2023 UTMB® World Series to broaden offering to runners with the confirmation of a brand-new event in Thailand

May 23, 2022

The first of many new events to be announced for next year, Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB will offer runners an adventure through the unchartered jungle of Betong, Southern Thailand

Chamonix, France. 23 May 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – With the inaugural UTMB World Series now in full swing with 25 events scheduled in 2022 and thousands of runners across the world signed up and ready to compete, the organizers are already looking ahead to 2023 and the continued expansion of the global circuit to give more people the chance to meet their extraordinary at a UTMB World Series event.

Today, at a press conference in Bangkok attended by senior government officials including Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, it was confirmed that a brand-new event, Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB, will join the UTMB World Series in 2023. It will become the second event in the country alongside Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB, giving Asia-Pacific runners more opportunities to live the UTMB experience and collect Running Stones to access UTMB Mont-Blanc and the UTMB World Series Finals.

©Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB® – high-resolution image

The event will be held in Betong – a unique destination for a trail running race, deep in the jungle in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. Three distances – 100km, 50km and 25km – are confirmed, giving runners of all abilities the chance to immerse themselves in the unique and breath-taking nature of the unspoilt jungle trails, while running in the footprints of the jungle animals.

An area seeped in history, runners in the 100km race will even have the chance to delve into the past, with a course that takes them below the lush forest and through the hidden Piyamit Tunnel system, built by the now-defunct Malaya Communist Party in 1979 to hide from airstrikes and store supplies. Hot springs and the Intasorn Waterfall will also be highlights on the longest distance.

Following a successful test event in early May, UTMB Group Chairwoman Catherine Poletti said that Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB met all the criteria to become a UTMB World Series event. “At UTMB World Series, our global events are the best trail running events on the planet – but more than this, they must be able to showcase the local culture and environment and take place in an iconic destination to appeal to runners and allow them to share the adventure with their families and friends.

The test event earlier this month proved exceptional. After that, we have no doubt that Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB offers something truly unique in trail running and tourism, and importantly has the best organizational standards, great courses that showcase the local culture and environment, and is safe, fair, and sustainably organised.

I’d like to thank the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Southern Borders Provinces Administration Center (SBPAC) for their commitment to making Betong a destination for trail running athletes from around the world. We are very proud to support their vision of using sport to drive inbound tourism to the area and to promote it on the global stage as a tourist destination.”

Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn highlighted the significance of the event to the region. “ Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB is a trail running event that brings the uniqueness of the Thailand’s southern jungle – rainforest jungle with high humidity around Thai-Malaysian border – to challenge trail runners around the world. Also, it reveals the city of Betong, a border town with a unique multicultural identity, the boutique destination, to the world, especially the community of trail runners. It is the pride of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of achieving UTMB® standard, having two world-class UTMB World Series events in Thailand.”

Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB will be organized by the same team behind Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB, a spectacular event based around the highest mountain in the country that takes runners to the rooftop of Thailand. In just three successful editions, the event and the organizers have proven its position as a world-class trail running race, earning its place as the Asia-Pacific UTMB World Series Major in 2022.

With added appeal for international runners, UTMB World Series Majors give all participants additional qualification chances for the UTMB World Series Finals at UTMB Mont-Blanc. The top 10 male and female runners gain automatic access to the UTMB World Series Finals, and all race finishers are granted double the number of Running Stones compared to other World Series Events, which are used as entries in the Finals lottery.

Entries for Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB will officially open on the 8 June.

Amazean Jungle Trail by UTMB is the first new event to be announced for 2023, with further new events in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South America also anticipated. Bringing together the world’s leading international events, the UTMB World Series gives both elite and passionate runners the chance to experience the UTMB adventure in the more stunning locations and to begin their quest to UTMB Mont-Blanc. Visit the website for more information.

UTMB® World Series

UTMB® World Series is the world’s ultimate trail-running circuit that unites the sport’s biggest stars and amateur runners through the best, leading international events in the most stunning locations.  Built on a passion for the mountains with sustainability at its heart, UTMB® World Series gives all trail runners the chance to experience the UTMB® adventure across the world, with events taking place across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas in 2022. It is the only place where runners can begin their quest to UTMB® Mont-Blanc, France, where the prestigious UTMB® World Series Finals will be held. For more information, visit  www.utmb.world.

UTMB Group

Over the last 18 years, and since the creation of UTMB® Mont-Blanc in 2003 by a group of passionate friends, UTMB Group has been the driving force behind the development of trail running. The UTMB® Mont-Blanc is the sports pinnacle event, and every year, 10,000 runners earn their place on the start line. UTMB Group also pioneered the LiveTrail® technology, an innovative digital service that supports the management of endurance races. Revered by hundreds of thousands of athletes, UTMB® has become a global, premium, and leading brand. In May 2021, UTMB Group partnered with The IRONMAN Group to launch the UTMB® World Series, which from 2022, will bring together many of the best international events on the planet to provide exclusive access to the sport’s pinnacle event, UTMB® Mont-Blanc. The UTMB® World Series is built on the founding principles of UTMB® Mont-Blanc: surpassing oneself; fair-play; respect for people and the environment; and solidarity. Find out more at www.utmb.world.

About The IRONMAN Group 

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Running Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf®, UTMB® World Series events including Tarawera Ultramarathon and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, road cycling events including Haute Route®, and gravel racing like Gravel Epic®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit  www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group

CONTACT

UTMB World Series French & Swiss media enquiries:

presse@utmb.world
Hugo Joyeux – UTMB® World Series Press Officer
+33 4 50 53 47 51

UTMB World Series international media enquiries:

presse@utmb.world
Sabina Mollart Rogerson – International Press Officer
t: +44 7922 140148
nicola.dawson@utmb.world
Nicola Dawson – UTMB® World Series Media & PR Manager
T: +44 7919051417

The IRONMAN Group media enquiries:

press@ironman.com
Dan Berglund