Ulsan Ulju-gun, Recruiting Participants for Ulju Trail Nine Peak Competition

Ulju-gun, Ulsan, is recruiting participants for the international trail running competition "Ulju Trail Nine Peaks (UTNP)" to be held in the Yeongnam Alps this October, from the 7th until August 31st.

Trail running is a new type of mountain sport that involves running on mountain trails without any equipment. Ulju-gun's UTNP aims to be a world-class event like the UTMB held at Mont Blanc in France.

Now in its fourth year, this year's competition will take place over three days from October 26th to 29th. The event categories include ▲1PEAK (10 km) ▲2PEAKS (26 km) ▲5PEAKS (44 km) ▲7PEAKS (86 km) ▲9PEAKS (121 km) ▲Stage Race ▲and a race with companion dogs.

All courses start and finish at the Yeongnam Alps Complex Welcome Center, ascending and descending the summits of nine mountains in the Yeongnam Alps, divided by course.

The 1PEAK and Kids Race courses allow the general public to lightly enjoy the fun of trail running, while the companion dog race is a special course to enjoy the mountains together with pets.

Ulju County Office.

In particular, the 9PEAKS course, which covers the longest domestic distance of 121 km and requires finishing within 40 hours, boasts the highest difficulty level in Korea. It is currently the only domestic race certified with the highest difficulty rating of 6 points by ITRA.

This year, the competition will be linked with famous overseas events according to each category. Completing the 2PEAKS and 5PEAKS courses grants an international ranking from the International Skyrunning Federation, and finishing the 9PEAKS course qualifies participants for the TOR 330 race held in the Italian Alps.

Participants will receive commemorative items such as T-shirts, and finishers will be awarded a finisher’s medal along with commemorative gifts.

Additionally, Ulju-gun plans to offer various attractions and entertainment programs that highlight local characteristics during the event period, along with exciting performances.

To match the highest difficulty level of the competition in Korea, facilities at intermediate checkpoints will be improved, and safety measures will be thoroughly implemented through cooperation between mountain rescue teams and private medical personnel.

Applications and detailed information can be found on the Ulju Trail Nine Peaks official website.

An Ulju-gun official stated, “The Ulju Trail Nine Peaks (UTNP) competition aims to be the best domestic and a world-class event,” adding, “We will do our best to establish the Yeongnam Alps as a world-renowned mountain tourism destination representing South Korea.”