07-10-2019 - News
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Registrations for the first edition of Val d’Aran by UTMB® open today on the official website www.aranbyutmb.com. Bib numbers will be available until 1st June 2020, or until the maximum 4,000 places are taken - whichever comes first!
The first edition will be held from 3rd- 5th July 2020 in Val d’Aran where the finishers will be able to gain Running Stones, qualifying for direct entry to the UTMB® Mont-Blanc race of their choice.
After much anticipation, entries for the inaugural edition of Val d’Aran by UTMB® - the new trail running race in the heart of the Pyrenees - will open today. From exactly 12 noon, registration will commence and runners can obtain their bib numbers for the three different races on offer on the website www.aranbyutmb.com.
“The Val d’Aran has an incredible potential for becoming an international trail running destination and we are working closely with the UTMB team to offer participants a unique experience with three routes, which have been meticulously taken care of. Bringing UTMB® to Val d’Aran is a dream come true,” explains Xavier Pocino, the event’s director.
Val d’Aran by UTMB® is one of the newest events created by UTMB® International, in cooperation with local organisers InAran Sports and with the support of Conselh Generau d’Aran. The first edition of Val d’Aran by UTMB®, which will be held between 3rd and 5th July 2020, offers three races and distances; Torn dera Val d’Aran, Camins de Hèr and Peades dera Aigua. As with the other “by UTMB®” events, the finishers will gain their Running Stones and will qualify for direct entry to the UTMB® Mont-Blanc race of their choice, without having to go into the lottery.
The 3 races of Val d’Aran by UTMB®
Torn dera Val d’Aran (VDA, 160 km)
Air, earth, water and fire. In the star event, the equivalent of UTMB®, the runners will complete a loop of the entire valley, where they will be immersed in nature and experience the four elements. With the start and finish in Vielha, runners will enjoy aerial views from the top of the Pyrenees; they will blend in with the earth, discovering the old mining tunnels; they will connect with water, passing lakes along the way, and they will discover fire as they get close to the Aranese culture and its celebrations.
Details: 160 km, 10,500 m D+, 10,500 m D-
Start: Friday 3/7/2020. 6.30 pm. Vielha
All of the finishers will obtain 18 Running Stones and are guaranteed access to UTMB®, CCC®, TDS® or OCC.
1,500 bib numbers are available.
Camins de Hèr (CDH, 101 km)
La Camins de Hèr, the equivalent of the CCC®, offers a route through the wildest areas of the Val d’Aran. It starts in Les, the emblem of Val d’Aran, which has a long tradition of trail running and outdoor pursuits. The race covers 101 km of the VDA, starting from the Haro square, and on towards the Toran Valley, an area of wilderness, bursting with nature. After completing the 1,000 m elevation gain the landscape changes, the trees disappear, and the colours transform themselves from intense green to red. The race climbs to 2,500 m and offers a festival of lakes, waterfalls and rivers.
Details: 101 km, 6,400 m D+, 6,100 m D-
Start: Friday 3/7/2020. 8.30 am.
All of the finishers will obtain 15 Running Stones. They are guaranteed access to CCC®, TDS® or OCC.
1,400 bib numbers are available.
Peades dera Aigua (PDA, 55 km)
Val d’Aran by UTMB’s younger sister, and a race which is slightly different from the norm. It starts from Pla de Beret, which will also welcome the Baqueira Beret Trail Festival. It is the shortest distance, but it will still put the runners’ legs to the test. Fast but demanding, with more elevation loss than gain, the race features water as the star attraction. It takes participants between a large number of lakes and rivers to the gates of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Saint Maurici National Park.
Details: 55 km, 3,100 m D+, 3,900 m D-
Start: Saturday 4/7/2020. 6.30 am. Pla de Beret
All of the finishers obtain 9 Running Stones.
1,000 bib numbers are available.
And so begins the countdown to the first edition of Val d’Aran by UTMB®, the fifth international event of the UTMB® family, alongside the original UTMB® Mont-Blanc, as well as Gaoligong by UTMB® (China), Oman by UTMB® and Ushuaia by UTMB® (Argentina).