New ITRA president Bob Crowley plans to develop the body’s technological abilities; wants a clear distinction from UTMB

The new president of the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) is taking the body in a different direction, one based on technological innovation, independence and expansion in the US. In March this year the founder and president Michel Poletti stepped down after seven years in charge, and his successor is American Bob Crowley.

A trail runner and organiser with 30 years in the sport, Crowley is a technology entrepreneur turned private equity investor.

“I just turned 65,” Poletti told the Post. “I think that (at this age) you do not have the same energy to go on, to fight, to find solutions. It was time to pass the baton to someone else.” ITRA, one of trail running’s governing bodies, now counts over 150,000 paying members and has 3,500 races on its books.

Poletti, together with his wife Catherine, is also the founder and president of Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) – one of the most prestigious and high-profile events of the year.

Races that pay to be members of ITRA are awarded points based on race difficulty and distance. In order for a runner to qualify for UTMB, he or she needs to accumulate a certain number of these points by completing ITRA-affiliated races. Poletti’s leading of both UTMB and ITRA promoted claims of a lack of due separation between the two organisations.