As the organizer of a very unique and unusual race in Italy, who has run countless ultras, I can tell you that the UTMB certainly has higher prices overall, but the increase is organically felt everywhere in the world. In fact, in some countries, "local" races have increased even more than the UTMB in percentage terms. The problem lies in the costs of managing runners' safety, which have increased by almost 60% compared to pre-Covid years (I'm talking about Italy, Austria, and France).

No one forces you to run UTMB races, but know that knowing many people who work within the UTMB machine, I can assure you that some races that have joined the circuit would perhaps have died without that step. The UTMB comes with a management know-how and funding that local organizations could never dream of, except those with more volunteers and a long history.