Dacia and UTMB® World Series announce a multi-year partnership

– Dacia and UTMB® World Series organisers UTMB Group and The IRONMAN Group, are announcing a multi-year partnership.

– Dacia becomes Official Technical Partner and exclusive Automotive Partner for UTMB® World Series European and African events, including UTMB® Mont-Blanc, beginning 2022.

WEBWIRE – Friday, March 11, 2022

In the automotive world, Dacia heads off the beaten track – both literally and figuratively. Thanks to their pragmatic approach, and updated, simple and robust design, Dacia focuses on what really matters to customers; affordability and enjoying the simple pleasures in life.  As Dacia develops its footprint on the outdoor territory, partnering with UTMB® World Series is a new way to offer everyone the pleasure to connect with nature through trail running.

The UTMB® World Series is the world’s ultimate trail running circuit that allows all runners to experience the UTMB® adventure through leading international events in the world’s most striking destinations. It shares many fundamental principles with Dacia with both organizations focusing on the spirit of solidarity, inclusivity and on the development of a mindful consumption. Through this partnership, both parties will work together closely to promote those values.

The partnership will run 2022-2024, and as the first Official Technical Partner to the UTMB® World Series, and exclusive Automotive Partner, Dacia will provide essential operational support to the European events, in particular the provision of their robust vehicles which are built for going off road.

‘’At Dacia, we have all been passionate about disrupting the automotive market for more than 15 years. The huge success of the iconic SUV Duster embodies our brand positioning and ambition to connect people with the outdoor nature. We are excited by our partnership with UTMB® World Series, which allows us to drive brand awareness and connect even more closely to people enjoying simple outdoor pleasures, together.

Xavier Martinet, SVP, DACIA & LADA, Marketing, Sales & Operations

‘’At the heart of our UTMB® World Series race experience is giving athletes an adventure that is steeped in natural beauty and surrounded by nature in its purest form. We’re constantly looking at ways that we can bolster our sustainability initiative, so knowing that Dacia is built on a belief of mindful consumption and eco-smart solutions is incredibly important for us. On behalf of The IRONMAN Group, we look forward to welcoming Dacia into our family and look forward to a successful partnership moving forward.

Matt Wikstrom, Chief Partnerships Officer at The IRONMAN Group

‘’We are thrilled to partner with Dacia as their brand ethos is a natural fit for UTMB® World Series. We launched the UTMB® World Series to bring together the whole trail running community, and to create an inclusive sports system for all athletes. Our core values are interwoven in a natural way with Dacia’s, and we look forward to working with them as together we continue our focus on inclusivity and our shared passion for the outdoor environment and sustainability, as the Series continues to develop in key European, Middle Eastern and African markets over the coming years.

Frédéric Lénart, CEO UTMB Group

The partnership between UTMB ® Group and The IRONMAN Group was announced last May as they launched the new UTMB ® World Series. The first event of the Series will get underway from 7-10 April at Croatia’s biggest trail running race, Istria 100 by UTMB®. 25 international events have been confirmed for 2022 – the only place where runners can qualify for the UTMB® World Series Finals at UTMB® Mont-Blanc 2023.

About Dacia

Born in 1968 then launched from 2004 all across Europe and Mediterranean countries, Dacia has always offered the best value for money cars, by constantly redefining the essentials. As a game-changer, Dacia proposes simple, multi-purpose, reliable cars in tune with its customers lifestyles. Dacia models became a reference on the market: Logan, the brand new car at the price of a used one; Sandero, the most sold car to European private customers; Duster, the most affordable SUV; Spring, the champion of the accessible electric mobility in Europe. Dacia is a Renault Group brand, present in 44 countries.  Since 2004, Dacia has sold more than 7,5 million vehicles.

About UTMB® World Series

UTMB® World Series is the world’s ultimate trail-running circuit that unites the sport’s biggest stars and amateur runners through the best, leading international events in the most stunning locations.  Built on a passion for the mountains with sustainability at its heart, UTMB® World Series gives all trail runners the chance to experience the UTMB® adventure across the world, with events taking place across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas in 2022. It is the only place where runners can begin their quest to UTMB® Mont-Blanc, France, where the prestigious UTMB® World Series Finals will be held. For more information, visit www.utmb.world.

About UTMB Group

Over the last 18 years, and since the creation of UTMB® Mont-Blanc in 2003 by a group of passionate friends, UTMB Group has been the driving force behind the development of trail running. The UTMB® Mont-Blanc is the sports pinnacle event, and every year, 10,000 runners earn their place on the start line. UTMB Group also pioneered the LiveTrail® technology, an innovative digital service that supports the management of endurance races. Revered by hundreds of thousands of athletes, UTMB® has become a global, premium, and leading brand. In May 2021, UTMB Group partnered with The IRONMAN Group to launch the UTMB® World Series, which from 2022, will bring together many of the best international events on the planet to provide exclusive access to the sport’s pinnacle event, UTMB® Mont-Blanc. The UTMB® World Series is built on the founding principles of UTMB® Mont-Blanc: surpassing oneself; fair-play; respect for people and the environment; and solidarity. Find out more at www.utmb.world.  

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group gère un portefeuille mondial d’événements qui comprend IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, IRONMAN® 70. 3® Triathlon Series, IRONMAN® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Rock ’n’ Roll® Running Series, Rock ’n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS®, World Triathlon Championship Series, des événements de course à pied de premier plan, dont Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ et The SunHerald City2Surf®, les événements UTMB® World Series, dont Tarawera Ultra et Ultra-Trail Australia™, les courses de VTT, dont Absa Cape Epic®, les événements de cyclisme sur route, dont la Haute Route®, et les courses de gravel, comme Gravel Epic®, et d’autres courses multisports. The IRONMAN Group est le plus grand opérateur de sports à participation de masse au monde et offre à plus d’un million de participants par an les avantages des sports d’endurance grâce aux vastes offres de la société. Depuis la création de la marque emblématique IRONMAN® et de son premier événement en 1978, les athlètes ont prouvé que ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® en franchissant les lignes d’arrivée dans le monde entier. Après avoir commencé par une seule course, The IRONMAN Group est devenu la référence mondiale avec des centaines d’événements dans plus de 55 pays. The IRONMAN Group appartient à Advance, une entreprise privée et familiale. Pour plus d’informations, visitez www.ironman.com/about-ironmangroup.