Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc prize money: if athletes get rich it ruins the sport, but it is fine for organisers to rake it in
The UTMB is offering prize money for the first time but they worry that too much will ruin the sport’s value as they continue to rake in a fortune
As trail running grows in popularity, commercial opportunities follow, that is the nature of a popular product. And of course, there are potential problems that result from money, like incentives to cheat.
But when the largest commercial race organisers in the sport said professionalisation of the sport would ruin its values, it got under my skin.
LISTEN: The commercialisation of outdoor sports
The UTMB will be offering modest prize money for the first time this year – €2,000 for the winner, €1,500 for second and €1,000 for third, with money down to 10th – but some athletes have said it is too low for the top event.