More than 7000 runners will take part in four separate events in the Blue Mountains between May 16 and 19, as part of the world's second largest trail running event, Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
![Runners enjoying Ironpot Ridge in the Blue Mountains in Ultra Trail. Picture by Tim Bardsley-Smith Runners enjoying Ironpot Ridge in the Blue Mountains in Ultra Trail. Picture by Tim Bardsley-Smith](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/k3URiCr4E4bXjHGXmnwsZQ/4421dfa4-e730-436b-a640-c59a70b94147.jpg/r0_102_2000_1226_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Organisers continue to keep a close eye on the wet weather, after adapting routes and crew movements following the road collapse into the Megalong Valley.
The event kicks off with the 11km run on Thursday, then its the 22km on Friday and the 50 and 100kms on Saturday. The final finishers in the UTA100 will cross the line on Sunday morning.
Race director Nick Christopher said the team was looking forward to welcoming back runners and supporters. He said it was an event that has grown from 157 runners in 2008.
"Recent wet weather has led to some adjustments to the event for this year, but we look forward to having our runners experience the magic of UTA regardless," he said.
"From those taking on the UTA11 right up to those set to embark on UTA100 ... [it] will be an incredible four days in the Mountains.
"Our team will continue to monitor conditions and the impact of predicted wet weather between now and the event, with athletes to be communicated with regarding any event changes as soon as they are known," he added.
The UTA team has been working closely with event stakeholders to make adjustments to the courses to work around track closures due to wet weather.
Adjustments of note include UTA22 now being a point-to-point event, starting at Queen Victoria Hospital and finishing at Scenic World, while the major change to UTA100 is that the crews will not be able to access the checkpoint in the Megalong Valley.
This year, UTA will welcome participants from 48 nationalities, with more than 60 per cent of runners taking part for the first time.
Since 2022, UTA has been part of the UTMB World Series, a circuit of the best trail running events in the world offering runners the only opportunity to begin their quest to UTMB Mont-Blanc - the UTMB World Series Final and the pinnacle event of trail running.