5000 Hassle-free Entries for the Ultra Tour du Mont-Blanc

News Release / 22.01.2009

To avoid the chaos of previous years and also to ensure better safety during the races, the organisation committee of The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® decided last February to implement a new registration process and to tighten the race regulations.

• The battle and frustrations experienced by runners for the registration in 2008 was totally against the spirit which leads them to this sport. An unacceptable number of people were disappointed and the procedure allowed certain competitors to enrol in haste without being sure of their motivation.

• The more demanding regulations now require qualification races for each race, allowing registration only from competitors with the necessary experience and knowledge (distance, terrain, environment and self-sufficiency) to ensure a better safety for everyone.

As planned, between 17th of December 2008 and 7th January 2009, more than 5000 people were able to complete their pre-registration to one of the 4 races of the 2009 edition of The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®. The organisation is happy to announce that no draw or ballot is now required since the number of applications was nearly equal to the number of available bibs. All pre-registered competitors will be able to confirm their registration.

As in previous years, the number of places available for registration allows for a certain number of cancellations or withdrawals before August. Taking this into consideration, on the 19th of January at 20:00 (Paris Time), the organisers are happy to open further possibility for registration: 50 bibs for the UTMB®/200 bibs for the CCC®/and 600 bibs for the TDS. The same conditions apply with regards qualification races etc., but no pre-registration is required.