the world, including Tobias Dahl Fenre (NOR, UTMB Index 860) and Alyssa Clark (USA, UTMB Index 708) who will be on the hunt for the top spot in the queen race.

“The combination of very high-level athletes, a professional organisation and a majestic natural landscape is what motivated me to sign-up for the challenge of Val d’Aran by UTMB. It is the perfect race to help me prepare ahead of my main objective of the season, the UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix. I am also looking forward to going with my wife, who will be running the CDH 100K race. What better way to spend a romantic trip than taking part in a great-long distance race?” said Dahl Fenre.