This year, the Ultra Tour des 4 Massifs celebrates its 10th anniversary from July 21 to 24. This is an opportunity to look back at this race, which is now well established in the French and international trail scene, in 10 key figures.
From July 21 to 24, the Ut4M will once again offer participants a superb course that will cross the four massifs of the Grenoble region, capital of the Alps: the Vercors, the Chartreuse, the Taillefer and Belledonne. 12 races will be organized over these four days, including the Ut4M Xtrem, which will take runners over all the peaks. To celebrate these 10 years in style, here is the Ut4M in 10 symbolic figures.
160 This is the number of kilometers of the Ut4M 160 Xtrem which is the ultimate race of this edition. It takes place over several consecutive days and allows you to discover the 4 massifs surrounding Grenoble and its agglomeration: the Vercors, the Taillefer, Belledonne and the Chartreuse. Last year, Mael Prigent won the men's race in 29h04 while Lucie Croissant finished first in the women's race after 32 hours. They are two women in the top 10 overall, with Lucie in sixth place and Claire Bannwarth in seventh.
0 This year, the organization has decided not to distribute the famous finisher T-shirt anymore. The latter represents for a single copy no less than 5.6 kg CO2/year. With the objective of sourcing 1001 FrenchTP3T by 2023/24, Ut4M has decided to avoid the production of these shirts.
5 200 Last year, 5,200 runners participated in one of the 13 races on the program. Already in March, the record number of participants had been broken. If the postponement of the 2020 registrations has obviously played a role, there is a good chance that the 2022 edition will confirm this craze.
90 For the most motivated and the best organized, Ut4M offers to participate in several races, because they do not all take place on the same day. Thus, 90 combinations are possible and will allow the most experienced to run 270 km and 17 500 m D+ in 4 days by participating successively in the Ut4M 40 Vercors followed by the Ut4M 20 Taillefer, the Ut4M 160 Xtrem and finally the Ut4M 40 Chartreuse. Of course, it is also possible to link only two races for those who prefer shorter distances.
800 This is the number of volunteers who are involved in each edition of the Ut4M on the 12 races of 20, 40, 80, 100 and 160 km. The technical staff of the municipalities also actively participate in the smooth running of the races, which call on more than 200 actors (first-aid workers, soldiers, etc.).
40 This year, a partnership between Ut4M and the SNCF TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes will offer a preferential rate with a reduction of 40% on the price of the ticket for a trip for two as well as free for children under 12 years (illico PROMO VACATION rate, offer on sale on the SNCF TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes website) This offer is valid during the school vacations of the zone A in order to allow the runners and accompanying persons to come to scout and enjoy the event.
4 : Since 2018 and the beginning of the partnership between Ut4M, the HP2 Laboratory of Grenoble Alpes University (INSERM Unit) and the Sports Pathologies Unit of Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, four studies have been carried out: fatigue related to long races (more than 100 km), the impact of diet and sleep during an ultra-trail, the impact of trail running on joint health and the regulation of blood sugar levels during a long-distance race. The perception of the runner's effort will be the subject of the 2022 study.
735 The lowest altitude difference proposed on one of the Ut4M races will be 735 meters. This will be a gentle introduction to the world of mountain trail races. It is the Ut4M 20 Chartreuse race that will offer this route, 16.7 km long (and 1,510 m of D-).
19 The number of refreshment zones (liquid and solid) that will be offered to runners on the queen of the Ut4M 160 Xtrem. It must be said that with 174.4 km and 12,280 meters of D+, the event is bound to be hard on the bodies.
2 400 On the Ut4M 160 Xtrem, the runners will climb up to 2400 meters of altitude by taking long-distance paths but also more technical trails. The route passes through the four life bases: Vif, Rioupéroux, Saint-Nazaire-les-Eymes and Grenoble. It is also possible to do the distance in one go (160 Xtrem) or over four days (160 Challenge).