India to Host Its First UTMB World Series Race in 2027

India is set to host its first UTMB World Series event in 2027 after the global trail-running circuit announced a strategic partnership with Indian endurance-sports company Yoska. The inaugural race is targeted for 2027, with further events planned as part of the collaboration.

The move gives Indian trail runners the prospect of a UTMB World Series start line closer to home. Until now, runners seeking the circuit’s races have often travelled to destinations including Malaysia, Thailand and the Alpine region around Chamonix, adding visa, accommodation and long-haul travel costs to their race plans.

Yoska, led by Deepak Raj, already stages IRONMAN 70.3 Goa and HYROX events in India. The partnership expands an existing relationship involving Yoska and the organisation that partners with UTMB on the World Series, a relationship that previously delivered India’s first IRONMAN 70.3 in Goa in October 2019.

A growing market for trail running

The planned arrival comes as India builds a larger footprint within the UTMB World Series ecosystem. More than 16,600 runners from India are listed in the UTMB World Series database, according to the announcement, while nearly 5,000 hold a valid UTMB Index. India has also staged 144 UTMB Index races.

Participation by Indian runners at World Series events has more than doubled over the past two years, with much of that activity taking place at races elsewhere in Asia. The new event is intended to offer those runners an opportunity to compete in the series without the added cost and logistics of an overseas trip.

Raj said road runners are looking for experiences beyond the large number of road-running events already available. He described trail running as a potential next step for a country with an established running community, including sold-out city marathons, active running clubs and widespread half-marathon participation.

Matthieu Van Veen, Chief Business Officer of the organisation’s Asia-Pacific business, linked the broader growth in endurance participation to a post-pandemic shift toward personal activity and outdoor experiences. He said trail running is the fastest-growing segment of endurance sports, with road runners increasingly moving toward trail events.

UTMB World Series launched in 2022 and provides a pathway toward the finals in Chamonix. The circuit is expected to include about 75 events worldwide by 2027. Its races are designed around amateur age-group participation, with distances that can include shorter options alongside marquee ultra-distance events.

Host location still to be decided

The Indian venue has not yet been announced. Yoska is considering three or four potential host locations, with the Himalayan foothills, the Western and Eastern Ghats, and India’s Northeast among the terrain under consideration.

Raj said government backing will be a key consideration, alongside the accommodation, roads and connectivity required to support a growing event. The aim is to select a location capable of expanding from approximately 1,000 runners to 2,000 or 3,000 participants over time, rather than rushing the launch simply to meet the 2027 target.

Entry fees will also be part of the planning. Raj acknowledged that UTMB fees can appear high by Indian standards, but said bringing a race to India removes a significant part of the overall expense involved in travelling abroad for a comparable experience. Yoska will also assess pricing against European races, while noting that its HYROX ticket prices in India already differ slightly from global rates.

Michelle Pepper, Managing Director of the Asia-Pacific business, pointed to shorter distances such as 20K and 50K races as accessible entry points for runners not yet ready for the 100-kilometre and 100-mile formats. Alongside the UTMB plans, Yoska’s wider endurance schedule includes three IRONMAN 70.3 events in India in 2027, a full-distance IRONMAN in 2028, and around a dozen events across three brands within five years.

For India’s trail-running community, the 2027 race would mark a significant domestic addition: a World Series event and a route toward Chamonix built around India’s own mountain and trail terrain.