Record numbers for Val d’Aran by UTMB® with more than 5,400 runners registered
In a week, one of the world’s leading trail running events, Val d’Aran by UTMB® will get underway. From July 5th to 9th, the Val d’Aran mountains in the heart of the Pyrenees will welcome participants representing more than 80 countries who will compete in one of the five distances: the VDA 163km, the CDH 110km, the PDA 55km, the EXP 32km and the SKY 15km .
For the second consecutive year, Val d’Aran by UTMB® will be the UTMB® World Series European Major. As a Major, it is the only event in Europe which offers direct access to UTMB® Mont-Blanc and the UTMB World Series Finals to the top ten male and female runners who finish the VDA, CDH and PDA, in the equivalent categories (OCC® 50K, CCC® 100K, and UTMB® 100M). This, together with the bibs awarded to age category winners, means that Val d’Aran by UTMB® will provide around 225 direct entries to the UTMB® World Series Finals , which take place in Chamonix.
In addition, all finishers will get double the number of Running Stones, which will increase their chances of selection via the lottery for the much sought-after French rendez-vous held annually at the end of August.
An international event with almost half of the runners from outside Spain
With 5,400 athletes registered , Val d’Aran by UTMB® is the biggest trail running event in Spain, with 49% of runners coming from outside the country.
Spain, France, Portugal, Great Britain, Belgium, Brazil, United States, Argentina, China and Japan have the highest number of participants registered with the event guaranteeing great international promotion for the Val d’Aran region, as well as a significant economic impact.
It is estimated that the 2023 edition of the event will generate a socioeconomic impact of almost 5-million euros and a media value of around 3-million euros.
This year** the number of participants has grown by around 65%** , demonstrating the huge appeal of the event. More than 500 people including staff and volunteers are involved in the organisation of the event.
Attracting local and international elites
The event has attracted some of the biggest athletes at both a national and international level. In the men's category, runners such as Manuel Merillas (924 UTMB® Index), the second Spaniard with the highest UTMB® Index, after Killian Jornet, and ninth on the world scale; the Basque Aritz Egea (894 UTMB® Index), the first winner of the CDH, in 2021; Slovakian Peter Frano (881 UTMB® Index), third in the recent World Mountain and Trail Running Championships held in Innsbruck-Stubai; Miguel Arsenio (872 UTMB Index); or Portuguese Joao Rodriguez (819 UTMB Index), among many others.
In the women’s races, Val d’Aran by UTMB® will welcome some of the best trail runners in the world across the different distances. In the CDH, Spanish runners Azara García de los Salmones (781 UTMB® Index), Núria Picas (768 UTMB® Index), and Maite Maiora (760 UTMB® Index), as well as American Sarah Keyes (721 UTMB® Index), and Norwegian runner Mari Klakegg Fenre (723 UTMB® Index) will be ones to watch. American Alyssa Clark (708 UTMB® Index) is the stand-out runner in the VDA; while Oihana Kortazar (755 UTMB® Index), Marta Molist (772 UTMB® Index), Anna Comet (752 UTMB® Index), Mónica Vives (729 UTMB® Index), the Italian Elisa Desco (744 UTMB® Index), and the Nepalese Sunmaya Budha (766 UTMB® Index) are PDA favourites. Mireia Pons (737 UTMB® Index) and Núria Gil (769 UTMB® Index) are top-ranked in the EXP
Antidoping measures for a clean and fair sport
In line with UTMB® Group’s commitment to protect the health of participants and act for a clean sport, the organizers of Val d’Aran by UTMB have made an agreement with the CELAD (Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sport), linked to the Culture and Sport Minister, to put in place official doping controls relevant to the winners of the event’s races.
