UTA Returns for 15th Year

This week, Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB celebrates its 15th anniversary as the world’s second largest trail running event returns to the Blue Mountains.

Almost 7,000 runners will take part in four separate events between 11-14 May, 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. The final finishers in the UTA100 will cross the line on Sunday morning.

Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB Race Director Nick Christopher said that the team was looking forward to welcoming athletes, their families, and supporters back to UTA for a historic year.

“We can’t wait to reunite our trail community once again in the Blue Mountains for the 15th year of Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB. This is an event that means so much to so many people, and who have watched it grow from 157 runners in 2008 to the thousands of athletes, supporters, and spectators we’ve seen in recent years and will welcome once again in 2023,” said Christopher.

“With this being a landmark year for the event, we’re bringing back many elements our athletes know and love, including the electric start and finish at Scenic World, preferred courses, our fast and fun 1km-4-Kids run, the inspiring Welcome to Country from Gundungurra man David King, our popular in person runner welcome and Race Director briefing, and much more.”

Founded in 2008 by Tom Landon-Smith and Alina McMaster, UTA started out as a single distance ultramarathon, with 157 athletes taking on 100 kilometres of spectacular trails through the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains.

Fast forward 15 years, UTA has become a mainstay of the global ultra running calendar, attracting thousands of athletes each year to the now multi-day festival of trail running.

This year, UTA will welcome participants from 66 nationalities, with just less than half of those (46%) taking part in the event 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.

UTA 2023 – Facts & Figures

• Nearly 7,000 athletes are taking part across four distances
• Only slightly more males (54%) are taking part than females (46%)
• Just less than half (46%) of those participating are taking part in UTA for the first time
• 39% are racing a new distance at UTA
• One participant, David Austin, has taken part in all 14 UTA100 races to date
• UTA runners represent 66 nationalities
• The most represented nationalities outside of Australia are Great Britain, New Zealand, France, Ireland, and Singapore
• The oldest competitor is 80-year-old Jock Scullion-Stewart, taking part in the UTA22
• The oldest female competitor is 76-year-old Margaret Finnigan, taking on both the UTA22 and UTA50
• The youngest female competitor is Zoe Loggenberg and the youngest male competitor is Flynn Royall, both 12 years old and taking part in the UTA11
• Almost 500 volunteers across the four-day event