Eastern States 100 and the Eastern States Trail-Endurance Alliance have cut ties with UTMB.
[October 23, 2023]
As of this morning, Eastern States 100 and the Eastern States Trail-Endurance Alliance have cut ties with UTMB. We are ending our status as an “Index Race”, and will no longer be associated in any way with the UTMB/Ironman organization. We make this decision with sadness and disappointment, but it is the right thing to do, and we hope that other race organizations, businesses, and individuals will do the same.
We believe UTMB has lost its way. Their unfortunate conduct with the Whistler Alpine Meadows race (links below) is the latest evidence of how an organization that we once respected has slipped into a pattern of corporate greed that has led them far from their beginnings (it is hard to square their current actions with the values they claim in their Ethical Charter: “Fairness, respect for people and the environment, mutual aid and solidarity are the key principles guiding the organization of the UTMB®.”)
Our goal in taking this action is to help preserve and solidify this community that we love AS a community. This is in line with a tenet of our organization:
"We promote unity and cooperation within the trailrunning community, and work to perpetuate the trailrunning ethos. There are many groups and individuals, many different races over different distances, but at the core we are one fellowship built upon mutual respect, shared hardship and accomplishment, shared beauty, and love of the wild places."
Maybe we as independent, grass-roots races can watch out for each other, support each other the way we do when we’re out on the trails together. Maybe we can find a way to preserve the spirit of our sport.
Background:
What Really Went Down in Whistler (Gary Robbins) https://garyrobbinsrun.com/.../what-really-went-down-in...
Andy Jones Wilkins speaking about this situation https://podcasts.apple.com/.../crack-a-brew.../id1670279724>
Sincerely,
Jeff Calvert, President
Eastern States Trail-Endurance Alliance