(FILES) French athlete Mathieu Blanchard competes surrounded by supporters during the 20th edition of The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), a 173km trail race crossing France, Italy and Switzerland in Chamonix, south-eastern France on September 1, 2023. With eight races, ten thousand participants, and throngs of supporters gathered in the mountains, UTMB week, now the global benchmark on the trail-running calendar, is scheduled to start on August 24, 2026, in Chamonix (Haute-Savoie), south-eastern France, where the event's popularity also fuels criticism. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP via Getty Images)