Is it necessary to have assistance on the UTMB®?
It is important to know the rules regarding refreshments and assistance on the UTMB® and on this last point, many beginners on these distances wonder if it is necessary to have assistance or not. Here are some answers and points in the regulations to be aware of on this subject.
What is allowed by the rules?
Personal assistance is only allowed at certain points and must be carried out by one person. It can be done at certain feed stations, in the area specifically reserved for this purpose, on presentation of the "Assistance" ticket and at the discretion of the head of the station. This means that your assistant must have been registered in advance by the race organisation. This assistance can only be provided by one person at a time, with no specific equipment other than a bag with a maximum volume of 30 litres to carry food and clothing. Assistance provided by a professional team, or any medical or paramedical professional (even if it is a parent) is totally forbidden. Personal assistance is tolerated on the following stations:
UTMB® : Les Contamines-Montjoie, Courmayeur, Champex, Trient, Vallorcine
CCC® : Champex, Trient, Vallorcine
TDS® : Bourg St Maurice, Beaufort, Les Contamines-Montjoie
It is forbidden at all other refreshment posts and at all points on the course outside these zones. On the OCC® and the MCC®, no assistance is allowed at any point on the course. We remember the disqualification of Xavier Thévenard during an ultra trail in the USA for assistance outside the zone!
Is assistance necessary?
There is never an absolute answer to this kind of question and it may be a matter of personal taste. But it is clear that assistance is a great advantage. It allows the rider to have the possibility to put some things in the assistant's bag (change of clothes, food, drinks,...) and not to carry too much stuff with him. This also gives a real morale booster and sometimes it can make a difference! But if you choose to have assistance, it must be prepared. It is impossible to improvise this kind of task and you will have to define precisely its role and study the authorized route points for it and how to move between them. It is possible to be autonomous with a car or to use the organisation's shuttle bus. However, in both cases the timings are tight because of the traffic constraints in the mountains and the closed routes. Furthermore, it is important to be able to estimate the passage time of your runner in order to plan to be on time at each assistance zone. For more details, please read this article. Finally, a knowledge of running and trail running in general will be a good point to make a good assistant who will know how to behave with his runner and how to reassure and motivate him.