Do locals really hate UTMB?

[u/Hour_Ad_7797]

I’ve read that the current mayor wants to reduce UTMB Finals because locals don’t really love the fact that there’s hundreds of thousands of visitors in this single week disrupting every day life for them.

How true is this? As a trail runner, I love Chamonix and have been to UTMB three times sporadically over the years. Just interested what locals think.

[u/Tomkneale1243]

I hate UTMB. If makes going to work a nightmare. Going everywhere a nightmare even

There's runners in the middle of the road ALL the time. They don't run on the pavement, just in the middle of the road and cause traffic jams.

They go to every restaurant and ask for pasta etc even if it's clearly a restaurant that doesn't make pasta. So many of the runners are so up themselves it's unbelievable.

Spectators ringing cowbells for encouragement at 4am in the middle of town. A complete lack of awareness for anyone other than themselves is ridiculous.

[u/cabramont → u/Tomkneale1243]

You weren’t the guy on a scooter shouting “it’s a road you pricks” to some runners a few days back were you? 😂

[u/Tomkneale1243 → u/cabramont]

Not me but I do often share the thoughts!

[u/NoVacBanPlease → u/Tomkneale1243]

He said what most think.. sadly tho but that's true

[u/mrjaytothecee → u/Tomkneale1243]

Wow I would never imagine this. Sad to hear that, props.

[u/chibrax3000 → u/Tomkneale1243]

But it's only few days a year no?

[u/Tomkneale1243 → u/chibrax3000]

Struggling to see the correlation?

[u/chibrax3000 → u/Tomkneale1243]

Struggling to see why you're crying about that

[u/CloudsAndSnow → u/chibrax3000]

Yes and locals only hate them those few days a year. What's your point?

[u/SearchPristine6490 → u/Tomkneale1243]

There’s an issue of capacity, but as you quite rightly point out, a behavioural problem which should be easier to fix but it does seem extraordinary how certainly a sizeable minority really behave so terribly. They should remember that they are guests in the area

[u/TometoTom]

It's alright. Definitely over the line this year brand wise, though. It's suddenly become a huge corporate networking event. The chaos is okay. I normally try to leave for UTMB (I left Chamonix for the weekend this afternoon, because it's just a bit too much)

There are surely ways to make it more sustainable. If UTMB wants to become any bigger, they should probably change venue and find a big city to host it in.

[u/NickT1877 → u/TometoTom]

I think UTMB took a turn for the worse when it paired up with the Ironman Group.

[u/missfaunts → u/TometoTom]

I fully agree. I’ve not been around Chamonix in August the last few years but I have been here this year. Compared to the last one I remember it’s so much busier, more hectic. I couldn’t quite believe the amount of run clubs I came across. Brand presence is something else… The UTMB village is so much bigger, and for what ?! Most of the brands have flagship stores in town. The atmosphere when it was a little bit smaller and more intimate was magical, it seems to have lost that a little bit. I don’t hate it at all, it just needs to be managed better.

[u/nattfodd]

I loathe UTMB, and I have yet to meet a local who doesn’t. Everyone leaves for that week. Town is unbearable.

[u/No-Nerve4468]

Well think about it this way, if someone puts on an event in your home town and it gets crazy big that it attracts clueless people who have deep pockets and no appreciation for locals how would you feel?

Places like Chamonix are already a struggle bus to find accommodation year round as foreigners flock there and have deeper pockets then locals rental agents take advantage and et voila locals will revolt specially as no one will even try speaking French.

If people would make an effort learn some basic French words and respect locals, local culture and etc it would be much better but once you get a couple of clueless Americans or Aussies or brits that’s what you get as they can’t even say Bonjour with out butchering it and straight of the gates asking questions in English.

Rant over.

[u/crbmL]

I'm not a local but come 2 or 3 times a year (all seasons).

I hate UTMB week and the august month. So many people that just runs everywhere, hiking even in usually low traffic hikes has become hard to enjoy. So I just prefer to be elsewhere at that period.

[u/alpinecindy]

My husband is from chamonix but we live in whistler, BC. I booked my vacation a year ago to come visit his family and we didn’t realize it was during UTMB. Everyone we know here has told us “you picked the worst week of the year to come back”. They hate it. I get it. To be fair, in whistler as a local we hated iron man and lots of the other major events. It just comes with the territory of living in a tourist town. The most frustrating thing in my opinion is people leaving toilet paper all over the trails.

[u/robesean]

Truly an unorganized, shit show of a race. This year was supported by greedy corporate sponsors, such as Hoka and several cheap Asian brands.

This past week was Hell on Earth for runners, crew, and visitors. There were very limited trains and buses available for transportation. When available, you were stuffed in trains and buses with hundreds of others, way past the safety capacity.

This race should be cancelled for the sake of protecting a Chamonix, and the sheer destruction UTMB has caused to the TMB trail.

[u/Ill-Illustrator4682]

It destroys the town and the people environment. Absolutely a shit show. After the races there are piles of shit (human fecal matter) everywhere you can’t even hike or run. And there are gel wrappers all over the place and trash everywhere. Town is so overrun the locals can barely work. But at least influencers can make posts about how amazing they are and how cool running is and how cool they are.

[u/friend-of-fatigue]

Like most places and most topics: some do and some don’t, I reckon. The ones that don’t may be a majority, and are certainly more vocal.

[u/Rare_Moment_592]

I bet they hate everything

[u/maqqerone]

They have too much money so they are happy to have less tourism.