The popularization of ultra-trail running: promotion and enhancement of the territories

The ultra-trail is a practice described as "extreme" that has emerged since the 2000s. It combines nature sports and travel to generate an attractive and original physical activity. The number of "ultra-trail" gatherings is increasing, forging a discipline in its own right, with its own particular values and conditions. But over and above the sporting aspect, these events also meet a need for attractiveness in terms of economic spin-offs, promotion and territorial enhancement. Indeed, the organization of these events also seems to benefit local players, who use them to highlight their heritage and enhance the local image. In this qualitative study, five riders and organizers with varied profiles are interviewed to discover their commitment to this sport and these events.

Today it's what I keep saying, if things aren't going well for a moment on the trail, just look up, stop and savor the moment. I go on vacation because I live in Angers, because when I'm in the Alps or the Pyrenees or I've been lucky enough to go to La Réunion, it's really a vacation. (Mickaël W.).

Paris, New York and Berlin are certainly presented as major metropolises with high tourist potential, but at the same time, the structural capacities of these capitals make them ideal candidates for selection to govern international sporting events. Attracting spectators and athletes from all over the world, participants, professionals of all kinds (media, security...), spectators and even visitors gather for the occasion. These events crystallize the idea of showcasing these "host" cities. Here, sports tourism rooted in the link between territory and sporting practice asserts itself. These partnerships give rise to the organization of official competitions like the "Marathon" or the Tour de France, where visitors and spectators discover the diversity of the towns and the country. This type of sporting event is designed to encourage the development of an atypical form of tourism, based on the participation of the various players mentioned above. Reciprocally, these sporting events showcase both the discipline in question and the local environmental, historical and cultural heritage. Indeed, the media coverage of certain international competitions makes them prime tourist destinations and stimulates visits. The trickle-down effect of this event-based approach, combining sporting competition and heritage tourism, spills over into the world of Ultra-trail, enabling runners to visit a region, its particular natural environments and breathtaking landscapes. The ultra-trail is a race of 80 km or more with a positive altitude difference of over 2000m. This sport demands extreme endurance and a gradual adaptation of the body to this intense, time-consuming and muscle-trauming effort. Although difficult, this discipline is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. This craze owes a great deal to outdoor equipment brands, which have capitalized on the "greening" of sport[1]. But it's also linked to the development of cognitive abilities and high-level performance for athletes, to challenging oneself, one's physical and inner limits, and then traveling with this passion for ultra-trail on the various races organized in the four corners of the world. With the development of new circuits on the Globe, the number of participants in the races increases every year, as shown by the participation in the Mont Blanc ultra trail ('UTMB World Series) with 722 pre-registrations in 2003 compared with 22,853 in 2022. The trend is such that the number of participants is now limited to 10,000 runners. The development of outdoor activities associated with tourism has increased sharply since the 2000s (Buron G., Bessy O., 2016), generating a variety of economic spin-offs for local areas (Cf. Appendix 1). For mountain resorts, it is a vector for image, revitalization of the territory, influence and diversification of activities[2]. The organization of "ultra-trail" competitions is part of this dynamic, with the best-known in France to date, the UTMB Mont-Blanc, a 170 km race bringing together 10,000 runners from all over the world. The internationalization of these sporting events, with their rich cultural and environmental diversity, is designed to increase the attractiveness of the region and reach new target groups (spectators, leisure sports enthusiasts, families, hobbyists, etc.). The notion of sports tourism is still a recent one, but it has carved out a place for itself in the global economy, culture and mores. The question posed by this work is to investigate the link between the way a locality is represented and the event-driven dimension of the ultra-trail competitions taking place in its territory. Do the representation of a locality or territory and its media coverage of its heritage contribute to the creation of a tourism model based on the event-driven nature of ultra-trail competitions? In other words, does the ultra-trail event serve as a heritage and territorial showcase to stimulate tourist visits?

According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO, 2000), tourism is a "social, cultural and economic phenomenon involving the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal, business or professional purposes". From the 1980s onwards, tourism became firmly rooted in society and mores (Glyptis, 1982). Numerous studies contributed to defining the contours of sports tourism, including the cultural dimension of the territory, its economic strategies and its development. Several definitions have emerged. The first, by Standeven & De Knop in 1999, focuses on the travel associated with the practice of a sport on another continent. Gibson's approach in 2002 focuses on the various forms of participation in sport. And last but not least, Pigeassou's 2002 approach to identifying the different actors and objects of sports tourism.

Bouchet P. and Bouhaouala M. (2009) take a closer look at this concept through an analysis of pioneering work in the field. For example, according to Redmond (1990-1991), sports tourism includes: spectators at sporting events, active participation in sporting activities, and cultural visitors to sports facilities (museums, monuments, installations, etc.). According to Nogawa et al (1996), there are also 3 types of use for which it would be necessary to travel to take part in a sporting event, to attend a sporting show or to take part in self-organized sporting activities. Thus, many players rely on sport to promote the attractiveness of their territory and outdoor physical activities. Nature sports events such as the ultra-trail will increase the number of people and visitors to the region, as well as enhancing its cultural heritage. Local tourist appeal is based on the social phenomenon of sport. In this sense, competitive sporting events can be used to promote local tourism. This notion of "mise en tourisme" is the process of creating a touristic place or subverting an old place through tourism, resulting in a state: the touristic place"[3]. Tourism can also be leveraged through the host region's tourism image, through the "showcase" process. Involving the perception of the sporting event by participants and spectators, it reflects their perception of the venue. This can be an incentive to return for a vacation, or to take part in the competition again.

This article will attempt to understand the extent to which ultra-trail activities can be used as a springboard to promote and enhance tourism in a given region. This study takes a qualitative approach to the subject, in which various hypotheses were put forward and then validated or invalidated following various interviews. An analysis of the results obtained will provide a better understanding of the points of view of the various people interviewed, leading to reflections combining the development of tourism in a locality with the development of nature sports and, more specifically, in this case, ultra-trail.

Methodology

In order to set the framework for this research and outline the interview guide, refocusing the interviews on the personal backgrounds and opinions of the interviewees provides material for defining and understanding their connection with ultra-trailing and its various events. Adopting a qualitative point of view requires having a targeted audience that is able to answer my questions.

The semi-structured interviews carried out enabled us to gain a deeper understanding of the points of view of the two profiles of individuals interviewed, and to understand the needs arising from the territories. According to Lincoln (1995), "the semi-structured interview is a data collection technique that contributes to the development of knowledge favoring qualitative and interpretative approaches". It was essential to determine the selection criteria for this sample, so as to obtain two different points of view, and best encompass the subject of this research.

Three ultra-trail runners were interviewed. Male runners: one professional, one amateur and one in between. Two people who were members of or directly involved with the organization of an ultra-trail event were also interviewed.

In order to understand the different points of view regarding the appearance of these events, interviewing organizers and runners about their visions helped to broaden this reflection as much as possible. I contacted the interviewees via my network of acquaintances or following searches for typical profiles on the LinkedIn platform. These interviews were conducted remotely via videoconference, due to the health conditions associated with Covid 19 and the impossibility of traveling. Interviewing people remotely enabled me to step back from the various situations and better grasp the guiding issue of this research. The average duration of the interviews was 50 minutes, allowing the interviewees to answer the various questions posed, while discussing them and explaining their points of view on other notions related to the subject.

The data was processed using thematic analysis. These analyses enable us to understand the meaning of the dialogues and to extract meaning from them, echoing the questioning, by exploring line by line, step by step, the texts of interviews or observations (Berg, 2003). We then took the interviewees' answers, processed, classified and codified them, and presented and analyzed the results. The interview guide, formalized by coding, enables the interviews to be analyzed and interpreted, and the results of the representative sampling of riders and organizers to be presented.

Regarding the limits of this research, further reflection on the spectators, their motivations, their choices, their attractions for the locality or event for which they came, would bring additional resources to encompass and deepen the study as much as possible.

Through this analysis, an interpretation is derived to answer the problem and establish that there is a link between the representation we have of a locality and the ultra-trail competitions that take place there, and that this link is complex and multifactorial.

Ultra-trail events bring tourism to a locality

Promotion of local and cultural heritage through ultra-trail sporting events

From these exchanges with organizers and runners, the promotion of local and cultural heritage seems to be one of the major objectives of ultra-trail events. Generally speaking, these official races are organized with the aim of creating a territorial and regional showcase. This raises the question of how local and regional policies can enhance the attractiveness of the latter in terms of tourism and the promotion of nature sports on their territory (Bessy, 2008).

The development of nature sports, and hence of the ultra-trail since the 2000s, is a response to a locality's need to enhance its image through tourism and sport. The values generated by the organization of the event are intended to promote the same values present in the community. This enhancement of the area's image has led to strong sports tourism, as Nahuel explains: "It attracts people from all over the world: we've had Japanese people at the start, people from Brazil, Russia, Israel, South Africa, everywhere. Runners generally come with family or friends during the race, but they often come back on vacation the following year. "There's an accompanying phenomenon (...) people combine it with a vacation. So we have runners who come and then stay for a week or two, or before on vacation (...) it's a tourist product" (Nahuel, race organizer).

Organizers think ahead about the various possibilities for accommodating this influx of people during organized races. In this way, a sporting and tourist dynamic is created. In particular, "the distinction between time reserved for travel and time devoted to tourist activities or visits is the other key to a destination's attractiveness" (Lozato-Giotart, Leroux, Balfet, 2012, p.33). For positive and successful tourism, accommodation, transport and food solutions are essential. Runners and potential companions will thus enjoy a few days in the area and benefit from associated services alongside the main event. Mickaël puts it like this: "It's a round trip to Auvergne, we're in a car, there are 5 of us, we've taken a hotel room on Saturday night to sleep in, and we're really going to be in round trip mode (...) it's all about local consumption". This calls for a serious strategic analysis of the region on the part of the players and organizers.

The riders surveyed visit tourist sites, spend money in local shops and in the various accommodations in the communes. Environmental and sustainability criteria, such as partnerships with local producers, are also taken into account. Ultra-trail events try to give priority to a direct circuit to raise awareness and participate in local tourism development. This demand is being driven by local communities. "The traileur can now be considered a tourist, a sporting visitor looking for a race to test himself physically but also a territory to discover and whose characteristics in themselves justify his displacement." (Glen Buron, 2020). As Glen Buron shows, the runner is a considerable asset with strong values and a penchant for local heritage, who will bring a tourist attraction to the town or commune. This movement of sportsmen and women will enable the region to propose different strategies that will be necessary for its development.

Communication and development strategy for the region

"Every territory, whatever its geographical and human scale, enjoys a theoretical "touristicity" or attractive potentiality" (Lozato-Giotart, Leroux, Balfet, 2012, p.31). The author thus wishes to demonstrate that whatever the territory, it can be enhanced and is worth discovering.

Communication tools, particularly for mountain areas, remain important, if only because of the competition between different regions such as the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Massif Central. If we take the example of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the organizers are seeking to promote a different image of the region with its growing appetite for nature sports, and thus attract a new type of "non-elitist" public (Bessy, 2012). It has thus been shown that the number of visitors to the site has risen sharply with the various communication and differentiation strategies for their territory. Today, the UTMB remains one of the most widely publicized and well-known ultra-trail events in the world, and is even currently represented as a brand.

According to the interviews and the example of the UTMB, ultra-endurance race organizers focus on their event's communication and development strategy. This communication is aimed at ultra-endurance runners, and not at people who have never done it or have done it very little. The audience remains highly targeted. The first step in this strategy is to seek out an audience from other events to make themselves known, and then to create a "large core of volunteers, and that's the key to success (...) 750 volunteers", according to Nahuel (organizer). It also means succeeding in creating "a niche", an attractive race format that can stand out from other ultra-trail events. Today, it's necessary to have a high level of visibility in terms of "networking", but also to go through "classic communication, Facebook, Instagram" adds Nahuel. What's more, "a social network is a community of individuals linked together by their origins, interests, needs, and similar or similar points of view, in interactions that can give rise to exchanges of information, logic, mutual aid and sharing of experiences, a source of learning." (Barabel, Mayol, Meier, 2020/2). At the same time, with regard to dissemination media, many local and national newspapers are used: At the start, it was mainly on our media, because at the base we had a running media called VO2 magazine and Endurance magazine which enabled us to develop and focus our communication thanks to that, then after that it was the database, newsletters, and now social networks. (Kévin B.)

For the organization of his event, Nahuel also used the same media means, in particular "national newspapers, because we already have local customers and they're not going to fill the Picapica", and he adds that "we can get national and even international visibility, we're doing articles in the Japanese media, the Czech media...". All these communications will help to attract a certain number of people to the various races, whether for leisure or as competitors. Each person chooses his or her mode of racing, the area and the landscapes that attract them, contributing by extension to the area's tourist and economic activity.

The economic appeal of these events

"Evaluating the economic impact of these events on the host regions is one of the prerequisites for ensuring the sustainability of this rich and diversified offer, enabling these regions and their financial partners to adjust and fine-tune their event policy "4 ( written by Jarrige B., for nature sports event organizers). The author shows that it is necessary to analyze all the economic, political and environmental aspects that will result from a sporting event, so as to be able to benefit from the advantages or avoid the disadvantages relating to the latter, for future editions.

The economic appeal is very much present and important in the organization of these races for the spin-offs on the territory in terms of tourism and sport. As far as the Festival des Templiers is concerned, Kévin explains that it's "an economically attractive event for the region, for the development of our town and our community of communes. But also for our region, because it's the leading sporting event in terms of economic spin-offs in the Occitanie region", and generates "millions of euros in economic spin-offs over the weekend of the event". As France's leading ultra-trail event, over the past 30 years it has become an integral part of the local culture and heritage of Millau and the Occitanie region. The event's organization generates spin-offs by working in collaboration with local service providers, which in turn enables companies to pay local taxes for the region. In this respect, Nahuel agrees with Kévin. We're here to generate economic spin-offs and visibility for our regions", he says. Each of these organizers said they were responding to a need on the part of a community of communes to revitalize its tourism sector and unite the various surrounding municipalities to create a comprehensive event that would anchor it in local history and heritage. Thus, "the match between supply and demand, particularly from an economic point of view, remains closely linked to the match between territory and tourism." (Lozato-Giotart, Leroux, Balfet, 2012, p.37). Finally, the organization of an ultra-trail event can have an impact on local employment. The hiring of local volunteers and the need to reinforce transport, security and health services for the event can create new employment opportunities for the local population.

These events can have a significant economic impact on host cities and regions, stimulating local economic activity, attracting sponsors and partners, boosting local tourism and creating employment opportunities. The social and economic dimensions of these events will influence the image of the region, as well as its perception in the eyes of locals and tourists alike.

Organizing an ultra-trail event: the showcase effect on the "host" town

Sporting events such as ultra-trails are an integral part of a marketing strategy to enhance a region's image and appeal. The more the event reflects a positive image, the more the locality will be recognized and enhanced by that image. Pierre-Yves (runner) demonstrates this in his own way, "I now turn to races where I know there is interest in terms of the route, the scenery (...) I tend to look for races that are interesting in terms of the destination, the panoramas". The tourist or runner actively consumes and participates in all the services offered by the "host" locality. This in a place that lies outside their usual environment, for a consecutive period, for the purposes of leisure, vacation, competition, and events in the case of ultra-trail races (Marchat, Camelis, 2017/1). If the event appeals, these people will return in subsequent years either to run the race again or on vacation to discover the area, its resources and its local players in greater depth. As Mickaël explains, "I'm lucky in that my wife and children follow me, maybe not on all the races, but on the big events or the longer races it's true that we often plan our vacations around races". Tourists are thus attached to the values that the event brings to the destination, to the landscapes and to the sensations that they bring to life through their image. Tourists retain this in order to perpetuate their participation or the tourist attraction that defines a vacation destination. Tourist satisfaction, quality and perceived value are among the determinants of loyalty (Bigné et al. 2001, Yuksel et al., 2010).

Sporting events help to discover a region and raise its profile among a specific, targeted audience. They also enhance the image of the "host" locality (Baakil, Youssef, 2020). Generally speaking, sporting events are a driving force behind a locality's tourist appeal and territorial promotion. The objectives behind these sporting events are "to make the region better known to the general public, while the aim of local players is to build a lasting image that is favorable to them. The aim is to positively influence the public's or inhabitants' perception of a given territory, by associating it with the preconceived notions of sporting practice." (Hautbois, Desbordes, 2008). As Kévin points out, the development of several race formats enables us to enrich the area through sport, and bring many more people together. The creation of "children's races, sport-adapted races, races dedicated especially to women, to make trail running more accessible to women" is part of the cultural and heritage enrichment of the locality.

The destination brand is considered successful when it is able to project a simple, attractive, credible and distinctive image (Kotler and Gertner, 2022).

By organizing ultra-trail races, the organizers propose an enhancement of the territory and the runners seek out these different landscapes and unusual places. This decision stems from the terrain, beauty and environmental appeal. So, for Mickael, ultra-trail "is just a way of consuming the mountains"; everyone is free to choose their destination. These events are part of a process of building runner loyalty and innovating to win over new ones, and conquer the hearts of guides.

Conclusion

This research is based on the concept of promoting tourism in a locality through outdoor sporting events such as ultra-trails, by establishing and building a lasting relationship between event organizers, local communities and tourists. First and foremost, it suggests enhancing and promoting the region's local and cultural heritage. In order to highlight the attractive, sporting and beneficial aspects of the destination in the eyes of runners and tourists, a communication and development strategy is needed at different levels. This strategy is based on the experience of runners during the effort, but also on those who have indulged in the pleasure of tasting local specialities, local producers and other riches that the region has to offer. In this way, it is important to specify the spin-offs generated by the event in terms of sport, tourism, culture and heritage. Finally, this strategy consists of creating a tourism offer through sporting events.

ultra-trail, a symbolic representation that promotes strong values and generates emotions. Through the creation of a brand image, it provokes and awakens a growing attachment to the destination and to the race, turning it into a leisure and sporting vacation destination to which visitors return annually. However, the positive aspects of these events may be undermined by a number of factors, not least current environmental concerns. In particular, the carbon footprint of these events is indirectly linked to the way in which runners and spectators from all over the world travel to the event. The most common means of transport is still by air.

In addition, the UTMB circuit is opening a new race in South Africa in 2023. This new circuit could pose problems in terms of ecological impact, which would be controversial despite the fact that this is an outdoor activity, but also in terms of attractiveness, as this destination is more difficult to access for economic and remote reasons.

So how can we promote the outdoor sport of ultra-trailing, despite the current environmental controversies?

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Appendix

Appendix 1: Trends in the number of trail events in mainland France between 1995 and 2016. (Source: Buron G. and Bessy O., December 2016)

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