UTMB is the center of trail running for one week every year, and somehow the people most frustrated by it keep showing up. After a week in Chamonix, I came home thinking the problem with hating UTMB is that the race keeps complicating the argument against it.

The fan experience is better than the criticism suggests, TDS might be the hardest race of the week, the women are racing with ego, and some of the most interesting parts of UTMB have almost nothing to do with racing. Ten observations from inside the chaos, including what brands keep getting wrong, what Chamonix reveals about status in trail running, and why everyone should be reading Raz Rauf.

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Presented by Kiprun.

If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

• 00:00 Introduction
• 02:36 The Critics Are at UTMB
• 08:12 UTMB Doesn’t Have a Fan Problem
• 12:24 TDS Might Be the Hardest Race at UTMB
• 16:26 The DNSs Aren’t About Professionalization
• 20:38 The Women Are Racing With Ego
• 24:57 UTMB Isn’t Just About Running
• 28:20 The Ultimate UTMB Flex Is Not Needing Chamonix
• 30:34 Brands: Embrace the Chaos
• 32:21 Read Raz Rauf. Read Running Sucks.
• 35:45 Limiting Brand Activations Made UTMB Better - The Chamonix Mayor was Right

1. Like the Wind | Run Culture Live
2. Running Sucks - Raz Rauf
3. Borderlands.cc

1. Cocodona Has a Fan Problem

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

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