Parental deferral policies in ultra-trail: some races need to catch up

March 25, 2026

Last weekend, Italy’s Andreas Reiterer finished second at Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB, but had to turn down a Golden Ticket (automatic entry) to Western States 100 (WSER) because his partner is due to give birth around race day, and WSER’s policy does not allow partners to defer their entry.

Missing a race because of something like that used to be fairly straightforward—you lost your spot. But other races have started to handle it differently. This week, UTMB  announced that it had expanded its pregnancy and parental deferral policy to more clearly cover adoptive parents, surrogacy and a wider range of family situations, along with clearer deferral options; it already offered a deferral option for partners.

Only a few years ago, parental and pregnancy policies were unheard of in the ultra-trail world. That has quickly evolved as more entered the sport, and some organizations are struggling to keep pace with the much-needed changes. CANADIAN Trail Running