Volunteer at UTMR – an amazing experience!

Thank you very much for your interest in volunteering for the 2023 Ultra Tour Monte Rosa.

Being part of such an event is a fantastic experience. The environment is beautiful, the challenge that UTMR runners undertake is awesome, the volunteer team is diverse and friendly. It is hard work, but rewarding!

Volunteers and staff were brilliant. One of the friendliest races I’ve been at (in terms of people).

Thomas Naughton (UK), UTMR Stage Race

The 2023 races take place from Wednesday 6 September to Saturday 9 September 2023.

We need help for all or part of the period between Sunday 3 September and Sunday 10 September. Let us know what you can offer!

Please note that for 2023 our Stage Race and 170 km Ultra Tour will follow the original route around Monte Rosa through IT and CH, while the Mischabel 60 and 100 race routes plus Grächen Berglauf stay entirely within the Matter and Saas valleys in Switzerland.

We will add information about current restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic closer to the event date, if necessary.

We offer all of our team a pre-event volunteers dinner (in certain locations only), a special UTMR team t-shirt & headwear, priority entry to future UTMR races, and of course a challenging & fun experience as part of the UTMR team.  Please complete this form so that we can work out where and how we can best use your help. Thank you!

• General volunteers: if you are happy to stay at any location and help for the duration (or part) of the race then this is you! If you are able to get yourself to Grächen (or another of our race locations) we provide simple accommodation & food during the race, and travel if we need you to go to another checkpoint location. Unfortunately we can’t provide travel to Grächen. We need help for all or part of the period between Sunday 3 September and Sunday 9 September. Let us know what you can offer!

• Local volunteers: if you are living or staying near one of our race locations and can offer some help at the time the race passes through we are very grateful! The locations are Zermatt, Cervinia, Val d’Ayas, Gressoney, Alagna, Macugnaga, Saas Fee, Törbel, Visperterminen. Let us know which you are near and we can tell you the relevant checkpoint timings. We also need some help with marking pre-race and demarking after the race!

• Stage race volunteers: we have a few places reserved for family or friends of stage race participants who would like to accompany them & are willing to volunteer for us. Here we need you to book our supporter accommodation package and we’ll make sure you share with your friends/family. We will supply transport (if you don’t have your own) between the race locations. We understand your primary concern is to support your runner but we will need you to commit to give us a certain amount of time. For 2023 these places are very limited. 

To give you an idea of what it means to volunteer these are the kinds of roles we need to fill!

Checkpoint volunteers

Checkpoint volunteers are the critical frontline workforce of the race. We need many checkpoint volunteers for the 20 or so different checkpoints that UTMR has.

You could be helping with setting up the checkpoint, provision food to runners, arranging runners’ drop-bags, or timing incoming runners. When the race is on, this can get busy but it’s a lot of fun – the runners really appreciate your support and encouragement and will tell you that!

Generally checkpoint volunteers need only to be energetic, enthusiastic, empathetic to the needs of the runners. Some ‘mobile’ checkpoint volunteers need to be able to hike to mountain checkpoint locations, or ready to quickly hike onto the trail if and when required to check route markings or to remark a section of the route. Let us know what would you would prefer when applying.

Route Marking

Route marking offers great day(s) out on awesome mountain trails!

You must be fit and able to carry a full rucksack of equipment, be confident being on the trails alone or working in a pair, and able follow gps tracks exactly.

It’s a big responsibility, and focus is required to mark to UTMR’s high standards so that runners will find the route easily while running and not get lost, especially for the sections where runners pass at night.

This role is typically good for experienced hikers or ultra runners with experience of following route markings.

All marking materials and detailed instructions will be provided.

Race Sweeping

‘Sweepers’ move at the pace of the slowest runners in each race providing encouragement and reassurance if needed, and providing a channel of with the organisation team communication in case of an incident.

Sweeping stages can be long and tiring, and for this role you must be well within your own capability to be able to help others when you yourself might be tired. Again it is ideal for experience hikers, or ultra runners who want to give something back to other runners.

Route cleaning & de-marking

After the race is over, we have to make sure we leave no trace of the race on mountainsides. It offers another great day out on awesome trails collecting signs and marking ribbons.

You must be able to carry a rucksack of equipment, be confident to be on the trails alone or working in a pair, follow gps tracks. Less focus required than marking!

Pre-race preparation

If you would prefer to be located in the mountain village of Grächen, there is much to do, from setting up the registration process, to welcoming runners and providing information, to preparing 101 things behind the scenes. All you need is some time that you can commit, plenty of enthusiasm and be ready to enjoy a team of very nice and hard working people!

Finish line volunteers

The UTMR finish line is open for almost 30 hours. For runners, having a warm welcome at the finish that recognises their achievement is a cherry on the cake. Being a finish line volunteer could involve timing, helping providing finishers with food and drinks, getting their baggage and directing them to showers and their accommodation. Whether finishers have completed 23 km or 170 km, it’s amazing to be right on the finish line and experience their relief, and happy realisation that they have succeded in their challenge!!

Team Chef / Caterers

We have a large team of hardworking volunteers that are often/always hungry! If you are a chef or a caterer, you know what a difference good, healthy food makes for a team at an event.

The UTMR volunteer team needs a cook / chef to be based in the mountain village of Grächen to cater for all the volunteers and provide the runners’ finish line food.

Additionally, if you would like to help us cater for simple but good hot food provision (pasta, soups etc) at major checkpoints, please let us know!

Drivers

If you drive you have a skill that is very useful, particularly if you have a car and are willing to transport other volunteers with you. Let us know!

Let us know what you can offer!