Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB Returns to the Blue Mountains

This week, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest trail running event returns to New South Wales’ Blue Mountains for the 2022 Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB®.

Almost 7,000 runners will take part in four separate events between 27 - 30 October, tackling 11km, 22km, 50km or 100km distances.

The event kicks off with UTA11 on Thursday, with UTA22 taking place on Friday, ahead of UTA50 and UTA100 on Saturday.

UTA brings thousands of athletes and their supporters to the Blue Mountains region each year, with the local economy set to receive an estimated $14 million boost in 2022.

This year the event will also welcome athletes from outside Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 2019.

Ultra-Trail Australia Race Director Nick Christopher said there is plenty of pent-up demand to race after the event was postponed from May due to heavy rainfall in the Blue Mountains earlier in the year.

“We can’t wait to welcome nearly 7,000 runners to the Blue Mountains for the 2022 Ultra-Trail Australia. We know our athletes have been training for this event for the past 12 months or more and are excited to hit the trails and put all their hard training to work,” said Christopher.

“As well as the athletes who return year on year, the event is also hugely popular with friends and family who come in their thousands to not only support their runners tackle the distances but also to enjoy all the Blue Mountains has to offer; the scenery, the food and the attractions,” he said.

UTA is part of the UTMB World Series and offers runners the opportunity to collect Running Stones, which are the only way to enter the lottery for the first-ever UTMB World Series Finals, which will take place in the UTMB, CCC and OCC races of the UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2023.

Facts & Figures

• Nearly 7,000 athletes are taking part across four distances
• Only slightly more males are taking part than females (55:45)
• Half of those (50%) participating are taking part in the event for the first time
• Just less than half (44%) are racing a new distance at UTA
• UTA runners represent 65 nationalities
• The most represented nationalities outside of Australia are Great Britain, New Zealand, France, Ireland, Japan, Singapore and the United States
• The two oldest competitors are 83 years old – Frank Falappi (UTA11 & UTA50) and Ivan Beale (UTA22)
• There are multiple youngest competitors at 12 years old, all taking part in UTA11