A few days back at Brandwave Marketing HQ and I can still hear cowbells. UTMB® Group doesn’t visit Chamonix; it possesses it. I’ve only felt a town this “all-in” at a sports event before during the Tour of Flanders. Same electricity, slightly different kit and a little less Belgian Trappist.
The Week the Valley Becomes a Fan Zone
Chamonix and all the ascending trails turn 24/7, storms or not. Head-torch fan tunnels at Notre Dame de la Gorge are forged to cut through driving rain; La Flégère amplifies that shared, last-climb euphoria between runners and supporters you can’t fake.
Runners ARE the rockstars, and their crews are the exhausted tour managers keeping the show on the road. Respect, equally applied.
Get Stuck In
Say yes to as many shakeouts as your legs (and social battery) allow. Keep your eyes peeled, UTMB is a live demo floor. We saw Goldwin, GOLDWIN INC. inflatable insulation tech, SATISFY Rocker drop, and Nike ACG’s x Ravenel built pop-up Sentierinstallation ushering in the much-anticipated and commented on All Conditions Racing Department.
Merrell turned try-ons into a tasting bar: QR-coded routes of different lengths paired with shoe recommendations = smart, simple with a creative twist.
ASICS x Distance also set up a support station just out of town that was beautifully executed. Details matter.
All Athletes Write the Story
Tom Evans charging through town to take the men’s crown, Ruth Croft floating the last descent to victory, PTL teams crossing the line after ~300km and five days on feet, and those final UTMB finishers closing the loop around Sunday lunchtime, the fans had lungs and love for everyone. That’s the point: the podium is just a chapter; every finisher and even DNF’ers write the whole book.
Divisive Is a Strategy
Strong brands polarise. Satisfy leans into that. You won’t catch me in moth tech, but you certainly would in their newly converted, electrified Fiat Panda 4×4.
The nature-thread was everywhere, too. From On and Salomon’s use in merchandising to The North Face’s full window takeovers and product prints. These brands are showing us the mountains are the mood board.
Challenger Duel: Mount to Coast vs. Norda
Two-horse race in Europe’s challenger lane. After a morning shakeout in collab with Goldwin, I’m a fan of norda run’s new 001A, light, fast and durable apparently (it was only 6km) Good to meet you, Ross Dwyer. Power Hikers represent. Meanwhile Mount to Coast are sharpening their story. Interested to see what spice & freshness they can bring to the category.
Unsanctioned, Officially Excellent
Luke Myers , George Marshall and the Unsanctioned Athletics crew delivered a signature race on behalf of On & Maurten. These chaps are proving that not every event needs a six-month Gantt chart or meticulously planned route; sometimes it just needs a start line, an appetite to shake up the traditional event format and maybe a few checkpoints.
Trail Time & Friendly Faces
Berlin Marathon is looming so intervals were squeezed in. Is this not the most scenic track going?
Also snuck some trail time in with Vikki McGill in between the madness.
Good to catch up with Dan Trapp and although we may have chatted a little too long to make it anywhere near the start line, the energy still ricocheted off the valley as the countdown ticked to 5:45 pm.
Parties, People, and Pure Serendipity
Community is the product. Notably was the COMPRESSPORT party with Darryl Browne , Paul Varney. Great hosting Maxime Le Bras!
Arctic Coffee House became the adopted Brandwave HQ: hello Nils A, Phil Hill, Alex Sawbridge, Sarah Hartley, Megan Ribton, Ali Ball and a good catch-up with John McAvoy fresh off another standout year for Youth Beyond Borders (YBB)Alpine Run Project.
Not even UTMB pauses the weekly farmers’ market. Great for fromage and charcuterie resupply, less great for time to ogle new kit.
Casa Nonna kept Brandwave’s ‘world-renowned’ pizza party on pace. Thank you Victoria Lane-Ward, Tom Overmire, Jack Lemon, Lory Louves , Danny Easton , Saul & Luke for rolling through and for being there for support when sussing out just how much burrata is too much.
Pizza comes first, content second at Casa Nonna. These guys did join, honestly.
Party wise, we wrapped with a quick one celebrating with Like the Wind on a bluebird final day, cheers to Simon Freeman, Julie Freeman Kummer and the full global LtWcrew before dragging myself out of town and away from the mountains. Approx 12 weekends until the ski season though….
The Takeaway for Brands (and Runners)
- Make participation your product. Shakeouts, support stations, tasting bars, UTMB rewards brands that help people move, not just buy.
- Own a point of view. Satisfy proves divisive isn’t negative. Clear positioning beats broad appeal in a crowded category.
- Design for pilgrimage. UTMB is a once-a-year congregation. Build launches and activations that respect the effort people make to be here.
- Bring the mountain into the city. ON and The North Face showed how nature-first storytelling scales visually without losing soul.
- Remember the crew. Celebrate pacers, partners and pit-crew energy; they’re the unpaid influencers you can’t brief but must earn.
UTMB reminds us that running is culture, not just competition. It’s a town united by a shared obsession; a smorgasbord of brands wrapped in a mountain range; a place where a Fiat Panda can become a brand beacon and an early-doors shakeout is never a bad idea.
Header image credit: @its.saul.brown
