The UTMB Index and race scores have become increasingly significant in the global trail running ecosystem. The Index upstream of sponsorship and race entry opportunities for pros, it allows fans to gauge who is performing best on the world's stage, and it helps media members contextualize performances across years, distances, and different course terrains.
Today the UTMB Index is evolving in some subtle yet important ways. Joining me to talk all about it are Adrian Vincentand Karen Merlin — two members of the team who worked on this new system and are well qualified to explain how things are changing and what it means for the sport.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro + episode overview (UTMB Index) 00:50 – Guest introductions (Adrian Vincent & Karen Merlin) 02:50 – Why the UTMB Index was created 07:25 – Why the index matters for the sport 10:45 – Index vs. race scores explained 13:40 – What the index is (and isn't) 15:45 – Why changes were needed 19:40 – Gender scoring discussion 24:40 – Myth: bias toward UTMB races 26:15 – Challenge of collecting global race results 30:55 – Myth: weather/conditions affect scores 37:15 – New scoring system overview 39:25 – Step 1: Finding similar races 42:40 – Step 2: Expected score + confidence 47:45 – Step 3: Selecting high-quality data 51:20 – Step 4: Final calculation (regression explained) 55:05 – Retroactive re-scoring (what changes) 56:10 – Impact on everyday runners 57:10 – Impact on elite athletes + qualification 58:55 – Myth: bad races hurt your index 01:00:55 – Highest scores ever (new system) 01:06:10 – Behind the scenes of the rebuild 01:09:00 – Transparency + final thoughts 01:10:30 – Closing remarks
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