The UTMB has unveiled its live broadcasting schedule for 2025 and the action kicks off this weekend with a major trail running showdown. Over the next nine months, UTMB Live will broadcast 12 ultra trail events from all over the globe and it all starts in picturesque Chianti in Italy, where runners will compete in five races ranging in distance from 10k to 120k.
Think watching people run slowly for five, 10 or even 12 hours sounds a little dull? Think again, says Antoine Aubour, UTMB’s Marketing, Communication & Media Director.
“It’s going to be the most important season ever of the UTMB story,” he says when we catch up with him to get all the inside scoop on what’s new from the UTMB streaming service, which has been updated with a more user-friendly interface.
Read on for five great reasons to tune in this weekend, plus the full broadcast schedule for 2025 and how to watch these amazing race races.
1. Three greats go head-to-head
As we reported last week, in a UTMB first, the last three champions from the UTMB finals – that’s Kilian Jornet, Jim Walmsley and Vincent Bouillard – are going head-to-head in the 120k Chianti Castles race in order to try to score one of the two golden tickets available for this year’s Western States (there are two more up for grabs for the female runners).
“It’s going to be crazy,” says Aubour. “It’s gonna be a super super super fast race because it’s not like the French Alps with super hard climbing, it’s going to be runnable.”
The 74.5-mile race starts and ends in the Tuscan commune of Radda in Chianti and takes the runners across rolling mountainous terrain gaining over 5,200 meters in elevation. If you think in imperial terms, that's just over 17,000ft, which is only about half of what they face in Chamonix, so we're expecting to see them moving at a good pace if they’re feeling strong.
2. Fantastic footage
When the UTMB began live broadcasting the finals in Chamonix 10 years ago, it all started with one camera filming one person running, so it was innovative, but not the most captivating experience for non-diehard fans.
These days, however, the brand is working with drones as well as the best camera operators in this niche business to give us all the best angles of the frontrunners.
“If you want to run with a champion, you have to be a champion,” says Aubourn, who says that those on the ground are accomplished runners and mountain bikers – including one former French Olympic mountain biking champion – who have been recruited to keep up on those dizzying descents.
This week’s race will have a camera on the top three to five runners in both the men’s and women’s division and you can expect that for each race going forward.
3. Engaging commentary and experts
What this weekend and other races won’t do is simply train a camera on a runner for hours on end. For weeks and months before each race, the UTMB is organizing a team of experts and special guests – this year to include South African trail running legend Toni McCann – to provide insights into the race and every facet of trail running.
“It’s important for us to bring our sport to life by showcasing the personalities of trail running,” says Aubourn, something we don’t always get to see.
There will be trail runners, nutritionists and representatives from brands like Hoka and Salomon talking about live data and statistics as well as aspects such as team strategy and maintaining family balance.
“It’s a way for us to explain that the sport is accessible and not only for superheroes that live in the mountains.”
4. Because it’s Italy
Drawing on his experience with the Tour de France, Aubour and his team recognize that live broadcasts provide an important opportunity to showcase not only the sport of trail running but also the magnificent environments where the biggest races take place. When you participate in a destination sporting event, you want to experience that region as well as do your best from a performance standpoint, and that’s something Aubour says the UTMB wants for viewers too.
“Running in the US is not the same as running in the French Alps or running Thailand.”
This weekend, that means we’ll also get to enjoy charming shots of the rolling hills of Italy’s most famous winemaking region, no doubt dotted with picturesque wineries and quaint villages. Bliss.
Each broadcast in the live schedule comes from dramatically different regions – from northern Thailand to Verbier – and is a chance to discover a different destination through the unique lens of endurance sport.
5. An interactive experience
If your friends and family aren’t on board with watching 12 hours of trail running, you won’t be alone. Via the live broadcast, you can chat directly with the commentators, guest speakers and other viewers in the community.
“Making trail running accessible is our goal so we need to bridge the gap between trail running experts and trail running fans so interaction is key,” says Aubourn.
Ask questions, share your predictions, and take part in fun polls and games for a more interactive experience.
How can I watch the UTMB Chianti?
The televised action in Chianti all kicks off with the 120k race at 4am local time on Saturday, March 22. That is 3am for UK viewers and means the race starts on Friday night at 10pm EST in the US and 7pm PST. You can watch the race at live.utmb.world/chianti.
Full 2025 UTMB broadcast schedule
This year, 12 events will be streamed live on live.utmb.world in seven languages – French, English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian and Thai – with equal coverage of men's and women's race leaders. Here’s the full streaming schedule:
- March 22: Chianti Ultra Trail
- May 17: Ultra-Trail Australia
- March 29: Tenerife Bluetrail
- July 3 - 5: Val d’Aran
- July 12: Trail Verbier St-Bernard
- July 18 - 19: Monte Rosa Walserwaeg
- July 19: Eiger Ultra Trail
- August 28 - 31: UTMB Mont-Blanc
- September 20 - 21: Wildstrubel
- September 26 - 27: Nice Cote d’Azur
- October 10 - 11: Kodiak Ultra Marathons
- December 5 - 6: Chiang Mai Thailand
