UTMB Group helps runners to look ahead and prepare for the 2021 season

• Panda Trail by UTMB^® launches waiting list for international runners before entries officially open in May

• Val d’Aran by UTMB^® Trail Camps offer runners the chance to prepare with the elites

• Thailand by UTMB^® entries to open at the end of March

After a challenging year for trail races around the world in 2020, UTMB Group is looking on 2021 with optimism. With registrations for the pinnacle event of the year UTMB^® Mont-Blanc already sold out, runners still have the chance to sign up to one of the Group’s international events. 

Confirmed for the 19-21 November 2021, the second edition of Panda Trail by UTMB^® is preparing to welcome international runners to China’s Sichuan region in the southwest of the country. Following a successful first edition in November 2020, the event was inducted into the Ultra-Trail World Tour and international runners can now register their interest and receive the latest updates, including travel advice, with entries expected to officially open in May. 

Runners should click here to register their interest in Panda Trail by UTMB^® . 

Entries are already open in China and many of the country’s top elites were the first to register for what is already shaping up to be an extremely competitive field. Amongst them will be Jing Liang and Fuzhao Xiang, the male and female winners of the 160km Dragon Panda Trail (DPT) headline event in 2020, both of whom return to defend their titles. 

Runners can choose from four distances including 160km, 106km, 49km and 26km which will take them through numerous cultural and historical World Heritage sites. Notably, the the World Heritage Dujiangyan Irrigation system, an ecological engineering feat originally constructed around 256BC, and Mount Qingcheng, the birthplace of Taoism which is celebrated with a series of ancient temples. 

Speaking on behalf of local organisers Exploring Group, President and event chairman Mr. QU Xiangdong commented: "In 2021, when the global epidemic situation improves and China's epidemic prevention policy allows, we sincerely look forward to welcoming trail runners from all over the world to come to China and experience Panda Trail by UTMB^®. We hope that they will enjoy the race in the natural areas with rich historical and cultural characteristics and magnificent scenery." 

© Panda Trail by UTMB^® - all right reserved -  click here to download

Val d’Aran by UTMB^® Training Camps

Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of Val d’Aran by UTMB^® , the much anticipated first edition is planned for the 9-11 July 2021 in the Spanish Pyrenees. Four months before it is held, the VDA (162 km) race is already sold out, and runners are encouraged to sign up quickly for the last remaining bibs in the CDH (105 km), the PDA (55 km) and the SKY (15 km). 

The organisers, who expect to welcome 55% of the entrants from outside of Spain with runners representing 80 different nations already registered, are working on a series of Covid protocols to ensure that the race is held as safely as possible. 

To help runners prepare for the challenge of Val d’Aran by UTMB^®, the organisers have launched the Val d'Aran Trail Camps by Mauberme Experiences. Three four-day long weekends are planned, designed to get small groups of runners race-ready with the support of the best elite professionals: François d'Haene, Caroline Chaverot, Jordi Gamito, Anna Comet and Maite Maiora. 

The three training camps will be held between April and June and registrations are already open at www.valdarancamps.com. Runners who register before the 15th of March will benefit from additional discounts.

Save the date! Thailand by UTMB^® registrations to open at the end of March

Based around the country’s highest mountain, Doi Inthanon, the second edition of Thailand by UTMB^®, which will take place between the 29-31 October, will literally takes runners to the rooftop of this tourism mecca. 5 distances are on offer, all named after the mountain on which they are run, that allow runners to experience Thailand's rural heartland: crossing rivers, running past rice paddies, exploring hidden waterfalls, passing royal tombs and through local villages. 

Entries open for all runners at the end of March. Visit the official website for the latest information. 

Oman by UTMB^® update

Organisers of Oman by UTMB^®, Oman Sail, have confirmed the cancellation of the 2021 event. Following two successful editions of the Middle East’s premier trail running event, and huge interest from the elite and amateur trail running community, UTMB Group is working to bring this extraordinary event back in the near future.