Team Adaptive, launched by UTMB Group, marks a decisive step in the evolution of trail running. It establishes an unprecedented framework to welcome athletes with disabilities onto the same courses, with the same requirements as all runners. By structuring a comprehensive and reproducible inclusion protocol, the initiative is sustainably transforming access to high-level trail running. This model, which aims to make inclusion a sports standard, is recognized as a nominee in the Social Initiative of the Year category at the Trail Running Awards.
The diagnosis: Inclusion as a sports standard
Historically, the participation of athletes with disabilities in ultra-trails was managed on a case-by-case basis. Team Adaptive was born in 2024 from the realization that a structured framework was necessary to guarantee equal opportunities at UTMB events.
The founding principle is sporting equity: same rules, same course, same time barriers. Assistance (guides, adapted equipment) is authorized and supervised, but never diminishes the performance requirement. This comprehensive protocol has been integrated into the UTMB guidelines and will be progressively rolled out across the entire UTMB World Series circuit.
Innovation: A reproducible and comprehensive protocol
The strength of Team Adaptive lies in the implementation of concrete operational measures tailored to the diversity of profiles (motor, sensory, illness-related disabilities).
Guaranteed accessibility: The protocol includes the provision of free guide bibs, accessible signage, personalized safety briefings, and adjusted bib pickup times (for example, for autistic individuals) to avoid stress situations.
Adapted zones: Dedicated and adapted aid stations are set up to ensure the efficiency and comfort of the assistance.
This systemic approach helps unify the welcome, ensuring that adaptive athletes are no longer isolated cases, but full participants in the event.
Skill transfer and cultural impact
Beyond logistics, Team Adaptive actively works for cultural change within the trail running ecosystem:
Elite Mentorship: The Mentoring Adaptive program creates a strong bond between sport elites (including figures such as François D’Haene and Blandine L’Hirondel) and Team Adaptive members. This transfer of skills and methodology places inclusion at the heart of performance.
Public Awareness: Awareness workshops are open to the public, volunteers, and athletes to foster a better understanding of the reality of disability. These workshops use practical, hands-on scenarios (navigating courses with simulation glasses, learning sign language, tackling trails with a joëlette).
The impact is remarkable: the presence of adaptive athletes has become second nature, and differences fade away at the starting line. The perspective of able-bodied runners and the public is transformed, with many volunteers describing the experience as "the highlight" of their week.
David Poletti summarizes this transformation: "Team Adaptive is a standard-bearer. Their presence challenges us, sometimes disrupts us, but above all, it inspires (...), both those who doubt they can still envision a sports project, and those who can learn humility, resilience, and another form of performance through them."
The sporting results speak for themselves (100% of Team Adaptive members finishing iconic races, a growing number of supported athletes on the circuit) and confirm that athletic excellence can coexist with total openness.
