Lizzy Hawker, athlete and UTMR Race Director, created this brutal and beautiful route while training for the “Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc”, and now the full 170km UTMR is a qualifying race for the UTMB.  This year’s racers have had the opportunity to explore the trail through the UTMR training camps hosted by Lizzie and sponsored by Smartwool.   

“For me, UTMR training camps are a way to share the beautiful and demanding route of the UTMR outside a race situation. The camps are fours days of hard training, perfect endurance preparation for long races but are also filled with comraderie and companionship in a wonderfull mountain environment. My hope is that people have fun but also to gain confidence to go a little bit further than what they throught was possible,” explained Hawker.

Check-out the video edit of the UTMR Training camp: https://youtu.be/iczg-qa3H6o

“Providing our fullest support to an event so important to Lizzy and the entire ultra running community is an opportunity we welcomed with enthusiasm. Lizzy has built a truly special event—one that pushes the limit of possibility for the mind and body—and we’re absolutely thrilled by the chance to become involved as the official sock supplier,” says Alex Pashley, Smartwool athlete and strategic partnership mana­­ger.

Ultra runners demand the highest performing gear in the most physically challenging scenarios one can imagine. That’s why Smartwool, the outdoor industry’s leading Merino run sock and apparel company, reinforced its commitment to the ultra running community through its official sock partnership with Ultra Tour Monte Rosa (UTMR) one-day ultramarathons and multi-day stage races, and the UTMR training camps.

Sponsoring the UTMR aligns with the brand’s philosophy of supporting those events that both challenge the tenacity of the human spirit while allowing Smartwool product to provide the comfort in the most extreme scenarios.

With best-in-class moisture management to help keep the athlete’s skin dry and comfortable, the benefits of SmartwoolÒ run socks and apparel keep the ultra runners comfortable in the darkest hours of their run. Smartwool will provide every UTMR competitor with a complimentary pair of PhD® Run Light Elite socks, featuring IndestructawoolÔ technology, a patent pending durability construction, the 4 DegreeÔ Elite fit system, and a run-specific cushioning designed to provide shock absorption where runners need it most and limit cushion-caused blisters everywhere else.

About Smartwool

Based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Smartwool is a 24-year-old apparel brand whose products are inspired by living and playing in the mountains. All Smartwool® products come with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and are created to get the most out of the inherent benefits of Merino wool. For information on the full range of Smartwool® products or to find a dealer near you, please log onto www.smartwool.com. Smartwool, a division of VF Outdoor, LLC, is a brand of VF Corporation. For event and company updates, visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/smartwool and Twitter www.twitter.com/Smartwool.