The UTMB World Series has announced a significant expansion of its Paths to Parenthood policy alongside eight new initiatives designed to increase women's participation in trail running — the most comprehensive gender equity programme ever launched by a major ultrarunning series. The announcements, made on March 24, represent a meaningful shift in how the sport's biggest organiser approaches inclusion and accessibility.
The expanded Paths to Parenthood programme now guarantees automatic entry to any UTMB World Series event for runners who have given birth or adopted a child within the previous 24 months, extended from the previous 12-month window. Additionally, the programme now covers partners and co-parents, recognising that parenthood affects both parents' ability to train and compete. Entry fees are waived for runners qualifying through the programme.
Among the eight new women's participation initiatives, the most impactful are the creation of women-only training camps at UTMB World Series venues, a mentorship programme pairing experienced female ultrarunners with newcomers, and dedicated childcare facilities at all UTMB World Series events with more than 1,000 participants. These practical measures address barriers that have historically discouraged women from entering ultra-distance events.
The initiatives also include targeted sponsorship support for female athletes, with UTMB committing to ensuring at least 40% of its athlete partnership budget is allocated to women by 2027. A new data transparency programme will publish gender participation statistics for every UTMB World Series event, creating accountability and allowing progress to be measured over time.
Women currently represent approximately 25-30% of participants in most UTMB World Series events, a figure that has been slowly increasing but remains well below the gender balance seen in road running. UTMB's CEO has stated that the organisation's goal is to reach 40% female participation across its global series by 2030. With athletes like Courtney Dauwalter, Katie Schide, and Blandine L'Hirondel raising the profile of women's ultrarunning, the timing for these initiatives could not be better.