Anti-doping controls will be doubled at the 2026 HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc next week – with testing expanded beyond the elites to runners across all races and age-group categories.
The move forms part of a significantly strengthened anti-doping programme for this year’s event, which takes place from August 24-30 and features the three UTMB World Series Finals – OCC, CCC and UTMB.
Organisers say the increased testing reflects both the rapid growth of trail running and the increasing rewards now available at the top of the sport.
A total prize purse of €271,000 will be distributed across the three Finals this year, including €20,000 each for the men’s and women’s UTMB winners.
Anti-doping controls doubled at UTMB
UTMB Mont-Blanc has worked with the International Testing Agency (ITA), the independent organisation responsible for carrying out anti-doping controls at the event, for the last three years.
For the 23rd edition, the number of anti-doping controls will be doubled and testing expanded across all races and categories, rather than focusing solely on the elite end of the field.
That includes the OCC, CCC and UTMB World Series Finals, with organisers stressing that the same anti-doping rules will apply regardless of an athlete’s level or status when those rules apply to their category. A separate adapted framework is in place for younger runners.
“Performance levels in trail running have never been higher, and the athletes themselves are asking for an increasingly clear and demanding anti-doping framework,” said UTMB Sports Director Julien Chorier.
“Our responsibility is to respond to this expectation and evolve our systems accordingly. The goal is simple: to guarantee fair competition, protect athletes, and preserve the integrity of our sport.”
Fabrice Perrin, UTMB’s Chief Sports, Community and CSR Officer, said the development of trail running as a professional sport meant events such as UTMB had a greater responsibility to athletes throughout the field.
“Trail running has changed scale: it is followed, rewarded, watched and this maturity creates an obligation for us,” he said.
“Our finals bring together the highest-level lineup in world trail running and one of the largest prize purses in the discipline; we cannot claim that and look away from the rest.
“Rewarding properly, protecting everyone’s health, testing without exception: we impose all three on ourselves for the world’s best athletes as well as for those aiming for the cutoff time.”
Pro athletes welcome increased testing
The expansion has also been welcomed by the Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA), which has pushed for increased anti-doping measures as the professional side of trail running has developed.
“One of the reasons behind the creation of the PTRA was precisely to develop anti-doping in a sport growing at varying speeds,” said Albert Jorquera of the PTRA.
“As elite athletes, having adequate anti-doping controls on a stage as major as the UTMB World Series finals gives us confidence in the fairness of the competition.
“We applaud the human and financial efforts made by UTMB Group in this direction, and we encourage them to continue.”
€271,000 prize purse for UTMB World Series Finals
The increased anti-doping programme comes as significant financial rewards continue to be attached to the UTMB World Series Finals.
The HOKA Prize Purse will total €271,000 across the three races in 2026.
UTMB accounts for €119,000 of that total, while €76,000 will be awarded at both CCC and OCC.
Prize money is split equally between men and women and extends to the top 10 finishers in each race. The men’s and women’s UTMB champions will each earn €20,000.
Organisers also point to the wider commercial value of success at the Finals, with results at UTMB Mont-Blanc potentially having a significant impact on an athlete’s profile and relationships with sponsors.
Focus on runner health
The strengthened testing programme also sits alongside UTMB’s wider work around runner health.
The event has worked with its Medical Commission on research and prevention since its first edition in 2003, with guidance now covering areas including hydration, sleep, nutrition, cardiac warning signs, hyperthermia, hypothermia and self-medication.
The latter is an area organisers are particularly keen to highlight.
The use of anti-inflammatories and opioids without medical supervision can carry significant health risks for endurance athletes, while some substances can also result in a positive anti-doping test even when there was no intention to gain a competitive advantage.
“Whatever the level, performance cannot be built at the expense of health,” said UTMB CSR Director Nicolas Lagrange.
“Our prevention fact sheets exist so that every runner has the tools to protect themselves. Self-medication, in particular, is a widely underestimated danger, even among those with no desire to cheat.
“This is a culture we want to anchor across all levels of practice.”
