7th August 2023

The "hidden" side of Val d'Aran by UTMB®

More than 5,300 runners, around 225 kilometers of routes, 72 hours of running, and two nights in the mountains.

Val d'Aran by UTMB® opens its doors on Wednesday 5th July, with the inauguration of the Ultra-Trail® Village, the collection of bibs, the TR2, our volunteer race in the beautiful village of Tredós, and the official presentation of the event, with the elite athletes who will compete to be the first to ring the now iconic bell located at the finish arch.

Nerves, joy, enthusiasm, excitement, and a great desire to have a good time and enjoy themselves... But for all this to happen, from the first start, the PDA, on Thursday at 7 am in Salardú, a team of 17 people will not leave the space designed for them until Sunday at 4 pm, when the last runner of the VDA, the 163-kilometre race, arrives. This is the "hidden face" of Val d'Aran by UTMB®, who watch over the safety of each of our runners, and even their companions and the general public.

The CECOR (Race Coordination Centre) is made up of members of the organisation of the event, doctors, firemen, Mossos d'Esquadra, and a team dedicated to the management of the race and communications. They are watching everyone, and each and every participant in the event.

On the screen in the centre of the room, coloured lights flash on the map of the valley. Each one of them is an athlete.

Ferrán Calvet, executive director of the race, and Joan Vila, technical director, in charge of more than 80 people, oversee all the operations of the event: radio and satellite communication, fire brigade, mossos, volunteers, transport, and many other tasks. Alongside them is Salvador Sarrá, medical director of the Hospital de Cerdanya, Chief Medical Officer of Val d'Aran by UTMB®, who coordinates a team of 30 people, including doctors and nurses, who are spread throughout the valley, ready to provide immediate assistance in the event of any incident.

With the Livetrail software, they track each runner and predict their time at each point. If the athlete is late in arriving, alert systems are activated: they call him if they see that he is not arriving; if he does not answer, they contact the participants around him; and if they still cannot locate him, they send the members of the mountain team to find him.

Four intense days that, however, start much earlier, just after the end of the previous edition, with a clear objective: that each runner enjoys a great experience. But for that to happen, there is a lot of work behind, not only during the event, but throughout all the year. Because reaching the finish line is never easy, even if the journey is an incredible spectacle.