Welcome to the 2026 Volunteer Team!

Runners often comment that one of the highlights of their race is the support from the volunteers. So thank you. Each of you has an essential role to play in allowing the race to happen and in giving our runners a safe and happy experience!

This website will give you some general information about the race so that you have some idea of the big picture. We’ll keep adding more information, so please keep checking back. We will also give you an individual link to check your personal details and an outline of your specific role(s) during the event. This may change leading up to the race as we adjust things to make the best use of people’s time and talents. We plan ahead as much as we can, but in a race like this situations can change fast, so we really appreciate your flexibility and understanding.

To allow the whole event to proceed as smoothly as possible, unforeseen circumstances excepted, we have some guidelines that we ask you to follow. If you have any questions or comments please feed them back to Lizzy (contacts below). Thank you.

It is going to be a long and hard few days. But we hope that you also have some fun and that it will be a rewarding and memorable experience for you too! Our runners deeply appreciate all you do for them.

Arriving at UTMR

GENERAL VOLUNTEERS

When you arrive in Grächen please contact our volunteer coordinator (contact details will be given to you) so that we can welcome you and give your volunteer bundle including volunteer t-shirt, UTMR bandana, UTMR hat, volunteer name lanyard, orange safety vest (if appropriate).

If you are staying (or eating) in the Sportzentrum you will be shown the facilities and we will explain everything to you. Please also take a moment to read the information about staying in the Sportzentrum here.

If you leave to go out to one of our checkpoints there will be a briefing before your departure, and please check in with us on your return.

After the race we will prepare a table in the Sportzentrum hangar with food and other items available for volunteers to take away (free). Please check there before you leave!

LOCAL VOLUNTEERS

If you arrive at a checkpoint location independently please report to your checkpoint coordinator so that they can welcome you, introduce you to the rest of the volunteers and assign your tasks. They will also have a volunteer bundle to give you including volunteer t-shirt, UTMR bandana, UTMR hat, volunteer name lanyard, orange safety vest (if appropriate).

STAGE RACE VOLUNTEERS

Please come to the general welcome in the Gemeindesaal at 14:00h on Tuesday 1st September. After the meeting collect your volunteer bundle including volunteer t-shirt, UTMR bandana, UTMR hat, volunteer name lanyard, orange safety vest (if appropriate) from the stage. If you are able to stay to help with Stage Registrations we would be very grateful. We will meet together for a briefing about the Stage Race at 15.00h in the Gemeindesaal kitchen. Please make sure you can come to this so that we can all meet together and discuss the events for the days ahead. Thank you!

Race Communication

We do rely on whatsapp communication throughout the race events. Bring a battery pack and charging leads to keep your phone charged at all times. You will need to have mobile data in Switzerland (and/or Italy if required). Come prepared as local sim cards are not available in Grächen. Please let us know in case of any problems in advance. Thank you!

We will have a series of WhatsApp groups so that we can keep communication flowing in specific channels (eg. marking, sweeping, checkpoints). You will be given the contact of your co-ordinator and added to the groups relevant to your role and location/checkpoint. These groups will be set up shortly before the race, and please feel free to leave as soon as the race is over. If you have questions in advance please contact Lizzy (info above).

There is also an open WhatsApp channel for “general chat” for anything outside official race communications. Just click the green button below to join! Do not use this for important messages (in case they are missed), but feel free to chat here! 

Race Security

In an emergency please contact us on the EMERGENCY number (call, sms or WhatsApp). This phone number will be monitored together with the GPS positions of the runners at all times between the start of the race at 06:30 on Wednesday 3 September to 21:00 on Saturday 6 September.

EMERGENCY: +41.79.399.85.27 (for emergencies only).

ALL incidents must be reported to this number so we can report immediately to the mountain guide in charge of each sector (IT) or the cantonal security for Valais (CH) following their required protocol. Please do not deal with any incident alone.

Reaching Grächen and other places around the race route

If you travel by train / bus then use sbb.ch/en to check the timetable with Grächen Zentrum as the destination. Tickets are cheaper if you buy in advance.

If you travel by car we will have some UTMR parking places in the open area below and behind the Gemeindesaal just off the Dorfplatz (google map location). It will be marked for UTMR. Please collect a UTMR parking sign to place inside the windscreen of your car.

Please note that we need to keep parking spaces at the Sportzentrum reserved for our race drivers who are giving lifts to volunteers. Thank you for your understanding if we ask you to move your car to the other parking location.

Please note if you park elsewhere in the village it is at your own cost and we aren’t able to cover the charges!

What to bring with you

It could be 30°C or it could be -3°C. The race covers a large mountainous region. It could be sunny and snowing on the same day! Please come prepared for any weather, if you are comfortable you will be able to better support your runners. Prepare for the worst and if you are at a mountain checkpoint remember that standing outside for an hour at nearly 3000m will be cold!

We suggest:

• Working phone with sim enabled for Switzerland (and Italy if applicable)
• Battery pack and charging leads
• Duvet jacket
• Windproof jacket
• Warm clothing
• Waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers
• Warm hat, gloves
• Head-torch with spare batteries
• Sleeping bag – essential if you are on night duty at a checkpoint or in dormitory accommodation
• Ear plugs, eye-cover useful for dormitories

Depending on your role and location you could have some time waiting. At points of the race route runners will be very spread out, at other times many people passing through together (eg when the stage racers come through). Bring some entertainment, or be prepared to make your own!

We recommend downloading a weather app such as MeteoSwiss (just search in your app store). 

Volunteer Reimbursement

We provide accommodation and food in Grächen and at checkpoints, unfortunately we can’t cover extras outside of this. We also either provide or cover your transport costs from Grächen to your checkpoint as required (petrol, train, cable car). Unfortunately we aren’t able to cover your transport costs to Grächen. Any other costs are only covered if agreed in advance. Thank you. 

We will send you a volunteer claim form immediately after the race. Please return (itemised) with your receipts and we can reimburse you directly by bank transfer. For this we will need your IBAN, bank address, personal address. Please do this promptly (before the end of September) to avoid any delays in payment while we are offline in the mountains of🇳🇵.

Information points

We are very happy to have our evening prize-giving and closing meal celebration on the evening of Saturday 6th September. All runners and volunteers will be back in Grächen and this is a chance to share some time together. We would like to thank you, our volunteer team, and also celebrate the effort of all the runners!

Meal tickets will be available for you on the Finish Line in Grächen, just collect from Lizzy. We do need to know numbers by Saturday 29th August so please make sure you let us know if you’d like a ticket via the form we send out to you. Thank you!

We look forward to a happy evening together!

Thank you!

Heartfelt thanks for your hard work to make the races possible. Namaste 🙏